Dear Parents and Carers,

I hope you all enjoyed a lovely extra long weekend. It is certainly a great time of the year to have a little extra time off, especially when the weather was so kind.

We are in the preparation stage for the children who are making their First Communion on Saturday November 16 at 5.00pm at St Mary’s, or Sunday November 16 at 10.00am at St Kieran’s. The children have been working within their class and with Fr Daniel to prepare for this special occasion.

Next Monday our Year 6 students will be attending the cenotaph in Newborough to commemorate Remembrance Day with the community. They will lay a wreath on behalf of St Mary’s school to recognise the sacrifice made by those who bravely fought, and continue to fight, for freedom and peace in our world. As a school we will all be observing a minute’s silence at 11.00am on Monday to remind us of how blessed we are to live in a country where we have peace and freedom.

On the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month, a minute’s silence is observed and dedicated to those soldiers who died fighting to protect the nation.

At 11am on 11 November 1918, the guns on the Western Front fell silent after more than four years of continuous warfare. The Germans called for an armistice (suspension of fighting) in order to secure a peace settlement. They accepted the allied terms of unconditional surrender.

The conflict had mobilised over 70 million people, left between 9 and 13 million dead, and as many as one third of these with no grave.

The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month attained a special significance in the post-war years. It became universally associated with the remembrance of those who had died in the war.

Originally known as Armistice Day, it was renamed Remembrance Day after World War Two to commemorate those who were killed in both World Wars. 

Today the loss of Australian lives from all wars and conflicts is commemorated on Remembrance Day.

It was also decided that everyone should wear a red poppy on that day. This was because thousands of red poppies had sprung up on the battlefields where many soldiers lost their lives during the First World War.

We will remember them. Lest we forget.

Kind regards,

Lisa