Stewardship Thought ....

As we commence the month of October, we are reminded that as part of our Catholic faith tradition, it is the month  that is dedicated to the Holy Rosary.  The Rosary is a group of prayers where you reflect on the important events in the life of Jesus and Mary.  The word ‘rosary’ means a chain of roses and the roses are prayers.  The Rosary contains four sets of mysteries or events from periods in Jesus’ life: the ‘Joyful Mysteries’, the ‘Mysteries of Light’, the ‘Sorrowful Mysteries’ and the ‘Glorious Mysteries’. 

As a prayer, it reminds us that we are never alone when we pray; when we pray we are always helped by the prayers of Our Lady and the saints in heaven as well as the prayers of all the members of the Church.   Rosary beads are used to help us; they count our prayers and tell us which prayer to say.

Welcome back to all members of our Our Lady Help of Christians school community as we commence Term 4 together.  We trust that you have had a restful two week break and are enjoying this glorious spring weather.  As we continue to travel through this very unusual and challenging time, we are not exactly sure what Term 4 holds for us. At a school level, we will keep you updated about the procedures that we have in place in order to comply with the restrictions, thus keeping students, staff and families safe. As these procedures will be new and untested, they will call for flexibility as we make any necessary changes in order to solve any problems we may come across.

Also, there is still uncertainty when it comes to planning for significant events that were due to take place during Term 4, such as the Year 6 camp and end-of-year celebrations. All of these remain on hold and will, once again, require flexibility and understanding when final decisions can be made once we know of any changes to restrictions.

As restrictions ease over the coming weeks, we anticipate the following to occur:-

As we slowly return to school for face to face learning, the school will ensure that all Public Health directives are being followed and adhered to.  One of the main directives when back at school is to restrict the mingling of different stage groups.  This means, for example, Years 5 and 6 should not be interacting with Years 3 and 4.  We are so fortunate to have such wonderful space and grounds in our school that we are able to organise specific playgrounds and areas for the children to play each day.  The staff will regularly remind children as to where they should be during the school day.

Unfortunately, at this time, parents, carers and visitors are not permitted onsite while we are under Level 3+ restrictions.  When your child returns to school and to reduce the number of parents on the school property, we are asking that all times that parents either utilise the drop off and pick up arrangements at John Therry Catholic College or the gate located on Demetrius Road near the St Anne Hall for student entry. This will also be a pick up location for students in the afternoons. More information will be provided over the coming weeks in relation to drop off and pick up arrangements.

If by chance, you need to enter the school office, a mask will be required and you need to scan into the school using the NSW Services app on your phone. 

Learning and teaching will continue throughout the term and we assure you that we will continue to communicate all changes to you.

Return to School Uniform

Parents are asked to not be too concerned about purchasing new or the correct school uniform.  Commonsense will be used to support families who may not have a current Summer uniform that fits their child.  We don't want parents purchasing new uniforms at this stage, particularly when the summer holidays will soon be upon us.  The current thinking is that children who do not have a uniform that fits them will be allowed to wear their sports uniform.   The Clothing Pool is also available and if uniform items are required please contact the school office over the coming week so that this can be arranged.

Students will return to school wearing full summer uniform.

Classes 2022

Term 4 is the time when we complete the 2021 school year as well as prepare for 2022.  One of the major tasks this term is to prepare classes for 2022.  Teachers and staff members utilise their professional expertise in making decisions, seeking to create equitable class groupings, considering all students.  Please note - this applies to Kindergarten, Year Four and Year Six that will be regrouped for 2022. All other grades (Year One, Year Two, Year Three and Year Five will remain single stream for 2022).

Optimising the learning environment is the prime focus when forming new class groups for 2022, not forming friendship groups.  The aim is to provide classes in which each child is able to continue to develop to their full potential. 

If there is a particular issue regarding your child’s optimum learning for 2022, please write to Mrs Webb, via email, stating your concerns and requests.  You are invited to be proactive rather than reactive.  Please note that this is not an opportunity to request individual teachers, but an opportunity to state a particular issue that might impact on your child’s learning in 2022.  All requests will be considered but NOT NECESSARILY GUARANTEED. 

Please send your email requests to info@olhcdow.catholic.edu.au, using Class Placement 2022 as the subject line, marked to the attention of Mrs Webb, by Friday 19th November 2021.  Further requests regarding class placement will not take place after this date.  Please note that because we are committed to the belief that each child begins each school year anew, we do not retain information regarding these requests from previous years. 

This is the time to raise any issues regarding your child’s optimum learning for 2022.  After all requests have been considered the school will make the final decision regarding all placements. 

If your child is not returning to Our Lady Help of Christians Parish Primary School in 2022, could you please notify the School Office as soon as possible.   There is a ‘School Leavers’ form that needs to be completed.

Dates for Term 4

• Staff Development Day - Friday 22nd October - all staff will be offsite attending a Spirituality Day. Thank you for making care arrangements for your child/ren on this day.
• Last day of Term 4 for students Wednesday 15th December 2021.

Staying In Touch

During this time, more than ever, it is important for our families to stay connected with one another and also the school, so that we can support you and your child’s learning at home.

Here are some of the ways that you are encouraged to reach out if you need any help -

• Updates are provided regularly via COMPASS - please ensure that you have the COMPASS app downloaded onto your phone
• If your child is having difficulties, please contact the school office and the office staff will email your child’s teacher to pass on this message
• Send an email to info@olhcdow.catholic.edu.au with your child’s name in the subject line and this will be passed onto the class teacher.
• Remember to take one day at a time and be kind to yourself - we know that you are doing your best.

As we commence this new term we ask God to bless us all and each of our families and ask Him to keep us all healthy and well as we continue to seek Wisdom and grow in our love for God.

Jane Webb

School Banking