Newsletter T3W1
Acknowledgement of Country
Our Grade 4 students have created personalised Acknowledgement of Country posters that reflect their own thoughts, feelings and wishes. We will share a new poster each week.

Prayer
We begin our term,
honouring this life,
with all its potentials and possibilities.
We begin our term with trust,
knowing we are created for loving encounter.
We begin our term with hope,
knowing the it can hold
love, kindness,
forgiveness and justice.
We recall last term,
May we learn, may we love, may we live on.
We make room for the unexpected,
May we find wisdom and life in the unexpected.
Help us to embrace possibility,
respond graciously to disappointment
and hold tenderly those we encounter.
Help us to be fully present.
We pray for all who will experience difficulty,
May we support, may we listen, may we change.
We resolve to live life in its fullness:
We will welcome the people who’ll be part of our term.
We will greet God in ordinary and hidden moments.
We will live the life we are living.
This term and always
May we find the wisdom we need,
God be with us.
May we hear the needs of those we meet,
God be with us.
May we love the life that we are given,
God be with us.
Amen
Leadership & Stewardship

Principal's Message
Dear Parents, Guardians & Students,
Welcome back to term 3 everyone. I hope you all had a restful, relaxing and enjoyable break over the holidays. We welcomed the Campbell-Haigh family from Tununda in SA to OLHC with Mia and Bella coming into grade 4 and 6.
This term will be only 9 weeks, but a very busy time. We have lots of different events this term including Foundation interviews for 2026, Parent-Teacher Conferences, Father's Day, Grandparent’s Day and many more exciting events. This is on top of all of the amazing opportunities that will be provided in and outside of our classrooms.
NAPLAN - Grade 3 and 5 parents received their child’s NAPLAN results this week. At OLHC we try to hold a balanced and pragmatic view of NAPLAN data. It does allow us to track growth, identify trends and areas of strength as well as possible areas that need attention. The results across the board were very pleasing. Having said that, we disagree with the terminology the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority uses to define student achievement levels - for example, children who are at standard can be listed as falling into the “strong” category. This has the potential to be misleading for parents. What is worth celebrating is the consistently strong results OLHC has in all areas of literacy and the upward trend in numeracy which we hope to build on. NAPLAN remains one tool to gather data on your children's academic progress and is not without its flaws but to completely dismiss it would be negligent and disingenuous for a school.
I look forward to seeing you around the school as we get stuck into the business öf schooling with optimism, energy and a sense of fun. If we can do this, the learning will take care of itself.
Have a great term everyone!
Important Dates
Term 3
Monday 28th July - Friday 8th August - Parent Teacher Conferences
29th July - 1st August - New Family Foundation Interviews
Tuesday 29th July - First Eucharist Parent Meeting
Thursday 31st July - Yr 1 Crafternoon
Monday 4th August - SAC Meeting
Wednesday 6th August - PFA Meeting
Friday 8th August - Division Lawn Bowls
Friday 8th August - 2SS Assembly
Saturday 9th August - First Eucharist Presentation Mass
Thursday 14th August - Yr 2 Theatre Experience
Tuesday 19th August - Yr 4 District Basketball
Friday 22nd August - Yr 6 District Basketball
Friday 22nd August - 4MS Assembly
Friday 29th August - SCHOOL CLOSURE DAY - Literacy PD
Saturday 30th August - Yr 4 First Eucharist Celebration
Friday 5th September - Father's Day Breakfast
Friday 5th September - 3RW Assembly
Sunday 7th September - Father's Day
9th - 18th September - Yr 5 Swimming Program
Friday 12th September - FSD Assembly
Friday 19th September - 6OB Assembly - Time to be confirmed
Teaching & Learning @ OLHC

A Message from Mr A
WELCOME BACK
Welcome back to Tem 3. Classrooms have kicked off some great Inquiry units this week as we work towards getting students back into the groove of school expectations. The first few mornings can be a challenge getting into the school uniform and loading into the car, especially with the cold weather.
2026 FOUNDATION INTERVIEWS
It is great to welcome in existing families with siblings who are starting Foundation next year for their introductory interview. A big thanks to the Foundation team who are running the majority of the interviews.
PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES
These begin next week with teachers allocating individual times for you to book through PAM. Please ensure you are on time for your designated conference to allow teachers to keep to schedule as best they can.
GRADE 3- CHARLOTTE’S WEB/THE LIVING WORLD
The Grade 3 team have been planning creatively to bring their novel unit, Charlotte’s Web, and their Inquiry unit, The Living World, together this term. The students had a kick-off on Wednesday. See below a brief description from Mrs. Crosier and some photos from the day-
“Grade 3 students kicked off their Charlotte's Web novel and Inquiry unit- The Living World, with a crafternoon session helping to create farmyard animals for our Zuckerman's farm corridor display. Lots of wonderful creativity, teamwork and fun were shown on Wednesday.”
Have a relaxing weekend with your family.
Thanks,
Naish














SSV State Cross Country Championships – Yarra Valley Race Track
Thursday, 24th August
On Thursday, 24th August, five students proudly represented our school at the SSV State Cross Country Championships held at the Yarra Valley Race Track. The weather was ideal, and the track was firm, providing perfect conditions for strong performances. All five students rose to the occasion.
Lotte Forsterling kicked things off in the U9/10 2000m event. She had a fantastic run, finishing in a time of 9:31.7, placing 24th in Victoria out of 91 competitors.
Next up was Finn Fogarty, also in the U9/10 race, recording a solid time of 8:58.9.
In the U11 3000m event, Lenny Jansz delivered an impressive effort, finishing 19th in Victoria out of 99 in a time of 11:51.7
Harrison Watson and Beau Morrison rounded out our team with outstanding runs in the U12 3000m race. Harrison finished in a time of 11:03.0, placing 10th in the state, just 29 seconds behind the winner. Beau crossed the line in 10:46.4, earning an incredible 6th place, only 12 seconds off the lead in what was a tightly contested race.
Congratulations to all five runners on their excellent achievements and for representing our school with pride!

Absent: Lotte Forsterling

Technology Toolkit with Ms Fitzgerald and Ms O'Keeffe
A space providing weekly snapshots of student learnings, as well as online safety tips and relevant technology updates. Please reach out with any questions:
Ms O’Keeffe: nokeeffe@olhcwarrnambool.catholic.edu.au (Mon & Tues)
Ms Fitzgerald: efitzgerald@olhcwarrnambool.catholic.edu.au (Wed, Thurs & Fri)
Screen Time Settings for iPhone and iPad Creating limits on your child's device is a great way to balance their screen time. Here are the instructions of how to create those limits. How to lock Screen Time settings If you don’t lock the screen time settings on your child’s device, they are able to ignore the limit and continue playing on their game. Here are the instructions to create a screen lock code where they are unable to override those Screen Time limits. Set a passcode for your device:
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Spirit of Our Lady's Award
Makenzie Haberfield
Annabel Merry
Ella Moloney
Hazel Clements
Grace Ghiggioli
Tayah Lake
Olivia Moore
Faith & Culture


Parish Office Hours: 9am - 4pm Monday - Friday
P: 5562 2231
E: southwestcoast@ballarat.catholic.org.au
webpage : https://www.
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


2025 OLHC SACRAMENTAL DATES
YEAR 4 FIRST EUCHARIST
TUESDAY JULY 29TH:
First Eucharist Information Evening (Parents and Children)
7pm - St Joseph's Church, Warrnambool
TUESDAY AUGUST 5TH:
Formation Day (Students and Miss Squires)
10am - 2pm at St Pius, Warrnambool
SATURDAY AUGUST 9TH:
Presentation of First Communion Candidates
6pm at OLHC Church, Warrnambool.
SATURDAY AUGUST 23RD & SATURDAY AUGUST 30TH
Sacrament of First Communion - held over two weekends
6pm at OLHC Church, Warrnambool.

More Than a Wish List
(Luke 11: 1 - 13)
“Lord, teach us to pray.”
Prayer can feel like a mystery. Sometimes we don’t know what to say. Other times, we feel like we’re talking into a void. But this week, Jesus cuts through all that confusion. His disciples – ordinary people like us – ask him, “Lord, teach us to pray.” And in response, he doesn’t give them a theology lecture. He gives them the Our Father – a prayer so simple a child can memorise it, yet so deep it can reshape your soul.
Jesus invites us to pray as children of a loving Father – not as beggars hoping for crumbs, but as daughters and sons claiming our inheritance. He shows us that God is not distant or disinterested. God listens. God cares. God gives. God provides. Even when we don’t understand the delays or the silence, Jesus tells us to keep knocking – not because God needs convincing, but because we need transforming.
But here’s the challenge: Do we pray with expectation, or with low hopes? Do we seek God’s will with open hands, or are we just trying to get God to rubber-stamp our plans? Jesus promises: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.” That’s not a blank cheque. It’s an invitation to enter a relationship with God – one marked by trust, persistence, and humility.
This Gospel confronts us with a radical truth: God wants to give us the Holy Spirit. Not just good things. Not just help with rent or healing or daily needs. God desires to pour God’s life into us, if we’ll just be open. That’s the core of it. That’s the real gift.
So, here’s the invitation today:
Pray boldly. Not with entitlement, but with confidence that God sees you and loves you.
Pray persistently. Don’t give up after one “no.” Sometimes God’s greatest work happens in the waiting.
Pray expectantly. God may not always give you what you want, but God will always give you what you need to become who you’re called to be.
Pray relationally. The goal of prayer is not just answers. It’s intimacy with God.
And finally: become the answer to someone else’s prayer. Maybe God is asking you to be the one who shows up, speaks truth, lends a hand, makes peace, or brings hope. Prayer leads to action. Real disciples don’t just pray “Your Kingdom come” – they live like the Kingdom is breaking in right now, through them.
So today, don’t just recite the “Our Father.” Let it shape your heart, guide your steps, and change your world.

Just Ask
Jason was sitting in his car outside the hospital, hands gripping the steering wheel, heart racing. His sister had just gone into emergency surgery. The doctors weren’t sure she’d make it. He had no idea what to do – except pray.
But it had been years. Jason had drifted from church after university. Life got busy, questions piled up, and prayer started to feel ... pointless. He’d said prayers before – rote ones, tired ones, foxhole ones – but today he couldn’t find the words. Until, almost instinctively, he whispered: “Our Father, who art in heaven ...”
That was it. Just that line. He couldn’t remember the rest. But in that moment, something cracked open. He wasn’t praying perfectly – but he was praying honestly. And that’s where it started.
Over the next few days, between ICU visits and bad coffee, Jason found himself praying more – not with polished words, but real ones. He asked boldly. He cried. He questioned. And every time, he ended with, “Your will, not mine.”
One day, while scrolling on his phone in the hospital waiting room, Jason came across a quote that stopped him cold: “Sometimes you are the answer to someone else’s prayer.”
He thought about the guy he passed every morning on the bench outside the ER – quiet, tired, alone. So the next morning, Jason brought two coffees. No big conversation. Just presence. A small act, but one that made something shift.
That moment became a rhythm. Prayer became not just words, but action. Listening. Showing up. Trusting even when there were no answers.
Jason’s sister recovered. Slowly. Miraculously. But Jason changed too – not because everything turned out perfect, but because he stayed in the conversation with God. He learned that prayer isn’t magic. It’s relationship. It’s trust. And it’s movement – from the heart to the world.
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!





A reminder to parents, carers and grandparents that SchoolTV is a free resource.
SchoolTV is a wellbeing resource that we have to support you with the challenges relating to modern-day parenting. This award-winning resource helps build relationships, foster connections, enable understanding and break down barriers to navigate a pathway towards better mental health and wellbeing for young people. It can assist in starting conversations on topics that are sometimes awkward or difficult to tackle.
In addition to the weekly topic we publish in our newsletter, all of the SchoolTV topics are always accessible through our school website under the Student Wellbeing section. You can also use this link: https://olhcwarrnambool.
There are videos from experts as well as a huge range of websites, books, apps, fact sheets and podcasts.
If you require any further information about SchoolTV, please contact Mel (mwillis@olhcwarrnambool.
Parents & Friends Association

Next Meeting
Wednesday 6th August
Save the date!
School Disco - August 29th
Father's Day Breakfast & Stall - Friday 5th September
Grandparents Day - Thursday 18th September
Community

Netball Minis Program
Reminder: Dee and her girls jump back into their netball program next Monday.



Out & About in our Community
Congratulations to Sophia Graham on her achievement in gymnastics at the end of term 2. Sophia finished first overall in the Ballarat competion, up against gymnasts from across the state. Well done Sophia!



Birthdays

Yr 2
Remi Keogh
Yr 3
Willow Krepp
Yr 4
Kieran Roberts
Yr 5
Lucy Coxall
School Sponsorship










School Forms & Policies
Mobile Phone Policy & Form
Medication Administration Form
Asthma Action Plan
Camps, Sports & Excursions Funding Form
OLHC Lunch Orders
Lunch orders can be placed through the My Schools Connect portal through the link below...
Country Bus Travel Application
Tania Malone - Administration/Bus Coordinator @ Brauer College
P: 5560 3888
E: Tania.Malone@education.vic.gov.au
TheirCare Before & After School Care - plus Vacation
& School Closure Day Care

WCC After School Care Information
LOWES Uniform Price List
OLHC 2024 Prospectus