Our Lady Help of Christians School Murtoa eNewsletter

Our Lady Help of Christians is a Child Safe School and is committed to the cultural safety of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We acknowledge the Wotjobaluk, Jaadwa, Jadawadjali, Wergaia, and Japagulk peoples as the traditional custodians of the land upon which our school was built.

Principal Report

Dear Parents and Friends of Our Lady's,

Firstly, I continue to draw your attention to the article below on important traffic arrangements for the next few weeks. The arrangement has worked very well this week and I thank you for your cooperation.

We are drawing towards the end of the Term and the children have worked incredibly hard. I had the good luck this week to spend some time teaching both the juniors and the seniors, and I am impressed with a few different things. Firstly, the students are following the expectations for entering and exiting classrooms well. They line up, enter quietly, and follow the initial instructions from their teacher well. This allows us to start the day quietly and peacefully with a short prayer. Secondly, students have vastly improved in their ability to discern the sorts of behaviours that are acceptable in the classroom from those that are not. I saw/heard a lot of behaviours that aid our students in attending to their lessons and making progress in their learning. Finally, and most impressively, our students are showing curiosity about their learning, and a thirst for knowledge is becoming evident. This is heartening, as one of the things we try to pass on as educators is a love of learning and a desire for life-long learning. This can only come with considerable 'buy-in' from our students, so to see them asking lots of questions and wondering about their various subjects is amazing.

Have a restful weekend and I look forward to finishing the term strongly.

All the very best,

Chris McCumstie

principal@olhcmurtoa.catholic.edu.au

Important Traffic Information

After many weeks of preparatory work, Murtoa College will be installing the Early Years Learning Centre (ELCC) Modules. A crane will be onsite before 8.00 am each day, ready to install the modules which will be delivered via truck on the following delivery days:

Tuesday 17 September 2024
Thursday 19 September 2024

Mornings of 17/09, 19/09: There will be two (2) traffic controllers present for each delivery morning, with one located outside Our Lady’s Help of Christians to divert traffic in the opposite direction to what our community is accustomed to when dropping off their child/ren. Pedestrian or bike riding students are asked to keep using the new track across the paddock and the children’s crossing which Staff continue to man for 15 minutes before and after school.

Why reverse the traffic flow direction? Reversing the normal travelling direction will allow for greater traffic flow through to the ELCC site on module delivery days.
When will I be stopped by a Traffic controller? Traffic attempting to travel past the ELCC site at the time a delivery is taking place will be stopped by a traffic controller when a truck is reversing onto site. When this occurs, we do not expect delays beyond a few minutes.
Afternoons 17/09, 19/09: Once delivery and lifting is completed, and all trucks have left the ELCC site, the traffic controllers will pack up. We expect the one-way road to be returned to its normal direction in the afternoons. However, if traffic controllers are still at site, we ask families to be mindful that they may be directed to travel the opposite direction again.
What about the Buses? Buses will continue to use their normal route during the module delivery period.

New Build in 2025- Plans for Classrooms

We are at an exciting stage with our plans for a new school. Swanbuild, the company that the school have employed, have commenced work and at this stage we are looking forward to the whole project being completed by mid-2025.

When the original and main school building is demolished, learning will take place in the Library and Multipurpose Room. Our Junior Class will move to the Library for their day-to-day learning, and Seniors will move to the Multipurpose Room. Because the build is modular and largely occurs offsite, we are hoping for our time in temporary learning spaces to be short and swift.

Message from Mrs. Dalgleish

Mrs. Dalgleish has advised that several library items are overdue.

Please check for library books that may be at home and return to school.

Thank you.

Footy/Netball Colours/Casual Clothes Day

Footy/Netball Colours/Casual Clothes Day and lunch on Friday, 20th September - all staff and students are invited to wear their favourite footy/netball team clothes. This is the last day of term for our students, so a special lunch will be provided of pies, party pies with a fruit box.

Hunter is hard at work coming up with other ideas for the students to enjoy on that day, and there may even be a football or two up for grabs as prizes!

Year 3 & 4 Camp Adekate

Today parents of Year 3 and 4 students will receive some more information regarding the Year Three and Four camp at Adekate. The permission form will be on Simon (on Monday) and Medical forms will come home. Further details (clothing list and itinerary) will follow closer to the date. The dates will be Monday 21^st, Tuesday 22^nd, Wednesday 23^rd October 2024. Students and staff will be staying at Camp Adekate and will travel by Wimmera Roadways Bus to and from camp.

All costs for camp have now been finalised with the total cost per student coming to $340. Parents and Friends have agreed to donate $100 per child towards the cost of the camp. The final camp cost is $ 240.00

Please note when the forms enclosed in this package need to be returned to the General Office:

Medical form – please return by Thursday, 19^th September 2024 (including any food allergies)
Permission form on Simon
Payment – pay total or instalments to OLHC School fee account
Clothing List (to follow)
Itinerary (to follow)

Day 1: (Brief Itinerary more details to follow)

Leaving from the front of Murtoa College at 7.30 am, on Monday, 21^st October 2024. Morning Tea at Beaufort followed by Lunch at Ballarat at 11am. All students and staff will need to bring a packed morning tea and lunch in a backpack, as well as a full water bottle, hat & sunscreen or raincoat and decent walking shoes. We will be dropped off for an afternoon at Sovereign Hill (12-4pm) prior to arrival at Adekate Camp.

Year 7 2025 Murtoa College Transition Day 1

Year 6 students are invited to Murtoa College Year 7 2025 transition day next Thursday 19^th September.

This will be the first of four sessions.

Transition Day runs from 9.00am to 3.15pm
Students take their normal mode of transport to and from the College.
Students to wear Our Lady's school uniform.
Bring snacks, lunch, and drink bottle (canteen is available on Thursdays).
More information regarding the other days will be sent out soon.

Murtoa Show

138th Annual Murtoa Show will be held on the Big Weekend, on Friday, 4th October 2024. (This day is the last Friday of the school holidays)

Students have been preparing entries during various lessons at school. The school will enter student's work into the show to represent OLHC.

Children are welcome to enter other sections as a Murtoa resident. If they have time during the school holidays, they might like to create an entry and follow the directions in the show schedule below to enter into the particular category. Detailed instructions, including entry information, are contained in the Murtoa Show Booklet below.

Murtoa Show Booklet 2024

Child Safety

Our Lady Help of Christians is a Child Safe School. We implement the 11 Child Safe Standards, and work to embed these in our school culture. Our newsletter is just one place among a number where we educate our community about Child Safety. Below is a concise and helpful guide to the Child Safe Standards. The Child Safety Officer at OLHC is Chris McCumstie, and he can be contacted for information at any time.

principal@olhcmurtoa.catholic.edu.au

CCYP_Child_Safe_Standards_Plain_Language.pdf

Child Safe Standard 3:

OLHC prioritises Child Safety, and informs children about the way they can be supported in staying safe. We regularly remind children about being safe, who they can speak to if they feel unsafe, and the importance of advocating for friends. We have a Child Safety Wall, with clear information about what to do if a child feels unsafe, and who our Child Safety Officer is (Chris McCumstie, the Principal.)

School TV

The SchoolTV initiative at Our Lady Help of Christians School aims to help parents to navigate the often complex issues they face in raising their children.

Expert advice, helpful tips, and other resources, are available to all our parents and caregivers. Explore the wide range of topics at SchoolTV by clicking on the link below.

OLHC School TV