34 - 18th October, 2024 - Term 4, Week 2
Principal's News
Dear Families,
It has been a busy week at OLSH, with our Grade Three and Four students in Swan Hill for two nights on camp and today, the school buzzed with the sound of grandparents and friends as they joined their grandchildren for some special time completing activities and enjoying morning tea! We had a great turn out to this special day, with many of our grandparents travelling to attend. It is always fantastic to see how happy our students are to share their school with their grandparents and to witness the lovely relationship between both. Thank you to Mr. Breewel and Mrs. Courtney for a beautiful celebration in the church and to all staff for running the activities and morning tea. A wonderful morning!
On Tuesday, Grade Three and Four, along with Mrs. Phelan, Mr. Lawrence, Mrs. Lohmeyer, Mrs. Watson and I headed off to Swan Hill to experience the interactive experience of the Pioneer Settlement, and it did not disappoint! If you’ve been following the photos on our social media, you would have seen that the students spent their time taking part in many different activities, including butter making, pioneer building, learning Morse Code, attending Pioneer school and doing some washing the old-fashioned way! We made lamingtons (for which the students repeatedly thanked Lord Lamington!), rode in a horse and buggy, dressed up for some old photos and took a cruise down the river on the paddle steamer “Pyap”. The highlight for many were the two sound and light shows – “Heartbeat of the Murray” and “Legends of the Murray”, where we watched the history of the Murray as it was projected into the sky. Pretty amazing! All the students had a great time and I’m sure they (and the staff!) would have slept well last night! It was also fantastic to have the manager of the Pioneer Settlement congratulate the students on the respectful and enthusiastic way they approached all those who worked at the settlement and the activities. Well done to everyone!
Last week we received the sad news that one of our OLSH parents, Scott Pollock, had passed away after a battle with cancer. Scott has been a great supporter of our school over the years that his three boys attended (Fletcher is currently in Grade Six) and was always willing to lend his skills as an arborist to help us to beautify our school. He was well-known in the Merbein community and will be missed by many. Our thoughts, prayers and support go out to Nicole, Jackson, Zachary and Fletcher at this very sad time. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
We are getting to the time of the year when classes and staffing are being finalized for next year and ask any families who know they are leaving OLSH at the end of 2024 to contact the office as soon as possible. Enrolment numbers play a large part in our funding, and keeping numbers at a certain level means additional funds for our school, and therefore our students. We still have places in our Prep grade for 2025, as well as in some of our other classrooms. If you know anyone who is interested in coming to OLSH next year, please pass this information on.
Very soon we will be sending home the raffle books for our Major Raffle, which is always drawn at the End of Year Concert. We hope once again to have some great prizes that you won’t want to miss out on! All families are asked to sell at least one book but there will be plenty of extras if anyone wants to sell more. As well as the raffle prizes, we will also have our usual hampers filled with lots of Christmas goodies to be won. We will let you know when the raffle books are on their way home.
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 the following children in our prayers as they prepare to make their first communion - Ariana Mazza, Ava Dodson and Ryder and Violet Goldsmith.
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.
Forms went home last week to families with children making their first reconciliation. Please fill these out and return them to the parish office ASAP to be registered.
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.
Christmas Hampers
For our Christmas Raffle we are asking for donations of groceries to put together a number of Christmas Hampers. Each grade has been allocated different items to bring to ensure we have a good variety. There will be a basket in each classroom to place the donated items in. The following is a list of food suggestions to donate which will be put together to make up the hampers for each class (no home brand products, thank you):
| Grade Prep | Bon Bons, Shortbread, Plum Puddings, Serviettes, Decorations, Plastic Plates, Christmas Wrap, etc. |
| Grade 1 / 2 L | Cereal, Dried Fruit, Muesli Bars, Foil, Gladwrap, Lunch Bags, Freezer Bags, Jelly, Lollies, etc. |
| Grade 1 / 2 R | Soft Drinks, Long Life Milk, Fruit Juices, Cordial, Fruit Boxes, Topping, etc. |
| Grade 3 / 4 L | Pasta, Rice, Flour, Coffee, Teabags, Milo, Cake Mixes, Sugar, etc. |
| Grade 3 / 4 P | Potato Chips, Dry Biscuits, Sweet Biscuits, Popcorn, Cup of Noodles, Pretzels, etc. |
| Grade 5 | Pudding Mixes, Ice-Cream Cones, Long Life Custard, Desserts, Coconut, Custard Powder, etc. |
| Grade 6 | Canned foods e.g.: Fruits, Tomatoes, Corn, Soups, Spaghetti, Baked Beans, Tuna, Beetroot, Sauces, etc. |
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.
Happy Birthday
We wish the following students a Happy Birthday in the coming week:
Cody Pollard - 21st October - 12 yrs
Frankie Roberts - 21st October - 10 yrs
Prep News
We had a wonderful day today celebrating our Grandparents and Special Friends. We hope they had a great time, too.
Show and Tell- Week 3’s Show and Tell is : ‘Share something that is smooth, crinkly, bumpy or shiny’.
On Wednesday the 23rd of October the 2025 Preps will be having their first Transition Day. Current Prep students will be working in the Library with Mrs Garraway. On this day students will need to take their bags straight to the library and go out to play. We will talk more about this in class on Monday and Tuesday.
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
Another busy week in Grade 1, concert practice is in full swing and the kids are doing a fantastic job.
In Mathematics we have been revising turn around facts and filling in the missing number.
Students have been identifying and creating compound sentences in Writing this week.
A reminder that Show and Tell has started, 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
The Grade Twos have been working very well this week and have shown some great perseverence when learning some difficult new concepts.
This week in Maths, we have been learning about fractions as part of a whole as well as identifying fractions of a group of objects.
In Writing, we have continued to work on writing persuasive texts and have written evidence and examples to support arguments.
It was wonderful to see all of the students interacting with their Grandparents and/or special friends today. I think everyone had a lovely time together sharing stories about their lives.
A reminder that SSG meetings are scheduled for next week. Please make a booking ASAP if your child has an Individual Learning Plan (ILP). If you have any questions please ring the office or speak to Jo Finlayson.
A reminder also that if your child is doing their Reconciliation this term, registration forms need to be returned to the Parish Office (Eleventh Street - near the Sacred Heart Church) ASAP.
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 been a crazy, fun and exciting couple of days with Grades 3/4 on camp at Swan Hill. Our students are to be congratulated on their participation, their manners and overall enthusiasm with all activites that they partiticipated in. In fact,many of the Pioneer Settlement volunteers and workers commented on how wonderful our students were. As always, our students did us proud!
Many thanks to Mrs Gallagher, Mrs Lohmeyer and Mrs Watson who helped facilitate this excellent camp, as without their assistance, it would not have happened!
For more details-refer to our school's facebook page where photos were uploaded daily.
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
All Grade Five students have impressed me with their maturity this week as we have completed all of our puberty lessons. There have been lots of great questions and students telling me that they feel quite good about the idea of growing up now that they understand the changes that will happen to them over the next few years. Later in the term we will have a visit from the School Nurse and students will be able to ask any new questions they have.
In Maths we have come to the end of our work on division. This has been challenging for many students and it has reminded us all of how helpful our times tables are. Please continue to remind your child to practice the times tables for a few minutes a day. There are some great apps you might like to download and use and there are also worksheets in our classroom that your child can take home.
If you're visiting the Mildura Show this weekend, please take a walk through the Junior Craft exhibits and look out for the Grade 5 paper mache sculptures. These are the same ones we entered into the Wentworth Show last term but many students also asked for them to be in the Mildura Show.
Next Friday Grade 5 will be sharing some of their learning at our assembly. Please join us if you can.
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
- We had our final puberty talks this week before we meet with the school nurse in the coming weeks. The session went well and hopefully the children now feel more confident in knowing their bodies and what they either are facing or will face as they navigate puberty. Thank you to Mr Breewel for taking the boys' session.
- We were made aware that the P-10 and Chaffey orientation days were on the same day as the Graduation. We are working with Fr Matt to come up with another date for the Graduation, and will let you know as soon as it is confirmed.
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
Infinity Calisthenics Club is a welcoming, friendly environment that provides an enjoyable, energetic, and safe space for the Sunraysia community to participate in group dance and exercise. As a Victorian calisthenics club based in Red Cliffs, we are dedicated to fostering a positive and inclusive atmosphere where all participants can thrive. At Infinity Calisthenics Club we offer a combination of dancing, singing, gymnastics and technical skills for children and adults. Calisthenics develops strong, confident performers through teamwork. Discipline and technique, grace and poise are fostered in a fun and friendly club environment. As a club, we participate in competitions within the state of Victoria, developing the self-confidence and team work skills of our club members.
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.
