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,

I'd like to share with you this week about some work that our governing body has been developing recently. DOBCEL (Diocese of Ballarat Catholic Education Limited) governs Our Lady's and is the system to which our school belongs. After a long period of consultation with principals, school leaders, educationalists, and international experts, DOBCEL has released their 2035 strategy "Pursuing Fullness of Life for All. You can read more about the strategy here or can come in and see me to have a conversation if you'd like more information about the direction of our system.

A particular part of the strategy that really interests me is the pillar 'rich pedagogies' as this speaks directly to our core business of teaching and learning. At Our Lady's, we endeavour to base all our pedagogies (ways of teaching) and our curriculum (what we teach and the resources we engage with) on a solid evidence base. Our students this year are responding very positively to the high expectations we have for their learning, to the intervention we offer those who need extra support, and to the introduction of homework program.

I admit that I am an education nerd and talk about curriculum, pedagogy, teaching and learning, classrooms and students all the time, often boring my friends and family. But, if you are interested at all, intrigued by the DOBCEL strategy, or wanting to engage more with your child's education, do feel free to come in for a conversation.

All the very best,

Chris McCumstie

principal@olhcmurtoa.catholic.edu.au

New School Bus!

An exciting development this year is the addition of a new school bus. The Ford Transit has the capacity to carry eleven students as well as the driver, so the opportunity to go on excursions, to become more involved in community service, and to broaden our extra curricula offerings is fantastic.

Each day, the bus will drive out from Horsham, and Our Lady's primary school is offering a free service for any students wishing to enrol from Horsham or surrounds. The bus leaves Horsham at 8 and returns at 4, and any families who are interested are invited to contact the school.

(03) 5385 2526

principal@olhcmurtoa.catholic.edu.au

New Build Update and Photos

We are at an exciting stage in the process of getting a new school. The original building was demoilshed over the Christmas break, and the new modules arrived and were placed on site this week! Temporary office and learning spaces in the Multipurpose Room and Library are working well and will serve us until the new building is ready to move into. Thanks to the staff and students for all the hard work, patience and understanding during an unusual but exciting time!

Junior News

Students have been busily learning about Recount Writing during Literacy sessions. Before writing their recounts, they learned that a recount tells others about something that has already happened, it can be real or made up. Students identified a diary entry, a letter, a postcard, a newspaper article and a report as examples of recounts. Next, they learned about the features of recounts. The features include a title, orientation (who, when, where and why), events (using words such as first, next, after that and finally) and ending (finish with a personal comment or feeling).

Fruit Break and Lunch Orders

Fruit Break

At 10.00am each day the children stop for a fruit break. The main reason for this is because the children don’t eat lunch until 1.30pm and that makes a long stretch from Recess to Lunch. It also provides students with a brain break from learning and the opportunity to briefly socialise and get fresh air.

Please send Fresh Fruit/vegetables (whole or cut) with your child each day.

Lunch Orders

It has always been the school’s policy to allow lunch orders on Fridays, but not to include the soft drinks that are listed on the canteen menu. If your child has a lunch order, please remember not to include soft drinks- there are other options.

Health facts- caffeine (found in popular soft drinks) can negatively affect health outcomes and can negatively impact a child's attention and behaviour at school.

Shrove Tuesday

On Shrove Tuesday, (4th March) we will be offering pancakes, with a variety of toppings, to the children at Recess.

Parents are welcome to join us at 11.20am

Ash Wednesday

Lent is a time in the Christian Church calendar that is a preparation time for Easter. During Lent we remember the forty days which Jesus spent fasting and praying in the desert. We are called to turn away from our selfishness and to grow closer to God’s love. We try to share the world’s resources and think of others before ourselves. The Project Compassion theme for Lent this year is

Unite Against Poverty this Lent

On Ash Wednesday we will have Mass at 9.30am at St Marys in Murtoa. Parents, friends and parishioners are welcome.

Mental Health and Wellbeing News

"After He had sent the crowds away, Jesus went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was
the evening, He was there alone." Matthew 14:23

What does this passage from the Bible teach us? It teaches us the importance of mindfulness, and
that mindfulness is an important part of life, even in Biblical times. It is something that in a busy
world we often now forget, but something we should all take heed of and help reset our minds and
bodies.
This term, we have a whole school health lesson on a Friday afternoon after lunch, and our
themes are emotions, emotional regulation, acts of friendship and acts of kindness. Last week we
began to identify our emotions and how we feel with students encouraged to put their name next to
the emotion they feel at the start of the day.
This is an important step in learning how to self-regulate – especially when they may be feeling ‘red’
(out of control) or blue (sick/unwell, sad/upset, tired/sleepy). We looked at strategies to help such as
deep breathing, listening to music, relaxing, taking a break, walking, running or doing an enjoyable
activity.
What did this look like in the classroom? We tried to do a three-minute meditation, and the students
really loved it! In fact, they loved it so much they asked to do another! These short times for reflection, meditation, mindfulness and perhaps prayer will become part of our weekly class.

What might this look like at home? Here’s a few easy ideas that can be done at home:

 Meditation (Insight time is a great app on your phone/tablet and has thousands of free
meditations, even for kids!)
 Mrs Honeybee (available on Spotify and has a heap of bedtime stories for kids to help them
get to sleep, great for kids who have trouble settling)
 Going for a family walk or run
 Mindfulness colouring books
 Deep breathing (breathe in deeply for 5 seconds, breathe out for 5 seconds)

There might be many, many more things that can be done, and these are just a few ideas. Taking
time for ourselves helps to reset our emotions and can be a useful circuit breaker when we feel
heightened.

Mrs. Kelly Woods
Senior Classroom Teacher; Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader

Message from Mrs. Dalgleish

Library Days for 2025

Juniors - Wednesday 10.00 - 10.30am

Seniors- Wednesday10.30 - 11.00am

All students are encouraged to borrow every week and to use library time for leisurely reading.

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

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

Important Upcoming Dates:

March 2025

Tuesday 4th March - Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Tuesday)
Wednesday 5th March - Ash Wednesday Mass 9.30am
Monday 10th - Labour Day Public Holiday
Wednesday 19th - Face-to-face Auslan with Jane Hage

April 2025

Friday 4th - DSSA Athletics at Minyip
Friday 4th - Last Day of Term 1
Thursday 17th- Holy Thursday (See parish bulletin for service dates)
Friday 18th - Good Friday (See parish bulletin for service dates)
Saturday 19th - Easter Vigil (See parish bulletin for service dates)
Sunday 20th - Easter Sunday (See parish bulletin for service dates)
Monday 21st - Easter Monday Public Holiday
Tuesday 22nd, Wednesday 23rd, Thursday 24th - Student Free Days
Friday 25th - ANZAC Day
Monday 28th - First Day Term 2

May 2025

Wednesday 14th - Student Free Day (School closed- all staff PD in Horsham)
Monday 26th - Student Free Day (Staff PD in Nhill)

Mass Times & Parish Information

Sunday 23rd February 2025, No Livestream at St. Mary's Catholic Church.
Harvest Thanksgiving at 5.00pm. Sunday 23rd February.

2025 Sacramental Program - EARLY ENROLLMENT
Reconciliation – Holy Communion – Confirmation
Reconciliation & Holy Communion is available to children in Year 4 and above.
Confirmation is available for children in Year 6 and above who have
completed Reconciliation & Holy Communion.

Sacramental Program enrolments will be open until 4pm, 14th February, 2025.

If you would like more information or to enrol your child, please visit the Parish Office
at 10 Roberts Ave or Email: wimmeramallee@ballarat.catholic.org.au

Mass Schedule Oct 2024