Last week, Year 6 students had the opportunity to represent St. Clare's at two significant events. The Mass for Mary of the Cross MacKillop's Feast Day at the Cathedral, and the Annual Campbelltown Catholic Club Mass. It was a privilege to attend the Mass for Mary of the Cross MacKillop's Feast Day, with Mrs English, James and Zanthe. The Mass was celebrated by Bishop Brian at St Francis Xavier Cathedral.

Last Sunday, Jaxson and Bradley attended the Annual Campbelltown Catholic Club Mass. The students represented St. Clare's with the maturity and respect that are hallmarks of our Year 6 cohort. Today at assembly, we conferred the Year 6 students who are in Government for the remainder of this year. They were presented with their badges by the students in Opposition.

St Clare is the patroness of our school, and her charism guides us as a school community. St Clare’s charism includes a deep relationship with Christ and contemplative prayer. Each afternoon as we gather for prayer before dismissal, we are invited into gratitude for the day and the people we shared it with.

Where else do we find a time and place for prayer in our day? 

As a leader, Clare's humility and compassion fostered a strong sense of unity and love within her community. This reminds us of our call to create a welcoming and supportive environment for one another, becoming "vessels of God's compassionate love for others" in our daily interactions.

Where in each day do we show this compassionate love to someone?

St Clare had an unwavering trust in God, and by her life she teaches us that our contemplation should lead to active service and love for others.

Together, we strive to ‘form hearts and minds to make a difference'. We do this through prayer, following the teachings of Jesus and in our daily relationships with each other. 

On Wednesday, we celebrated our Feast Day with Mass at St. Paul’s Church in Camden. The students entered with such reverence, and their responses and singing were beautiful. I was immensely proud of how our community gathered in such a meaningful way. Within his homily, Father James spoke of how each piece in a stained glass window is unique and, when placed together, creates a magnificent image that allows the sun to shine through. Each person within our community is also unique, and together we are the special community of St. Clare's. We are encouraged to let God shine through us for all to see.

This wonderful celebration continued with a picnic lunch, back at school. A huge thank you to our volunteers who stayed at school to prepare lunch for students and staff. And to all the parents and family members who joined us for lunch and open classrooms, thank you for creating such a wonderful, vibrant atmosphere. We finished the day with a dramatisation of the life of St. Clare by our Kindergarten students. A special thank you to Mrs. English and Miss Carter for their preparations for the Feast Day.

We are buzzing with excitement for our upcoming musical, "Hansom and Petal." Many families have already purchased their tickets, and we can't wait for you to see what our talented students and staff have created. I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the staff who consistently go above and beyond, ensuring our students are supported in every way. Thanks to Mrs. McLaughlin and Mrs. Lowe for leading the musical team of talented and dedicated staff and students. I am also grateful to the parents who have been helping to prepare and create props for the musical; your time and efforts are deeply appreciated.

Yours in partnership,