St Kieran Newsletter Term 2, Week 8 - 6th June 2024
Principal's Message
Lord Jesus,
Bless the children coming forward to receive Holy Communion for the first time.
May this day be an initial step into a life-long love of the Eucharist.
Give them a hunger for this sacred food so that they turn to You for comfort, guidance,
and wisdom as they grow into full discipleship.
Thank you for their innocence and goodness.
May their eagerness to receive Your Body and Blood inspire all of us to cherish this Sacred Sacrament.
Amen.
The Church has been described as people called together in order to share Jesus’ love. There is no better way for this to occur than through sharing the Eucharist. Each year a new group of young people do exactly this for the first time when they receive their First Holy Communion. This is the case for our current Year 4 classes and parish members who this weekend make their First Holy Communion.
Like Baptism, the reception of the Eucharist brings us into a closer association with God. Each time we receive the Eucharist we become continually formed to the likeness of Christ. Nourished with Christ we become Christ for others. We become Eucharistic people whose lives are centred on and flow from Christ.
When loved ones have to leave each other, what usually happens, besides hugs, is that they exchange something of themselves such as a photo or a friendship ring or a locket of hair. There is a certain symbolism associated with this exchange which says, “When you touch this, you’re touching me and somehow we’re together.”
This is what Jesus did when He knew He was going to die and leave His friends. He wanted to leave something precious of Himself so that His friends and the Church – us – could really feel that He’s here amongst us. At the Last Supper when Jesus said, “This is My Body … This is My Blood… Do this in memory of Me”, He didn’t do it because of His own need to be remembered, He did it because of His friends and our need to remember Him. In His love for us Jesus left a very special way to remember Him, the Eucharist.
Through this ritual a distinct message is conveyed about why we gather, who we are and what we are for. We proclaim that Jesus, who is always with us, is present to us in an intensified manner when we gather in His name. The proclamation that, “We are the Body of Christ” reminds us that we are the ones who are to take Christ to the world in which we live our life.
On First Communion Day we see our children take a new step in faith, as they share Communion with us for the first time. We are their first teachers in the ways of faith. No matter who says what, unless our children sense our faith they will not absorb faith. The faith we hand on will be their strength through life. Teachers and priests cannot plant faith in the hearts of our children if we don’t.
If we have not been quite up to the mark in this regard, we might take advantage of a First Communicant in our family, who is commencing a life long adventure of being Christ’s hands and feet and heart and mind, to renew our enthusiasm for doing the same.
To our First Holy Communion candidates, we keep you in our thoughts and prayers and wish you all the very best as you celebrate this sacrament.
Best wishes and take care.
Mr Daine Burnett
Principal
daine.burnett@cewa.edu.au
School Calendar
A reminder to all families to continue to check the school calendar on our website for dates and events that are coming up during the term we conclude the Friday 28th June.
Staff News
As you know Ms Climo is now working 4 days per week at Mercy College, however will be at St Kieran on Wednesday for the reminder of 2024. To replace Ms Climo I am pleased to welcome Mr Corey Boutin who will be joining us this week as our new Finance Officer. Mr Boutin will be working Monday – Thursday for the remainder of 2024. Welcome aboard Mr Boutin and it is great to have you joining our St Kieran community!
Unfortunately due to personal reasons Miss Rachel Hogan is having to return to family in Ireland very quickly and will conclude her time at St Kieran on Friday 14th June. We do wish Miss Hogan and her family all the very best and have loved having her as part of the staff and hope she returns to us in the future years. To cater for this staffing change Miss Gabrielle Marchesi will be moving into the Year 3W class for the remainder of the year from her part time role within the Support Room. We welcome Miss Shayla Newcombe to St Kieran Catholic Primary School who will now step into the part time role within the Support Room. These changes will take place from Monday the 17th June.
Kindergarten Enrolments 2025
We are accepting Kindy Enrolment's for Kindy 2025 and now conducting interviews. Please submit your application and make sure you have your children enrolled at St Kieran Catholic Primary School. If you have missed this process please call the administration office as soon as possible.
We do have a small number of spaces across other year levels and if friends or families are wishing to look at enrolling their children at our school.
Seesaw
Can all parents make sure you have access to your child's Seesaw. Teachers constantly post assessment results and pieces during the term. This is a great way to keep you updated on the progress of your child.
Unwell Students
As we are well and truly in the colder months can we please ask that unwell students are not sent to school. Our staff will call parents if a child is unwell or presents unwell - we are not trained medical staff and if a child says they are unwell or looks unwell we will call the families to collect them. Sending an unwell child to school in turn has an impact on the other students as well as the staff and of course the families at St Kieran. Your consideration around this matter is appreciated.
Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
This week, in our Catholic faith and tradition, two important celebrations are occurring close together: students will be participating in their first Sacrament of the Eucharist (Saturday and Sunday 8 and 9 June) and the Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, which occurs every years 19 days after Pentecost.
During The Eucharist:
- During Mass, we receive the Eucharist, which Catholics believe is the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. This sacrament reminds us of Jesus' Last Supper and his great love for us.
The Sacred Heart of Jesus:
- The Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus happens every year on the Friday after the second Sunday of Pentecost. It focuses on Jesus' heart as a symbol of his immense love and compassion for all people.
How They Are Connected?
- Love and Sacrifice: Both the Eucharist and the Sacred Heart show how much Jesus loves us. The Eucharist is Jesus giving himself to us, and the Sacred Heart reminds us of his love and the suffering he endured for us.
- Being Close to Jesus: When we receive the Eucharist, we are very close to Jesus. The Sacred Heart devotion helps us think about and feel this closeness and love.
- Forgiveness and Mercy: The Eucharist is a celebration of Jesus’ gift of forgiveness. The Sacred Heart also reminds us to seek Jesus' forgiveness and mercy.
By understanding these connections, we can appreciate the depth of Jesus' love and the importance of these celebrations in our faith.
LifeLink Launch
On Wednesday, June 5, our Faith leaders attended the 25th anniversary of LifeLink launch at Newman College. LifeLink Day is both an educational and fundraising initiative. Through LifeLink Day, young people attending Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Perth are encouraged to learn more about the very real ‘need’ which exists in the community, and how our Church agencies, through LifeLink, respond to this need.
Cross Country
A big congratulations to all those students who participated in the Cross Country. The weather held off which meant it was perfect conditions for our runners. There were some terrific individual results on the day as well as great encouragement by each year group, highlighted by a number of students helping their peers cross the finish line.
A big thank you to all the staff who helped assist on the day and the parents who attended to support the students.
The Interschool Cross Country will be held on the 23rd of July (Term 3) and students selected will be notified in the coming week.
Year 6 Ice Challenge
Students in Year 6 have been investigating the chemistry of ice and learning about which conditions are best to keep ice frozen. They were asked to design make and experiment with a container to keep a single ice cube frozen as a way of showing their understanding of the principles learned. Students worked with families to make, test and appraise their design ideas. At school, they were given a single ice cube on Tuesday 4th June and the competition began to see which container would best insulate the ice cube. Competition was tough, with amazingly diverse containers made from an array of materials. The competition has now been going for days... and although today there is only one ice cube still in the game, it is well and truly solid and shows no sign of melting soon.
Congratulations to all the students, with special mentions going to Dion in 4th place, Ruby in 3rd place, Aidan in 2nd place and Alexandra who is the winner for 2024. Now we wait to see how long the ice cube lasts for!!!
Year 3 Assembly
This morning the Year Threes performed their assembly that focused on having a growth mindset and being our own superhero. It was a lovely performance that everyone enjoyed.
St Kieran Parish Fund Raising International Food Fair
Kieran Connect Parents Raffle
Please see the below flyer for the VIP Parking Bay Raffle. The prize is a reserved parking bay for Term 3. Now, who wouldn't want to win it!
The online sale of tickets has opened. It closes on Wednesday, 12 June at 3pm.
Click on the link below to purchase your tickets:
Stkieran.cdfpay.org.au
Raffle drawn on Friday, 14 June 2024.
