OLHC News Issue 19 Term 3 Week 1 - 15 July 2022
Enrolment 2023 – Personalised or group Tours available anytime!
We invite all prospective families to come to Our Lady's school for a visit to see for themselves our great school and learning in action. New and existing families are invited to contact principal@olhcmurtoa.catholic.edu.au or phone 5385 2526 to arrange a personal or small group tour of our school and learn more about how Our Lady's Primary school can be your first choice for your child’s primary education.
Our well-organized transition program working with Murtoa Kindergarten will ensure that your child starts their education at Our Lady's School feeling confident, happy, and hopefully with no tears
For our Foundation children, we have many opportunities for your child to become familiar with their teachers, peers, and buddies.
Students enrolling in all year levels will be invited to attend the State-wide Transition Day which is usually held in early December. This date will be confirmed closer to the time.
Principal Report
Dear Parents, carers, families, and parishioners,
Welcome back to Term 3. It was fabulous to have our students return to school on Tuesday 12th July. Everyone seemed so refreshed, happy and excited to be back at school and share their holiday stories.
On Monday, staff had professional learning which focused on School Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS). This learning was facilitated by Anne Ruddell from Catholic Education, Ballarat. Much of the day was unpacking positive behaviour in our school and mapping out of what behaviours our students need to learn for the remainder of the year. These explicit behaviour lessons will begin next Monday morning. Please take the time to ask your child about the foci for the next two weeks; which is knowing and moving inside QQCC (quickly, quietly, carefully, and calmly), and playing only school-approved games with clear rules agreed on before the start of a game. Among our learning will also be showing and teaching others how to behave appropriately according to our focus.
Child safety and wellbeing at Our Lady Help of Christians (OLHC) Primary School: information for families and the school community
The Victorian Government has announced new Child Safe Standards to further strengthen child safety across organizations, including schools. The new standards recognize the critical importance of families and the broader school community in maintaining and promoting child safety and wellbeing.
Our Lady Help of Christians Primary School has reviewed and updated our child safety policies and procedures to ensure they meet the requirements of the new standards. The new Child Safety Policy 2022 outlines the measures and strategies we have in place to support, promote and maintain the safety and wellbeing of our students. This is available to view on our school’s website, www.olhcmurtoa.catholic.edu.au and scroll down to Child Safety Policy 2022
The further policies have been updated and are available on our school website. Further updated information will be added in due course.
We are committed to continuous improvement in our approach to child safety and wellbeing and welcome feedback from families and members of our school community on ways we can further strengthen our child safety policies, procedures, and practices.
If you have any suggestions, comments, or questions, please contact Cathy Grace via email principal@olhcmurtoa.catholic.edu.au or by phoning the school.
School Promotion
Please see the video below of OLHC Murtoa and please feel free to share it far and wide. We are not a private school. Our school is open to all families (Non-Catholic and Catholic) and we value the diversity and richness that each person brings to our school. We have so much to celebrate and I'm honoured to be the Principal of such an incredible community.
Until next term.
Kind regards
Mrs. Cathy Grace
Friends and Buddies
It was great reconnecting with our friends during recess and lunch play. We have been fortunate to have blue sky this week so we have been able to be outside running around and playing. These have been great 'brain breaks' for us. We look forward to meeting our kinder friends later this term at our kinder visits. Once we have established our buddy friendships, we will invite our buddies to come to our school to visit us and have play in the many creative play spaces we have. Please keep your eyes peeled for exciting times ahead with our buddies.
Mass Times & Parish Information
Mass: St Mary's Church, Murtoa
Sunday 17th July 8.30am
Brigidine Centenary Celebrations
On Sunday 17th July, everyone is invited to join in a special Mass at St Mary's Church, Murtoa at 8.30 am. Following this, everyone is welcome to a tour of Our Lady's school and enjoy a cuppa and catch up. Please RSVP to the General Office 5385 2526 by Friday 15th July - this is for catering purposes.
Our School Leaders will be representing our school at the special Mass. They will also be facilitating school tours of our school. This is a very special occasion for celebrating Brigidine Education in our Parish over the last 100 years.
Centenary of the Brigidine Sisters and Brigidine Education
The first group of Brigidine Sisters arrived to teach in Horsham in 1920.
In 2020, we had planned to commemorate the Centenary of the Brigidine Sisters and of Brigidine Education in Horsham however, plans were shelved as the global pandemic closed down any hope of holding celebrations at that time.
Two years on, we are now planning to proceed with a weekend of celebrations to mark the milestone.
This weekend of 16 and 17 July, you are invited to participate in tours of the three schools - Ss. Michael & John's Primary School, Our Lady Help of Christians, and St Brigid's College; celebratory Masses at Murtoa and Horsham; and social gatherings in the Parish Centre. There will also be a presentation of the commemorative quilt which will hang in the Parish Office, and the launch of a book recognising the 100 years of Brigidine Sisters in Horsham.
See the attached flyer for further information and how to pre-order a copy of the book The Spirit of Brigid Alive in Horsham - 100 years of Brigidine Education. To assist with planning, please indicate your intentions to attend by emailing brigidine100@gmail.com by 8 July 2022.
Kind Regards
Kingsley Dalgleish
Chairperson
Centenary of Brigidine Education in Horsham Committee
Calendar Dates
Please click on the link below to take you directly to our School Calendar.
NEW COVID-19 information
As of 11.59 pm Friday 24 June, there will no longer be a mandated vaccination requirement for staff working in mainstream schools.
With almost 100% of school staff now vaccinated across Victoria, this will cause little change to our school.
As part of the changes, parents and carers who have COVID-19 can transport their non-COVID-19 children via private vehicle to their primary or secondary school when an alternative person is not available to assist. This will include school holiday programs held on school grounds.
This means that parents and carers will be able to leave COVID self-isolation to take their non-COVID-19 child to school or school holiday programs via a private vehicle.
The parent or carer must travel directly to and from the school only. They must remain in the vehicle at all times unless it is reasonably necessary to leave the vehicle to walk the child to and from the entrance of the school safely. They must wear a face mask at all times.
Family members are asked to continue reporting positive COVID-19 cases to the Department of Health.
You must also let the school know if your child is a close contact. Students who are close contacts and want to attend should still take 5 RATs over 7 days and wear a face mask whilst indoors if they are aged 8 years or over.
Students should continue to stay home if they are unwell, even if they test negative on a RAT.
Thank you for your support as we continue to make these adjustments.
