The Season of Advent is Upon Us
The word “Advent” derives from the Latin word adventus, meaning “coming.” In this case, it refers to the coming birth of Jesus Christ at Christmas and the return of Christ during the second coming. It begins on the Sunday that is closest to St Andrew’s Day, this year November 28.
In the Catholic Church, the Advent season reminds us about the importance of Christ in our lives, prepares us to celebrate Christ’s birth at Christmas, and refers to his second coming at a future time. Catholics consider all three comings when they celebrate Advent. Traditionally, Catholics will focus more on prayer and an element of fasting through the period. Priests will wear purple vestments during this time, and it is traditional to have an Advent wreath as well.
The four candles
The Advent wreath consists of four candles, which are arranged in a circular pattern, surrounded by evergreen branches. Each candle corresponds to the four respective Sundays through Advent. Three of the candles will be purple or blue in colour, and the other one will be pink. The blue and purple candles represent penitence, while the pink candle refers to the third Sunday of Advent, which is known as Gaudete Sunday. This is meant to encourage participants to continue praying as Advent is soon to reach its conclusion.
Advent – week by week
Each week during Advent has a specific meaning and relevance.
In the first week, Catholics will light the first candle. This signifies hope as it is commonly known as the “Prophet’s candle” and signals that Jesus is coming.
On the second Sunday, a candle is lit to celebrate faith. This is based on the everlasting love of God, and it is also commonly referred to as the “Bethlehem” candle. This reminds everyone that Mary and Joseph undertook the journey to Bethlehem.
On the third Sunday of Advent, it is traditional to celebrate Joy with the “Shepherds” candle. This third Sunday is also called Gaudete Sunday, and a literal translation here is to “rejoice.” It is a Sunday to remember Mary as the mother of Jesus.
On the fourth Sunday, the candle symbolises peace and is known as the “Angels” candle. The simple message here from the angels is “peace on earth and goodwill towards men.”
End of Year Mass
We am reminded of the beauty of this time in our liturgical calendar—a time of anticipation, reflection, and preparation. Advent invites us to ready our hearts for the coming of Christ, not just at Christmas but in our daily lives. It is a sacred journey of hope, love, joy, and peace.
In our school community, the parable of the Good Samaritan stands as our guiding charism. It reminds us of the importance of compassion, kindness, and selfless love. This parable, found in Luke’s Gospel, tells of a man who, despite societal and cultural divides, stopped to care for someone in desperate need. He exemplified Christ’s call to love our neighbor—a call we are especially reminded of during this Advent season.
Advent is a time of waiting, but it is also a time of action—action rooted in love and mercy. Just as the Good Samaritan paused to help, we, too, are called to pause in the busyness of life and reflect on how we can bring hope to those around us. This is the true spirit of Advent, and it stands in contrast to the secular focus on consumerism that often overshadows this sacred season.
Unfortunately in society, Christmas is all about how many gifts you need to buy, how expensive they have to be, the food you need to buy and prepare and the parties that you need to either prepare and organise or the ones you are attending. In between all this is the important celebration, the moment when God became man through the birth of Jesus Christ.
As we light the Advent candles each week, we are reminded that Christ is the light of the world, breaking through the darkness. Our journey through Advent is not merely about preparing for the celebration of Christmas Day. It is about preparing our hearts and actions to reflect Christ’s love every day.
One beautiful way we can embody this spirit is through the Angelus prayer, which recalls Mary’s fiat, her “yes” to God’s plan. The Angelus reminds us of the humility and obedience of the Blessed Mother, who prepared her heart to receive Jesus. As we pray the Angelus, let us also ask for the grace to be open to God’s will, just as Mary was, and to carry Christ to others in our thoughts, words, and deeds.
In the coming weeks, I encourage each of you to reflect on how you can live out the values of the Good Samaritan during Advent. Perhaps it means lending a listening ear to someone who is struggling, giving generously to those in need, or simply spending time in quiet prayer to prepare your heart for Christ. These acts of love and service help to shift our focus from the material distractions of the season to its true meaning—the coming of Emmanuel, God with us.
Let us journey through Advent together as a community of faith, united by the light of Christ and the example of the Good Samaritan. May we each carry this light into the world, offering hope and love to all we meet.
Last Week of Term - College Arrangements
Monday 16th December - Parent-Teacher-Student Interviews (8.30am - 1.00pm)
Tuesday 17th December - Staff Professional Learning Day
Wednesday 18th December - Staff Professional Learning Day - Office Closes at 11.30am
Thursday 19th December - Staff Professional Learning Day - Office Closed
Friday 20th December - Staff Professional Learning Day - Office Closed
Semester 2 Parent-Teacher-Student Interviews - Monday 16th December
We will be holding the Semester 2 Parent-Teacher-Interviews on Monday 16th December 2024 between 8.30am to 1.00pm in our College Hall. Semester 2 Academic Reports will be released for Years 7 to 10 students on Friday 13 December. Bookings for the interviews are made through the Compass Conferences.
2025 Year Coordinators and Assistant Year Coordinators
We congratulate the following staff for taking on these middle leadership positions in our College for 2025.
Year 7 - Mrs Sayadi and Ms Ibrahim
Year 8 - Ms Djuric and Mr Di Lucchio
Year 9 - Mr Butcher and Miss Woodley
Year 10 - Miss Rigney and Mr Jewo
Year 11 - Mr Swailem and Ms Ferraro
Year 12 - Mr Rigney and Mr Cancino
2025 Teacher House Leaders
Next year, we have created new positions in the College, they are our Teacher House Leaders, they will be working closely with our Student House Leaders in all aspects of our new Pastoral Classes that will be based on our College Houses across Years 7 to 12. I want to thank Mr Vannan for his work in organising this new structure,
Our Teacher House Leaders for 2025 are:
Chisholm - Mr O’Brien
De Paul - Mr Pachiaotra
La Salle - Mrs Georgieff
MacKillop - Mrs Marsden
Merici - Miss Lowndes
Polding - Mr Colbran
Start Dates for Term 1 2025
Students will begin classes on the following dates:
Years 7 and 12 Classes for Term 1 begin on Monday 3rd February 2025
Years 8-11 Classes for Term 1 2025 begin on Tuesday 4th February
All students return in the Full College Summer Uniform
College Uniform Expectations for Term 1 2025
Parents/Carers and students are reminded of the College uniform and grooming policy when resuming in Term 1 2025 with all students required to comply with the summer uniform regulations found in the College diary or on the College website. We appreciate your support throughout this term in respect to student uniform and grooming. To avoid any issues on the first day back, parents/carers and students are asked to also adhere to our grooming regulations and expectations regarding haircuts, shaving, jewellery and nails. In particular, we would like to remind everyone that chewing gum, eyebrow slits and undershirts are not permitted. Any student found breaching this policy will be issued with a uniform infringement.
A reminder of our uniform policy consequences are detailed below:
three (3) uniform infringements will have Compass generate an automatic Wednesday detention (visible to students and parents/carers).
six (6) uniform infringements will have Compass generate an automatic Friday detention (visible to students and parents/carers), and Year Coordinators will make contact with parents/carers, either via telephone or a parent meeting.
nine (9) uniform infringements will result in a suspension, and a further meeting with parents/carers to discuss our concerns."
We ask parents to ensure that over the holidays you check your son’s/daughter’s uniform and rectify any problems before coming back on the first day of Term 4. If any student is not in the correct Summer uniform on the first day of Term 1 2025, they will be sent home until the issue is rectified.
Please also be advised that we will be continuing to carry out uniform checks of students in each year group. These checks will now be random and at the discretion of the Year Coordinator.
Our uniform is something we are all proud of as a community. It reflects our values as a Catholic school and demonstrates our high expectations of all of our students at Good Samaritan Catholic College. These expectations have existed since the College was first opened. We thank all parents for your support of our College uniform regulations and welcome you to call us if you are having any difficulties with ensuring your child is in the correct uniform. We will also be happy to assist you with any difficulties where possible.
Examples of Exceptional Good Samaritan People and Students
Years 7-10 Awards Evening
Specialist Support Class Awards Evening
Online Safety During the Christmas and New Year School Holidays
We ask parents/carers to keep a close eye on their sons/daughters to ensure they are safely using the internet. We also encourage all students to communicate any unsafe or threatening online behaviour to their parents/carers immediately. Parents/Carers are then advised to contact Police and/or the eSafety Commissioner if there are any serious concerns regarding online behaviour.
For more information, please visit the eSafety Commissioners Website: https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents
May all families have a happy and Holy Christmas and a prosperous and healthy new year. We hope that our students have a safe, enjoyable and restful break and look forward to their return in 2025.
Inspirational Quote from Pope Francis
Pablo Grana
College Principal