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,

This week is Holy Week, culminating in the Triduum. The Triduum are the three days most important to Christians the world over. They are Holy Thursday, where we commemorate the Last Supper, Good Friday, where we recall the suffering and death of Jesus Christ, and Easter Sunday, where we joyfully celebrate His Resurrection from the dead.

These mysteries are central to the Christian faith. They are the essential message that Pope Francis talks about when he speaks of the Kerygma- the essence or spirit of the Gospel:

“Jesus Christ loves you;

he gave his life to save you;

and now he is living at your side every day

to enlighten, strengthen and free you.

All Christian formation consists of entering more deeply into the kerygma.”

As we enter into this Holy Week, I encourage you to sit with this idea. Amidst all the hustle and bustle, amidst all the Easter eggs and festivities, am I finding time to contemplate what Easter is truly about? Do I make time to consider these historical events that form the foundation of the Christian religion? Do I believe in the love of Jesus for me and that he is by my side always?

Christianity is always an invitation to fullness of life, and the journey never ends. Together as a school community, we spent some time before the term ended, reading and listening to bible stories, praying and reflecting on them, and inviting all our staff and students to enter into the Easter season with sincerity and joy.

Thank you to all the families and friends of OLHC. It has been a short but productive term for our school. Lots of teamwork and culture building in the classroom has set our students up for success and we are grateful to all the parents who work with their children and prepare them for school each day.

Please stay safe over the holiday period; rest and recuperate from the busyness of the first term and I look forward to seeing all the students back again in Term 2.

All the very best and have a Happy Easter!

Chris McCumstie

principal@olhcmurtoa.catholic.edu.au

Easter Services & Fr Matt

The Easter Services for St Paul VI parish can be found in the bulletin below. All the families and friends of Our Lady's School are most welcome to attend and participate in these services.

These services will also be the last opportunity for parishioners to speak with and farewell Fr Matt Restall. Fr Matt mentioned at our Mass for the opening of the school year that he has been posted elsewhere in the diocese. We have been blessed to have Fr Matt as our school chaplain, sacramental instuctor, teacher and friend over almost two years. We have no doubt he will move on and do good work elsewhere, and we are happy that others will be blessed by his priesthood, but we will certainly miss having his fortnightly visits to Our Lady's. All the very best Fr Matt!

Work Experience- Isabelle

The staff and students at OLHC welcomed Isabelle, a work-experience student from Murtoa College, in the final week. Isabelle made an immediate impact on our students, working with them in the classroom, and playing with them in the yard. She is a credit to her school and family. Thank you Isabelle!

Project Compassion - Holy Week Reflection by Michael McGirr Isaiah 50:4–7 I Philippians 2:6–11 I Mark 14:1–15:47 or Mark 15:1–39

We see images of the cross everywhere, from school uniforms to hospital buildings. Perhaps it is so commonplace that it doesn’t stop us in our tracks the way it should. The cross of Jesus is the best key we have for understanding the mystery of God’s love. God’s compassion for the human family took Jesus to a lonely and brutal execution. Jesus was the victim of appalling injustice and degradation. His experience asks us to try to make the world more just and to revere the dignity of every person. ‘Whatsoever you do to the least of my sisters and brothers, you do to me.’ This is part of the reason why Project Compassion has, for 60 years, been part of our Lenten observance.
This year, Holy Week begins with the reading of the passion story from Mark’s Gospel. Even in busy lives, we should try to set time aside to spend with this extraordinary story, not to rush it. Gently take a little at a time and ask for the grace to be close to Jesus. In the Spiritual Exercises, St Ignatius asks us ‘to consider how the divinity hides itself.’
One way to spend time with the passion story is to take a different character each week and quietly ponder what it looked like to them and what they may have felt. Here is a suggestion:
Sunday –Judas Iscariot
Monday –Simon Peter
Tuesday –The high priest
Wednesday –Pontius Pilate
Thursday –Simon of Cyrene
Friday –The centurion
Saturday –Mary of Magdala
Let us remember a beautiful prayer of just seven words that was taught to Pope Francis by his grandmother: Jesus, make my heart more like yours.

PRAYER
We pray that the mystery of the death of Jesus will deepen within our hearts.

May we be ready to take up the cross in our time, especially as we support those who experience injustice throughout the world.
Amen

School Wide Positive Behaviour

We have noticed a distinct change in classroom behaviours in Term 1. Students have settled into their learning routines and are getting better at the entries, exits and transitions in their learning time. The Junior room is a busy hive of learning, and the seniors are producing excellent work through consistent effort. None of this occurs by accident; rather, it is the teaching of expected behaviours, and the hard work of students to meet these expectations. Well done to all!

To reward and encourage good behaviour, we use positive reinforcement systems. One you may have heard your child mention is dojo points. These are points awarded to students who follow rules, set a good example, participate in class, or show other positive behaviours. Once a student receives 20 points, they are entered into the dojo raffle, which gives them a chance to win a prize at assembly. 100 points gives the child a separate ticket into a bigger raffle. Thanks Eimer for organising the raffle, and Eddie and Hunter for drawing it at assembly.

Photos From Around the School

Stations of the Cross, strumming ukeleles, footy is back, block building, monkey bars and who doesn't love an Easter egg hunt?

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

Important Upcoming Dates:

March:

Thursday 28th - Holy Thursday
Friday 29th - Good Friday Stations of the Cross at St. Mary's Church, Murtoa at 3.00pm
Saturday 30th March - Easter Vigil Mass at 6.00pm at St. Mary's Church, Murtoa
Sunday 31st - Easter Sunday

April

Monday 15th April - Term 2 starts
Friday 19th April - Dunmunkle Cross Country Rabl Park - Year 4/5/6
Thursday 25th April - ANZAC Day No school for students
Tuesday 30th April - School Photos 9.00am

May:

Tuesday 7th May - Hip Hop Dance Workshop with Justin 2-3pm
Wednesday 8th May 'Shrek Show' at Horsham Town Hall at 11.00am
Friday 10th May - DSSA Athletics at Rupanyup Oval

June:

Monday 10th June - Holiday - No school for students
Friday 21st June - School Closure Day - Teacher PD Horsham
Friday 28th June - Last Day Term 2 Early finish 2.15pm

CEP Performance - Circus

Thank you to those families who have sent in the money - $10 per student, for the Circus performance and Workshop. Outstanding money is welcome next Term, please.