Dear SCA Families,

King Charles recently visited Australia, and I know that some of our families took the opportunity to wave as he appeared. This weekend we celebrate a different type of King.

On Sunday, with the Feast of Christ the King, we celebrate a king whose kingdom is unlike any other. He doesn’t have a palace, wear a crown of gold, or sit on a throne in a castle. Instead, His crown was made of thorns, and His throne was the cross. Christ’s kingdom is not about power or riches—it is about love, service, and putting others first.

Jesus showed us what it means to be a king by serving others. He washed the feet of His disciples, healed the sick, forgave sins, and gave His life for us. His leadership is about helping and guiding people to love God and one another.

Jesus’ kingdom is in our hearts when we act with love, kindness, and fairness. When we help someone in need, stand up for someone who is being treated unfairly, or forgive someone, we are helping build Christ’s kingdom here on Earth.

By focusing on love, service, and humility, we can help our children see Christ as a different kind of king—one they can follow and look up to in their own lives.

Thank you all for an amazing family and community Fete!

It was a terrific effort by the Fete Committee over many months to prepare for the Fete. They worked tirelessly to ensure everything was organised, booked, delivered, set up, coordinated etc. I would like to thank our Fete Committee leaders for all their hard work; in particular, Mrs Fay Holden and Mrs Jo Reed. Many hours went into planning and ensuring all was ready for Friday evening.

Thank you to those parents, friends and community members who volunteered to help on stalls. Without your help we would not have been able to have as many stalls as we did. On a beautiful Spring evening, the Fete was well-attended and most stalls traded well.

Thank you also to our amazing SCA staff who were involved in everything! Staff were seen assisting with many tasks in and out of school time, setting up, working on various stalls, assisting students and visitors and packing up... among many things.

Whilst the final amount on the day is still to be finalised, it is anticipated the profit will be similar to previous years. However, more important is the fact that we held a great family event for our families and local community. Thank you to the whole community for supporting the SCA Fete again!

Fete Sponsors

The following sponsors helped make our Fete a success. Please consider supporting them in return. Thank you to:

30^th Anniversary Family Picnic

Now that the Fete has finished, we are set for a more relaxing and sociable event to celebrate 30 years of SCA.

We would love to see your whole family on our beautiful grounds on Thursday 28^th November from 5.00pm.

Bring a meal to eat or buy one while here. It promises to be a simple and enjoyable way to meet old friends and make new ones. Please see elsewhere in the Newsletter for further details.

Staffing

We will be sad to farewell the wonderful Karen Snowball at the end of this year as she retires to spend more time with her family. Fortunately, we have been able to find an excellent replacement to take over. Carlie Temple has been working as a CSA at SCA this year and has already had a great handover from Karen. Please make sure you say G’Day to Carlie when you see her in the front office.

Semester Two Reports

Your child’s teacher is in the process of preparing Semester Two reports. There is a great deal of work and energy that goes into the writing of these documents, and I thank the teachers for their efforts. Reports will be made available via Compass on Wednesday 11^th December.

School Fees

A reminder that school fees are now overdue, for those who are not on a regular direct debit with us I ask that you settle your account with us by next week so that we are able to meet our budgetary commitments.

January Holidays

Our fantastic Outside of School Hours (OSHC) team run an engaging and fun holiday program for SCA children during January. Please contact Pam (OSHC Director) or the booking form and program are on the website.

Extended Absences

A reminder to all families that it is a legal requirement for children to attend school, and for any absences to be explained to the school. Please also note, that any planned absences of ten days or more must be applied for in advance. These forms are available on request from the front office.

Library

Please have a look at home for any SCA Library books that may not yet have found their way back to their own home. You can help us to minimise the number of books we need to replace by returning them as soon as possible please.

It was once said…

Blessings to you and your family.

Matt Egan-Richards

Principal

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

30 Years of Building Community – The SCA 30th Anniversary Christmas Fete 

Being a member of a Faith filled community makes us aware that we are a part of something far greater than ourselves. It allows us the opportunity to connect with others to form new, and strengthen existing, friendships. 

Last weekend, we displayed our community spirit through the SCA 30th Anniversary Christmas Fete!  

Our Christmas Fete offered awesome prizes in our raffle, delicious foods, festive drinks and charcuterie boards, a huge cake stall, pre-loved fashion, books galore, toys and treasures, baskets, pick a prize, plants, crafts, sausage sandwiched, and family Christmas photo space. We enjoyed performances from our Indonesia Teachers visiting Australia, St Clare’s Catholic College, Legs Dance Company and also the combined St Clare’s and St Edmunds combined band; there was something for everyone young and old. 

Fairy floss sticky fingers and paint-covered faces couldn’t hinder the enjoyment of the screams and laughter coming from the cha cha, tea-cups, hurricane, chocolate trailer, patting a snake, lizard and crocodile, lolly pop pick, hair styled, showbags and eating chip on a stick. 

A community is, at its core, a group of individuals defined by common attitudes and characteristics, and at St Clare of Assisi we are fortunate to be surrounded by selfless and generous people driven by the goal of continuous development for our school. This event could not be possible without the tireless efforts of our Fete Committee led by Fay Holden, Community Council, all the SCA Staff, students and our very generous Sponsors.  

Engaging in events such as the SCA 30th Anniversary Christmas Fete not only allows your child/ren to run freely with their friends, but also has pro-social benefits. Ultimately, parental presence is key in increasing resilience, life satisfaction, and communication skills in children. Children with involved parental figures are regularly more adept at behavioural and emotional regulation, allowing for a natural ease in collaboration and cooperation. Going to activities with your child such as the Fete increases parental presence, brings the community together, and grows our SCA spirit and pride in our school! 

Missed this one? Don’t worry! We have plenty more events before the end of the school year such as our 30th Anniversary Picnic, Year 2 Assembly, Thanksgiving Mass and Leadership Candle Ceremony, Graduation Ceremony, Kinder Christmas Concert and Semester 2 Awards. 

The Shine Your Light Award goes out to all!!

Jo Reed

Assistant Principal

This Sunday's reading is from the holy Gospel according to John: Pilate questions Jesus about his identity.

This week marks the end of the liturgical year. Next week, with the first week of Advent, we begin the new liturgical cycle. It is fitting that the Church concludes the liturgical year with the celebration of Christ the King. 

Pope Francis reflects, "History teaches us that kingdoms founded on the use of force and the abuse of power are fragile and will eventually collapse." Jesus makes it clear that his kingdom differs from the typical worldly kingdoms Pilate knows. As the Pope puts it, Jesus "did not come to dominate but to serve. He did not arrive with signs of power but through the power of signs."

In our celebration of Christ the King, we should focus on aligning ourselves and the Church with the values of Jesus' kingdom.

One defining characteristic of this kingdom, as the Pope suggests, is that it is "liberating; there is nothing oppressive about it." Jesus, he notes, "treats every disciple as a friend, not as a subject." Therefore, the Church should be a place of welcome.

The Church should also prioritise transparency and truthfulness. The Pope states, "When Jesus reigns in the heart, he frees it from hypocrisy, subterfuge, and duplicity." He emphasises that if we genuinely "live under the lordship of Jesus," we cannot "live double lives." By telling Pilate that he bears witness to "the truth," Jesus invites us to do the same. Adapted from Reflection by Nick Brodie

 St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal 2024 

This week we launch our St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal.  Every year the St Vincent de Paul Society helps our community members by providing food, gifts and support to those in need at Christmas time. This year, due to the cost of living crisis, more people than ever before need the support of Vinnies to have the Christmas they deserve.

This year we ask each grade to donate to our drive:

• Kindergarten: Christmas cake/fruit mince pies/ Christmas puddings 
• Year 1: shortbread/ long life cream/ long life custard/ dry pasta/ rice
• Year 2: packets of biscuits (sweet and savoury)
• Year 3: Christmas bonbons/ Christmas napkins/ Christmas tablecloths
• Year 4: pasta sauces/ prepared rice meals/ curry or stir fry sauces/ meal kits (e.g. tacos etc.) and gravy
• Year 5: jelly packets/ savoury chips/ jams and spreads
• Year 6: juice/ juice boxes/ soft drinks/ tinned fruit.

If you would like to donate decorations, Christmas crackers, or other non-perishable food items, we would greatly appreciate your contributions. The food you donate will be used to create Christmas hampers, which Vinnies will deliver to families in our local community, ensuring they can enjoy a wonderful Christmas lunch this year. We kindly ask that all donations be sent in by Wednesday, 11 December, 2024 (Week 9). 

Thank you for your generosity!

Kind regards

Susan Strickland

Religious Education Coordinator (Acting)

This week White Cards will be presented on Friday Morning Assembly at 8.45am. Congratulations to the following children.

Attention Parents!

With Kindergarten Orientation fast approaching, we’re seeking your support. If you have any small-sized dresses, shorts, or shirts your children have outgrown, we’d love to repurpose them for new families joining our SCA community.

This is a wonderful way to assist others while decluttering before the festive season!

Donations can be dropped off at the front office. Thank you for your kindness and generosity!

St Mary MacKillop has confirmed that the Year 6 Orientation Day will take place on:

FRIDAY 6 DECEMBER 2024

This information has been shared directly with families.

Please note that students are required to arrange their own transport to and from St Mary MacKillop, as bus transfers will not be provided for this event.

Final Book Club of the year will close on Friday, 29th November.

If you would like any books set aside as Christmas presents, we can arrange this and notify you when they’re ready for collection.

As you may be aware through your school communications, there are some changes happening from 2025 onwards in relation to Catholic education and sporting teams.

To assist our members in transitioning from school-based teams to clubs, we have listed various club information below (FB pages and email addresses) to enable you to make an informed decision about where your child might like to play next year. All clubs currently have EOI's open for 2025, and these can be found through the below links.

We have also been advised that some clubs are happy to take on either individual players or whole teams, if children are wishing to stay together with their friends from school.

TNA Clubs:

Maddies Netball Club
maddiesnetball@outlook.com
https://www.facebook.com/groups/MaddiesNetballClub

Phoenix Netball Club
tnadolphins@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/phoenixtna

Rebels Netball Club Tuggeranong
rebelsnetballclub@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/rebelsnetballc

Tuggeranong Valley Australian Football Netball Club
netball@tuggeranongfc.com.au
https://www.facebook.com/tvafc

Hurricanes Netball Club
hurricanesnetball@yahoo.com
https://www.facebook.com/Hurricanesnetball