23 - 26th July, 2024 - Term 3, Week 2

Principal's News

Dear Families,

It’s good to be back at school this week and to see the smiling faces of our students! I trust that you all had a good break and that the first two weeks of the term have been smooth for you and your child. Thank you to Mr. Lawrence who took charge while I was away. While staff illness was a challenge, Mr. Lawrence and the staff kept everything ticking along!

There are quite a lot of activities to take place in Term Three, along with some real consolidation of learning in all classrooms, so the term will be a busy and productive one. Thank you to the families who came along on Monday and Tuesday night to talk about your child’s progress and to discuss their Semester One reports. We hope you found this opportunity as valuable as the teachers did. The reports and interviews should give our students a lot to celebrate about their learning!

Part of my break was spent with a group of fellow principals from our diocese on a spiritual pilgrimage throughout Ireland, learning about the people who were the driving force in the development of our schools. For our school, this was Catherine McAuley, who began the Mercy Sisters in Dublin in 1831 after spending many years helping the poor become educated and able to enter the workforce. Catherine believed that we should never see a need without doing something about it, and the foundation of our school is built on this very idea. Mercy sisters such as Sr. Marion McDonald, who served our parish for a long period of time, lived this philosophy every day. At OLSH, we hope to develop individuals who will do the same in their community. Our current focus on Homelessness fits well with our Catholic Social Teachings of Dignity of the Human Person and Preferential Care for the Poor, and also with Catherine McAuley’s vision for her schools.

Our new polar fleece zip up jackets arrived in Lowes during the holidays, just in time for the freezing weather! If you have purchased (or are planning to purchase a jacket) please remember that students should be wearing either the normal school windcheater or the jacket – not both. Some students have worn the jacket in the morning over their school windcheater for extra warmth while travelling to school, which is fine, but it must be taken off once in the classroom. Our classrooms are quite warm, and it isn’t necessary to be wearing both. Students who are wearing green parkas to school are reminded that this is not a school jumper and cannot be worn once in class. If you have questions about this, please contact me or the office for clarification.

At the end of last term, we had an unhappy resident of Box Street contact us to say that his driveway had been blocked by cars queuing to collect students at the end of the day. We ask that, if possible, families leave space in front of driveways for residents to access their houses, particularly before the bell goes when there is no movement in the pick-up line. Most residents are tolerant of school traffic, but not all feel the same way, unfortunately! Please help us to avoid any unnecessary confrontations by respecting the space of all Box Street residents.

In the interests of safety, another traffic reminder for those who do U-turns in front of the school – PLEASE DON’T! It is dangerous for cars to collect students in the Kiss and Go, then complete a U-turn from the driveway. All cars are to continue down Box Street and turn at Surgery Street or alternatively, turn once you are further down Box Street and away from the school. We thank you for your cooperation.

Next week OLSH will be celebrating NAIDOC Day on Wednesday. The theme for NAIDOC Week this year is "Keep the Fire Burning." The students have been talking about Australia's indigenous culture, have listened to the story of "Bunjil the Creator" and each class has contributed to an art piece based on this story, which will be on display in our Multipurpose Room soon. On Wednesday we will have a liturgy and activities after recess to celebrate the day. Thank you to the staff who have organised this celebration for us. In the School TV section of our newsletter today, there is some great information about NAIDOC and why it is celebrated.

Our Grade Two and Three/Four L classes have been participating in a competition for the Mildura Air Show, which is coming up in September. Their task was to decorate a cardboard plane with a local theme, and our students chose to focus on the Murray River and the activities that happen around Merbein for their decorating. The finished product looks great and all students contributed in some way to the piece. We are now in the running to win some Airshow tickets for a few lucky families! Well done to everyone! 

Please make sure you are checking the newsletter for imporatant dates and getting these into your diaries. 

Have a great weekend!

Narelle Gallagher

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.

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 Meetings - 29th July & 1st August

Bookings are open on SIMON  Everywhere until Sunday at 12.00pm

Book Club

Book Club has been sent home with your child/children today and will close by 9:00am the following Friday, 02 of August.  Orders are to be processed online through scholastic.com.au/LOOP OR download the LOOP app.

Thank you.

Please note that orders are no longer processed at school.

Homelessness Week at OLSH

Sports News - ATHLETICS DAY CHANGES

OLSH Athletics Day will go through some changes this year. We will be moving the day to the Mildura Little Athletics Track so that the children are familiar with a variety of athletic events.

Date: Tuesday September 10th, 2024

We will require parent helpers on this day to ensure that the day runs smoothly. More details regarding the day will be sent home early next term. 

Positive Partnerships

School TV

A SPECIAL REPORT: Celebrating NAIDOC Week

NAIDOC week celebrates the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It is celebrated by all Australians and is a great opportunity to recognise and learn more about the history and culture of Indigenous communities.

NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee. Its origins can be traced back to the Aboriginal rights movement, when on Australia Day 1938, protestors marched through the streets of Sydney to highlight the status and treatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. Today, it is a week-long celebration held in July that consists of range of traditional and contemporary activities.

NAIDOC Week is an important event that helps build positive relationships between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people. It enables a deeper understanding of our differences and similarities and is a great opportunity for all Australians to eliminate bias and discrimination by reflecting and reconciling the wrongs of the past to facilitate hope and build a fairer future. Families are encouraged to join in and support young people in learning the significance of NAIDOC Week.

This Special Report offers suggestions on how families can celebrate NAIDOC Week together. We hope you take a moment to reflect on the information offered, and as always, we welcome your feedback. If this raises any concerns for you, a loved one or the wellbeing of your child, please seek medical or professional help.

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-celebrating-naidoc-week

Student of the Week

Happy Birthday

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

• Conor Gregg - 29th July - 8 yrs

• Ariana Mazza - 30th July - 10 yrs

• Cosimo Dimasi - 31st July - 12 yrs

• Nash Seymour - 31st July - 8 yrs

• Knox Arnold - 4th August - 6 yrs

Prep News

Thanks to those parents who came to our Parent Teacher Interviews this week. It was great to touch base and inform you how your child is progressing. 

Show and Tell- Week 3’s topic is ‘Something that has spots’.

100th day- This is coming up on Monday and students are very excited to celebrate this. Please make sure bags of 100 items have been returned to school.

Assembly- On Friday the 2nd of August, the Preps will be presenting at assembly. Everyone is welcome to come along.

Grade 1 News

It has been another busy week in Grade 1. Yesterday I completed mid-year testing with all the students. They all did so well, and I am very happy with everyone's results. 

In Literacy we have been focusing on sentence structure. Students have been given two sentences that they have to combine using a conjunction. 

In Art we have learnt about cubism. Students have been finishing off their artworks that will be displayed in our classroom.

There are a few more students left to complete Show & Tell next week and then it is complete for Term 3. 

Grade 2 News

 We have had a great week this week with lots of new learning and it has flown by! 

Thank you to all the parents who came to Parent/Teacher interviews this week. It was great to be able to spend time celebrating your child's progress with you and hearing your perspectives on how he/she is feeling about school. 

SSG Meetings will be held next week for students on Individual Learning Plans.

This week Grade 3/4L and Grade Two students have been busily decorating a large cardboard plane as part of a competition promoting the Mildura Air Show. I will deliver our creation to the airport office this afternoon. If our school wins the competition we will receive a family pass to the Mildura Air Show as a prize. We will then draw a students name from a hat to see who gets the prize. Fingers crossed!

There was much excitement in our class on Wednesday when Tim Page (Pippa's Dad) brought in some chicken eggs and an incubator! We look forward to seeing how many of the eggs hatch. Hopefully this happens during a school day so we can see the chicks coming out in real time! Tim and Lauren have generously offered to give away the chicks to families after they hatch, but we might just have to wait and see how many we get. Also, the chicks require some special care for many weeks while they are little, such as a heat lamp, special food etc. If you are interested in keeping a chick, please let me know and I can start making a list of potential adoptees!

Assembly: Please note, our Assembly will be on Friday of Week 4 this term as we have swapped with Grade One.

NAIDOC Week: As the actual NAIDOC Week fell during the holidays, our school will be celebrating this on Wednesday next week. There will be a liturgy after recess and each unit will be completing some related activities after this. The theme for NAIDOC Week this year is: Keep the Fire Burning.

Athletics Day: This will be held at the Mildura Little Athletics Track (Aerodrome Ovals) on Tuesday September 10th. Please keep an eye on the newsletter for more details. Students have begun practising the different events during PE lessons this Term. 

Grade 3 & 4 News

Thanks to those parents who came to our Parent Teacher Interviews this week. It was lovely to touch base and inform you how your child is progressing. Next week SSG meetings will be held throughout the day on Monday and Thursday. Please book an appointment on SIMON if you have not already done so.

On Monday we had a visit from MASP who gave Grade’s 3-6 an informative information session about homelessness and what can potentially cause homelessness. Our students were very respectful and asked some wonderful questions to MASP staff who were able to answer them.

This week we celebrate Zoe's new addition to her family Quinton. Welcome to the world Quinton! See the photo below.

Congratulations to Sonny who received his pen licence this week!

Grade 3/4L have been working with Grade 2 on an entry into the Mildura Air Show Art Competition. See the photos below.

Coming up:

-Next week our school will celebrate NAIDOC on Wednesday from 11.30-1.30. We will have a whole school liturgy on the oval – weather permitting followed by NAIDOC appropriate activities in our units.

-In week 4, we are looking forward to Andy Griffiths' new book launch online. This will take place in our classrooms.

Julie and Adam

Grade Five News

Week 2 has passed in a flash. The highlight for me was catching up with so many parents and talking about the progress the children have made this year so far. If you weren't able to make it this week, and would like to have a conversation, please email me and so that we can make a time to meet.

We are well into our new Geography unit and all students seem to be enjoying learning about the continent of North America. This week we began planning a multi paragraph text about North America. I was very impressed with the students confidence when writing topic sentences. Here are a few examples.

Did you know that North America is the third largest continent in the world? By Charlotte

North America, the third largest continent in the wold, is home to 381 milion people. By Ekam

Although North America is only the third largest continent in the world, it is home to almost 381 million people. By Ava.

I am looking forward to sharing the finished paragraphs with you soon. 

In the gallery you will see some photos of students during out Maths work from Wednesday. We are learning about equilateral, isoceles and scalene triangles. 

Have a happy and safe weekend!

Cheryl-Anne 

Grade 6 News

Thank you to the parents who were able to come in for an interview this week. It was great to have an opportunity to chat about your child's progress.  SSGs are next week for those who need to make a booking.

Congratulations to the Grade 6s on their assembly performance today. They have worked  well in preparation for our item and hopefully, if you were able to attend, started off your day on a bright note!

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.