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HALLOWEEN – THE CHRISTIAN CONNECTION. 

Halloween is growing in popularity but its roots are lost on most people. It is observed on 31 October, the "een" or "eve" of All Hallows Day (All Saints Day) on 1 November. 

“Hallow‟ occurs in the Lord's Prayer – "hallowed be thy name" (may God's name be held holy) – so to celebrate Halloween without connecting it to All Saints Day would be like celebrating Christmas Eve without a Christmas Day. 

If you take away the Saints from Halloween, along with our Christian beliefs about the dignity and destiny of human beings, then all you have left is a pre-Christian Celtic celebration held at the end of summer in the northern hemisphere. 

As days shorten and winter nights lengthen, the spirits (goblins and ghouls) have more dark time to be mischievous and haunt. The pagans appeased them with treats so as not to suffer their tricks. The “trick or treat” tradition comes from people disguising themselves as evil spirits, both to fool them into leaving them alone, as well as to steal the treats left by people to appease the evil spirits. Halloween, like Christmas, is becoming very commercial. As a result, we do not even come close to thinking of it in terms of faith and religion. 

Bishop Peter Ingham

ALL SAINTS AND ALL SOULS DAYS. 

As we move into the month of November we especially remember All Saints Day (1 November) and All Souls Day (2 November). Although we celebrate the Feast Days of the well-known Saints it is not possible to know all the names of those who have given their lives in the service of God. Many of these could be our family or friends. 

All families are invited to attend Masses in their local Parishes on these special days and pray for their lost loved ones.

SENIOR STUDENT WORKLOADS 

I was recently talking to a senior school student about their progress in their studies and we talked about the work they had to complete during the week. The workload of a successful senior student is significant, we cannot change that, but if managed well it is reason to celebrate and not become anxious. We talked about the hard work that has to be put in that prepares us for tomorrows work with a greater likelihood of success. It reminded me of something I had read once – 

"The day before today is YESterday and not NOsterday".

So we talked about maximising time and focusing the effort that they were applying to their studies. Working hard is an excellent start, but working smart maximises the results obtained. While shopping recently with my wife, we were in a homeware shop and saw a sign that would hang on a wall – 

Think of your future as toMOREow and not as toLESSow.

Congratulations to Dr Aidan Johnson, our amazing Science Coordinator, who recently received a Teachers' Guild of NSW World Teachers' Recognition Award,  

Dr Johnson received the award for “exceptional leadership in scientific theory and practice-based teaching and learning which he brings to the John Therry Catholic High School community”. 

For the full article please see the link below.

https://www.dow.catholic.edu.au/about-us/general-news/cedow-staff-recognised-at-teachers-guild-of-nsw-awards

The eSafety website has been relaunched. It comes with a PDF guide attached to this newsletter below to lead you through the new functionality. The e-safety commissioner has released the following statement about the new site:

"We’ve spent the last 18 months working alongside various experts to create, refresh and streamline eSafety’s content. Every page on our site has been updated with tailored advice, resources and support to ensure we help Australians have empowering and positive experiences online.

Almost a third of the website features exciting new material, including our section for young people, guided by young people. Not only is this a great resource for students, but the topics can help with online safety conversations in Australian classrooms. 

Over 300 of our resources, including our popular education resources, have been refreshed and rebranded and are easier to find using our new filter feature. Now, you can search by education level and topic to ensure you find what best resonates with your specific school context and classroom needs. We have also retired some of our older resources — with new research and technology, they have become outdated and are no longer relevant. 

Our new online safety hub presents an incredible opportunity to reach a broader range of Australians and make them aware of eSafety’s resources and services."

SPORT REPORT TERM 4 

Round 2 Week 3 VS MOUNT CARMEL CATHOLIC COLLEGE

As per my previous report, just a reminder to all students to be sensible when involved in sport throughout the term. Please ensure you are well hydrated, wearing your hat and sunscreen at all times. No hat = no play.

MISA RECAP: This week we faced tough competition in Mount Carmel (our closest rival to become the champion MISA sporting school for 2019). With a number of coaches unable to attend games this week all teams put in a fantastic effort and played with great sportsmanship. This term is a bit shorter than terms 1-3, with many of our competing schools finishing the term at different dates. Our teams have four more rounds to play before the Finals/ Interzone final on the 3rd of December. Good luck to all teams and coaches, keep training and working hard each week.

Sports Assembly News

As we approach the end of the year, I am calling out for any students that have gained selection into a NSW team, either via pathways into a NSW CCC team or external to school sport earning themselves a “Sporting Blue”.

23RD ANNUAL SPORTS ASSEMBLY 2019

Our Annual Sports assembly is coming up later this term, where we celebrate the sporting achievements of our students throughout 2019. More details to follow throughout the term. Location: William E Murray Hall Date: Tuesday 10th December Time 1:00- 2:30

*If you have any sporting news you would like to share with our community, please contact Mr Daniel Goodhew daniel.goodhew@dow.catholic.edu.au

For more sporting information, please visit the John Therry Sport Page

https://sites.google.com/dow.catholic.edu.au/johntherrysport/home

Regards

Mr Daniel Goodhew

How To Stay Positive As Exams (or any challenging situations) Approach.

It can be difficult to stay positive or “be up” as exams approach. The more important we perceive the exam to be, the more stress we can feel. While feeling some stress can be positive and help us get motivated to study, we all have a tipping point. When our stress levels reach our personal tipping point, this higher level of stress can lead to inaction, where we avoid doing the work necessary to be prepared and as a result feel even more overwhelmed. If not dealt with, the stress can build and lead to anxiety and depression.

The key to being positive and managing negative emotions such as anxiety and feeling down and depressed in any pressure situation including exams is to “fuel up”. It goes without saying that if we are exhausted, tired, stressed, depressed etc. it is very difficult if not impossible to deal with the pressure of exams. “Fuelling Up” is about boosting wellbeing factors in your life. You need to boost the wellbeing factors in your BODY, MIND and EMOTIONS.

BODY: Put your health first and eat healthily, exercise regularly and get enough sleep. We all know what to do, but we need to make the decision to prioritise our own well-being. Without the right fuel you will feel exhausted and depleted and it is very hard to be positive when you aren’t feeling your best.

MIND: To think more positively, challenge your perceptions. Write down your top 5 fears and worries. What’s the worst thing that can happen? How valid are these fears? Usually fears and worries are not based on reality but on imagined scenarios that have little to no evidence. If it’s something that can’t be changed bring acceptance to it, but if it can be changed, take action.

EMOTIONS: To help yourself feel more positive every day think of 3 good things that happened that day and how they made you feel. Also take the focus off yourself and do 3 simple but deliberate acts of kindness every day. It might be a kind word, a compliment, helping someone or surprising someone with a kind act. You will be amazed at how making other people feel better lifts your mood as well.