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,

Congratulations to all of the children who over the last few weeks have celebrated their First Eucharist. I wish to also thank their classroom teachers, Marie Harney and Sam Inverarity for their support and guidance of these children and families.

Every day of this week I have had the opportunity to meet with a large number of the teaching staff, one on one, as part of their Annual Review Meetings. This is a professional requirement and allows both parties to reflect on successes, challenges and opportunities going forward into 2025. I take this chance to thank the staff and dig a little deeper into their work, the children they serve and also express my expectations on certain aspects of our complex role.

We extend our warmest wishes to Aisha Maggi (2SS) and her family—Aaron, Nadia, and little sister Samira—as they embark on their new journey and relocate to Tasmania. Good luck with the move.

School Fee Reminder

All School Fee statements are sent monthly. If you are on a direct debit or credit card payment plan, please ignore the following.

All school fees for 2024 are to be finalised by 20/09/2024, please make contact with Christine Cook if you wish to discuss school fees.

Important Dates

Term 3

Friday 30th August - Father's Day Breakfast

Friday 30th August - Assembly 3CS

Friday 6th September - Yr 5 Shared Lunch

Friday 6th September - OLHC Disco

9th - 18th September - Yr 5 Swimming Program

Tuesday 10th September - PFA Meeting

Thursday 12th September - Yr 6 Soup Shared Lunch

Friday 13th September - Footy Colours Day

Friday 13th September - Secondhand Uniform Sale

Monday 16th September - Foundation Art Show & Shared Lunch

Thursday 19th September - Grandparents/Special Persons Day

Thursday 19th September - Assembly FNM

Friday 20th September - Staff Maths PD - Student Free Day

Teaching & Learning @ OLHC

A Message from Mr A

Week 6 Term 3

CELEBRATING ACHIEVEMENT

We do a good job of sharing success in our sporting endeavours here at OLHC. First and foremost we are an educational institution so with this in mind I was working with some of our NAPLAN data that we received this term. NAPLAN is standardised assessment that all students in Yr 3 and Yr 5 complete in the areas of Reading, Writing, Language Conventions (results are separated as Grammar & Punctuation, Spelling) and Numeracy. Below is a table of our highest-performing students in each of the separate areas based on their NAPLAN results.

Area/Level	Year 3	Year 5
Reading	Sophie Battistello	Bonnie Talbot
Gram & Punct	Maeve Barraclough	Gabriela Niruban
Spelling	Oliver Doherty	Gabriela Niruban
Numeracy	Lucy Gaffy	Gabriela Niruban
Writing	Maeve Barraclough	Gabriela Niruban

BOOK WEEK 2024

What a day on the school calendar! So much energy was put into costumes around the school on Wednesday, none better than Mr K as Harry Potter’s arch nemesis, Voldemort. Let’s never forget how much students love dressing up on days like this, it is such a fun day!

A big congratulations to our Senior Girls Football team who competed in the SSV State Titles on Thursday. It was an early morning start as we headed down to Heidelberg for three matches against Langwarrin PS, Yarrambat PS and St Fancis of the Field for Bendigo. Even though we didn’t come away with any wins, the girls should be proud of their efforts to make it to the top 8 teams in the state. There are definitely a few future footy stars among the group and it is fantastic to see so much support for women's football. A big thanks to Mr K, Scarlett and the parents for supporting them on the day.

Have a relaxing weekend with your family.

Thanks,

Naish

Sports Report!

Yr 4 Basketball

On Monday the grade 4’s played in the Warrnambool District Basketball tournament.

We had a girls, boys and a mixed team take on students from St. Josephs, St Pius, East Warrnambool and Warrnambool Primary at Emmanuel College Hall.

The kids had a great day, with some great team work on display.

The mixed team went down to East Warrnambool in their last game of the day.

The boys team had two wins from their four games, with great games against East and St Joseph’s.

The girls team also were undefeated until their last game, going down to St Joseph’s PS by two points.

The students show great sportsmanship over the day.

Thanks to Mrs Davey, Jazz, Darcy

Yr 6 Basketball

Look out for the Yr 6 basketball report next week.

Lawn Bowls

Last week 24 students played in the SSV Division Lawn Bowls tournament, held at the City Memorial Bowls Club.

We entered four teams and played against teams from St Josephs Warrnambool, St Josephs Penshurst, Kings College, Merri River,

OLHC Blue and OLHC Green played in pool one, they both went through the day undefeated finishing in first and second place, only split by ends won.

OLHC purple and OLHC Yellow played in pool two, this was a little closer, with them playing each other in the third round with Purple getting the chocolates 7 ends to 6.

Purple then played Kings College in a very close game going down 6 ends to 8, which meant Yellow jumped them both to secure the win.

Yellow and Green have now qualified for the Region Finals in Sebastopol on Sept. 4th.

Technology Toolkit with Mrs Fitzgerald and Mrs Murfett

New technology updates, cyber safety tips and snapshots of the learning experiences happening in the digital classroom. Let’s work together to make the online space a positive space! If you have any questions or concerns please contact us:

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

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

Why the Best Parental Control Is You

Instead of flipping a switch, be the voice in their head.

If your kid's online, there have probably been times when you've wanted to track everything they've texted, see their entire social media history, or just shut off the internet entirely. Those are the times you wish for the perfect parental controls -- something that will grant you all the access and authority you want without making a bad situation worse. The truth is, while clicking a few buttons on a hardware device or downloading a monitoring service seem like no-brainers, the most effective parental control is free and knows your kid very well. That's right: It's you. Digital tools and settings can help you stay on top of your kid's online life, but can't replace staying involved, having conversations, and helping them make responsible choices. Need more convincing?

Here are the key reasons why you are the best parental control around:

Fighting tech with tech can fail.

If they put their minds to it, kids can defeat almost any parental control. One of the truisms of the digital age is that your kids probably know more than you do, and it's easy for them to Google "How do I get around parental controls?" and read step-by-step instructions for dismantling your carefully chosen software or device. Of course, there are tools that do what they promise and offer you some comfort and control … at least for a while. So, if shutting down the internet via a tap is helpful for your family, pairing it with conversations likely will make it more effective. And if your kid does an end run around your parental control, let them learn to code so they can channel their skills in a positive way.

Spying isn't sustainable.

Kids -- especially older kids -- may feel like parental controls invade their privacy. According to one study, the loss of trust prompted by parental controls can weaken your whole relationship. Simply shutting the internet off is one thing, but if you try to track your kid's social media accounts or read their text messages, they may just create new profiles and take their conversations to other platforms far away from your prying eyes. Instead, when you decide it's time for them to go online or have a phone, let them know upfront that you'll do spot-checks -- not to "catch them" or get in their business -- but to support them as they learn balance in the digital world. If you decide to use parental-control devices or platforms, integrate them into ongoing conversations so they can serve as a safety net as your kid is learning the ropes. The world of digital media and its influence on our kids are far too complicated for simple solutions or ultra-strict oversight.

What you say makes more of an impact.

Instead of flipping a switch, be the voice in their head. Teaching and modelling a healthy approach to the online world will have a much more lasting impact. Being able to shut down the internet in your home at key times can be very helpful, but it's also a bit like always fastening your kid's seatbelt for them: Eventually, we want them to remember to buckle up on their own. To get a kid to really remember something, research shows that some information requires repetition over time. A combination of showing them a healthy approach and discussing media and tech use over time, on multiple occasions, will help kids regulate themselves and build skills to carry into adulthood. When you say things like, "Remember to think before you post," "Don't talk to strangers on the internet," and "Use strong privacy settings," they'll remember. As new technology comes and goes, we are our kids' North Star, the constant guidance in a constellation that keeps changing shape, and tech-based parental controls will never shine as brightly as our influence.

Sharing instead of shutting down sparks learning.

Sometimes we let our kids use devices because we're looking for a few minutes to get something finished, and setting time limits and doing spot checks -- verbally or with digital parental controls -- is important. But the more we can watch and play with our kids, the more they'll learn from the media they're using. Research shows that just sitting with your kid while you watch heightens their awareness, which can make them more receptive to learning. It can also boost literacy skills and empathy, and -- since we know our kids best -- when moments come up in media that apply specifically to our kids' lives, we can use those instances to start a discussion, ask questions, and make connections. Also, the more we model this dialogue with media for our kids, the more they can look at it critically, ask questions themselves, and take away lessons for their own lives.

Article by Christine Elgersma  
Posted 11 April, 2018 
Published by Common Sense Media

Classroom Awards

Foundation

Maisie Sabo

Jake Orr

Hudson Lake

Bodhi Crute

Yr 1

Peggy Chiller

Harry Connolly

Imogen Danger

Darcy Weetra

Yr 2

Arden Griffen

Edith Thomas

Rylee Timms

Ollie Marr

Yr 3

Amit Hurria

Harry Hawken

Brooklyn Suridge

Maisie Paton

Yr 4

Willow Wickenton

Jordan Levett

Elise Ryan

Michaleen O'Brien

Yr 5

Jonah Davis

Connor Ryan

Ava Southwell

Beau Morrison

Yr 6

Matisse Aberline

Maya McLeod

Ayla Morgan

Summer Lowe

Molly Inia

Charlotte Nelson

Gabriela Niruban

June Preston

Archie McCullough

Evie Coxall

Henry Couch

Faith & Culture

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

P: 5562 2231

E: southwestcoast@ballarat.catholic.org.au

webpage : https://www.southwestcoastparish.com.au/

Weekend Masses

Saturday Vigil

6:00pm OLHC, Warrnambool East

Sunday Morning

9:00am Infant Jesus, Koroit

9:00am St Pius X, Warrnambool West

10:30am St Joseph’s, Warrnambool

10:30am St Patrick’s, Port Fairy

6:00pm St Joseph’s Warrnambool

*11:00am St Anne’s, Purnim

2nd Sunday of the month (Eucharist)

Weekday Masses

NB: MASS OF THE DAY IS REPLACED WHEN A FUNERAL IS HELD AT THAT CHURCH

Tues 10:00am St Pius X

Wed 10:00am St Joseph’s

Thu 10:00am OLHC & 11:00am Mercy Place

Fri 10:00am St Joseph’s

Sat 10:00am OLHC

Hard Sayings
(John 6: 60 - 69)

After this a lot of his disciples left. They no longer wanted to be associated with him. Then Jesus gave the Twelve their chance: “Do you also want to leave?” Peter replied, “Master, to whom would we go? You have the words of real life, eternal life. We’ve already committed ourselves, confident that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6: 66 - 69)

Many people walked away from Jesus after he spoke about being the Bread of Life. This passage is often called “the crisis” in John’s Gospel; Jesus loses a large portion of his followers back to the world after this. He turns to the Twelve, to test their willingness to remain. As usual, Peter represents the group with his fearless answer, “Lord, where would we go?”

Suppose you were to reject the life of faith today as being too demanding. The Church’s teachings aren’t contemporary enough. The leadership seems flawed. The liturgy needs work. The community is, for all its profession of faith, just a bunch of sinners. if you bundled all of your grievances against the Church into a handkerchief and tied it to a stick and got ready to walk, just where would you be going?

Most people who walk away in anger have only their anger for company. Most “retired Christians” I know still carry that handkerchief of outrage around with them, dangling from the stick. We can imagine that those who became disillusioned with Jesus muttered about it for years to come. “Some prophet he was. Some saviour!” But those who stayed with him and his words of eternal life, got past the cross and all the way to Easter.

What is the hardest saying of Jesus for you? How do you live with it?

Tough Call
(John 6: 60 - 69)

In the first frame of a comic strip by Tom Toles, a man slouched in an armchair watches TV and hears, “Worldwatch Institute says we need to stop consuming the planet immediately or we lose it. It’s as simple as that.” In the next two frames there is silence until, at last, the fellow –dare we call him “Everyman”? – responds: “Decisions, decisions,” and we laugh at his self-delusion.

When Joshua asks, bare-faced, “Who are you going to serve?” the people answer as if it’s obvious: “Far be it from us to serve any other God!” In the gospel, Jesus asks the wrenching question: “Do you also want to leave?” and we can shake our heads at those who do walk away because Jesus’ demands are so hard.

If only we humans were not so complicated. In daily life, most choices do not present themselves as “Am I going to serve the one God or not?” or “Am I going to stick with Jesus or walk away from him?” We just read them as ordinary choices, unrelated to our spiritual life. So in case we’ve missed the point that we often frame life’s questions a self-referential way, there is a footnote in the cartoon’s last frame where the question is restated in painful honesty: “How much longer am I going to need (the planet)?”

To be part of this believing community of faith implies that your answers are, “Far be it from me to forsake the Lord for the service of other gods.” You are answering Jesus in your heart: “Lord, to whom shall I go but you?” The problem is that when you cross the church’s threshold, life instantly becomes so much more complicated and it’s easy to complain, “Decisions, decisions.”

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!

Tap here to access SchoolTV

Are You Paying Attention?

One of the most intriguing and, at times, frustrating aspects of raising and educating children is the disparity between a child’s capacity to maintain attention and concentration and the expectations parents and teachers have of that skill.

Iuse the word ‘skill’ purposefully. As adults, attention and concentration are characteristics of the mind that we use everyday, often with little effort and without really noticing them unless we are tired or unwell. These skills help us to select and focus on what is important, ignore irrelevant or distracting things that we don’t need to pay attention to and maintain or sustain our effort or attention over time.

Sometimes we need to pay attention to two or more important things at the one time, and may need to switch back and forth between activities quickly. An important consideration here, is that like many other skills, attention and concentration are things that improve as our brains mature and develop.

Attention improves with age

Children, tweens and teens have limitations to their attention due a brain that is not fully mature until well beyond their twentieth birthday. A child’s attention improves with age.

However, it is important to note that some children may show difficulties in attending to tasks or concentrating on their studies and other activities. Compared to other children they appear more easily distracted and this can be very frustrating for all.

Troubles with attention may also mean that something is not quite right in the world of the child. It is important for parents and teachers alike to be aware of what may be derailing attention to help alleviate the frustration of both the children and adults around them. Here are some things to keep in mind, so pay attention!

Signs of stress to look out for

First, attention and concentration are not the same thing. Simply speaking, attention is a complex brain system that selects and temporarily focuses on key emotionally important elements in the world around us while concentration is the ability to focus on a specific task for a reasonable period. Both attention and concentration are powerfully influenced by a child’s current emotional state as well as their overall development.

A child who is anxious, depressed, worried, angry, sad, frustrated, traumatised or otherwise distressed will find it difficult to pay attention or concentrate on schoolwork or other related activities.

In other words, emotions and stress will impact on attention and concentration and as such it is important to recognise that when you see attention or concentration problems in children this may be a sign that there is something troubling or stressing that child.

Here are some signs and symptoms that might indicate that all is not right in the world of a child:

difficulty completing classroom work or household chores, due to lack of productivity or remembering things
avoiding writing or reading
failing to meet deadlines while completing classroom tasks and assignments
making noises, being disruptive, disturbing peers or siblings and looking forlorn and lost.

Other factors that can sap attention

The signs above are not an exhaustive list and need not be something to be overly alarmed about for they can be attended to if we consider what might be causing the problem.

Here are a list of things that can contribute to the symptoms above as well create stress and impact on attention and concentration:

Not enough sleep: Tiredness and fatigue that occur because of insufficient sleep could be very good reasons for deficits in attention and concentration.

Personal issues: If a child has an agitated mind, he or she may find it very difficult to concentrate on important things like classroom studies. Peer pressure and an inability to perform better in the classroom may also affect a child’s ability to concentrate and be attentive.

Lack of motivation and absence of interest: If a child loses interest in school, he or she may lose concentration very easily. Lack of motivation is another factor that has a lot of bearing on a child’s ability to develop the power of concentration. This often occurs with children who have advanced skills or capabilities in a particular subject and are simply bored with what they are doing.

Health status: Weak health status could be one of the important reasons for a child to lose focus and concentration. Weak glandular functions, dehydration and bad eating habits may also contribute to poor levels of attention and concentration.

Ambient conditions: Intensive activity, extreme noise and disturbing surroundings could be other factors that could affect a child’s ability to pay attention. The overall
temperature of a room can also have a direct impact on a child’s ability to concentrate. Recent studies have shown that when the ambient temperature of a room hits 27 degrees, comprehension and concentration begin to diminish markedly. Turns out the optimum temperature for learning is 22 degrees.

Lack of exercise: Children need optimal amount of exercise per day to rejuvenate their body and mind. Exercise is not only good for the body but it is like Miracle-Gro for the brain.

Little changes can have a big impact

It should be apparent that like so many things that can impact on how well a child does at school or at home, it doesn’t take much to make things better. A little extra sleep, some exercise and good food can make a world of difference.

If a young person in your midst is struggling to concentrate, pay attention or is disturbing others, this may not necessarily be a behaviour or medical issue but rather the result of something easily attended to. It is important for parents and teachers to keep this in mind without focusing too much of their own attention on the behaviour itself.

About the author

Dr Michael Nagel is an Associate Professor at the University of the Sunshine Coast where he teaches and researches in the areas of child and adolescent development, behaviour and learning. He is the author of more than twenty books on educational psychology and child development.