10 - 4th April, 2025 - Term 1, Week 10
Principal's News
Dear Families,
Term one is now officially over, and it’s been a productive but busy one, full of learning and fun for our students. We hope that over the next two weeks and during Easter, that everyone finds some time to relax with family and friends and recharge for an eleven-week Term Two! Today at the drawing of our Easter Raffle (thanks to our wrapping fairies!) there was much excitement as the students waited to hear their names called out for a prize, and we thank all families for supporting the raffle this year. Even though the chocolate and treats are a big focus, we hope that you will take the time at some point to reflect on the real reason we celebrate. May the blessings of Easter be with all of you and yours.
It is with sadness that we are saying goodbye to two of our Learning Support Officers this term. Mrs. Maritta Watson, who has been with us for just over three years, is moving on to another position in childcare. Mrs. Watson has worked with many children in her time here, and has also been our canteen supervisor, swimming teacher and at times, our bus driver! The staff and students will miss her greatly. Over the 14 years that Mrs. Carol Marks has been with us, she has been a wonderful employee, assisting many students with their learning and becoming a very special member of our community, as well as watching her own children go through OLSH and onto secondary school. Mrs. Marks has noe officially resigned following a term on Long Service Leave, to move interstate and closer to family. We wish both these lovely ladies much happiness for the future! We will miss you!
On Monday this week, we were visited by three members of DOBCEL, who are our governing body. The Director of Catholic Education Tom Sexton, along with Megan Ioannau and Eugene Dalton, were shown around by School Leaders Isaac, Zali, Alice and Izobel, who filled our visitors in on how things operate at OLSH! It was noted by all DOBCEL members how polite, well-spoken and enthusiastic all of our leaders were and what a pleasure it was to spend time with them looking around our school, which is great feedback! Well done to Isaac, Zali, Izobel and Alice.
When school resumes next term, we will have a very short week to start us off! Staff will be taking part in Structured Literacy professional development on Tuesday, 22nd April and students will return on Wednesday, 23rd April for just two days, with Anzac Day on Friday. On Thursday 24th April we will be holding our Cross Country, for which students have been practicing. They also headed over to the footy ovals for a walk around of the course this week. Please make sure that you have these dates in your calendars.
As mentioned, the first Friday when we return in Term Two is Anzac Day. Although this is not a school day, our students have always supported the local RSL by participating in the local Merbein march and we generally get a good number in attendance. We encourage our students to join us for the march and formalities in front of the RSL and then the rotunda on this day, wearing full school uniform to represent OLSH. Anzac Day is a very special commemoration and one which we are very proud to be part of as we remember all servicemen and women who have fought and died for our country.
We would like to thank Mrs. Sophie Lohmeyer for filling in for Mr. Lawrence over the last four weeks while he has been away on sick leave. The students have continued to learn and grow in great ways! We look forward to seeing Mr. Lawrence back next term! Thank you also to Mrs. Breanna Meyer, who has worked extra days to fill the gaps over the last four weeks. I'm sure both ladies will enjoy the break!
The holidays are a great opportunity for families to get their winter uniform items ready, with all students expected in full winter uniform by Week Three of Term Two. Lowes in Centro should now have all winter stock available. Please refer to the Information Book on the school website for correct uniform information or ask the friendly members at Lowes if you are unsure.
I hope everyone enjoys the holiday break and especially the very special time of Easter. We look forward to seeing you all when we return for Term Two.
Narelle Gallagher
Links:
Enrolments at OLSH:
OLSH Calendar:
Religious Education News
Sacramental Program: We have a number of children involved in the sacrament program in the coming weeks. Children are now preparing for the sacrament of Confirmation and Holy Communion, so please keep the following students in your prayers:
Confirmation: Jacinta Wagner, Sophie Barnes, Anatasia Cory, Layla Portaro, Ivie Mazza.
Holy Communion: Isaac Lohmeyer, Morgan Dowling, Violet Dimasi
* A reminder to parents to return the Confirmation sheet to the parish office during the holidays filled out with your child's details, Mass time you are attending and your child's sponsor name.
* Children making their first commuion need to ensure they have the passport and attend 3 Masses before making the Sacrament of Holy Communion. These need to be handed into the parish office the week before the sacrament.
* There will be practice sessions for both sacraments the week before the sacrament. Please contact the parish office for further details.
Sacrament of Confirmation (Year 3 & Above)
- Celebration of the Sacrament - Friday 30th & Saturday 31st May & Sunday June 1st.
Sacrament of Holy Communion (Year 4 & Above)
- 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
Cross Country
OLSH Cross Country: Our annual Cross Country event will be held on Thursday, 24th April (timetable below). This will take place at Kenny Park Oval. The children will be separated into their age groups (not classes) and will race either a 1 km, 2 km or 3 km race. All families are welcome to attend and cheer the children on. We will need some parental assistance on the day to marshall children around the track. If you are available, please contact Michael Breewel at the school.
These times are only guides:
- 9:10am - 12+ Year Olds (3 kms)
- 9:30am - 11 Year Olds (3 kms)
- 9:50am - 6 & Under Year Olds (1km)
- 10:10am - 7 Year Olds (1km)
- 10:30am - 8 Year Olds (1km)
- 10:50am - 9 Year Olds (2 kms)
- 11:10am - 10 Year Olds (2 kms)
District Cross Country: The District Cross Country event is for children aged 9 years and above who perform well at our Cross Country race. They will be selected on their times and will represent OLSH against children from other schools.
The District Cross Country will take place on Tuesday, 6th May at the Aero Ovals. Notes outlining the information will be given to children who are selected. This will happen in Term Two.
Mother's Day Liturgy & Morning Tea
We will be celebrating our OLSH mums with a Liturgy on Friday, 9th May at 9.15 am. Following the Liturgy in the church we will join the students in the classroom for activities and then head over to the Multipurpose room for Morning Tea.
We would love to see you all there and we are asking you to r.s.v.p. by the 2nd May so we can organise the food and activies.
OLSH Canteen
Orders need to be completed by 9.15am every Friday.
Happy Birthday
We wish the following students a Happy Birthday in the coming week:
Jo
Student of the Week
| Class: | Awarded to: | For: |
| Grade Prep : | Evelyn Lohmeyer | always joining into classroom discussions and trying her best. |
| Grade Prep : | Jack Ietto | his great problem solving and creative thinking during our STEM task. |
| Grade Prep : | Milla Davis | her great improvement across the term. |
| Grade 1 : | Dusty Hallam | for demonstrating responsibility and leadership in all group activities. |
| Grade 1 : | Sophie Lewis | for being helpful and compassionate to others in need. |
| Grade 1 : | Henley Dowling | for always displaying kindness and being an enthusiastic learner. |
| Grade 2 : | Addison Bock | for always striving to achieve her best and for her great maths assessment results. |
| Grade 2 : | Henry Matulic | for working hard with Miss Roads to improve his knowledge of diagraphs. |
| Grade 2 : | Julius Mazza | for showing great improvement in his reading and writing skills. |
| Grade 3 : | Sophie Barnes | for actively participating in discussions, sharing her ideas and asking really interesting questions. |
| Grade 3 : | Aiden Davis | for your excellent maths skills, completing work to a high standard, and always challenging yourself to do more! |
| Grade 3 : | Charlotte Primarano | for showing a positive attitude, having the confidence to try new tasks, and accepting feedback to keep improving. |
| Grade 4 : | Violet Dimasi | her positive attitude to all areas of her learning. We will miss you Violet. Enjoy your new school. |
| Grade 4 : | Isaac Lohmeyer | confidently sharing his plans for his BIG SOLO trip to Uluru. We cant wait to hear more! |
| Grade 4 : | Lachlan Ward | trying hard to stay focused on his learning this week. Keep up the great work! |
| Grade 5 : | Frankie Roberts | persistence in Maths when learning mental strategies for multiplication. |
| Grade 5 : | Dallas East | his enthusiasm and dedication to Stomp lessons last week. |
| Grade 5 : | Thomas Cupper | outstanding effort demonstated in researching and writing his Murray Cod project. |
| Grade 6 : | Alice Parker | always looking out for others and being an excellent leader. |
| Grade 6 : | Jandre van Schalkwyk | being a wonderfu member of our classroom! We will miss you! |
| Grade 6 : | Zali Breewel | her insightful class contributions and bringing joy to our classroom. |
Prep News
Well done Preps on completing your first term of school! It’s such a big term for students and parents! Everyone has made fantastic improvements, socially and academically. Thanks to everyone for making sure everything was ready each day and for all your support. Enjoy the holidays!
Reading- Please remember to keep reading. Extra books will be sent home on Thursday to read over the holidays. Please encourage your child to read during the next 2 weeks. Reading material could be a magazine, a book from home or even a book from the town library.
Hats- Students will bring home their school hats today. These will need to be washed and returned to school at the start of Term Two.
Holiday Homework- Yesterday students took home a pack of activities that can be completed over the holidays.
Show and Tell- Week One Show and Tell topic will be ‘Something from the holidays’. Due to it being a short week, students who are listed for Monday, Tuesday and Friday can bring it any day.
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
And just like that, we've finished our first term of Grade 1! It’s been such a positive start to the year, and I’m excited for what’s ahead. I hope everyone enjoys a well-deserved break and returns next term refreshed and ready to continue learning.
This Thursday, the Grade 1s had the fantastic opportunity to join the Grade 2s for our STEM day! The challenge was to create a working wind turbine. Each group had to include at least three blades, and the turbine needed to spin. The students worked incredibly well together, and you can check out our amazing pictures on Seesaw to see their creativity in action!
In addition, I’m beyond impressed with the narrative writing skills the students have shown this week. On Monday, they completed a planner for their Easter story, and each day since, they’ve been adding more detail and creativity to their writing.
A quick reminder: The Cross Country will be on the first Thursday back of Term 2. Running times have been posted on Seesaw, so please check for more details.
Today, we say goodbye to Miane, who has been such a positive light in our room, and it is sad to see her go. She will be moving to Queensland and we wish her and her family all the best.
Wishing you all a relaxing break, and I look forward to seeing you all back in Term 2!
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,
We managed to pack a lot into our last week of school!
The students enjoyed an easter egg hunt yesterday and loved seeing Miss Roads in a blow-up bunny costume. There were some concerns that she would get wedged at the top of the slide but I'm happy to say she made it down safely!
Today we had our STEM Day with the Grade Ones and the students did a great job learning about renewable energy and making a wind turbine. Please see the pictures below.
I hope everyone has a well-deserved break over the holidays and some family time over the Easter weekend!
Happy holidays!
Lisa
Reminders:
22nd April- School Closure Day
24th of April - Cross Country (whole school)
25th of April- ANZAC Day Public Holiday
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
STEM Day!
More STEM!
Grade 3 News
Thank you to all the parents who were able to attend our assembly this morning —it was wonderful to see so much support! I was very proud of the students for the pride they showed in sharing their work and singing with enthusiasm. This was a big step for many of the students.
This week in class, we finished our cool colour artworks, explored how people grow spiritually, and worked on multiplication in Maths. We enjoyed learning more about Holy Week and completing some fun Easter activities. It's been a very busy term and all students have worked very hard and made great progress. I am looking forward to building on this in Term Two.
Wishing everyone a safe and happy Easter holiday!
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 4 News
This week we spent the time finishing up for Term One. This included revising sentence types and creating our own sentences from visual prompts, finishing up our Maths work by focusing on a range of different data displays, recapping the events of Holy Week, looking at how people rely on the natural environment to survive and watching Matilda, the movie. It has been a fun term!
Enjoy the holidays and Easter everyone, and I look forward to touching base again, when we return on Wednesday 23rd April.
Julie Phelan
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me during office hours, either the SeeSaw app or email:
Julie Phelan – jphelan@olshmerbein.catholic.edu.au
(Friday's): Emma Garraway - ewood@olshmerbein.catholic.edu.au
MOVIE FUN ON WEDNESDAY WATCHING 'MATILDA'.
GRADE FOUR'S MADE SOME SUPER CUTE EASTER BUNNY'S AND BILBY'S THIS WEEK! HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!
Grade 5 News
We've had a busy week to end the term in Grade 5!
On Wednesday we had a visit from Joe and Helen from Police Victoria as part of their Police in Schools program. This program involves a number of sessions which will continue next term. Joe gave the students an opportunity to ask questions about his time as a Police Officer and they took the opportunity to ask many thoughtful and interesting questions.
We also conducted an experiment comparing the transpiration rates of desert plants and non-desert plants. Each group placed plastic bags over a succulent and a bok choy seedling and recorded observations across two days. We found very interesting results, both about transpiration and factors that can cause variations in a scientific experiment! Photos of our experiment are below.
All students completed their animal adaptations project this week then presented their posters and artwork to the class. These all look fabulous and are worth coming into the classroom at the start of next term to have a look at!
The students are looking forward to Mr Lawrence returning for Week 1 next term.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me during office hours, either the SeeSaw app or email:
Adam Lawrence- alawrence@olshmerbein.catholic.edu.au
My New Gallery
Grade 6 News
Term One has been filled with lots of relationship building, lots of learning and lots of fun! I am excited to see what Term Two brings.
Today we say goodbye to Jandre, a much loved class mate who is moving away. We wish him and his family all the best as they make the move north! You will be missed!
Next Term is shaping up to be a busy one. Please make sure you read all future dates carefully as there is a lot happening.
I hope everyone has a wonderful break and enjoyable Easter.
See you back here on Wednesday 23rd April!
Breanna Meyer
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me during office hours, either the SeeSaw app or email:
Breanna Meyer - bmeyer@olshmerbein.catholic.edu.au
- Sophie Lohmeyer - slohmeyer@olshmerbein.catholic.edu
Other News
General News
School Advisory Council Members:
Thel O’Shea, Hannah Mills, Courtney Portaro, Sandra Hammet, Lana Borchard, Sara McClelland, Jennifer Wilson, Jordan Wade, 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.
