21 - 4th July, 2025 - Term 2, Week 11

Principal's News

Dear Families,

We have finally come to the end of what has seemed like a very long term! This final week of term has seen quite a lot of absences across all classrooms, with winter bugs getting the best of many students and families. Hopefully the holidays will give everyone a chance to rest and be ready to return for a relatively short nine-week Term Three on Tuesday, 22^nd July. Staff will be taking part in Professional Development in Religious Education on the first day of term (Monday 21st July).

Student reports have been sent out electronically today to all families. While reading the reports, I was very impressed with the hard work and effort that our students have put into their learning this semester. They should all be proud of their achievements! Information on how to download your child's report is further on in the newsletter. We ahve also included in the newsletter a table indicating how attendance can affect your child's learning. This is food for thought! Bookings for Parent/Teacher Interviews (in Week Two of next term) are now open. Please take the opportunity to meet with your child’s teacher to celebrate their progress so far this year.

A big thank you to all those who purchased pies from our recent Pie Drive. Many families took the opportunity to stock up on some delicious goodies and thanks to this, OLSH raised $1500.00, making the fundraiser well worth it! Over the next term we will decide what we will put the money toward, with some input from the students. Thank you once again to those who supported the school by buying pies.

In 2023, Miss Ford’s Grade Sixes took part in the online Carlton Respects (Road to Respect) program. This is a free school program for Grades 3-6, providing students with the knowledge and tools to understand gender stereotypes, manage emotions, be a buddy and create behaviours built around respect. The program also aligns with the ‘Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships’ curriculum, which we use at OLSH.

As a celebration of our school’s participation in the Road to Respect program in previous years, we were given an exciting opportunity for a lucky student to participate in a match day experience during the AFL Respect Round on July 19^th. Students who are Carlton fans were drawn out of a hat and Isla Chirgwin was the lucky fan chosen to represent our school! Isla will be part of the Guard of Honour before the Carlton/Melbourne match and then watch the game with her family. Congratulations Isla! Hopefully the Blues will get a win!

Next Term will be action-packed, with many events happening at OLSH. Please make sure you have these in your calendar so that you can be prepared for what’s coming up. Thank  you to all families for your ongoing support of your child and the school. We hope everyone has a fantastic break and we look forward to seeing you in two weeks!

Have a great weekend!

Narelle Gallagher

Links:

Enrolments at OLSH:

OLSH Calendar:

Religious Education News

Sacrament of Reconciliation (Year 2 & Above)

There will be an opportunity for children in Grade Two or above to make their Sacrament of Reconciliation. Below are the details of the parent information night and the celebration of the sacrament. Please contact the parish office for further details if you are interested in making the sacrament. 

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

RE Professional Development Day

Staff will be involved in some Professional Development in Religious Education on Monday July 21st 2025. This will be a school closure day. The day will focus on the program "Fullness of Life for All", which encompasses DOBCEL's Relationships and Sexuality policy.

NAIDOC Liturgy

To celebrate NAIDOC week, we will begin with a liturgy at OLSH on Tuesday July 29th, 2025. All families are welcome to attend. 

Student Reports & Attendance

The link below explains how to download your child/rens report.

SSG & Parent Teacher Interviews

Parent Teacher Interviews are taking place on the 28th & 29th July.  These are now open on SIMON Everywhere.  

SSG Meetings are taking place on the 4th & 7th August. SSG Bookings times will open at the beginning of next term.

NAIDOC Celebrations

Book Week - Dress Up

We will be celebrating Book Week in Week 4 of Term Three (11–15 August), one week earlier than the official Book Week dates due to the Grades Prep to 2 Swimming Program taking place in Week 5.

Throughout the week, classes will take part in a variety of Book Week-themed activities, including a ‘Dress as Your Favourite Book Character’ Day on Tuesday, 12th August.

We will hold a costume parade at 9:00am where students can showcase their outfits. Friends and family are warmly invited to attend.

Junior Electives

During Weeks 7 to 10, Prep, Grade One, and Grade Two students participated in their very first round of electives. They had the exciting opportunity to choose between Dash Robots, Art, or Lego.

In the Dash Robots elective, students were introduced to basic coding skills. They learnt how to program their robots to complete a variety of tasks, such as changing light colours, making sounds, and performing fun animations. Students also practised coding their Dash Robots to follow tape patterns on the ground, building their spatial awareness and directional understanding.

In the Lego elective, students worked collaboratively in small groups to explore creativity and teamwork. They were inspired by watching clips from Lego Masters, which sparked their imagination and design ideas. Students had the opportunity to build from Lego sets as well as enjoy free building time, where they let their imaginations run wild and created their own unique designs.

In the Art elective, students explored their creativity through hands-on activities. A highlight of the sessions was working with clay, where students moulded and created their own unique clay items. This experience helped them develop fine motor skills while expressing themselves through sculpture and design.

Students had a great time and are looking forward to new electives next term.

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Census Collection Notice

The Australian Government Department of Education (the department) would like to advise all staff, parents, guardians and students (where applicable) that it will collect certain information about OLSH school, its staff and student body as part of the non-government schools census collection (the census).

Student Leader News

Recycle Bottles & Cans

The Student Leaders have organized an account for donated bottles and cans. If you have refundable bottles and cans, you can recycle them at any CDS container refund depots in Mildura and scan the barcode below. This will donate the money directly to the Student Leaders to go towards new equipment for the students!

Thank you, OLSH Student Leaders

AFL School Holiday Program

Get ready for an action-packed AFL School Holiday Program at Mildura Sporting Precinct! Whether your child is just starting out or looking to refine their footy skills, this program is perfect for kids aged 4-12.

5-7 Year Olds – Enjoy a fun and safe introduction to AFL with experienced coaches, mini-games, and skill-building activities in a supportive environment.

Registration: https://www.playhq.com/afl/register/bcdb34

8-12 Year Olds – Experience NAB AFL Superkick, where skill development, modified gameplay, and teamwork come together for an exciting day of footy, friends, and fun!

Registration: https://www.playhq.com/afl/register/73abbd

• Date: Tuesday July 15
• Location: Mildura Sporting Precinct
• Time: 9 AM - 3 PM
• Cost: $55 (includes a football!)

Don’t miss out on this fantastic holiday experience—register now and get ready to play! 

Happy Birthday

We wish the following students a Happy Birthday:

Month of July:

• 2^nd  – Claude M – 6 yrs

• 4^th  – Alex G – 11 yrs

• 4^th  – Hunter M – 7 yrs

• 5^th – Jake H – 13 yrs

• 7^th  – Addison B – 8 yrs

• 7^th  – Samuel M – 6 yrs

• 8^th – Lachlan W – 11 yrs

• 9^th - Hayley C – 9 yrs

• 13^th – Alice P – 12 yrs

• 19^th – Indi B – 8 yrs

• 20^th – Rylee W – 8 yrs

• 22^nd – Evelyn M – 11 yrs

• 27^th – Amy R – 10 yrs

• 28^th – Kelly W – 7 yrs

• 29^th – Conor G – 9 yrs

• 30^th – Jack I – 6 yrs

• 30^th – Daisy I – 6 yrs

• 30^th – Ariana M – 11 yrs

• 31^st – Nash S – 9 yrs

OLSH Canteen

Orders need to be completed by 9.15am every Friday.

Prep News

Thank you to all parents and families for your support, hard work and effort during Term 2. It has certainly been a busy term; one the students have managed really well. Make sure you enjoy a break these holidays ready for another busy term.

Students will be bringing home some extra readers over the holidays. We have also looked at student's words this week and added some new ones in if they seemed close to knowing them all. Please try to keep practising reading books and words over the holidays.

A pack of activities for the holidays was sent home on Wednesday, along with a new list for Show and Tell.

STEM

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Grade 1 News

Just like that, we’ve reached the end of Term 2! Well done to all the Grade 1s for their fantastic effort and hard work this term.

On Thursday, we had a great time during STEM day, designing and building chairs for our teddies using only newspapers. It was a little challenging, but everyone did an amazing job.

This week, after reading The Jungle Book, we enjoyed watching the original movie together in class.

Students will be bringing home readers to practise over the holidays. I hope everyone has a wonderful break and returns refreshed and ready for another great term.

Grade 2 News

 We made it to the end of another fun and educational term! 

This week the students have enjoyed watching James and the Giant Peach which we have been reading each day. It has been interesting to see the similarities and differences between the book and movie.

The students have been writing some reflections about the book and sharing their favourite parts and characters.

The students enjoyed their STEM Day yesterday. The task was to make a chair just using newspaper and tape for baby bear to sit on after Goldilock broke his! It was very tricky, but the students showed lots of perseverance!

I would like to congratulate all of the Grade Twos on their hard work this term. Everyone has made significant progress and should be proud of their efforts.

I hope everyone gets a chance to have some rest and relaxation these holidays and I look forward to seeing you all refreshed and ready for some more learning next term!

Reminders:

Book Week will be held in Week 4.

*Please note a change of date for the dress-up day and parade - it is now Tuesday the 12th of August. 

STEM Day!

Grade 3 News

And just like that, Term Two comes to an end!

Thank you to everyone who was able to attend Parent-Teacher meetings this week. I really enjoyed sharing your child’s progress and discussing goals for Term Three.

Throughout the term, many Grade Three students have loved helping out in the garden and caring for the chickens. Yesterday, Fei, Chelsea, Pippa and Harriet helped tidy the coop and freshen it with new straw and pellets in preparation for the holidays. A big thank you to the Field family for donating straw and the Gregg family for supplying chicken food. 

I will be on leave until Monday, 11th August. Mrs Lohmeyer and I have met to plan the program during my absence, and we are both confident that there will be a smooth transition. The students are in great hands and their learning will continue as scheduled.

Our NAIDOC Week celebrations will be held on Tuesday, 29th July. The day will begin with an outdoor liturgy, followed by activities across our unit. Families are invited to join us for the liturgy.

Wishing you all a safe and happy holiday!

Cheryl-Anne

Grade 4 News

Another term done and dusted! It has been a long one, but time has certainly flown by with lots of great learning taking place in Grade Four!

Please take the time to read your child's school report which will be availbale on SIMON as from today. I look forward to meeting with you all at our Parent/Teacher meetings in Week Two of Term Three. Please fill out a meeting time on SIMON that suits you in the time slots available.

Just a reminder that on Monday 21st July, there will be a school closure for teacher's professional development to take place.

I will be away during the first week back. Tana Lawrence will be replacing me for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Mrs Garraway will be in as usual on Friday.

Our NAIDOC school celebrations will be held on Tuesday 29th July. This will commence with an outdoor liturgy, followed by rotated activities in our unit. 

On Wednesday 30th July, Grades Three and Four will be part of an online learning experience with Zoo Victoria. It looks as though it involves watching a live cam of fairy penguins and recording data on them. Feel free to look at this link below for more information.

Enjoy time with your children over the next two weeks everyone and I will see you all soon!

Julie 

Grade 5 News

Grade Five have had a fantastic term, with a lot of learning taking place. This week, we have been finishing off our Gold Rush PowerPoints and our Religion unit on gratitude. We concluded this unit by writing prayers. Below is one written by Dallas.

Remember, reports are available today. I hope everyone enjoys the holidays!

PRAYER

May those who sleep have a good night's rest.
May those who drive not be interrupted.
May the gardens blossom.
May the forests flourish.
May nature not be restrained.

May the campers stay safe.
May those who endure suffering be set free.
May those who weep be comforted.
May those who fight make peace.
May the wars come to an end.

May the knife stay for cooking.
May the gun be used for nothing.
May the rich notice the poor.
May the powerful notice the weak.
May inflation come to a rest.

May the writers have encouragement.
May firefighters have praise.
May the police be noticed.
May the doctors be helped.
May the builders have their pay.

May those who are severely hurt be put to rest.
May those who endure bullying never have to endure it again.

Grade 6 News

Reports went home today, and I hope everyone gets a chance to read through and chat about them together. It was so lovely to fill each report with positive comments—every student should be really proud of what they’ve achieved this term!

After finishing our class novel 'Wonder', students were able to enjoy watching the movie which was loved by everyone. This book had so many incredible themes to discuss as a class and I think we have all taken away some important and valuable lessons from this beautiful story. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful break over holidays! I look forward to seeing everyone nice and refreshed for another busy Term Three! 

Other News

Wentworth Annual Show Schedule

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

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.