31 May 2018

Newsletter Articles

Dates to Remember

Principal’s Message

Mandatory Reporting

Mandatory reporting is a term used to describe the legislative requirement for selected groups of people required to report suspected cases of child abuse and neglect to government authorities. Parliaments in all Australian states and territories have enacted mandatory reporting laws of some description. In NSW, a child or young person is at risk of significant harm if current concerns exist for the safety, welfare or wellbeing of the child or young person because of the presence, to a significant extent.

For example:

• basic physical or psychological needs are not being met or at risk of not being met;
• not receiving necessary medical care;
• not receiving an education in accordance with the Education Act 1990;
• physical or sexual abuse or ill-treatment;
• serious physical or psychological harm as a consequence of living in a household where there have been incidents of domestic violence;
• serious psychological harm;
• the child was the subject of a prenatal report under section 25 and the birth mother did not engage successfully with support services to eliminate, or minimise to the lowest level reasonably practical the risk factors that gave rise to that report

All teachers and staff of OLV are Mandatory Reporters of Child Abuse and Neglect. Parents might also like to know that volunteers who work in schools are also determined as Mandatory Reporters also. This means that all these groups are required by law to report any abuse or neglect.

May you be in heaven 5 minutes
Before the devil knows you’re dead.

Kind regards,
Gerry Vandermaat – Principal

Upcoming Incursions

Wandana

Wandana is a Sydney based Company that specialise in curriculum based Aboriginal education designed to help students explore Aboriginal culture. Using non-tokenistic activities the students will cover a wide range of educational requirements in a creative and dynamic manner. Covering many areas of Aboriginal culture and its people in song, dance, didgeridoo, art, history and storytelling.

On Monday 4 June, the children will be participating in a school wide activity with Wandana to commemorate and learn about NAIDOC and gain a firsthand glimpse of some our indigenous people’s customs and culture. Firstly, they will be involved in a liturgy and presentation from 9am. Afterwards they will participate as a class group in art activities, which are combined to produce a mural for the wall. A timetable of the day will be forthcoming and parents are welcome to join us at the beginning of the day and during the class sessions. The cost for the incursion will be $5 per child. We thank the P&F for subsidising the incursion to keep the cost to a minimum.

Start Smart

Representatives from the Commonwealth Bank spoke to the children today. They presented a free workshop to the children about the importance of saving and how to manage money. More information about the program can be found via the link below.

Complaints Handling

From time to time, occasions arise when we are not happy with the service that we are receiving. Our Lady of Victories has a course of action that parents should follow. The CSO’s Complaints & Grievances Resolution Policy is available if you are not satisfied with a resolution of something that may have happened at school. For your information, the procedure for handling complaints at OLV is summarised as follows:

1. Raise the issue as early as possible – Classroom based issues with the class teacher. Other complaints with the principal and or delegate.
2. If classroom issues are unresolved, then they can be directed to the principal.
3. If not resolved by the principal or is about the principal, reference to the CSO via the Parent Liaison Officer who will refer the matter to the appropriate Assistant Director.
4. If the matter remains unresolved, the Assistant Director may refer the matter to the Director. Formal Appeals are made through the Director of Schools in writing in a timely manner.
5. If still not resolved, the parent/carer may wish to go to an external agency or legal advocate for advice and assistance.

I refer parents to the flyer that is attached, in the foyer and on our school website for a fuller explanation. Anonymous complaints may not be acted upon.

KINDER Enrolments 2019

The enrolment period for 2019 is now open. Parents who are seeking enrolment for their children at OLV in 2019 should ask for an Application for Enrolment from the office. Alternatively, an enrolment pack can be found our school website or on the CSO website.

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

Compass Update

PARENT TRAINING

The parents who were able to come to the training sessions for COMPASS this week received a unique USERNAME and PASSWORD, which gives them access to the new PORTAL that is now available to enhance the communication and information sharing between school, parents and children. Today, those that could not make the information sessions should have received a letter which explains the portal and gives you your USERNAME and PASSWORD to access your children’s accounts. Parents should also have received the explanatory notes which givesinformation on how to access and use the portal. Parents are advised not to share these PASWORDS for any reason.

An important note to first time users is, to access the portal on a computer for the first time and change their passwords. You should access the portal at the following web address:

Parents will be able to access some of the functions on their Smartphones or Tablets. Go to the APP shop for your phone and search for COMPASS. Then put in the school name and away you go. Please take time to read the instruction pages to make full use of this new system. We will be phasing out different platform later, in the year and COMPASS will become the only avenue for Parent/Teacher interviews (Conferences), Student Report, reporting student absences – to name a few.

If you have any questions on how to access or use the functions, drop a question onto the FACEBOOK page or email a question to admin@shortland.catholic.edu.au

GOOD LUCK

NB – THIS WILL BE THE ONLY WAY TO ACCESS YOUR CHILD’S SEMESTER REPORTS. There will be no more printed reports.

As with all new systems and technology we have had a few hiccups printing off the parent letters. Please excuse any errors that may appear on your letter. Your parent log on and temporary password will still be correct and will still link you with you with your student. We apologise for this start up issue.

OFFICE KIOSK

Our little gadget has arrived and is sitting on the counter. This “kiosk” replaces the blue slips that parents filled out in the past. If you are wishing to sign in late or sign out early, parents need to tap in and start typing their name and follow the prompts - only RESIDENTIAL PARENTS/CARERS/GUARDIANS may do this. If you have a relative or friend helping out by dropping off or picking up for you, then you will need to inform the office in writing or by phone that there is an alternative arrangement happening that day.

If you enter or exit via the front gate during school hours, please ensure the gate securely closes behind you.

School Fees

Every family will have received a fee statement for Term 1 and 2 fees. Reminder letters will be sent home in the coming weeks to families who have ovelooked these. It is essential that arrangements are made now for payment of outstanding fees if you do not already have one in place.

Collection of financial contributions is always a difficult part of running any organisation and we try to make our options as accessible and easy as possible. If you are facing financial hardship please contact the school office and arrange a time to meet with Mr Vandermaat to see what arrangements can be made to assist you.

SCHOOL PHOTOS

As you would be aware the date for school photos had to be postponed. School photos will now be held on Monday, 27th August. The same envelopes will be used, even though the date printed on the envelope is incorrect. Please keep the envelopes safe to use next term on photo day. We can keep any envelopes already returned safe or they can be returned if wish. Please let the office or your class teacher know if you would like them returned. Spare envelopes are available from the office along with family photo envelopes if you wish to order family photos when the time comes.

Blank Student order forms and Family order forms are also available for downloading and printing from the school website if needed when the time comes.

We apologise for any inconvenience this change of date may have caused.

P&F News

Bunnings BBQ is booked for 28 October.

This is always a great opportunity to raise funds for the school and we will be asking for volunteers to help on the day a bit closer to the date. Please add this date to your calendar.

Athletics Carnival 15 June

The P&F has the opportunity to run the canteen at the athletics carnival. We will be selling the following items on the day: Cold drinks, water, Tea/coffee/milo, Thompson’s Pies and Sausage rolls, Lollies and packets of chips.

We are asking our wonderful bakers to please donate some individual portions of muffins, slice, banana bread for us to sell on the day. Donations should be delivered to school the morning before the carnival or brought with you on the day if you are coming on the day.

We are also looking for a few volunteers to help in the canteen, anyone who is interested in helping please let Kylie Westaway know
olvparentsandfriends@gmail.com

If parents would like to add to the monthly meeting agenda, please call Kylie Westaway or send an email to OLVparentsandfriends@gmail.com .

SCHOOL DISCO

The children had a great time last Friday evening, dancing and singing tot eh songs provided by Robert the DJ. Thanks to those that helped with the organisation and served behind the counter all night. Thanks to the children also who were very well behaved during all the excitement. It was great to see a few of our past students enjoying a “Disco Reunion” – they still seemed to enjoy themselves

Clothing Pool:

The Uniform Pool is now set up and operating from the “Bell Room” next to the Year 1 classroom. The Uniform Pool is open every Thursday morning from 8:40am – 9:10am.

Please Note: we can only take cash sales as no EFTPOS facilities are available.

Canteen Roster:

30/5 - Sally + Sally
1/6 - Ruth + Lisa
6/6 - Lori + Kristy
8/6 - Nicole + Natalie
13/6 - Kristen + Naomi
15/6 - closed athletics carnival
20/6 - Krist + Ella
22/6 - Heather + Naomi
27/6 - Mary + Kerryn
29/6 - Cassie + Help needed please
4/7 - Closed
6/7 - Pupil free day closed

Class News

Kinder

Our first Kinder Mass is on Friday at 9am. We are looking forward to participating in this celebration with our families. Thank you to all families who provided a photo for our poster. Thursday is the last day to send in photos, Friday will be too late. The children have enjoyed looking at the photos and sharing about their family. In English we are learning to read and spell words that belong to the ‘ap’ and ‘an’ families eg. map, man. We participate in Literacy groups on a daily basis. Ipads are used for Lexia (our schoolwide Reading support program). Lexia can also be accessed from home and children are awarded certificates at Assembly for completing each level. Our Literature unit is “Going on a Bear Hunt”. You can view the author, Michael Rosen, acting out the story on You tube. We are having fun acting along with him and are developing our Drama skills as well. We viewed videos on brown bears catching salmon and are learning some ‘Bear Facts’ eg baby bears are called cubs. In Maths we have been learning about addition and subtraction. We are getting better at using our fingers to add and take away numbers to ten. Many opportunities occur at home where children can be exposed to adding and taking away small amounts. Try to recognise these and use them to help your child develop these concepts. In Science we viewed a BTN video on weather forecasting and learned that all sorts of people rely on weather reports. We defined weather as “what’s happening outside up in the atmosphere”. In Art we are endeavouring to create a ‘streetscape’ with a partner. We viewed examples by artists and explored the geometric shapes they used in their buildings. We are using coloured paper shapes to create our streetscape.

Year 1

Year 1 have been reading ‘Possum Magic’ by Mem Fox to continue our work on narratives. We have followed the sequence of the story and learned about the capital cities of Australia along with different types of Australian foods such as: Anzac biscuits, the vegemite sandwich, pavlova and lamingtons. Everyone has been working hard to improve their journal writing, checking that their ‘Weekend Recounts’ include information that tells us; ‘when, who, where and what’.

In Maths we worked on addition strategies, building on our knowledge of friends of ten. Year 1 discovered the different ways two numbers can add to make a given total. For example, the total 11 can be made the following ways: 1+10, 2+9, 3+8, 4+7 and 5+6. We found that there was an addition pattern. Everyone enjoyed our week working on measuring Length. We were using informal units to measure the length of different objects in our room. Year 1 had to make sure we measured end-to-end, leaving no gaps in between each unit to give a fair measurement. We also enjoyed measuring objects using our handspan.

The Sacraments of Initiation include Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist. Year 1 have been learning what these Sacraments are about and what symbols represent them. Kinder’s Mass this Friday will give our class the chance to observe what happens for the children in our school community who have made their Eucharist Sacrament.

Our Science topic this Term is called ‘Spot the Difference’. Year 1 have enjoyed investigating ‘mystery objects’ concealed in a box by using their sense of touch. Our first mystery object was an ice block, we observed the change from one that had been left outside all day and compared this to one just taken from the freezer. We discussed the change was melting. Our second mystery object was spaghetti. Year 1 felt the difference between raw and cooked spaghetti. We enjoyed listening to the ‘Spaghetti’ poem by S. Silverstein and recreating different parts of the poem in groups. Year 1 made spaghetti pictures to investigate whether spaghetti can be changed back to its original state.

Year 2/3

It is half way through term already and year 2/3 has been busy with a range of assessments and activities to consider our learning this semester. In maths, we have been considering multiplication and division facts as well as fractions. We extended our knowledge of fractional language and notation. In English, we studied Once a Shepherd by Glenda Millard, which is about a soldier who goes to war and bravely sacrifices his own life helping another soldier. We noted the imagery created through the use of similes and metaphors. In History, we continue to learn about symbols of Australia including the Commonwealth Coat of Arms and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flags. In religion, we are commencing our unit on the Eucharist, which means thanksgiving. In science, we are investigating heat sources in our home environments and whether they produce heat or are heated by something else. In Art, we studied some still life artworks by Paul Cezanne and noted his attention to geometric shapes and colours when creating his artworks. We all look forward to tennis on Wednesdays and improving our game.

Year 4

This week in Religion, Year 4 has been looking further into the Sacrament of Confirmation and learning about the significance of some of the symbols and rituals involved in the ceremony. In English we have been revising parts of language such as nouns and noun groups, action, thinking and feeling verbs, conjunctions and pronouns. After reading ‘The Letters of Rosie O’Brien’, we have been learning about letter writing and the components of writing an informal letter. In Maths we have worked on consolidating our skills and knowledge in multiplication and division. We have revised factors and multiples and looked at number relationships using multiplication tables. In History we are learning about the early years of the First Settlement in Australia. In our PDH lessons we have had some great discussion about fire safety and watched some short information videos highlighting the importance fire safety tips, such as, knowing where exits are in our homes, knowing what to do if our clothes caught fire and the importance of smoke alarms.

Year 5

What a whirlwind the last couple of weeks have been! Last week we sat for our NAPLAN tests - Writing, Reading, Spelling and Punctuation and Maths. They were long and for some, challenging, but Ms McGann and Mrs Bourne are very proud of our efforts. The results come back in a few months. After we finished our paper on Wednesday, Ms McGann paid us a visit with her son, Scott, who had just arrived home from America. She often tells us stories about him and we have seen him play basketball in America, thanks to technology. Ms McGann said he was tall, but we were amazed at just how tall he was!

We also had the sad news of the passing of Mrs Bourne's dad, and our thoughts and prayers have been with her and her family during this sad time.

In Religion, we have been looking at how the coming of the Holy Spirit at the first Pentecost changed the lives of the apostles for the better, and how they were able to carry on Jesus' work afterwards. We have looked at how they worked together, ate and prayed together, and how they sold their possessions and distributed the money to those in need. This is timely, as we launched the OLV Vinnies Winter Appeal at Tuesday's liturgy.

In Maths, we have looked at Data, have done some assessment tasks and are now looking at area. We have discussed the difference between area and perimeter. Ask us how we will remember the difference!!

In English, we have continued reading our novel, enjoying the mischief Rosa gets into. She and her family have arrived in Melbourne after 3 months at sea and will soon head to the goldfields, but not before witnessing the cavalcade across the Prince's Bridge to welcome the new governor of Victoria, and do a bit of shopping for equipment needed at the diggings.

In History, we continue to look at the era of the gold rushes in Australia and the ensuing Eureka Stockade and the effects that had on Australia. This links beautifully with our novel. Our gold assignments look amazing all placed together on our 'OLV diggings site'. Come and have a look when you get a chance.

In Science, we have looked at liquids, and did a 'runny race' between some of them last week to determine their viscosity. We have looked at solids and their properties and now we move on to gases, with a couple of amazing experiments to which to look forward.

In PE, we continue with our rotations, which we are all enjoying, as we are with tennis for Sport.

In PDH, we defined what a drug is and we have looked at examples of legal and illegal drugs and how some can be both. We will now start looking at rules around taking medicines and why people smoke.

In Art, our unit is called 'Shovels, Picks and Pans' and links with our History and English units. We have been looking at a range of artworks by Julian Ashton, noting the dates of these works, the types of subject matter, the use of various techniques in his drawings and paintings. We have discussed how the artworks reflect the characteristics of Australian life in the late 1880s and 1890s.

In Music, we have continued to look at Celtic music and have discussed and listened to the types of instruments used in this genre.

We are working hard and cannot believe we are halfway through this term.

Year 6

In Religion we each named symbols for the Sacraments of Service and explained why they are relevant and important to these particular Sacraments. In Maths we studied volume and capacity. We had fun discovering that a cube with sides of 10cm will displace 1 litre of water, so 1000 cm3 equals 1000 mL and that 1 cubic centimetre is equal to 1 millilitre. In English we have revised contractions and discussed their use and effect in stories. We are enjoying our novel, "Dragonkeeper" by Carole Wilkinson. It is fascinating to learn about aspects of Ancient China! We made postcards in Art, by reproducing a Monet print of our choice and painting it onto a card. We are having fun seeing the sights on our ‘ virtual trip to Paris’!

We all had the most wonderful time at the Great Aussie Bush Camp in Week 4. Some of us have written recounts of the camp and here are some excerpts from our writing:

Camp was a great experience for me! I got to learn more about my friends and the environment. I found that it really helped my relationships with my friends and it also helped me to get closer to other people that I didn’t really hang out with. – Keilie

Our first activity was the Dual Flying Fox. I would not be lying when I say that when you looked down, it was so breath-taking! - Isobel

After a while it was time to go to the activity we’d all been waiting for – Mud World! I changed into my old clothes and sneakers. Now let me tell you, it was freezing! I tripped, slipped and swallowed a mouthful of mud! Zoe looked as if she’d fade away – that’s how cold she was! It really pushed our teamwork and mental strength. – Sienna

The giant swing was where we put our harnesses on and got connected to a loop on a rope. The rest of the class would run a thick black rope to the end of the path and you would go higher and higher into the air until you reached 15 metres high! After we reached the top we had to pull our own rip cord and when we pulled it we went flying into the air. You really felt the adrenaline running through your body! - Josie

When we arrived at the sand dunes, we were told how the nearby middens are sacred to the Aborigines. Then we slid down a MASSIVE dune and had a rolling competition, which I won. – Joseph

When we arrived at Crate Climbing, we got into 2 teams. I went first, so I put the harness on and was connected to the rope. Crates were placed on top of each other near my feet. Climbing up the crates, one at a time, I got to 6 crates. I felt so high up standing on the crates. Crate climbing tested your strength! – Jaida

It was a terrific experience to be able to trust, focus and support classmates. I loved the Great Aussie Bush Camp and I would definitely go again if I could! - Ruby

Pastoral Care

Our Mini Vinnies met for the first time yesterday to discuss ways of assisting with St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal. Our group came up with some great ideas for holding stalls during their lunch time break.

They would like to request donations of good new and second hand items eg. toys, books etc. to use in a raffle.
All donations would be gratefully accepted.
More information to come soon.
Take care. Karen Johnson, Pastoral Care.

LEXIA AT HOME

It is great to hear that so many children have been able to download the Lexia Core 5 program at home. Some are even using it with their IPads!

Here are the details again if you would like to do Lexia at home.

If you would like to use the program at home you will need to download this new version. You can download from the link below or, you can use it via your web browser.

You do not need any codes but will need the admin user email address. lady@victories.com.au from their children log on with their usual Lexia username and password. I Pad and I Pad mini users can download the Core 5 app from the App store- search for “Lexia Reading Core 5”.

If you have any problems, please contact me at the school on a Tuesday or Friday. – (Jenny McCallum - Learning Support Teacher)

SPORTS NEWS

Soccer Gala

Many children in Year 3-6 have “signed” up for the North Region Soccer Gala on 8 June. A permission note goes home tomorrow for you to give permission for your child to participate. Forty children have indicated their desire so we will need a fleet of parents to transport them to and from Raymond Terrace. If you can help with this please indicate on the return slip. We are also looking for 2-3 managers to help with organising the teams on the day. - All notes need to be returned to school by tomorrow.

School Athletics Carnival

We are taking the children to a new venue for our Athletics Carnival this year. The carnival will be held at the Fernley Dawes Athletics Centre in Hamilton on Friday 15 June. This is a new facility, which gives us a few extra options as well as being half the cost to hire. Event nomination forms will sent home soon. From this carnival, we will be selecting a team to represent the school at the Regional Carnival on Thursday 5 July.

SOO 1

The annual rivalry begins again next week and NSW are finally trying something new to break the Champion State’s stronghold. That is actually picking a team of players in form. There is always hope for the blues. GO THE MAROONS.

Class Awards

Class awards for Week 8