Dear SCA Families,

In my childhood I learnt that Lent was mostly about fasting. As an adult, I hope for more. Fortunately, we have a Pope whose spiritual guidance reaches everyone, no matter where they are in their life journey. Pope Francis offers several practical approaches to observing Lent that align with modern life, encouraging personal transformation and active compassion. Here are some of his recommendations:

1. Engage in Self-Reflection and Conversion: Use Lent as a time to identify and change negative habits or patterns in our life. Pope Francis describes this season as a "turning point that can foster change and conversion in each of us."
2. Practise Meaningful Self-Denial: Consider giving up something significant that challenges our comfort, leading to personal growth and empathy for others. The Pope emphasises that "real poverty hurts: no self-denial is real without this dimension of penance."
3. Combat Indifference through Compassion: Actively seek to understand and alleviate the suffering of others. Pope Francis warns against indifference and encourages us to be attentive and generous, fostering a heart that is "firm and merciful, attentive and generous."
4. Deepen Your Prayer Life: Dedicate more time to prayer, seeking a heart that mirrors Christ's. The Pope invites us to ask the Lord to make our hearts like His, leading to greater mercy and generosity.
5. Participate in the Sacraments: Engage more fully with the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, to strengthen our connection with Christ and the community. Pope Francis notes that through the sacraments, "we become what we receive: the Body of Christ."
6. Embrace Fasting with Purpose: Let fasting challenge our sense of security and benefit others. The Pope advises that fasting should "lead to some benefit for others" and help us adopt the attitude of the Good Samaritan.
7. Give Alms Generously: Use almsgiving to free ourselves from the obsession of possession and to help those in need. Pope Francis teaches that almsgiving "helps us to experience giving freely," leading to liberation from the fear of losing what we have.
8. Serve the Poor and Marginalized: Recognise Christ in the faces of the poor and outcast, and serve them as we would serve Christ. The Pope reminds us that "by loving and helping the poor, we love and serve Christ."
9. Evangelize with Joy: Share the message of God's mercy and hope with enthusiasm. Pope Francis encourages us to be "joyous heralds of this message of mercy and hope," spreading the good news and offering consolation.
10. Perform Simple Acts of Love: Incorporate small, daily acts of kindness into our routine, such as greeting others warmly, expressing gratitude, and actively listening. These gestures reflect the Pope's call to embody love and compassion in everyday life.

By integrating these practices into our Lenten journey, we can prepare for Easter in a way that fosters personal growth and positively impacts those around us.

The Future of Our School Fete – We Need Your Input

SCA’s annual school fete has long been a highlight for both our school and the wider Lanyon Valley community. It is a wonderful family event that brings people together and provides valuable support for our school. However, in recent years, the challenge of securing enough volunteers and sponsorship has made organising the fete increasingly difficult.

In conjunction with school staff, a very small group of dedicated parents have shouldered much of the planning, preparation, and running of the fete, often spending two lengthy days at school to ensure everything runs smoothly. This year, with many of our past volunteers moving on and limited new helpers stepping forward, we are facing even greater challenges. In addition, attracting sponsorship from local businesses has become more difficult in the current economic climate.

Given these concerns, the Community Council will be discussing the future of our annual school fete at next week's meeting (25^th March). We invite parents to share their thoughts and, most importantly, consider lending a hand to ensure the fete remains a sustainable and successful event for our community.

If you would like to provide feedback—or even better, volunteer to help with this year’s fete—please contact our Assistant Principal, Mrs Nikki Dwyer, on 02 6294 1860 or via email at nikki.dwyer@cg.catholic.edu.au .

Your support and input are greatly valued as we consider the best way forward.

SCA School Community Council Executive Meeting

Our Community Council will have its second meeting of the year next Tuesday (25^th March) at 6.00pm. Should you wish to send a message to our Council, we would love to hear from you on sca@cg.catholic.edu.au.

Items of discussion at next week’s meeting will include:

• Open Meetings
• Parental Engagement
• Future of School Fete
• Fundraising allocations
• OSHC
• Teacher Coaching
• ICT Plans

Family Week – A Time to Reconnect

At SCA, we value the importance of family time. Each term, we dedicate Week 7 as Family Week—a special opportunity for families to slow down, spend quality time together, and strengthen relationships.

During this week, there will be:

• no homework set,
• no school meetings, and
• no events scheduled outside of school hours.

We encourage families to use this time to enjoy shared meals, conversations, and activities that bring joy and connection. Family Week is a small way we can support the balance between school and home life, reinforcing the important role that family plays in a child’s wellbeing and development.

We hope you enjoy this time together!

Jewellery and Hair

To work effectively as partners, we respectfully ask parents to ensure each child follows the school guidelines, as documented on our website, in relation to jewellery and hair:

• No jewellery may be worn other than small, plain (silver or gold, no colour) ear studs, a watch and medical alert identification.
  In some cases, the wearing of small, plain sleepers may be permitted If there is a health reason. Only one stud or sleeper per ear (i.e. earlobe)
• Hair should be clean and neat. A student’s hair should be cut off their face and, if longer than shoulder length, it must be tied back in an appropriate school coloured band. Hair should also be of natural colour and extreme haircuts are not allowed. Rats tails, dreadlocks and geometric shapes cut into the hair are not permitted.

Swimming Carnival and Water Fun Day

Thank you so much to the many parents and relatives who helped at our Swimming Carnival and Water Fun Day. We were worried when few people had nominated before the event, but in true SCA style, we were inundated with helpers on the day. Thank you.

Well done to all the students. The cheering and support of team-mates was spirited, and the engagement, at school and the pool, was full on by so many students. Well done especially, to those who were a bit nervous, and still had a go. We’re proud of you.

Finally, thanks to the staff. These events don’t just happen by themselves. Thanks to our organising committee, led by Mrs Austin and the Infants team, and to all the staff for working hard all day to ensure the children had an enjoyable and safe day.

Principals’ Meeting and Retreat

I recently attended the Catholic School Principals’ Retreat at Bowral. This is an annual two-day retreat, generally held at a location which is reasonably central in our archdiocese. Most schools in this region are in the ACT; however, a significant number are situated in regional areas of New South Wales. The archdiocese stretches from Pambula in the South to Lake Cargelligo in the West. As a visiting lecturer once remarked “Good Lord! That’s about as big as Ireland.”

Given the significant distances between schools, this was only one of two occasions this year that principals throughout the archdiocese have an opportunity to meet and catch up.

The retreat leader was Clara Geoghegan, a lecturer in Church History at Catholic Theological College and Co-director of the Siena Institute Australia.

It was an enriching experience that offered both spiritual insight and practical reflection on the unique gifts God has given each of us. A central message of the retreat was that charisms are gifts from God, acts of the Holy Spirit at work within and through us, given for the benefit of the whole Christian community. Unlike natural talents or personal skills, charisms are not for our own sake, but rather to serve others and build up the Church.

Throughout the retreat, we explored:

• The variety of charisms—no two people are gifted in the same way, and all are necessary in the Body of Christ.
• The discernment of charisms—how we can recognise the ways the Holy Spirit is working through us and others.
• The call to use our gifts—understanding that when we operate in our charisms, we experience joy, effectiveness, and a deepening sense of purpose.

This retreat encouraged me to reflect on the charisms present in our own school community and how we might continue to foster a culture where these gifts are recognised, celebrated, and used in service of one another. I’d love to hear your thoughts and reflections—perhaps we can begin a conversation about how we see the Holy Spirit moving among us.

I look forward to journeying with you in this.

Term Dates

This term ends for students on Thursday 10^th April, with Friday 11^th April being a Staff Professional Learning Day.

Term Two commences on Tuesday 29^th April for students, and Monday 28^th April for staff.

It was once said…

 Lenten blessings to you and your family.

Matt Egan-Richards

Principal

matt.egan-richards@cg.catholic.edu.au