Filter Content
This weekend will be a very special celebration for our school and parish, as many of our Year Six students will receive the sacrament of Confirmation with our Parish Priest, Fr Sarkis. Confirmation marks the continuation of the journey first begun at Baptism. During Confirmation, the candidates will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and are strengthened in their faith.
We thank the parents and sponsors for supporting the candidates in this most important step of their faith. These young people are our hope, as they are the young people our church needs - now. As a Catholic community, we will continue to keep these students in our prayers, as the Holy Spirit, gifted at Confirmation, becomes an important and foundational part of their lives.
PRAYER FOR CONFIRMATION CANDIDATES
Lord, You send out Your Spirit to touch the hearts of all people, so that they may believe in You and in Jesus whom You sent.
Look kindly on all candidates for Confirmation as they listen to Your voice. Open their hearts to Your Spirit and bring to fulfilment the good work that You have begun in them.
As we prepare these children for Confirmation, make each of us an instrument of Your love.
Teach us to appreciate what is holy in others, and to be patient with what we do not understand.
Deepen our faith in the Gospel and help us to pass it on by our example. We pray that You will continue to guide us and sustain us.
Through Christ our Lord, Amen.
We are grateful to Mrs Samantha McGarrity, our Sacramental Coordinator, Mrs Alicia Failla, Mr and Mrs Suares and our REC Miss Megan O’Sullivan, who helped to prepare the children for receiving this sacrament. We know that is a very sacred time for the Year Six students and their families and sponsors, as they received the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Dear Parents and Carers,
It was wonderful to gather as a community of faith and celebrate our school feast day, last Friday 24th May. Our Lady Help of Christians - Mary had the important role of being the mother of the Saviour, Jesus. Mary is also our spiritual mother too. As a school community we gathered with parents to celebrate the Eucharist as a community of faith. It was wonderful to see so many of our parents present at this Eucharistic celebration. Our thanks go to Fr Sarkis, who as Parish Priest, provides enormous spiritual guidance and support to our school and parish community. We also thank Miss O’Sullivan, our Religious Education Coordinator and the school Religious Education team for the planning and organisation that went into the Mass.
Following this, we welcomed a large number of parents, grandparents, and friends into the school. It was wonderful to see so many parents engaging with their child/children and having the opportunity to see their child/children’s classrooms.
Some photographs have been included with this newsletter that form a wonderful tribute to Feast Day celebrations. Thank you to the parents and carers who were able to take time out of their day to join with the students and staff to celebrate the Feast of Our Lady Help of Christians. We also thank those parents who were able to join us for a picnic on the playground - lots of delicious food was able to be shared. It was wonderful to see so many parents, grandparents and special friends join us to celebrate this incredibly special day in our school calendar.
Jane Webb
PRINCIPAL
PB4L
The PB4L focus for this week has been the expectations for Afternoon Dismissal. We appreciate your support in ensuring that your child uses one of the dismissal points each afternoon (Pick Up, John Therry, Bus, After School Care or Classroom Pick up).
Please remember that if you plan to come into the school to pick up your child you must enter the school via the St Anne gate and not through the school car park gate. At 2.45pm all children leave their classrooms. Those who travel on buses, or use pick up, move to these pick up areas under the supervision of classroom teachers. At this time, parents may move from the seats near the flagpole, or from the parent waiting area at the hall, to their child’s classroom. Parents cannot wait for children outside the classrooms or library as it is distracting for the children. Teachers will escort the remaining children to the office area to be supervised until they are collected by their parents.
Congratulations to Rose house who are leading House for the halfway point through the term. They will receive their ice block reward this Friday.The current House Point tally is listed below. The students will continue to be awarded house points for following the school rules (both in the classroom and on the playground), wearing the correct uniform, completing their homework and for borrowing from the library.
1st - Rose (794 points)
2nd - MacKillop (778 points)
3rd - Sarkis (717 points)
4th - Ingham (650 points)
Semester One Reports
The teachers are currently reflecting on student achievement as they complete their Semester 1 reports. These reports will be released to you digitally, via Compass, on Wednesday Week 9, 26th June. This report is a reflection of what your child has achieved during Term 1 and Term 2. Student achievement has been assessed, and will be reported to, across all Key Learning Areas.
There have been some changes to the Report format this year, these changes are throughout each school in the diocese. All students from Kindergarten to Year 6 will now receive a Semester One report, this report will be reflective of the new English and Maths curriculum. An A-E overall grade for each Key Learning Area will no longer be given and there will no longer be a general comment written for Semester One reports. We encourage parents to attend the Parent Teacher Meetings in Week 10 where teacher’s will have the opportunity to discuss with you students achievement across this semester as well as goals for Semester Two.
Please see below a summary of these changes as well as a link to a video with further information for parents about Semester Reports in this newsletter.
Alison Fazio
Assistant Principal
ASSESSMENT AND REPORTING - SEMESTER ONE
As you may be aware, the NSW Educational Standards Authority (NESA) have undertaken a comprehensive review of the NSW Curriculum, leading to curriculum reform and subsequent implementation of a reformed curriculum which commenced in 2023. In response to the curriculum changes, Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong has made significant modifications to student semester reports for Primary schools to better reflect your child's academic progress at key points throughout the year and provide parents and carers with a clear picture of their child’s strengths and areas for improvement in specific subject areas.
The following changes will be evident in your child’s semester report from Semester One 2024:
- A ‘new look’ report format released via Compass reflecting the outcomes of the new K-10 English and Mathematics syllabuses providing a descriptor for each of the focus areas found in the respective syllabuses.
- There will be no general comment in Semester 1 reports. This was a diocesan decision and is consistent across all CEDoW schools.
- All Kindergarten students will now receive a written report in Semester 1 and Semester 2 with a three-point grade scale used to report student achievement using the following performance descriptors: -
- Thorough
- Sound
- Basic
- Students in Year 1 - Year 6 will continue to receive semester reports twice a year with a five-point grade scale used to report student achievement using the following performance descriptors: -
- Extensive
- Thorough
- Sound
- Basic
- Elementary
We look forward to this positive shift in our reporting system and appreciate your continued support in your child's educational journey.
Reports will be shared with parents to communicate learning gains and areas for growth via COMPASS on Wednesday 26th June 2024 for Year Kinder - Year 6.
Reports for Year 6 White will be distributed on Monday 24th June due to Miss Jessica Mudie accessing some long service leave at the end of the term to celebrate her wedding.
ENROLLING NOW FOR 2025
Our Lady Help of Christians is now enrolling now for 2025. If you have a child who is to start Kindergarten in 2025, please access and complete the electronic enrolment form which is located on our school website.
PARENT VOLUNTEERS
For the school to ensure that all staff and volunteers have the necessary WWCC (Working with Children Check), all parents who wish to volunteer are asked to ensure that they have the appropriate clearance to remain as a volunteer within the school. Once the WWCC is completed, the school maintains a register of parents who can volunteer within the school. This includes classroom assistance, excursions, camps and general helping about the school.
Further information about the Working with Children Check can be found on the CEDoW website. Follow this link to the website.
At OLHC, it is also a requirement for parents who volunteer to have also completed a Parent Induction Course. Further information about this can be made available by contacting the school office.
Kindergarten Excursion
Kindergarten enjoyed the recent excursion to Calmsley Hill Farm. Please enjoy some photos of their exciting day at the farm.
Gifted and Talented program
Thirteen students from Years Four, Five and Six have been participating in Gifted and Talented workshops at John Therry Catholic College. We have been working in small groups with a Year Ten John Therry student to learn about and research different types of bridges. In one session we even got to meet Clover, John Therry’s wellbeing dog! Next term, we will have the opportunity to build our bridges with our John Therry mentors. Our bridges must be at least 50 cm long, carry 500g of weight without breaking for 30 seconds, and withstand wind/turbulence without breaking or moving for a minute. They also need to be made of recyclable materials or a simple wooden structure and look aesthetically pleasing.
We are extremely excited about this partnership and are looking forward to the final products our students produce!
SORRY DAY SERVICE
On Wednesday the 22nd of May, Mrs Webb, Miss Daly, a few students and myself attended a Sorry Day service at Minto.
Sorry Day is a day to remember the Stolen Generation survivors. We remember and acknowledge what happened to them and how it has impacted, and still impacts Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.
At the service we learnt about our culture and there was music, songs and dancing. It was a hopeful and sad service and is an experience I won’t forget. Sorry Day is a way in which we can heal and work towards a better future.
Burundi Yatharra Thurriti Ngarra (We are still here and strong).
P&F DISCO
Thank you to the members of the P&F who have been working very hard in preparation for the disco being held tonight in the St Joachim Hall. This event would not be possible without the support of parents and those parents who help on the night with supervision.
The students really love the opportunity to have fun at the disco and we are looking forward to sharing photos of this special event. I am sure that all the students will bring their dancing shoes tonight!
STAFF NEWS
As a school community, we extend our best wishes to Miss Megan O’Sullivan, who will commence leave at the end of this week for her upcoming marriage.
We wish Miss O’Sullivan many blessings at this incredibly special time. We pray that God’s love will be with her on this very special day.
Miss O’Sullivan will join us in Week Seven as Mrs Marshall, before commencing long service leave for her honeymoon at the end of the term.
ASSEMBLY
|
Principals Awards |
|
|
Class |
Student Name |
|
1M |
Alessandra MONCADA |
|
1M |
Georgia MCINTYRE-WORMALD |
|
1M |
Jacob QUEZADA AYQUIPA |
|
2M |
Michael SOJAN |
|
2M |
Zac ODRLJIN |
|
2W |
Anthony YOUSIF |
|
2W |
Sarah CONNELLAN DIZON |
|
2W |
Steve JIMMY |
|
4M |
Teresa JIMMY |
|
5M |
Isabel MARTIN |
|
6M |
Makanaka KARIMUSANGO |
|
6M |
Sienna ROBINSON |
|
6W |
Zali LINDEN |
POSITIVE BEHAVIOURS FOR LEARNING (PB4L)
When students exhibit positive behaviour, by following our school rules, their name is written on a raffle ticket and is entered into a draw where two winners are selected at flag-raising on a Monday morning. The students receive a voucher for the Canteen which can be used for treats or put towards a lunch order. Congratulations to these winners:
Hayden Phyakeo 3M, Sienna Robinson 6M, Edward Norris 3M, Emmanuel Venegas 5M
Clothing Pool will revert to Tuesday mornings from now on. Thank you to our parent volunteer for running the clothing pool Ms Johnson. Your help is appreciated.
ATTENTION: Have you check Compass calendar and school website
For parents to keep up to date with important events such as, assemblies, excursions, term dates, etc. Please look at Compass calendar in the App and/or our school website.
Having trouble getting on to COMPASS? - If you are still experiencing access issues, please call the school office.
SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHS
The School Photographer will be at school on Wednesday 31 July to take photographs of all students. If you wish to order photographs please visit theschoolphotographer.com.au and click on the purple banner (ORDER 2024 PHOTOS), then enter the school code X1737VT49L
Diary dates are published on our website home page. You can also check Compass calendar and the events tab.
|
Thursday 30 May |
5M Parish Mass at 9am P&F Disco in school hall Infants 5pm to 6pm Primary 6.30pm to 8pm |
|
Friday 31 May |
Mackillop Football (Soccer) Trials Goulburn - Rep Students only 3M Reconciliation at 9am |
|
Tuesday 4 June |
Year 2 - John Therry 1.30pm to 2.15pm - Cultural Workshop |
|
Thursday 6 June |
Feast of St Marcellin Champagnat Liturgy at John Therry - Student Leaders 9am |
|
Friday 7 June |
Assembly - Merit and Awards 2pm in hall, all welcome |
|
Monday 10 June |
Kings Public Holiday |
|
Tuesday 11 June |
Year 6 - John Therry 1.30pm to 2.15pm - Cultural Workshop |
|
Thursday 13 June |
Year 1 and Year 2 Excursion - Stanwell Park Beach Reserve |
|
Friday 14 June |
St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal - Mufti Day (Non- perishable items) (no gold coin) |
|
Monday 17 June |
P&F General Meeting 7.30pm in school library |
|
Tuesday 18 June |
Kindergarten - John Therry 1.30pm to 2.15pm - Cultural Workshop |
|
Friday 21 June |
Assembly - Co - Curricular, Merit and Awards 2pm in hall, all welcome |
|
Tuesday 25 June |
Year 5 - John Therry 1.30pm to 2.15pm - Cultural Workshop |
|
Wednesday 26 June |
Semester One school reports released in Compass |
|
Friday 28 June |
Western Region Netball held at Minto. (further details in Compass closer to the event) |
|
Monday 1 July |
Parent Teacher Interviews commence |
|
Friday 5 July |
Assembly - Merit and Awards 2pm in hall, all welcome Last day of Term 2 |
|
Saturday 6 July |
***** School Holidays****** |
|
Monday 22 July |
Term 3 commences |
|
Wednesday 31 July |
School Photographs - Full Winter Uniform |
|
Thursday 1 August |
Year 1 Parish Mass 9am |
|
Friday 2 August |
Year 4M Reconciliation 9am Assembly - Merit and Awards 2pm in hall, all welcome |
Cross Country Championships
On Tuesday Mrs Hickey had the pleasure of taking 21 students to compete at the Diocesan Cross Country Championships at the Willandra Cross Country Course, located near Nowra. All students demonstrated great school spirit and cheered on their teammates as they raced towards the finish line. Mrs Hickey was firstly impressed by all of the students' strength and determination, however she was even more impressed by the exemplary behaviour that was shown. Mrs Hickey had a staff member from another school contact her after hours to let her know that she had noticed the behaviour and team spirit displayed by the OLHC students was outstanding. Mrs Hickey and OLHC are very proud of all of the students who attended the day and gave it their best shot. Well done.
We extend our thanks to Mrs Hickey who accompanied the students to Nowra on Tuesday to represent OLHC.
Netball Gala Day - Friday 28th June 2024
Thank you to the parent who has volunteer for Netball Gala day. We are looking for a couple of volunteers for the up-coming Netball Gala Day at Minto. If you have any spare time and could volunteer on the day it would be greatly appreciated. Netball skills would be an advantage but not essential.
Also, any student who would like to attend the Netball Gala day, please contact the school office and there in still time to nominate students.
Representative Sport - Mackillop Trials
This coming Friday the 31st of May, Zali Linden, Lachlan Drake and Riley Tabone will travel to Goulburn to represent the Diocese of Wollongong at the MacKillop Trials for Football (Soccer). We know that Zali, Lachlan and Riley will represent our school with pride and demonstrate great sportsmanship throughout the trails.
We wish Zali, Lachlan and Riley all the best at the MacKillop Trials, and look forward to hearing about their success when they return.
We are looking forward to the Disco tonight. Unfortunately we cannot take any payments at the door. All money for Disco has already been collected.
PARISH APP
Dates for Sacraments
