OLHC News Issue 31 Term 4 Week 2 - 18th October 2024

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,

The staff this week took part in some professional development to enhance the literacy instruction we offer at Our Lady's. We were led by Sarah McKnight from DOBCEL who focussed on a suite of assessments known as DIBELS. The DIBELS assessments are short, accurate ways of assessing the proficiency of our students in reading, and give the school valid data to inform our decision making. We have been using DIBELS since mid-2023, but it was helpful to gather with our colleagues from St. Pat's Nhill and a DOBCEL leader to refine our practice, develop it further, and ensure we are implementing best practice literacy instruction and assessment. 

What we implement at Our Lady's is called structured literacy, which is informed by the wide body of work known as the Science of Reading. If you follow the news, you may have seen articles and stories from educational leaders promoting structured literacy across all schools. We are definitely on this journey ourselves, and each day in the classrooms we explicitly teach phonics, revise spelling rules and patterns, unpack vocabulary, check for comprehension and promote fluency in reading. We reflect on our practice and have great discussions about how we can improve our teaching to bring about the best educational outcomes for all our students.

It was fitting that I came across some artwork of auroras that Ms. Mock and Mr. Collie did with the students last week (pictured below), because in 2025, we will take part in the Aurora Program. This program connects us with experts and leading academics from La Trobe University, to build our capacity as a staff and to explore in greater depth the science that underpins our literacy practices. I'm very much looking forward to this journey as a school, continuing the good work done in the past, and focusing as a whole community on the same thing- the learning and flourishing of our students.

All the very best, 

Chris McCumstie

principal@olhcmurtoa.catholic.edu.au

Resignation of Jordan Collie

It was with regret that I accepted the resignation of Mr. Jordan Collie last week, effective from the end of the 2024 academic year. Jordan shared with me that he is seeking other opportunities in education for family reasons.

Jordan has been with us since the beginning of 2023 and I am very grateful for his service. He has been an asset to our community, leading the school in Auslan, contributing to staff and curriculum development, and overseeing the learning of the senior class on a day-to-day basis. I am grateful that we will continue to benefit from Jordan's skill set for the remainder of the year.

Jordan's quiet and calm presence, skill as a teacher, and professional manner will be missed by staff and students alike.

We will acknowledge Jordan more formally at the end of the year, but I am sure everyone in our community will join me now in thanking Jordan for his time with us and in wishing him all the very best for the future.

Chris McCumstie

Kinder Excursion

Thank you to Bek, Jo and Mackenzie at the Murtoa Kinder for such a kind welcome on Tuesday. The students from Our Lady's enjoyed sharing a story with the 4 Year Olds, and seeing all the amazing things they do at Kinder. We are so lucky to have great educators in our town who do so much for the community, and it was wonderful to see first-hand the amazing job performed by the team at Murtoa Kinder. 

Our Lady's will host the Kinder children this coming Tuesday.

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.

Friday 11th October - Greater Western Region Athletics Ballarat

Congratulations to the students - Eimer, Eddie and Kaden - who represented Our Lady's at the Regional Athletics last week in Ballarat. It is no small achievement to go so far in particular events, and our whole community are proud of you.

Eimer came 2nd in her Triple Jump event and will now compete at the State Level on Wednesday, 6th November at Lakeside Stadium, Albert Park. This is the first time for many years that a student from Our Lady's has made it to State Level Athletics, and we wish Eimer all the very best!

Message from Mrs. Dalgleish

A reminder that Mrs. Dalgleish has asked for all library books to be returned so that stocktake can occur this term.

Please ask your children to look far and wide and return all books that they have borrowed this week.

Thank you.

Year 3 & 4 Camp Adekate

Parents of Year 3 and 4 students have received information regarding the Year camp at Adekate. It is so exciting to see the itinerary and we are sure the staff and students will have a wonderful time. 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. The staff member attending camp is Chris McCumstie.

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,  which can be paid in total or instalments to the OLHC School Fee Account.

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

To start Term 4, the staff and students revisited the Child Safety Wall, where clear information is displayed about what to do if a child feels unsafe, and who our Child Safety Officer is (Chris McCumstie, the Principal.) Feedback from students was that the revision of this material was helpful, which is positive to hear. 

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. 

Important Upcoming Dates:

October:

• Monday 21st to Wednesday 23rd October - Year 3/4 Camp 
• Tuesday 22nd October- Murtoa Kinder visit to OLHC
• Monday 28th October - Year 5 and 6 'Experience Day' at St. Brigid's College, Horsham
• Thursday 31st October - Year 7 2025 Murtoa College Transition Day 2

November:

• Tuesday 5th November - Melbourne Cup Day - School Day Yes
• Wednesday 6th November - State Athletics
• Thursday 14th November- CEP Performance at Warracknabeal
• Thursday 21st November - Year 7 2025 Murtoa College Transition Day 3

December:

• Thursday 5th December -Year 7 2025 Murtoa College Transition Day 4
• Monday 9th to Wednesday 11th December - Year 5/6 Camp Melbourne 
• Tuesday 17th December - Graduation Mass St. Mary's Murtoa (To be confirmed)
• Wednesday 18th December- Last Day for Students
• Friday 20th December- Last Day for Staff

Mass Times & Parish Information

Sunday 20th October - Mass at St. Mary's Catholic Church 8.30am

Parish Bulletin

Calendar Dates

Please click on the link below to take you directly to our School Calendar.