Spreading the Good News SRE Newsletter - April 2015

No 95 Term 2 2015

Spreading the Good News

The Catholic Diocese of Bathurst celebrates 150 years as a Diocese in 2015

ACBC 5 – 19 October th

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30 World Youth Day Krakow, Poland theme “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God (mt 5:8)

May the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithfu and he will do it.

Brothers and sisters, pray for us. Greet all God’s people with a holy kiss. I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers and sisters.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

1 Thessalonians 5:23–28

Easter in the Catholic Church Easter is not only the greatest Christian feast; it is the fulfilment of our faith as Christians.

Through His Death, Christ destroyed our bondage to sin; through His Resurrection, He brought us the promise of new life, both on earth and in Heaven. Jesus in the Lord’s Prayer said, "Thy Kingdom come, on earth as it is in Heaven," begins to be fulfilled on Easter Sunday.

My dear Catechists and Members of the Clergy, We have just attended the Easter liturgies in our parishes and we are still in the Easter Season until Pentecost. We are very privileged to have the freedom and live in a community where we can attend the parish liturgies and the school assemblies. To all of the Priests, thank you.

Vicki and I have had the opportunity to visit schools where the SRE Teachers and Assistants prepared an Easter Assembly with the SRE Students. Some assemblies were held in local churches that are within walking distance to the school. Others were held in the school halls or on a sheltered part of the school playground. Thank you for the extra preparation time you’ve put in.

Before I go any further I want to say a special welcome to our new SRE Teachers and Assistants. I appreciate your generosity to become a member of the wonderful volunteers whose dedicated and consistent attendance to the students in the Public Schools in our Diocese is to be commended. Thank you to the new people and thank you to the people who have chosen to continue.

HOLY YEAR OF MERCY Saying he has "thought often about how the Church can make more evident its mission of being a witness of mercy," the Pope announced the new jubilee year. Pope Francis said the new jubilee would begin on this year's Catholic feast of the Immaculate Conception, celebrated December 8. It will close on November 20, 2016, the day celebrated that year as the feast of Christ the King.

CANDLES AND SWEETS IN THE CLASSROOM Over the last couple of weeks it has been brought to my attention that candles are being used in some classrooms. There has been a recommendation that we do not use matches or lit candles at any time with the children. I have bought some lovely battery candles and they almost look like the real thing.

The other issue is giving the children food as rewards and at the end of term. We need to be very careful in this matter because of the different allergies, reactions or the children’s hypersensitivity to some foods. It is also a recommendation that we don’t give fruit, vegetables or sweets to the children.

CATECHIST SUNDAY We welcomed some new people to the SRE Ministry after the appeals from Catechist Sunday. Thank you to the generous volunteers and welcome back to those who returned after their break.

CATECHIST TRAINING The Western Inter-Church Committee will be meeting early next term to schedule some training in the different areas.

WORKING WITH CHILDREN CHECK & ENGAGEMENT FORM Thank you for attending to getting the WWCC number. For some of you it was a challenge, but you succeeded. Well done everyone.

CODE OF CONDUCT Vicki and I have been giving to the new folk a “Code of Conduct” document to read. There is a form to sign to say you have read the document. Anyone who has not sent in the return form could you do so ASAP, please. If by any chance I have not sent you a copy, please let me know.

SRE/SEE REVIEW During this time I ask you to continue to pray for the SRE/SEE Review that is taking place. We have been asked to complete a questionnaire. Hopefully throughout the whole of NSW the people who are doing the review will be given a broad overview of SRE in the Public Schools. That they will see the dedication and commitment of the many volunteers, Teachers, Assistants and Paid Teachers.

EDUCATION WEEK 2015 Education Week is a major event on the NSW Public Schools calendar. 2015’s theme is ‘Celebrating Local Heroes’, and schools are encouraged to develop their alumni networks and celebrate their ‘local heroes’, including their local ANZAC / military heroes. (Taken from DEC Website)

TERM TWO OVERVIEW OF CURRICULUMS CHRIST OUR LIGHT AND LIFE (ARCHDIOCESE OF SYDNEY 2010) We believe Jesus is with us. The celebration of the Eucharist. The Eucharist celebrates Jesus and makes him present in our midst. The Ascension. Pentecost. The Spirit of Jesus is always with us. We are alive in the Spirit. The fruits of the Spirit. The Holy Trinity a mystery of our faith. Jesus ministry. Luke 4:16-20. The First Christians.

SUNDAY SCRIPTURES ALIVE (CEO Christchurch NZ) The Sunday readings come from St John’s Gospel where the stories are teaching about love. The Ascension reading is from Mark’s Gospel where Jesus showed himself to the Eleven, telling them to go out and proclaim the Good News. Pentecost is from John’s Gospel. Jesus tells the Disciples the Holy Spirit comes from the Father, whom I will send and He will lead you to the complete truth. The last couple of weeks the readings are from Mark’s Gospel, ch 4.

CONNECT (CEP Connect Program Youthworks. Cycle B1 2011) This term the stories are from Genesis. God’s promise to Abraham. The story looks at the interaction of God with the people. The birth of Isaac. The testing of Abraham’s faith. God choosing Jacob. Jacob’s Sons and how Joseph life unfolded.

GODSPACE (Burst Christian Resources 2011 Yellow One) This term the students are presented with the words “Come follow Me.” Jesus teaches his friends to pray.

To support each other and share Jesus friendship. They are shown that following Jesus can sometimes be difficult. God’s people found this – the story of Joseph and presenting that story to show from bad things can come good things.

SAFE CHURCH TRAINING WORKSHOP There is a Safe Church training Workshop planned for Canowindra on Saturday 30th May.

CHILDREN’S PRAYER DAY 6-7th June The 6th & 7th June is World Weekend of Prayer for Children at Risk. This is an opportunity for all of us.

We can be involved with Christians as we unite and take time to pray for the most vulnerable of our citizens.

As we work with the children we can remind them to pray for each other and for the children all over the world.

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2015

17 – 24 May 2015 Jesus said to her, “Give me to drink.”

(John 4:7) In 2015 the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in Australia will be observed from 17-24 May 2015 in the week between Ascension and Pentecost.

Read more: Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2015

SCHOOL CALENDAR 2015 Term Two 20th April – 26th June Term Thre 13th July – 18th September Term Four 6th October – 18th December CATHOLIC RESOURCE CENTRE See attached sheet

CHURCH CALENDER DATES 25thApril 26thApril 29th April

Anzac Day 4th Sunday of Easter St Catherine of Siena

1st May 3rd May 10th May 13th May 14th May 17th May 17th May 24th May 25th May

St Joseph the Worker 5th Sunday of Easter 6th Sunday of Easter Our Lady of Fatima St Matthias Apostle Ascension of the Lord World Communications Day Pentecost Sunday Our Lady Help of Christians Patron of Australia

1st June 7th June 12th June 13th June 14th June 21st June 24th June 28th June

St Justin Body and Blood of Christ Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time Nativity of St John the Baptist 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

DIRECTORY HELEN C RYAN P O BOX 720 DUBBO NSW 2830 HOME: 02 6884 5848 MOBILE: 0407 001 196 EMAIL: hcryan@nsw.chariot.net.au

VICKI MAIR 73 Freeman Circuit BATHURST NSW 2795 HOME: 02 6332 2835 EMAIL: v-a-mair@live.com.au

Spreading the Good News No. 95 – Term 2, 2015 Catholic Resource Centre - Resourcing SRE Term 2, 2015

CATHOLIC RESOURCE CENTRE

Term 2 – 2015 Resource Sampler Information, resources and services to support SRE are available from the Catholic Resource Centre.

Telephone: (02) 6338 3022 If phone diverts to voicemail, please DO leave a message and your call will be returned as soon as possible.

Email: recentre@bth.catholic.edu.au Fax: (02) 6338 3001

ON THE NET It’s important to preview resources before using with a class, and even more important when accessing from the internet --- especially for live streaming. Naturally if you have found something worthwhile and used it previously for a topic, you would think of using it again. It’s best not to assume that the resource will be where it was when you ‘bookmarked’ it. Web sites change locations and do not always have site redirection (very frustrating). Something that was freely accessible might now require a subscription or a fee for use behind a pay wall. Where possible and within copyright, a good process is to download the resource so that you have it when you need it. Finding it again might prove difficult.

Bible Stories – Bible for Children http://bibleforchildren.org/languages/english/stories.ph p A range of bible stories from the Old Testament/Hebrew Scriptures and New Testament are offered in multiple formats for download and use including power point. Links are provided to corresponding scripture as ready reference.

The Disciples Look Up – The Ascension of Our Lord – Sunday School Lessons http://www.sundayschoollessons.com/ascles.htm Simple explanation with biblical story presented as a lesson with questions for students to promote understanding of scripture, Jesus’ teaching and the church year.

Jesus tells His Disciples what to do – Sunday of the Holy Trinity – Sunday School Lessons http://www.sundayschoollessons.com/trinmles.htm Concise outline of the story and discussion questions.

The Story of Joseph - Topmarks http://www.topmarks.co.uk/judaism/story-of-joseph

Colourful pictures with the narrative of the story of Joseph, son of Jacob.

Strange and Miraculous – the story of Pentecost – Children’s Chapel http://childrenschapel.org/biblestories/pentecost.html This is a complete lesson with questions to think about or discuss with students, a bible verse to remember and a short prayer. It does use both ‘Holy Spirit’ and ‘Holy Ghost’ terms, so when using recommend standardizing to the one term ‘Holy Spirit’. A corresponding colouring in page is available at: http://childrenschapel.org/biblestories/color/Ascension BW2.html

MUSIC for SRE There’s no need to limit the use of music in SRE to Easter and Christmas. A good selection of children’s songs for religious education is available for the whole of the church year and learning about the Bible and Jesus. Many are

by Australian composers such as Andrew Chinn, Michael Mangan and Jen Charadia.

The ‘God Loves Me’ music DVD by John Burland is one of the music resources available that is designed as an instructional resource.

Songs with accompanying ‘movement’ are demonstrated, helpful study guide included.

Prefer not to use DVD with students, the CD and music book are also available to borrow from the Centre.

John Burland’s web site shows the full range of his resources if you want to purchase – http://www.johnburland.com/

Spreading the Good News No. 95 – Term 2, 2015 Catholic Resource Centre - Resourcing SRE Term 2, 2015

PICTURES & PICTURE SETS

resources and find some simple to do crafts which fully engage your students.

CATHOLIC RESOURCE CENTRE If a ‘picture is worth a thousand words’, they must be great for SRE when time with students is limited and precious to spread the Word of God.

One example is ‘The encyclopedia of Bible crafts : 187 fun-filled, easy-to-do craft activities for children’ New edition./ edited by Laurie Castaneda. Oxford : Bible Reading Fellowship, 2010. Books of this type are more useful when they have an index as this one does.

DVDs The above image (partial not full picture) is from ‘The Life of Jesus’ set of pictures published by Macmillan. These are colourful and large enough to be useful in a classroom setting. Individual pictures or the whole set can be borrowed from the Centre.

The ‘Creation’ set of pictures from the ‘To Know, Worship and Love’ series produced by James Goold House, Melbourne are reasonably large, but also light enough for students to pass around and have a closer look at the fuller detail to draw students into the story.

ACTIVITIES, CRAFTS …

Craft activities don’t have to be messy or take the whole of the lesson to set up. Look through

Depending on the classroom or your own equipment, internet connections, etc. using DVDs may be easier that streaming live from the internet.

ABOVE: The Lord's Prayer [DVD] (30 min.)

West Gosford, N.S.W. : Nest Entertainment, 2001, 2005 Animated Stories from the New Testament Main feature runs approximately 30 minutes. Summary: After Jesus' resurrection and ascension into Heaven, His disciples find their faith tested when Peter is arrested and cast into a Roman prison. As Herod plots Peter's death, the believers gather together and follow the example that Jesus taught. Through faith and persistent prayer, Peter's chains are broken and the Angel of the Lord opens the prison gates. --Chapter index on inside cover Bonus features: Optional scripture reference subtitles ; Adventure Quiz with 3 skill levels ;

Spreading the Good News No. 95 – Term 2, 2015 Catholic Resource Centre - Resourcing SRE Term 2, 2015 Bible scriptures in King James or NIV versions .

Interactive for more features online Another DVD from the same series is: The parables of Jesus [DVD] (32 min.)/ Animated Stories from the New Testament / Suitability: from Kindergarten to Middle Primary / Contents: The parable of the two sons -- The parable of Lazarus and the rich man -- The parable of the talents. ___________________________________________________

is strongly recommended to telephone the Centre in advance to ensure staff availability, especially if coming from a distance. _____________________________________________________ Hours of opening and advance notice of any changes to standard hours (whenever possible) are advertised on the REgathering web site at http://regathering.weebly.com/ _____________________________________________________

Topical information about resources and web sites for Christian education are often discussed in the blog which is searchable by a number of subject tags is located at http://regathering.weebly.com/resources.html

Information, resources and services to support SRE are available from the Catholic Resource Centre.

Telephone: (02) 6338 3022 If phone diverts to voicemail, please DO leave a message and your call will be returned as soon as possible.

Email: recentre@bth.catholic.edu.au Fax: (02) 6338 3001

STANDARD HOURS: TERM 2 – 2015: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday: 9 am – 12 noon & 1 pm – 5 pm Tuesdays: 2 pm – 5pm - Outside these hours by appointment.

- There are odd, unscheduled times when the Centre may be closed during standard hours. It

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SRE and SEE 2015 Review Information for SRE Coordinators Statement from ARTD website: The review is not being conducted to determine whether SRE or SEE should be offered in NSW public schools.

Why is the review being conducted?

In 2012 the NSW Legislative Council General Purpose Standing Committee No 2, chaired by the Hon Marie Ficarra MLC released a report on the Education Amendment (Ethics Classes Repeal) Bill 20 11. This report recommended that Special Education in Ethics classes should continue in NSW government primary schools. The report made a number of recommendations aimed at improving the implementation a nd delivery of Special Religious Education and Special Education in Ethics.

Recommendation 14 of the report requires that ‘a future independent review of both ethics classes and SR E be conducted by appropriately qualified early childhood educational reviewers in 2014­2015’.

Helpful information The review is being conducted by a consultancy company called ARTD. The ARTD web link is: http://artd.com.au/sre-see-review Information on the role and purpose of the review and some very helpful general information, including some FAQ’s, can be found at http://www.dec.nsw.gov.au/about-us/statistics-andresearch/public-reviews-and-enquiries/special-religious-education-review.

Survey of SRE Coordinators ARTD plans to survey local SRE coordinators and regional SEE (Ethics) coordinators during April 2015.

This is an opportunity to focus on the local organising structure for each provider. A cooperative and helpful attitude will assist in the completion of this information gathering exercise.

If you have concerns about questions you may be asked, then please seek advice from the approved provi der which authorises you. If you have any questions ICCOREIS would also be pleased to help. You can co ntact the Executive Officer on execofficer@iccoreis.asn.au, or 02 4979 1335.