OLHC News Issue 17 Term 2 Week 9 - 20th June 2025
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,
We had the pleasure of working with Kevin Cummins, from Modular Media, a few weeks ago, shooting a school video. We wanted to capture the developments at Our Lady's over the past few years and highlight the new building and bus that we offer our families. The video shows the good work we do, informs interested families about the services we offer, and focuses on the holistic education at OLHC. I am pleased to share the video with you below.
It is the time of year when families are thinking about where to enroll their children in 2026, and I welcome inquiries from prospective parents. We are always available to give school tours, to sit with families and share the work we do, and to answer any questions. For families that may live in Horsham, we offer our free school bus and can discuss pick up and drop off points that suit. All families in our region who desire a Catholic education for their children, or who are attracted to our small country setting, deserve the opportunity to attend our school. Because we believe in our work, we want to make sure that we do everything we can to make it possible for families to come here. In 2026, we are waiving school fees for new families, removing another potential obstacle, and alleviating some cost of living pressures. Our school is committed to remaining a low-fee option for families as part of an affordable, contemporary system of schools with DOBCEL.
Please share our school video with anyone you know who might consider our school. We are happy to meet with families, to navigate practical obstacles that may exist, and to do everything within our means to make Catholic education in our beautiful school a reality in the lives of those who desire it.
As always, please come and see me if you would like a tour of our new building or a conversation about Our Lady's.
All the very best,
Chris McCumstie
principal@olhcmurtoa.catholic.edu.au
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.
Parent Support Initiative: School TV
The SchoolTV initiative at Our Lady Help of Christians School aims to help parents 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.
Numeracy
Students have been working extremely hard in their numeracy lessons. Foundation students have been learning to copy and continue two-part patterns involving movement, objects, and colours. More recently, they have begun exploring three-part patterns using the same elements. Year 1 students have been focusing on continuing both two-part and three-part repeating patterns, creating their own patterns, and identifying patterns by recognising their matching rules.
Tours of New Building
We warmly invite families, prospective families, parishioners, and friends of Our Lady's to come for a personalised tour of our new facilities. Come and see what we offer at our school, and hear about the excellent teaching and learning that happens daily in our classrooms.
Imagine - Live Show Horsham Town Hall
On Tuesday the students went to Horsham Town Hall for the live perfomance of "Imagine", a retelling of the story by Alison Lestor. The performance incorporated music, lights, art, craft, song, dance and digital technology. The students had a ball!
"I loved everything but if I had to choose one thing that was the best it was the rhymining Cockatoo!" Therese
"The dinosaur that scared me and Andre!" Nihal
"I liked the different things the girls thought about the book. One thought it was about animals, and the other thought it was about imagination." Irene
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
Important Upcoming Dates:
July 2025
- Friday 4th July - Last Day of Term 2 Finish at 2.15pm
- Monday 21st July - First Day of Term 3
- Wednesday 30th July - Book Fair begins
August 2025
- Monday 11th to Friday 15th August - National Science Week
- Monday 18th to Friday 22nd August - Book Week
September 2025
- Thursday 18th September - Last Day of Term 3
- Friday 19th September - Pupil Free Day - Staff PD
October 2025
- Monday 6th October - First Day of Term 4
November 2025
- Tuesday 12th November- Pupil Free Day - Staff PD
December 2025
- Thursday 18th December - Last Day of Term 4
Mass Times & Parish Information
Sunday 22nd June 2025, Livestream at 9.00am at St. Mary's Catholic Church.
Parish Bulletin
Community News
See the attached flyers for initiatives that may interest from groups in and around Murtoa.