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Dear Parents and Carers,
Last weekend was a very special celebration for our school and parish, as many of our Year Six students received the sacrament of Confirmation from Bishop Brian Mascord. Confirmation marks the continuation of the journey first begun at Baptism. During Confirmation, candidates receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and are strengthened in their faith.
Bishop Brian thanked the parents and sponsors for supporting the candidates in this most important step of their faith. He spoke of our hope being in them now as they are the young people our church needs - now. We continue to keep these students in our prayers, as the Holy Spirit, gifted at Confirmation, becomes an important and foundational part of their lives.
PRAYER FOR CONFIRMATION CANDIDATES:
Lord, You send out Your Spirit to touch the hearts of all people, so that they may believe in You and in Jesus whom You sent.
Look kindly on all candidates for Confirmation as they listen to Your voice. Open their hearts to Your Spirit and bring to fulfilment the good work that You have begun in them.
As we prepare these children for Confirmation, make each of us an instrument of Your love.
Teach us to appreciate what is holy in others, and to be patient with what we do not understand.
Deepen our faith in the Gospel and help us to pass it on by our example. We pray that You will continue to guide us and sustain us.
Through Christ our Lord, Amen.
We are grateful to Mrs Samantha McGarrity, our Sacramental Coordinator, Mrs Alicia Failla Miss Ainsley Northey and our REC Miss Megan O’Sullivan, who helped to prepare the children for receiving this sacrament. We know that is a very sacred time for the Year Six students and their families and sponsors, as they received the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Feast Day Celebrations
It was wonderful to gather together as a community of faith and celebrate our school feast day, on Friday 26th May. Our Lady Help of Christians - Mary had the important role of being the Mother of the Saviour, Jesus. Mary is also our spiritual mother too. As a school community we gathered together with parents to celebrate the Eucharist as a community of faith. It was wonderful to see so many of our parents present at this Eucharistic celebration. Our thanks go to Fr Sarkis, who as Parish Priest, provides enormous spiritual guidance and support to our school and parish community. We also thank Miss O’Sullivan, our Religious Education Coordinator and the school Religious Education team for the planning and organisation that went into the Mass.
Following this, we welcomed a large number of parents, grandparents and friends into the school. It was wonderful to see so many parents engaging with their child/children and having the opportunity to see their child/children’s classrooms.
Some photographs have been included with this newsletter that form a wonderful tribute to Feast day celebrations. Thank you to the parents and carers who were able to take time out of their day to join together with the students and staff to celebrate the Feast of Our Lady Help of Christians. We also thank those who were able to volunteer their time to help purchase, cook and prepare the food for the BBQ. All the students loved their sausage sandwiches.
Jane Webb
Semester One Reports
The Year 1-6 teachers are currently finalising their Semester 1 reports. These reports will be released to you digitally, via Compass, on Wednesday Week 9, 21st June.
This report is a reflection of what your child has achieved during Term 1 and Term 2. Student achievement has been assessed, and will be reported to, across all Key Learning Areas. The students will receive an overall grade (A-E) in each of these areas. Three learning gains will be highlighted for Religion, English and Maths. The Semester One reports will also highlight some points to focus on as Areas of Growth in both English and Maths.
The explanation of the common grade scale (A-E) that the teachers reflect upon when assigning these grades is outlined below:
The teachers also reflect on and comment on the student’s effort in each of these subject areas. The effort scale used to make this judgement is shown below:
Please take the time to celebrate the successes and discuss the areas to focus on for improvement with your child after this report is released. You will also have the opportunity to discuss this report with your child’s teacher during Week 10. Information about these Parent Teacher Meetings and how to book your time via Compass will come over the next couple of weeks. The Kindergarten parents will also have an opportunity to meet with Mrs Hickey in Week 10. The Semester One Parent Teacher Meetings are 10 minutes in length.
The benefits of attending these learning conferences can never be underestimated. They provide an essential opportunity to set goals and targets for continued learning in Semester 2, as well as, strongly reinforcing the notion of partnership between home and school, which research indicates is a strong indicator of student success. Students from Stage Three are welcome to be part of these conferences.
May the opportunity for some extra family time this long weekend be embraced and you all enjoy the extra time together to relax. Congratulations to the Year 6 students who made their Sacrament of Confirmation last weekend. This was a special time for them and their families and may they feel blessed with the gift of the Holy Spirit.
PB4L
The PB4L focus for this week was to revisit expectations for when we move around the school during learning time. This means students walking, being silent during learning times and show respect for personal space of others. Minimise time out of class and return to class as quickly as possible
We had a whole school practice of these expectations with the students and the teachers will be awarding playground tickets each afternoon to students following the rules of how to be safe, respectful and an active learner as they leave the school.
Congratulations to Ingham house for being the winning house for the halfway point through the term, they will be awarded an ice block reward.
Alison Fazio
Assistant Principal
Reminder Pupil Free Day Friday 16 June 2023
Parent and Carers are reminded on Friday 16 June 2023 will be a pupil free day for students. All staff will be attending a spirituality day retreat offsite. Please arrange alternate supervision of your child/ren on this day.
We thank you for your support.
MANAGING COMPLAINTS
From time to time, parents may have an issue with something that occurs in the classroom or within the school community. Initially, these concerns should be addressed with your child’s class teacher directly. This can be raised by making an appointment to see your child’s teacher or by sending a message requesting that the teacher contact you. However, if the issue is not adequately addressed at this point, it is recommended that the concern be addressed through a member of the school leadership team. This can either be achieved by making an appointment at the school office or by contacting Mrs Fazio or Mrs Webb.
In the case that a satisfactory outcome is unable to be achieved, a formal process is available for complaints handling. Our school has aligned its approach to complaints handling using the model proposed in the Diocesan Complaints Handling procedure.
For details please consult the following CEO website for more information:
https://www.dow.catholic.edu.au/safety-and-wellbeing/concerns-complaints/
PARENT VOLUNTEERS
In order for the school to ensure that all staff and volunteers have the necessary WWCC, all parents who wish to volunteer are asked to ensure that they have the appropriate clearance in order to remain as a volunteer within the school. Once the WWCC is completed the school maintains a register of parents who are able to volunteer within the school. This includes classroom assistance, excursions, camps, canteen and general helping about the school.
Further information about the Working With Children Check can be found on the CEDoW website. Follow this link to the website.
At OLHC, it is also a requirement for parents who volunteer to have also completed a Parent Induction Course. Further information about this can be made available by contacting the school office.
SCHOOL HOLIDAY VACATION CARE - MISSION X PROGRAM
We are very excited to share the news that Camp Australia will be offering a school holiday vacation care program for the upcoming July school holidays.
This will be held each day of the school holidays and further information is provided in relation to the activities that will be offered.
Care will be provided from 5:30am - 6pm each day of the school holidays.
If you need further information, please make contact with Sam or Sharon from Camp Australia at the St Anne hall.
ASSEMBLY
Our next Assembly will be held on Friday 30 June 2023. Merit and Principal Awards will be presented. Congratulations to the following students who will be receiving a Principal's Award.
| Principal Awards | |
| 1W Jeremy CHANHDARA | 5M Lea CAMOIN |
| 1W Rosa MCDONAGH | 5W Riley TABONE |
| 3M Ethan LAZAR | 5W Lincoln HICKEY |
| 4M Jessica TRAN | 6M Hannah MACDIARMID |
| 4M Emily KONNECKE | 6M Amelia FAYKA |
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:
COMPASS
Having trouble getting on to COMPASS? - try installing the updates on the App. Another idea is to uninstall the App and reinstall. If you are still experiencing access issues, please call the school office.
To visit the school Facebook page, please click on the link below. When you see something you like on our Facebook page, please "like" us
www.facebook.com/olhc.rosemeadow
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:
| Friday 9 June |
5M Reconciliation Year 4 - Fr Sarkis visit Semester 1 student reports released via Compass |
| Sunday 11 June |
Corpus Christi Procession |
| Monday 12 June |
King's Birthday Public Holiday |
| Tuesday 13 June |
Year 6 Bishop Mass held at St Justin's, Oran Park (online event in Compass) |
| Wednesday 14 June |
Year 5 - Parish Mass 9.00am |
| Thursday 15 June |
Year 2 - Parish Mass 9.00am |
| Friday 16 June |
PUPIL FREE DAY - no school for students |
| Wednesday 21 June |
Year 4 - Parish Mass 9.00am |
| Thursday 22 June |
Kindergarten - Parish Mass 9.00am Netball Gala Day (further details closer to event) |
| Friday 23 June |
Year 6 - Parish Mass 9.00am Winter Woolies Mufti Day |
| Friday 30 June |
Year 6 - Reconciliation Assembly - Merit & Principals Awards - 2.00pm in the hall Last Day of Term 2 |
| Saturday 1 July to Sunday 16 July |
School Holidays |
| Monday 17 July |
Term 3 Commences |
| Wednesday 26 July |
St Anne & Joachim Feast Day |
| Friday 28 July |
Soccer Gala Day (further details closer to event) |
The Canteen is open for lunch orders and 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.
