OUR LADY OF THE SACRED HEART PRIMARY SCHOOL, MERBEIN NEWSLETTER 6, TERM 1 TUESDAY 12th MARCH, 2019

Address: 18 Box Street. Merbein. VIC. 3505 Phone: (03) 5025 2258

Email: principal@olshmerbein.catholic.edu.au admin@olshmerbein.catholic.edu.au

Webpage: www.olshmerbein.catholic.edu.au

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE

Dear Parents and Families,

I hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend! It’s nice to have a short week every now and then to recharge. The weeks are flying by and as always, there is plenty going on around the school. Last week we began the season of Lent with an Ash Wednesday Mass. This was a parish celebration, made all the more meaningful because the students have been engaged in quite a lot of discussion around Lent and its meaning in their RE lessons with Mr. Breewel. Although the Prep students missed out on receiving the ashes on Wednesday, they did receive them on Thursday in their own celebration with Mr. Breewel and Miss Appledore. They were quite proud to be displaying the ashes on their foreheads and were able to tell us the meaning behind the ritual. On Friday our senior playground was inspected and handed over to us, ready for play! The school yard was buzzing with excited students before school today as they tried out the new structure! The students from Grades Three to Six will access the playground at recess and lunch, while the junior students will get to have a try of the equipment when their classroom teacher takes them outside for a play. Very soon we hope to see the junior playground partially opened for play while the older, original playground and surrounding areas will be tidied up, with the soft fall and a shade sail replaced. By the beginning of Term Two, the projects should all be complete! We are all really looking forward to this and know the kids will absolutely love it! Beginning on Monday, 25th March for the whole week, our students will again be participating in the STOMP dance

UPCOMING DATES

March 19th Grade 5 visit to St Joseph College 19th SAC – 5.45pm 21st School Photos 25th-29th STOMP Dance week

April 5th Grandparents & Special

Friends Day 5th Term 1 Ends 23rd Term 2 Begins 23rd Easter Liturgy 25th ANZAC Day

………….….

School Photo Envelopes to be

returned to the office

………….….

Thank you to those parents who have

already completed the ECSI Surveys.

………….….

Grade Five:

PAM Consent is required for the

upcoming St. Joseph’s College visit.

program. Last year this program was a big hit with the students as they spent time each day with a dance instructor working on hip hop style routines, culminating in a dance performance on Friday morning at assembly. We are looking forward to taking part again. More information regarding this is below. Easter Raffle donations are beginning to appear in the office! Thanks to those families who have brought in some goodies and we look forward to more donations over the next couple of weeks. If everyone donates, there will be plenty of prizes for the raffle. Thanks to those who have brought in their sold raffle books as well. There is still time to sell these, so please make a big effort! On Friday, 10th May, the OLSH Community Group will be hosting a Mystery Movie Night on the school oval! This night will be our first major fundraiser for the year and we hope to get as many families there as possible. The movie will be announced as the evening gets a little closer, so make sure you put this on your calendar! More information will follow over the next few weeks. Yours sincerely, Narelle Gallagher

NEWSLETTERS ARE NOW BEING SENT OUT VIA EMAIL. IF YOU WOULD LIKE A PAPER COPY THEN YOU WILL NEED TO LET THE OFFICE KNOW. THANK YOU.

SCHOOL NEWS

REL Community Grandparents Day - Friday 5th of April - please remember to get your form for catering purposes returned to the school office.

REL Curriculum RE Classes: Lent is a time of Almsgiving, Prayer and Fasting. We are asked to reach out to those in need, spend time renewing our relationship with God and abstain from the rich foods that consume our lives. Remember that Lent is an important time to be aware of our ‘grittiness’ and try to improve ourselves from within.

STOMP Dance Company in Week 9, students at OLSH will again get to take part in a Dance and Performing Arts program run by the STOMP Dance Company. Stomp Dance Company is a new, fun and energetic company, delivering Dance, Performing Arts and Yoga programs into Schools. With a strong vision, fresh ideas and Instructors that have years of experience teaching children in schools, we are certain both students and staff alike will be energised and excited for every lesson. The Stomp team have developed courses that incorporate fitness, co-ordination, basic to complex motor skills, team and partner work and of course great choreography and yoga sequences that will keep your students moving all while having a blast and feeling great. The aim is to teach and guide students to the best of our ability, always striving to learn and improve, meeting the needs of each individual school and above all giving students, staff and the school community a great experience whilst inspiring them to exceed all expectations. On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and on Thursday afternoon, students will take part in a 40-minute lesson. The end result is going to be a performance during our normal assembly time on Friday. It would be great if parents can come along and check out all of the new moves.

URGENT – Asthma Plans & Puffers We have recently made contact with a number of parents regarding asthma puffers that are out of date and Risk Management Plans that need completing. We are still waiting to hear from a number of parents. Please be aware that children will NOT be allowed on camps/excursions if their puffers etc. are out of date. Please ensure the school has an up to date asthma puffer and plan.

PE News School Sport Victoria - Sunraysia Division [SSVSD]: Swimming- Congratulations to our swimmers who represented OLSH on the 7th of March. Thank you to the parents and helpers who went and supported the students on the day. It gave them an opportunity to shine in one of their many talents. Congratulations to Wil Hemming who qualified for Breaststroke and Freestyle in the Regional finals in Swan Hill on March 21st. Hardball Cricket - Congratulations to the OLSH team who were successful in their game against The Lake last Friday! The team will now progress to the Sunraysia District final on March 19th at the Aerodrome Ovals. The students will now face 3 more schools in a modified 10 over game. We wish them all the best! The permission notes are online and available to complete through the PAM. If you are able to assist in transporting students on the day please let the school office know. Students need their PE uniform, hat, cricket gear. Dates to remember: OLSH Cross Country 1st of May - Kenny Park 9.00am

Second Hand Uniform Melanie Powell can be contacted if you are looking at buying any second hand uniform. The items will be brought into the school office once she is contacted by parents – 0499 883 167.

Easter Raffle & Donations

We will be having our Easter Raffle on

the last day of Term 1. We realise it is

slightly early however students will

be on their term break when Easter is

being celebrated.

For there to be lots of prizes we ask

that each family bring at least one item

per child and leave it in the basket in

the office foyer. Items that can be

donated include Easter eggs, Easter

bunnies, Easter gift bags, Easter books

and Easter chocolate (no home brands

please).

Please return the raffle books before

the 3rd April. If you would like more

raffle tickets, please contact the

office.

STUDENT OF THE WEEK

Grade Prep: Zali Breewel Grade One: Hayden Gourlay Grade Two: Alex Wilson Grade Three: Bailey Gourlay Grade Four: Georgia Hemming Grade Five: Lana Copley Grade Six F: Taya Wethers Grade Six L: Sienna Tortora

Student Birthdays

We wish the following students a very Happy Birthday.

Kasey Dwyer – 11th March – 9

Isaac Longeri – 12th March - 6

CLASSROOM COORDINATORS

Prep Emma Parker & Sandra Hammet One Karen Doughty & Hayley Walker Two Renee Giddings & Hayley Breewel Three Vanessa Pedersen & Briony Dimasi Four Bonita Talent-Heinrich &

Maria Torquati Five Terri Gourlay & Nikita Wilson Six F Marcella Mammone, Lisa Laria & Tammy Szumowski Six L Tana Lawrence & Tricia Tortora

Icy Pole Duty Thank you to the following parents who have kindly donated their time to sell icy poles at lunch time. We still have a couple of dates that are empty. 13th March – Hayley Walker 14th March – Mel Shaw 19th March – 20th March – Nat Besgrove 21st March – Maria Beckwith 26th March – 27th March – Tammy Szumowski 28th March – Mel Shaw 2nd April – Tracey Dahlitz 3rd April – Hayley Walker 4th April – Raschelle Dichiera

Sustainability News Living sustainably is not about going without the things that you love and enjoy doing – in fact. A little thought and a few simple tweaks to your lifestyle can have a big impact on your environmental ‘footprint’, without requiring a lot of time and effort. Often living sustainably is about forming new habits that are healthy for you, your family and the environment Well done to the class last week with the best rubbish free results which was Grade 6F. There were also 83% of students in our school bringing rubbish free lunch boxes to school. Congratulations to everyone for a great effort.

16 STUDENTS TO GO for the Student Medical Profile to be completed on the Parent Access Module (PAM)

School Photos – 21st March, 2019 Order forms have been sent home. Please carefully read through the following information;

Students must wear their normal summer school uniform including; CORRECT FOOTWEAR, green polo shirt for boys and girls wearing skorts, or the summer dress on this day. Please support us in this request as it takes a lot of time and special arrangements to organise a child who is not in correct uniform for the photos.

Students need to be at school no later than 8.55am for the Whole School photo.

Family photo envelopes are available from the office.

Please make sure envelopes are returned to school by Monday 18th March.

Aussie Breadtags for Wheelchairs now has a collection point at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Primary School in Merbein. The donated breadtags are sent to South Africa where they are sold to a plastics company. These proceeds are then used to provide wheelchairs to people who can’t afford them. More than 600 wheelchairs have been supplied through the program in the past 12 years. Please collect and drop your breadtags into a container which will be located in the passageway outside the office.

love . trust . dignity . respect . freedom . forgiveness . self-awareness . self-discipline

OLSH Skoolbag App: OLSH has a School App which is available for both apple and android devices. If you would like the information on how to put this app on your device, please contact Mia Mottram or search for Skoolbag App Merbein on your device.

Attendance & Sign in A reminder to parents that the school needs to be notified of a student absence by 10 am on the day. This can be done by calling the school office, skoolbag app – eforms, PAM or sending an email to admin@olsmerbein.catholic.edu.au.

GRADE PREP, ONE & TWO NEWS

*Students need to bring a full drink bottle to school each day.

*School photos are coming up next week. Please make sure all forms are returned to school by Monday

18th March.

*Thank you to parents who have been listening to their child read in the morning and also each night.

Please keep this going throughout the term.

Sports Days

Prep- Tuesdays and Fridays

One-Mondays and Fridays

Two-Mondays and Fridays

Library Day

Prep-Fridays

One-Fridays

Two- Wednesdays

Prep

We are now full time in Prep, no more rest days!!

School Nursing Program- Please complete the forms and return to school by this Friday- 15th March.

Rubbish Free Wednesdays- This will be the students first Rubbish Free Wednesday. On each

Wednesday the whole school has a focus on bringing lunch boxes that don’t have rubbish. We look at

everyone’s lunch boxes in our class and count up the amount with and without rubbish. Some options

instead of glad wrap/packaged snacks include using small reusable containers or tin foil. There is more

information in the Sustainability section of the newsletter.

One

Homework will be due on Monday of Week 8 to give students extra time to complete. Students will

have some new camera words to practice this week!

Two

No Homework this week, as Miss Sullivan is absent. Normal homework as of next week (Week 8).

love . trust . dignity . respect . freedom . forgiveness . self-awareness . self-discipline

GRADE FIVE & SIX NEWS

Due to timetable changes for Spelling Mastery students will now need their sports uniform on the

following days:

5: Tuesday and Friday.

6F: Monday and Friday.

6L: Tuesday and Friday.

Grade 5 Homework is due back on Monday next week, please ensure it’s completed.

Grade 5’s need to fill out a permission form on PAM for their upcoming visit to St. Joseph’s College.

Grade Six Homework this week is their Science Project. This week they should be aiming to have their

research finished and ready to write the script next week.

Just a reminder that school photos are coming up and all forms need to be returned to the office by

Monday 18th March.

Grade Six shirts update. We are now going through another company so students will need to try shirts

on for size. Shirts will be in the office along with a form to fill in. Parents MUST be with students when

trying the shirt on for size and to sign the note. The quicker this is done the sooner we will have the

shirts. Unfortunately, this means we will not have the shirts for the school photos. All students will

need to wear the current Grade Six shirt. If this is an issue please contact your students teacher so that

we can arrange a shirt for them.

Grade 6’s next STEAM day is coming up next week (Friday Week 8), if possible can students please

bring in some small cardboard boxes (cereal/shoe boxes) and paper towel tubes over the next week.

If you have any questions you can email us at:

5: Amy Johnson- ajohnson@olshmerbein.catholic.edu.au

Michael Breewel - mbreewel@olshmerbein.catholic.edu.au

6F: Danielle Ford - dford@olshmerbein.catholic.edu.au

6L: Adam Lawrence - alawrence@olshmerbein.catholic.edu.au

Enjoy the long weekend!

GRADE THREE & FOUR NEWS

A few reminders for upcoming events:

Stomp Dance troop – 25th March to 29th march

School photos are next Thursday. A reminder to return photo forms if you have not already done so.

Science: We are continuing our work on classifying animals into groups. We are learning the

characteristics of groups such as mammals, reptiles, amphibians and birds.

RE: We are focussing on identifying what a character trait is and how these are shown in our words and

actions.

Grade 3

Thank you to all the parents who have brought in bread tags for our recycling drive. The collection box is

located outside the office.

Grade 4

This coming Thursday, we will be attending the Parish Mass at 9:15.

This coming Friday morning is the Grade Four assembly. You are all invited to come and see our

magnificent performance!

love . trust . dignity . respect . freedom . forgiveness . self-awareness . self-discipline

CLASS ASSEMBLY LIST

15th Mar: Grade 4 22nd Mar: Grade 3 29th Mar: Grade 2

5th April - Grandparents Day

School Advisory Council Members:

Daryl Goldsmith John Dimasi Kerrie Copley Jo Finlayson Renae Axton

Sarah Lay Gavin Gourlay Emma Parker

Casey Stoetzer (Staff Rep)

Narelle Gallagher (Principal)

love . trust . dignity . respect . freedom . forgiveness . self-awareness . self-discipline

love . trust . dignity . respect . freedom . forgiveness . self-awareness . self-discipline

SENIOR PLAYGROUND

OLSH REMINDERS & INFORMATION Signing in & out: A reminder to everyone that when visiting the school during a normal school day (9.15am – 3.20pm) you must enter the school via the Office and sign in and sign out when leaving the school. No one is permitted to be in the school without completing this procedure. Please note that this is an OH&S requirement. Drink bottles: All students are required to have a drink bottle in the classroom filled with water only. Working with Children Checks (WWCC): Any parents and friends who plan to have any direct involvement in the school’s classes, activities, functions etc. are required to undertake a WWCC. Forms are available online. If you already have a WWCC you are required to go online and log in to your account to add our school to your card. Before & After School Supervision: The outside classroom supervision of students begins at 8.25am and concludes at 3.40pm. Financial Assistance: I ask families to please come and see me if at any time throughout the year they would like assistance with payment of School Fees, purchasing of school uniforms etc. Support can be provided. Trestles & Chairs: P & F have trestles and chairs which are available to the school community and friends to hire. Hire charge will be $1 chair and $5 a trestle. Please contact the office for more information.

love . trust . dignity . respect . freedom . forgiveness . self-awareness . self-discipline