Principal's Newsletter
Gospel of the Week
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke
All who exalt themselves shall be humbled and all who humble themselves shall be exalted.
On a sabbath day Jesus had gone for a meal to the house of one of the leading Pharisees; and they watched him closely. He then told the guests a parable, because he had noticed how they picked the places of honour. He said this, ‘When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take your seat in the place of honour. A more distinguished person than you may have been invited, and the person who invited you both may come and say, “Give up your place to this man.” And then, to your embarrassment, you would have to go and take the lowest place. No; when you are a guest, make your way to the lowest place and sit there, so that, when your host comes, he may say, “My friend, move up higher.” In that way, everyone with you at the table will see you honoured. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the man who humbles himself will be exalted.’
Then he said to his host, ‘When you give a lunch or a dinner, do not ask your friends, brothers, relations or rich neighbours, for fear they repay your courtesy by inviting you in return. No; when you have a party, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; that they cannot pay you back means that you are fortunate, because repayment will be made to you when the virtuous rise again.’
Dear Parents, Carers and Guardians,
This week the Gospel describes Jesus attending a meal at a prominent Pharisee's house, where He teaches about humility and selfless generosity, advising guests not to choose the most honoured seats and instructing the host to invite the poor and needy rather than friends and the rich, who could repay him. Instead of self-serving social climbing, the teaching emphasizes that true rewards come from God at the resurrection of the righteous for those who act with grace and compassion.
People are ignorant of what God really wants - humility, not pride. He wants people to recognize their need for him. God blesses those who humble themselves, who recognize they cannot save themselves. He blesses those who do good without seeking reward or recognition from others.
In this week’s newsletter, I have included a pamphlet on the safe use of E- Bikes and scooters. No doubt we have seen in the news that there have many unnecessary and tragic accidents involving these vehicles and this is such a sad waste of lives. If you and your family members do use these modes of transport, please ask them to ensure they are being responsible citizens and wearing the correct safety gear and respecting other road users and pedestrians at all times.
The Avenue carpark
As you will have noticed, this has now undergone a major change. The whole carpark is one way only and all angle parking, which means there is NO REVERSE PARKING as well as a crossing from the carpark to the school that all families must use. Thank you to all the parents who have been respectful in understanding when staff have had to speak to them to ensure they are doing the right thing. This change has come about to keep our students, your children safe at ALL times.
There will also be a clear NO CROSSING zone as well which must be obeyed at all times. Please ensure that you continue to follow the rules in the carpark. Thank you.
Preparations for 2026
At St Patrick’s we continue to have school tours coming through for this year and 2027 which is great and next year, we welcome many new families to our community. This term, I will begin planning for 2026. It is during this term that I ask parents to put in writing any issues they would like to raise with me in terms of the new academic year. I wish to make this very clear that requests made by parents for particular staff etc will NOT be guaranteed. I would like to emphasize that the staff of St Patrick’s do an amazing job and are valuable entities in your child’s education, and I will not entertain any idea of ‘teacher shopping’. As professionals, we base the decisions on your child’s placement very carefully and there is serious consideration put into this each year.
This communication does need to be sent to me by the end of Term 3. Any requests made later than this may not be considered. I appreciate your understanding in this matter.