THE END AT LAST?

We come to the end of term and put another foot forward on the road to normality. This term has been a real roller coaster in trying to make head or tail out of the changes we have experienced. 

One of the most significant changes this term has been the way the children have learnt and the content they have been exposed to. Reporting on their progress in the normal way of the past is near impossible. We will be changing for this Semester how we report on your children's progress. With home learning, online tasks and face to face at school all happening at some time this term, it is difficult, nor is it fair to assess the children against the planned outcomes. SO this Semester's report will be a little different. The main difference is the timing. Reports will not be released until the end of Week 2 next term. The reports will only give a basic outline of your child's progress in English, Maths and RE.

Parent/Teacher Interviews will be slightly different also, in that, we are trialing having the children accompany their parents to these interviews to discuss their progress as well.

So, let's take a deep breath for two weeks, get used to a few more freedoms like sport and movies etc, maybe visit some regional areas and come back on Monday  20 July and start all over again.

Thanks to all - parents, relatives, children and teachers - for getting us through this strange period without too much upheaval. WELL DONE EVERYONE!!

TERM 3 AND COVID

At the time of writing this newsletter, there are still some restrictions to access to the school by adults. Because visitors and service providers might be engaged in activities at different sites during the day, our advice is still to restrict access to non-essential services and visitors onto the school site.

These include but are not limited to:

• Volunteers - for reading, canteen, craft etc
• Professional services -  such as Occupational Therapists, Speech Therapists etc
• Tutors - such as music or dance

We will be allowed to allow small numbers of Parents and Friends onto the site to attend liturgies, assemblies etc. It is our plan to invite those parents of children who are presenting their weekly liturgy to attend on that day. Parents should follow the calendar to see when their class is presenting the liturgy.

This could all change for the better during the holidays or shortly afterwards -- let's keep our fingers crossed.

NEW STAFF & PRINCIPAL ON LEAVE

Sadly, Mrs Nicols retired from her position as teacher of our EAL/D children. The children gave her send off and we wish her well as she moves to a new stage in her journey.

We have been fortunate to have secured a very talented teacher to replace her. Miss Gallagher will take on the role of EAL/D teacher 3 days per week for Terms  3 and 4. Miss Payton will fill her place with the Year 2 class on 2 days per week to release Mrs Dunn for Executive duties (REC & Acting Assistant Principal).

Another change will be temporary and involves my taking leave for at least 6 weeks next term. I will be replacing my "dickie" knee with a new one of shiny steel and porcelin. Ms McGann will be stepping up as Acting Principal from Week 3 and Mrs Dunn will fill in as Acting Assistant Principal.

LONG HAIR

Just a reminder that children with long hair need to have it tied up to keep it out of their eyes and safe from being caught on things and out of other's space. Please ensure your child's long hair is tied back. Thank you.

TERM 3 PUPIL FREE DAYS

 Three days are planned next term for Pupil Free Days. Please note these in your diaries. The school will be closed on these days.

• August 7 (Friday Wk 3)  - Parent/Student/Teacher Interviews
• August 24 (Monday WK 6) - Wellbeing and Zones of Regulation
• September 8 ( Tuesday Wk 8)- The Teaching of Writing and Speling

These are significant opportunities for teachers and parents to come together to learn new skills for the betterment of the children's learning and were postponed due the lockdown of this term.

Pyjama Day

I would like to thank everyone for participating in Pyjama Day. As a school we have raised $126.30 which will be donated to our local St Vincent De Paul.

KINDER

The Kinder students read extremely well in their Liturgy on Families. Thank you to parents for practising Readings at home as we didn’t get to do a lot of that in class. In English we have been doing lots of one on one assessments in spelling, reading and writing. The children are coming along very well despite the unexpected interruption of Covid-19. We read the wonderful story of the Rainbow Fish and discussed and wrote about how we could be good friends to others. In our Art lesson we made a cellophane tail for our rainbow fish. We cut and pasted our fish onto our paper marbling background which we made with shaving foam. They make a lovely wall display in our classroom.

In our Library lesson with Mrs. Spencer we logged on to the computers and had fun drawing shape pictures in Microsoft Paint. In Maths we learnt about measuring capacity and got to do lots of hands on activities such as pouring water and sand. Capacity is the amount a container can hold. It is a lesson we got to do outdoors. We are now learning how to collect information to make a data display eg our favourite fruit.

In Religion we visited the Church with Mr. Vandermaat to locate and learn about the special objects found in a Church. We named the crucifix, tabernacle, altar, lectern, statue of Mary, candles, baptismal font, red lamp and the pews we sit in. We had a lively discussion around the purpose of these and also learnt the name of our Parish Priest, Father Christian.

Have a safe and happy holiday break. We look forward to a busy Term 3.

YEAR 1

In Religion we've had a focus on 'Marian' prayers (prayers devoted to Mary). We looked closely at the words and phrases used in the 'Hail Mary' and have discussed that, as the mother of Jesus, Mary holds a special place in our Catholic faith. In English we have continued to improve our creative writing by including descriptive language and similes. We read a poem called 'Happily Haunted' and viewed an image of a haunted house on the Smartboard. We brainstormed ideas about how we could describe the haunted house using similes...

'The house is as dusty as a pile of cobwebs'...

'The house is as wobbly as a bowl of jelly'...

'The house is as creaky as an old, rusty door'...

In Maths this week we've been learning about the language of chance. We have discussed events that will happen, might happen, or are impossible. Last week we measured Area using informal units. We discussed why some informal units were more appropriate to use to measure Area than others. 

Year 1 had great fun in Science last week making lava lamps! We listed our equipment for the experiment and recorded our results with a labelled drawing. We were able to see that some materials change and some don't. 

We were super excited to participate in the Tabloid Sports that were organised for us to enjoy yesterday. Thank you to the teachers and older students involved in putting together such a fun event to celebrate the end of a challenging term! Happy holidays to all the Yr 1 children and their families. We can't wait to see you back at school in Term 3!

YEAR 2

In Art this term year 2 have studied Vincent Van Gogh’s paintings. They have created their own paintings based on Vincent Van Gogh’s sunflowers. Please make some time to look through our gallery on pictures.

This term Year 2 have learnt their two times tables. It is extremely important that they keep playing the card game that I taught them and playing hit the button over the holidays.

In Science we have looked at sustainability. On Wednesday the children will pair up and great their own sustainable house and garden. We will take photos and add them to Facebook for all to enjoy.

Over the next two weeks I would encourage the children to relax and enjoy their break. Take some family time.

YEAR 3

In Religion last week, we talked about the prayer the Rosary. We learnt that it is made up of four mysteries – The Joyful Mysteries, The Luminous Mysteries (or Mysteries of Light), The Glorious Mysteries and The Sorrowful Mysteries. Each one of these ‘Mysteries’ focuses on different events and times of Mary’s and Jesus’ life. When we pray the Rosary, we can use Rosary beads that help us keep count of the prayers we say. The main prayer of the Rosary is the Hail Mary. When we pray one of the Mysteries, we say five decades of the Hail Mary. That’s fifty Hail Marys in total. This week we have been talking about the prayers of the Mass. The Mass enables Catholics to come together to pray as a community.

In English, we have compared the book ‘The Tale of Despereaux’ and the movie of the same title. Although there were similarities between the two, there were also many differences. In reviewing the book, we have written summaries, questions relating to the book and a new adventure for one of the characters.

In Maths, our focus has been on fractions. Some of the tasks we have completed are colouring the parts of a whole to match the fraction, writing the fraction that matches the coloured area of the whole, finding equivalent fractions and identifying particular fractions of a group. One of the ways to help us identify equivalent fractions has been to use Cuisenaire rods. Using rods, we could see that five tenths is equivalent to half, and that one quarter is equivalent to two eighths, and two quarters is equivalent to four eighths. (There may be some parents who remember using Cuisenaire rods at school to help them learn about fractions and other Maths concepts.)

In History, we shared our Symbols in a Box. The symbols we collected were items that were very precious. They were kept to remind the owner of a significant event or time from the past. Some of the symbols were: baby clothes, photos, jewellery, trophies, books, newspaper clippings, soft toys, diaries, cards and medals.

In PDH this week, we created a poster to show the effects of smoking on the body, and discussed the effects of alcohol on the body.
In Science with Year 4, we looked at the viscosity of liquids. We put several liquids to the test and found that some have a high viscosity while others have a very low viscosity. Liquids with a high viscosity are quite thick and took many minutes to complete the racetrack that we were testing them on. In comparison, the liquids that we tested that had a low viscosity completed the racetrack quite quickly. Can you guess which liquid had the lowest viscosity? That’s right. Water!

Finally, we would like to wish all members of the O.L.V community a very happy, healthy and safe holiday.                                                                                                                                                                     

YEAR 4

We cannot believe the term has come to the end and we are now half way through Year 4! While the term had many changes and challenges, we have learnt a lot and have become more independent and capable.

In Religion, we learnt about The Rosary last week and about the Prayers of the Mass this week. The unit on prayer has been very interesting and we especially enjoyed the Meditation component. We are all keen to practise meditation whenever we have the opportunity.

In English, we finished reading our novel, Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White. We all really enjoyed the story and it gave us a lot to appreciate about friendships. We gained a good understanding of language and vocabulary through our many, varied activities. We loved watching the movie today!

This week, we learnt about personification. We then looked at a number of sentences from our novel and we determined whether they were examples of similes, metaphors or personification. Mrs Carroll thinks we are very clever!

Our focus in Maths was Fractions and Decimals last week, and Angles this week. We enjoyed some fun games and challenging activities as we worked with decimals and percentages. We have shown a good understanding in partitioning decimals to two places, (e.g. 3.45 = 3 + 3/10 + 5/100). Some clever students were able to partition decimals to three decimal places.

In our Angles topic, we each made an angle tester using cardboard and a paper fastener. We demonstrated our knowledge of acute, obtuse and right angles by using our angle tester around the classroom to determine the type of angles we found. We then drew and labelled a variety of angles.

In History, we worked in groups to focus on the various effects white settlement had on the Indigenous population. Each group read about their topic, then made a poster showing the negative impacts suffered by the First Australians. The topics included: Conflict, Disease, Dispossession, Loss of Traditional Resources and Loss of Cultural Identity. It has been really interesting to learn about the settlement of our country and to discover some sad facts about it.

In Visual Arts we have completed our barn scene from Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White. We worked so well together and we are really excited about the final result. Everyone felt very proud as we put all the pieces together last week. We felt a great sense of achievement!

We wish everyone a happy and safe holiday, Stay well!

All of Year 4 are looking forward to a more settled Term 3 with much less interruption than Terms 1 & 2.

 

YEAR 5/6

In Religion we have been looking at Parables and how and why Jesus used them to teach about the Kingdom of God. We now understand that Jesus was a very clever teacher, using everyday experiences to explain difficult concepts to the people of His time.

In English we have finally finished our novel and for a few, the ending was as predicted, but for most of us, the ending was a beautiful surprise. The students were given the opportunity to read the final part of the final chapter themselves and, looking around at their faces as they realised what was happening was priceless! We have followed this character for so long and he has become part of our 5/6 family, so to see the result of all his perseverance and courage was a shared feeling that will stay with us for a while.

In Maths, we used problem solving strategies to find the pattern or rule to determine the properties of prisms and pyramids. We have also participated in 2 APSMO (Australasian Problem Solving Mathematical Olympiads) competitions in the last two weeks. These competitions consist of 5 problems to solve and take about 30 minutes to complete. Ms McGann is very impressed with the quality of the mathematical thinking that is evident in these competitions and it is easy to see that our focus on learning a variety of problem solving strategies is working.

In Art, students have been creating their own artwork of Mount Fuji. The children have had the opportunity to experiment with blending paints to create different shades to allow for blending in their artwork. The students are very proud of what they have achieved. Next term, we will be focusing  on early Australian artists to align with our teachings of early settlers in history. 

In Science, students are working in small groups to design and create their own earthquake proof structure home. They have had to consider and discuss within their groups the functional and aesthetic needs to best uphold the structure in the case of a devastating earthquake such as materials used or shape of the home. In their small teams, students then designed and created their own seismograph, which they will use to record the magnitude and intensity of the mimicked earthquake while they test their design to see if it stays standing during the earthquake. 

We enjoyed our Sports ‘Carnival’ yesterday. Year 6 did a wonderful job of planning, organising and running each of the activities and Year 5 (with the help of some Year 4s) were amazing group leaders, encouraging their group members and keeping them all accounted for – which was sometimes easier said than done!

Year 6 also participated in their Teen Talk session today so they may have questions tonight. You may like to ask them about the topics discussed.

As this term draws to a close, Miss Gallagher and I want to say how proud we are of all the students in 5/6 for the way they transitioned back to school after our unexpected ‘break’. Some found this more challenging than others, but all managed to get themselves back into routine. Everyone now needs a proper break so they can be rested and ready for a busy Term 3!

 

Learning Support

How To Help Your Child Catch Up In Maths From Home

Why Your Child Struggles With Maths And 21 Simple Strategies To Help Them Catch Up.

If you are interested in assisting your child in maths and /or your child has difficulty in maths you may be interested in this course offered online at the moment. It is only $29.00 at the moment and you have 14 days to complete online.

https://getintoneurodiversity.com/more-courses/scsc-maths/

 

Get into Neurodiversity - Steve Chinn's Maths Difficulty Course

Why Your Child Struggles With Maths And 21 Simple Strategies To Help Them Catch Up. Presented By World-Renowned Mathematics And Dyscalculia Expert Prof. Steve Chinn

getintoneurodiversity.com

2020 SCHOOL FEES

Fee statements for the end of Term 2 have been emailed to the fee payers email address nominated at our school.  Please ensure your email address details are up to date and notify us of any changes immediately. 

We are appreciative of those families who have continued paying their fees and those who will shortly resume their commitment to school fees. 

KINDER ENROLMENTS 2021

The enrolment period for 2021 is now open. Parents who are seeking enrolment for their children at OLV in 2021 should ask for an Application for Enrolment from the office. Alternatively, a request for an enrolment pack can be found  on our school website at:

 or on the CSO website at

If you are aware of any families that are also considering enrolling next year, please pass on this message.

Due to the restrictions around visitors in the school due to Covid-19, our enrolment process will be a little different and the timeline a little later than normal.  We will be conducting interviews and a meet and greet early in the new term from August 1.  Once we have had a chance to meet, you will be given the opportunity to visit the Kindergarten room with our Pastoral Care Worker and/or Learning Support Teacher.  We will then be able to confirm the position.

ENTERTAINMENT BOOK

Thank you to everyone that has already purchased a digital entertainment book.  OLV needs your continued support.  The Entertainment book has gone digital this year so please follow the below link and order yours today. 20% of every Entertianbment Membership sold goes to our fundraiser. Follow the link below or www.entbook.com.au/359h46

VOLUNTEERS AND WORKING WITH CHILDREN CHECK

All new volunteers who wish to volunteer at Our Lady of Victories (or any school/parish in the Diocese) are required to complete the Volunteer Induction Handbook.  This hand book covers all aspects of volunteering at school from Induction through to Code of Conduct, WHS, Confidentiality and Privacy.  Volunteers are required to complete a National Criminal History Check Consent Form (150 point of ID required), Working with Children Check Clearance, Registration Form, Volunteer Policy Declaration and Code of Conduct Declaration.  Volunteers are only able to assist in schools once all documents have been received and cleared (this can take up to 3 weeks).

The steps to obtain a Working with Children Check Clearance Number are as follows:

1. Fill out an online application from www.kidsguardian.nsw.gov.au/check
2. When you have completed the application form, you will receive and Application number (APP by email.
3. Take this Application number and proof of your identity to a NSW motor registry or Service NSW Office.  As it is not paid work the $80.00 fee will be waived.
4. Once your application has been processed and you are cleared, you will receive your Working with Children Check number (WWC) by email( or post if you do have an email address).
   Working With Children Check Volunteer Form
   Working With Children Check Volunteer Form 4.36 MB

   ENTERTAINMENT BOOK

Book Club

For those who have ordered Book Club. Unfortunately, it won't be back at school till after the holidays.

I had a glitch when doing the ordering and it didn't go through.

I apologize for this as I know the children would have liked their items for the holidays.

Regards

Christine Moore

Library Assistant

We would like to wish the following children a Happy Birthday

Congratulations and we hope you had a happy day

SMS/EMAIL NOTIFICATION OF ABSENCE

As part of Our Lady of Victories’ commitment to student safety and welfare, our school has begun notifying parents of their child’s unexplained absence via SMS message & email.

This service provides an SMS / email notification to parents of children who are marked absent from school without explanation once the roll has been checked in the morning.

Where possible, it would be appreciated if parents can notify the school at their earliest convenience regarding a child’s absence.

 If a child is going to be absent for the day or is intending to arrive late (e.g. medical appointments etc.), then parents are asked to use the COMPASS APP or call the office to notify the school before 9:30am on the day rather than sending a note afterward.

It is hoped that by providing this service and in partnership with families we can continue to ensure all possible mechanisms are in place to maintain the safety of our students.

USING THE ATTENDANCE NOTIFICATIONS

COMPASS is the preferred method of informing the school that your child is away. By sending it through COMPASS, it is immediately synced to the class roll. Teachers endeavour (technology permitting) to have their rolls marked by 9:30am. If your child is not present and you have not sent a compass notification (or contacted the office of an absence) you will be sent an SMS to advise that we have not received an absence “note” and your child is not present.

Please refrain from using other electronic forms of notifications such as email, Schoolzine or other APPS we have used in the past. If in doubt, call the office.

You will be able to access the school newsletter here and notifications will come through Schoolzine. Please DO NOT use the old SkoolBag App. It is no longer used for communications of notifications and messages..

Go to this link to download the Schoolzine App:

http://www.schoolzine.com/szapp

ST NICHOLAS OOSH

We would like to guage the need for Holiday Care at  our Shortland OOSH. Please take a moment to fill out this quick survey

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/K5T5JPP

and/or to email Sheridan at vacationcare@stnicholasoosh.org.au

by the close of business Thursday 18^th of June. They  would very much appreciate your input. 

Check out this link for more info on St Nicholas OOSH.