Dear Families,

We arrive today at the end of a long week, a week that has probably caused heartaches, stomachaches and headaches.  We have all had to adjust in some way and probably all feel a little loss of control.  Complaining about things we find important can be natural but at times not helpful - especially when we can't control them or might not actually happen.  Issues when I got home from work extended from the threat of TikTok getting removed from Australia through to the media gossip of restrictions of two blocks of Cadbury per transaction.  Sometimes it might be the straw that breaks the camels back.

I'm lucky in my life to have the support of some wise people, both personally and professionally.  An elderly neighbour is one of those.  Last night was our first chat for months, bumping into each other putting out our bins.  He was interested in how the community was coping as they had been very disciplined and have been isolating at home for months.  Instead of the dread and negativity that seems to capture our attention at the moment, he spoke optimistically of the future and wondered what the world will be like when this is over.  He didn't lecture the youth of today, criticise consumerism or offer any political commentary.  His eyes lit up with excitement from above his mask thinking about the possibilities ahead for a change in the way we do things, say things and treat things .... for the better.  My neighbour's quietly spoken passion reminded me of our school mission of 'Building the Kingdom' here at Lumen Christi.  I don't think my neighbour is a man of faith but I'm sure he could have easily filled the sandals of a wise man born in Bethlehem a few centuries ago.

Early this week in one of our many meetings, Mr.Mahoney and Mrs.Colaceillo shared the below clip called "The Great Realisation".  I wonder what you could take from this reflection?

This week we have seen an explosion of communication both into and out of the school, and though I feel guilty bombarding your inbox I have experienced first hand how quickly we can distribute critical information to families regardless of time or place.  Again I can only suggest to families the urgency of subscribing to the school communication feeds and having the App downloaded and registered.

This newsletter has a few repeats of messages that have been sent this week as well as updates or links from the school website.

Finally can I take the opportunity to recognise the efforts of staff to enable Remote Learning to be operational within days (compared to the metro schools that were given a week of school time at the start of term) as well as the attitude of our students who had to take so much in on Monday as their world flipped.  Sometimes I think we should be taking resilience lessons off the kids!

We thank our families for their generous support and encouragement.  The kind messages and simple things make a world of difference when we receive them.  I wish all our our families and our parish community all the best during the weeks ahead.

Take care - Dave