Lent, Ash Wednesday

Feb Fast, Dry July, Oct-Sober, Movember, Couch to 5 K are all personal goal setting challenges usually with an element of fasting and raising funds for a worthy cause. These endeavours lead to self improvement and contribute to the greater good.

We can think of Lent in a similar way. 

Lent is a 40 day opportunity to give up (or take up) something and to raise money for charity organisations. An important point of difference though is that unlike the other events, Lent invites us to focus on a spiritual goal as well. Usually this goal is achieved through prayer.

Our modern goal setting gurus and personal coaches tend to say that it takes 30 days to build a habit. 40 days seems to be a special number in the bible, Noah’s Ark,  Jesus in the desert, Moses on Mount Sinai and 40 days between Jesus' appearance to the disciples after the resurrection and the ascension. I don’t think that these events actually happened for 40 days but 40 days and nights seems to be an indicator that a significant change has occurred.

If we think about the 30 day habit rule we could certainly say the 40 days is enough time to have an impact.

As a Catholic School community we will recognise Lent by increasing opportunities to pray and by raising money for Caritas Australia through Project Compassion.

I am sharing this audio meditation/prayer resource with you as an invitation to pray this Lent. Pray as you go - Introduction Is a Jesuit publication might be a good fit for you. An audio recording will be released each Monday of Lent in the lead up to Easter.

As Fr Michael Linehan (St Pius X) used to say  “Have a good Lent”.

NAPLAN

NAPLAN testing across Australia begins next week for all Year 3, 5, 7 & 9 students.  NAPLAN provides our school community with important information about the achievement and growth of our students.  It helps us to set priorities in our future School Improvement Plans.

Parents of Year 3 and Year 5 students can find further information attached. 

I'm pleased to share new research based on data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey, which reveals that individuals who attended Catholic schools are likely to experience lifelong benefits in employment, general health, and overall life satisfaction.

The study highlights that Catholic schooling offers both personal and community advantages.

Conducted by the Centre for International Research on Education Systems (CIRES) at Victoria University and commissioned by VCEA, the research adjusts for various individual and family characteristics to specifically isolate the impact of Catholic school attendance.

This evidence supports what you and your team have likely known instinctively – that an education focused on developing the whole person leads to well-rounded individuals who are prepared to succeed, thrive, and navigate life with confidence, regardless of the path they choose.

I am proud that St Joseph’s school contributes so positively to the lives of our children well after they graduate from Year 6.

A copy of the full report along with a short video is available for you on the DOBCEL website.