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Dear Parents and Community,
I hope everyone enjoyed the Melbourne Cup holiday yesterday. Our teachers spent Monday working on school reports and from what I can tell most of the other days as well. I think I mentioned last year that teachers spend around two to three hours per report, so all up it can be somewhere between 60 to 90 hours, which is all done after school and on weekends in a short period of time. Understandably, the occasional mistake does get through. My own editing can mean I read something like 200 000 to 300 000 words in a week or two, so I miss things too. Always let the school know if this happens and we will try to rectify it.
Tomorrow I have my online session with parents for our new intake of Preps. I will be trying to give our new families some sense of the school and what happens through an online environment. We are still getting enrolment enquiries which is late in the year for us, but reflecting the challenges of this year for many families.
Father Greg headed off on his holidays this week which is a closer to home this year than his normal trip to Byron Bay. We wish him a peaceful time.
Building Project. I have a hand over meeting scheduled this Friday afternoon to inspect the classrooms to hand back to the school. We are hoping to have our students back in on Monday. The meeting has been delayed a couple of times, so, fingers crossed, all goes well this week. The asphalting and other works should be completed soon.
God Bless and Stay Safe
Anthony
All Saints Day (November 1st)
All Saints’ Day celebrates all the Christian saints. Saints are holy people who are believed to be very close to God. Roman Catholics believe that saints have special powers to help people. People celebrate the saints by lighting candles and going to church.
No one is sure how All Saints’ Day came to be or why it falls on the days it does. Some people think it started as a feast day for martyrs on May 13. (A martyr is someone who dies for his or her religious beliefs.) This may have started as early as AD 359. Another theory is that All Saints’ Day came from Ireland. The Irish often designated the first day of the month for important feasts. November 1 is the beginning of the Celtic winter, so it is possible that the feast of all saints occurred on the same day. The celebration of All Saints’ Day on November 1 may have passed to England and then on to the European continent. In the 700s Pope Gregory III dedicated a chapel in Saint Peter’s, Rome, on November 1 in honor of all saints. A later pope ordered that all Catholics should observe the day on November 1.
**** Please be aware that Father Greg is on annual leave from Sunday 1st November until Saturday 28th November ****
Wow what a great night at Disco Bingo, thanks for all the families that joined in. There were some impressive dance moves and some very impressive disco lights. A special thanks to Lisa Kirby for organising on behalf of the school.
LAST ORDERS – Make sure that you get your order in today for Showbags, which can be purchased online and will arrive at school on Friday 13th November.
Thanks you for all the wonderful donations received so far for the Christmas raffle. You still have time to contribute. What we are looking for now are mainly:
* Bottles – wines, cordials, vinegars, sauces which can be put into a hamper
* Condiments – jams, pickles etc
* Xmas pantry items – anything special and Christmassy
* Vouchers etc
Please remember that food items need to be within expiry date to be donated.
Next meeting
The next P&F Meeting will be held on 10 November at 7.00pm and we hope you can join us. Maybe you are keen to get more involved or learn more about what we do, maybe you have a great idea – we would love to hear from you, please contact secretary@smwilliamstown.catholic.edu.au if you would like to attend and you will be sent a zoom link. We look forward to seeing you there!