School Grounds

We would like to acknowledge and thank Paul Harding, our maintenance person for the work he has been doing around our school. While students have been working hard at home, Paul has ensured our beautiful school grounds have been enhanced by planting some new plants, adding seating, rocks and making a wooden cross. Take a peek at the photos.

Remote/Home Learning

It has been great to join in on a number of class google meets and connect with students. Students and families are continuing to manage the challenges of learning at home by checking in regularly with teachers/staff and by taking responsibility for their learning, often working independently. Well done to all our students and families.

Teachers of our Foundation, year 1, 2 and 3 classes have slowly introduced more real time online learning experiences for students and thank families for their support in accommodating this. The younger students need support and closer supervision with navigating these meetings.

Thank you to our teachers and staff who continue to provide engaging learning experiences for our students. 

We have recently created a facebook page too. Please take a look, like and share:

https://www.facebook.com/St-Catherines-Moorabbin-105586587915883

The place of work in life
Once upon a time, the ancients tell us, a disciple said to the rabbi, “God took six days to create the world and it is not perfect. How is that possible?” “Could you have done better?” the rabbi asked. “Yes, I think I could have,” the disciple said. “Then what are you waiting for?” the rabbi said. “Go ahead. Start working.”
 
The story raises three questions about the nature and place of work in life that plague humankind yet: Is work a human punishment for sin or an opportunity to grow in the spiritual life? Is work something to be avoided or something to be embraced? Is work the opposite side of the spiritual life or the ground of the spiritual life? They are important questions.
 
If work is meant to be a punishment, then managing to get out of it must be the ultimate sign of spiritual development and God’s blessing. If work is one of life’s unfortunate burdens, then work is to be avoided so that life can be lived well and perpetual leisure is a state of life to be strived for. If work is the enemy of the spiritual life, then people whose lives are full of children and business and the struggle to make ends meet are condemned to spiritual infancy or, at most, to the theology of good intentions: the notion that a person can be saved if they are too busy to pray. But they can never come to real holiness that way. Scripture, though, is very clear about the place of work in human life. Human beings were put into the Garden “to till it and to keep it.” Genesis is explicit: We work to complete the work of God in the world. Work, then, may be the most sanctifying thing we do.

But Western culture has not treated work kindly. We have lived in a capitalism that bred brutal competition and unequal distribution of goods as well as inventiveness. We are watching the poor get poorer even when they are working, and the rich get richer even when they aren’t. Work has been badly warped, badly misused in our society, because success has become more important than value, and efficiency has become a god that will accept the sacrifice of people for the sake of profits.
 
Indeed, the sanctity of work must be reclaimed if humanity is ever to be reclaimed in a world wounded and imperiled by sins against the co-creative dimension of work.
 
The implications of a spirituality of work are clear, it seems: Work is my gift to the world. It is my social fruitfulness. It ties me to my neighbor and binds me to the future. Work is the way I am saved from total self-centeredness. It gives me a reason to exist that is larger than myself. It gives me hope.
 
Work is meant to build community. When we work for others, we give ourselves and we can give alms as well. We never work, in other words, for our own good alone. Work, too, is our commitment not to live off others, not to sponge, not to shirk, not to cheat. Giving less than a day’s work for a day’s pay, shunting work off onto underlings, doing one coat of paint when we promised to do two, are not what was meant to “till the Garden and keep it.”

Work is our gift to the future. It is our sign that God goes on working in the world through us. It is the very stuff of divine ambition. And it will never be over. The philosopher wrote, “Do you want a test to know if your work in life is over? If you are still alive, it isn’t.” As the rabbi and the disciple both well knew, God needs us to complete God’s work. Now.

             —from In the Heart of the Temple, by Joan Chittister (BlueBridge)

STUDENT CHALLENGE - MAKE A MARINE CREATURE

Dive into the deep blue and let those creative juices flow this National Science Week. Enter our 'Deep Blue - Make a Marine Creature’ competition for a chance to win an awesome science prize.

Get creative with craft materials, paint, markers, pencils or technology and make a marine creature.

Be inspired by researching marine creatures online or in books. Your design process should consider your marine creature's physical size and features, defence mechanisms, diet and habitat.

Your design may be based on a real life creature or an imaginary creature. The deep blue is the limit.

Age divisions

This competition has three age divisions:

• Years Prep to 2
• Years 3-4
• Years 5-6

Prizes

A science prize pack will be awarded to one winner for each age division. 

How to enter

Email a photo of your marine creature to megan.moore@scmoorabbin.catholic.edu.au by Monday 24th August. You must also include the child designer's first name and age as well as the marine creature's name! 

Good morning

During this continuing COVID19 period, I am delighted to advise that we are continuing our OSHC at home program which  provides a range of activity sheets and video content of awesome and engaging activities for children to do at home.  

When they can’t come to OSHC, we come to them!

We understand the challenges for parents who are working from home as well as assisting with remote learning, so we feel this is a great way to assist mums and dads with some activities to keep the children entertained during busy periods.  This is a weekly program and we are continuing to send these to all our families and School Partners to share with the wider school community during this COVID19 pandemic period.

Attached is this week’s OSHC at Home Weekly Planner, outlining each of the activities available, along with a description of the kind of activity, its field (e.g. STEM, Mindfulness, whether it is hands on/off for Parents) and appropriate age group.  Children simply click on the activity to participate – and the activities can be repeated time and time again.

We have sent this to every OSHClub parent as their details are in our system, however it is also available to all parents within your school community at no cost.

I look forward to continuing to support our school communities during this time and look forward to any feedback you have regarding OSHC at Home.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.