33 - 11th October, 2024 - Term 4, Week 1
Principal's News
Dear Families,
Welcome back to the final term of the year! The next ten weeks will be action-packed, with lots of learning and fun activities happening around the school. The newsletter will provide you with dates of events, so please put these onto your calendars so that you are organised for the term ahead. With one week already down, the time is going to fly!
Yesterday we had some excitement with an unexpected visitor slithering its way into the front yard of our school! Thanks to some quick reflexes from the Grade Six students who happened to come across the snake whilst collecting the empty bins from the road, nobody was hurt. The snake, however, made its way into the bushes near the water tanks and despite the efforts of a snake catcher, couldn’t be found. No doubt the snake has moved on, but we will remain vigilant and will also speak to the students about what to do if they do spot a snake in our school yard. In the fifteen years that I have been at OLSH, this is only the second time we have encountered a snake, so let’s hope we don’t see any more for a while!
At the end of the day, the front of the school is quite hectic, with students and parents going in all directions! We would appreciate it if parents could wait until the children who travel on the bus are checked off and on their way, before you call your students through the gate. This only takes a matter of minutes and ensures that everyone is accounted for as they leave school. Walkers who head towards the library should leave via the far gate, and those in cars remain under the shelter until they are called by staff to their cars. We also remind everyone that there are NO U-TURNS from the pick-up driveway – this applies at both drop-off and pick-up times. We thank everyone for your cooperation as it helps to keep our students safe.
Over the holidays the construction of the new playground was completed, and we are now waiting for the rubber to be laid underneath the equipment. Fingers crossed, this will be in the next two weeks, but we know that these things don’t always go to plan! By the time the students have access to the playground, the excitement will be huge! I think everyone agrees that the new structure looks amazing!
Last term we had questions about whether students could wear SMART Watches to school. To clarify, these watches are allowed but only if they do not become a distraction to students. Students should not be receiving or sending messages from parents whilst at school, as the protocol for parents who need to give messages to their children is to contact the office, and the message will be passed on. We recommend switching the watch to “school mode” during the day, and if students walk home or catch the bus, activate the watch after 3.30pm. If your child is at school, you know where they are and can be assured that they are in good hands! Students who misuse these watches will have them confiscated and returned at the end of the day.
The Grade Three and Four classes will be heading off to camp in Swan Hill next Tuesday! The students are very excited about their visit to the Pioneer Settlement and the Sound and Light shows, as are the teachers accompanying them! Like Mrs. Phelan, Mr. Lawrence, Mrs. Lohmeyer and Mrs. Watson, I will be joining the students in Swan Hill and Miss Appledore will be in charge while we are away from school, although I’m sure everything will go smoothly! We wish all students a wonderful time on their camp.
Our Grandparents and Special Friend's Day will be held next Friday, with a large number of visitors expected to join us for the mass, activities and morning tea! There will be lots of excitement, no doubt! Please let the office know who is attending if you haven't already. We look forward to seeing everyone next week!
Thank you to all families who have finalised their 2024 school fee accounts. All fees should be paid in full by the end of October, unless otherwise arranged with the school. Please make an appointment if you are having any difficulties with payment.
Have a great weekend!
Narelle Gallagher
Links:
Enrolments at OLSH:
OLSH Calendar:
Religious Education News
Sacrament of First Holy Communion (Grade 4 & above)
First Communion Masses: Friday 25th, Saturday 26th & Sunday 27th October 2024. We keep those children preparing for the sacrament in our prayers.
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.
Those families wishing to make the sacrament of reconciliation please contact the Sacred Heart Parish Office.
Grandparents Day Mass
Will be held on Friday October 18th at 9:15am. Following the Mass there will be an activity back at the school where the children can spend some time with their grandparents. The grandparents will then have an opportunity to enjoy a morning tea together. Please ensure families respond to the school with numbers for catering purposes.
Mission Liturgy
The Mission Liturgy will be held in the Church on Thursday November 14th. The time will be confirmed closer to the date. This will be part of the Mission Week which focuses on raising money for those in need. During that week we will have the following activites:
Tuesday November 12th - Colour Run where children run a course and are covered in various coloured powder.
Wednesday November 13th - Crazy Hair Day where children can come to school with crazy hair and donate with a gold coin donation.
Friday November 15th - Mission Activities where children participate in various activities organised by all the classes for coin donations. There are lots of prizes to be won.
SSG Meetings - Term 4
Some families will be receiving a letter regarding Student Support Group (SSG) Meetings for Term Four. These meetings only apply to families who have a child on an Individual Learning Plan (ILP), which require ongoing discussion and amendments. For some students on ILPs, an SSG meeting is not required every term. Please keep a lookout for a letter from the school regarding these meetings for this term.
We are looking forward to see all our Grandaparents at school next Friday! We will start the morning with mass at 9.15am followed by a family activity in the classrooms. Morning tea will be served at 10.45 am for the Grandparents only.
Sustainability News
Thanks to lots of helpers late last term, the vege patch is looking fantastic. We have lettuce, strawberries and parsley being snacked on most lunchtimes. Growing beautifully are our corn, cauliflower, peas, tomato and carrot seedlings. On Monday there was lots of excitement as we discovered two blue banded bees enjoying the flowers in our patch (see photos).
Things we need:
- Some of our students would like to make some enrichment activities for the chickens. They have an idea to fill cotton net shopping bags with fruit and vegetable scraps that the chickens can peck at during the day. Donations of fruit and vege scraps are welcome at school on Monday mornings. Please send it to the Grade 5 classroom.
Thank you!
School Magazine
Magazine orders are included in your Family Fee payment so if this has been finalised then you will automatically receive one at the end of the school year. If you would like extra copies you will have to purchase them separately for $20.00 each. Please let the school office know by the 15th November.
Please note that if your fees are not finalised you will not receive a magazine.
Student of the Week
| Class: | Awarded to: | For: |
| Grade Prep: | Kai Libchard | making a great start to the term and his contributions to class discussions. Keep it up! |
| Grade 1: | Reuben Sheard | working hard to stay focused in class and completing his writing to a high standard. |
| Grade 2 : | Fei Lin | making great progress with her reading and decoding words independently. |
| Grade 3 / 4 L: | Shelby Jones | her excellent writing in her insect project. |
| Grade 3 / 4 P: | Tommy Field | the enthusiasm he demonstrates to all learning tasks. |
| Grade 5: | Charlotte Cowling | fantastic sentences and beautifully presented bookwork. |
| Grade 6: | Teal'c Shaw | the thoughtful contributions that he makes to class discussions and the caring attitude and helpfulness that he displays in difficult situations. |
| Grade 6: | Cody Pollard | his insights, valuable contributions, enthusiasm and engagement with our class novels. |
Happy Birthday
We wish the following students a Happy Birthday in the coming week:
Ryder Goldsmith - 7th October - 12 yrs
Phoenix McGowan - 12th October - 12 yrs
Kai Libchard - 14th October - 6 yrs
Lachlan Cupper - 17th October - 7 yrs
Levi Pluckhahn - 17th October - 8 yrs
Savannah Flett - 18th October - 11 yrs
Prep News
Welcome back to Term Four. Thank you to everyone for all your hard work last term. I really appreciated all the effort and time you put into helping your child with their learning. I am looking forward to a great last term together!
Reading- Well done to all students who continued to read over the holidays. Please make sure you are reading each night.
Show and Tell- Week 2’s Show and Tell is : ‘Free Choice’.
Week One Photos
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me during office hours, either the SeeSaw app or email:
Rebecca Appledore- rappledore@olshmerbein.catholic.edu.au
Grade 1 News
What a great start we have had to Term 4! Everyone has had a fabulous week, focused and ready to learn.
In Mathematics we have learnt about Mass and Area and this will follow into next week as well. Students have been able to compare the mass of different shapes as well as estimate the area of them.
On Thursday we started our new class novel- Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator.
In Science students were sorting different objects into groups by determining whether they could push, bounce or slide.
A reminder that Show and Tell will start next week. The roster has been sent home and sent out on Seesaw.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me during office hours, either the SeeSaw app or email:
Grace Laity- glaity@olshmerbein.catholic.edu.au
Grade 2 News
Welcome back! I hope everyone had a restful and enjoyable time over the holidays.
We have launched straight into a very full week of learning!
In Writing, we are starting a unit on Persuasive Writing. The students have been learning to state their opinions and develop arguments with evidence to support their opinion. This seems to come very naturally to some! :)
Our new class novel for this Term is 'Stuart Little'. We will read a few pages each day and look forward to watching the movie at the end of the term.
In Science this week, we learnt about friction and conducted an experiment to see which type of surface a toy car would travel the fastest and slowest on.
In Maths this week, we have been learning about sharing objects into equal groups (division) and relating this to multiplication.
A reminder that we have our Grandparent's Day on Friday next week.
Have a great weekend!
Lisa
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me during office hours, either the SeeSaw app or email:
Lisa Ryan - lryan@olshmerbein.catholic.edu.au
Grade 3 & 4 News
Well, it's not long now until our much anticipated Grade 3/4 Camp to Swan Hill! There is much excitement in the air with lot's of talk about what we will be doing/seeing etc. Much of our Structured Literacy readings this week have been about the Pioneer Settlement so students have a fair idea as to what to expect.
If your child suffers from car/bus sickness, medication MUST be given prior to getting on the bus and a medication form MUST be filled out so we can give your child medication on the return journey. Another note will be sent home today outlining a few reminders.
We look forward to seeing you all on Monday morning.
Thankyou.
Julie and Adam
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me during office hours, either the SeeSaw app or email:
3/4 L: Adam Lawrence – alawrenc@olshmerbein.catholic.edu.au
3/4 P: Julie Phelan – jphelan@olshmerbein.catholic.edu.au
3/4P (Friday's): Emma Garraway - ewood@olshmerbein.catholic.edu.au
Grade Five News
It's been lovely to have everyone back at school and sharing their holiday news with us all. We're all excited for the Interschool Sports today.
Religion: Our new unit is about transformation and this week we have learnt about Edward Weary Dunlop and how he transformed his life, particularly during and after World War 2.
Our Literacy and Humanities are connected again this term and the focus is Business and Enterprise. This week our reading, writing and discussions have explored the concepts of needs and wants.
In 4R's (rights, responsiblities and respectful relationships) we are looking at problem solving. We defined 'personal problems' and used a strategy to help us think of a number of options for solving some scenarios.
Students are reminded to read each night and practice their times tables. Diaries need to be signed by an adult and brought to school each morning. If students don't have their diary signed or haven't read will be asked to read for ten minutes at the beginning of the school day.
Have a lovely weekend!
Cheryl-Anne
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me during office hours, either the SeeSaw app or email:
Cheryl-Anne Courtney - ccourtney@olshmerbein.catholic.edu.au
Grade 6 News
- It's hard to believe we are at the end of the first week of the children's final term of primary school......and we have 'hit the ground running!'
- This week we started our final class novel, 'The Hobbit'. It is a more challenging novel than our previous ones and the children are finding it harder to understand and get into. Although I'm sure once they are more used to the challenging laguage used they will find it more enjoyable.
- We have completed our two class Puberty Talks. This will be followed up with the Grades 5 & 6 classes having a session where the girls and boys are separated to go further into their respective changes. This should take place later next week, all going to plan. Then it will be finished off with a combined session with the school nurse later in the term.
- Have a great weekend!
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me during office hours, either the SeeSaw app or email:
Tana Lawrence - tlawrence@olshmerbein.catholic.edu.au
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
8.30am | Supervision of students begin. Classrooms are remained closed. |
8.45am | Classrooms are opened for reading time. |
8.55am | Organisational bell (students go to the toilet, get a drink, be in line before music ends). |
9.00am | Teachers collect students from their line and proceed into class. |
11.00am | Recess bell. |
11.25am | Organisational bell (students go to the toilet, get a drink, be in line before music ends). |
11.30am | Teachers collect students from their line and proceed into class. |
1.30pm | Lunch bell. |
1.40pm | Students are to finish eating and go and play. |
2.20pm | Organisational bell rings (students go to the toilet, get a drink, be in line before music ends). |
2.25pm | Teachers collect students from their line and proceed into class. |
3.10pm | NSW bus bell. |
3.25pm | End of day bell rings. |
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.
