12 - 3rd May, 2024 - Term 2, Week 3

Principal's News

URGENT - 2025 Prep Enrolments

If you are a current OLSH family who has a child eligible for school in 2025, you must fill in an enrolment form which is located on our school website as soon as possible. Places are filling fast and we need to be sure of our sibling numbers before we can accept enrolments from new families. These enrolments are now also open.

Dear Families,

Happy Catholic Education Week! This week we have not only celebrated the education system of which we are all a part, but we have had the chance to reflect on how Catholic Education came to be and the hard work and effort of many who helped to create our Ballarat Diocese. Our Director of Catholic Education, Tom Sexton, wrote the following in his weekly newsletter to schools:

“Education has taken place in the geographical area that is now known as The Diocese of Ballarat for millennia. The First Australians have nurtured and educated their children and young people on this country for generations. They lived in harmony with creation passing on customs and culture. We as an educational community honour this with great respect and we acknowledge the lasting effects of colonisation on their way of life.

During Catholic Education Week we recall the story of Catholic Schooling that has been taking place since 1849 in the region we know as The Diocese of Ballarat. This has been a collaborative project from the very beginning. Lay people, Clergy and Religious Orders have worked tirelessly, establishing what we have today. The Diocese of Ballarat, since its inception in 1874 has placed an immense importance on Catholic Schools. From 1875-1884 the Diocese spent £67,291 (equivalent of $11356650 in 2023) on education alone and by 1904 had 11 boarding schools, 13 secondary schools for both girls and boys, and 60 primary schools in 35 parishes. An extraordinary achievement!”

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart has been here for 96 of those 150 years as part of the Ballarat Diocese, and throughout that time, it has remained a place of both academic and spiritual learning. This morning, as we joined with three other Catholic schools for mass in Mildura, it was amazing to see the number of children and staff who are proudly associated with Catholic Education. It was evident that Catholic Education is thriving in our community!

Throughout Catholic Education Week each year, staff who have reached 30 years of service in Catholic education are recognised and celebrated. We would like to acknowledge our Business Manager Mrs. Carolyn Clementson, who has achieved this milestone at OLSH. Congratulations! We are very grateful for Carolyn’s dedication and commitment to our school, our students and families.

As you know, OLSH is in the process of revising our Behaviour Management Procedures to reflect our diverse student cohort. As part of this process, we are working with Kristy Elliott on Restorative Practice, a process that empowers students to problem-solve, develop social-emotional capabilities, and build positive relationships with others. To help parents to understand what Restorative Practice looks like, we are inviting you to an information session run by Kristy on Tuesday, May 14^th at 7pm (see flyer at the end of the newsletter). Kristy is extremely engaging and will be able to answer any questions or concerns parents may have about this new approach. Parents will hear about the foundations of Restorative Practice, what this looks like in schools, how it can benefit students, teachers and families and how it can be used at home. We strongly encourage parents to come along to this session. An invitation will be attached in the newsletter and we would appreciate it if you could indicate your attendance.

Yesterday the District Cross Country was run at the Aerodrome Ovals, with a small group of students from OLSH competing in various age groups! Well done to all the competitors, who did us proud with their efforts! Thank you to Mr. Breewel, Mrs Lowry and the parents who went along to help supervise and to support our runners. Levi Davis qualified for the next step of the competition, after finishing in 12^th place. Well done, Levi!

In June, the School Advisory Council will be hosting a Bingo Night at OLSH! This is a great opportunity for parents to come along to enjoy the company of other families while playing a few games of Bingo and having a laugh! There will be some great prizes up for grabs on the night, including a trailer-load of firewood and a vintage bike. We held a very successful Bingo night a few years ago and it was a fun night for all! Keep your eye out for a flyer which will go home very soon with more details.

Next week we will be celebrating our mums with a morning of activities! After our liturgy, mums and kids will move to the classrooms to complete some artwork. Students will be in Family Groups, so all siblings will be together for the activities. If you haven’t replied to let us know that you are coming along, please do this as soon as possible. We look forward to seeing you there!

Enjoy the weekend!

Narelle Gallagher

Registration: Parent Information Session with Kristy Elliott:

Mother's Day Liturgy & Morning Tea

RSVP IS DUE TODAY

OLSH School Calendar

Religious Education News

Sacrament of Confirmation (Grade 3 and above): We have some children in the process of making their Sacrament of Confirmation this term. Please keep Violet Dimasi, Morgan Dowling, Isaac Lohmeyer and Jacinta Wagner in your prayers as they prepare for this special occasion on their faith journey. 

The  celebration dates are as follows: Friday 17th May, Saturday 18th May and Sunday 19th May.

Altar Servers Guild: The parish is founding an Altar Servers Guild to provide practical training and ongoing formation to Guild members. The Guild will meet weekly during school terms. If you are interested in joining the Guild and becoming an altar server visit www.sunraysiacatholic.org/altar-servers or call the parish office on 5021 2872.

Sunraysia Catholic School's Mass

Student Leaders

This week, the students participated in a 'Red Day' to raise money for the Salvation Army's Red Shield Appeal. They wore red clothing and accessories and made gold coin donations. The day concluded with a visit from 'Shieldy'. In total, the students raised approximately $180.

Next up, the Student Leaders are organizing 'National Simultaneous Storytime,' so stay tuned for details as it is coming up in May.

Book Fair

Dear Parents/Carers,

Our annual Book Fair will be held on Friday the 24th of May. All students will have the opportunity to view the books and fill in their wish lists prior to the fair at a time and day selected by their teachers. Their teachers will notify you of these times. An invitation has been sent home with your children today with a small selection of books that will be available on the day along with other smaller items such as pens, erasers, highlighters etc. We hope there will be something for everyone to purchase! PLEASE NOTE: This year's Book Fair is not a dress up year - this happens every two years.

Choir News

Our choir this year consists of students from Grades Two to Five. Over the past few weeks we have been practicing some songs that we will be singing at Chaffey Aged Care. This will take place on Tuesday 14^th May during lunch time. Students will walk to Chaffey Aged Care accompanied by Mrs. Phelan, Mrs. Gallagher and Miss Garreffa. Please ensure that you have given permission for your child to attend through PAM.

Thank you.

District Cross Country

Well done to all the children who represented OLSH at the District Cross Country race yesterday. All our participants did extremely well and we had some amazing times and places. Levi Davis was our highest place getter coming in 12th in the 9/10 year old boys. We were very proud of the children of OLSH. Thank you to Mrs. Lowry and the parents who helped out on the day. 

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Enrolment at OLSH

The link below will take you to our website where you are able to fill out the online enrolment form.  To finalise the application you will need to upload your child's Birth Certificate and Immunisation Record. 

If you have any questions please call the school or email admin@olshmerbein.catholic.edu.au

SchoolTV

A SPECIAL REPORT: Dealing with Disappointment

As young people learn to navigate through various aspects of their life, they may face disappointment due to unfulfilled expectations, shattered dreams, or unexpected setbacks. Yet, with the appropriate tools, strategies, and a positive mindset, young people can learn to cope with disappointment and use it as an opportunity for personal growth and success.

Disappointment can be a tricky emotion to deal with at any age. It is a normal part of growing up. However, children sometimes need reminding that they have a choice in how they respond to disappointment and their response will determine the impact it has on their future happiness. Overall, disappointment is a healthy and positive emotion and plays an integral part in a child’s emotional, intellectual and social development.

Helping young people manage their disappointment is important in order to avoid stronger emotions such as anxiety and depression. Although a parent’s first reaction may be to fix the problem, it is better to encourage your child to find the words to express how they feel.

In this Special Report, parents and caregivers are provided with strategies on how to help their child process disappointment and look at the problem objectively.

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this Special Report, and as always, we welcome your feedback.

If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact the school for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to your special report:
https://olshmerbein.catholic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-dealing-disappointment

Happy Birthday

We wish the following students a Happy Birthday in the coming week:

• May 6th - Ivie Mazza - 8 years
  
• 7th May - Hunter-Rose Kelly - 6 years
• 9th May - Theon Ellis-Stein - 12 years
• 11th May - Chloe Shaw-Robinson - 11 years
  

Prep News

Science- In Week 6, students will be taking part in a hands on activity. For this activity we will need small household boxes (cereal, chips, biscuit etc). These can be brought to school anytime. Thanks in advance.

Show and Tell- Week 4's Show and Tell is 'Share your favourite toy.'

Assembly- Preps will be performing at assembly on Friday the 17th of May! Everyone is welcome to attend.

I will be out of the classroom next Wednesday. Students will have Mrs Webb on this day.

Grade 1 News

Show & Tell- Show and Tell for the term ended today. It was great to see the students favourite things from home/videos from holidays. They all thoroughly enjoy it!

Mathematics- Students have been counting on in Maths this week. We have learnt some new games based around addition that students have enjoyed.

Science- We looked at constellations in the sky for Science this week and students made constellations using toothpicks and mini marshmallows, which was a hit!

Our assembly is in Week 6 this term ( Friday the 24th of May)

Grade 2 News

Week Three has been a busy week!

The students' all looked great wearing their splash of red on Thursday and they were all excited to meet 'Shieldy' from the Salvation Army at lunchtime. Thank you to all the parents for sending in a gold coin to donate. 

The students represented out school very well at the CEW Mass today at Sacred Heart Church. They all sang beautifully and were very respectful.

Mathematics

This week in Maths we learnt how to add two-digit numbers with 'regrouping' or exchanging. For example: 23+19.  The students did a great job persevering with this new concept.

Science

We have been learning about renewable and nonrenewable resources in Science this week and have discussed ways we can reduce, reuse and recycle to help our planet.

History

As it is Catholic Education Week, we have been learning about the history of our school. On Wednesday, we went for a walk around our school and looked at the old and new parts that have been built. I wonder if your child can tell you some facts about our school such as: Who was our first Principal? What year was our school built? and, What does our emblem represent? 

Have a great weekend!

Lisa

Grade 3 & 4 News

It was great to see splashes of RED in our playground on Thursday in honour of the Red Shield Appeal. Thanks to those who donated to this worthy cause.

On Tuesday the Grades Three and Four will have their second online cyber lesson for this year. These live streamed incursions are very engaging and our students really do enjoy them. Please encourage your child to discuss with you what they have learnt.

Next Friday we have our Mother’s Day liturgy followed by a delicious morning tea. We look forward to seeing lots of Mum’s or other significant women in your child’s life on this day.

Julie and Adam

Grade Five News

Congratulations to Paley, Zali and Isaac who competed in the District Cross Country event yesterday. We are all proud of your achievements.

This week we continued learning about the Solar System and focused on the stars and the Sun. Everyone is very interested in the topic and have been researching to answer all their questions. In Maths we have explored column graphs and dot plots. We're all trying to learn the 3x and 4x tables to earn a special reward by the end of the term.

Next Friday we will have our Mother's Day liturgy followed by an activity and morning tea. Please join us if you can!

Grade Six News

• Well done to everyone who participated in the district Cross Country yesterday. It is a great effort to make it to that level.
• Today we celebrated Catholic Education Week with a combined catholic schools mass. It was nice to get together with the other schools and celebrate how wonderful catholic education is. 
• Next week the school captains will be going into Mildura to take part in the GRIP leadership conference. This will be a great opportunity for the students to work with other leaders across sunraysia and to build their leadership skills. 
• I am looking forward to seeing you all next week at our Mother’s Day celebration.
• Enjoy the weekend!

General News

                                               MILDURA BALLOON BASH

Event Dates: Saturday 29th June – Sunday 7th July, 2024

Meeting Times: Sunrise flights - approx. 5.45 – 6.15am; Afternoon flights - approx. 2.30pm – 3.00pm

Meeting place: Powerhouse Precinct – 122 Hugh King Dr, Mildura

Duration: Approx. 45-60min flight; total experience 3-3.5hrs

Click here to find out more!

 Global Ballooning will have limited spaces available, accommodating up to 32 passengers per day across sunrise and afternoon flights, ensuring attendees of the Big Balloon Bash will have ample opportunity to partake in the magic of hot air ballooning against the stunning backdrop of Mildura's landscape throughout the 9-day event. Additionally, there will be a Night Glow event featuring an array of balloons illuminating to music.

 Children from 6 years old can join our balloon flights.

School Advisory Council Members:

Thel O’Shea, Hannah Mills, Grant Finlayson, Courtney Portaro, Amy Cupper, Sandra Hammet, Lana Borchard, Adam Lawrence (Staff Rep) & Narelle Gallagher (Principal). Our first meeting for the year is on March 5th.

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.