This week’s Gospel:

Matthew 23:1 – 12

Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples:
"The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees sat on the seat of Moses. So you shall do and observe all they say, but do not do as they do, for they do not do what they say. They tie up heavy burdens and load them on the shoulders of the people, but they do not even raise a finger to move them. They do everything in order to be seen by people; so they wear very wide bands of the Law around their foreheads, and robes with large tassels. They enjoy the first place at feasts and reserved seats in the synagogues, and being greeted in the marketplace and being called 'Master' by the people.
"But you, do not let yourselves be called Master because you have only one Master, and all of you are brothers and sisters. Neither should you call anyone on earth Father, because you have only one Father, he who is in heaven. Nor should you be called leader, because Christ is the only leader for you. Let the greatest among you be the servant of all. For whoever makes himself great shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be made great."

Last week’s celebrations

What a great opportunity to build community. Grandparents day saw well over 300 visitors. Our Feast Day Mass had standing room only and we finished our day with a wonderful opportunity for student voice to take the lead. Our Year 6 students created, rehearsed and presented the whole assembly. Thanks must also go to our staff who always demonstrate high levels of dedication and flexibility. I am sure we all slept well on Friday night.

World Teachers Day

St Jude’s Primary school and ELC staff celebrated World Teachers Day on Tuesday November 1. You would have to live in a cave to not know that across Australia, there are significant shortages of teachers. Governments seem to continue to try to implement short term solutions. We are very fortunate at St Jude’s to have a very committed, loyal and hard working staff. Thank you to Gemma and the Community Council executive for the delicious lunch time treats, staff were very appreciative.

Kindergarten 2024 Orientation morning

Next Wednesday between 9 and 11 our Kinder 2024 students will be visiting for the first time in the capacity of 2024 Kinder students. Information has been distributed to all relevant families, however, if you have any questions, please reach out to our front office.

Parent requests for 2024 classes

Soon we will begin allocating students into their class groupings for 2024. This is quite a complicated process which involves ensuring that they have a friend in their new class as well as making sure that academic and social needs are evenly spread across the year level. If you have a request, please forward it to me cameron.reed@cg.catholic.edu.au as soon as possible, preferably by Friday November 17. There is plenty of movement of staff across the system, as a result, staffing will probably not be finalised until just before One Up Day, so please do not put in a request for a particular teacher.

Possible changes to road areas around St Jude’s

You would be aware that we have been working closely with the ACT Government for the past 18 months, looking at creating safer roads. Here is the latest draft sent through, which is a significant improvement. I have asked them to also consider the possibility of a crossing and speed hump on Blackwood Terrace. Thank you to Angela Clark who has played a significant role in these developments. I have also asked for a time frame. Once I am made I aware, I will share this via the newsletter.

Cyber Safety

We are constantly looking for updated information and ways to continue to educate our students in relation to cyber safety. One of our parents created the following tips, which we have worked through with our Year 5 and 6 students. It was interesting to see just how much they took for granted. Please click on the link below to access these tips.

Save the date

Friday December 8. St Jude’s Carols and Xmas picnic.

As always, thank you for your ongoing support

Cameron

Christmas Eve Mass - Nativity 

Each year, Fr Michael celebrates Christmas Eve Mass with a Nativity at the Gospel. Thank you to those who have already responded. There are still plenty of places left, if your child/children are interested in playing the role of Mary, Joseph, Wise Men, Shepherds or Angels, please contact Brigitta at the school, or Danielle at the Parish (Westoncreek@cg.org.au) to let us know. There will be a practise before the end of the term. 

Sacraments  2024

Registration is now open, thank you to those who have already registered so quickly! 

Eligibility for each Sacrament is as follows:
Reconciliation - open to students who have been baptised in Year 3 or above.
First Eucharist - open to students who have made their Reconciliation in Year 4 or above.
Confirmation - open to students who have received their First Eucharist in Year 6 or above.

All candidates for 2024 are invited to a Gathering Masses on 11-12 November.

ELC NEWS

Happy Birthday Evie C

Last Friday the ELC visited St John Vianney’s for their annual Sideshow Alley. We had a fabulous time at all the stalls, enjoyed a pizza lunch and had a play on their playground. Thank you to the SJV year 5/6 for all the effort that went into creating such a fabulous event. We look forward to our buddy visit next week where will be making kites and then going for a walk to find a spot to fly them.

Mango Update

Thank you for supporting our Mango Fundraiser again this year.  According to the farmers, this year’s mango crop has been full of surprises.  At this stage it looks like our mangos will be delivered in the week of 20 November (week 7) which is earlier than expected. We will keep you informed if this changes.

Kinder and ELC orientation

Orientation morning for St Jude’s 2024 Kinder and 2024 ELC will be on Wednesday 8 November and One Up Day is on Wednesday 13 December. St John Vianney’s 2024 Kinder Orientation will be on Wednesday 1 November. More information has been emailed. Could all famillies looking to order uniforms for collection at Kinder orientation please place orders via Qkr! now to allow time to pack.

Walkathon

Thank you for supporting our annual Walkathon. Sponsorship forms and money is now due.

SJV Fete

The SJV Fete is this Saturday 4 November.  It is always a fun family day so be sure to come along. There will be jumping castles, laser tag, rock climbing, super slide, raffles, yummy food, a plant stall and much more.  ELC families can pre-purchase ride wrist bands for $25 (a $5 discount). 

Week 4

Reading! What a delight!

Some advantages of reading.

*Building connection with inner self.

*Helping with detoxification from the online environment.

*Improving focus, memory, empathy, and communication skills.

*Increasing the knowledge base.

*Improving vocabulary.

*Busting stress.

It was a delight to attend the Reader’s Cup Challenge with five keen students, along with Mrs Comley, last Friday. The students were fine representatives of St Jude’s. Congratulations Jonah, Owen, Sam, Elsa and Emmett. All expressed that they would enjoy the experience again next year. Three students plan to represent their chosen high school. Fantastic!

It has been a pleasure ‘trying to fill Mrs Comley’s shoes’ for the past four weeks. The students and staff have been terrific, and very easy to work with. Thank you all.

Have a great week.

Donna Gordon

RAIDERS LEAGUE TAG GALA DAY

Last Thursday 43 Year 3-6 students participated in the Raiders League Tag Gala Day at Kambah. Despite the very windy weather, the students had a great day, trying a new sport for most and making new friends from other schools. St Jude's entered 4 teams who had a mix of wins, draws and losses on the day, with the overall winner being FUN! The teams showed great improvement over the course of the day. A highlight of the day was meeting Ua Ravu, a member of the Raiders NRLW team.

A big thank you to Tim Watkins for his help in coaching one of the year 3/4  teams and to parents for transporting their child/ren to and from the ground. 

Mr Kucher and Mrs Henderson were very proud of the sportsmanship and level of participation by all students. Congratulations to Sadie S, Katherine R, Noah R and Kate H who were awarded the 'Role Model' Award for their team. 

  
NETBALL GALA DAYS Years 3-6 

Please refer to the COMPASS notification if your child is interested in participating in an upcoming  NETBALL Gala Day. The Year 3/4 Gala Day is Tuesday 7 November at Deakin and the Year 5/6 Gala Day in Tuesday 14 November at Calwell. Parents will need to transport their child/ren to and from the ground. Children will need to be at their respective ground at 9am and pick up will be 3.00pm. There is no cost. Nominations for the Year 3/4 team will close tomorrow, Friday 3 November at 12 noon and Year 5/6 nominations will close next Thursday 9 November. My apologies for the short turn around, the date approached quicker than I was ready for!   

These gala days are not mandatory and are only if your child would like to participate. 

Thank you very much to the volunteers who assisted in preparing the grandparents/feast day BBQ on Friday – it was a mammoth effort getting 750 sausages cooked. Your help is greatly appreciated!

Canteen Volunteers – Week 5

Wednesday 8 November – E. Dimanoski & Annette

Thursday 9 November – S. Auhl, R. Buckley & I. Shames

Friday 10 November– S. Monges, G. Cabot and two more volunteers needed please

If you would like to volunteer in the Canteen, please get in touch katrina.howden@cg.catholic.edu.au

Uniform shop open:  

Wednesday 8 November (Kinder Orientation) - 8:30am - 11:00am

***COULD ALL FAMILIES LOOKING TO ORDER UNIFORMS FOR COLLECTION AT KINDER ORIENTATION PLEASE PLACE ORDERS VIA QKR NOW, TO ALLOW US TIME TO PACK THEM. ORDERS MADE ON THE DAY MAY NOT BE FILLED.***

**Please do not make payment for secondhand items, until we reply to your request confirming stock is available.

School Disco – Friday 17 November

We have some further details regarding the school disco to be held in the school hall. Two sessions will be held:

• 5:30pm – 6.15pm (ELC – Year 2)
• 6:30pm – 8.00pm (Year 3 – Year 6)

The community council are unable to offer supervision due to the numbers of students expected. It is therefore requested that parents or carers remain to supervise students. Chairs will be available inside the hall, and for those who would prefer a quieter spot tables and chairs will be made available under the shelter shed, which will provide an opportunity for the adults to socialise.

For those that have emailed and volunteered the community council will be in touch as we still require some assistance.

Trash & Treasure

The shed will be open for collections for the trash and treasure stall for the fete. At this stage we are accepting books, dvds, cds and small hard toys. Items must be in good condition, if you wouldn’t take them, please reconsider. If you also have bread crates that would be much appreciated. The shed will be open on Friday 3 November from 3-3.30pm (located in the middle of the car park). We ask for caution when in the carpark as this will coincide with pick-up. Further collection dates will be released, and as we get closer open to other items such as soft toys and clothes.

Calling all green thumbs!

Interested in helping to prepare for the garden stall at St Jude’s fete in 2024? The next few months are ideal for propagating plants to sell. Please contact jeanette.swayn@gmail.com or jennieholbrook1948@gmail.com if you are able to assist in any way (e.g. supply plant material to propagate, pots, potting mix etc. ) your assistance will be appreciated.

Important Dates

Many thanks,

Gemma Cabot

Stjudes.scc@gmail.com