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,

Advent Week 1 - Hope

The major themes of Advent are longing and hope.

Whatever greater good we long for and hope for, whether it is for ourselves, our family, others or our planet it's up to us to work towards these goals.

The life of Jesus from such humble beginnings can inspire us to be receptive, to be productive, bear fruit that will benefit all whose lives we touch.

Orientation Day

On the morning of Tuesday 12th December, the children will move to their class for 2024. Our current Year 6 children will head off to secondary school (please see communication from secondary schools for details) and our new Foundation children will arrive at 9:00am

The children will stay with their 2024 class group and teacher until lunchtime.

Poetry Cafe

On Tuesday our three Grade 2 classes had an opportunity to present their poetry to friends and family. The children displayed a lot of confidence and put on a great show. I love seeing them battle through a few nerves and having a sense of achievement at the end of it. Well done kids !!!

Graduation

On Thursday our 72 Grade 6’s Graduated from OLHC. For many families (see below) it will be their last official involvement with our school. While this has been a year or two for some, for others it has been half a lifetime with children at our school. My sincere best wishes to all the children and families who are leaving us and I hope a little bit of “ Our Ladies” stays with you..

I wish to thank the grade 6 team for their work over the last two weeks. Their workload has been significant and I am very appreciative of their willingness to go the extra yard to ensure our children get the best. Marie Harney, Ollie Bidmade & Sam Inverarity for their hard work in preparing the Grade 6 children for last night's Graduation.To all the staff who assisted in Naish, Kathy Freeman, Sarah Murphett, Dylan Jongebloed, Finn Cook, Lucy El Hage, Stacey Drake and Gen Howland - a big thankyou.

To the OLHC parents (of Grade 5 students), Shannon Rea, Laura Levett, Jenna Conn and Jacinta Gardner, a massive shout out for all your work with the set up, purchasing and cleaning up of food. Your contributions to our community are selfless and what makes us special. Legends!!

To Chantell Paton and Tracey Dean for signage in the hall.

To Bryan O’Keeffe and the members of St Vincent de Paul who cooked the BBQ for us.

To the OLHC staff who came along to show their support of the children and families - much appreciated.

PFA

Naish and I had a meal with the PFA on Tuesday evening to simply say thank you and plan for next year. Their recent Community Picnic was a tremendous success. At this event the PFA rolled out new recycling bins which we will talk about more next year. A big shout out to Luke and Jade Preston (parents of June FRL) for their generosity in assisting with the printing for these bins.

The PFA’s work as volunteers is crucial on two fronts.

The promotion of community spirit and connection
The assistance with funding to ensure our children have the best school possible. All PFA funds raised go directly towards purchasing resources and equipment for the children and school. A recent example is the junior playground.

So on your behalf, I wish to extend my sincere thanks to these wonderful people.

Yr 6 Graduation Awards

The following awards are to recognise children who have performed at a consistently high standard in our specialist subject areas.

**Digital Technology Award - Jordy Palmer**

The following student is the recipient of the OLHC Sports Award

The Schools Sport Victoria Academic and Sporting Achievement Medal

We have been fortunate to have some outside agencies and businesses offer donations for awards this year

**Secondary School Scholarship Award - Taj Warhurst** donated by Coastal Wholesalers

**Community Spirit Award - Rocco Waterson-Locke** donated by Workforce Health Assessors

**Community Spirit Award - Ned Bowman** donated by Workforce Health Assessors

**St Vincent de Paul Award - Poppy Watson**

**Leadership Award - Isabella Berry** donated by Warrnambool East Rotary Club

**Attributes of OLHC Award - Finn Byrne** donated by Warrnambool Central Rotary Club

**Attributes of OLHC Award - Lara Jaensch** donated by Warrnambool Central Rotary Club

**Personal Achievement Award - Lachie Drake** donated by Warrnambool City Council

**Personal Achievement Award - Isaac Lowe** donated by Warrnambool City Council

**Personal Achievement Award - Makenzie Murphy** donated by Warrnambool City Council

**OLHC Resilient & Principaled Award - Charli Martin**

**OLHC Resilient & Principaled Award - Abbey Hermans**

The next award is the Joel Moon award. This is the second year we have presented this award. Joel was a previous OLHC student who tragically passed away in a car accident and this award aims to honour him and his memory while also recognising someone each year who may have overcome adversity or a challenge in their education.

OLHC Academic Achievement Awards

End of Year School Mass - Yr 6 Graduating Class Blessing

Students Finishing @ OLHC

Evans Ajang

Amelia Barnes

Isabella Berry

Mia Borthwick

Ned Bowman

Darcy Burns

Finn Byrne

Harrison Chiller

Audrey Clements

Lilly Crawford

Zahli Dean

Jude Delaney

Cameron Dennis

Felicity Dennis

Oliver Dowie

Lachlan Drake

Ashton Giblin

Emily Hancock

Edith Harris

Abbey Hermans

Lily Hogan

Alena Hoy

Mali Irving

Lara Jaensch

Imogen Johnson

Siena Kenneally

Nenagh Kettyle

Ethan Lawrence

Mason Lewis

Oisín Loughran

Isaac Lowe

Reede Lowe

Charli Martin

Hugh McCarthy

Bridie McCrohan

Harry McLeod

Sonny Moloney

Finn Morgan

Makenzie Murphy

Millie Mutton

Asha Nadaraj

Max Nicholson

Levi Nolte

Jordy Palmer

Grace Passlow

Leo Pearson

Alexis Pickford

Megan Roberts

Lenny Ross

Darby Ryan

Lenny Ryan

Jayms Saqat

Alana Scott

Brooke Shaw

Layla Sherlock

Poppy Spikin

Nash Talbot

Cleo Tamasese

Lewis Taylor

Jobe Templeton

Lenny Thornton

Zavier Turner

Pippa Wallace

Caden Waller

Blake Ward

Taj Warhurst

Rocco Waterson-Locke

Poppy Watson

Hugh White

Timmy White

Harry Wiffrie

Jake Zaxos

Baylen & Easton Squires

April & Piper Theobald

Departing Families

Teresa Padiet

Matt & Kate-Maree Barnes

Jaralle Berry

Matt Berry

Adam & Anna Borthwick

Mark & Jacqui Bowman

Ashley & Rhianna Burns

Kyril & Brooke Dean

Adam & Jane Dowie

Naomi Burleigh

Anthony Giblin

Craig & Donna Hancock

Simon Hermans & Jelna Anderson

Heath & Jacqui Jaensch

Shannon Johnson & Ashlee Heyblom

Shane Kenneally & Kim Murphy

Simon & Rose Kettyle

Jason Martin & Belinda Cahill

Scott Murphy

Ben & Shelley Mutton

Tennille Passlow

Craig & Maja Pearson

Paul & Ashlee Scott

Jason & Rachel Shaw

Makerita Savea

Ed Wallace & Cath Porter

Darren & Glenys Waller

John & Lisa Ward

Peter & Lee Watson

Simon & Kellie White

Derek White & Lauren Wright

Craig & Sharron Wiffrie

Tamara Waterman

Theo Zaxos

Josh & Amy Squires

Brett & Sallie Theobald

Important Dates Term 4

Mon 11th December - Yr 6 Beach Safety Program

Monday 11th December - Yr 4 Fun Day

Tuesday 12th December - Orientation Day & Second-hand Uniform Sale

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 finish @ 3.25pm

Friday 15th December - Volunteer's Morning Tea

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

18th December 2023 - 29th January 2024 - School Holidays

2024

Monday 29th January - Staff return to school

Tuesday 30th January - Students start school

Wednesday 31st - Foundation student's rest day / Scheduled testing day

Wednesday 7th February - Foundation student's rest day / Scheduled testing day

Wednesday 14th February - Foundation students rest day / Early Steps Conferences Foundation

Wednesday 14th February - Ash Wednesday

Our school has partnered with an independent provider called TheirCare to provide exceptional Outside School Hours Care services for our school community.

The program is available for all children at Our Lady Help of Christians Primary School East Warrnambool from 6:45am until 8:45am in the morning and from 3:25pm until 6:00pm each school day.

During School Holidays & Pupil Free Days the service will operate from 6:45am until 6:00pm.

Families wishing to use this service can visit the TheirCare website: www.theircare.com.au

Families are eligible for a Government Rebate called the Child Care Subsidy which can reduce the cost per session by up to 90%.

More information can be obtained by contacting the school or ringing TheirCare Support Team on 1300 072 410.

TheirCare provides a stimulating and safe environment for all children. During sessions, children develop life-skills, friendships, confidence and creativity through play-based programs.

Teaching & Learning @ OLHC

A Message from Mr A

Week 10 Term 4

FOUNDATION 2024

Wednesday signalled the second transition day for our 2024 Foundation level and didn’t they do it in style. Not as much apprehension walking into the classroom this time around as they continue to build connections with each other and feel comfortable in OLHC surroundings. Tuesday next week is the big day where they are here for an extended period. They’ve made a very positive start to their schooling life!

CHRISTMAS IN FOUNDATION

Friday morning was a hive of activity in the Foundation level as they kicked off a morning of Christmas craft. There were plenty of parent helpers to assist as the students made wooden reindeer, tree ornaments, sewed a Christmas stocking and made a reindeer biscuit. These simple activities are sometimes the things students remember most and a big thank you to all those who helped. Check out some photos below.

HEALTHY MOVES- GRADE 1

Our Grade 1 level finished off their Healthy Moves unit with some great activities in the ED Hall this week. The students were kept busy making some delicious healthy treats such as a fruit kebab, pizza and topped off with a banana smoothie. They also took home a cookbook they’ve been working on. Some great learning from this unit that should help them to live a healthy life. Check out some photos below.

YEAR 2 POETRY CAFE

What an amazing experience the Grade 2 Poetry Cafe was to witness on Tuesday. The students all did a marvellous job as we all know how nerve-wracking it can be to speak in a public forum. I still get nervous running assemblies! Another great end to another great inquiry unit.

GRADUATION

Thursday night was the beginning of the end for our most senior level with the Grade 6 Graduation in the Church followed by a lovely relaxed social function in the ED Hall. They’re a special group this one and we wish them all the best in future endeavours. A big thanks to Mrs Harney, Mr Bidmade and Mr I and support staff for preparing the students for such a special night. A big shout out to Mrs Murfett who was tucked away in the tech room running the digital presentation, which can be a stressful seat to sit in on nights like this. Much appreciated.

One week to go. Enjoy the weekend.

Thanks,

Naish

2024 Staffing

Foundation - Sharon Dwyer, Jane Fish, Nat Meade

Gr 1- Nicole Bongers/ Erin Sedgley, Julie Aberline, Jess Squires

Gr 2- Sharell Smits, Sharon Leslie, Kate-Maree Barnes /Maree Wellington

Gr 3- Jo Wain, Chelsea Swarbrick, Annemaree Chapman/Bridget McPherson

Gr 4- Dylan Jongebloed, Nicole O'Keeffe (Erin Sedgley)/ Emily McMillan, Dana Payne/Tara Davey

Gr 5- Carly Watson, Steve Hogan, Bridget Ross/Alison Greig

Gr 6- Sam Inverarity, Ollie Bidmade, Marie Harney

Japanese Arts/Performing Arts- Suz Auld/Jess Taylor
PE- Dean Kilpatrick
Information Literacy/Library- Ben Louden
Digital Technology- Sarah Murfett/Peta Bourke
LDL- Kasey Louden
Literacy support- Louise Taggert/Sarah McLaren
LSO’s- Carlin Veale, Stacey Drake, Ava Bishop, Sue Kelly, Katie Colla, Cate Hocking, Melissa Bourke, Leesa Britten, Gen Howland
Trainees - Eva Murphy, Scarlett O'Brien, Jaz Groves
Admin- Kristen Baillie/Rachel Kelly
Finance- Christine
Maintenance/Cleaning- Brendan Brooks, Tanya Murdila, Noel Anderson
Assistant Principal - Naish Auld
Principal - Steve Madden

Awards

Classroom Awards

Foundation

Raff Lynch

Herbie Barlow

Charlotte Aiken

Grace Ghiggioli

Tommy Madden

Willow Taylor

Yr 1

Chris Jerin

Flora Meade

Archer Ryan

Ruben Davis

Lylah White

Yr 2

Finley Asenjo

Hazel Clements

Kieran Roberts

Freddie Wheeler

Patrick Bonnet

Harry Keogh

Yr 3

Jordan Levett

Emily Bunting

Arlo Drew

Harper Turner

Eliza Lawrence

Elora Bowley

Yr 4

Meredith Holmes

Harry Powell

Leo Warburton

Jackson Bald

Lincoln McLean

Gabriela Niruban

Yr 5

Marley Gannon

Harvey Rogers

Molly Nicholson

Hamish Kermond

Fletcher White

Elky Veale

Yr 6

Mason Lewis

Brooke Shaw

Spirit of Our Lady's Award

Eliza Farrer

Tadhg Amarant

Cameron Dennis

Piper Bongers

Lawson Chow

Grace Dennis

Faith & Culture

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

P: 5562 2231

E: southwestcoast@ballarat.catholic.org.au

Comfort with a Catch
(Mark 1: 1 - 8)

“There’s good news, and there’s bad news”. A whole body of jokes begin this way, and we laugh ruefully because that statement is generally true. The news is hardly ever good or bad, but rather a blend of results better for some than others. One ball team beats another; is this good news, or bad?

John the Baptist preaches repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Good news or bad? It’s great news for sinners who repent. It’s good news for people who yearn to be forgiven and know they have reason to be. It’s not good news for people who have no intention of leaving their sin behind. And its positively bad news for the self-righteous, convinced of their innocence and resentful that sinful types are getting off the hook.

The message of John the Baptist is comfort with a catch. The catch is baptism, a drowning to the old way and a resurrection into grasping new life. We can’t find comfort in religion – not this religion! – if we intend to remain just as we are. John’s baptism is with water, bracing and cold. The Mighty One is coming along soon with fire and spirit. Things are going to change.

How does the message of John comfort you? How does it challenge you?

Find Your Place This Advent

As John the Baptiser preached he said, “The real action comes next: The star in this drama, to whom I’m a mere stagehand, will change your life. I’m baptising you here in the river, turning your old life in for a kingdom life. His baptism – a holy baptism by the Holy Spirit – will change you from the inside out”.
(Mark 1: 7 - 8)

It all begins with a cry in the wilderness. In the amazing Musical, The Lion King (both on stage and on screen, the action opens with the piercing wake-up call of Rafiki, the wise old baboon, who calls all the animals of the kingdom to take their place in the circle of life. The slow, insistent gathering of the animals is a powerful symbol of how every creature responds to the one call. Today we read the opening lines of the gospel of Mark, which begins similarly, with the wise and wild John the Baptist calling all who would listen to take their place in the reign of God. It’s a wake-up call, a voice crying out in the wilderness. Prepare the way.

At the culmination of this opening number of The Lion King, all the animals of the jungle have gathered and focused on the king and on the arrival of the king’s son, who is held high above all the other creatures. The culmination of John the Baptist’s preaching was to focus everyone on the will of God and to point to God’s son, Jesus, the one “who is mightier than I”. In each scenario, all creatures gain a reference point beyond themselves and a focus that lets them know who they are and how they are to live.

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!

Food for thought.........

Judith Locke: The Case Against Parents Influencing Class Placements

At this time of year, class lists can be a hot topic and many parents might be doing everything they can to enable their child to be in a class with a specific friend or teacher in the next school year. But, writes Dr Judith Locke in this updated post, is it the best idea?

Most people like a sense of control in their life. They want to be able to predict broadly what is going to happen to them every day and the surroundings in which they will be spending their time. Some crave this predictability and influence more than others – those who do this are more likely to become more fearful if they don’t have a sense of control or not know what is going to happen next. This is because they predict that they won’t be able to cope unless situations are exactly the way they like them.

If your child is like this then they may be a little bossier than other children, worry a little more, or be less compliant with directions with which they don’t agree. They might be a combination of all three (lucky you!).

The parents of these types of children often put high effort into making them become more comfortable. They might do this by ensuring their children are less impacted by change or do everything they can reduce their worry. These actions can include telling them exactly what is going to happen every day, letting them avoid things they don’t want to do, always catering to their child’s wishes, or working behind the scenes to make everyday events exactly as their child likes them. This might make the child immediately happier or make the family initially more harmonious, but they have serious long-term results.

The main issue is that when you allow someone to always dictate the terms of their day, then you don’t teach them that they can cope when things aren’t exactly the way they want. This action reinforces a child’s faulty belief that they need to be in charge, or experience particular outcomes, to be able to cope. When parents constantly make things immediately better, by allowing their child to get out of situations they are a little unsure of, then the child will start to believe they truly can’t cope with challenge, because their parent’s actions reinforce this belief. Inadvertently, over time, the child’s anxiety, bossiness, or poor behaviour will increase.

It is not only parental actions that reinforce this belief in children. Unfortunately, many schools have started to cater to anxious children by giving them a bigger say over a lot of things, including their class placements. Some schools give children the opportunity to choose a best friend or even a ‘top five’ of children they would like to be in their class or sporting team.

These actions are somewhat understandable. When schools don’t do this, they invariably get many parents contacting them. Indeed, I have had many school staff tell me that the first few weeks of schools are dominated by calls from parents with movement requests or demands. But I don’t think it is always a good idea for a child to choose their class – indeed, sometimes I think it ends up as more harmful than helpful.

What you can do

So, what do I suggest? Here are five recommendations:

I don’t believe schools should give students the opportunity to choose a friend to be in their class or team or camp group. Giving such a choice implies that they need it and makes them rely too much on one or two people – this will stop them developing their social skills to make other friends. It inadvertently suggests that the child is incapable of making new friends or that they can’t cope when their environment is not exactly the way they want.
Don’t worry about your child coping. You can rely on the fact that teachers usually undertake activities that help children to get to know each other, early in the year. Even if your child is offered an opportunity to choose, I would encourage you to suggest they don’t nominate anyone and see what happens. In this, you encourage them to be confident in their skills to cope with a new set of classmates and develop a potential new set of friends.
I would advise parents against relying on setting up particular friendships through arranging social events with another child who will be in the same primary or high school. Parents can’t know their child will be in the class of the friend they have set up and relying on that is a false comfort for the child. A much more helpful activity would be to take them to a local park where other unknown children are and have them practice how to start up conversations and play or have them join extracurricular activities with children they don’t know. This will encourage them to be more socially confident when they get to a new school.
I don’t think that students should be able to choose their teacher or coach. Often, they will prefer someone who is, in some way, easier – not as challenging, a little more lax, sweeter, or more complimentary. The truth is, teachers all have their individual strengths. Slightly tougher teachers can challenge children a little more, through setting slightly higher standards or not being so frivolous with praise and reward. This approach builds children’s internal drive more than their tendency to want to please others and will start to reduce a child’s reliance on external motivation, such as easily given praise or regular reassurance from another person. This, in turn, will make them more independent, self-motivated learners – all essential skills for future academic and employment success.
If a parent does ask a school to change class or team list, I suggest the school doesn’t, unless there is a really good reason. Being upset because they wanted to be in their friend’s class or would have preferred to have another teacher is typically not a good enough reason. If anything, it shows that the child hasn’t faced enough tricky or uncomfortable times to teach them that they can cope with slight challenge or disappointment. This is usually the sign to start to step up the challenges they face, in a broadly supportive environment for them.

Making friends at school is a wonderful by-product of the main task at hand – to learn. Their effort should primarily be in developing new skills, not overly focussing on being in the constant company of their best friend. Indeed, immersing themselves in study and school activities will help them cope with early social awkwardness and also have the byproduct of making more friends naturally and over time.

Schools are not there to make children constantly happy and successful and, if that is the main goal, then they will fail to teach children strength, resilience and adaptability. So, parents please step back, trust the school you chose, and show your child you believe in their ability to cope in a new class environment with a new group of people. It is in these actions you may just encourage your children to believe in themselves more.

Some tips

If your child is anxious about starting a new class with unfamiliar people, do listen to them talk about their fears, but normalise them (‘A lot of people feel worried about starting something new’), and then talk about their past strengths in facing tricky things and your confidence that they will cope with this challenge.
When they come home from their first day at a new activity, keep your questions broad, ‘How was it?’ not, ‘Did you make a friend today?’ or ‘Is Sam in your class?’ This won’t put unnecessary pressure on them or suggest things in which they should be disappointed.
Keep your and your child’s expectations realistic. It is highly unlikely that they will form close friendships in the early days of a new school year, particularly in early primary. How often have you started a new job and come home from your first day to announce, ‘I made my new best friend today’?
There are things you can say if your child is not in a class they want to be in:

Listen to them. Then reflect back what you hear. ‘You’re upset because your friend is not in your class. That is a completely understandable feeling’. Or ‘Sounds like you are upset because you didn’t get the teacher that you wanted.’
Then state the potential benefits of facing this challenge, i.e. making extra, new friends; learning skills to make new acquaintances; being able to focus more on schoolwork in class than talking to their current best friend; learning how to work with a different type of teacher than the one they had last year.
Maybe tell them a story about how you learned a lot from a teacher you had who was a bit tougher but taught you a lot, or a time you went somewhere where you didn’t know anyone but learnt how to get on in unfamiliar environments.
Let your child know that they can still see their friend/s at lunchtime or at play dates or parties.

Like this post? Please share using the buttons located on this page.

About the author

Dr Judith Locke is a clinical psychologist, former teacher, and the author of the parenting book, The Bonsai Child, which details practical strategies to help you build confidence and capability in your child. (You can purchase this at bonsaichild.com) She delivers talks to parents and teachers at schools around Australia on child wellbeing and has a weekly column in Queensland’s The Sunday Mail. Judith’s next book, The Bonsai Student, is scheduled to be released in 2020.

Parents & Friends Association

Save the Dates!

Tuesday 12th December - Second-hand Uniform Sale 1pm - 2pm

Community

The 41^st Annual Warrnambool Surf T Surf Fun Run/Walk event is once again being run on Sunday the 7^th of January 2024. Last year OLHC won the school's Challenge. Our aim is to go back to back but also encourage young children to get out and be active with the added benefit of potentially raising funds for our school. The winner of the Challenge will have the most participants registered under your team’s name across all 4 fun run events. The events are 10km run, 6km run, 6km walk and 3km Lap of the lake. The prize is a $1000 donation to the winning school. We will have runs on Saturday mornings starting this weekend 11th November. Keep your eye on DOJO

If would like to run in our team please click the link below and register.

Join my team, OLHC team to participate in the event, Warrnambool Surf T Surf Fun Run/Walk

https://raceroster.com/events/2024/71146/warrnambool-surf-t-surf-fun-runwalk/register?team=589525

Team code: OLHC 24