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This Sunday is Mothers Day, a time of commemoration and celebration for our Mums. It is a time for breakfast in bed, family gatherings and a day ‘off’ for Mum.

Mothers hold a special place in our hearts. They embody the compassion, devotion, energy and commitment to the fundamental values of respect and tolerance. Mothers also impart a strength that allows us to meet our challenges and the love that comforts and sustains us in times of need. They have an insight into life and the world that only comes with motherhood.

At John Therry, we wish all Mothers a wonderful, peaceful and happy Mothers’ Day. Mothers have a special place in our school community – a community that is dedicated to Mary, the greatest Mother of all. Through both our Marist and Carmelite traditions. Mary is the centre of our prayer-life. Through her acceptance of the Spirit and the struggles of life to the death of her Son, she was an exemplary mother and example.

MOTHERS DAY BREAKFAST

On Thursday 9th May we held a Mother's Day Breakfast for students, their mothers & Grandmother's with lots of delicious food and pleasant company.

YOU DON’T KNOW HOW MUCH FAITH THAT YOU HAVE, UNTIL ALL YOU HAVE IS YOUR FAITH

This is a very interesting thought. As Australia edges past to 220 years since colonisation, I reflect on the changing nature of the country and society. For the first 150 years Australian society was predominantly Christian, being Anglican (Church of England) English and Catholic Irish. As such the culture of the world of Australians was very much carrying and reflective of the Christian faith. Culture and faith were entwined. As we move well into the 21st century quite clearly the nature of Australian society has evolved and the modern culture is reflective of this.

There is no longer a Christian society in Australia since it has embraced multiculturalism. Easter and Christmas may be considered Christian events, but are debatable. So the faith, that was for so long carried and perpetuated by the very society it sat in, no longer supports it. We now live in a world stripped of unity of culture and faith and as a result we have emerging factions that are quite distinct from each other. While this does not prove a problem, what does, is the lack of tolerance that some people show to anyone who is ‘different’ to them. As Catholics, to carry the faith forward we need to have people of faith who make a commitment to it. These are truly the faithful.

As mentioned, Easter and Christmas are two Christian events that still dominate Australian calendars. But is there any Christian meaning to them in todays world? I ask you – where do people flock to on these occasions? Is it the Churches that serve the faithful or is it the beaches at Christmas, or the shopping “cathedral‟ of Campbelltown, Macarthur Square, where the great God of capitalism is worshipped so regularly. Do you visit this “Cathedral‟ and not your local church? Our new church at Our Lady Help of Christians is truly a beautiful place to visit, worship or find peace and grace. If you have not visited as yet, I urge you to do so and sit in the majesty of it.

So who will carry the faith into the future for us? I would hope and pray that it is your children who are blessed to have a Catholic education and upbringing. That they are enlivened by strong Catholic values and morals.

The Catholic Education Office in Wollongong (CEDoW) has announced that it will support a Catholic education for any relocated refugee family. While the government spends millions on the modern concentration camps in Nauru and Manus Island, who will stand up and say enough is enough.

In recent events I have been shocked by the senseless slaughter in the Mosque in Christchurch, followed by the punitive payback bombings in Sri Lanka. I ask and wonder how people of faith, whatever their faith, can bring themselves to these actions. I am also saddened by my belief that further tragedies will occur, where innocents are killed and families destroyed. So again I ask, where do you stand on tolerance and acceptance and the place of your faith in your world?.

These are big questions in our society, but not so big that they do not need consideration and discussion. We all need to have an opinion about such matters as modern day Christians.

MR McALLISTER’S APPRAISAL

All parents have been sent via SENTRAL a link to a survey to generate data for the Appraisal process of Mr McAllister as Assistant Principal. I urge all parents to take the five minutes to complete this and contribute to the feedback he will receive through this process.

SCHOOL FUNDING ISSUES AND THE ELECTION

As we move to a week from the Federal Election a prominent issue for catholic Schools is the ongoing funding support offered by the major parties. The following is an ABC News summary of the major party policies on early learning and school education:

Early education

The Coalition is spending about $450 million to give children access to 15 hours of preschool education a week until the end of 2020.

Labor has promised to commit permanent funding for preschool, replacing the current year-to-year funding arrangement, and extend it to three-year-olds from 2021.

The Opposition describes the plan as a major economic and social reform, however the Coalition has criticised the price tag ($9.8 billion over 10 years) and says it is more important to improve four-year-olds' attendance rates first.

Schools

The “Gonski 2.0” funding arrangement announced by former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, replaced separate school funding deals in favour of a nationally consistent, needs-based system costing an extra $23.5 billion over a decade.

Following concerns identified primarily by the Catholic education sector over the funding formula for non-government schools, a new model based on parents' income, rather than their postcode, was identified resulting in an extra $4.5 billion over the next decade.

The Coalition's 2019 Budget also included a $30 million fund for school equipment and upgrades.

Labor has pledged an extra $14 billion for government schools over the next 10 years, $3.3 billion of which would flow in the first three years — an amount it says could pay for thousands of extra teachers.

The Opposition will not reverse the $4.5 billion funding for non-government schools. It has threatened to cap teaching degree places if universities do not do more to lift standards.

Read about the major party policies for higher and vocational education via ABCNews