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- Kinder 2022 Enrolment
- Spotlight on Religion
- May P&F Meeting
- Mother's Day Stall Selling
- NAPLAN
- School Uniform
- Vehicle Safety and Car-parking
- Clothing Pool
- Year 6 Confirmation
- OLHC Feast Day Mass
- Newsletter Translation Available
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Interviews will be conducted on Tuesday 11th and Wednesday 12th May. This year we have had a large increase in the number of Kinder applications received. If you are an existing family in our school and have not yet applied, we urge you to do so as soon as possible.
If you download your form from the Catholic Education website, please also include a family photograph with the application. Click below to access a CEDoW school enrolment package. Enrolment forms can also be collected from the school office. Children will be eligible for enrolment in Kindergarten if they have turned 5 prior to 31st July.
Please let extended family and friends know about this enrolment process. This applies to all families - including existing families within the school.
Stewardship Thought ....
From the Gospel ....
Last weekend was the fifth Sunday of Easter and we heard the insightful Gospel of the vine and the branches. The message that we can take from this is how we influence each other’s lives. With Mother’s Day approaching this weekend many of us will be able to reflect on the influence of our mothers as an influential person in our lives - someone who gave us life, who made sacrifices for us, and who showed us unconditional love. Our mothers live in us. I know I now often hear my mother’s voice in comments or remarks that I might make. I know that I can be aware of this but I am not sure that I can avoid it, as this is what marks the connection between mother and child.
Similarly, Jesus tells the disciples that their ‘home’ is made in Him. Jesus lives in them and as such they are fulfilled and they are connected to Him. Just as we stay connected to the important people in our lives Jesus asks us to stay connected to Him. This may be through simple prayers, short reflections, playing with your children and giving thanks that you can. It is about us recognising that Jesus is within our lives every day - we just need to be aware to recognise Him in those others who are, in fact, fruit of the same vine as each one of us.
As we journey together, with Jesus this week, let us recognise the fruit of the vine that surrounds us.
Now that we have entered the month of May we are reminded that it is traditionally the month associated with Mary, the mother of Jesus. As such, it is a very appropriate month for celebrating the great gift of all mothers. On behalf of the students and staff, I would like to wish all the mothers in the Our Lady Help of Christians community a very happy Mothers’ Day for Sunday. The special love that only a mother can give is always appreciated, but not always acknowledged. To all our mothers, please be sure to relax on Sunday and allow your family to show their love and appreciation of the invaluable role you play in their lives.
Our students have had the opportunity to purchase fabulous gifts for mum at our annual Mothers’ Day Stall this week. Gratitude is extended to all the parents who were able to help to prepare the gifts and also to those who assisted in selling them.
A PRAYER FOR OUR MOTHERS
Lord, thank you for all mothers.
For the new ones, who endure sleepless nights with infants in their arms.
For the busy ones, who juggle the pressures of home and family life.
For the steadfast ones, who nurture and care for our special vulnerable children.
For the patient ones, who always seek to forgive and engage with their pre-teens.
For the persistent ones, who cleverly find new ways to connect with their mini-adults.
For the mother aunts, who step in to cradle and care for nieces and nephews.
For all grandmas, who love and support their precious grandchildren.
For the foster mums that are called to gather and cover the fragile ones.
For the mums who give far beyond their own resources, who overcome disability to cherish and love.
Thank you Lord for all our beautiful mothers. Help us to support them and keep them in our prayers. May you bless them now on this their special day.
AMEN
Winter Uniform
It was lovely this week to see all of the students wearing their full winter school uniform. This 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 in the classroom. Thank you for your ongoing support with the School Uniform policy. The pride that the students take in wearing their school uniform correctly is a reflection of your support.
PB4L
The PB4L focus for this week is the expectations for Community Singing. The teachers will revise these expectations with the students on Friday afternoon during Community Singing time. The students participate in this each fortnight (odd weeks) and they use this time to practise hymns for an upcoming Mass or Liturgy as well as go over the responses for Mass. The House Points have restarted for Term 2 and on Monday morning, at Flag Raising, it was announced that MacKillop are currently in first place. 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.
NAPLAN
Over the next two weeks the Year 3 and Year 5 students will undertake the NAPLAN assessment. Teachers have been supporting them in their preparation for this and I know that they will all try their best. The timetable for these assessments is outlined below:
Tuesday 11th May - NAPLAN Writing
Thursday 13th May - NAPLAN Reading
Tuesday 18th May - NAPLAN Language Conventions
Wednesday 19th May - NAPLAN Numeracy
If your child is unwell and unable to attend school on one of these days, there will be opportunities to catch up on the days in between. The last day for this is Friday 21st May.
SPOTLIGHT ON RELIGION - Ava's (3M) re-telling of the Emmaus Story (Enjoy this beautfiful re-tell)
"As I travelled on the road, a stranger approached me. I felt scared. 1 minute later we talked about Jesus dying on the cross and being placed in the tomb. I really enjoyed talking to him so I decided to invite him to dinner. We talked and walked to my house. As we were at the entry I unlocked the door and walked in. I pulled out the bread. I passed it to the stranger and he broke it and passed some to me as soon as I sat down. I just realised something. It was Jesus - he broke bread, he sounded like Jesus - it all made sense. When we were done I walked him out and as soon as he left I locked the door and praised him. I was faithful he was alive in my house."
Our Lady Help of Christians Feast Day
On Monday 24th May, we will be holding a special Mass to celebrate our Feast Day. Mass will begin at 10.30am and all parents wishing to attend will need to register via a Compass event. After Mass, parents are invited to join the children for lunch on the playground (parents are welcome to bring food to eat as well). At the conclusion of eating time, children will say good-bye to their parents before going off to play.
During our Feast week we will also be celebrating by offering open classrooms. The children will be learning about our namesake "Our Lady Help of Christians" in Religion and they would love for you to join them in their learning.
Open classrooms will occur on the following days:
| Tuesday 25th May | Wednesday 26th May | Thursday 27th May | Friday 28th May | |
| 8.30am - 9.00am | 2M | 4M | Kindergarten | Year 5 |
| 9.00am - 9.30am | Year 1 | Year 6 | ||
| 2.10pm - 2.40pm | Year 3 |
St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal
This year the main focus of our Winter Appeal will be creating awareness about the challenges people who are experiencing homelessness over Winter face. Students from Year 5 will be informing their peers about this social issue and what we can do to support the cause.
On Friday 4th June we will have a Winter Woollies mufti day. Students can wear casual clothes for a gold coin donation that will be given to St Vincent de Paul on behalf of the school community.
On Tuesday 27th April, twenty-four boys and girls represented OLHC at the Diocesan Cross Country Championships. Students demonstrated great perseverance and sportsmanship on the day. We were very proud to have them representing OLHC.
Congratulations to William Shearer who placed 8th and will compete at Eastern Creek next month. We wish him all the best.
As we are in Week 3 of the term, the school winter uniform is now compulsory to be worn. Please ensure the Uniform Policy (copy attached) is adhered to. Students who wear the uniform correctly are not only representing themselves, but also our school, in the best possible way.
House points are regularly awarded to students who are wearing their uniform in the correct manner. Thank you for supporting the school by ensuring that your child is wearing their uniform correctly.
Clothing Pool Procedures
With the continued easing of COVID restrictions we are now able to invite parents into the school who wish to access Clothing Pool. A range of second hand uniforms are available.
If parents wish to visit the clothing pool, which is located between the Years One and Two classrooms, please come to the school office to sign in before going to the clothing room.
Generally, the Clothing Pool will be open on a Wednesday morning from 8.00am - 8.20am. If you cannot make it on this day, please send a note into school with the items you require and we will bag the items and send them home via your child.
NAPLAN – Years 3 and 5
Next week the children in Years 3 and 5 will all sit the National Assessment Program for Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN). NAPLAN is the measure through which governments, education authorities, schools, teachers and parents can determine whether or not young Australians are meeting important educational outcomes in literacy and numeracy. The assessments provide parents and schools with an understanding of how individual students are performing at the time of the tests. They also provide schools, states and territories with information about how education programs are working, and which areas need to be prioritised for improvement.
Although it is an important testing period and provides both the school and parents with a snapshot of achievement, it must be kept in mind that the NAPLAN assessments are just one aspect of the school’s assessment and reporting process, and do not replace the extensive, ongoing assessments undertaken by teachers about each student’s performance. Along with other valuable information gathered on a regular basis teachers are able to formulate and communicate to parents a more rounded view of the holistic development of each student.
Parents and care-givers are requested to slow down (10 kph) when driving through the pick up/drop off areas and be very mindful of students using the roadway. A number of incidents have been reported to the school over the last two weeks. Please respect the safety of all students, ours and those at John Therry Catholic High School.
Parents are also reminded that the OLHC staff car-park cannot be used to park in to pick up and drop off children and the gate from that car-park also cannot be used. Parents and care-givers must park elsewhere and use the gate closest to Demetrius Road to enter and leave our site.
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:
Rhys Barrington (6M - MacKillop), Harvey Miller (KM - Sarkis),
Isabelle O'Toole (5W - Rose), Justin Soares (5M - MacKillop).
Assembly
Congratulations to the following students who will be receiving a Principal's Award at our next assembly on Friday 14th May 2021. Merit Awards will also be presented at this assembly.
Lawrence Begg (1M), Euphemia Chew (5W),
Abigail Crawford (3W), Quinn Dickey (3W),
Isaac Ditotto (3M), Acueek Malek (1M),
Ollie Marshall (1M), Joanna McVittie (6W),
Fiona Nguyen (1M), Isabella Nguyen-Gibbons (2M),
Mathew Sojan (5W).
Newsletter Translation
Did you realise that the Schoolzine Newsletter platform allows for the Newsletter to be translated into any language? Please follow the prompts from the attached flyer for further information.
Use of School Bubblers
Parents are advised that the school bubblers can be used by students. However, it is recommended that students continue to bring a water bottle from home.
We also have a refilling station that the students can access during the school day to refill their drink bottles.
Please ensure that drink bottles are clearly labelled with your child’s name.
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 if your child has been marked absent. You can provide an absence reason via this alert as well. Thank you.
Celebrations and Sharing of Food
This term we are continuing with the request that parents/care-givers 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".
eSafety Website
Congratultions and happy birthday to the following students who celebrate a May birthday:
Eva Anderson, Aaliyah Barghout, Lawrence Begg,
Eva Bolshakova, George Botrous, Maddison Bradbury,
Daniel David, Georgia D'Emanuele, Sienna Dowds,
Jacob Failla, Josie Klarich, Lucas MacDiarmid,
Amelia McGee, Samson Morell, Ryan Muscat,
Reina Nguyen, Carmody Przybylo, Ignatius Przbylo,
Heath Spinks, Adrianna van Kints.
| DATE | ACTIVITY |
| Friday 7th May | 6M Reconciliation, 9.00am |
| Year 3 grade visit by Father, 10.30am | |
| Year 4 and 5 Benediction, 11.40am | |
| Mother's Day Stall back up | |
| Monday 10th May | P&F Meeting, 7.30pm |
| Tuesday 11th May | Kinder 2022 Interviews |
| Wednesday 12th May | Kinder 2022 Interviews |
| Kinder to Mass, 9.00am | |
| Thursday 13th May | Year 4 to Mass, 9.00am |
| Friday 14th May | 6W Reconciliation, 9.00am |
| Year 3 grade visit by Father, 10.30am | |
| Assembly, 1.50pm | |
| Walk Safely to School Day | |
| Saturday 15th May | First Confirmation Lesson, 4.15pm |
| Thursday 20th May | Athletics Carnival |
| Friday 21st May | Year 4 Reconciliation, 9.00am |
| Year 1 grade visit by Father, 10.30am | |
| Monday 24th May | OLHC Feast Day Mass, 10.30am |
| Wednesday 26th May | National Sorry Day |
| Year 3 to Mass, 9.00am | |
| Wednesday 27th May | Year 5 to Mass, 9.00am |
| Friday 28th May | 6M Reconciliation, 9.00am |
| Year 2 class visit by Father, 10.30am |
Please join us at the next P&F Meeting on Monday 10th May at 7.30pm in the staff-room. We look forward to your attendance at this meeting.
Mother's Day Stall
The P&F will be selling Mother's Day gifts tomorrow, Friday 7th May. All gifts are valued at $5.00. Please send your child in with a plastic or recyclable bag to take their purchases home in.
Thank You
Thank you to Bunnings, Campbelltown for their generous donation of a BBQ to the P&F. Also the P&F would like to thank Woolworths - Rosemeadow, Coles - Macarthur Sqquare and Coles - Campbelltown Mall for their generous gift voucher donations to assist with fund-raising. The P&F appreciate this support.
Also thank you to the following parents for assisting at the Mother's Day Stall:
Yara Aek (MacKillop), Belinda Federico (Rose),
Nicholas Hailes (MacKillop), Vanessa Lennon (Sarkis),
Kylie Tabone (MacKillop).
School Banking
School banking has resumed and is now available on Tuesday of every week. Please remember to bring the deposit book and savings in on this day.
School banking helpers are required. If you can assist with school banking, please come to the office on a Tuesday morning after school drop off. It is a chance to volunteer your time at school and meet new friends. It takes about one hour per week and involves counting deposits, basic computer data entry and issuing prizes from the bank. If this sound like it would suit you, please come along!
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.
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.
Church Readers Required
Mass
Sacrament of Confirmation 2021
Used Postage Stamps for Peru
Pious Good Stall
The Pious Good Stall re-opened on 10th April. Volunteers are required for all Masses. You would only be required to open the stall before and after Mass for approximately 15 minutes. If you are able to assist in this valuable ministry, please contact the parish office on 4628 1385.