Term 3 Week 7 Newsletter - 06.09.24
Principal News
Christian service puts faith into action. At OLHC, we look to Jesus Christ as our role model and Teacher, and we come to a greater understanding of the depth of Christian service. Jesus served every person regardless of creed, background, faith, social status or age. He put faith into action by showing all those around him how our Heavenly Father is compassionate, courageous and forgiving. Jesus didn’t just talk about His faith; He lived it.
We are called by faith to go into the world to share the love of God with all those we meet. Each person, at every age, is called to become Christ for another by serving every person with a humble heart and with a generous spirit.
Be the reason that someone encounters Jesus in our school and sometimes,
only sometimes, use words to do it!
Important Dates
- Thursday 29th August- 8:00am Father's Day Breakfast and Liturgy
- Wednesday 18th September- 4:30-6pm Art and Learning Showcase
- Friday 20th September- Grandparents Day
- Friday 27th September- Pupil Free Day/Last day of Term 3 (OSHC will only run between 8:30am and 3:30pm on this day due to to staffing)
A Blessing Prayer from Father’s Day
Heavenly Father,
We thank You for the gift of our fathers and father figures and for the many ways they reflect Your love, care, and strength. We ask You to bless all fathers with wisdom, patience, and compassion, that they may be true examples of Your love in their families.
Grant them the grace to lead their children with kindness and understanding, and to always provide guidance rooted in faith. May they find joy in their role as fathers, and may they feel Your presence in every challenge they face.
Bless those fathers who have gone before us and now rest in Your eternal peace. Comfort families who may be grieving the loss of a father, and bring them the solace of Your love.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen
Learning Growth and Achievement
Part of assessing our effectiveness as a school is our NAPLAN data. This data aims to provide valuable insights into student's educational development and helps us tailor teaching strategies to address specific learning needs. Annually, the school receives information that helps us identify areas of strength and opportunities for further development. Our 2023 NAPLAN results were quite strong and we are seeing our learning and teaching efforts make a positive difference. In the image below for 2023, you will notice we are performing on par with similar schools for our Year 3 cohort and outperforming similar schools in Reading, Writing and Numeracy in Year 5. We have very similar data for all Australian students also. This is a wonderful achievement for our school.
Our 2024 NAPLAN data highlights the following successes for us.
- 77% of Year 3 students are achieving above proficiency in Reading
- 86% of Year 3 students are achieving above proficiency in Writing. We are one of only 23 schools in our diocese to achieve this percentage. We are very proud of this as we have had a very strong writing focus.
- 76% of Year 3 students are achieving above proficiency in Numeracy.
- 78% of Year 5 students are achieving above proficiency in Numeracy. We are one of only 11 schools in the diocese to achieve this result.
- 100% of our ATSI (Indigenous and Torres Straight Islander Students) Year 3 students are achieving above proficiency in Reading, Writing and Numeracy.
Grandparents Day
If I could use one word to describe being a grandparent, it would be joy. Being a grandparent is a source of pride in watching your own children become parents.
Having grandchildren opens up a whole new dimension. It's another chance to read books to small children and get hugs and kisses.
The love of a grandparent is a special kind of love. It is a blessing and a wonderful gift. Grandchildren are God's reward for being a parent.
A reminder that we will be celebrating Grandparents Day on Friday 20th September between 8:45am-11am. More information will be sent out next week with further details.
School Attendance
Regularly attending school helps students develop a sense of belonging and attachment to the school community. This connection supports the development of meaningful relationships with peers, teachers, and staff, creating a supportive environment that nurtures their overall learning and wellbeing.
Regular school attendance is classified as being above 95% and our school will contact parents through email to advise that a student's attendance has fallen below this level.
Please note full day absences, frequent late arrivals and/or early departures all contribute to a student’s overall attendance profile.
We understand that many factors can impact attendance such as medical reasons, appointments or family commitments, but we feel it is important to keep you informed and ensure our attendance rates are as high as possible for every student.
School Community Group
Families and schools working together to promote children’s learning, development & wellbeing across home and school is fundamental to our children and emphasises the value of partnership for children’s learning and school success. Parents’ role as first and primary educators of their children, and their lasting influence on their children’s attitudes and achievements, is recognised and actively promoted at OLHC. Similarly, we encourage all parents to value and support their children’s learning in and out of school and support school goals, directions and Catholic identity and mission.
Part of this partnership is our School Community Group. There are many different ways to be involved and connected at OLHC. Attending our conversation evenings, allows families to be part of our improvement journey, have a voice in decisions that impact our children and strengthens relationships. Our school is a family and together we are working to achieve great things for our children.
Our next School Community Group meeting meeting will be on Tuesday 24th September at 5:30pm in our Year 6 classroom. I hope that you can make it!
Parking Concerns
Please be reminded that the areas indicated in the images below are NOT to be used as a pick up, drop off or parking areas. The area near the crossing is a signed designated no stopping area that allows clear view of the pedestrian crossing to keep our children and families safe and the long strip of grass is a no parking area and allows access to the nursing home as well as safe space for others to reverse from designated parking spaces.
On several occasions, delivery trucks have been denied access to the nursing home and this causes significant issues. I know that we don't have a lot of parking spaces, however, I urge all families to respect this request and work with us to allow us to stay in relationship with our neighbours and the nursing home. It would be a great disappointment if we are no longer able to use this space for any parking or as a drop off zone.
Parking or stopping in the space can attract a significant fine and loss of demerit points. If you are asked by a staff member to move your car and not park in one of these spaces, please don't get angry at them. Our job is to keep our children safe and the result of not asking you to move or not park somewhere could be life changing for a family.
Right to Disconnect Legislation
Right To Disconnect Legislation: You may be aware that a recent change in workplace legislation has introduced the right for employees to disconnect outside of their working hours. This new law came into effect on Monday 26 August 2024.
Our teachers are committed to providing the best education and support for your children. To ensure they can maintain a healthy work-life balance and deliver their best during working hours, the new legislation allows them to refrain from monitoring, reading, or responding to work-related communications outside of their scheduled hours.
We kindly ask for your understanding and cooperation in regard to this new legislation. Here are a few points to keep in mind:
- Response Time: You are of course welcome to send emails and messages at a time convenient to you, however, please understand that if sent to a teacher outside of their working hours, they may not respond until they are back on duty.
- Urgent Matters: If you have an urgent concern, please consider whether it can be addressed during working hours. If immediate attention is required, please contact Michael Piccoli via email at michael.piccoli@lism.catholic.edu.au
- Ongoing communication: We will continue to communicate important updates and information in a timely manner. However, non-urgent inquiries will be addressed during the teachers' working hours.
Thank you for your support and understanding as we implement this important change.
Mission News
2024 Sacramental Program
The Sacrament of Reconciliation will be on Tuesday 10th September 9.30am at our Parish Church (during school hours - families are welcome to attend) and the First Holy Communion will be on a later date TBA.
Preparations for the Sacrament of Reconciliation are almost complete in the Year 4 classroom and we look forward to receiving the sacrament on Tuesday.
Father's Day Liturgy
Father's Day is a special day to honour and celebrate the love, guidance, and dedication of all dads, grandfathers and father figures in our lives. We had a wonderful breakfast celebration on Thursday morning followed by a beautiful liturgy. Thank you to the students in Year 4 for leading this liturgy, they did an amazing job! We ask for God’s blessing on all fathers for their continued wisdom, strength, and love as they care for their families. May they find joy and peace in their journey as fathers.
Making Jesus Real Awards
1L
Charlotte C - For the positive and caring way you support and encourage classmates - Keep shining bright Charlotte!
2P
Alyssa J - For showing the Face of Jesus through your kind, caring and thoughtful words and actions towards others.
3L
Grace H - For your positive attitude and encouragement towards your peers, which helps create a collaborative and motivating environment. Keep it up
4L
Harvey C - For being a kind and inclusive friend. Keep shining your light Harvey!
4P
Mia B - For always starting each day with a bright smile and cheerful manner. It is a joy to have you in our class Mia!
5L
Isaac S - For making Jesus tangible through your support and guidance for staff and peers. Keep it up!
5P
Oscar B - Oscar, your respectful behavior and compassionate spirit make a positive difference in our classroom. Keep shining your light!
6P
Tyler E - For going out of his way to be helpful at the Multisports Gala Day. Thank you for being amazing, Tyler!
Robert G - For demonstrating great sportsmanship at the Multisports Gala Day. Thank you for showing the Spirit of Jesus, Robbie!
Learning & Teaching
Kindergarten having fun while learning Mathematics.
Year 1 dancing and performing some classical ballet moves.
Year 2 investigating different ways to measure surface area and length.
Year 3 Writing
Year 4 Mathematics
Year 5 Strengths Spotting activity.
Year 6 are learning about digital systems in Science.
OLHC Achievement Awards
KP
Casper K - For your incredible growth in reading and writing your sounds. You're a superstar at segmenting and blending Casper.
Emma P - For fantastic growth in reading words with increased fluency. Keep working hard Emma.
Lily T - For your fantastic problem solving skills in Measurement. You have a great positive attitude when it comes to solving Mathematics problems.
Thea B - For carefully editing your writing independently and applying our new spelling rules. You're a superstar Thea.
1L
Milla C - For growing in confidence to independently attempt all tasks and challenges - Keep it up Milla!
Evie F - For being a responsible and cooperative learner, giving your best at every opportunity - Well done Evie!
Claire M - For outstanding focus and commitment to learning -You are a star Claire!
Charlotte W - For making valuable contributions in all learning areas and having a responsible attitude towards learning. Great work Charlotte!
2P
Harvey J - For completing detailed Maths multiplicative thinking and for the dedication you also display. Well done!
Theo T - For applying yourself to challenging tasks during Maths and displaying sustained effort. Keep up the great work!
3L
Teilani B - Your wonderful application of spelling rules and progress you've made in your writing. Your hard work and dedication is evident. Well done Teilani!
Spencer S - For your effective use of strategies to problem solve in mathematics. I am loving your growth mindset, Spence!
Darcy S - For your ability to capture the reader's attention and showcase your creativity and attention to detail in writing. Keep up the fantastic effort, Darcy!
4L
Nash B - For using your knowledge of synonyms to write an engaging rhyming couplet. Keep it up Nash!
Taze P - For using knowledge of place value to connect the mass of objects to fractions and decimals. Well done Taze!
4P
Bradley B - For his persistent effort in applying multiplication strategies in mathematics. Keep up the great work, Bradley.
Tyler N - For his constant effort in all areas of school life. It is a pleasure teaching you Tyler, you're a superstar!
5L
Harlee C - For her persistence in Mathematics to overcome challenging mathematics tasks. Well done Harlee!
Quintin F - For seeking feedback and applying it to enhance your writing, keep up the great work!
5P
Brody C - Brody your dedication and determination in all aspects of learning are commendable. Your desire to succeed shines brightly in everything you do.
Chaise K - Chaise, your dedication to mastering multiplication concepts this week has been impressive! Keep up the fantastic effort!
6P
Holly C - For being focused in class and working hard to improve her learning, particularly during writing activities. Keep up your fantastic efforts, Holly!
Holly W - For overcoming challenges to remain focused on her learning and continuing to work hard in all areas. You are an inspiration, Holly!
Sports News
At OLHC, we love celebrating the sporting achievements of all our students. If your child has a special achievement that you would love for us to share with the school community, please send any photos and a short paragraph outlining their achievement to Mrs McCarthy - haylee.mccarthy@lism.catholic.edu.au
Colour House Competition
This term we have organised a Colour House Competition for our students. Students in Years 3 - 6 will walk down to Neilson Park every second Friday afternoon to participate in either soccer, touch football or social walking. We would like to encourage the students to bring along their coloured shirt to wear for the competition.
This will take place on the following dates.
Week | Dates and Times |
Week 5 | 23/08/23 - 1:15pm - 2:30pm |
Week 7 | 06/09/23 - 1:15pm - 2:30pm |
Week 9 | 20/09/23 - 1:15pm - 2:30pm |
Kinder, Year 1 and Year 2 will participate in some fun games at school. They will also be divided into to their house groups and earn points every second Friday. We would like to encourage the students to bring along their colour shirt to wear for the competition.
Term Four
- Monday the 4th of November - Richmond Zone Tennis Summer Sports Trials (Years 4 and 5 ONLY)
- Wednesday the 6th of November - Richmond Zone Cricket Summer Sports Trials (Years 4 and 5 ONLY)
- Thursday the 7th of November - Richmond Zone Touch Football Summer Sports Trials (Years 4 and 5 ONLY)
- Tuesday the 26th of November - DIO Tennis Summer Sports Trials, Lismore (Years 4 and 5 ONLY)
- Friday the 29th of November - DIO Cricket, Softball, Touch Football and Basketball Summer Sports Trials, Lismore (Years 4 and 5 ONLY)
- Friday the 6th of December - OLHC Swimming Carnival
Stage 3 Gala Day
On Friday 30th August, Stage 3 attended the Richmond Zone Gala day. A great day was had by all students.
Stage 3 Netball
Stage 3 Soccer
Stage 3 Multisports
School News
Community News
Free Workshop about Parenting Teens: Don't miss this amazing opportunity to learn more about parenting teens in the complex world they are growing up in. Chris Hudson, a highly regarded teen parenting coach will present - Parenting Teenagers in a Digital World at Trinity Catholic College - R Block at 5.30pm (refreshments) 6pm start on Tuesday the 17th of September. We hope that all parents of tweens and teens in our Catholic schools in the local area make time to come along to this informative and engaging session. You'll leave with great information and practical tips and strategies to help you help your young person thrive.
To register CLICK HERE or to read more CLICK HERE.