'And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.' - 1 Corinthians 13:13
Dear whānau,
Welcome back for 2023 and what a ripper first week (well, 3 days) we've had here at St Mary's. As you'll see further down, we've welcomed some new children and their families to our school this week and they have settled in beautifully. The same can be said for our returning students who have very much enjoyed getting to know their new classmates and teachers for 2023. In fact, they all impressed us so much by showing our value of love, even in 1 million degree heats, in their classes and on the playground, that we thought it was only fair to shout them an ice-block. As you can imagine, they went down a treat!
You may not know this, but when each teacher and their class is rostered on their 'busy week' (Monday Prayers, Friday Gospel, bus duty, gate duty) they're also on Friday morning staff prayers. Staff prayers really are a highlight and the perfect way to start the last day of the week, especially if it's been a long one.
This morning our prayer focus was on the Beatitudes which Jesus delivered to his disciples during the Sermon on the Mount, the story can be found in the Gospel of Matthew 5:1 - 12. We reflect on the Beatitudes often as staff in a Catholic school because we have a point of difference to teachers in state schools in that we are called to serve through teaching our kids about Jesus and how we can live more like Him. The Beatitudes shared this morning had been creatively adapted especially for teachers at start of a new school year, a reminder of how special our job is and how privileged and blessed we are to work with so many different kinds of kids and their whānau in our school community. Here they are:
Blessed are they, the poor in spirit, with open hearts they come to our care, may we listen with the ear of our heart . We are blessed, may we serve with love.
Blessed are they, those who mourn, they come to us with sadness and tears. May we give comfort to those who are lost. We are blessed, may we open our arms.
Blessed are the meek with hearts so humble, they come to us with trust in their hearts. May we honour that trust and be humble too. We are blessed, may we honour with love.
Blessed are those who seek what is right. Open minds, open hearts they seek the truth. May we lead them to be people of justice. We are blessed, they seek truth with us.
Blessed are they, those who are merciful with eyes that are open, they seek mercy. May we be a face of God in their lives. We are blessed, they see mercy in us.
Blessed are they, the pure in heart. Hearts full of love, hearts full of joy. May we guide them to the heart of God. We are blessed, they see God's love in us.
Blessed are they, the peacemakers. Blessed are they, these children of God. May we seek peace, be the change in our world. We are blessed, together in peace.
How good are these? I bet you can see one or more of these that fit your child and what makes them special. As a staff, we've really enjoyed our first week with your wonderful children and we've loved getting to know a bit more about them already.
If you've got something exciting to share, feel free to email me a photo(s) and a short blurb by Thursday 9am each week and I'll pop in the newsletter for us all to celebrate together - mallory.hood@stmarys.school.nz
God bless and enjoy your long weekend.
Cheers,
Mallory
Acting Principal
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