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,

Welcome back to term 3 at OLHC. Our term kicked off with lots of great activities and learning. The grade 3’s introduced their novel study, Roald Dahl’s Matilda with a shared lunch and some great guest appearances. These experiences help us “hook” the children in and get excitement and engagement levels high. Once again the level of parental support was incredible- Thank you for supporting our efforts to ensure school is a great experience for our children.

As we shiver through some winter weather, I spoke to the children about flipping their thinking and embracing the days we have to stay indoors by organising games or activities they like to play. Whether it be card, board or play-based games. We will always look for ways to give them a runaround in the gym or under the courtyard on such wet days.

A number of events are on the horizon and this note is to ensure communication to you is clear and transparent.

Upcoming pupil free days – while we are aware these are early in the term, please note that the school review dates are not always under our control.

Friday, July 26th – Parent Teacher Conferences
Monday, July 29th - School review - writing teams

Parent Teacher conferences - Term 3 is traditionally when we invite parents in to talk to their child’s teachers. These conferences will happen over two days. Wednesday 24th 3:30- 4:30 and Friday 26th 8:30- 3:30 pm.

School Review - As previously mentioned OLHC staff are in the process of completing a significant amount of paperwork in order to be ready for our formal review. Due later in the year. Reviews of this nature happen every 5 years. Much of the preliminary work is done in consolation and collaboration with an Educational Consultation and as a result, we don’t have too much control over the dates listed to do this work.

Semester 2 School Leadership Team

School Captains - Murphy Rea & Maya McLeod

Vice Captains - Jonah Sabo & Laila Conn

Japanese Art Leaders - Oscar Auld & Zara Doherty

Sports Leaders - Sam Gardner, Fletcher White, Harvey Warburton, Will Kerr, Indi Griffin, Matisse Aberline, Layla Turner & Quinn Thomas

Catholic Social Justice Leaders - Emmy Dyer & Chloe Burleigh

Digital Technology Leaders - Kavish Hurria & Harrison Asenjo

Library Leaders - Connor Sheen & Summer Lowe

Environmental Leaders - Ollie Carr, Jack Skilbeck, Milah Knowles & Jessica Williams

Important Dates

Term 3

Tuesday 23rd July - PFA Meeting @ 7pm

Wednesday 24th July - Parent Teacher Conferences 3.30pm - 4.30pm

Friday 26th July - Parent Teacher Conferences - Student Free Day

Monday 29th July - Review Writing Day 2 - Student Free Day

Friday 2nd August - 1JS Assembly

Sunday 4th August - Eucharist Commitment Mass @ 9am @ St Pius X

Wednesday 7th August - Yr 4 Tree Planting

Saturday 10th August @ 6pm - Eucharist Celebration OLHC

Friday 20th September - Staff Maths PD - Student Free Day

Teaching & Learning @ OLHC

A Message from Mr A

Week 1 Term 3

WELCOME BACK!

WELCOME TO CRUNCHEM HALL- GRADE 3

There was a fair bit of excitement in the Grade 3 area this week. The students are embarking on a term-long novel study of the classic Roald Dahl book, Matilda. The teachers have created an entrance to Crunchem Hall, the school that Matilda attends, as you walk into the Grade 3 area. They also had a kick off on Wednesday with a toastie lunch and a couple of special guests, Matilda (our trainee Scarlett), and an Oscar winning performance from Ms Fish in the role of Ms Truchbull.

Yr 3 Shared Lunch

GRADE 6 LEADERS

Congratulations to the Grade 6 leaders who were announced at the 6OB assembly today (see above in leadership). We have a fresh batch of leaders ready to promote kindness and respect at the Senior level and across the school. We wish them all the best on their leadership journey and a big thank you to the Grade 6 teachers for facilitating this.

STATE CROSS COUNTRY

Congratulations to all those students who participated in the Stae Cross Country on Thursday. A massive effort to make it all the way to the States. Well done to all!

Hockey Competition - Today

Technology Toolkit with Mrs Fitzgerald and Mrs Murfett

New technology updates, cyber safety tips and snapshots of the learning experiences happening in the digital classroom. Let’s work together to make the online space a positive space! If you have any questions or concerns please contact us:

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

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

Ep 3 - Talk to Me First: Exposure to Explicit Content with Justine Keily-Scott

Cyber Safety Project - DigiKnow Parent Series

In this episode, Justine discusses the 'Talk to me first' approach, detailing how parents can start conversations early to build trust and prepare children for the digital world. She provides practical advice on setting up a safe digital environment at home, role-playing to deal with accidental exposure to inappropriate content, and fostering body positivity. The discussion also covers preventive versus reactive measures in managing children's online interactions.

Marley Gannon with the latest edition of the OLHC Kind News

Spirit of Our Lady's Award

Henry Ward

Fletcher White

Banjo Auld

Alice Marr

Annika Coomaraswamy

Lylah White

Faith & Culture

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

P: 5562 2231

E: southwestcoast@ballarat.catholic.org.au

Weekend Masses

Saturday Vigil

6:00pm OLHC, Warrnambool East

Sunday Morning

9:00am Infant Jesus, Koroit

9:00am St Pius X, Warrnambool West

10:30am St Joseph’s, Warrnambool

10:30am St Patrick’s, Port Fairy

6:00pm St Joseph’s Warrnambool

*11:00am St Anne’s, Purnim

2nd Sunday of the month (Eucharist)

Weekday Masses

NB: MASS OF THE DAY IS REPLACED WHEN A FUNERAL IS HELD AT THAT CHURCH

Tues 10:00am St Pius X

Wed 10:00am St Joseph’s

Thu 10:00am OLHC & 11:00am Mercy Place

Fri 10:00am St Joseph’s

Sat 10:00am OLHC

Updated Changes - Eucharist Dates

We have been informed by the parish that there have to be some changes to the dates and times of the Sacrament of Eucharist. Sorry for any inconvenience this might create.

Formation Day is held at St.Pius X on the 19th of July from 10 am to 2 pm. It will be in the hall. The school will bus the students to St Pius X and back to school.

Saturday, July 20th at 6 pm at OLHC Church our Enrolment Mass

Commitment Mass on August the 4th at St. Pius church at 9 am

Eucharist Celebration Mass at OLHC church on Saturday, 10th August at 6 pm

Kind regards,

The Sacrament Team

For Pity’s Sake
(Mark 6: 30 - 34)

Jesus said, “Come away by yourselves; let’s take a break and get a little rest” ... So they got in the boat and went off to a remote place by themselves. Someone saw them going and the word got around. From the surrounding towns people went out on foot, running, and got there ahead of them. When Jesus arrived, he saw a huge crowd. At the sight of them, his heart broke – like sheep with no shepherd. He went right to work teaching them. (Mark 6: 31a, 32 - 34)

So the disciples went off two by two, preaching and healing and scaring off demons. And when they returned, the great works they’d performed came back to haunt them: people wouldn’t leave them alone! It’s called success, and it only leads to more work. Finally, Jesus drew his starving disciples aside to grab a bite and a chance to rest. But the deserted place didn’t stay deserted for long. Pretty soon a crowd had formed, dog-eyed at the dinner table, begging for scraps.

Jesus looked out at that needy sea of faces and felt heartbroken. He might have been annoyed and frustrated, but his response was what you’d expect from God: love-compelled. Deprived of hope, broken in body, mind and heart, plagued by evil, crowds hounded the healers because the need was so great and the possibility of help so rare. They wanted relief. They wanted a reason to believe. And so Jesus taught them. And because nothing much has changed in the world for two thousand years, the church teaches still.

How can the teaching mission of the church feed the hunger of the world?

In It for the Long Haul
(Mark 6: 30 - 34)

We spent last weekend with my niece, her husband, and their 1-year-old son. The little boy is going through a stage where his parents are his primary source of comfort and joy. I observed his grandmother holding him, loving, and talking to him as she gently rocked him. But within a few minutes, the little one heard his mother’s voice in the next room. He made it clear that he wanted “down” and off he went, like a homing pigeon, following the sound of his mother’s voice. He found her talking with another family member. The toddler made it clear that he wanted her attention. So his mother bent over and opened her arms. He flew into them. And there he rested, secure and happy.

With the birth of children, parents lose the freedom to simply be. Their time is no longer their own, as the needs of the children regularly takes precedence over all else. In the eyes of their children, parents are the people who love them, protect them, and show them the way to live each day. It’s fair to say parents are rock stars in the lives of their children. The privilege of parenthood is great but so is the responsibility. And as much as parents might yearn and need to find a deserted place to rest awhile, that’s not easy to do in daily life.

The apostles were teaching and healing in Jesus’ name, and the crowds would not leave them alone. It was a privilege to do the work. But it also was exhausting.

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!

Tap here to access SchoolTV

Parents & Friends Association

Term 3 PFA Events

Father's Day Breakfast & Stall Friday 30th August
School Disco Friday 6th September
Grandparents Day Thursday 19th September
Second Hand uniform sale is To be confirmed

Bunnings BBQ

THANK YOU to everyone who assisted with the Bunnings BBQ last Saturday, 13th July. The BBQ was a great success and raised over $1,300!! Special thanks to Sara Hare for putting her hand up to coordinate the BBQ.

Community

TheirCare Registration Form - tap here

'Terrifying childhood': Escape from Iraq leads to new life in Warrnambool

Written by Katrina Lovell The Warrnambool Standard

Pictures by Eddie Guerroro

Pic 1. Salah Saqat and his family Mirna, Jonathan, Rita and Jayms are enjoying their new life in Warrnambool.

Pic 2. Salah Saqat

Salah Saqat's "terrifying childhood" growing up in war torn Iraq is a world away from the "wonderful life" he and his family now have after arriving in Warrnambool a year ago.

"You can breathe the freedom," he said.

"Wonderful life here. Safe. Good future. Beautiful nature. Kind people. Very friendly. Everybody wish good things for you. The people love to help you."

His family's new life in Australia - "a country of freedom" - stands in stark contrast to his "terrible life" in the Middle East.

When Salah, his wife Rita and their three children - Mirna, 15, Jayms, 12, and Jonathan, 6 - landed in Melbourne on July 27, 2023, it was a new beginning for the family who was forced to flee their burning home which had been set alight by ISIS forces.

Those who came to greet the family brought with them a large sign that Warrnambool schoolchildren had made, written in their native language welcoming them to the city.

For Rita, the words were like a big hug. For Salah, the sign - which he still has - was something he said he would always cherish.

Their journey to safety in Warrnambool has been a long one.

The horrors of wars that drove the family out of their home country are still very much etched in Salah's mind.

"I had a terrifying childhood," he said.

Born in 1980, Iraq and Iran were already at war. And then in 1990 came the first Gulf War.

"When I go to school I remember the war between Iraq and Iran because every day they bring the dead people from the battlefront," he said.

"Some people they lose heads, arms legs, bodies in two pieces.

"I still remember. Very, very horrible."

His memories as a 10-year-old are vivid - aircraft hunting military target and the explosions that would follow.

"The aircraft were everywhere," he said.

"Oil wells were burning. It was winter. Black rain. Scary."

There was no water, no electricity and no bread.

But it was after the second Gulf War about 10 years ago that he, his wife and children were forced to flee.

"ISIS came and destroyed everything," he said.

They tried to forced them to convert to Islam.

"And we said 'no'. That will not happen, never," Salah said.

The family is part of a minority Christian group that speak Aramaic - the language of Jesus - which makes them a target.

Banned under Saddam Hussein's regime, parents would speak Aramaic to their children in secret to keep the language alive.

As part of the final ultimatum, the family was also told they would have to pay taxes to the Islamic State.

"They started bombing our village and many people were killed. The children, women. Many, many people killed," Salah said.

"Many people were killed by sword. Terrible.

"We decide to leave Iraq."

The couple - along with two of their children who were just toddlers at the time - fled first to northern Iraq.

They used the gold jewellery Rita had kept with her to buy plane tickets to Beirut where they ended up in a refugee camp.

Salah recalled how the road to the airport was filled with refugees - the two-hour trip to the airport taking 12 hours.

At first, the family had to live in refugee tents.

In Iraq, Salah had worked as a supervisor for an electric company but in Lebanon he could only get work in a pizza place, supermarket or doing back-breaking work as a labourer at the wharf.

"Lebanon is a very difficult life," he said.

The family's application with the United Nations to seek safety in another country was rejected eight times, until they were finally given humanitarian visas to Australia.

Salah now hopes to sponsor their families to come to Australia.

The family came to Warrnambool under the new government-run Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Pilot (CRISP).

Warrnambool's Katherine Stewart is one of a group of about 10 people who have partnered in the project through agency Community Refugee Sponsorship Australia.

One household at a time, they hope to give refugees a better life here in Warrnambool.

"It's a privilege for us to be part of it, meeting people who have been through some stuff we can't even imagine," Katherine said.

The CRISP program involves fundraising enough money to support the household when they first arrive, and then helping them navigate life in Australia over the next 12 months.

The Catholic Church-based group that brought the family to Warrnambool were able to use a vacant presbytery to house them, and parishioners donated all the furniture.

The couple have spent the past year learning English, and settling into life in Warrnambool.

Salah has a job at a Warrnambool pizza shop, and Rita has started doing some cleaning.

But his dream is to one day join the police force, and Rita would like to work in the disability or aged-care sector.