42- 13th December, 2024 - Term 4, Week 10
Principal's News
Dear Families,
It is hard to believe that I am writing the final newsletter for the school year! The time has certainly flown, and the last few weeks of school have been extremely busy ones for everybody. With only our Grade Six Graduation to go, the learning is winding down for the students. We are definitely seeing some tired children and adults at the moment, but there are only three school days left for the students, and we want to make them good ones!
As mentioned, the Grade Six Graduation will be held in the church on Monday at 9.15am. All families are welcome to come along to this celebration as we say farewell to our students. After Mass, a morning tea will be held for the families of the Grade Six students in the Mulitpurpose Room at school. It is predicted to be an extremely hot day, so we will be getting underway on time to minimise our time in the church. We wish all of our departing students well as they move on to the next step in their education journey.
On Wednesday, our choir performed some Christmas Carols for the residents at Chaffey Aged Care. They sang beautifully, and the residents were very impressed! After the carols, our students mingled and chatted with the crowd, which was much appreciated by all who were there. Well done to all of the children in our choir and a big thank you to Mrs. Phelan and Ms. Garreffa for their organisation.
Today at assembly, Denise Knight from St. Vincent de Paul thanked all families at OLSH for their generous donation of gifts to our Giving Tree. We sent quite a number of gifts off with Denise on Wednesday, and the same amount again today! It was fantastic to hear that there will be children in our community who will wake up very happy on Christmas Day thanks to the generosity of our students. Well done to everyone.
Student Reports will be available on Monday on PAM. All students have worked very hard this year, and this is reflected in their reports, which I have spent the week reading. I am very proud of the progress I am hearing about and the effort that is applied by all students at OLSH. I congratulate every student and encourage you to celebrate their achievements with them. Well done!
Our Pool Day is on next Wednesday to finish off our year. Thank you to everyone who has already given permission for your child to attend or has let us know that they will not be here. We will go over to the pool from 11.30 until 1.30pm, returning for lunch. The school day will conclude at the normal time of 3.25pm on Wednesday. All buses will be running to their usual timetable.
School begins next year for our students on Wednesday, 29th of January. The office will open on this day as well. Staff will be at school on Tuesday, 28th of January but will be attending professional learning for part of the day and therefore will be unavailable. Please email the school (admin@olshmerbein.catholic.edu.au) if you require any information and we will attempt to get back to you. All uniform requirements for next year can be found at Lowes in Centro. Lowes is open seven days a week and their staff are more than happy to help you with your uniform needs.
On behalf of myself and the staff, we would like to thank you for your ongoing support throughout the year and for the dedication you show to your child’s education. It is much appreciated by all of us at OLSH. I would like to wish all our families and students a very safe, happy and peaceful Christmas, and look forward to seeing you all again in the New Year.
Yours sincerely,
Narelle Gallagher
Links:
Enrolments at OLSH:
OLSH Calendar:
Religious Education News
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.
Connect Survey - Parents to confirm
We ask that ALL parents log on to SIMON Everywhere and go to the notifications or the Connect Survey 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.
New CDFpay mobile app available to download
OLSH Merbein will be using the new CDFpay mobile app for online canteen ordering at our school from the start of Term 1 2025.
How to register for a new CDFpay account
- Download the CDFpay mobile app on the Apple or Google store, then click ‘Sign up now’.
No app? Register here
Important:
- You will not be able to use your existing CDFpay credentials to log in to the new CDFpay mobile app. You will need to follow these steps to create a new CDFpay account (you can use the same email address if desired).
- Register for a new CDFpay account before the start of Term 1 2025 and we will transfer any remaining balance on your account before the end of March 2025.
- Enter and confirm your email address, then click ‘Sign up’.
- Check your email inbox and follow the prompts to complete your account registration (check junk/spam if lost).
Have questions? View CDFpay powered by Flexischools Help & Support for detailed FAQs or chat to the Flexischools Digital Assistant. If you cannot find what you are looking for, please complete the online Contact Form and Flexischools will get back to you directly.
Happy Birthday
We wish the following students a Happy Birthday in the coming week:
Charlotte C - 16th December - 11 yrs
Bob H - 18th December - 10 yrs
Henry M - 20th December - 7 yrs
Fletcher P - 21st December - 13 yrs
Violet B - 22nd December - 9 yrs
Student of the Week
| Class: | Awarded to: | For: |
| Grade Prep: | Cleo Page | always being a kind and caring member of our class. |
| Grade 1: | Archie Milkeraitis | having a great attitude towards his learning. |
| Grade 2 : | Hemi Leech | having a positive attitude to his learning and always showing perserverance and determination. |
| Grade 3 / 4 L: | Emmett Barnden | his excellent improvement throughout the year. |
| Grade 3 / 4 P: | Thomas Cupper | the enthusiasm he demonstrates to all areas of his reading. |
| Grade 5: | Ava Barnes | for thoughtful contributions to class discussions and showing maturity when managing challending situations. |
| Grade 5: | Phoenix McGowan | his maturity when working through challenging situations with peers. |
| Grade 6: | Cody Pollard | his contributions to class learning and remaining consistent in the effort he puts into his work. |
Prep News
We have THREE DAYS to go!
Art Folios came home today. Please empty these and return them so they can be passed on to teachers for next year.
Pool Day- Please make sure your child is prepared for the Pool Day on Wednesday the 18th December. They will need to have their bathers, towel, thongs or other slip on shoes, change of underwear and goggles if needed. Please make sure they are all clearly named and in one bag. Students will only be allowed in the smaller two pools on the day.
School reports will be available on Simon Everywhere/PAM on Monday.
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
We are so close to the end of the year! I have thoroughly enjoyed teaching the Grade 1's, and I will be missing them as they move up into Grade 2 next year.
Just a reminder that any library books still at home should be brought back to school over the remaining few days.
We have a Pool day for the last day of term! School finishes at the normal time of 3.25pm on Wednesday.
Most of the student's books have been sent home this week and I will be sending home more next week so they are not carrying too many home on the last day of school.
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,
This week we have been enjoying doing some Christmas themed Literacy and Mathematics activities as well as some Christmas Craft. The students have also been busy making a special item as a present for you. I hope you all like it!
Today we began watching the movie Stuart Little, as we had finished our class novel. The students have found some big differences between the novel and the movie.
Yesterday we went to Mass and Father John spoke to the class about some of the different symbols of Advent which tied in very closely with our RE unit of learning this term.
On Wednesday, the students had a visit from the Responsible Pet Ownership program and learnt some valuable advice about how to safely approach dogs and what to do if an unknown dog behaves agressively towards you.
Next week will be a short but busy week with our Graduation Mass on Monday and our Pool Fun Day on Wednesday.
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
It's hard to believe this is the final newsletter for 2024! The year has truly flown by, and Adam and I have cherished every moment of being your child's teachers. It has been an absolute privilege to be part of their learning journey, witnessing their growth, curiosity, and achievements each day. Thank you for entrusting us with the opportunity to nurture and guide your children—we are so grateful to have shared this special year with them and with you.
- Next Wednesday we will be heading over to the pool for some fun for two hours. We hope the weather will be kind to us! Please bring bathers, towel, thongs (or similar) and a bag to put wet togs in. Please ensure that you have given your child permission to swim via SIMON. Thanks to those who have already done this.
- Please send in a shopping bag/or similar so that books, etc, can be sent home.
We hope that you all have a very safe and happy festive season surrounded by loved ones!
Merry Christmas to you all!
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 5 News
This week students completed their final STEM unit for the year. They researched extreme weather events and prepared a brief presentation for students in Grade 2. I was impressed with the careful way the students organised their information so that it could be explained to younger students. Some students created dioramas and others used their new stop motion skills to bring their Googleslides to life.
On Thursday we went to the Church to participate in the weekly Mass. Father John shared some interesting information on the significance of the Christmas tree and the advent wreath. Please ask your child about this if they haven't already shared.
Next week we will have a small class party on Monday after the Grade 6 graduation. Students are invited to bring something small (not essential) for the party table, ie: chips or fruit. We will have some music and games to help celebrate a terrific year together. Tuesday will be quiet board games and movies while we do a clean of our classroom. Students are welcome to bring a board game from home. Wednesday is pool day. Students will need their bathers, towel, sunscreen, hat, thongs and goggles.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support this year. It has been a pleasure to teach all of the Grade 5 students and I am looking forward to seeing what they achieve in Grade 6.
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
Graduation is on Monday, although it's hard to believe! Please take your plate of food to the Multipurpose Room when you arrive. Then you can make your way over to the church for a 9.15am start. Morning tea for the Grade 6's and their families will be in the MPR straight after mass.
The celebration lunch, for the students, is on Tuesday, please make sure you have given consent for this.
Best wishes to all of you for a merry and safe Christmas and to all of the students good luck as they move on to high school.
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.
