Thursday 20th February 2025

Gospel of the Week

Luke 6:27-38

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke

Be merciful as your Father is merciful.

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘I say this to you who are listening: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who treat you badly. To the man who slaps you on one cheek, present the other cheek too; to the man who takes your cloak from you, do not refuse your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and do not ask for your property back from the man who robs you. Treat others as you would like them to treat you. If you love those who love you, what thanks can you expect? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what thanks can you expect? For even sinners do that much. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what thanks can you expect? Even sinners lend to sinners to get back the same amount. Instead, love your enemies and do good, and lend without any hope of return. You will have a great reward, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.

‘Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate. Do not judge, and you will not be judged yourselves; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned yourselves; grant pardon, and you will be pardoned. Give, and there will be gifts for you: a full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap; because the amount you measure out is the amount you will be given back.’

Dear Parents, Carers and Guardians,

In this gospel, Jesus is inviting us to respond to challenges as he did – by loving, doing good, blessing, praying and giving. This we must do in season and out of season. Though we don't feel, and we don't see that it is logical to love and pray for our enemies, still, this divine call must be observed at all times. This program, this way of treating enemies reminds me a lot of Jesus. Let us listen to our Lord's words from Luke 6, again. “²⁷ “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸ bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”

God specifically promises to take care of generous givers. And he promises to give back to you in accordance with the measure of generosity you use in your giving in the first place. In essence, God says, “You go first.” We don't like that. We want God to go first. It teaches us that God is going to hold us responsible for the way that we treat others. If we show compassion and mercy to others, we will be shown compassion and mercy. If, however, we are judgmental and critical of others, we should expect to be treated the same way by God.

This week, our Year 2 students have begun their 10-day intense swimming program. We have been lucky with the weather and from all accounts they have been having a fantastic time. They have another week to go.

I ask all parents to once again, PLEASE observe the NO RIGHT TURN SIGN that is located at the entrance and exit on The Avenue car park. You MUST turn LEFT and you can simply go up to the roundabout and come back again. For the sake of a few minutes, you will spare the frustration of other parents trying to do the right thing. As the principal of this community, I absolutely do not condone the abuse of other families. This is completely unacceptable behaviour, particularly in front of your own children.

In the next few months, there will be some considerable changes to the way The Avenue car park operates. I will keep the community updated . Thank you for your understanding.

God Bless

Meg

NAPLAN

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a literacy and numeracy assessment that students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sit each year. It is the only national assessment all Australian students have the opportunity to undertake. As students’ progress through their school years, it is important to check how well they are learning the essential skills of reading, writing and numeracy. NAPLAN assesses the literacy and numeracy skills that students are learning through the school curriculum and allows parents/carers to see how their child is progressing against national proficiency standards. NAPLAN is just one aspect of a school’s assessment and reporting process. It does not replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance, but it can provide teachers with more information about students’ educational progress. NAPLAN also provides schools, education authorities and governments with information about how education programs are working, and whether young Australians are achieving important educational outcomes in literacy and numeracy.

Wed 12th Mar ~ 9:00am-10:00am (Writing)

Thurs 13th Mar ~ 10:00am-11:00am (Reading)

Friday 14th Mar ~ 9:00-10:00am (Conventions of Language) AND 11:30am-12:30am (Numeracy)

SEMPER DENTAL VISITS

We are pleased to advise you that our school has engaged Semper Dental to provide your children with the opportunity of visiting the Semper Dental treatment team at school commencing on Wednesday 19th March. Semper Dental is a well-respected catholic family business and is a significant provider of oral hygiene education and dental treatment services with programs running in more than 80 schools in greater Melbourne.

The program is available to participating students from all year levels at the school. The basis of this offer will be fully explained in the Semper Dental parent consent forms and in the Semper Dental information flyer.

Semper Dental provides a preventative treatment program involving an oral examination and treatments such as scale, cleaning, fluoride application and fissure seals where necessary. Semper Dental will then provide you with a treatment plan for your child following the visit and will inform you if your child requires additional dental care. Forms will need to be returned to the school by Thursday March 14th.

St Francis Xavier College school tours

If you are looking to enrol your child at St Francis Xavier, please note these important dates in your calendar.

SFX College Open Day – Saturday 22 March 10.00am – 2.00pm 

Officer Campus Talk & Tour – 09.30am – 10.45am 

Tuesday 11 February

Tuesday 13 May

Tuesday 24 June

Tuesday 12 August

Tuesday 09 September

Tuesday 14 October

Wednesday 12 November

Year 7 2026 Enrolment Interviews

Wednesday 5 March

Wednesday 4 June

Wednesday 29 October

Year 7 2027 Enrolment Interviews

Wednesday 2 July

Year 7 2027 Parent Information Evening

Wednesday 7 May 7.00pm

Year 7 2026 Transition Day – Monday

8 December all day

Parent Helpers-Term 2

We will be running an induction for any parents who wish to help in the classroom early in Term 2. Please note, any parents wishing to assist in the classroom must have a Working with Children Check. It only needs to be a Volunteer one to assist in the classroom. The school will require a copy of this to keep in our files. We will notify parents of the date once we have finalised it.

ATTENTION PARENTS: School Uniform

I am asking for all students to be wearing our full school uniform. It is important that we maintain a high standard of uniform throughout the school year and to wear it with pride.

I will continue to ask all students to be wearing proper school shoes and uniform right up until the end of the year. Runners are NOT school shoes. Please see pictures below. I understand that students are growing constantly, however they will continue to grow for many more years and so I cannot always accept this as an excuse. We must remember that many students are adhering to the correct standards of school uniform and therefore, it is important that the students and their families please respect this. Secondary schools do not accept poor unform standards.

If finance is a concern when it comes to uniform, please speak to your classroom teacher. St Patrick’s has a very good second-hand uniform shop where you can purchase school uniform items. It is a third of the price you would pay at the normal uniform shop, and the money goes straight back to the school.

 This is an example of a school shoe to be worn every day, except on sport days/events:

This is a runner and NOT a school shoe