16 - 8th December, 2023 - Term 4, Week 10
Principal's News
Dear Families,
Yesterday the school gathered in the church to farewell our Grade Six class of 2023. It was wonderful to see so many families and friends joining them as they reflected on their time at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart and on what the future would hold for them as they move on to secondary school. All of our students have done themselves proud this year, maturing and developing into resilient and compassionate individuals. We wish them well as they head off on the next step of their education journey and hope that they will always have fond memories of their time at OLSH. A big thank you goes to Miss Ford for her organisation of a lovely mass and celebration afterward.
On Wednesday evening, a very small number of parents gathered at our Annual General Meeting. After listening to reports by the Chairperson Amy Cupper, and the Principal’s report, Courtney Portaro was unanimously voted onto the School Advisory Council for 2024. She joins Amy Cupper, Thel O’ Shea, Grant Finlayson, Hannah Williams, Sandra Hammet and Lana Borchard on the SAC, all of whom agreed to remain on the SAC in 2024. We thank these parents for their time and commitment to our school and look forward to a new year of great things for our school. Included in the newsletter today are the reports that were read out at the meeting.
Unfortunately for our school choir, the Merbein Carols by Candlelight have been cancelled tonight due to the extremely hot weather. The choir has been practising for some weeks, so were a little disappointed about missing out on their performance at the Carols. We did however get to hear them sing at assembly this morning and they did a fantastic job! Mrs. Phelan and Ms. Garreffa have also arranged for the choir to visit Chaffey Aged Care next week to entertain the residents with their songs, which I’m sure they will look forward to! Well done to all of the students in the choir and to Mrs. Phelan and Ms. Garreffa for their commitment to the choir this year.
At assembly today, we also presented the gifts from our Giving Tree to Denise Knight, from St. Vincent de Paul. There was an impressive number of gifts under our tree, all generously donated by our school families and Denise was quite overwhemed by our collection! Our student leaders were very proud to hand over the presents and to play a part in brightening up the Christmas of families who need some extra assistance this year. We thank everyone who donated gifts for their generosity.
Last week our students spent the day in thier classrooms for 2024. All students had a great day and I'm sure are looking forward to their new class teacher. Next week as the year winds down, we will be busy tidying and sorting, ready for a fresh start in 2024. We will be having our Pool Day on Friday to finish the week. Please make sure you have completed the permissio for this on PAM.
End of Year Reports will be sent home next Thursday electronically. It will be great for families to celebrate the good work that the students have been doing throughout the year. I have been very impressed by what I have read and congratulate all students on a great year of learning. Next week a school magazine will also go home to every family who has completed payment of their school fees. The magazine is looking fantastic, as usual, thanks to the organisatio of Miss Ford! We can't wait for you to see it!
Enjoy the weekend and we look forward to starting our last week of school on Monday.
Narelle Gallagher
Email:
- Narelle Gallagher: principal@olshmerbein.catholic.edu.au
- Office staff: admin@olshmerbein.catholic.edu.au
Office hours: 8.00am to 4.00pm - Monday to Thursday 8.00am to 3.45m - Friday
Teachers: 8.45am to 4.00pm - Monday to Friday
OLSH School Calendar
Religious Education News
Advent: (Comes from the Latin word ‘adventus’ which means coming). Advent is a time when we prepare ourselves for the celebration of the birth of Jesus.It is also a period to celebrate the faith and conversion to christianity. There are 4 themes of Advent - Hope, Peace, Joy and Love.
This week we focus on Peace and think of ways we can bring peace into the lives of others.
Happy Birthday
We wish the following students a Happy Birthday:
Emmett Barnden - 12th December - 10yrs
Charlotte Cowling - 16th December - 10yrs
Student of the Week
| Awarded to: | For: |
| Grade Prep: Jordan Hammet | Fantastic growth and development across the year. |
| Grade 1 / 2 L: Zahleya Grayson | Working hard in class and foucsing on all of her tasks. |
| Grade 1 / 2 R: Savannah Williams | Fantastic narrative writing and her enthusiastic attitude to her learning. |
| Grade 3 / 4 L: Jasper O'Shea | Fantastic work in Mathematics and for always being enthusiastic. |
| Grade 3 / 4 P: Ryan Hawkes | Making a wonderful effort in staying on task in all areas of his learning. |
| Grade 5: Pippa Annand | Valuable contributions to class discussions and always completing work to a high standard. |
| Grade 6: Pietro Dichiera | Demonstrating resilience and perserverance to continue on and give a great speech. |
Prep News
We have ONE WEEK to go!
We have had a few busy weeks with Concert, Transition Days and Graduation. We are looking forward to a fun last week, enjoying some of our favourite things from the year and looking back at how far we have come.
Workbooks will continue to come home next week with a couple of books a day.
Art Folios will come home next week. Please empty these and return so they can be passed on to teachers for next year.
Pool Day- Please make sure your child is prepared for the Pool Day on Friday the 15th December. They will need to have their bathers, towel, thongs or other slip on shoes, change of underwear and goggles if needed. Please make sure they are all clearly named and in one bag. Please make sure you have given permission on PAM/Simon. Please contact the office if you need some assistance to do this.
School reports will be available on Simon Everywhere/PAM on Thursday.
Grade 1 & 2 News
On Tuesday, students had their Orientation Day in their 2024 classes. All of them had a great time and were excited to share what they had done during the day.
A few reminders for the last week of term-
- Our swimming day is next Friday between 11.30-1.30pm - please pack bathers, towel and thongs/sandals.
- Last day for students is next Friday 15th December.
- Readers do not need to come to school anymore. If students still have books in their folders, please bring them back ASAP.
- Books are beginning to be sent home over the next week so there isnt a heavy load of books to take home on the last day.
If you have any questions you can email us at:
Prep: Rebecca Appledore - rappledore@olshmerbein.catholic.edu.au
1/2 L: Grace Laity- glaity@olshmerbein.catholic.edu.au
1/2 R: Lisa Ryan- lryan@olshmerbein.catholic.edu.au
Friday - 1/2 R contact: Emma Garraway - ewood@olshmerbein.catholic.edu.au
Grade 3 & 4 News
We have had a busy week with classes winding down. On Tuesday our students had a lovely day getting to know their new teachers in their 2024 classrooms, though some students will have the same teacher as this year. Lucky you!
Next week Grade 3/4P students are invited to bring to school a board game /card game/dice game that they would like to play with their friends on Thursday afternoon. Please leave electronic games at home. These can be brought in anytime from Monday onwards.
A couple of reminders for next week:
- please pack an extra bag so that student work books etc can be transported back home safely
- reports will be going home on Thursday
- our swimming day is next Friday between 11.30-1.30pm - please pack bathers, towel and thongs/sandals
- last day for students is next Friday 15th December
We are definitely on the countdown!
Julie and Adam 😊
My New Gallery
If you have any questions you can email us at:
- 3/4 L: Adam Lawrence – alawrenc@olshmerbein.catholic.edu.au
- 3/4 P: Julie Phelan – jphelan@olshmerbein.catholic.edu.au
Grade Five News
This week has been all about celebrations and preparations. On Monday students enjoyed spending time with their Prep buddies and then on Tuesday with Miss Ford as we began our transition to Grade 6. On Thursday we celebrated the Grade 6 students' graduation. Many students commented that they can’t believe that they will be graduating this time next year!
We have almost finished reading our Term Four novel, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian and next week we will watch the movie. It is available on Disney Plus and is rated M due to the battle scenes which involve bows, arrows, swords and daggers. If you are not comfortable with your child watching the movie, please let me know and I will provide an alternative activity.
Next week:
Monday and Tuesday we will have our final STEM days. Thank you to those who have sent in recyclable materials.
Wednesday students will take their workbooks home. Please pack an extra bag so everything gets home safely.
Thursday will be games and movies. Students are invited to bring in a board game to share. No electronic games please. The movies are ‘Best Christmas Ever’ (Netflix PG) and Leo (Netflix PG). Please let me know if you do not give permission for your child to watch these movies. I will provide an alternative activity.
Friday is the last day of the school year for students. We will be at the pool from 11.30-1.30pm. Please pack bathers, towel, thongs/slides, sunscreen and hat.
My New Gallery
Grade Six News
- Congratulations to the Grade Six class for graduating yesterday. We had a beautiful mass followed by a morning tea to celebrate the end of a wonderful journey through primary school. Today we continue the celebrations with a Grade Six lunch at G&T Bistro.
- Thank you for my beautiful gift, it has been a pleasure teaching Grade Six this year and I am thankful for your ongoing support throughout the year!
- Just a reminder to check you have given permission for our Pool Day on the last day of term.
If you have any questions you can email us at:
- 5: Cheryl-Anne Courtney - ccourtney@olshmerbein.catholic.edu.au
- 6: Danielle Ford- dford@olshmerbein.catholic.edu.au
General News
School Advisory Council Members:
Thel O’Shea, Hannah Mills, Grant Finlayson, Amy Cupper, Sandra Hammet, Lana Borchard, Adam Lawrence (Staff Rep) & Narelle Gallagher (Principal)
SIMON Everywhere App
This can be downloaded from either the Google Play Store or the Apple Store. The app has been updated earlier this year and an email was sent out to parents. If you are having issues with logging in, can you please contact Mia in the office.
Student Medical Profile
Medical Profile: Please make sure that the school has been notified of any changes that have been made to your child’s Medical Profile on PAM and to also include this on the pink Parental Authority and Consent Form each year.
IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PARENT TO MAKE OLSH AWARE OF ANY CHANGES.
Parent Notified Absence
If your child is unwell and will be absent from school, you are able to complete a Parent Notified Absence (PNA) on the SIMON Everywhere App or Parent Access Module (PAM) which will automatically notify the teacher and a text message will not be sent.
Newsletters
These are distributed every Friday on SIMON Everywhere and the OLSH Website. Please contact us if at any time you have any queries or require any further explanation about events, dates etc. Any items for the newsletter are asked to be handed in at the office by 9.00am on Friday.
Attendance & Sign in
A reminder to parents that the school needs to be notified of a student absence by 10 am on the day. This can be done by calling the school office or by using SIMON Everywhere or sending an email to admin@olsmerbein.catholic.edu.au.
Second Hand Uniform
Please contact the school if you require any second hand uniform.
