The Season of Advent
Advent comes from the Latin word meaning "coming." Jesus is coming, and Advent is intended to be a season of preparation for His arrival. During Advent, we not only prepare ourselves to celebrate the birth of Jesus, but we also check in to see if we are doing all the things that will keep us ready to receive Jesus when He comes again. The purple colour associated with Advent is also the colour of penance. The colour of the Third Sunday of Advent is rose. This colour symbolises joy and represents the happiness we will experience when Jesus comes again.

Advent Prayer
God of Love,
Your son, Jesus, is your greatest gift to us.
He is a sign of your love.
Help us walk in that love during the weeks of Advent,
As we wait and prepare for his coming.
We pray in the name of Jesus, our Saviour.
Amen.

Kindergarten and Year 5/6 Mountain View Liturgy
Last Thursday Kindergarten and Year 5/6 students participated in a Healing Liturgy with Father Dan and the members of our community at the Mountain View Aged Care Centre.  Year 5/6 students made each of the residents a special bookmark and Kindergarten gave a lovely bunch of flowers. Our students helped to bless the residents with Fr Dan Everyone, and everyone prayed and sung together. Mountain View residents expressed that they felt so happy and blessed to spend time in prayer with the children.

Mini Vinnies Social Justice Day
Last Friday eight of our Year 4 and 5 students attended the Archdiocesan Mini Vinnies Social Justice Day at the Australian Catholic University. They had a wonderful day networking with Mini Vinnies, Social Justice Leaders, Faith and Mission Leaders, Identity Leaders and students from around the ACT, learning about Vinnies and the good works that they provide to the most vulnerable and disadvantaged members of our society.

Student’s reflection
We had seven stations where we learnt about different things that Vinnie’s does for the homeless and children who need help. There were two kids programs called St Nicks and St Joes where we learnt about young carers and volunteers who take kids experiencing hardship on camp. We learnt about a program called Clemente where volunteers help adults to get an education or qualification. There was also a program called Street to Home where volunteers meet people who are homeless to help them find a temporary home while they are waiting to get affordable housing. We also saw the Night Patrol Van! We didn’t release how many programs there were. We learnt that almost every country has a Vinnies community and multiple programs. We were inspired by the ways in which young people can make a difference. We aspire to be like our very own Ms Wright (2018 ACT Volunteer of the Year) who has been giving lots of time over the years with St. Vincent de Paul to help the less fortunate people in our community. We are looking forward to volunteering with Vinnies and leading our school Mini Vinnies next year!

Parliament House Christmas Carols Performance
Congratulations to our school choir who performed Christmas carols today at Australian Parliament House. They performed beautifully in front of their families, friends, politicians and guests. A special thank you to Jovi van der Kallen and Maria Dalla Pozza for sharing their gift of music with our school and for preparing the students. We are very proud of our school choir and the Christmas joy that they brought to everyone!

Advent Liturgy
Wednesday 4^th December 10.15am
Kindergarten and Year 1/2 students will be presenting our school Advent liturgy, focusing on deepening our understanding of the Christian symbols of Christmas amongst all the busyness, presents and tinsel. All students in Kindergarten and Year 1/2 have received a note outlining roles and costumes. We recommend that all families are seated by 10.00am as the configuration of the hall seating will be in a circular formation for this celebration.

Whole School Symbols of Christmas Art Exhibition
In response to our Advent Liturgy, each class will be creating an artwork based on one of the Christmas symbols presented. Families and guests will be invited to walk this art journey on the last day of school after our Christmas Concert. We look forward to sharing this with you!

St Vincent de Paul Christmas Food Donations

Each year our St Benedict’s school community donates non-perishable food to our parish St Vincent de Paul Conference. This food is then made into Christmas hampers that distributed to people in our local community who are experiencing hardship. Parents are encouraged to talk with their children about the joy of giving without the expectation of receiving something in return. Families are welcome to donate as many non-perishable food items as they wish.  Please send all non-perishable food donations to your child’s classroom. These will be presented at our Giving Mass this Friday 6^th December.

Volunteers Needed
The St Benedict’s Parish Pastoral Council are looking for a team of volunteers to organise, set up and lead the Parish Family Christmas Mass on Christmas Eve (in the school hall). This vibrant family celebration has become a wonderful tradition in our parish. If you are able to assist or would like more information, please contact the Parish Office on (02) 6295 7879.
Daniel.Benedetti@cg.org.au

Community Meals Program
The Community Meals freezer is one way we can assist families whoare experiencing hardship. If you are able to cook a meal, please use disposable containers and label with ingredients and date. All meal donations can be brought to the Front Office. If your family requires temporary meal assistance, you can speak in confidence to any of our staff members.