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 Parents, Guardians & Students,

End of Year Preparations

As we head into the last month of the school year, each day begins with a diary double check to see what's happening both in and around our school, such is the busyness of life here at present. I do smile at friends who innocently say to me “are you winding down” as the year finishes. They have clearly never worked in a Primary school and my response is that we actually “wind up.” I suspect your home life, with Christmas on the horizon, may feel the same. Please keep an eye on the calendar and we hope to see you at least one or two of the many events coming up.

This week a number of events at OLHC occurred. This included SUBWAY lunches, Grade 1 Craftanoon, transition to Emmanuel College, shared lunches and Regional cricket. Many of these events can't go ahead without the assistance of parents and this week the OLHC PFA and grade 1 parents shone with their help and work for our children. Thank you!

Important Dates

Term 4

Monday 18th November - Yr 3 Gymnastics Excursions

Monday 18th November Evening - Yr 2 Dinner & Show

Friday 22nd November - State Volleyball Comp

Friday 22nd November - Community Picnic

Wednesday 27th November - Yr 2 Poetry Cafe

Wednesday 27th November - 2025 Foundation Transition

Wednesday 27th November - Yr 6 I AM Presentation

Friday 29th November - State Cricket Comp

Friday 29th November - Assembly 2SS

2nd - 6th December - Yr 6 Beach Ed & Yr 4 Bike Ed

Thursday 5th December - 2025 Foundation Transition

Thursday 5th December - End of Year School Mass

Friday 6th December - Assembly 5SH - please note *change of date

Wednesday 11th December - Yr 3 Fun Day

Wednesday 11th December - Yr 6 Graduation Evening

Thursday 12th December - Yr 4 Fun Day

Friday 13th December - Yr 5 & Yr 6 Fun Days

Monday 16th December - Foundation Fun Day

Tuesday 17th December - Yr 1 Fun Day

Wednesday 18th December - Last Day of School for Students

Wednesday 18th December - Yr 2 Fun Day

2025 - Term 1

Tuesday 28th January - Staff Return

Wednesday 29th January - Students Return

Thursday 30th January - Country Bus Resumes

Tuesday 25th February - School Photos

Tentative - Sunday 16th March - OLHC Athletics @ Brauerander Park

Tentative - Monday 17th March - No School in Lieu of athletics Sunday

Teaching & Learning @ OLHC

A Message from Mr A

CRAFTY INDIVIDUALS- YEAR 1 INQUIRY

Thursday in the middle block saw Craftanoon take over the Year 1 area and courtyard. This is such a great event for our students as we welcome both grandparents and parents in to run art and craft activities. This is part of their Inquiry unit, Think, Design, Create. There were plenty of smiles around the place as the students dove right into the activities. Such a great effort by our Grade 1 team to create these fun, engaging learning activities that allow parents and grandparents to be connected to the students’ learning. Well done Grade 1 team! Check out some photos below.

STATE-LEVEL REPRESENTATION- VOLLEYBALL AND CRICKET

A big congratulations to our Grade 6 boys team, who have made it to State level for cricket in a couple of weeks. We also have a team representing the school next week at State Volleyball. This is a big effort to make state level representation and we wish them good luck.

COMMUNITY PICNIC/YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS

A reminder about our Community Picnic and Young Entrepreneurs evening next Friday, 22nd November. We have a large number of Grade 5 and 6 students who are ready to sell their wares. They will be selling from their designated stalls 5pm-6:30pm in the Eugene Dalton Hall. The night will finish at 7:30pm. Please remember to bring coins/small denominations if purchasing from the Young Entrepreneur stalls.

END OF YEAR AND SCHOOL REPORTS

Orientation Day will be on Tuesday 10th December where everyone will be with next year’s teacher from 9am-11am. Your child’s report will be released on the final day of the term, Wednesday 18th December.

CONTACTING ME

Please use my email instead of Class Dojo when contacting me as a way of communication. Being connected to 21 classes presents challenges in receiving and responding to Dojo messages in a timely manner. Thanks. nauld@olhcwarrnambool.catholic.edu.au

Have a great weekend.

Naish

Sports Report

SSV Region Cricket Update

The Grade 6 boys travelled to Ballarat on Wednesday to compete in the Region Blast Cricket Final. Despite the chilly weather, they kicked off the day with an impressive win over Tarrington, 198-66.

In their second match, the boys faced a tougher contest but came out on top against St. Mary Colac with a score of 178-122. They kept the momentum going in Game 3, winning 162-94 against Maroona, bringing their record to 3-0 with one game to go.

After a bye round (and a hopeful appearance of sunshine ☀️), the boys prepared for their final match against an undefeated St. Columbus Ballarat. In a thrilling game, our team emerged victorious with a score of 168-88.

Well done, boys! Off to the State Competition you go!

A huge thank you to Brandt Walther for umpiring and scoring.

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

This episode explores why gaming captivates young people and the educational and social benefits it can offer. Andrew discusses how to identify unhealthy gaming habits and the importance of parents becoming involved as teammates rather than opponents, enhancing the gaming experience and preventing addiction. He shares practical advice on setting safe gaming environments and fostering open communication to ensure children are safe and polite in online games.

Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-4-game-aware-with-andrew-kinch/id1745037492?i=1000663860033

Any interest in the 2025 study trip to Japan, information night has now passed. IF you require any information, please contact me via email sauld@olhcwarrnambool.catholic.edu.au (Suz Auld) ASAP.

The AS deposit is due at the end of this month. Please note that if there are low numbers, the trip will not run.

Thanks, Suz

Foundation

Jack Devereux

Harlem LeCerf

Paddy McLean

Yr 1

Lucas Davey

Fergus Mahney

Yr 2

Arlo Waterson Locke

Maisie Parhar

Olivia Moore

Willow Krepp

Fletcher Rae

Max Sherlock

Mabel Couch

Wilbur Moloney

Yr 3

Archer Bowley

Lottie Moore

Lotte Forsterling

Olivia Ryan

Yr 4

Emily Bunting

Lenny Chiller

Dane Baulch

Audrey Loft

Yr 6

Schuyler Smits

Will Kerr

Will Chisholm

Luci Delaney

Tobias Warhurst

Georgia Neeson

Ed Thornton

Finn Murfett

Toby Sedgley

Stella McNaughton

Josie Thomson

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

The Time of Distress
(Mark 13: 24 - 32)

Jesus said, “Take a lesson from the fig tree. From the moment you notice its buds form, the merest hint of green, you know summer’s just around the corner. And so it is with you. When you see all these things, you know he is at the door. Don’t take this lightly. I’m not just saying this for some future generation, but for this one, too – these things will happen. Sky and earth will wear out; my words won’t wear out.” (Mark 13: 28 - 31)

Some of us respond quicker to bad news than to good. That’s how the news media manages to garner our attention. Dire headlines grab eyeballs. We’re conditioned to respond to the bad, because the consequences of not responding can be costly.

Jesus does deliver some bad news in the gospels. Make no mistake: this world is passing, and it’s all going away for each of us personally and for all creation eventually. We can’t hang our hopes on the sun, moon, and stars, because even these mighty forces are mere creatures with built-in obsolescence. And if we’re willing to hedge our bets about the end of the world, wagering that our time will not see the end-time, then we’re still left to comfort our own mortality in the mirror every morning. Some days we may feel invincible, but you don’t want to found your future on a feeling.

Because gospel means good news, the message can never end on a dire note. Creation’s last chapter is coming, but the words of Jesus belong to eternity. If we’re looking for an escape route through inescapable death and destruction, Jesus is the door.

How do the words of Jesus bring new life to you?

Dark Days Ahead
(Mark 13: 24 - 32)

Like a microcosm of the end time described in scripture, I have regular experience of dark days filled with the tribulation of piled up deadlines at the office, unrelenting household chores, family responsibilities, financial worries, psychic funks, and catastrophic events, such as the illness and death of loved ones.

During these times, I am pretty certain my world is coming to an end and all hell will soon break loose, but then, like the leaves on Jesus’ fig tree, I see one sign of hope in all the chaos: kind words from a co-worker, help from a sibling, ten dollars found in a pocket, joy on the face of a suffering soul. Suddenly the clouds lift and I feel both shame for not seeing the light sooner and gratitude for seeing it at all.

I would like to say that I am getting better at reading the signs of God’s presence amid the turbulence, but alas, it seems to take me longer as my life gets more complicated with commitments and responsibilities. On the other hand, my joy reaches unparalleled depths when I do take a moment to breathe deep and acknowledge my many blessings.

Please click on the link below....

https://www.ballarat.catholic.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/ODC-October-2024-web.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!

**A reminder to parents, carers and grandparents that SchoolTV** is a free resource.

Tap here to access SchoolTV

‘School is boring’: what it means when your child says they’re bored in class, and how you can help

How do you respond when your child says ‘school is boring’? It’s important to understand why they feel that way, say University of Queensland learning experts Amanda Bourgeois and Annemaree Carroll.

Have you ever asked your child how school was today, only to be told it was ‘boring’?

It’s a conversation sadly all-too-familiar to a lot of parents. Many are left wondering why and what they can do to help.

It’s important to understand why your child may be feeling bored at school. Here are some possibilities to consider.

Not every aspect of school is engaging

Boredom at school isn’t uncommon. Remember, a child’s learning journey is jagged, not linear. Their learning may progress quickly during some periods, and less so at other times. Sometimes they will be bored.

Research has found Year 9 students reported feeling bored during nearly half of class time, on average, while younger students report feeling bored during about a third of class time.

Our own research, which involved surveying 412 students in Year 10 about their emotions, revealed boredom was the most commonly reported emotion among participants.

This is concerning because students need to be emotionally invested to learn well.

As we argued in our paper, it’s possible there’s a need for some teachers to develop more stimulating lesson plans, and work more with students to find ways to motivate and engage them. Collecting feedback and working with their students to minimise classroom boredom could help some teachers.

Young people are growing up in an era where – thanks to technology – boredom in spare time is rare. This can be quite challenging for teachers, who generally want to encourage their students to reflect, ponder and contemplate.

But research has found closer student-teacher relationships, creating safe and supportive classrooms, and linking learning to real-world contexts relevant to students can often mitigate negative emotions like boredom.

The greater the control the student has over their learning – and the better they see the value of it – the more motivated they’re likely to be.

But lesson content is only part of the picture.

Is your child bored some or all of the time?

If your child is feeling bored in just one class, or one subject, then it could be the lesson content.

But if your child is consistently complaining that all classes and all school is boring – and you’ve noticed their grades are declining – there may be more to consider, such as:

the possibility of an underlying learning difficulty, such as dyslexia (which relates to reading) or dyscalculia (which relates to maths and numbers)
the possibility of hearing or vision impairment
the possibility your child is ‘gifted’, meaning they learn much faster than their peers.

If you suspect any of these, talk to your GP, and to your child’s teacher.

Is boredom masking other emotions?

When children say they are bored, they might be struggling to identify and express more complex feelings such as sadness or anxiety.

So it’s worth considering if there are friendship issues happening in the playground, or if there is something else going on emotionally for your child.

These stressors can occupy your child’s thoughts in the classroom, taking attention away from learning.

By helping children to understand and articulate their emotions, we can provide them the tools to manage these experiences more effectively.

Some schools offer programs that help children identify their emotions and learn social, emotional and behavioural regulation skills.

Children with good social emotional skills are likely to do better on a range of interpersonal and academic outcomes, which can also benefit parents, teachers and the school in general.

So what should parents do?

Talk openly with your child. Ask more specific questions about their day, instead of just ‘how was school?’. Instead, you can try questions like:

what was the most interesting thing you learned at school today?
can you tell me about something you enjoyed doing at school today?
was there anything that made you feel frustrated or bored today?
what do you wish you could change about your day?
who did you play with today?
if you were the teacher for the day, what would you do differently?
what feedback did you receive from your teacher on your work today?

Find out what they mean when they say they’re bored at school, and when they feel bored.

Consider having them assessed for possible learning difficulties, and their eyes and ears checked.

Find out if there any problems with friends, or possible anxieties lurking below the surface.

If your child is particularly high achieving academically, discuss this with the school. Your child may be eligible for further assessment and extension support.

Find ways to relate what your child is learning in school to their own lives and interests.

Consider how you can strengthen your child’s relationship with their teacher, and talk to the teacher, too. They might be able to make simple adjustments to support your child’s motivation and engagement.

About the authors

Amanda Bourgeois is a postdoctoral researcher in the UQ Learning Lab, The University of Queensland.

Annemaree Carroll is Professor of Educational Psychology, The University of Queensland.

This article appeared on The Conversation, and is republished here under the terms of the Creative Commons licence. You can read the original.

Parents & Friends Association

Term 4 PFA Events

Community Picnic and Young Entrepreneurs - Friday, 22nd November - see flyer below
School Fee Raffle - Late November

A special "Thank You" to Anton and the team of Subway East Warrnambool for preparing subs and cookies for nearly 380 students and donating $403 back to our school community!

Also a big thanks to the parents that made sure all the lunches got delivered to school on time.