Our Lady Help of Christians School Murtoa eNewsletter

Statement of Commitment to the cultural safety of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples...

Our Lady Help of Christians Primary School acknowledges that God has been walking with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, making God's presence known through a continuous living culture over many thousands of years. We pray in thanksgiving for these ancient peoples who have enriched and sustained our continent over all that time. In particular, we praise God for the people who nurtured the lands where our schools are built and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families who continue to support Catholic schools.

As partners in Catholic Education and open to God’s presence, we pursue the fullness of life for all. Our Lady Help of Christians Primary School is committed to the safety and well-being of all students.

We respectfully acknowledge the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Victoria and pay respect to the ongoing living cultures of First Peoples. This newsletter comes to you from the lands of the Wotjobaluk, Jaadwa, Jadawadjali, Wergaia, and Jupagalk Nations.

Statement of Commitment

Principal Report

Dear Parents and Friends of Our Lady's,

Congratulations to Eimer and Hunter on the occasion of their First Holy Communion. Fr Matt celebrated Mass last Sunday and mentioned the hard work and commitment the children and their families made as they prepared for the big day. The Murtoa church was well attended and the children did a wonderful job reading from the bible and leading prayers. Thank you to Fr Matt for all the work he does in our school and parish- we are blessed to have a dedicated priest helping us in our spiritual lives.

On Friday morning, Sophie and John from the Minyip-Murtoa Football and Netball Club ran a session with the children. It is great to see community engagement in our school and to know that our children have the opportunity to be involved in extra-curricular activities. Sophie spoke with the children about the conduct of those involved in team sports. She emphasized fairness, responsibility, respect, and integrity, and unpacked what these looked like at the Burras. John then took the children out into the blustery weather and ran them through some skills and drills. Much like our AFL session a few weeks ago, the children had an absolute blast. We are so grateful to the Burras and to Sophie and John for engaging our students in their good work.

I was lucky and spent a day with our senior class during the week. I am very impressed with their engagement in learning. There is structure and routine in the day, but also joy and time for recreation. The students worked hard on reading and comprehension, discussing their ideas, writing a recount of their recent excursion to the Cinderella performance, various maths activities, and creating a fact file about Antarctica. I was reflecting on the learning of the students after they went home and I thought about the balance I had observed in their classroom. The students build knowledge by reading and discussing what they read. They build knowledge by inquiring into the world around them and collating the information they discover. They build knowledge by participating in class discussions when problem-solving. On the skill front, students practice foundational skills in reading, writing, and maths every single day. The class was curious and engaged in their learning and there was a lot of joy. I also reflected on how capable all of the students are, and how they are ready for more challenges. There is always room for improvement, but I wanted to thank the class and Mr. Collie for all the work they are doing in their teaching and learning.

One more week to go! I encourage all of our families and students to dig deep and make the end of the term productive. The students are tired which is understandable, but we need to ensure we continue to aim for high standards of behaviour and learning. A well-deserved break is just around the corner! Just a reminder to parents that school finishes early on September 15th at 2:15.

All the very best,

Chris McCumstie

Weekly School Tours

There’s so much happening at Our Lady Help of Christians school in Murtoa, and I’d love to show you around!

Every Thursday, between 2:00 – 4:30 I will be giving school tours. Prospective parents, interested locals, visitors to the region and old friends are all welcome to come and see the great work that happens at our school each day. No need to call ahead, just pop in on Thursday afternoons. I can answer any questions you may have about our school or about Catholic education in general.

Tours are still available outside these times, of course. You can make arrangements by calling the school office on 03 5385 2526.

Chris McCumstie

Principal OLHC Murtoa

Free Dress Day

The last day of Term 3, Friday September 15th, will be a free dress day. Students who wish to participate can bring in a gold coin donation. The funds will be used to support the work of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. It is a neat way to round off the term in a similar way to how it started. Students began the term by donating and gifting goods to the poor, and can finish it by enjoying free dress and recreational activities, whilst giving a small but meaningful amount to those in need.

School Wide Positive Behaviour

Education is not only about the intellectual or academic instruction we give to students. It is also about the cooperation between the home and the school in the formation of our students' character. Each week we would like to share with the parent body our school-wide behaviour focus, so that parents and caregivers know what we are working on at school and can make similar efforts in the home. We want to form well-rounded, polite, hard-working students who are filled with joy and who get the most out of their time at school. This requires positive reinforcement of good behaviours, and gentle correction or redirection when expected behaviours are not evident.

For the remainder of the term, our focus will be RESPECT.

Respect includes:

- using manners (pleases and thank yous)
- listening and looking at others when they speak
- giving others their own personal space
- following the instructions of teachers and parents straight away
- using appropriate language, including tone
- helping others in need

There will always be times when our students depart from these expectations, but so long as we are united in our efforts to build up the character of our students, we can hope to see progress and the formation of good habits.

First Holy Communion

On the 3rd of September we made our First Holy Communion with Riley and Greta. We got to the Church about 8:30 and practised our readings. All of us kids had to do one. Lots of people came and the Mass went for about an hour. After Mass, we went to Rabl Park to have brunch and get gifts. It was a great experience and we had a fun time.

Hunter and Eimer

Student Media News

This Tuesday the little Kinder kids came to our school for a visit. Miss Bedford read a story to our guests and then they coloured in a picture of the Hungry Caterpillar. The Juniors played with them on the playground and the sandpit while the Seniors were having their Brain Break. They all had fun playing and exercising together and overall they socialised well with one another.

The Seniors had Buffy on Thursday and revised and learned more signs for Auslan. The session lasted 30 minutes and everybody tried their hardest to learn and be respectful to Buffy.

Another thing that happened on Thursday is that the high schoolers from Murtoa College came and used our oval for some sports session. It is a good thing to share our school grounds with others from our community!

Charlotte

AFL Morning with the Burras

Here are some action photos from the morning spent with John and Sophie from the Burras. Lots of fun was had by all!

137th Annual Murtoa Show will be held on the Big Weekend, on Friday, 6th October 2022. (This day is the first Friday of Term 4, and is a Pupil Free Day, which gives families time to attend Murtoa Show.)

Students have been preparing entries during various lessons at school. The school will enter student's work into the show to represent OLHC.

Children are welcome to enter other sections as a Murtoa resident. If they have time during the school holidays, they might like to create an entry and follow the directions in the show schedule below to enter into the particular category. Detailed instructions, including entry information, are contained in the flyer below. Click on the 'Murtoa Show Schedule' link below for further information.

Murtoa Show Schedule

School Fee Accounts

School Fee accounts were sent home with students last week. Any questions, queries or difficulties, please come and see the Principal.

Important Upcoming Dates:

September:

15th - Free Dress Day / End of Term 3 - School finishes at 2.15 pm

October:

2nd - Term 4 begins
6th - Murtoa Show: School Closure Day - NO SCHOOL FOR STAFF OR STUDENTS
6th - Greater Western Region Athletics - Ballarat
23rd - CEP Performance - 'Music in My Suitcase'

November:

6th - Pupil Free Day - No school for students - Staff PD
7th - Melbourne Cup - school closed - public holiday. No school for staff or students.

December:

15th - Last day for students.

Mass Times & Parish Information

Sunday 10th September, 2023 Live Stream at 9.00am.

Sacramental Program 2023

St Paul VI Parish

Greta, Eimer, Riley and Hunter celebrated the Sacrament of First Holy Communion, on Sunday, 3rd September at St. Mary's Church, Murtoa at 8.30am. After Mass families and parishioners enjoyed a cuppa at Rabl Park.