OLHC News Issue 20 Term 3 Week 2 - 22 July 2022
Enrolment 2023 – Tours available anytime!
Principal Report
Dear Parents, carers, families, and parishioners,
Year 3/4 Camp update:
Correspondence was received from Murtoa College re: arrangements for the Year 3/4 camp. The change has come about due to the number of illnesses of staff and students at Murtoa College.
Today a letter was sent home to all families of students in Year 3/4. Below is an extract from the Murtoa College letter sent home today.
“To ensure the health and safety of ALL staff and students attending camp we have made the decision to postpone the upcoming 3/4 camp to SUNNYSTONES.
With the high number of illnesses we have at present in the school, in particular the F-6 classrooms (which include the Flu, Gastro & COVID cases) we felt the need to be proactive. By doing so, we hope to avoid disruption to students requiring individual pickups from their parents/guardians from camp, not to mention the knock-on effect to other students and staff.
We have been very fortunate to acquire the following new date:
Wednesday 24th August – Friday 26th August."
Therefore, all Year 3/4 students will have a normal week at school next week. The new camp date is now Wednesday 24th August – Friday 26th August 2022.
Our students were informed this afternoon and were disappointed to hear the news however after conversation realized the decision to change the date was a good one. This will allow everyone to go on Camp and have a great time and possibly also the weather might be a tad warmer too. We reassured all students that the Camp is still going ahead and no one will miss any activities planned. These will just happen on a different date.
We will continue to keep all staff and students in our prayers to recover ready for camp in August and pray that everyone is fit and healthy to attend on the new date.
Until next term.
Kind regards
Mrs. Cathy Grace
CEP Performance "Aladdin"
CEP (Country Education Partnership) Performance "Aladdin" from Alpha Shows
- Wednesday, 10th August at 10.30 am
- Horsham Town Hall
- Depart Our Lady's School at 9.45 am
- Return to Our Lady's School at 12.30 pm
- Travel by Bus
- Cost $10 per student
- Permission Forms on Simon.
School TV - Diet and Nutrition
Families today, with school-age children, have very busy schedules. This can sometimes make it hard to sit down to homemade meals every day when there is such an abundance of pre-packaged and processed food available. However, it is still important to teach your kids healthy eating habits. Diet and nutrition are crucial to your child’s development. Not only can it prevent many chronic diseases, but it also impacts your child’s brain development and learning abilities.
There are many benefits to incorporating a healthy diet and good nutrition. It can stabilize your child’s energy, improve their mood and maintain a healthy weight. Not only will it improve their general wellbeing, but it can also have a positive impact on their mental health helping prevent anxiety, depression, and ADHD.
In this edition of SchoolTV, parents will discover practical advice for teaching your kids about the
benefits of incorporating a healthy diet and good nutrition.
We hope you take the time to reflect on the information offered in this edition of SchoolTV.
Here is the link to the Diet & Nutrition edition of SchoolTV
https://olhcmurtoa.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/diet-nutrition
Mass Times & Parish Information
Mass: St Mary's Church, Murtoa
LLA Sunday 24th July 9.00am
Saturday 30th July Mass 6.00pm
Brigidine Centenary Celebrations
On Sunday 17th July, there was a special Mass at St Mary's Church, Murtoa at 8.30 am. Following this, visitors, families and parishioners were welcome to a tour of Our Lady's school and enjoyed a cuppa and catch-up.
Thank you to Navraj for representing our school at the Mass and Maeve for supporting Navraj with facilitating school tours and welcoming visitors to our school. A special thank you to the staff who also attended the morning sessions. This was a very special occasion for celebrating Brigidine Education in our Parish over the last 100 years.
Reminiscing...
Calendar Dates
Please click on the link below to take you directly to our School Calendar.
UPDATED 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.
It is strongly recommended by the Department of Health that face masks are worn in indoor settings, with face masks mandatory for those aged 8 and over who are household contacts and attending school. This is because wearing masks is effective in reducing the transmission of COVID-19.
In practice, this means that the Victorian Government is recommending that, through to the end of winter, students aged 8 and over and staff will wear masks when in class, except where removing a mask is necessary for clear communication or when a particular activity requires the removal of a mask.
Masks are not required to be worn outdoors but can be worn when physical distancing is not possible. This recommendation should not constrain student participation in the full range of school activities, including music, sport and performances.
Reduction of Testing and Isolation Exemption Period.
The period of time when someone is considered a recently confirmed case and therefore exempt from testing and isolation requirements has been reduced to 4 weeks. Previously, this period was 12 weeks.
This means, that staff or students that have recovered from COVID-19, are not required to get tested or isolate/quarantine again if they are re-exposed to a case within 4 weeks of ending the isolation period.
After 4 weeks, the relevant advice must be followed depending on the type of contact.
Additionally, where a student or staff member who is a household contact wishes to attend school (and not isolate for 7 days) they must:
- Continually test negative using a rapid antigen test, on at least 5 days out of the 7-day period (ensure tests are spaced at least 24 hours apart)
- wear a mask indoors when outside your home (for those over 8 years of age)
- notify their employer/school, and
- not visit hospitals or care facilities.
- More information is available via the coronavirus.vic.gov.au webpage. See links here for close contacts and COVID-19 cases.
Thank you for your support as we continue to make these adjustments.
