40- 29th November, 2024 - Term 4, Week 8

Principal's News

Dear Families,

It was great to see so many families enjoying our End of Year Concert last night! We were blessed with good weather after a wet start to the week, allowing the students to showcase their talents to some great music! As you can imagine, a lot of work goes into a performance like last night’s, and a big thank you must go to Mrs. Meyer and all the staff who worked hard to prepare their items for the night. Thank you also goes to parents for preparing your children with costume items – they looked amazing! We would also like to acknowledge once again, the contribution to the raffle prizes by our school families and their businesses, particularly the Portaro family (Ray White Real Estate) and the O’Shea family (Mallee Livestock Services). We also thank Viatek, Mildura City Heart, Brooke Gibbons Speech and Sunraysia Petroleum, who are great supporters of our raffle. Please support these businesses whenever you are able. For the first time in quite a while, we sold every ticket in our raffle!

At the concert last night, we introduced our School Leaders for 2025. Isaac Longeri, Zali Breewel, Alice Parker and Izobel Matulic will lead our school next year, with Connor Pole and Paley Hammet leading our sport teams of Gleeson and McAuley. We wish these students well as they take on the role of representing the students and school. Thank you to our outgoing leaders – Able Gregg, Faith Lawrence, Lexi Paley and Dane Alderson, as well as sport team leaders Matilda Pritchard and Ryder Goldsmith, for their commitment and enthusiasm this year. They have done a wonderful job of representing OLSH and showing leadership in many areas. Well done to all!

As mentioned in previous newsletters, a $400 School Saving Bonus is being offered to families who receive the means-tested Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) as well as healthcare and concession card holders, for the 2025 school year. The bonus has been rolled out this week and the school has now received the funds, which will be applied directly to school fee accounts in the new school year. Please see correspondence from DOBCEL below:

 $ 400 School Saving bonus 

The Allan Labor Government’s $400 School Saving Bonus is rolling out this week for 2025.  Catholic school students who will be in Prep through to Year 12 in 2025, and who are receiving the means-tested Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF), are eligible for the School Saving Bonus.  

Catholic school students receiving the means-tested Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) in 2025 are eligible for additional support through the School Saving Bonus (SSB). The $400 bonus will be provided directly to each school and the school will apply it directly to your fee account.  The $400 School Saving Bonus is available for each child. That means an eligible family with three school-aged children will receive a total reduction of $1,200 to school fees. 

Families who have had their circumstances change (including new healthcare and concession card holders) and who may be eligible for the Camps, Sports and Excursion are encouraged to discuss this with the school.  These are real cost-of-living supports. 

For more information please contact your school principal.

On Tuesday next week, we will hold our whole school transition day. Students will spend the day working with their teacher for next year, doing some fun learning and getting know each other. While this day can be daunting for some students, it is a great way to transition into their next year of school. To add a bit of fun to the day, we are asking that students wear a Christmas t-shirt with their uniform on the day. If your child does not have culottes, they can wear their school sports shorts with their t-shirt. Christmas hair accessories are also fine for the day. Apart from those Grade 6 students who are attending St. Joseph’s College next year, all current Grade 6 students should also be at school.

Those who are interested in nominating for the School Advisory Council in 2025 are welcome to fill in the form (link provided below) to nominate. At the AGM, nominees will be noted and contacted following the meeting. Although the SAC is purely advisory in nature, it is still good for schools to have input from parents when decisions concerning the school are made. It also offers an insight into how schools work, including such areas as finance/funding, staffing, and allocation of resources. We hope you will consider being part of this group!

In the newsletter today you will find some information regarding the DOBCEL (Diocese of Ballarat Catholic Education Limited) Strategy, which is focused on building a system of high performing Catholic Schools. I have written about this in previous newsletters this year, and in 2025 you will hear more about this initiative as the Strategy is launched officially. Please take the time to read the communication from Tom Sexton, Director of Catholic Education in our diocese so that you understand what the strategy is aiming to achieve.

With only two and a half weeks to go until the end of our school term, it won’t be long before we are saying farewell for the year. Still to come are our transition day, Grade 6 Graduation and our end of year pool day. Reports are currently being finalised and will be ready to be sent out by the end of term. This time of the year can be hectic, and getting your child motivated might look a bit like the boy in the link below, but keep going!

Enjoy your weekend!

Narelle Gallagher

SAC NOMINATION FORM

Below is the nomination form for the upcoming SAC AGM.  Please contact me if you have any questions: principal@olshmerbein.catholic.edu.au 

Links:

Enrolments at OLSH:

OLSH Calendar:

OLSH CHECKLIST

The end of the year is so busy, we have sent the list below home to families today.  We hope that this helps you all!!

Religious Education News

Sacrament of First Reconciliation 

Congratulations to the following students who made their first reconciliation on Wednesday night: Anastasia Cory, Ivie Mazza, Layla Portaro, Charlotte Primarano

Grade Six Graduation Mass: will be held on Monday December 16th at 9:15am. Everyone is welcome to attend to farewell our current Grade 6 class. 

OLSH Giving Tree

OLSH is setting up the Giving Tree once again in the library for donations of gifts for local families in need. This is a great way to help out St Vincent de Paul with their toy drive and brings alive Jesus’ message of giving to others without the expectation of receiving anything in return. In previous years we have had an amazing response to the Giving Tree and we’d love to see the bottom of the tree surrounded in presents again! A gift tag will be sent home on Monday to place on your gift. We thank you in advance for your contribution! St. Vincent de Paul will be collecting the gifts from our Giving Tree in the last week of term.

Update for members of the DOBCEL community.

Update for members of the DOBCEL community

As you are likely aware, the Diocese of Ballarat Catholic Education Ltd (DOBCEL) Board has been working with Catholic Education Ballarat and school communities this year to develop a new strategy to shape the direction of our system of Catholic schools over the next decade and beyond.

The development of the ‘DOBCEL Strategy 2035’ has followed a process of co-design with significant input from school community representatives and facilitation by globally recognised Finnish educator Professor Pasi Sahlberg and Dave Runge, Director of Future Schools.  

The strategy document is now complete and will be published and unpacked in detail with all members of the DOBCEL community early in the new year. There will be an executive summary version of the strategy that is designed to be used in schools and communities to engage everyone in its implementation. 

The opportunity for us to collectively steward the system - as we seek to step forward boldly and bravely to shape our future - is both an immense privilege and responsibility. We are grateful for your ongoing support as together we take this journey toward our vision: As partners in Catholic education and open to God’s presence, we pursue fullness of life for all.

While we are currently a good system of Catholic schools, building on strong foundations and a rich heritage, we must aspire to courageously imagine a new tomorrow - to move from good to great. As such, the strategy represents a pivotal moment for the DOBCEL community and marks an important phase in our ongoing development.

Research underpinning the strategy has shown how the world continues to change around us. Mega trends including climate change, growing inequalities, increasing secularisation, demographic shifts, technological advancements, and the nature of work, learning and living, along with the persistent educational disadvantage for students outside metropolitan areas, have made it clear that standing still as a system is not an option. If we are to realise our vision of fullness of life for every student in our care, we must grow and adapt, think differently, and present a bold and brave, but not reckless plan, for the future.     

In formulating the DOBCEL Strategy 2035, we have also examined school systems around the world which have improved academic standards, while also fostering excellent student faith and holistic development, well-being, and a strong sense of belonging. This is the type of schooling system we aim to be.

Specifically, for DOBCEL Strategy 2035, a high-performing system of Catholic schools emphasises compassion, service, and respect for human dignity, embedded in the teachings of Jesus Christ. This holistic approach aims to develop well-rounded individuals who are not only knowledgeable but also morally responsible and spiritually grounded. Catholic Identity will underpin the five key pillars:   

1. Collaborative Cultures  
2. Engagement and Belonging 
3. School as Community 
4. Rich Pedagogical Practices for Deep Learning and Well-being 
5. Sustainable Stewardship 

 By focusing on these five pillars grounded in Catholic identity we believe we can elevate our system of schools and best serve students and families over the next decade and beyond. 

To realise this aspiration, it is imperative that the greatness existing in every person aligned with DOBCEL is unleashed. It is by investing emotionally, personally and financially in the social and human capital across our system that greatness will be enabled. Harnessing, growing, and unleashing the collective wisdom of those connected to our system will provide the energy to innovate and adapt, in turn becoming high-performing as a system.  

Key aspects of DOBCEL 2035 are trust in staff and collaboration as drivers of improvement. We recognise our staff as highly qualified and dedicated professionals. Like all professionals, they deserve ongoing development and leadership to stay abreast of the latest research-informed practices, to have more opportunities to collaborate with one another, and to refine both the art and science of their profession.

As we move from strategy to action and permanent practice in 2025 and beyond, co-design will continue to be the leading principle.  

Moving forward, we will work to build a DOBCEL culture that is faithful to our Catholic identity and promotes both collaboration and innovation, and actively seeks out and learns from existing examples of excellence within our diocese, nationally, and globally.  

A range of activities is planned at both school and diocesan levels to begin actioning the new plan from early 2025. 

These are exciting times of opportunity for our community of schools. We look forward to engaging with you further as DOBCEL 2035 is unpacked in more detail and activated into next year and beyond.   

With best wishes for a happy and holy festive season ahead.

Tom Sexton - Executive Director        Terry Harney - Chair

Merbein Community Carols

OLSH students will be performing at the Merbein Communty Carols on December, 6th.

OLSH Major Raffle

Congratulations to our winners!

The raffle has now been drawn and it was very exciting to see some of our school families taking home some great prizes! Congratulations to everyone and many thanks to all those who bought tickets. Our five major prizes were won by the following people:

1st prize - Huan Fei Lin 

2nd prize - Brad McPherson 

3rd prize - Enza Cameron

4th prize - T. Thornton

5th prize - Popeye Cooke

Good News: New CDFpay mobile app coming soon!

OLSH Merbein will be using the new CDFpay mobile app for online canteen ordering at our school from the start of Term 1 2025. 

What do you need to do?

• Keep using your current CDFpay login to access CDFpay until the end of Term 4 2024.
• Use up as much of your CDFpay account balance as possible before the end of Term 4 2024. We will let you know the process for account balance transfers at the end of the year.   
• Keep an eye out for further communications advising you when the new CDFpay mobile app is available to download for our school, and how to set up your new account.

Can I continue using the current CDFpay platform in Term 1 2025?

No, the current CDFpay platform will no longer be available, and you will be directed to register for a new CDFpay account.

We look forward to providing you with a further update soon.

Confidence & Motivation

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. Magazines will arrive soon!

Please note that if your fees are not finalised you will not receive a magazine.

2025 Prep Transition

Monday 2^nd December                       9.00 – 3.25pm (Play lunch & lunch will be required)

Tuesday 3^rd December                          9.00 – 3.25pm (Play lunch & lunch will be required)

Happy Birthday

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

• Haylee Pluckhahn - 4th December- 6 yrs
  

Prep News

Not long left of the year to go! Please make sure you read the following information to stay informed of everything happening in the last few days. I hope students have a great time with their teacher for 2025 on Tuesday for Transition Day. Students will be working with Miss Laity in the classroom near the playground. Students are to wear Christmas shirts on this day. 

Concert- Well done to all students on their concert performance last night. It was so nice to see everyone who came along to watch. Thank you to all parents for organising the costumes for the concert.

Library- Today was the last day for borrowing. Students need to make sure all books are returned to school by the end of the year.

Art folios- Please make sure all art folios are at school. These will be sent home again in the next few weeks.

Readers- One more week of nightly and morning reading. Next Friday I will collect the black covers and word books to pass on to the student's teacher for next year.

Show and Tell- No more Show and Tell for the year.

On Monday the Preps will be working in the library as the 2025 Preps are at school. Please remind students to take their bags to the library and then go out and play. 

Grade 1 News

Well done to everyone for their efforts with the school concert last night! I am so proud of everyone. You all looked amazing!

Can all library books please be brought back to school next week. There will be no more borrowing for the remainder of the year.

In Science, we did an experiment to see what happened when skittles are put into water. Photos can be seen on Seesaw.

Grade 2 News

 Hi everyone, 

 A huge thank you to everyone for coming to our School Concert last night. Our students all looked amazing and did such a great job dancing in front of a big crowd. They should all be proud of their efforts.

Today we had a visit from Ambulance Victoria and the students got a guided tour of an ambulance as well as learning some interesting information from the paramedics. 

Next Tuesday, we have our whole school Transition Day and the Grade Twos will have chance to spend some time with Ms Courtney and do some fun activities. 

Have a great weekend!

Lisa

Grade 3 & 4 News

Congratulations to our students for putting in a stella performance at out annual Christmas Concert last night. To say that we were proud is an understatement. Well done everyone and thank you to our parents who made the effor to assist their children in looking the part for their item.

Today we had a visit from Ambulance Australia who  educated our students on the following:

• Paramedics are trusted people who help people who are sick or injured
• How to call 000 in an emergency
• Learning your address
• Checking for consciousness and breathing
• Learning the recovery position
• What you can do to help the paramedics find your house easily

 Please take the opportunity today to discuss this visit with your child.

Could all library books please be brought back to school next week.

Have a lovely weekend.

Julie and Adam

Grade 5 News

Another busy week comes to an end. Last night's concert was a highlight for me. I'm so proud of all Grade 5 students who worked hard to present their best dancing for you all.

On Tuesday, we had an exciting visit to St Joseph's College, where we explored a variety of engaging STEM activities. We are grateful for the tremendous effort by the staff and Year 7 students at St Joseph's College, who worked hard to provide us with such a fantastic experience. Be sure to check out the gallery for photos from the day.

This week, our students discovered who will serve as the 2025 School Captains and House Leaders. We are incredibly proud of all students who demonstrated courage and leadership by putting themselves forward for these roles. Congratulations to our new leaders Isaac, Alice, Zali, Izobel, Connor and Paley—we look forward to seeing the positive impact you will make in the coming year!

Reminders: Payment for Grade 6 shirts is due on Friday 6th December. Please contact Mrs Meyer if you have any questions about the shirts. 

Have a lovely weekend!

Cheryl-Anne 

My New Gallery

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Grade 6 News

Hopefully you enjoyed the Grade 6 performances at last night's concert. The children did an amazing job of preparing and practicing for it. I hope you feel as proud as I do!
A note with Graduation information went home today, including about the Grade 6 lunch, which will be the day after Graduation, 17th of December.
Have a great weekend! 

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.