What is Ash Wednesday?

We all know that Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent. But what is Ash Wednesday all about? The Church has always used ashes as an outward sign of grief, humility, mourning, penance and morality. The Old Testament has many stories describing the use of ashes in these ways. Ashes began to be used in early Christianity for the preparation of baptism and confession. The use of ashes quickly began to be seen as a sign of penance, and particularly in preparation for Easter. Fast forward to 1091 - Pope Urban II, at the Synod of Benevento, recommended that the distribution of ashes on the Wednesday that begins Lent be instituted, becoming a Churchwide practice.

For us, the ashes are a visible sign of repentance and a symbol of our reconciliation with God.

Did you know? The palms from the previous year's Palm Sunday celebration are burned and used as the ashes for Ash Wednesday each year.

St Bede’s Ash Wednesday Liturgy

I would like to extend an invitation to everyone within our community to join us for our Ash Wednesday Liturgy next Wednesday 5 March. The Liturgy will begin at 9:15am in our school hall. Everyone is welcome to receive the ashes.

This Lent, our St Bede’s community is called to Unite Against Poverty through Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion. Each grade will be given a project compassion donation box that students and families can donate to throughout Lent. There will also be a bigger one on our prayer table near the front office.

Your generous support this Lenten Season will enable Caritas Australia to provide life-changing support to communities facing poverty, food insecurity, lack of education, and water shortages, while building resilience against future challenges. Together, through faith and action, we can bring hope and opportunity to those most in need.

Let us continue to walk in love and peace as pilgrims of hope.

Haley Stonham

Religious Education Coordinator

Whole School Reward and Tickets - How does this work?

Our weekly behaviour focus in the classroom and the playground become the focus for tickets being given out. These foci relate directly to student data and observations that teachers make during the term. Our focus is announced at Monday morning assembly and teachers unpack what this looks like in their classrooms. Students who are seen to be modelling these and showing respect, responsibility and resilience are given tickets to add to their class jar or at the front office.

The Year 6’s will collect tickets each Friday and make note of how we are going. They then show our progress on the thermometer that is displayed in the front foyer window. When we reach our goal - we get to celebrate!

And the amazing news is - the students at St Bede’s have achieved their first reward! We will be having a Mufti Day (uniform free day) next Friday 7 March! And if you want to - wear some purple for Lent!