28 - 12th September, 2025 - Term 3, Week 8

Principal's News

Dear Families,

Today the Prep, One and Two students headed into Mildura as part of their excursion and sleepover activities. The first stop was at Back Court, where the students participated in several fun games and drills with Sammy and his team, then on to the Pizza Café for a delicious lunch of pizza and pasta. All the running around at Back Court must have made the students hungry, because their appetites were big! A run around at Park for Play and a return to school for more activities ended the school day, and tonight the students will enjoy a BBQ tea and a sleepover for Grades One and Two. We hope that all students have a great time and sleep well! Thanks to those parents who helped in any way over the course of the day and night and to the teachers for going the extra mile – it is much appreciated!

On Wednesday our Leadership Team spent the day looking at staffing and arrangements for 2026. This seems like a long way off at this stage of the year, but planning early helps us to make sure that the school’s needs for the coming year are met. This planning includes student numbers, which in turn impacts funding and fees. We will have 24 new students coming into Prep next year, which keeps our numbers healthy across the school. Although we would be sad to lose any of our students, if any families are planning on moving on in 2026, it would be beneficial for us to know ahead of time for planning purposes.

At OLSH, we have always provided headphones for students to use when working on computers. Over time, however, we have found that headphones frequently wear out or break and replacing them has become an ongoing cost for the school.  From 2026, in line with what many other schools already do, we kindly ask families to supply a set of headphones for their child to use at school. These do not need to be expensive. There are affordable options available from stores such as Kmart, Big W or JB Hi-Fi.  We recommend choosing a sturdy pair that will be comfortable for your child.  Thank you for your support in helping us ensure students have the equipment they need for their learning.

The annual OLSH Disco will be held next Thursday, 18^th September from 6pm until 7.30pm in the Multipurpose Room. This is always a great event, and the students get very excited to dress up and show off their dance moves! When the evening is over, students must be collected by a parent from the Multipurpose Room. When the doors are opened, parents will be able to move through the room so that students can see you. Those parents who have experienced this procedure before will know that it is a smooth way to collect your children and for us to ensure that nobody is left waiting! I’m sure it will be a great night for everyone!

Footy Colours Day will be on the last day of term, with the Grade Six class running activities for the rest of the school. Students can dress up in their favourite team colours, from any sporting code that they wish – AFL, soccer, hockey, netball, etc. Students will have a great day and a bit of fun to finish the term!

A reminder to all families that we finish school at 2.30pm next Friday, 19^th September. Any usual bus travellers (both NSW and Victoria) will need to be collected from school, as the buses no longer come early to pick up students at the end of term. We thank you for organising this.

It has been such a busy term, and although it has been relatively short, I think everyone is looking forward to the break! I will be on leave for the last week (it’s the first Disco I’ve missed in a long time!) but I wish you all a wonderful break when school finishes up on the 19^th. While I’m away, Adam Lawrence will be your point of contact if required.

Have a great weekend!

Narelle Gallagher

End of Term 3 - 2.30 pm Finish

The VICTORIAN & NSW BUS WILL NOT be running at the earlier time of 2.30pm when Term 3 finishes next week.

Due to this change, we are asking that parents arrange for students who travel on these buses be collected from school at 2.30pm as staff will also finish at this earlier time on the last day of term.

We thank you for your co-operation.

Prep / One / Two Sleepover

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R U OK? Day at OLSH

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
  

Grandparents Day

Our annual Grandparents Day will be celebrated on Friday October 24th. Please make sure all Grandparents are aware of the day. This is a great celebration and gives us time to reflect on the important role grandparents play in our lives. 

Jesus' grandparents are St. Anne and St. Joachim. Their unconditional love and support were a constant presence in the life of Jesus and remind us of our own grandparents. Further information will be available closer to the date. 

OLSH Disco

OLSH Footy Day

Phil Kettle - Clancy of the Outback - A Musical Adventure

Join us way out in Woop Woop for a staged reading of Clancy of the Outback - A Musical Adventure, a brand-new adaptation of the beloved book series by Phil Kettle and Bob Andersen. After a successful industry reading in Melbourne, Marshall & Marrows, in partnership with Salty Theatre, are bringing Mildura locals an exclusive sneak preview of this developing work.

This family-friendly musical adventure tells a universal story of home, acceptance and identity through a uniquely Aussie lens. 1200 kilometres from his old home, 12-year-old Clancy is thrown into the unpredictability of country life with his Mum and the bright, colourful inhabitants of The Overflow. From a pesky paddock bomb to a baby kangaroo, a fearsome flood to a feral frenzy, Clancy will have to deal with all of the outback’s challenges to find his place in the world.

Composer, Co-director and Mildura-born Earl Marrows shares, “With ‘jokes for the parents’, toe-tapping tunes and rich spectacle, we hope everyone can find something to latch onto; big-hearted characters, strong emotions and a whole lot of fun.”

The reading will feature Grammy-nominated and ARIA winner Steven Gates (Tripod) and Green Room Award-nominated Ursula Searle (MTC’s Fun Home), with more talent to be announced soon! Snacks and drinks will be provided on the night, with kids of all ages welcome to attend.

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

Happy Birthday

We wish the following students a Happy Birthday:

Month of September:

• 4th - Ivy S - 10 yrs
• 5th - Zali G - 8 yrs
• 6th - Thomas C - 11 yrs
• 13th - Evie C - 9 yrs
• 15th - Elki G - 9 yrs
• 16th - Logan T - 6 yrs
• 17th - Wyatt F - 11 yrs
• 17th - Zahleya G - 10 yrs
• 22nd - Oscar H - 10 yrs
• 23rd - Holly C - 12 yrs
• 24th - Ledger B - 8 yrs
• 28th - Chelsea A - 9 yrs

OLSH Canteen

Orders need to be completed by 9.15am every Friday.

Prep News

Thank you to everyone for being so organised this week! It was been a busy one but students have managed really well and seemed to enjoy themselves at all the activities. I think they will need a very quiet weekend!

Show and Tell- Week 9’s topic is ‘Share a picture of your pet or a pet you would like to have’. A list for Term 4 will be sent home next week.

STEM-We will be completing a STEM activity in Week 9. We will need cardboard boxes for this activity (similar in size to A4/A3 paper) and bubble wrap. If you have any please send these in at any time.

Art Folios-These will be coming home next week. Please make sure you return the folios ready to be filled in Term 4.

Library Books- No more borrowing for the term. Please make sure all library books are returned before the holidays. They can be sent in any day.

For the first two weeks of Term 4 (6th-17th October), I will be away on long service leave. Students will have Mrs Lawrence during this time.

R U OK Day

Grade 1 News

What a busy week it has been! Well done to everyone who dressed up and participated in R U OK? Day. The students looked fantastic with their pops of yellow, and we learnt about the important steps to take when asking a friend if they are okay.

In Maths, we explored worded problems with a fun scavenger hunt out in the playground. Students worked in pairs to find and solve addition and subtraction questions. It was wonderful to see such great teamwork in action!

In Science, we focused on animal habitats. Students worked together to design the perfect environment for their chosen animal, making sure it included food, water, and shelter.

In Writing, we have been expanding our sentences by adding what, why, and where. The students are doing a great job making their writing more detailed and interesting.

Reminders:

• Please return all library books next week.

• School Disco: Thursday after school.

• Footy Colours Day: Friday (early finish).

• There will be no spelling homework next week, but students will still have their readers.

Grade 2 News

 The excitement for our Activity Day and Sleepover has been building all week! Stay tuned for some photos and a report of the event in next week's newsletter!

A huge thank you goes out to all of our parents who volunteered to cook the BBQ and/or sleep the night. We could not run these events without you!

On Thursday we celebrated RUOk? Day at school. It was great to see the 'slpash of yellow' in our class! We completed some activities at school which focused on how to be a good friend and how to ask somebody if they are okay. The students made cups and wrote encouraging and kind messages to put in their classmates' cups.

 Next week the students have the Disco and Footy Colours Day to look forward to. Please see the flyers in the newsletter for more details. 

A reminder as well that Grade Two will be presenting assembly on Friday at 9am. It will be a footy themed assembly!

Have a great weekend!

Lisa

RUOK?Day

Grade 3 News

We've been working hard in Grade 3 this week! In Literacy, we've been reading books about different places people live around Australia and considering why people might choose to live there. This has prompted some really well considered paragraphs about living in the outback as well as questions about what life might be like in a desert climate. Some of our paragraphs are below. 

In Maths, we've continued our work on relating multipication and division. All students have worked hard on picking this up and extending it to real-world worded problems. In art, we looked at the work of Bronwyn Bancroft, an Australian Indigenous landscape artist, and created our own landscape peices in her style.

Some reminders for next week:

- On Wednesday we will be watching The Wild Robot, to compare to the novel we've read during class. Students can bring a pillow or blanket in if they wish. 

- Disco is on Thursday from 6-7:30pm. Please make sure you sign your child in when dropping off, and come the the Multi Purpose room to collect them at the end of the night. 

- Footy Colours Day is on Friday- students can wear their favourite team colours. 

- Early Dismissal at 2:30pm on Friday.

The outback 

The Australian outback is a unique place to live. The outback has unique plants and animals  that are able to live in harsh weather conditions such as succulents and kangaroos. There are also huge floods and dust storms that you sometimes have to evaluate in. The outback usually looks brown with a touch of green. That's why I think the outback is unique and should be left alone. By Lexi Finlayson

The Australian outback is a unique place to live. All the willie-willies carry the seeds around and make more plants for the animals. The native animals that live in the desert have adapted to the extreme wethers so they can live there. There are many droughts which means that all the water has gone into the ground. There are less people there so that means that it is quiet and less pollution. The Australian outback is an amazing place to live. By Harriet Parker

The Australian outback is a unique place to live.There is more room to do stuff such as run around play and kick the footy. There are also less people so it is quieter.  However, you have to go a long way to get water and food. There are also often floods, so you have to evacuate onto your roof. The Australian outback is an awesome but difficult place to live. By Aiden Davis

Grade 4 News

This week, students began to share their slides on the information they have been researching about Africa. Some of the highlights we have seen so far include Esther's slide on? and  We look forward to viewing some more slides of Africa next week.

Thanks to those parents who have sent back camp deposits, permission slips and filled out the online camp form on SIMON. If you have not done the latter, could this be done ASAP please. We are still in need of a few more tents so if you have a tent that you are willing to loan for our camp, that would be much appreciated. Please let myself know or notify the office. 

Congratulations to Shelby, who this week earned her Pen Licence! Shelby has been working very hard for quite some time to receive this much coveted award!

Next Thursday morning we will be watching the movie Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. This is the class novel we have been reading this term. Students may bring snacks if they like (please dont over do it!), blankets and a pillow to make them more comfortable.

Reminders:

-School disco will be held next Thursday 18th September commencing at 6pm and finishing promptly at 7:30pm. Please come to the MPR to collect your child.

-Footy colours day in on Friday 19th September

-End of term Friday 19th September. Please remember that school finishes at 2:30pm on this day.

-Could all students please bring to school a shopping bag so some work can be sent home.

Someone is very happy to receive their Pen Licence!

Grade 5 News

Students have been busy finishing their country projects this week. Next week, keep an eye out for some photos of their completed work. These projects showcase the development of students’ information report writing, including their ability to take information and put it into their own words, as well as use topic sentences and concluding sentences effectively.

We will also be finishing our class novel Dragonkeeper next week, which will be followed by watching the movie on Friday.

A reminder that a note went home earlier this week about camp and the online forms that need to be completed by Monday. These can be accessed through SIMON.

Grade 6 News

We’ve had a busy but amazing week of learning! Students have taken a very mature approach to our Health sessions, with two lessons completed and one more to go next week. They have also enjoyed exploring the highest and lowest points on Earth, Mount Everest and the Dead Sea, and have written some great sentences and responses about these topics. In Maths, we’ve been working on fractions and learning how to add them together.

Next week is shaping up to be just as full!

• Tuesday - Students will be participating in Sustainability Day at OLSH, working in groups on various sustainability challenges during the middle part of the day.

• Wednesday - We will begin watching the movie of our Term Three class novel The Hobbit. As the film runs for three hours, we’ll spread it over a couple of days.

• Thursday night - The School Disco, always a highlight of the year!

• Friday - Our last day of term! Students are encouraged to wear their footy colours. Grade Six students will lead fun footy activities for the rest of the school, and we’ll finish the day with a 2:30pm dismissal.

Have a great weekend! 

Breanna Meyer 

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.