Dear Parents

With Lent upon us, it is the perfect time to have a look at how you participate as a member of our single human family that is equally marvellous, fascinating, and perhaps threatening in its diversity. Lent is often a time given over to “holy” words of repentance and promises of self-reform but: “However many words you speak, what good will they do if you do not act on them?” Buddha.

The challenges of our times are not only political and social, but they are also spiritual: “The modern world is ‘desacralised’, that is why it is in crisis. The modern person must rediscover a deeper source of personal spiritual life.” Carl Jung. It is difficult to grow spiritually, morally, or ethically if we fail to give due recognition that all people are equally valuable and important. We can’t grow spiritually, morally, or ethically if we belittle people different to us in their appearance, manner, and customs to make us feel more important as human beings.

We will begin to grow spiritually, morally, and ethically when we are ready to sincerely embrace the truth and fascination of our differences and welcome the common yearnings we have about life. Stephanie Dowrick expresses this sentiment beautifully when she writes: “Seeing life itself as sacred-yours, mine, all of life makes our differences far less frightening. More importantly, it makes sense of how like one another we are in our simplest and most profound longings.

Whatever our culture, religion, or language, we want food, shelter, and good health. We want to be able to get up in the morning, enthusiastically, and sleep safely at night. We want health, safety, and happiness for our loved ones. We want to know that our lives are purposeful and sometimes gracious. We want to feel part of something greater than ourselves. We want and need inspiration and meaning.” Extract.

Seeking the Sacred. St Paul in his inspiring letter to the people of Philippi encouraged them to, “Show an agreeable attitude to everyone”. He suggested how they might be able to do this: “All that is true, all that is worthy of reverence, all that is holy and good, all that is lovely to look at and beautiful to hear, all that has virtue and all that deserves praise, let that be the content of your thinking. “Phil. 4: 5,8,9. Our spirituality is as personal as our breath or our fingerprint, but, as we move through the forty days of Lent, we might on occasion, surrender freely to the quiet within us, to rediscover the resources and strengths that are there. We might begin to see better and appreciate more, the value of our existence, to see ourselves with more gratitude and respect and to see others in a like manner.

Year 6 Camp

From all reports and photos received, the Year 6 students are having a great time at camp. All students are participating in team-building activities at the camp. Thank you to the staff who have given up their family time so they can be present at the camp and give the children a wonderful experience. I’m not sure if you have seen the recent news article about a school cancelling their camp due to the teachers being overworked. It is a huge commitment by our staff and I again thank them sincerely.

OLA SchoolStream

With over three hundred parents now registered to the OLA SchoolStream, all communication via emails and most other forms of communication will cease by Week 6 (Term 1). This will be the last newsletter you will receive as a link notifying you the newsletter is ready to be read. Weekly updates, excursion notes and other correspondence, via emails, will also cease with all communication to be disseminated via OLA SchoolStream. Attached to this newsletter is the instruction to stop notifications from unwanted classes and groups. If you haven’t signed up for OLA SchoolStream, please do so by the Beginning of Week 6 (Term 1). Continue to check the OLA Website calendar as this is updated daily.

Thank you.

Greg Martin, Michael Morris & Anella Tollis

OLA Leadership Team