3 - 14th February, 2025 - Term 1, Week 3

Principal's News

Dear Families,

After a warm week, it was a relief to have some cooler weather today! I think it helps us all to feel a little bit more tolerant! It was great to have many families join us at today’s assembly and the Preps and Grade Sixes did a wonderful job of presenting and introducing themselves to our school community. In just over two weeks, our Prep students have settled so well into the routines of school life and we are very proud of them! The Grade Six students have also shown great responsibility in their roles as buddies and should be congratulated.

As part of our Structured Literacy program, next week teachers will be administering some Literacy assessments to all students in their class. These assessments not only give us an idea of how students are progressing with their learning but results also contribute to a project being run by La Trobe University. More information about this is in the Learning and teaching section of today’s newsletter. Please take the time to read this important information about Structured Literacy and the collection of student data.

Most families would have received School Fee statements in the past week. We thank all families for their prompt payment of the Student Fee particularly, which goes towards classroom resources for your child. We realise that families are paying their fees in different ways, but would like to emphasise the importance of fee payment to the school and how much we appreciate your attention to payment. If at any time families are having difficulty with fees, please do not hesitate to come and see me about this.  A reminder that school fees are due to be paid in full by the end of October.

Our students are looking great in their uniforms so far this year, and it’s fantastic to see them wearing these with pride on most occasions. Sandals are a part of our school uniform during Summer, and we are more than happy for students to wear them, provided that they are supportive, the correct colour, and not a fashion item. Please refer to the Parent Handbook on our website if you are unsure of what your child should be wearing.

We would like to remind families that the Grades Three to Six students are taking part in a Swimming Program in just over a week’s time, so please make sure that permission has been given on PAM for your child to attend. School photos are also coming up in March, with information about how to order and pay online further on in our newsletter. If you have any issues with this, please let the office know.

Although we have just started the school year, we are already thinking about next year and more particularly, enrolments for 2026. While we have a pretty good idea of the siblings who will be starting school next year, we ask that all current families head to our website or the link below to fill in the enrolment forms online. This allows us to see how many spaces we have for new families to enroll. To the best of our knowledge, we will have fairly large sibling numbers, so we would greatly appreciate receiving your enrolment forms as soon as possible.

I hope to see you all at Parent/Teacher interviews next Monday and Tuesday. Enjoy the weekend!

Yours sincerely,

Narelle Gallagher

Links:

Enrolments at OLSH:

OLSH Calendar:

Religious Education News

Ash Wednesday: will be held on Wednesday March 5th. An Ash Wednesday Liturgy will be held on the day. This will take place in the Church at 12:30pm. All families and parishioners are welcome to attend. 

Ash Wednesday is a holy day that marks the start of the season of Lent for the majority of the world’s Christians. Lent is a 40-day period that represents the Temptation of Christ, and Christians honour it by fasting, praying and taking part in daily devotional activity. Lots of people, including non-Christians, will choose to give up a bad habit or someting they love, like a treat, for the period of Lent in much the same way as many people choose to set resolutions for the New Year.

Many Christians will go to church on Ash Wednesday and have the sign of the cross marked in ash on their foreheads. It is the day on which most people begin their Lenten observances. Ash Wednesday means a lot to people who follow the Christian faith, as it is traditionally seen as a day of repentance. 

Sacramental Program: Those families wishing to participate in the Sacrament Program need to contact the Parish Office for more details.

Sacrament of Confirmation (Year 3 & Above)

• Parent Information Session - Wednesday April 2nd.
• Celebration of the Sacrament - Friday 30th & Saturday 31st May & Sunday June 1st.

Sacrament of Holy Communion (Year 4 & Above)

• Parent Information Session - Wednesday April 2nd.
• Celebration of the Sacrament - Friday 20th & Saturday 21st & Sunday 22nd June.

Sacrament of Reconciliation (Year 2 & Above)

• Parent Information Session - Wednesday October 15th
• Celebration of Sacrament - Wednesday November 26th

Teaching & Learning

NAPLAN

Preparations are underway for NAPLAN, which will take place from 12–26 March. Grade 3 and 5 students will participate, and class teachers are actively preparing them for the assessments. Parent information is available on the VCAA website, or you can contact your child’s teacher if you have any questions about the process.

Flare Primary Literacy Strategy

In 2025, our school will continue implementing the Flare Primary Literacy Strategy. As part of this, La Trobe University will conduct research to evaluate improvements in students’ reading, writing, and spelling skills, as well as teacher confidence in literacy instruction.

De-identified student data, including Year 3 and Year 5 NAPLAN Literacy results, will be collected and analyzed as part of the study. All data will be securely stored and handled according to privacy regulations, and no individual students, teachers, or schools will be identified in published reports.

A letter will be sent to the parents of our new students next week. If you have any questions about the inclusion of your child’s de-identified data, please contact your child’s teacher or Cheryl-Anne Courtney, Teaching and Learning Leader.

School Photos

Parents are now able to order photos using the MSPOnline system.  Please refer to the flyer below to register and order your child/rens photos or go to the following website: https://olotshsmerbein-vic.msp.photos

Buddy envelopes and Student Leader envelopes have been sent home to families. 

Parent Teacher Interviews - NEXT WEEK

Parent / Teacher interviews are taking place next week.  Parents are able to log on to SIMON Everywhere and make a booking.

• Parent Teacher Meetings are taking place on the 17th & 18th February.
  

Please note: If parents have attended an SSG meeting you will not be required to attend a Parent Teacher Interview.

Swimming Program - Grades 3 to 6

Reminder: Register for the new CDFpay mobile app today

The new CDFpay mobile app and website is now available for online canteen ordering.

If you haven’t already, please register for a new CDFpay account today:

1. 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.

1. Enter and confirm your email address, then click ‘Sign up’.
2. Check your email inbox and follow the prompts to complete your account registration (check junk/spam if lost).

Student of the Week

Happy Birthday

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

• Rory Cowling - 17th February - 10 yrs

• Charlie Cowling - 17th February - 10 yrs

• Ivy Libchard - 20th February - 9 yrs

• Indiana Walsh - 21st February - 7 yrs
  

Prep News

Parent/Teacher Interviews- These are coming up on the 17th and 18th of February. Please make a time to come and see your child’s teacher. You will need to book this on PAM/SIMON and bookings are now open.

Buddy Assembly- Well done to students on their first assembly item today! It can be very overwhelming being in front of the whole school and a big group of parents! We will have a turn at presenting at assembly by ourselves later on in the year.

Next Prep Rest Day- Wednesday 20th February. Students do not come to school.

Reading- Please make sure you are listening to/reading each night.

I will be out of class on Monday from 9-12:30pm. Students will come and complete some assessment with me. Mrs Lawrence will take the students for this time. 

This week we have starting learning how to write sentences. At the moment we are creating the sentence together and students are copying these into their books.

Week 3

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Grade 1 News

Science- In Science we focused on stars and constellations. Students used tooth picks and marshmallows to create their own unique constellations. See below for pictures.

Writing- We have been busy learning all about nouns! We used our classroom to identify different people, places and things.

Maths- Teen numbers have been our focus this week. Ordering them in the correct order, as well as identifying lower and higher numbers.

Reading & Spelling- Thank you to those families who are getting reading and spelling done most nights. Students earn dojo points for getting 3 or more nights of spelling work done. Our focus this week was the "or" sound.

Art- The last two weeks, students have been working hard to complete their hot air balloons. Please see images via Seesaw for everyone's wonderful creations.

Grade 2 News

 Hi Everyone, 

 We have had another great week of learning this week!

Literacy

This week in Literacy we have been  learning about the different noun types, including proper nouns, pronouns and common nouns. We have also learnt about the suffix 'ing' and when we need to double the last consonant when adding it to base words. For example: hit - hitting

Mathematics

This week  have continued our learning about three-digit numbers and number patterns. The students have enjoyed exploring the Mathletics program in class. This program can also be accessed from home. Log-in cards have been stapled inside students' reader diaries. 

 RE

Our topic this term is 'Community'. We have been learning about what a community is and what features of our community are special to us. Examples included the river, library, pool and playgrounds. 

Reminders:

 *PT Interviews are being held on the 17th and 18th of February

Week 4 Class News:  Isabel, Henry, Ilario

 Have a great weekend!

Lisa

Grade 3 News

Across the school, we’ve been focusing on respect—what it looks like, feels like, and sounds like in the playground. Our Grade 3 and 4 students have created wonderful, colourful posters to share their ideas, which will be shared at assembly. Be sure to check out the photo gallery to see their fantastic work!

A quick reminder about reading at home: Students are encouraged to read for 20 minutes each weeknight and bring their diary to school every morning. Books are available to borrow, or you may enjoy reading a library book or one from home. We’re working towards a special reward once we have 100% of diaries at school for five days in a row!

As part of building independence, I encourage students to practice tying their own shoelaces. If your child is still learning, a little extra practice at home would be wonderful. There are lots of fun ways to help, like rhymes, songs, or step-by-step videos.

I’m looking forward to Parent-Teacher Interviews next week and learning more about your child from you. There are still a few appointment times available, so please book in if you can—I’d love to catch up!

Wishing you a lovely weekend!

Cheryl-Anne 

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Grade 4 News

Next Wednesday I will be taking time out of the classroom to do some one-on-one testing, which takes place at this time each year at school. This data gives us a good indicatation of where the students are at and how we can adjust our lessons to best meet the needs of our students. A CRT will be replacing me and our regular programme will carry on as normal.

On Monday we will have our first Digital Citizenship lesson for the year. These lessons take place online and are always extremely engaging for our students. I have attached an information flyer to give you more information about this terms focus. Please see below.

Just a reminder that Swimming Lessons commence in Week 5 (Monday 24th February-Friday 28th February).  Grade Four will be swimming from 12:15-1:00pm.

Have a great weekend!

Julie

Grade 5 News

It has been another busy week in Grade Five! We have continued learning how to multiply by two-digit numbers in Mathematics. In Writing, we have been learning how to structure a persuasive text. We have been writing about why schools should have a well-being animal. We have also been learning about the importance democracy plays in allowing all Australians a "fair go!"

Parent-teacher interviews are on Monday and Tuesday. If you haven't already, please make a time.

Grade 6 News

It's been another busy week in Grade Six! Theres been lots of prep for our assembly this week and lots of learning happening! 

In Mathematics students have been learning about decimals and how to add tenths, hundredths and thousandths. Students are learning  how Australia became a nation for History and Text Study reading. Our Religion topic this term is about Hope. There have been many amazing discussions about what hope is and what this means to the Grade Sixes. 

We have our swimming week coming up in Week 5 (Week beginning 24th February). Grade Six will be swimming at 1.45pm and will complete a 45 minute lesson each day. More information with what they need will follow soon. 

Parent Teacher Interviews are on next week! If you haven't already, please jump on to PAM to book a time. I would love to see you and have a chat about how your child has started their year! 

Breanna Meyer 

Other News

General News

School Advisory Council Members:

Thel O’Shea, Hannah Mills, Courtney Portaro, 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.