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This coming week, we remember the children who will be receiving Jesus for the first time, in the sacrament of First Holy Communion. The children will be making this sacrament of initiation as part of the wider parish community on Sunday 24th November.
May this be a special and grace filled time, that they come to know Jesus, present in the Eucharist.
May God bless them and their families at this special time.
Dear Parents and Carers,
Last week was an incredibly special opportunity for us to gather as a community of faith, to give thanks for the impact of Grandparents and Great People in the lives of our students. We were reminded of the profound impact that grandparents and other “great people” have in the lives of our students. G Day is a special time for us to honour and recognise the love, wisdom, and support that these cherished family members and mentors bring to our school community and the lives of the students.
Reflecting on my own life, I am deeply grateful for the role my grandparents played in shaping who I am today. They provided me with guidance, unconditional love, and a sense of belonging that has stayed with me throughout my life. I remember long conversations with them, learning about faith, resilience, and kindness - lessons that have been invaluable to me.
Our students are blessed to grow up with grandparents and other role models, who inspire them with stories, encourage them in their challenges, and demonstrate the values we hold dear. Their bonds serve as a reminder that family connections bridge generations and offer a foundation of love, security, and strength.
On G Day, we gathered to celebrate all the “great people” in the lives of our students - those who stand by them, encourage them, and show them the way. Whether they are with us in person or in spirit, their presence is a gift. We invited our school community to honour their special contributions and the lasting impact they have on each child.
As a community of faith, we joined together in Mass to celebrate the gift of these great people and the way they pass on the faith to their grandchildren.
We extend our profound appreciation to all the grandparents who were able to join us. Your presence, wisdom, and love add a unique richness to our school community. Your experiences and teachings are invaluable assets that help to shape our students into responsible and compassionate individuals.
Our school strives to provide an inclusive, respectful, and nurturing environment for all.
Prayer for ‘Great’ People
Heavenly Father, we give thanks for the gift of grandparents
and all the great people who fill our lives with love and guidance.
We ask you to bless them with health, happiness, and joy.
For those who are no longer with us, we thank You for their love,
which continues to bless us. May their legacy live on in our hearts.
Through Christ, our Lord, we pray.
Amen.
Jane Webb
PRINCIPAL
Congratulations to Sarkis who are leading the house points so far this term. The current tally is outlined below:
1st - Sarkis (1159 points)
2nd - Ingham (1096 points)
3rd - MacKillop (1073 points)
4th - Rose (907 points)
House points will continue to be awarded and counted throughout the rest of the term and the winning house will be announced each week at Flag Raising. In Week 10, the winning house for the term will be announced and will be awarded with a mufti day. At this point the total house points for the year will be tallied and the house to win the House Cup will be announced.
The students work hard to be awarded house points by following the school rules on the playground and in the classroom, wearing the correct uniform, completing homework and borrowing from the library.
Uniform
Over the coming weeks the teachers will continue to monitor the way the students are wearing their school uniform and ensuring that they are following all aspects of the uniform policy. In particular, they will be focusing on making sure girls are wearing the correct earrings (plain gold or silver sleepers and studs only), students are wearing the correct socks and shoes on sports days (no ankle socks and sports shoes must be predominantly white) and they are following the expectations with their hair.
The teachers will give students a reminder if they are not following the uniform expectations in some way but may need to contact you as parents if the problem continues.
We thank you in advance for supporting us with this.
Remainder of the year events
It is hard to believe that we are almost halfway through the last term of 2024. The end of the year is going to come very quickly with many special events to enjoy and celebrate a wonderful year as a school community.
We have the Stage 3 Surf Day tomorrow, the P&F Colour Run and Year 6 Camp in Week 7, Year 6 Graduation and the OLHC Christmas Concert in Week 9 and the End of Year Mass in Week 10.
The teachers are currently assessing and preparing Semester Two reports which will be released to parents via Compass on Wednesday 11th December (Week 9).
Alison Fazio
Assistant Principal
Diary dates are published on our website home page. You can also check Compass calendar and the events tab. All newsletters can be accessed on our school website.
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Friday 15 November |
Surf Education Day Year 5 and Year 6 Sandon point (Online consent required in Compass events) Year 4 Classroom visit by Fr Sarkis at 10am |
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Wednesday 20 Nov |
Year 6 Parish Mass at 9am *new* Allied Health Parent information session 2pm |
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Thursday 21 November |
Year 2 Parish Mass at 9am |
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Friday 22 November |
3M Reconciliation at 9am Year 1 classroom vist by Fr Sarkis at 10am Assembly - Merits and Awards at 2pm school hall, all welcome |
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Tuesday 26 November |
Kindergarten 2025 compulsary orientation sessions 9am to 10.30am P&F Colour Fun Run 1.30pm |
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Wednesday 27 Nov |
Year 6 Wedderburn Christians Camp overnight excursion - Day 1 (Online consent required in Compass) 5M Parish Mass at 9am |
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Thursday 28 November |
Year 6 Wedderburn Christians Camp overnight excursion - Day 2 (Online consent required in Compass) 3M Parish Mass at 9am |
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Friday 29 November |
Year 6 Wedderburn Christians Camp overnight excursion - Day 3 (Online consent required in Compass) 4M Reconciliation at 9am Year 2 class visit by Fr Sarkis at 10am |
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Monday 2 December |
P&F Meeting at 7.30pm, all welcome |
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Tuesday 3 December |
Kindergarten 2025 compulsory orientation sessions 9am to 10.30am |
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Wednesday 4 December |
4M Parish Mass at 10 am |
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Thursday 5 December |
Year 1 Parsh Mass at 9am |
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Friday 6 December |
Year 6 classroom visit by Fr Sarkis at 10am Year 3 and 5 Benediction at 11.30am Assembly - Merits and Awards at 2pm school hall, all welcome |
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Tuesday 10 December |
Swimming Carnival (2025) - Bradbury Pools Years 2 to 5 (The school needs to hold 2025 carnival at the end of 2024) |
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Wednesday 11 Dec |
Year 2 Parish Mass at 9am Year 6 Graduation Mass 5pm to 6pm followed by dinner 7 to 9pm Catholic club (more details closer to event) |
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Thursday 12 December |
Kinder parish Mass at 9am |
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Friday 13 December |
Christmas Concert 1.15pm to 2.45pm. Students can wear christmas colours. |
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Wednesday 18 Dec |
End of year Mass at 10am - Last day of school term for all students. |
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Thursday 19 & 20 Dec |
Staff Development Days |
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21 Dec 2024 to 3 Feb 2025 |
****** School Holidays ******** |
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31 January & 3 Feb 2025 |
Staff Development days |
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Tuesday 4 Feb 2025 |
Term 1 commences for Students in Years 1 to 6 |
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Wednesday 5 Feb 2025 |
Kindergarten commences |
Year 3 and 4 excursion to Belgenny Farm
As part of our Science unit in Term 4, Stage 2 have been learning about how agricultural processes are used to grow plants and raise animals for food, clothing and shelter. As part of our learning experiences, they visited Belgenny Farm on Wednesday 30th October, 2024.
Enjoy some photos of the day.
KINDER PARENT INFORMATION EVENING
Thank you to the Kinder 2025 parents who were able to attend the Kindergarten Parent Information evening held last week on Tuesday evening. The purpose of this evening was to allow parents to become familiar with and engage with key information in order to support their child to prepare for school.
An information pack was provided to all parents at the evening. If you were unable to attend, this information will be sent home with your eldest child (for current families).
It is with immense pleasure that we announced that Miss Sarah Schembri will be teaching Kinder next year. Miss Schembri is really looking forward to meeting the Kinder 2025 students at the two Orientation sessions -
Orientation dates:-
Tuesday 26th November and Tuesday 3rd December: sessions commence at 9am to 10:30am.
Please bring a water bottle and fruit for Munch and Crunch. Children can wear casual clothes with closed in shoes. Parents can drop students off and collect at the completion of the session.
These sessions are compulsory for all students commencing Kinder in 2025.
Parent action required - School Managed iPad program Year 3, 2025
Dear Year 2 Parents,
In reference to recent Compass alert, please find attached correspondence for our iPad program that is managed by the school for students in Year 3, 2025.
Please complete your iPad order in the below link by Monday 18 November 2024.
https://forms.gle/TyAGwidRgu1qeLdw5
eSafety Commission: Free Webinars for Parents and Carers
Supporting healthy technology use as your child transitions into high school.
This online seminar explores the social pressures, peer influences, and technological challenges young people face as they transition into high school. It also offers practical strategies for navigating online friendships and connections to help minimise negative experiences.
It's suitable for parents and carers of children in upper primary school (ages 11 to 12) and Year 7.
- Thursday 28 November, 12.30pm AEDT
eSafety 101: How eSafety can help
- Wednesday 4 December, 12.30 pm AEDT
ASSEMBLY
Our next Assembly will be held on Friday 22 November 2024. At the Assembly, we will be presenting Merit and Principal Awards.
| Principal Awards | |
| Class | Student Name |
| 1M | Dakota NARKNGERNTHONG |
| 1M | Hudson MOORE |
| 1M | Nicholas PANTOJA RODRIGUEZ |
| 2M | Hayden TABONE |
| 2W | Ella BURKE |
| 2W | Jordan TABONE |
| 3M | Emily ANTONY |
| 3M | Lilliana HOLMES |
| 3M | Xavier KORKISE |
| 4M | Gisella WIJAYA |
| 4M | George BOTROUS |
| 4M | Adhieu MAJAK |
| 5M | Jessica TRAN |
| 5M | Alexandra VAGAJA |
| 5M | Alicia DOWDS |
| 6M | Vinhy TRAN |
| 6W | Miranda MARTIN |
| KM | Joseph SHEEN |
| KM | Rosalie MANOUK |
| KM | Xavier BELL |
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:
Alicia Dowds 5M, Tevita Gatehau 5M, Atonio Meoushy 2M
Geon Joseph - Athletics
During week 2, Geon Joseph returned to the Athletics Track at the Sydney Olympic Park for the NSW PSSA Athletics Championships. Geon not only represented OLHC, but was also proudly wearing the maroon and sky blue of the MacKillop Team. During the competition Geon competed against the top students from all over NSW.
On Wednesday, the first day of competition, Geon took to the track in the 12 Year Boys 100m Heats, where he came away with a second, securing his place in the Semifinals on Thursday. In the Semifinal Geon finished a very respectable 15th overall.
We are incredibly proud of Geon and his accomplishments in athletics this year. His determination and sportsmanship have been evident every step of the way.
Allied Health Partnership Service - Parent Pay's Service
As per Compass alert this past week, for the first time at OLHC in 2025, we will be offering a service for our families who are seeking the support of ongoing speech therapy sessions during the school day.
This would mean that your child would have weekly individual sessions to support with speech development and as the name suggests the parent would pay for this service directly to Allied Health Partnerships.
This is an Expression of Interest Form.
https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=KSIPNUesFkSD6AvAtFgTKn3WoLlZ87dPr-lh9gWrLXJUM0ZPTjNHRTJRODExOUlJVkMzQlJGM0VLVy4u
FINAL REMINDER - STUDENTS NOT RETURNING TO OLHC IN 2025
If parents are aware that their child/ren will not be returning to Our Lady Help of Christians next year in 2025, we request that this information be provided to the school office as soon as possible.
This information will assist us with accommodating both new applications and students who are currently on our waiting list.
Please send an email to info@olhcdow.catholic.edu.au if your child/ren will not be returning to the OLHC school community in 2025
CANTEEN MENU UPDATE
Charity - Share the Diginity
As we approach the liturgical season of Advent, we are mindful of those in the wider community who are in need currently.
Thank you for your support in giving generously to support those in need.
The following donations can be brought into school next week.
Colour Run Tuesday 26 November 2024 - Entry $10.00 each
The P&F is running a Colour Run Tuesday 26 November 2024 which is a great day for the whole school community to come together for some end of year fun.
Last year was the first year that we ran the event and it was very successful, in a large part due to amazing support from parents assisting along the course. We will have more water which equals more FUN. Assistance is required in the set up and primarily along the course to wet students and throw the colour powder as the class groups pass your station.
A school volunteer induction is required to be completed, if you have not previously completed this, or are unsure then please contact the school to organise.
Tickets can be purchased through the QR Code via Flexischools web brower in the flyer below:
