41- 6th December, 2024 - Term 4, Week 9
Principal's News
Dear Families,
We hope that you have all had a good week and are pushing through to the end of term! On Tuesday, our students moved up to their 2025 classrooms to spend the day with their new teachers and by all accounts, everyone had a great day! It is always strange to imagine the students moving up a year, as it just seems like yesterday that they began in their current year levels! I’m sure that all students are now looking forward to the challenges of a new year. With our concert and Transition Day over, our next main event will be Grade Six Graduation on Monday, 16th of December. Please feel welcome to join us as we celebrate our outgoing senior class. It is always a lovely occasion.
On Wednesday evening the School Advisory Council met at our annual AGM, where some brief reports were given and a wrap up of the year discussed. Amy Cupper stated her intention to step down from the SAC after several years, with two of these as Chair. We thank Amy for her commitment to the position and her contribution to our school. Although we didn’t receive any nominations for the SAC for 2025, we hope that families will consider joining the parent group in the new year. We thank Courtney Portaro, Sandra Hammet, Thel O’Shea, Grant Finlayson, Hannah Williams and Lana Borchard for their continued commitment to the SAC in 2025.
On Tuesday, each family received a gift tag to place on a small gift to put under our Giving Tree. This is something we have done at OLSH for the past few years in the hope that we might make someone else’s Christmas a little brighter. If you are able to donate, we ask that gifts are sent in by next Friday, 13th December, so that we can arrange for them to be collected by St. Vincent de Paul. Last year the generosity of our families was amazing, but we also acknowledge that some families may be struggling for various reasons. Please only do what you feel you can. Every little bit helps!
On Wednesday, 18th December, students will visit the Merbein Pool for some fun in the water! We will attend the pool between 11.30am and 1.30pm, before returning to school for lunch. This is always a great way to finish off the term. Permission must be given via PAM before the day and your child’s level of swimming proficiency indicated.
We ask that ALL parents log on to SIMON Everywhere and go to the notifications tab to complete a survey to confirm and accept the new Parent Code of Conduct and Enrolment Agreement. These two documents have been developed by Catholic Education Ballarat and we ask that all families complete this before the end of the year.
A few reminders for the end of the year:
- Please make sure you have returned any paperwork required
- Please finalise any outstanding fees before this Friday or contact the office immediately if you have payment issues
- Complete the permissions on PAM for the pool day on Wednesday, December 18th
- Survey on SIMON Everywhere
Have a great weekend!
Narelle Gallagher,
Principal
Links:
Enrolments at OLSH:
OLSH Calendar:
Religious Education News
Advent: Began last weekend and is a time for preparing for the birth of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. This week the children have been learning about the Advent wreath and the meaning of the candles. Last week we focused on Hope, this week we are focusing on Love and being grateful for the people in our lives who love and care for us.
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.
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.
Opening the Doors Foundation
The Opening the Doors Foundation provides grants to families to assist with the extra costs incurred in the schooling of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary or secondary school students. The 2025 Grant Round is now open, with a closing date of 14 March 2025. For students to commence the 2025 school year with the necessary items, the ideal time to apply is now or before the start of Term 1.
Please note that due to a substantial increase in applications, the Foundation’s Trustees have had to modify the eligibility criteria. The updated criteria and guidelines are outlined on both the Opening the Doors Foundation website and the Opening the Doors Foundation Application. .
Website: Opening the Doors Foundation; Foundation Application Criteria and Guidelines
App link: Opening the Doors Foundation Application
Email: applications@openingthedoors.org.au
Closing date: 14 March 2025 (applications will not be accepted after this date)
Happy Birthday
We wish the following students a Happy Birthday in the coming week:
Emmett B - 12th December - Grade 3\4L - 11 yrs
Henley D - 12th December - Grade Prep - 6 yrs
Student of the Week
| Class: | Awarded to: | For: |
| Grade Prep: | Henley Dowling | always trying her best with all her work. |
| Grade Prep | Dusty Hallam | always having a positive attitude towards his school work. |
| Grade 1: | Oliver Lohmeyer | doing really well with collecting data and using talley marks. |
| Grade 1: | Parker Valinoti | doing really well with concert practise and learning songs for Graduation. |
| Grade 2 : | Lachlan Sheard | demonstating resilience and confidence when performing at our school concert. |
| Grade 2: | Evie Chirgwin | demonstrating resilience and confidence when performing at our school concert. |
| Grade 3 / 4 L: | Jacinta Wagner | her positive attitude and maintaining focus |
| Grade 3 / 4 L: | Savannah Williams | her positive attitude and maintaining focus. |
| Grade 3 / 4 P: | Frankie Roberts | working really well with Mrs Watson during Maths lessons and becoming more confident to ask questions when unsure. |
| Grade 3 / 4 P: | Holly Cumming | her patience and understanding towards others, even in challenging situations. |
| Grade 5: | Ekam Benipal | doing his very best in Literacy lessons and completing extra work at home. |
| Grade 5: | Chloe Shaw-Robinson | fantastic narrative writing that features thoughfully chosen words and characters that feel real. |
| Grade 6: | Faith Lawrence | her efficient writing of paragraphs with fantastic structure, great detail and vocabulary. |
| Grade 6: | Able Gregg | his well-sequenced paragraphs and effective us of vocabulary. |
Prep News
We have had a few busy weeks with the Concert and Transition Days. We are looking forward to a fun last week and a half, enjoying some of our favourite things from the year and looking back at how far we have come.
Reading and Word books- We have finished reading and word books for the year. Well done to the students who have read regularly! Please make sure all readers are returned to school. Over the next couple of weeks and the holidays it is really important to make sure students are still reading.
Workbooks will start to come home next week, with a couple of books a day.
Art Folios will come home next week. Please empty these and return so they can be passed on to teachers for next year.
Pool Day- We will be having a fun day at the pool on Wednesday the 18th December. Please make sure you have given permission on PAM/Simon.
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
It was great to see everyone enjoy their transition day on Tuesday. The kids are excited and eager for the year ahead with Mrs Ryan!
In Mathematics we have been learning about collecting data and using talley marks to display our information.
Students have continued to work on recounts and diary entries this week. They did a great job explaining in detail their day with Mrs Ryan on Tuesday.
All library books need to be returned to the library ASAP. Students will be given a list of books they need to return if they haven't all been brought back already.
I will collect all readers today and students will not be bringing home anymore readers for the year. There will still be spelling homework next week.
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
Hi Everyone,
Our students were excited to have Transition Day on Tuesday and had a fantastic day with Ms. Courtney. It was a great opportunity for the students to spend some time getting to know their new teacher and this time will help them feel more comfortable going into a new grade!
Ms. Courtney and I will also spend some time together over the next few weeks to ensure a smooth handover.
This week the students have continued with Structured Literacy and Stepping Stones lessons and also completed their last spelling test on Thursday. I have been very pleased with our spelling results as a whole class and a big thank you goes to all of the parents for supporting your child's spelling and reading practice at home.
In Art, we have been studying the artist Wassily Kandinsky who was able to see shape and colour when he heard music. We then created some art works using Kandinsky's work as inspiration.
In RE, we have been learning about Advent and have been making our own Advent calendars.
Reminders:
*Art folders will go home next week, please return these when they have been emptied at home.
*Pool Fun Day is on the 18th of December, please ensure you have given permission for this event on SIMON
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
This term, both 3/4L and 3/4P have been involved in a Merbein community project to help beautify our town. We were approached and asked if we would like to be part of adding a mural to the planter pots located at the front of the real estate office and the op shop. We jumped at the chance, as we both enjoy being creative and love a challenge. It has taken us many hours of brainstorming ideas together as a class, drafting our designs, and then painting them onto cement sheeting, which will later be placed over the planter pots.
We are very pleased to announce that these panels for the pots are now completed and look fantastic! Both grades decided to focus on the native animals in our local area. 3/4L focused on land-dwelling native animals, while 3/4P chose to focus solely on the Murray Cod. Both grades are very proud of their efforts, and we look forward to seeing the committee attach the panels to the sides of the planter pots for all to enjoy. Please refer to the pictures below for a sneak peek!
Next Monday 3/4P will be watching Nim's Island and on Thursday, both grades will watch together The Wild Robot. Both grades read this novel earlier in the year. Students are welocome to bring along snacks etc on these days.
Could students start to bring in a bag of some description (a supermarket shopping bag is ideal) so that paperwork, books etc can start to be taken home.
Julie and Adam
Designed and created by 3/4P
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 5 News
This week we have enjoyed some creative free writing time. I have been impressed to see how students are including all the important writing skills we have practiced this semester including sentence variety, word choice and punctuation.
In Maths we have finished our work on fractions and have moved onto our last unit about maps and compass work. Students are getting very good at finding locations and using the legend to solve problems involving locations and distances.
Books will be sent home at the end of next week in preparation for a classroom clean up. It's hard to believe that we only have a few days left of Grade 5.
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 are still busily working, making the most of the time we have left. One more week of learning before high school.
We attended the regular parish Mass this week, which was enjoyable with some words of wisdom and encouragement from Fr Matt as they prepare for their next step.
I hope you all received the information about the Graduation Mass and morning tea, for families of Grade 6 (16th December) and the Graduation Lunch, which is for students only.
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.
