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

Leadership & Stewardship

Principal's Message

Dear members of the OLHC school community,

"There are many phenomena in life that we cannot control — examples include aging, illness, an angry boss, the weather, poor reception to our work, our competition, and the missteps of our children. What we can control, however, is what we do in response, and that is where our focus ought to lie."

― Brad Stulberg, Master of Change

Today brings down the curtain on term 3. I wish to take this opportunity to thank all stakeholders for their positive contributions to our school this term. We are many parts to the whole but collectively we have worked to create a school environment we can all be proud of.

I hope that everyone has a happy holiday and if you are traveling, keep safe and we will see you in term 4. For those not on the move - enjoy our beautiful town.

Steve

Important Dates Term 4

2nd October - School Resumes

3rd - 13th October - Yr 3/4 Swimming Program

Friday 6th October - Foundation Excursion to The Fairy Park Geelong

Friday 6th October - Regional Athletics Ballarat

16th - 27th October - Yr 5 Swimming Program

30th Oct - 3rd Nov - Yr 3/4 Bike Ed Program

Wednesday 1st November - Yr 5 Emmanuel College Visit

Tuesday 7th November - Melbourne Cup Day

Friday 10th November - Staff PD - Student Free Day

Saturday 11th November - Remembrance Day

20th Nov - 1st December - Foundation, Yr 1 & 2 Swimming Program

Thursday 30th November - 2024 Foundation Transition 1 & Parent Information Session

Wednesday 6th December - 2024 Foundation Transition 2

Thursday 7th December - Yr 6 Graduation

Monday 11th December - Yr 4 Fun Day

Tuesday 12th December - Orientation Day

Wednesday 13th December - Foundation & Yr 3 Fun Days

Thursday 14th December - Yr 1, 2 & 6 Fun Days

Friday 15th December - Students' last day for 2023 @ 3.25pm

Monday 18th December - Staff's last day for 2023

Teaching & Learning @ OLHC

A Message from Mr A

Week 10 Term 3

It has been busy week rounding off the end of Term 3. Classrooms have been finishing their Inquiry units, with some fantastic examples of students taking action. We wind up 75% of the year and head into holidays with half an eye on the final term of the year.

GRADE 2 INQUIRY- TIPTOE THROUGH OUR WORLD/SHARED LUNCH

Thursday was a big day in the Grade 2 area. The students welcomed parents in for a shared lunch and an opportunity to show their creations made from recycled materials. There were some very interesting designs created by our students and the parent turnout was great. Well done Grade 2 level.

Yr 2 Recycled Craft and Shared Lunch

GRADE 3 INQUIRY- FRAME BY FRAME

Our Grade 3 cohort rounded off their Inquiry unit, Frame by Frame, on Wednesday with a presentation of their stop motions they have been working on the last couple of weeks. The parents were welcomed in and were impressed with the students’ final products. This is always an engaging unit and one I know Mrs Payne would be missing while she is away on maternity leave. Well done to Mrs Ryan, Ms Swarbrick and Mrs Chapman.

Yr 3 Stop Motion

The Grade 4 teachers have done a wonderful job in the way they have delivered their Inquiry unit, The Blue Marble, this term. The work they have done by connecting with Love and Shared and as a community we have donated over 250kg of items that will be sorted and donated to those in need. Even though the OLHC Loved & Shared drive has now finished, we can continue to support this sustainable and charitable organisation by doing the following:

- Volunteering your time to help out at the Loved & Shared warehouse. There is a link on the Loved & Shared website if you are interested in volunteering.

-Supermarkets around Warrnambool have Loved & Shared yellow donation bins. Keep an eye out at your local Woolies! When shopping at the supermarket, keep an eye out for specials on nappies, wipes, toys and stationery as these are also highly sought after items at Loved & Shared. You can simply purchase them and place them in the donation bins at the supermarket.

Here is a short blurb from Mrs McMillan about the level wrapping up the unit-

“This week the Grade 4’s wrapped up their Blue Marble Inquiry unit with student presentations on Show Us What You Know. We were also lucky enough to have Grade 4 parent, Megan Hammond, come in and talk about her job with Parks Victoria. The Grade 4 students had lots of questions and shared Megan’s love for sustainability and caring for the animals and vegetation within our local environment. Our Local Parks Victoria group covers a large area from Moonlight Heads - Colac - Mortlake - Yambuk and only have 10 - 15 people working within that area. Going forward, one way we can all help do our bit is to become a volunteer through the links on the Parks Victoria website, such as joining groups like ‘Friends of Tower Hill’ where we can be actively involved in restoring and maintaining our local, natural habitats.” Mrs McMillan

Well done Grade 4 level.

STAFF vs STUDENTS BASKETBALL

Over the last few weeks there has been some healthy competition in the ED Hall at lunchtimes. The Grade 6 students have been playing members of staff in games of basketball. This has generated plenty of excitement amongst all the students, from those playing to the many students on the sidelines spectating. Thanks to Mr K for organising this.

Students v Teachers Lunchtime Basketball

2024 TRAINEES

Kasey and myself conducted interviews for our traineeship positions for 2024. We had a number of quality applications and all applicants who had an interview did a wonderful job. Our three new trainees for next year are Scarlett O’Brien, Eva Murphy and Jaz Groves.

Thanks to everyone who contributes to making our school such an amazing place to be involved in.

Enjoy the holidays.

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

How can we get the balance right?

As we head into our spring holiday break let us try and remind our children to balance screen time with green time. The students at OLHC have been talking about how to balance their time and also make the most of your school holidays outside (green time).

Six tips to try and strike a balance this holiday period.

Encourage responsible online behavior. Talk about it.
Talk about ways your child can seek help if they wish to talk about something that happened online.
Nurture their social and emotional skills when dealing with tricky situations online.
Be informed and if you can play alongside them occasionally.
Set clear limits on the amount of time spent online. Involve children when creating these limits.
Encourage a healthy balance of screen time and green time and model this behaviour yourself.

If something goes wrong online, resist the urge to immediately remove their devices or internet access. According to eSafety, removing access can discourage kids from seeking help next time, and doesn’t give them the opportunity to develop important cyber safety skills.

Footy Colours Day

Foundation

Shivaansh Singh

James Gaffy

Lewis Shortt

Charlie Miller

Daniel Banari

Yr 1

Eleanor Hales

Issey Collishaw

Ollie Marr

Clementine Rea

Flora Meade

Reuben Warhurst

Yr 2

Archie Britnell

Ruby Conn

Kieran Roberts

Olivia Ryan

Isaac Paul

Violet Barlow

Yr 3

Hugo Auld

Jasper Butler

Grace Vorbach

Audrey Sheldon

Tayah Lake

Hallie Lewis

Yr 4

Ava Barraclough

Hugo Ross

Isabella Lyons

Max Mills

Peter Fry

Sophia Graham

Yr 5

Olivia Riordon

Chloe Burrows

Tadhg Loughran

Selena Fernandez

Indi Griffin

Sam Gardner

Yr 6

Reede Lowe

Taj Warhurst

Alena Hoy

Poppy Watson

Grace Passlow

Caden Waller

Physical EducationAward

Eliza Farrer

Spirit of Our Lady's Award

Connor Ryan

Lucy Coxall

Will Hodson

Jobe Templeton

Brooklyn Suridge

Murphy Castle

Ada Gore

Walk Ride Champion of the Week

Walk Ride Champion is if you ride or walk to school you receive a prize and get to have your 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: Issey and Emmy Dyer

Age: 10 and 11

Grade: 4, 5

Class: 4mo 5cw

House: green

Favorite food: tacos

Favorite color: blue

Type of bike: mountain bike

Favorite animal: dog

Sports you like: basketball, aerial

Football team: Richmond, Geelong

How far do you ride to school: 1k

How much did you ride this week: 2 days

How long does it take you to ride to school? 15 min

How long have you been riding to school? 2 weeks

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

Tip of the week:

“Watch out for traffic”

Faith & Culture

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

P: 5562 2231

E: southwestcoast@ballarat.catholic.org.au

The Embrace of Sin
(Matthew 18: 21 - 35)

If ever someone was locked in the embrace of sin, it’s the servant in this parable about mercy. Though compassion is shown to him, he’s incapable of returning it. Watch the way he treats his fellow servant! His unforgiveness imprisons him in the same way.

The spirit of unforgiveness lurks in Peter’s question about “how much” forgiveness is required. What he’s really asking is: When can I reasonably refuse to forgive those who offend me? Surely there’s a limit to how much forgiveness is strictly necessary.

Jesus won’t play this game. Jesus paints God as a king willing to forgive an outrageous sum owed him, not because it’s necessary – a king has no obligation to forgive anything – but for compassion’s sake. Peter, in the guise of the first servant, sees his anger against his brother as actually justifiable. In the world of gospel parable, that attitude is destined for destruction. Holding others bound to their sin poisons our love. Our forgiveness reveals how far short we fall of the mercy God shows to us. When I’m in opposition to a sister or brother, I know it’s for my sake, as much as for theirs, that I find my way to forgiveness. To the extent that I choke my neighbour with my wrath, that’s how far the embrace of sin has choked the love out of me.

Whom do you find hardest to forgive? What makes it hard, and what price do you pay for unforgiveness?

Relationship Trumps Righteous Indignation

At that point Peter had the nerve to ask, “Master, how many times do I forgive a brother or sister who hurts me? Seven?” Jesus replied, “Seven! Hardly. Try seventy times seven”. (Matthew 18: 21 - 22)

“Do you want to be right or do you want to be in relationship?” That was the question Catholic psychologist Sidney Callahan said a friend posed after an extended feud. It was a lesson in forgiveness.

Recently my sister and I came to an impasse following a small incident that we both viewed with much more intensity than it deserved. I thought my sister was being selfish and inconsiderate. She thought I was being unreasonable and controlling. After several heated conversations, it was obvious that we were not going to see eye to eye.

I really felt she owed me an apology before I could move on. At first I tried to gain the support of my husband and other family members. Surely they would see that I was right and that my sister needed to concede to my view of the situation. But spouse and siblings weren’t buying it. They said they we were both right and both wrong. I hate that!

I couldn’t just dive into work and ignore the riff. I wanted things to be back to normal between us – best buddies, confidants, creative springboards. But I had drawn a line and until an apology came, there would be no fence-mending. Then, one morning that question Sidney Callahan’s friend had asked came to mind, “Do you want to be right or do you want to be in relationship?” I knew what I had to do. I called my sister and told her I still wasn’t talking to her. And then we spent the next 20 minutes catching up on all we’d missed in the past week.

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!

Andrew Fuller: How to get through a bad day

ANDREW FULLER
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST

As part of our Best of The Parents Website series, we repost Andrew Fuller's handy guide to getting through a bad day – an article more relevant than ever in these often trying times.

They don’t happen often but they do happen. Days that are so awful we want them over as soon as possible.

Everyone has them – lousy, rotten, dreadful days when absolutely nothing goes right. The dark clouds of negativity surround us. We feel flat or angry or agitated. Everything we try to do to improve our feelings backfires and it feels like life is ‘going to hell in a hand basket’.

These are days that are ended as quickly as possible. Everyone has had days when they have thought the best thing they could do is to go to bed and finish the day so that a new one can begin.

But what if it is 10 in the morning and it’s just too damn early to go back to bed? Let’s talk about some ways of getting through.

It is what it is

On these days it’s hard to see a cheery side to anything but it is useful to remember these days are rare. In your life you get some but not too many. The mega-vicious malevolence of these moments puts these days into a class of their own.

Exceptionally bad days call for exceptional responses.

Stop trying to improve things

As a general rule most attempts to improve things on these days backfires. So stop. The world is having, ‘one of those days’ and you especially are having one of those days. You can’t fix it. Accept it and find ways to get through this.

Withdraw

To borrow a sporting phrase, on the great scoreboard of life the phrase ‘retired-hurt’ should appear next to your name. Consider staying home, switching off the phone and the news and focusing on surviving.

You can’t predict the future

On days like this we can fall into the trap of feeling that life is always going to be like this. This is to deny the true evil vortex that a day like this, is. Accept it for its unique rottenness. On the scales of life, this day is the absolute pits.

Control your exposure to other people

On tough days having too many people to deal with can be draining and toxic. Run away. If you need to, invent a 24-hour virus, a major headache or tummy bug.

Think long and hard before spending time with anyone. People love to have opinions about things but on this day of all days you may not want them shared with you.

You may have a few trusted calm people that you can let know, ‘I’m having a bad day today. I don’t need you to try and fix it but I would really appreciate spending some time talking to you about other things so I can get through it.’

Dive into a different world

On these days you may not be at your most appreciative. Even so, walking in gardens, visiting a conservatory or even strolling through an art gallery may help.

Get physical

Generally exercise alters our mood so you could go for a walk, a run, to a gym or for a bike ride. Be careful though. Take care of yourself. We don’t want you to end up with a twisted ankle or in a head-over-the- handlebars situation.

Spruce yourself up a bit

Have a shower or bath. Freshen up. Put on some scent that smells good. Wear clothes that make you feel good. Just because you feel awful doesn’t mean you can’t look great.

Eat

This is not the day for dieting or denial. Stay away from mirrors and harsh self-criticism. Cook or buy your favourite foods. Think pasta. Think chocolate. Think comfort. Enjoy these foods and try not to guilt-trip yourself later on for enjoying them.

Music

On days like this some people find dour, sad music to be a comfort. It’s almost as if it reminds us that someone else in the history of humanity has also had days like these. Others of course, like to play pump-you-up-positive music.

Talk to an animal

Find a pet or even a passing bird and confide the sort of day you’re having to them. They’ll listen. Who knows? They might even secretly think, ‘There are days being human sounds like it would be hell.’

Make a check up from the neck up

On tough days our thoughts go around and around inside our heads. Sometimes we blame ourselves. Expressing your thoughts can start to shift them.

Write it out, draw it out, grab a musical instrument and play it out. Get those troubles out of your head and on to some paper.

Acceptance

Accepting that the day is one when the excrement has hit the air ventilation system big time goes a long way towards surviving it.

Treat yourself as you would kindly treat a child who is feeling poorly. Make yourself a nice warm drink and go to bed early. Tomorrow is going to be a different day. Good luck!

Of course, if you have a lot of bad days get some professional help.

Copyright Andrew Fuller.

Flourish Wellbeing eMagazine – September 2023

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

Featured Articles:

Supporting Australians during The Voice to Parliament referendum.
R U OK? Day
Podcast – Meditation vs Mindfulness

Also in this edition:

Be bold this Liptember.
7 health ways to deal with anger.
What’s the best way to move.
The benefits of resistance training.
Snooze silence.
And more!

Parents & Friends Association

PFA AFL Footy Tipping Results

Thanks to all who participated in this year's footy tipping. Tight contest that came down to the wire with first and second separated by margin as well as third and fourth. Congratulations!!!!

1st- STICKSR (Michael Ryan) 145 (615)

2nd - CHILLFAM (Chiller Family) 145 (653)

3rd GODEES11! (Byrne Family) 144 (626)

Community

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 appreciate 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.

AusBike presented by the Warrnambool BMX Club

AusBike is Australia’s national program designed to give kids the essential skills to experience the freedom, fun and adventure of life on a bike. The program has been designed by expert coaches and is delivered by accredited instructors.

The sessions are flexible and designed to teach kids fundamental skills in locations ranging from basketball courts, indoor halls, local pump tracks, footy ovals and more.

AusBike caters for kids with all levels of bike riding experience – whether they’re just off training wheels, or further down the track with their cycling journey.

The program is fun, interactive and progressive. AusBikers will work their way through a program of core skills, progressing from beginner to expert and will graduate with the skills and confidence for a lifetime of adventures on two wheels!

Check out this video to see AusBike in action - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kycjjUBgKdc

Register below...

https://raceroster.com/events/2023/79118/warrnambool-bmx-club

Parenting Programs - click this link to access information

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