Our Lady Help of Christians Primary School East Warrnambool eNewsletter

Acknowledgement of Country

Today we acknowledge and pay our respects to the First Peoples, the traditional custodians of the lands and waterways and thank them for their continued hospitality.

We acknowledge and celebrate the continuation of a living culture who have lived with Creator God through creation of land, sea, waterways and life.

Prayer

Leadership & Stewardship

Principal's Message

Dear members of the OLHC school community,

This Friday is World Teachers’ Day. It seems there is a day for most things now, but being somewhat biased and conflicted, I feel this is one worth naming and celebrating. I could easily cut and paste an online spiel about teachers and teaching for this newsletter. Heaven knows, with Artificial Intelligence technology I could even get a program like Chatgpt to write this newsletter. But instead, I am going to copy and paste a section from my personal Curriculum Vitae that I wrote when applying for a job. It reflects what this occupation means to me. It may also shed light on what sort of school I am aiming to help build with our wonderful staff for your children too.

To me the best teachers are those …

Who take the time to get to know their students

Who are positive, flexible, optimistic, modest and professional

Who are kind

Who have a sense of humor and an infectious spark

Who don’t give up easily

Who openly value their occupation

Who understand the love a parent has for a child

Who are reflective of their practice and strive to improve

Who are explicit when instructing

Who appreciate the value of collaboration and teamwork

Who can take advice

Who want to make a difference

My Educational Philosophy is greatly influenced by my own experiences as a student and is centered on the child belonging, growing and finding purpose from their day to day experiences at school. Paramount in this is the importance of teachers finding ways to develop positive and meaningful relationships with their students and their parents.

Each child’s school life should be filled with positive experiences where they get to learn, play, laugh, discover, create, solve, imagine and perform in such a way that they grow as skilled, contented and balanced individuals. We as teachers can set a climate to make this philosophy a statement of fact, rather than a spiel of words.

Steve

Important Dates Term 4

Monday 30th October - TheirCare face to face Presentation @ 6pm

30th Oct - 3rd Nov - Yr 3/4 Bike Ed Program

Wednesday 1st November - Yr 5 Emmanuel College Visit & State Track & Field

Friday 3rd November - Yr 2's Big Day Out

Tuesday 7th November - Melbourne Cup Day

Friday 10th November - Staff PD - Student Free Day

Saturday 11th November - Remembrance Day

20th Nov - 1st December - Foundation, Yr 1 & 2 Swimming Program

Friday 24th November - PFA Community BBQ 5pm - 7.30pm

Thursday 30th November - 2024 Foundation Transition 1 & Parent Information Session

Wednesday 6th December - 2024 Foundation Transition 2

Thursday 7th December - Yr 6 Graduation

Friday 8th December - Yr 5 Fun Day

Monday 11th December - Yr 4 Fun Day

Tuesday 12th December - Orientation Day & Second-hand Uniform Sale

Wednesday 13th December - Foundation & Yr 3 Fun Days

Thursday 14th December - Yr 1, 2 & 6 Fun Days

Friday 15th December - Students' last day for 2023 finish @ 3.25pm

Monday 18th December - Staff's last day for 2023

We are excited to announce that we have now partnered with an independent Outside of School
Hours Care (OSHC) provider called TheirCare.

TheirCare provides a stimulating and safe environment for all children. During sessions, children
develop life-skills, friendships, confidence, and creativity through play-based programs.

We look forward to welcoming TheirCare to the Our Lady Help of Christians Primary School East
Warrnambool community in 2024.

Presentation to families - Monday 30th October @ 6pm

For further information, visit www.theircare.com.au or call our support office on 1300 072 410

Teaching & Learning @ OLHC

A Message from Mr A

Week 4 Term 4

SPLASH FACTORY- SWIMMING

This year our Grade 3-5 students trialled the Splash Factory swimming program at Warrnambool College pool. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive in terms of instructor quality and organisation. Here is a summary from Ms Watson regarding the Grade 5 experience-

“The last two weeks, our Grade 5 students have been making waves at the Splash Factory! The sound of laughter and splashing water filled the air as the students have been diving into their swimming lessons with enthusiasm and joy. Under the guidance of the dedicated and knowledgeable instructors, they've been fine-tuning their strokes and confidence in the water, all while having an absolute blast.

The Splash Factory has been the perfect place for our students to develop, fostering not only their swimming abilities but a strong sense of encouragement for one another.

We're immensely proud of their improvements and efforts the past two weeks.

Grade Five Team”

GRADE 6 I AM PASSION PROJECTS

The Grade 6 area has been a hive of activity the last couple of weeks as they ramp up their efforts and focus on their I Am Projects. This Inquiry unit is a little unique to OLHC and involves the students choosing their own Inquiry topic, a passion they are interested in, and spending the term becoming an expert in this field. The term culminates with the I Am night where they present their work. They also get to hear from a number of different people who talk about their own passion. They have had Andy Loughran, Oisin’s dad, who talked about being a vet. They have also heard from our trainees, Callum, Lucy and Finn who spoke really well and today they heard from Mrs Barnes, who talked about her experience playing college tennis in the United States a few moons ago. Check out some photos below…

TIME WAITS FOR NO MAN

This week I happened to walk past the front office on numerous occasions as this year’s Grade 5 students were trying on their Grade 6 hoodies with their parents ready for next year. This happens every year but this year was all the students I taught in the Junior school before stepping into the AP role. Not sure where all that time has gone and it made me reflect on how quickly time goes by….and seems to speed up the older you get. It is always exciting to try on these hoodies in anticipation for their final year of primary school and slightly confronting for me to see these ex-students now all grown up.

Enjoy the weekend.

Naish

Walk 2 School Day

Hello Parents, Guardians and Friends,

Each week the Digital Technology teachers Ms Fitzgerald and Mrs Murfett will be bringing you new cybersafety tips and what is going on in the technology room this week. If you have any questions or concerns regarding cybersafety please contact us on:

Ellen Fitzgerald: efitzgerald@olhcwarrnambool.catholic.edu.au

Sarah Murfett: smurfett@olhcwarrnambool.catholic.edu.au

Parents' Ultimate Guide to TikTok

Is TikTok safe? How does it work? Everything you need to know about this popular video-sharing app.

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/articles/parents-ultimate-guide-to-tiktok

In Our Classrooms

Foundation: Working on our typing skills

1s: The basics of typing

2s: The basics of typing

3s: What is the internet?

4s: Breaking bias on the internet.

5s and 6s: Blogs and Video logs!

Japan Trip 2024 Information Meeting

Wednesday 22nd November 4pm - 5pm

St. Joseph's Primary School, 70 Botanic Rd, Warrnambool (enter via reception)

The aim of this meeting is to present information regarding the proposed Japan Trip for students in September 2024. (Year 6 students, and the possibility of Year 5 students - TBC) We are currently gathering details about pricing and will have more information regarding this at the meeting.

Please complete the below form in the google link....

2024 Japan trip Info Session RSVP

Awards

Foundation

Daisy Sheldon

Archie Halloran

Poppy Spring

Levi Hill

Ben Conheady

Aleah Wenga

Margot Walsh

Yr 1

Max Sherlock

Georgia Neeson

Percy Thompson

Archer Mahony

Hannah Haberfield

Thiveyn Herath

Yr 2

Grace Barr

Lottie Moore

Lani Warburton

Ollie Romaniszyn

Ari Purcell

Amit Hurria

Yr 3

Ella Crawford

Ryder Steel

Baylen Squires

Isaac Sheen

Sid Moloney

Owen Ryan

Yr 4

Mabel Clements

Evie Dillon

Darcy Brebner

Issy Dyer

Liam Roberts

Oliver Hildebrandt

Yr 5

Hugh Walther

Alby Rae

Connor Sheen

Harley Wickenton

Harrison Asenjo

Jordy Templeton

Yr 6

Milly Mutton

Caden Waller

Sonny Moloney

Leo Pearson

Jude Delaney

Harry McLeod

Spirit of Our Lady's

Blake Ward

Jevin Almeda

Boston Nolan

Hugo Dwyer

Taylah Kelly

Remi Keogh

Sophie Battistello

Faith & Culture

Parish Office Hours: 9am - 4pm Monday - Friday

P: 5562 2231

E: southwestcoast@ballarat.catholic.org.au

The Bottom Line
(Matthew 22: 34 - 40)

Moses drew the bottom line for the people of God when he presented the stone tablets to them at the base of Sinai: Here are ten things you must, and must not do. Love God, honour your parents; don’t steal, kill. Most of us know the commandments well enough to know when we break them, without peeking back at Exodus.

To ask - which commandment of God is the greatest? - is a bit like asking for a hierarchy of evil for future reference. The popularity of lists of sins is that they give us guidelines as to how far we can go in sin before we’re over our heads. As Robert Orbin says, most of us would like to be delivered from evil - but would like to keep in touch. The great commandment of Jesus doesn’t give us that option. Loving God with heart, soul, and mind is a pretty exclusive commitment. When it comes to monogamy, even it a little infidelity is too much.

How does your commitment to God measure up against the Ten Commandments? How does it measure against the love command of Jesus?

Rule Number One

Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence. This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: Love others as well as your love yourself. These two commands are pegs; everything in God’s Law and the Prophets hangs from them”.
(Matthew 22: 37 - 40)

Mr. Williams was rehearsing his lines in his mind. His daughter had missed curfew once again, and she’d already been warned. How often had he told her about curfew – rule number one? Now, he was going to lower the boom. Ground her for weeks. Take away her driving privileges. Let her know there are consequences to her actions.

And the minutes dragged on. And his worry increased. And his anger increased along with his worry. The phone rang. “Mr. Williams, your daughter is here at the police station. She’s OK. There was an accident. It wasn’t her fault. We’ll be bringing her home shortly, but she didn’t want to worry you so she asked me to call”.

When his daughter arrived home, he saw the look on her face. He could see all that she’d gone through, the apology already on her lips. It softened his heart. He opened his arms and she came swiftly into his embrace. As if singing a duet, they said simultaneously, “I was so worried for you”. The Williams home discovered its new “rule number one”: Love God and one another.

Wellbeing

If you want to learn to ride a skateboard or get better at maths, you need to practise. It’s the same when you want to feel happier!

Here are some easy ideas to give Gratitude, Empathy, Mindfulness and Emotional Literacy a try every day. Because the more you practise, the better you will feel.

Let's Practice!

Helping your child during the current situation in the Middle East

12/10/23

Our young people will likely hear about the unfolding situation in the Middle East either through their social media feeds or overhearing adults. Clinical psychologists Dr Judith Locke and Dr Danielle Einstein share tips on how parents can support their children.

In a time when your child may be exposed to horrific images, how can you reduce the risk? Here are some short tips for parents.

Talking to your child and managing their social media

This morning, the situation peaked with terrorists releasing video footage on social media too horrific for words. Thus, if your child is on social media they are likely to be exposed to this footage.

To overcome this, parents need to set up boundaries. Protect them from the anxiety and distress elicited by images and heartbreaking stories.

If they are young. Don’t be afraid to turn off their phone or tablet now. This is sensible. You could say that there is some awful stuff on social media right now and you want to protect them. Only say this, if you know that it will not ignite curiosity in them. Remember you are the parent, you can take technology off them. Instead if you have the time, do something fun as a family like play a board game or take a walk to get everyone an ice-cream.

For older children. Tell them not to watch, but be aware that the older they are, the more access and choice they have. Ideally, spend time as a family. If you all want to be up to date and are all of the right age, then watch the news on TV, as networks are likely to be a bit more sensible in their choice of footage. Then, when the story is over, switch over to something different. Now is not the time for 24 hour news footage, it will continue to bring heightened emotion, as the situation is yet to be resolved. Comedies and old favourites are good distractions.

Keep checking in with them. Keep checking in with yourself.

What if your child wants to view the footage

Kids are curious and, often, so are adults. We can’t blame anyone for their curiosity — it’s important to stay up to date with world events. Learning about history with hindsight, allows us to examine the event from all angles in a grounded way. We are all trying to digest the story as it unfolds, and this often involves scrambling for meaning and leaving space for arguments when unfiltered views emerge. WhatsApp is a medium with no checks due to the encrypted messages that are shared. Therefore, there is even more onus on the sharer to filter videos and opinion.

It is not caring to share a video that we have seen or our opinion on something horrific with an awful photo, particularly if we share indiscriminately.

Thus, make sure that your child doesn’t share the images in a manner that distresses others. If your child is of the right age, you might explain that caring people do not do things that harm others, such as sharing images or saying inflammatory or extremely emotional things. This could be a teachable moment for your child.

Managing your own wellbeing

When emotions are high, news is unfolding and views are discrepant, the potential for social media to ignite arguments and cause hysteria must be taken seriously. Thus if you are likely to become upset at some people’s views then turn off social media. Be disciplined in this, don’t make yourself feel worse.

Instead, seek the company of others who you trust and love. They can check on you and you can check on them to see how we are reacting and they can adjust their responses. If you are only doing this sharing and communication online, then there is no protection. Even just making a phone call is going to help you more than scrolling social media.

Many people’s need for connection in a time of turbulence is so urgent, it might become somewhat second nature. Sometimes we want to reach out to many others on WhatsApp to tell them of our distress in a manner that invites them in, and, we agree, that can be helpful. But sometimes it’s not. Although we think that group conversation always makes everyone feel better and more connected, keep in mind that others may not feel the same or may not want to be reminded. Thus, now is the time to communicate our strong emotional needs directly with people, and check in with one person at a time. This will ensure that group dynamics don’t take over and nobody is trying to cater to everyone’s varying emotions and reactions in a single conversation. This will keep the tone of the group, as a whole, calm and supportive. You can also teach your children how to be similarly considerate when in a group conversation.

If you have a particular sensitivity to the situation

If you are personally involved, then witnessing the trauma as it unfolds will make it very difficult to function. Just as you start to adjust to the horrific piece of information that has come in, the next piece arrives.

Take care of yourself now. Again, the best solution to this is to switch off the source of endless bits of news, and seek the support of loved ones, caring others, or support lines.

About Judith & Danielle

If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 or Lifeline on 13 11 14. The eSafety Commissioner also has information about what to do and how to get support if you see online content that is seriously harmful and disturbing.

Dr Danielle Einstein is an Adjunct Fellow at Macquarie University, specialising in anxiety and technology use. She shares some of what she has learned about screen use in the new Australian documentary, Disconnect Me. This week her team’s research explained why social media use is associated with an increase in anxiety for some students and a decrease for others.

Dr Judith Locke is a clinical psychologist and the author of parenting books, The Bonsai Child and The Bonsai Student. The Bonsai Child is also available in Mandarin.

Both Judith and Danielle deliver sessions for parents, teachers and students in schools across Australia.

Flourish Health & Wellbeing Magazine - tap here

Parents & Friends Association

Save the Dates!

Wednesday 15th November - Next Meeting

Friday 24th November - PFA Community BBQ from 5pm to 7.30pm

Tuesday 12th December - Second-hand Uniform Sale 1pm - 2pm

Community

Term 4: Concluding on Wednesday 22nd November

The students participating, meet staff in the courtyard after school where they have some fruit before heading over to the school hall.

This program runs from 3.30pm to 4.45pm

We appreciate parents/guardians being prompt on pick up.

Enrolment forms are in the school foyer or can be found on PAM in the "Knowledge Bank" under forms and then selecting sporting schools or on the link below.

These forms need to be returned to the school office prior to your child/ren participating in the program.

If you have any further queries please contact the school office.