One Hand to Help Yourself, One Hand to Help Others

Outside Backpacks 4 Vic Kids, our staff and students see a large banner on the fence. It says ‘You have one hand to help yourself and one hand to help others’. Over the Term 2 holidays, staff and Senior School students came together to once again support the team through a wide range of tasks. We sorted Santa Sacks, created Santa Sacks, organised toiletries and stationery. 

On a personal level, regardless of my circumstances outside, volunteering gives me the opportunity to give back to children who have so much less than my own. Each time, my frame of mind and perspective shifts after spending a mere three hours at this wonderful organisation. I’m delighted that Junior School students are able to actively contribute to it through bringing toiletry items. 

Having spent many hours over the past years seeing where they end up, I encourage you and your families to take this opportunity to demonstrate our school value of compassion by purchasing extra items to donate. They will go to children, not unlike your own, who are unable to live with their families. It truly is a worthy cause.

Celebrating NAIDOC Week Through Ceremony

NAIDOC Week, an annual celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, is sometimes referred to by First Nations people as ‘blak Christmas’, reflecting the tone of joy at this time. As it occurs in our holidays, we wanted to mark it (albeit a little late) and we were delighted with glorious weather to enjoy a Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony by Ganga Giri of the Bunurong Land Council.

We had the pleasure of hearing Ganga play the yidaki (didgeridoo) at last year’s RAP Launch and so we were excited to have him join us again. He shared with us about the different leaves that form part of the smoking ceremony, and the symbolism of them:

• Manna Gum leaves: representing community and parents
• Cherry Ballart leaves: representing the children of the community. The Cherry Ballart cannot grow without the Manna Gum
• Wattle: representing the ‘warriors’

He then played the yidaki for us, demonstrating how this incredible instrument can sound like various animals and birds. Talking with Ganga beforehand, he spoke about the joy of sharing ceremony in a school environment. As I listened to the music echoing around the oval and looked around at our students from Foundation - Year 12 I was struck by the depth of listening to sounds that have been played for tens of thousands of years. 

An understanding of the profound privilege of living in a country with the oldest continuing culture in the world is something we hope our students will take with them from Casey Grammar School. Giving our students from Foundation the opportunity to hear from Aboriginal people sharing about their culture and ceremony is one element of this.

Chapel Theme: One

At the beginning of the term, our staff gathered together for a Chapel service. We reflected on the theme of ‘one’ and explored different aspects of this, including the importance of seeing the individual amidst the group.

Below is the Benedition we closed with, which references a poem by Christian poet, KJ Ramsay: It's Just a Phase

Lord,
As we commence this term
May we find in ourselves
The eyes to see, the hearts to notice
The ones in our lives who may feel isolated or excluded
Who may need support to find their confidence
Give us grace for those we walk alongside and with this term
May we find the tides within us tell
We are moon more than candle
Never snuffed nor quelled 
Help us to be at peace when the noise is taken away
To create space and time to be ‘one’
And to find your restoring power within it
Your eye is on the sparrow
And your love follows each of us; day after day, week after week
Throughout our lives
In the name of God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit

Amen

Monique Riviere-Pendle
Chaplain