Whenever the bright blue nails would drop
Down on the floor of his carpenter shop,
Saint Joseph, prince of carpenter men,
Would stoop to gather them up again;
And he feared for two little sandals sweet,
And very easy to pierce they were
As they pattered over the lumber there
And rode on two little sacred feet.
But alas, on a hill between earth and heaven
One day – two nails in a cross were driven,
And fastened it firm to the sacred feet
Where once rode two little sandals sweet;
And Christ and His mother looked off in death
Afar – to the valley of Nazareth,
Where the carpenter’s shop was spread with dust
And the little blue nails, all packed in rust,
Slept in a box on the window-sill;
And Joseph lay sleeping under the hill.
Term 1, Week 1 - Thursday 28th January 2021
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Term 1, Week 1 - Thursday 28th January 2021
Dear Parents and Carers,
A very warm welcome to the 2021 school year. I trust all children and their families enjoyed the Christmas Season and holidays. For most of us, the COVID restrictions made the traditional Christmas family gatherings look, and feel a little different, however, I am sure the celebration and festivities were enjoyed just the same.
As you were made aware during the holiday break, Mrs Webb under went a surgical procedure and will be on leave for the first four weeks of term. Mrs Webb is recuperating well and passes on her new year’s blessings to all of the Our Lady Help of Christians school community. During Mrs Webb’s absence, the Wollongong Catholic Education Office has asked me, Don Spencer, to fill the role of Relieving Principal. I had the privilege of teaching at OLHC way back in 1992 and I am looking forward to again working in your school community over the coming weeks.
I ask our school community to please keep Miss Alicia Zoccoli (Yr 4 Maroon classroom teacher) and her family, in your thoughts and prayers. Alicia’s father passed away during the holidays. May he rest in peace.
As a school community we welcome Mrs Alison Harris, Mrs Sabrina Nowak, Miss Patricia Coffey, Miss Hayley Gabrio, Mrs Helen Williams and Ashley Stevenson to the staff of OLHC. We also welcome back Mrs Jane Taylor to our staff. I am sure Alison, Sabrina, Patricia, Haley, Helen and Ashley will enjoy their time at OLHC and that our community will benefit greatly from their talents and support. An updated list of the OLHC staff has been attached to this newsletter.
I extend a special welcome to all those families who are sending children to OLHC for the first time and who are beginning their association with the school. I trust that you continue to feel welcomed at OLHC and that together we can work in productive partnership for the wellbeing of your children.
SETTING YOURSELF UP FOR A GOOD YEAR
For most children the commencement of the school year is an exciting and fun time. Working in a new classroom, getting to know their new teacher and working with a new cohort of children and making new friends, can also be challenging and stressful. Over the next few weeks the teachers spend time teaching rules and setting up class routines but they also assist the children develop new friendships, not only in their class but also across the grade or stage. Mr Andrew Fuller, a well respected educationalist, wrote an article titled ‘ How to set yourself up for a great year’. In the article Andrew shared several ideas, which focused on maximising your success. I would like to share four of his ideas with you. You may find them helpful and interesting.
1-Build positive relationships with everyone you know.
Parents, teachers, friends, everyone! One of the ways of reducing stress levels is to set out to have as many positive relationships as you can.
2- Challenge Yourself
You are much, much smarter than you know. If you practice doing your best in your life you will succeed because very few people ever practice doing their best. To do your best you have to get out of the habit of predicting that things won’t go well for you. If you look for what is going to go wrong, you will always find it. If you look for what works, life will get a lot easier.
3- Be Curious
Think of someone you know who always seems to know interesting things, weird facts, strange occurrences, funny jokes and wacky stories. Try to be one of these people. Look out for and learn things that are fun and interesting.
4- Decide to be Happy.
Lots of people wait to be happy. They wait for the situation to be right. Or they wait for the right friends to show up. Some people spend their entire lives waiting to be happy. Decide to be happy now. Have a look at the things in your life you can feel lucky you have. Appreciate the people who like you and love you. Make most of the moment and seize the day.
Have a fantastic year.
Don Spencer
Relieving Principal
Welcome back to 2021! I hope you all had a relaxing holiday and enjoyed the quality time you spent as a family.
It was a pleasure to see all of the staff yesterday for the first day of the year, everyone was eager and excited to begin with their new class. The classrooms look great with new themes, new ideas, ready to be filled with students. A special welcome to our new staff members, it is great to have them as a part of our OLHC community, I am sure they will bring so much to the team. Welcome also to the new families to the school, we look forward to Kindergarten 2021 starting next Thursday, 4th February. Starting school for the first time is such a huge step but we look forward to taking this step with the students and their families.
We start our year with our Swimming Carnival tomorrow, Friday 29th January. I am sure it will be a wonderful day and thank you to the Sports team for all they have done in advance to have this day organised and ready to go in the first week back at school.
Looking forward to another productive year and to facing all of the challenges together that lay ahead.
Alison Fazio
Assistant Principal
Year of St Joseph
Pope Francis, on 8th December 2020, published an Apostolic Letter Patris corde (With A Father's Heart), commemorating the 150th anniversary of the declaration of St Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church. To mark the occasion, the Holy Father proclaimed a "Year of Joseph", running from 8th December 2020 to 8th December 2021.
Poem: "Nails" by Leonard Feeney, S.J.
Opening School Mass
This year our Opening School Mass will be held during Catholic Schools Week on Wednesday 3rd March. It is our hope that by this time we will have reduced restrictions which will enable us to gather as a school community to celebrate the Mass and present our 2021 student leaders. We will keep you posted
Natasha Ferderer
Religious Education Co-ordinator
Staffing Arrangements 2021
|
KINDERGARTEN MAROON |
Mrs Kristy Hickey |
|
YEAR ONE MAROON |
Mrs Sabrina Nowak |
|
YEAR TWO MAROON |
Mrs Patricia Coffey |
|
YEAR THREE WHITE |
Miss Bridget Daly |
|
YEAR THREE MAROON |
Miss Emma Cavallaro |
|
YEAR FOUR MAROON |
Miss Alicia Zoccoli |
|
YEAR FIVE WHITE |
Mr Kyle Myerscough |
|
YEAR FIVE MAROON |
Mrs Gemma Wild |
|
YEAR SIX WHITE |
Miss Miriam Reid |
|
YEAR SIX MAROON |
Mr Peter Vincent |
|
LEARNING SUPPORT CENTRE |
Mrs Winnie Cameron |
|
READING RECOVERY/LITERACY SUPPORT |
Miss Megan O’Sullivan |
|
LEARNING AND TEACHING ADVISER (LNAP ACCOUNTABLITIES) |
Miss Jessica Mudie |
|
INSTRUCTIONAL COACH / PPT Kinder/Year One |
Miss Natasha Ferderer |
|
MACQLIT/SPO Release /PPT Year 6 |
Mrs Alison Fazio |
|
LEARNING SUPPORT |
Mrs Jane Taylor |
|
SCHOOL LEADERSHIP TEAM - Principal - Mrs Jane Webb Assistant Principal – Mrs Alison Fazio REC – Miss Natasha Ferderer Middle Leader 2 – Mrs Winnie Cameron Learning and Teaching Advisor – Miss Jessica Mudie Acting Middle Leader One – Miss Megan O’Sullivan |
SCHOOL SUPPORT School Office Administration – Mrs Michelle Cantrill and Mrs Margaret Hole Classroom Support – Mrs Karen Powell (Kinder, Year One and Year Two) Mrs Maree Murphy (Year Three and Year Four) Mrs Kerry Gardner (Learning Support Centre) |
COVID RESTRICTIONS UPDATE
Mrs Webb recently communicated several changes to the COVID restrictions introduced last year for education settings. The following is a summary of those changes.
- Parents and carers of Kindergarten and Years 1, 2 students will be allowed on the school site to drop off and pick up their children on the first few days of school provided they follow COVID-safe physical distancing and hygiene measures.
- Interviews are now possible with classroom teachers – Please make a phone call to the office and the teacher will contact you to arrange a convenient time
- Parents and carers will also be allowed on school sites or at off-site school events held during school hours for the following purposes:
-Essential parent and carer meetings with teachers and/or school executives with a scheduled appointment.
- Attending a school administration building or another defined location for the purpose of picking up their child if they are unwell or where they have been asked to arrange for a COVID-19 test after their child has displayed flu-like symptoms while at school.
- Attending parent orientation meetings and ‘meet the teacher’ meetings with school staff for all year/stage groups.
Parents will continue to be notified of any changes to the restrictions. Thank you again for your ongoing support and understanding.
Swimming Carnival
The Swimming Carnival will be held tomorrow, Friday the 29th of January for Years 3-6.
What to Wear: School or protective hat in house colour, coloured house polo shirt and sunscreen swimming costume (worn under sports clothes) and goggles (if required) Thongs can be packed.
What to bring:
- Water
- Recess, Lunch – please do not pack any food products containing nuts
- Students will not be able to visit the canteen.
- Sunscreen
- Towel
Unfortunately, due to COVID restrictions and Catholic Education Office guidelines, no spectators will be permitted at the carnival. Normal school arrival and dismissal procedures will remain in place. Children will return to school after the carnival via bus for dismissal procedures.
P&F Meeting
Our February P&F Meeting will be held on Monday 1st February at 7.30pm in the staff-room. We welcome parents to join us on this occasion. Should numbers require it, we will move the meeting to the St Joachim Hall.
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.
Zero Touch Sign In for Staff, Parents/Carers and Visitors
The attached flyer explains to parents and care-givers how to download the CEDoW app to your phone that will assist you in registering your presence if you need to come onto the school grounds.
Student Absence
Letters to request reasons for a child's absence will be sent home on a weekly basis. Please provide an explanation for the absence and sign off the letter and return it to the office as soon as possible. If you think the absence is incorrect please note this on the letter.
Parents may also open the Compass app and provide an explanation through there.
Just after 10.00am, on a school day, an alert will automatically be sent to you to advise your child has been marked absent. You can provide an absence reason via this alert as well. Thank you.
School Banking
We will advise you when school banking is once again available to our students.
Celebrations and Sharing of Food
In light of the current environment that we are living in, we ask that you please do not send in birthday cakes or food to share with the class. I understand that this is something that the children enjoy, however, we need to maintain controlled safety and hygiene procedures in the school. If you would like to send in something to acknowledge and celebrate your child’s birthday, you are able to send in packaged goods only (eg, packets of Maltesers, small wrapped chocolate bars etc such as a Freddo Frogs). We will notify you when these restrictions are lifted.
Compass App
This app should be downloaded so you can be kept up to date with the latest events and information from the school. This app is also used for distribution of the Newsletter. Please download the app from your relevant store. For more information please see the attached flyer "Accessing the Compass App".
Facebook
eSafety Website
This website provides online safety basics. Help your children safely navigate their digital world and educate them to avoid harmful online experiences. Explore websites, games, apps and social media together and set some rules. We urge parents to take the time to look at this site by visiting:
esafety.gov.au
THE CANTEEN WILL RE-OPEN FROM MONDAY 1ST FEBRUARY.
The Canteen is open for over-the-counter sales of snacks and treats at Break 1 (11.00am - 11.30am). A price list is attached. Please support the Canteen in their endeavours to support our school community.
Lunch orders are required at the Canteen by 9.00am. Please write your child's name, class and what they wish to order on a paper bag and enclose the correct money, if possible.
2021 Canteen Price List
The Canteen price list has been revised and is attached for your use in 2021.
The Canteen is run by Made Fresh. Should you have a need to contact the Canteen, please email Maria at "made.fresh@yahoo.com" or telephone 0422 469 489.