A reminder that tomorrow Friday 8th June is a school closure day. The staff are involved in Professional

Development the Berry Street Program.

Message from Ms Ash This is a copy of the blog written by Jenny Hawkins (Principal St Patrick’s Murrumbeena)

Kimberley "Good Liyan" for Melbourne Principals

"..It's hard not to come away.....with anything but admiration for these strong, spirited, dedicated

women who made a home in the remote region and were embraced by the community there." The

ABC online review of the documentary Sisters, Pearls, and Mission Girls is referring to the Irish and

Australian Sisters of St John of God who sailed from Perth in 1907 to the remote Kimberley coast in the

far North West of Australia and founded the Beagle Bay Mission.

This year marks the Centenary Celebrations of the Sacred Heart Church also known as the Mother of

Pearl Church in Beagle Bay. The artwork of the church is unique to the Kimberley region represented by

mother of pearl inlays, Aboriginal designs, Christian symbols and European mosaic techniques.

Mother of pearl inlays in the altar, Sacred Heart Church, Beagle Bay

St. Elizabeth’s School Newsletter: 7th June 2018

(Always refer to FlexiBuzz messages for up-to-date information)

School playground is supervised from 8:30am until 8:55am and 3:15pm to 3:30pm

Today, there are only two Sisters of St John of God. Twenty principals from the South Eastern Principal's

Network of the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne, were fortunate to learn about education in the

Kimberley from one very humble woman born in the Kimberley area, Sister Pat Rhatigan AO SSJG.

Our travels took us from Broome to Cape Leveque (image from en.wikipedia.org)

Before we met Sister Pat, at the Sisters of St John of God Heritage Centre in Broome, we were

welcomed by Erica Bernard with a smoking ceremony.

Erica is the Community Liaison Officer for the Broome Catholic Office. Erica explained that the smoking

ceremony, gifted to her by her elders, cleansed the way, to keep us safe during our stay.

Erica asked us to open our hearts, eyes and ears as we felt the smoke make our whole being stronger

and provide us with "good liyan" (for the Yawuru people "liyan" represents emotional strength, dignity,

pride and wellbeing).

Erica Bernard, Community Liaison Officer for the Broome Catholic Education Office welcomes us with

open arms on behalf of elders.

The inspiring woman, who helped us to understand the "good liyan" was Sister Pat. Sister Pat's first

words to us were that she had a good news story to share. However, we came to realise, that the

dedicated work of this very modest nun was a good news story in itself. Sister Pat's invaluable personal

contribution during the past sixty years as a Sister of St John of God cannot be overlooked.

Sister Pat was recognised as Western Australian Senior of the Year in 2007 and received the Order of

Australia in 2008. This award recognised Sister Pat's educational endeavours with Aboriginal people by

ensuring the history, culture and religion of the Aboriginal people were part of mainstream studies.

Among many initiatives, Sister Pat facilitated the opening of several Catholic schools, ensured Aboriginal

Teaching Assistants received suitable training, established the Broome Campus of the Notre Dame

University and the Broome Catholic Education Office. Today, Sister Pat, a passionate educator, curator

and researcher, shares the rich history of the Kimberley region. Sister Pat coordinates staff and

volunteers to support locals and visitors to reconnect with their family history through the 60,000 photos

in the archives and gallery open to the public as part of the permanent Relationships Exhibition at the

Heritage Centre.

May 2018 Newsletter, Sisters of St John of God Heritage Centre

During our stay in Broome, we visited several of the Catholic schools in the Kimberley. While visiting the schools,

we met with passionate teachers and leaders all wishing to ensure that the children experience rich, diverse and

personalised learning opportunities amidst the challenges of climate, culture, distance, isolation and limited

resources.

At some of the schools, we coincidently crossed paths with the school photographer taking the annual class

photos. We saw the smiling faces of children standing in rows beside dedicated members of staff. Having seen the

faded images of the sisters from the past standing beside the children in the Relationships Exhibition, one could

sense the remarkable transition over the years from the early missionaries, to the religious to the lay persons of

today. Through passages of time, passionate practitioners meet the needs of the communities across the remote

Kimberley region. Our respect for the present day staff of the schools in the Kimberley region is comparable to the

work of the pioneers and the sisters who went before them.

As leaders of Catholic schools today, we have a responsibility to carry on the work of our forebears to ensure

Catholic education remains a beacon of excellence within our schools. We have challenges unique to our individual

school communities but as Sister Pat reminds us, we need to work with our challenges and with each other to

overcome problems in new ways.

"We need big dreamers, leaders, movers and shakers" and “We need to respond to the needs of the people of the

time" (Sister Pat Rhatigan, 2018).

Just as Sister Pat forged ahead to ensure educational equality for the Aboriginal people of the Kimberley and

supported the healing and acknowledgement of past wrongs, we too can contribute. We can encourage and

prepare staff to venture to the Kimberley and other remote areas of Australia to support the continuation of this

educational mission. Closer to home, we can work to enhance the life and protect the rights of every child and

person who is created in the image and likeness of God within our schools today.

Erica and Sister Pat at the campfire used for the Land, Fire and Water Closing Prayer

"Light of the world ! Salt of the earth !

Be for the world the face of love!

Be for the earth the reflection of his light !"

Pope John Paul II (taken from the Closing Prayer led by Erica Bernard).

Special thanks to Richard Hodgson and his wife Sue who planned and coordinated this remarkable principal

conference as an opportunity for Melbourne Principals to truly experience the Kimberley "good liyan".

Message from Ms Walker Sacrament of Eucharist

Congratulations to all our children who celebrated this Sacrament over the last two weekends. The children were joyful and very respectful during the Masses. A big thank you to the families for their participation

and allowing us to be part of the journey with them.

Feast of the Visitation

Last week our school celebrated our Feast Day. We began by working with our buddies from the other classes and enjoyed talking about St. Elizabeth and her relationship with Mary.

We then gathered in the PAC for a shared lunch and completed the day with the celebration of Mass.

Minnie Vinnies This group of Level 6 children have asked the school to support the ‘Heads and Toes’ drive for the homeless of Melbourne. The response so far has been amazing so thank you very much to those families who have donated new beanies and socks. The final day for donations is Friday 25th June.

Feast of the Sacred Heart

Today we celebrated Mass at 2:15pm. According to the Gospel of John (19:33), when Jesus was dying on the cross "one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water." The celebration of the Sacred Heart is associated with the physical wound (and the associated sacrifice), the "mystery" of both blood and water pouring from Christ's chest, and the devotion God asks from humankind. To show our love for Jesus and others we combined this Feast with our Gift Giving Mass. Thank you to everyone who contributed by donating second hand, non-perishable food or gold coins. The St. Vincent de Paul Society will collect these donations on Friday. 3/4 Community Mass You are all invited to join us on Friday 15th June at 9:15am for the Level 3 and 4 Community Mass.

Good Shepherd On Tuesday evening, thirty children and parents from our Level 1 and 2 communities attended the ‘Good Shepherd’ Experience. It was wonderful to share the concept of Jesus as our Good Shepherd and what it means in today’s world. The children and parents as well, participated in the three activities that helped unpack the story. Many thanks to Fr. Tad who gave the children a special blessing at the end of the evening

Religious Persecution Written by L. W. (5/6)

I personally believe that religion is something to be proud of, however people worldwide life in fear because of their faith. Religious persecution is when someone is mistreated verbally or physically due to their faith. Forms of persecution can excruciatingly severe. In some cases death can even occur. For whatever reason, religious persecution is still an everyday issue. In many countries religious persecution is an ever growing threat. Many Christians, Muslims, etc. live in fear of persecution. Countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan, etc. suffer severely when their faith is revealed. Torture, psychological damage, and even death are some of the sickening yet excruciating punishments for having a different faith. For example, Egyptians have died from deadly attacks and murders from people who pursue religious persecution. However, in western regions the number of verbal attacks are still at a large. As you can see there needs to be an end to the current way people are treating each other. Religious persecution can appear in forms of religious extremism. There has been countless events and new reports that relate to the matter, but still nothing has changed. Instead of treating all citizen of Australia and other countries equally, people kill those who don’t believe in their faith. Extremists attack in the name of their religion. The belief that only one

religion can exist has killed and injured many. One of the many examples of extremism has taken place in Egyptian churches. Extremists recently dropped nuclear explosives onto multiple churches in Egypt. During the devastating attack there were many casualties. How can the world leaders not do anything about these assaults? The deaths caused by religious persecution outnumber many other causes of death around the world. There are numerous assaults on people in forms of religious persecution. In whatever form of harm used, all victims are left scarred. Whether it be a direct attack or your just one in the crowd all casualties are counted. Even after the deaths of many men, women, and children, the losses of those to religious persecution continue. The deaths of those who suffered cannot be justified but should motion a change. In conclusion, verbal and physical religious persecution has to come to an end. The pain the victims suffered should change the world for the greater good. All world leaders should come to an agreement on this topic. If religious persecution were to continue, how would our world look in thirty years?

Message from Mr Andrew

Last Thursday, 52 St. Elizabeth’s students travelled to Tatterson Park, Keysborough to compete in the Noble Park District Cross Country Carnival. We travelled by bus with Mrs. Mel, Mr Young and Sue. The weather was perfect for cross country running. The sun was out and the track was dry. We were competing against 11 other schools. We had good numbers at our Wednesday morning training and we were confident that we could all run the distance. The 11 and 12 year olds have to run 3 kilometres, whilst the 9 and 10 year olds have to run 2 km. Most of us were nervous, some of us were confident. We spoke about what we needed to do strategically. The key is not sprinting at the start! We were ready to go. At the end we listened to the scores being read out. We were hoping for a top 5 finish. But we did better than that. We finished 2nd overall and celebrated as though we had won. Cross country running is all about preparation, executing a smart race and toughing it out on the day. On the course, we dug deep and ran through the pain, the tiredness and the stitches. We had 8 students who finished in the top 10. They are Olymbia, Alyssa, Simon, Jacob, Ganjwok, Jonathan S, Nyamouch and Brodie. They have all qualified for the next round – the Greater Dandenong Division Cross Country Carnival. We wish them all the best. We had lots of parents come down and barrack for us. Thank you to those parents as you made us run just that little bit better. And thank you to the teachers who helped us get through the day.

Message from Ms Martin

Lamont BookFair is coming to St. E’s … Date; 25th June to 28th June and 16th July to 19th July. The books are all new and will be on sale in The Nook.

Come along and have a look. Should you wish to purchase a book or two, sales are cash or card only (not Mastercard).

Reminder … School Closure

Tomorrow Friday 8th June is a school closure day. Monday 16th JULY is a school closure day. (Progress Interview)

OHSC is open for both these days, please contract Elarine should you

wish to book your child in. 0422 803 709

Smiles Onsite St Elizabeth’s Parish School is

collaborating with Smiles Onsite to promote healthier, happier smiles at our school! This incredible service is being offered for FREE under the federal government's Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS). All students will be given

a consent form to bring home so that they can participate.

How does it work?

The Child Dental Benefit Schedule grants all eligible parents with $1000 worth of Medicare towards dental per child, over a two-year period. Eligible parents should receive a confirmation letter; however if you are still unsure, Smiles Onsite can check for you on completion of their consent form.

Can I make use of this service if I'm not

eligible?

Of course! Smiles Onsite can do almost everything that your local dentist can do on board there state-of-the-art mobile Clinic. If you would like them to see your child for a scale and clean, fillings, fissure seals etc., these services can be offered with NO GAP payable.

This service is a great opportunity to get kids into the habit of good oral hygiene, and we hope you're as excited about it as we are!

You can fill out the dental consent form for your son or daughter by inserting this link on the web browser - https://form.jotform.co/81232709336859

If you have any further questions about this

program or your eligibility, please contact Smiles

Onsite directly on 1800 276 453.

Community News

111 Bakers Road,

Dandenong North

Ph. 0422 803 709

Before School Care

Permanent: $13.50 /Casual $16.00

7am to 8:55am Monday to Friday during school

term, excluding all Victorian Public Holidays.

After School Care

Permanent: $14.50 /Casual $17.00

3:15pm to 6:15pm Monday to Friday during

school term, excluding all Victorian Public

Holidays.

Vacation Care / Pupil Free Days

Per Day: $50.00

7am to 6:00pm Monday to Friday

(The School Holiday Programme in January will

be held at St Anthony’s and St. Marys)

Late Pick Up Fees: Per minute: $1.00

For enquires or further information, please

contact Elarine on 0422 803 709 during session

times.

Fortnightly Activities …

Monday 12th June to Friday 22ndJune

Monday Butterfly Salt Painting,

Monkey Paper Art

Tuesday Woven Paper Butterfly

Craft, Easy Fish Craft

Wednesday Pipe Cleaner Wands,

Book Marks

Thursday Wall Hanging, Melt Crafts

Friday Hama Beads, Loom

Bands, Marble Games

If you need care, please contact Elarine,

either by popping into OHSC or ringing

her on 0422 803 709

St. Elizabeth’s Out of School Hours Care Program … YOUTH LEADERSHIP VICTORIA PRESENTS – ST ELIZABETH’S OUT OF SCHOOL HOURS CARE