Religious Education
What Students are Learning About
All teachers from Kinder to Year 6 will be following the Brisbane Curriculum. The students will benefit from the use of learning intentions and the use of High Impact Teaching Practises (HITP) in Religious Education lessons.
Year 5 are learning about prayer. They reflected on the following questions.
Where can people pray?
In what different ways can people pray?
Do people always have to use words to pray?
Can people use their imagination to pray?
How can people get their bodies and minds ready for prayer?
Ruksha, Edith and Riley were excited to show their work to me.
They are beginning to explore this section of the achievement standard for Year 5
Students describe the significance of personal and communal prayer and worship including the Eucharist, the Psalms, Sabbath rituals and prayers for the lives of believers. They participate respectfully in a variety of personal and communal prayer experiences including Marian prayers especially the Hail Mary, Litany of Mary of Nazareth and the Rosary; and meditative prayer especially mantras. They participate respectfully in meditative prayer practices including praying with Rosary beads.
What Teachers are Learning About
Teachers across our school have been engaged in ensuring that 150 mins of Religion is taught each week. Our mission as a Catholic school is to evangelise. This means to spread the word of God.
“Catholic schools are also a major part of Australia’s educational ecosystem. They have provided high quality education to generations of young Australians, now numbering in their millions. They stand as a beacon in our society, for their contribution to the common good and to the nation’s social capital. They have helped nurture a more just, tolerant and cohesive society. Catholic education is determined in its commitment to excellence and equity.”
At St John the Apostle, we continue the proud tradition of Australian Catholic education. You can read more about the history of Australian Catholic Schools here.
https://ncec.catholic.edu.au/about-catholic-education/our-story/
Catholic Life and Reflection
Mrs Reed and I attended the formation morning for the Parish Pastoral Council on Saturday. It was a time of prayer and reflection between both the community of St John the Apostle and St Thomas Aquinas. We reflected on the letters of Paul to the Corinthians and his direction on living a communal life. How we have spiritual gifts, and these gifts combined create a full and diverse community.
Mrs Serae Love has been appointed the EALD (English as Another Language or Dialect) coordinator for 2025. She has collected data from our community that has found we have over 70 different languages spoken in our school. That is extraordinary.
It provides both a challenge and opportunity. How do we support all who have chosen to be part of our school? How do we tap into the rich cultural experiences that families have to offer? How do we educate equitably? How do we support the most vulnerable?
These were the same questions that were raised in the Parish meeting. Whether we are talking about the Parish or the school we are have the same strengths and challenges.
The solution is far from simple but to 'invite' has to the be the starting point. To constantly invite people. To welcome, to listen, to support and to share the love of God.
We are a Catholic community. We are on earth the heart of God. Well, we try very hard to be.
1 Corinthians 12
New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
Spiritual Gifts
12 Now concerning spiritual gifts,[a] brothers and sisters,[b] I do not want you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were pagans, you were enticed and led astray to idols that could not speak. 3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says “Let Jesus be cursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit.
4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.
God bless,
Stephanie Stewart
Religious Education Coordinator