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REMEMBERING POPE FRANCIS
Pope Francis led the Church with a gentle strength, reminding us constantly of God’s love for the poor and marginalised. His tireless advocacy for justice, peace, and care for creation resonated far beyond the boundaries of our Church, inspiring people of all faiths and backgrounds to work together for a more just and sustainable world. He challenged us to see the face of Christ in everyone we meet, especially those on the peripheries of society, and he lived this challenge with remarkable authenticity.
Bishop Brian Mascord - Diocese of Wollongong
MAY POPE FRANCIS REST IN ETERNAL PEACE
Dear Parents and Carers,
A very warm welcome back for Term 2!
I hope that you enjoyed the blessings of Easter and were able to celebrate this special time within your families and the wider parish communities.
Hopefully the holidays were a time to enjoy the company of family and friends and to bask in the beautiful weather. The Easter holidays are always an excellent opportunity to rest, relax and recharge our batteries in preparation for another extremely important term of learning at Our Lady Help of Christians.
ANZAC Day each year goes beyond just the landing on Gallipoli in 1915. It is the day we remember all Australians who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations. The spirit of ANZAC, with its human qualities of courage, mate ship, and sacrifice and resilience continue to have meaning and relevance for our national identity.
Last Friday, on ANZAC Day, OLHC was well represented with students and their families who joined together with me to represent our school at the annual Campbelltown ANZAC Day March and Service. This annual celebration acknowledges our veterans, many of whom paid the ultimate sacrifice for us to enjoy the freedoms we have today.
All our students were exemplary in their behaviour and very publicly and confidently demonstrated our important school value of respect. We are very grateful to all those who were able to represent our school at this important community event.
LEST WE FORGET
On the first day back for Term 2 on Tuesday, all grades had the opportunity to gather to remember the sacrifices and courage of past and present service men and women who have served and died in many and varied conflicts. Thank you to Mrs Marshall and Year Four for leading us in this special prayer for peace and to honour those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.
Over the next few weeks, Fr Sarkis and I will be involved in Kindergarten Enrolment interviews. Conducting these interviews, especially with parents who attend for the enrolment of their first child is a wonderful privilege. In our conversations with families one of the topics touched upon is the motivation behind choosing Our Lady Help of Christians as the school for their child. In outlining the reasons behind their willingness to apply for enrolment at OLHC, the conversation often centres on the fundamental differences between the choice of a Catholic School, such as OLHC and other schools in the area. Our surrounding area is blessed with many quality schools. All strive to be places of quality learning and teaching, and all follow the common curriculum as provided by NESA. We are alike in so many ways. The fundamental difference, however, is reflected in our culture of Catholicity. Our school actively promotes, teaches, and celebrates our Christian faith and our Catholic traditions. Supporting this identity must be a conscious choice that is made by parents seeking a Catholic education.
Catholic Schools enrol approximately 20% of Australian students and whilst we teach the same curriculum as our government colleagues, the primary difference is on our faith being central in all that we do. We proudly and willingly identify ourselves as Catholic and we strive to bring to life the gospel teachings of Jesus Christ in all that we do and say.
It is with hope and excitement that we commence this new school term together. A term where we can continue to work together through our words and actions, to provide a rich and nurturing environment where all our students can strive to be the best they can be. In doing this we hope to ultimately bring Christ’s presence into our corner of the world and bring to life our school vision ~
A Catholic school community of faith, love, and learning ~ to be a lived experience.
We keep these children and their families in our prayers as they make the important conscious decision for a Catholic education. Please continue to encourage those seeking enrolment to complete an online application form. We are very grateful to parents who recommend our school to friends and family members.
With many blessings for the Easter season and term ahead.
Jane Webb
Congratulations to Sarkis House who were the winning house in Term 1 2025. The Term 1 House Point total is outlined below:
1st - Sarkis (2859 points)
2nd - MacKillop (2689 points)
3rd - Rose (2454 points)
4th - Ingham (2099 points)
The House Points have restarted for Term 2 and the first house point tally will be announced next Monday morning, at Flag Raising. House Points will continue to be counted each week and students are 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.
Our PB4L focus this week has been Playground 2. The rules and expectations for this playground space have been explicitly taught this week, this was especially important as this playground has not been used this year so it was important to remind ourselves of the rules. Please see the poster that is displayed in each classroom to outline the expectations for all students when using this playground space.
Walk Safely to School Day
Walk Safely to School Day will be celebrated nationally on Friday 16th May this year. This event encourages all primary school children, their parents and carers to walk safely and regularly to school. This event seeks to promote better health, road safety, public transport and the environment. Children who are regularly physically active are healthier and perform better academically. We encourage you, if possible, to participate and this will be recognised as you walk through the gates on this day. If walking from home to school isn’t an option maybe you could park a bit further away and walk part of the way to school.
Tell Them From Me Survey
This term we will be seeking feedback from parents, teachers and students about their experiences with our school. It involves the completion of a survey titled, Tell Them From Me and all schools in our diocese will be using this survey to collect valuable feedback in order to help us improve. This survey is anonymous and voluntary and the results will be combined, therefore it will not be possible to single out one person’s comments.
The information you provide will be used to maintain our commitment to working together in partnership to further improve student learning and wellbeing. There will be more information and the survey link posted via Compass over the coming weeks.
Alison Fazio
Assistant Principal
Confirmation Enrolment Year 6 lessons
Friendly Reminder, Confirmation Lesson 1 starts this Saturday, 3rd of May 4.15pm to 5.15pm.
Megan Marshall
Religious Education Coordinator
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 2 May |
Diocesan Rugby Union trials selected student Year 4 and 6 Benediction at 11.40am |
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Monday 7 May |
P&F Meeting 7.30pm school library |
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Tuesday 6 May |
*Postponed to back up date on 27 May 2025 * Diocesan Cross Country, Willandra Nowra (selected students, online consent in Compass) |
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Wednesday 7 May |
P&F Mothers Day stall (Day 1) Year 5 and 6 Parish Mass at 9am |
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Thursday 8 May |
Year 2 Parish Mass at 9am |
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Friday 9 May |
P&F Mothers Day stall (Day 2) Mothers Day Liturgy 1.50pm led by Year 2, followed by Assembly - Merits and Awards in school hall, all welcome |
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Monday 12 May |
Full Winter Uniform - all students |
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Tuesday 13 May and 14 May |
Kindergarten 2026 interviews |
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Wednesday 14 May |
Year 4 Parish Mass at 9am |
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Friday 16 May |
Walk to school safely day 3W Reconciliation at 9am Kinder classroom visit by Fr Sarkis at 10am |
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Monday 19 May |
Year 6 Leadership incursion (Explore, Discover, Act) |
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Friday 23 May |
Whole School Mass Feast Day at 9.30am St Joachim Hall. All welcome. |
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Tuesday 27 May |
Diocesan Cross Country, Willandra Nowra (selected students, online consent in Compass) |
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Thursday 29 May |
P&F Disco - Infants 5pm to 6pm and Primary 6.30pm to 8pm. (More details closer to the event) |
Reminder - Transition to Winter Uniform
During Week 1 and 2, from Tuesday 29 April to Friday 9 May 2025, students are able to wear either their summer or winter uniform as long as they are wearing their full summer or winter uniform and not a combination of each.
The OLHC winter uniform requires students to wear a tie and their school jumper if they are cold. The sports jacket is only to be worn with the sports uniform. As the weather gets colder, some students choose to wear scarves and gloves to and from school. This is acceptable as long as they are school colours (maroon or grey) and they must be removed once in the classroom.
Beginning on Monday, 12th May 2025 (the week after Mother's Day) all students must wear full Winter uniform.
Iniform Policy link on our website:Uniform Policy
As we commence a new school term, students in Year 4M will now refer to Miss Mudie as Mrs Carpenter (her married name). Staff, students, and parents are now invited to refer to Mrs Carpenter in all future correspondence.
As mentioned in our last newsletter, our next Assembly will be held on Friday 9 May 2025. Merit and Principal Awards and Cross Country ribbons will be presented. Congratulations again to the following students who will be receiving a Principal's Award.
The Cross Country ribbons will be handed out at Assembly.
| Principal Awards | |
| Class | Student Name |
| 2M | Emma PETERS |
| 3M | Damon OCA |
| 3M | Hartlyn KHO |
| 3M | Mabel MARTIN |
| 3W | Grace KHALIFE |
| 3W | Thomas ROSE |
| 4M | Adelaide DOUGLAS |
| 4M | Harvey MILLER |
| 4M | Nash SUMMERS |
| 5M | Ollie MARSHALL |
| 6M | Isabel MARTIN |
REMINDER - CELEBRATING BIRTHDAYS
When students are having a birthday, we look forward to celebrating with them by singing 'Happy Birthday' at flag raising and the classroom teacher acknowledges their special day.
Thank you for your support with these arrangements.
Diocesan Cross Country postponed until 27 May 2025
We wish to advise, the selected students asked to represent our school at Nowra Diocesan Cross Country on 6th of May has been postponed until the back up date of 27 May 2025. All details of the event remain the same. Please look at Compass event for the latest updates.
Please contact the school office if you have any questions.
Sport and Library Days for Term 2, 2025 (No changes)
Students wear their sports uniform two days per week. The below table indicates the days that students participate in library and sport.
All Grades participate in sport on a Friday.
|
Classes |
Library borrowing |
Sport days (wear sports uniform) |
|
KM |
Tuesday |
Thursday and Friday |
|
1M |
Monday |
Wednesday and Friday |
|
2M |
Monday |
Tuesday and Friday |
|
3M |
Wednesday |
Wednesday and Friday |
|
3W |
Wednesday |
Wednesday and Friday |
|
4M |
Wednesday |
Wednesday and Friday |
|
5M |
Tuesday |
Wednesday and Friday |
|
6M |
Wednesday |
Wednesday and Friday |
Staff Development Days 2025
All staff will be engaged in professional learning on these dates please arrange for alternate care arrangements for your children.
Clothing Pool Open Tuesday Mornings
P&F Meeting Monday 5 May 2025 at 7.30pm
https://dowcatholic.zoom.us/j/99712830472?pwd=NMbSEvqbigvSEmLZg9CfOHCe75OHA4.1
Passcode: 072076
Below is the Agenda and Minutes of last meeting.
P&F Minutes 2 December 2024
Mothers Day Stall
Catholic Care - Strenthening Relationships
Camp Australia newsletter.
Voting in the Federal Election
Before you cast your vote this Saturday, it’s important you know where the political parties stand when it comes to Catholic education. While both Labor and the Coalition support Catholic schools and our priorities, that’s not true of all candidates running in this election.
To help you understand the views of the major parties, the National Catholic Education Commission has prepared this helpful scorecard.