APRE NEWS 

I can’t believe we are at the end of Week 8 already! As we are well aware, there have certainly been some challenges this term and I think all of our students will be eagerly looking forward to the break and have some well earned “down time”.  In the meantime, we must remember there ARE still 2 weeks of this term, so let’s all encourage our children to keep pushing and keeping a positive attitude to finish the term off strongly.

St Benedict’s Feast Day

Our St Benedict’s Feast Day is planned for Friday 17th July (Term 3 Week 1).  This normally begins with a whole school mass, which unfortunately we are unable to do this year, although all classes will participate in a prayer throughout the morning.  Another event which I know our students look forward to is ‘St Benny’s God Talent’.  I’m happy to announce that we are planning on making this happen, providing a live stream of the event for our parents and classes to view.  We are looking at having auditions in Week 10, so keep an eye out and start practicing those routines, we can’t wait to see what our students can present this year!

Opening and Blessing

The Opening and Blessing of our new buildings (Yellow and Teal Block), to be led by Bishop Tim was scheduled to happen this Term, however, due to restrictions, we have had to postpone this event.  Our first blessing was a beautiful morning, and we can’t wait to host the opening for Part 2 of our build to bless and thank all those involved in the construction of our beautiful school. 

Contemplative Corner 

Walking Meditation

• In walking meditation, we become aware of the movement of each step. It is a way of using a natural part of life to increase mindfulness. Once you learn the practice, you can do it almost anywhere. It helps us feel fully present on the earth.
• Find a place where you can walk back and forth, about ten to twenty steps in length. Keep the hands stationary, either behind the back, at the sides, or in front.
• You can do the walking meditation at different paces: brisk, normal, and very slow and meticulous. The idea is not to walk slowly; the idea is to move mindfully. As your mind begins to quiet, you will see how we notice more when we move slowly. More becomes clear, we get to feel the inter-relationship of mind and body.
• Think of it like this… you are starting off on a trek, and you just landed in Katmandu, You are going up to Mustang Valley….you are going to trek up one of these mountains, and there is the goal of reaching the top, there’s the desire to get there, and then there’s the realization that there is a whole process of getting there, and, along the way, more and more, there is the realization that the process is the goal. At first, you don’t have your walking body…you have been busy and confined, muscles aren’t loose, bones are a bit stiff….it takes a while for there to be a rhythm between mind and body, to get into that rhythm, to be carried by that rhythm, so that the experience becomes being carried by the mountain, and then the second winds come…and the body just feels in flow, it feels in harmony, it feels in sync with the mountain itself and the movements up and down.