18 - 14th June, 2024 - Term 2, Week 9

Principal's News

Dear Families,

Another week has passed, and we are getting closer to the holiday break! It’s hard to believe we are almost at the end of another term! Thankfully the illnesses that plagued us last week seem to have almost gone and most of our students have returned to school after the long weekend. Thank you to those families who gave their children the time to recover and kept their germs at home – it is much appreciated! We have still been short of a few staff this week and have had to split some classes, but all students have coped well with this and have maintained their learning focus.

Tonight, OLSH School Advisory Council is hosting the OLSH Bingo Night and we are excited to have quite a few tables of parents attending! With lots of prizes and fun to be had, it is shaping up to be a great night! One of the prizes available for those attending is the trailer load of firewood, donated by the Borchard family. To have a chance to win this, a $10 square needs to be purchased on the night, with 100 squares available. It’s not too late to come along for a chance to win this and other prizes – give the office a call and we can organise a table for you!

Yesterday we acknowledged and celebrated the work of our school services staff – these include our Learning Support Officers (Mrs. Lowry, Mrs. Marks, Mrs. Torquati, Mrs. Pascoe, Mrs. Brown, Miss Roads, Miss Garreffa, Mrs. Pascale, Mrs. Watson and Mrs. Norton) our Administration Staff (Ms. Mottram and Mrs. Clementson) and our Wellbeing Leader (Jo Finlayson). Each of these people contribute to the smooth running of our classrooms and school, with each person dedicated to our students and their learning, as well as being available to assist families in numerous other ways. We are extremely fortunate to have such great individuals in our school and hope that, like us, you appreciate the importance and value of their support. Well done to each and every one!

Next Wednesday, Finnish Education expert and professor at Melbourne Uni, Pasi Sahlberg will be visiting us at OLSH. Pasi will be accompanied by Dave Runge, director of Future Schools and Catholic Education Ballarat's Director Tom Sexton. As part of the co-design of the new DOBCEL Strategic Plan, Dave and Pasi are visiting all schools across the diocese to understand our context. This visit is intended to be conversational. They are here to find out what our school does well and what our challenges and opportunities are.  It is very exciting to have such internationally renowned education experts in our school and we look forward to their visit. 

With the colder weather, some students are coming to school in coats and beanies from home. Coats should be school colours (green or a dark colour) and must be taken off once in the classroom, as should beanies. Football beanies are not acceptable (school beanies are available from Lowes). We also ask that parents check tht names are on uniform items - we cannot hope to find missing jumpers, etc, if there is no name on them! Please support us with our policy by making sure that your child is in the correct uniform.

I will be taking leave in the last week of Term Two and the first week of Term Three. While I am away, Mr. Adam Lawrence will be in charge and can be contacted at the school if any issues should arise. Adam will still be in his classroom for the majority of the time, except for Wednesdays. The staff in the admin are always available if you have any questions.

Have a great weekend and rug up!

Narelle Gallagher

OLSH Bingo Night

TONIGHT

Links:

Enrolments at OLSH:

OLSH Calendar:

Religious Education News

Sacrament of First Holy Communion (Grade 4 & Above)

Parent Information Meeting: Wednesday August 28th at 7pm at Sacred Heart Church

First Communion Masses: Friday 25th, Saturday 26th & Sunday  27th October 2024

Sacrament of First Reconciliation (Grade 2 & Above)

Parent Information Meeting: Wednesday October 16th at 7pm at Sacred Heart Church 

Sacrament Masses: Wednesday 27th November 2024 at 6 or 7pm at Sacred Heart Church

Feast of St. Anthony: The Italian community will be celebrating their annual Feast of St. Anthony with a Mass on Sunday June 16th at 9am at Sacred Heart Church. All welcome to attend. 

150th Anniversary of the Diocese of Ballarat: In preparation of the Diocesan Assembly in November 2024 there will be formation sessions held around the diocese with a focus on leadership and governance.

If you are interested in participating in the formation sessions, which will be run by Fr. Justin Driscoll, please contact the parish office. 

SSG & Parent Teacher Interviews

Bookings will open on SIMON  Everywhere soon. 

• Parent Teacher Meetings are taking place on the 22nd & 23rd July. 
• SSG Meetings are taking place on the 29th July & 1st August.

SchoolTV

A SPECIAL REPORT: Managing Overwhelm

Due to the pandemic, the world we now live in is a very different place. The hyperconnected nature of our current environment means that we are constantly being reminded of the challenges we face via numerous media and social media channels. Our connectivity to the digital world exposes us to a barrage of messages that can leave us feeling overwhelmed. As a result, many children and their parents are reporting higher levels of stress and anxiety.

Our brains have not evolved fast enough to adapt to this digital landscape. The combination of constant access to information and having little control over the situations presented, can be stressful and overwhelming. It is therefore important for adult carers to check in with their children and be aware of what information they may have been exposed to. It may not necessarily be the information itself that is harmful, but more their inability to process and make sense of it. Providing children with the skills and strategies to cope will enable them to flourish and thrive, socially, emotionally and academically.

The blueprint for parenting, based on our own experiences, is no longer fit for purpose in raising kids as citizens of tomorrow. This can be inherently stressful and overwhelming, not only for parents and carers, but children alike. If left untreated or unmanaged, constant stress and anxiety can lead to a number of behavioural issues or health consequences.

This Special Report suggests a number of strategies to help manage any feelings of overwhelm that you or your child may be experiencing.

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-managing-overwhelm

School Student Broadband Initiative

 the Australian Governments School Student Broadband Initiative (SSBI) which is available to families through to December 2025. This means for eligible families who sign up now, there is still over 18 months of free internet.

The Australian Government initiative was designed to boost education opportunities and narrow the digital divide, with the Australian Government providing up to 30,000 eligible families with school age children with no internet at home free access to NBN under the SSBI.

Access to the SSBI has become easier, with applications made through the National Referral Centre that parents/carers with school students can contact directly to check their eligibility.

Victorian families with students enrolled in Prep to Year 12, who do not have an active NBN connection (or had one in the previous 14 days) but can access a standard NBN service at their premises can become eligible with an application to the National Referral Centre.

Student of the Week

Happy Birthday

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

• Lachlan Sheard - 21st June - 8 yrs

• Isaac Lohmeyer - 23rd June - 9 yrs

Prep News

It's been another busy week in Prep. We've had quite a few students away this week unwell. I hope everyone is starting to feel better! 

As per the recent update with Miss Appledore taking some longer recovery time, Week 10 will see myself in Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. There will be casual relief teachers on Monday and Wednesday. Week 11 I will be in Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Even though everyone is missing Miss Appledore, all students have adapted so well to the changes and are working really nicely in all areas of their learning. 

Week 10 Show and Tell - Share something that makes a sound. 

In Week 11 we will be having our STEM day. Students will be doing some construction to make a bird house. If you have any spare cardboard boxes, plastic tubs/containers laying around we would love to take them off your hands! Anytime is fine to drop these in. I will have a spot in the room to start the class collection. Thanks in advance! 

Enjoy the weekend! 

Breanna Meyer 

Grade 1 News

Literacy- We have learnt about the different sentence types, including questions, exclamations and statements.

Maths- We looked at doubling numbers and adding 1. Students used concrete materials to help them understand this concept.

Health- Students drew their amygdalas this week! We read the story "Hey Warrior" that focuses on the role our amygdala plays in our brain. Below are some of the students drawings!

Grade 2 News

It has been a short but productive week this week!

I was really pleased with the spelling results this week, especially considering it was a short week. It's great to see so many students practising their words at home! 

This week we started to paint a large cardboard plane as part of a competition connected to the Mildura Air Show. Over the next few weeks, the Grade Twos will be working with Three/Four L to decorate the plane. The theme for our design is our river and how it is connected to our lives.  Yesterday we started work by painting the plane with a white undercoat. Every student will have a chance to paint or draw on a small part of the plane. 

The Grade Twos are excited about our excursion next Wednesday (19th). Please give permission on SIMON if you have not already done so. We will be leaving as close to 9am as we can so it would be helpful if all students could be at school by the 8:45am bell to get organised.

Next Thursday we will have our STEM Day combined with the Grade Ones. The activity will be based on our Biological Science units. We don't need any materials from home for this day. 

On Wednesday we finished reading Nim's Island. Next week we will begin watching the movie. It is rated PG so please let me know if you would prefer your child not to view it and I can arrange alternative tasks.

Have a great weekend!

Lisa

Grade 3 & 4 News

It’s been a short but a very productive week!

In 3/4P, I am very proud of the way students have been applying the strategy of TAP. MAP. GRAPH to spell unfamiliar words in their writing. Well done everyone! On most occasions this spelling strategy works and we encourage all students to continue to use it.

In 3/4L this week, we've been learning about the problems Britain faced that resulted in them sending convicts to Australia in the 18th Century. In Writing, we're working on planning, drafting and publishing a narrative to demonstrate what we've learnt this semester. 

It was lovely to see many parents at 3/4P assembly this week. We hope you enjoyed the show!

Some students seem to have ‘misplaced’ their art folio. If your child has misplaced theirs, could you please have a hunt around at home for it.

Julie and Adam

Grade Five News

There is no news from Mrs. Courtney, as she has unfortunately been unwell. The Grade Fives have shown great adaptability and resilience this week, as we have needed to split their class across several rooms due to lack of Casual Relief Teachers. Well done to all of the students, who have worked hard despite the changes. We wish Mrs. Courtney all the best and hope to see her back next week!

Grade 6 News

• Well done to Grades 5 and 6 on their Roses Gap Camp presentation at assembly today. They were able to pull this together in a short amount of time and put in a great effort!
• There has been a fantastic effort by all of Grade 6 this week with their reading, diaries and homework. Keep up the great work! Thank you for your support in this.
• It will be the Grade 6 assembly on the last day of the term. So save the date and we will look forward to your attendance if you are able to make it.
• There will be a day for all Grade 6 students at St Joseph's College on Tuesday the 25th of June. We will be travelling by bus from OLSH and return in the afternoon to catch buses. More information and a consent form will be sent out next week.  
• If you have not yet joined Seesaw from the link that was sent home, could you please do so? There was a new link sent home so that I would be able to send out communications, the previous Seesaw  will not work now. If you don't have the note, let me know and I can send out another one. 

Have a great weekend!

Mildura Basketball

General News

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). 

Change of details:

Please contact the office if you have had a change of details. Phone: 50252258 or Email: admin@olshmerbein.catholic.edu.au

Bell Times

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.