Dear Parents and Carers,

We have now commenced Lent, the time when we remember the 40 days and nights Jesus spent alone in the desert without food being tempted by the Devil. Jesus used this time to prepare for His work by fasting and praying.

In Luke's Gospel we read:

'Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.'

So, as in the Bible, we Christians spend forty days fasting and praying in preparing ourselves to rejoice at the resurrection of Jesus at Easter.

The other traditional act carried out is almsgiving. The giving of alms is an act of charity toward those less fortunate. Christians were taught that giving alms was an expression of love which was first expressed by God to them in that Jesus sacrificed himself as an act of love for the salvation of believers.

Almsgiving is often in the form of Project Compassion through the giving of money. This year Project Compassion focuses on the ways in which underprivileged communities are supported to establish sustainable food sources and develop income streams for life. Some of these communities are:

• Turkey & Syria Earthquake
• Democratic Republic of Congo Crisis
• Ukraine Crisis
• Africa Food Crisis
• Afghanistan Crisis

• Lebanon Crisis

• Australia.

A second form of almsgiving is through the support of charitable groups like St Vincent de Paul. Our local chapter is collecting non-perishable foods to distribute to the less fortunate persons in our area. We are supporting this initiative by being a collection point for groceries.

Each of our classes will be collecting non-perishable foods to provide support to St Vincent de Paul in meeting the needs of less fortunate people within the Flemington area. The donated foods will form a part of our weekly Prayer Assembly.

Non-perishable foods include;

• UHT Milk
• Tea & Coffee
• Pasta
• Pasta Sauce
• Rice
• Tinned Tuna/Salmon
• Tinned Baked Beans/Spaghetti.

In anticipation, thank you for your support for our local community.

Two weeks away, on Thursday 2 March, we wish to invite the community to join us in celebrating the start of a new school year as well as commissioning our staff and student leaders.

Much preparation is going into making this a very meaningful and spiritual occasion for all who attend.

The Welcome Mass, will be attended by the whole school at the 9:15 am Mass in St Brendan's Church.

ALL WELCOME.

Best wishes,

Peter

I have received reports from parents and carers that they have been unable to access the Google Doc to participate in the fundraising event using their phones. People using PCs and laptop have had no issues.

A poster will be available before and after school to enable all to nominate a time slot top support the event.

In anticipation, THANK YOU!

We have been extremely fortunate to have been added to the Bunnings' sausage sizzle roster. Planning for our allocated day, Saturday 4 March, is well underway. The next step is to fill the roster with volunteers to cook and serve the sausages and drinks. There are a number of operational procedures to be aware of however two of the more significant ones are:

• No persons under the age of 18 are permitted to cook or operate any equipment.
• A minimum of three people are required each shift to conduct a BBQ. Each shift is required to have a Cook, Order and Serve person.
• No children under the age of 15 are permitted at the BBQ.

I may be contacted on principal@sbflemington.catholic.edu.au

Best wishes,

Peter