Our Lady Help of Christians Primary School East Warrnambool eNewsletter

Acknowledgement of Country

Today we acknowledge and pay our respects to the First Peoples, the traditional custodians of the lands and waterways and thank them for their continued hospitality.

We acknowledge and celebrate the continuation of a living culture who have lived with Creator God through creation of land, sea, waterways and life.

Prayer

Creator God,
Thank you for the gift of this new term.

Refresh us. Invite us to discover your presence
In each person that we meet
And every event that we encounter.
Teach us when to speak and when to listen
When to ponder and when to share.
In moments of challenge and decision
Attune our hearts to the whisperings of your wisdom.
As we undertake ordinary and unnoticed tasks,
Gift us with simple joy.
When our days go well, may we rejoice.
When they grow difficult, surprise us with
New possibilities.
When life is overwhelming, call us to
Sabbath moments
To restore your peace and harmony.
May our living today reveal your goodness.

Amen

Leadership & Stewardship

Principal's Message

Dear members of the OLHC school community,

Welcome back!

Welcome back to term 3. We gathered on Monday morning and celebrated NAIDOC week through readings and prayer. I wish to thank the senior team for leading us in this important assembly. Despite some pockets of sunshine, our school grounds are sodden from weeks of consistent rain. The children have been fortunate enough to access the hall, church car park, courtyard, track and playgrounds for a run around. We are very lucky to have these options for them.

This week the Foundation teachers and myself have conducted interviews for children beginning next year at OLHC. We have welcomed existing families and the children have been exceptional. We are very excited with our intake to date.

Parental Engagement at OLHC

The Catholic Education Office shares a number of resources with the staff through their weekly newsletter. One aspect relates to staff wellbeing. The following is an excellent resource that you may be interested in skimming. See the eMag link below and I hope you find it useful.

The July 2023 edition of Converge International’s Flourish Health and Wellbeing eMag is now available.

Featured Articles:

Spiritual Wellbeing in the Workplace.
Naidoc Week 2023: For Our Elders.
Podcast – What is anxiety?

Also in this edition:

Disconnect and take care of your health.
What’s the problem with vaping?
6 reasons to practice gratitude.
International Day of Friendship.
Understanding diabetes.
Facts about fats.
End of financial year survival.

Have a relaxing weekend!

Steve

Important Dates

Mon 17th July to Thursday 20th July - 2024 Existing Family Foundation Interviews

Wed 19th July - Eucharist Parent Meeting

Friday 21st July - Grandparents/Special Persons Day

Sat 22nd @ 6pm & Sun 23rd July @ 9am - Eucharist Enrolment Masses

Tue 25th & Wed 26th July - Parent-Teacher Conferences

Friday 28th July - School Closure /Staff Maths Professional Day

Thu 27th & Mon 31st July & Tue 1st August - Book Fair

Mon 31st July - Fri 4th August - New Family 2024 Foundation Interviews

Teaching & Learning @ OLHC

A Message from Mr A

Welcome back to Term 3! Great to hear plenty of holiday stories from the students as I passed them in the hallways. Everyone seems well rested and ready to tackle another big term.

2024 FOUNDATION INTERVIEWS

We welcomed some of the siblings of our current students who will be beginning their educational journey next year. It is great to begin to make connections with these new students as they bring a new energy to our school community. We will begin our transitional processes at the beginning of Term 4 as we connect parents to Class Dojo and the 2024 Foundation teachers begin communicating with them regarding orientation information.

SPELLING 3-6

I sent a letter to 3-6 parents explaining that we are developing our approach to spelling, that includes developing our students understanding of morphology. Morphology is the study of meaningful units of language, called morphemes, and how they are combined in forming words. For example, the word contradiction can be broken up as contra-dict-ion, with the prefix contra- (against), the root word dict (to speak), and the suffix –ion (a verbal action). This aligns with our implementation of the phonics program in the Junior level and we will continue to keep parents updated.

PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES

These are scheduled to run in Week 3 on Tuesday 25th July and Wednesday 26th July and can be booked through PAM. You are able to book either an in person conference or a phone call when doing this. If you have issues, please see your classroom teacher.

FUN LOOP FRIDAY

We had a little visitor on Fun Loop Friday this morning. A little poodle named Tootsie. She was more than happy to receive all the attention from the students coming in and will probably make regular visits on a Friday. The idea of a therapy dog was raised with me as I visited classrooms following this and the benefit this can have on students and their educational setting. Maybe something to explore in the future.

GRADE 3 SHARED LUNCH

On Wednesday we welcomed the parents of our Grade 3 cohort in for a shared lunch which included toasted sandwiches. These shared lunches prove to be invaluable in developing school community spirit and providing opportunities for parents to build social connections with each other. Well done Grade 3 level!

Have a great weekend with your family.

Thanks,

Naish

Cyber Safety Bits with Ms Fitzgerald and Mrs Murfett

Hello Parents, Guardians and Friends,

Each week the Digital Technology teachers Ms Fitzgerald and Mrs Murfett will be bringing you new cybersafety tips and what is going on in the technology room this week. If you have any questions or concerns regarding cybersafety please contact us on:

Ellen Fitzgerald: efitzgerald@olhcwarrnambool.catholic.edu.au

Sarah Murfett: smurfett@olhcwarrnambool.catholic.edu.au

Online Friendships Scenarios

In year 5 this week we are learning about online friendships and learning the differences between a safe online friendship and one that can lead to children feeling uncomfortable. Here is 2 scenarios to read through with your children to discuss the differences between a safe and unsafe online friendship.

Scenario 1:

Heart is a middle-school student who is a little shy about meeting new people. Her science class has a project where each student gets to video-chat with a student from their "sister" school in Jaipur, India, which is 7,770 miles away.

Heart is assigned to video-chat with a girl named Kaia. Heart is nervous about meeting her and wonders if they will have anything in common. When they meet, however, Heart quickly sees that Kaia is very nice and that they have lots in common. For example, they're both on PhotoFun.

Heart is also excited to meet Kaia because her parents are from India, and Heart has always wanted to know more about what it's like there. At the end of their chat, Kaia asks Heart if she can follow her on PhotoFun. Heart smiles and says, "Of course!"

Scenario 2:

Heart gets a message on her phone from her friend CJcool11. She doesn't know CJcool11's real name and age, but they've been online friends for a couple of months.

They "met" when he posted a comment on one of her PhotoFun photos, a photo of her dog, Pepper. She replied, and they shared some funny stories about their dogs.

Now, they talk a lot online. When she shares a problem she has at school, CJcool11 always has good ideas for handling the problem.

Today, CJcool11's message reads, "My annoying neighbor never cleans up after his dog."

Heart responds: "That's rude. Everyone on my street always does." After a moment, CJcool11 answers back, "Rly? What street do you live on?"

Heart pauses. This question makes her feel uncomfortable.

What is going on in the classrooms this week?

Foundation: Will be learning about cyberbullying and how words can hurt us on the inside.

1s: Will be learning how to pause and think online and use their body parts to help them be safe online.

2s: Will be learning about cyber safety and who is in their online community

3s: Will be creating their own citizenship pledge on how they can be safe online at school in their classroom

4s: Will be learning to use positive language when developing friendships online.

5s: Will be learning the differences between safe and unsafe online friendships

6s: Will be learning the differences between safe and unsafe online friendships

Sports Report

State Cross Country

Yesterday we had a significant representation of OLHC students competing in the SSV State Cross Country @ Yarra Valley Racing Club. Congratulations to the following students for making it this far.

All athletes perform well with some great results on a very wet and muddy track.

Beau Morrison finished 13th overall with a time of 8.26 for 2km
Hugh White’s time was 12.50 for 3 km
Harrison Watson’s time was 9.09 for 2km
Sophie Byrne’s time 10.19 for 2km
Chloe Burrow’s time 11.30 for 2km

Awards

Walk Ride Champion of the Week

Walk Ride Champion is if you ride to school the most you get a prize and get to have a profile in the school newsletter and an interview on ClassDojo. So start riding or walking today to be in the running for a prize!

Name: Camdyn Spencer

Age: 10

Grade: 5

Class: 5cw

House: blue

Favorite food: lasagna

Favorite color: rainbow

Type of bike: - Kmart

Favorite animal: dogs, cats, fish & birds

Sports you like: tennis

Football team: Essendon

How far do you ride to school: 2 blocks

How much did you ride this week: 5 days

How long does it take you to ride to school? 2 minutes 20 seconds (she counted)

How long have you been riding to school? Prep

What is one tip you would give to anyone wishing to ride to school?

Tip of the week:

“Training wheels, get some help don’t try to do it yourself for the first time”

Faith & Culture

Parish Office Hours: 9am - 4pm Monday - Friday

P: 5562 2231

E: southwestcoast@ballarat.catholic.org.au

Eucharist Dates

Parent information evening: Wed July 19th @ 7.00 pm

Enrolment weekend: July 22nd & 23rd

Eucharist Practice: 24th August @ 2 pm

Celebration of Eucharist: August 26th & 27th

Blessed Eyes, Blessed Ears
(Matthew 13: 1 - 23)

My Dad’s hearing started to fail. My vision has gotten to the point where I need two kinds of glass in my glasses. Our senses have a built-in obsolescence that we ignore till they balk and we find out there’s no warranty.

Seeing and hearing are gifts not to be taken for granted, but understanding with the heart is greater still. Jesus never blames the blind man for his blindness, nor a deaf person for not responding. But he does have a lot to say about people who walk wide-eyed into episodes of sin. Jesus is blunt with religious people who refuse to change their hearts. They (we!) enjoy the advantage of having God’s word sown like seed in our soil, and yet nothing is cultivated and nothing grows. No plot of ground is responsible for its barrenness if the seed never arrives there. But woe to the ground that’s planted and yields dust! Far better to stop going to church and stop calling ourselves Christian, than to adopt the name and go on, deaf and blind to Jesus.

Patient Gardener

Jesus said, “What do you make of this? A farmer planted seed. As he scattered the seed, some fell on the road, and birds ate it. Some fell in the gravel; it sprouted quickly but didn’t put down roots, so when the sun came up it withered just as quickly. Some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was strangled by the weeds. Some fell on good earth, and produced a harvest beyond his wildest dreams. Are you listening to this? Really listening?” (Matthew 13: 3 - 9)

I planted my first-ever garden. I have no idea what I’m doing. I searched online for “what plants grow like crazy”. Bishop’s weed. “Spreads quickly and difficult to eradicate,” the description said. Sounds like good ground cover to me, and it’s prettier than the name implies. I already have a rose of Sharon (of Song of Solomon fame) and a burning bush (which turns read in autumn), so I decided to stick with the religious theme and added a lily of the valley, also known as Mary’s tears and a symbol of purity and humility. Finally, I planted two bleeding hearts to represent the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts of Jesus and Mary. With so many allusions of my faith already, I think a statue of Saint Francis of Assisi would be overkill!

All of the plants I chose are hardy, the kinds of plants Jesus was talking about in his parable about seeds that bear fruit. I relate more to the giant unruly lilac along my driveway. It has an invasive tree growing up in the middle that I can’t get rid of no matter how much I hack at it, and it hasn’t bloomed in two years because of unusually long, cold winters. I wanted to rip the whole thing out, by my best friend, an experienced gardener, advised that I give it another year. I trust that God is as patient with me.

Parish Bulletin

New_Star_of_the_Sea.pdf

Wellbeing

If you want to learn to ride a skateboard or get better at maths, you need to practise. It’s the same when you want to feel happier!

Here are some easy ideas to give Gratitude, Empathy, Mindfulness and Emotional Literacy a try every day. Because the more you practise, the better you will feel.

Let's Practice!

Work-life Balance: Tips for you and your family

Key points

A healthy work-life balance is good for your children, your family relationships and you.
Making changes at home can help you find a better work-life balance.
You can also talk to your employer about family-friendly work arrangements.
Adjusting your work habits and your perspective on work can help too.

Work-life balance: what it is and why it matters

Changing your home and family arrangements to improve work-life balance

Negotiating family-friendly work arrangements to support work-life balance

Changing work habits to support work-life balance

Webinar - Eating for Optimal Energy.

Mel Bald is a degree qualified Geelong nutritionist, as well as having qualifications in Exercise Science. Mel is all about helping achieve optimal health through nutrition, lifestyle strategies and using the science of behaviour change to help healthy habits stick. Feel free to check out Mel’s Website and Blog.

We are fortunate to have Mel share her webinar on 'Eating for Optimal Energy'!

This webinar features information on a range of topics relating to nutrition and energy such as:

How our energy is drawn
Breakdown of macronutrients
Blood sugar levels explained
What a balanced plate looks like
Meal ideas
And so much more..!!

Eating for Optimal Energy Webinar!

Parents & Friends Association

Our OLHC Netball Mini's Program resumes next Monday & Dee & her crew can't wait to see the girls back for some more fun this term.

Community

Term 3: Monday 17th July, concluding on Wednesday 30th August

Term 4: Monday 9th October, concluding on Wednesday 22nd November

The students participating, meet staff in the courtyard after school where they have some fruit before heading over to the school hall.

This program runs from 3.30pm to 4.45pm

We appreciated parents/guardians being prompt on pick up.

Enrolment forms are in the school foyer or can be found on PAM in the "Knowledge Bank" under forms and then selecting sporting schools or on the link below.

These forms need to be returned to the school office prior to your child/ren participating in the program.

If you have any further queries please contact the school office.

Lingapiny Ajak Inc. Is a registered non-profit charity organization, established in March 2023. Our mission is to teach and empower underprivileged individuals, families and communities in Sudan and continue to develop projects that assist creating a better life for all.

Earlier in the term we included in our newsletter, an article that was in the local newspaper putting the spotlight on Teresa Padiet (Yr 6 student Evans Ajang's mum) and the wonderful work she is achieving in Sudan. Please see details on the webpage below.

Webiste: lingapinyajak.org

Email: lingapinyajak@gmail.com

Raising Resilient and Compassionate Children

Author Lael Stone is on her way to the Lighthouse Theatre with her workshop Raising Resilient & Compassionate Children. In partnership with the Warrnambool Breastfeeding Centre, this 2.5-hour discussion is based on Lael Stone's book & will cover navigating big feelings, co-operation, working with our triggers, developing resilience and using play for connection.

Bout the Book - Raising Resilient and Compassionate Children: A Parent's Guide to Understanding Behaviour, Feelings and Relationships.

How can we raise children who can move through life’s challenges in healthy ways, while being compassionate and considerate of others?

Historically parenting has focused on raising children who are ‘well behaved’, through the use of rewards and punishments, without understanding the true causes of children’s behaviour.

In their first authored collaboration, Marion Rose and Lael Stone share the compassion and wisdom they’ve acquired from a combined 40 years of experience working with families. Informed by an Aware Parenting lens, they provide a framework and methodology for parents to understand the root causes of the most common parenting challenges including sleep issues, aggression and anxiety.

They offer a truly empathic and modern approach to feelings, supporting parents to welcome children’s tears and rages rather than suppressing them. This trauma-informed approach can then be applied to all areas of parenting, including healing parents’ own childhood hurt and trauma. This book invites parents to change the way in which they perceive, understand and respond to children.

Be quick limited seats available.

Bookings at https://www.lighthousetheatre.com.au/raising-resilient-compassionate