21 March 2019

Newsletter Articles

Dates to Remember

Principal’s Messages

CHRISTCHURCH TRAGEDY

Last Friday’s shooting of innocent people in two Christchurch mosques is an event that has shaken people to the core worldwide. The event itself, and the continued reporting can impact heavily on children and young people, bringing emotions such as sadness, confusion and anger to the surface. It’s important at times like these that they feel supported by loving parents and caring teachers. Sometimes parents struggle to know the right approach to take with children when tragedy strikes. With this in mind, the article below outlines how parents can respond constructively to the Christchurch shooting.

AWARD ASSEMBLIES

One of our ways to improve the self-esteem and recognise excellence is to present children with awards each fortnight. Usually four children are highlighted from each class to receive an award for the effort and success they have had in social interactions, academic excellence and sporting prowess. It is always wonderful to see how all the children celebrate and recognise their peers when someone receives an award. Maybe we should give everyone an award for that. Parents are always welcome to celebrate with us every second Friday.

We will be changing our Assembly days to ODD WEEKS from Term 2. Our first Award Assembly will be Week 1 and odd weeks from then.

EASTER PARADE

We are holding our Easter Bonnet/Hat Parade on Friday 5 April from 1pm. We are encouraging children to make their bonnets at home and bring them in on Friday. If children prefer, they might like to dress up in an Easter theme instead for the parade. The P&F Easter Hamper Raffle will be drawn at the conclusion of the parade. This occasion is always a fun time, so bring along and/or invite all your friends and relatives.

MEETING TEACHERS

One important connection between parents and teachers is time to discuss in a respectful and planned manner, the progress of your children. This communication is essential and we encourage parents to make a connection with your child/ren’s teacher/s. However, it is important that you make arrangements to meet at a suitable and mutual time, which allows for the best opportunity to discuss any concerns. Arriving unannounced or unexpectedly can make this opportunity difficult to manage. Please make an appointment if your discussion needs close attention.

COSI

COSI stands for Continuum Of School Improvement. It is a cyclical process of reviewing, improving and accounting the processes the school uses to meet the educational needs of the children and families at Our Lady of Victories. Every 6 years an external panel visits the school to review these processes and look at how the school has identified its strengths and weaknesses and what plans are being made to celebrate and address these. An important part of this process is to gather information from all the stakeholders in our community. Last week, parents should have received a survey link via email to provide their thoughts on how well the school provides for the educational needs of your children.

Thanks to those that have responded already. If not, parents are asked complete the survey before March 27. If you have not received this link, please let the office know.

LITURGY CHANGES

Please note in the calendar above the changes to times for some of our Liturgies coming up.

WELCOME

We welcome Jesse (Kinder) and Shammah (Year 1) to our community. They come to us as new Australians and we wish them well in their time with us. Please extend the OLV welcome to them and their family.

NSW Election and the Catholic Family

With the State Election almost upon us, please see the attached information that might be useful information for your decision this weekend.

Also below is a link to the CCSP website with more extensive information that will assist parents and carers deepen their understanding of issues that impact Catholic Education and this can update and inform themselves.

NAPLAN Online

NAPLAN assesses Literacy and Numeracy – important skills that each child needs to succeed in school and life. The NAPLAN tests are designed to help us make sure students are on track with their literacy and numeracy development. Students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 participate in NAPLAN tests for reading, writing, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy.

Between 13th & 17th May, our school will participate in NAPLAN Online. Students do not need to be computer experts to take the NAPLAN test online. Making sure students have computer skills is part of our school curriculum, and our teachers will ensure your child is familiar with the online format. To see the types of questions and interactive features of NAPLAN Online, visit the public demonstration site.

If you have any questions about NAPLAN Online, please contact your child’s teacher.

• How to support your child during NAPLAN
• information for parents and carers
• Watch a video that explains NAPLAN Online
• Subscribe to ACARA’s monthly parent newsletter, Parent Update

PROBLEM SOLVING

As part of our whole school problem solving focus, we are using Newman’s prompts to deconstruct any problem we have been given. The first 2 steps are as follows. Without these vital first steps, the mathematician cannot even begin to work out what strategy to use. The infants version have slightly adjusted language.

Once the question has been pulled apart, and what is being asked has actually been identified, then a strategy can be employed, which is Step 3.

For the last few weeks, the focus in our maths sessions for Years 3-6 has been on understanding and using the strategy of tree diagrams. Tree diagrams help us work out the number of possibilities that are available to us in a given problem. An example is tossing 2 coins. Once we see all the combinations possible, we can see that there are 4 outcomes. From here, discussions can be had around the possibility of throwing 2 heads, 2 tails or one of each.

Here’s one you might like to try at home.

OOSH is Coming

The Department inspection of the OOSH facility took place today. St Nicholas OOSH has put a lot of work into providing a compliant service for the school and are confident that approval will be given very quickly. Once this has been given we can start immediately.

All families should have received a letter from Tracey Sweetman explaining this process and requesting parents to ensure they have enrolled using the forms below. As there was a glitch in their email system during the Christmas holidays, some applications may not have reached Ms Sweetman, so, those who have sent in applications and not received any response, are asked to resend their applications. (see links below)

Once OOSH has been approved Homework Classes will cease immediately. Those using the homework class will need to make arrangements with the OOSH providers. If you intend to use the OOSH either before or after school, you might like to download the application forms, fill them out and send them into school for processing.

Chris, nominated supervisor for the OOSH, will be here on Monday morning from 8.30am to discuss any enrolments or organisational queries you might have.

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

Library News

Just a reminder that library borrowing is each Wednesday. Each student needs to have a library borrowing bag to take books home to read each week.

Books need to be returned each Wednesday.

Happy Reading

Book Club

The book club order form and online ordering is now CLOSED.

From The Office

School Fees

Our Term 1 school fees for 2019 are now overdue. It would be appreciated if all accounts be paid promptly. As in past years, Resource Fee and Levies etc are billed in total in Term 1, though the payment towards them may spread throughout the year and may appear in future accounts. If you would like to manage your account with regular payments, please contact Leanne in the office, who can help you with a payment plan. Those who are in legitimate financial hardships can make application for consideration by making an appointment to see the Principal.

All extracurricular activities (Dance, Gymnastics etc) will be included on your accounts as they arise, so that a closer tracking of payments and receipts can be done. All receipts of payments will be emailed to the primary email supplied by parents through COMPASS.

Statements will be emailed home monthly. If you are paying by direct debit or BPAY your statement is for your records only.

Forms

The Catholic Schools Office requires parents to fill in a number of forms which assist us in providing the best service we can. In particular the CODE OF CONDUCT. This form outlines the expected manner in which parents and the school should interact. Please read the document carefully.

Condition of Enrolment Form – Green Form

Cybersafety User Agreement Form – Red Form

Code of Conduct – Orange Form

Photograph Permission – White Form

To those parents who have already submitted these forms, I thank you, and to those who have not, you are encouraged to do so ASAP. These forms must be returned to the front office prior to the end of Term 1.

These forms are mandatory for every student. The Catholic Schools Office has requested all schools ensure that these documents are completed, signed and returned by the end of Term 1. Schools have been instructed to follow up any outstanding documents.

REC News

Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week and is an important Christian festival around the world. It falls on the Sunday before Easter Sunday and is therefore, like Easter, a moveable feast (i.e. a religious celebration or observance which does not occur on the same date each year). Western Christian churches often refer to Palm Sunday as 'The Sunday of the Passion'. This year Palm Sunday falls on Sunday April the 14th. We will have our Palm Sunday Liturgy on Monday 8th of April led by Year 2 at 9am in the hall. Please come and celebrate with us.

Holy Thursday

Holy Thursday falls on Thursday 18th of April. Holy Thursday commemorates the foot washing (Maundy) and Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles, as described in the canonical gospels. It is the fifth day of Holy Week, preceded by Holy Wednesday and followed by Good Friday. Our school liturgy will be Wednesday 10th April led by Year 5 at 9.00am in the hall

Good Friday

This year Good Friday falls on Friday 19th of April. Good Friday is a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. Our school liturgy will be Friday 12th April led by Year 6 at 1.00pm in the church.

ANZAC Liturgy

As a school we will remember our soldiers through our ANZAC liturgy led by Year 3/4 on Thursday 11th April at 10am in the hall.

As you can see the last week of this term is an extremely busy week. In the next newsletter I will advertise Easter Mass times for Shortland and Wallsend.

Plenary Prayer

Come, Holy Spirit of Pentecost. Come,
Holy Spirit of the great South Land. O God,
Bless and unite all your people in Australia
And guide us on the pilgrim way of the Plenary Council.
Give us the grace to see your face in one another and to recognise Jesus,
our companion on the road.
Give us the courage to tell our stories
and to speak boldly of your truth.
Give us ears to listen humbly to each other
and a discerning heart to hear what you are saying.
Lead your Church into a hope-filled future,
that we may live the joy of the Gospel.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord, bread for the journey from age to age. Amen.
Our Lady Help of Christians, pray for us.
St Mary MacKillop, pray for us.

Schoolzine App

Go to this link to download the Schoolzine App:

You will be able to access the school newsletter there and notifications will come through Schoolzine.

P & F News

Election Day BBQ and Cake Stall:

On Saturday this week, our school will be a voting centre for the State Election. We will be hosting a BBQ and Cake Stall on the day and the money raised goes towards resources for the school to benefit our children. So, we ask that you make some time to support the fundraiser by either volunteering to help on the day or donating something to the cake stall. It’s always a fun time to spend with others for a couple of hours.

Stall Volunteers :

We are asking for volunteers to help in 2hr shifts to help share the load, however, if you can only do 1 hr that will be appreciated as well. We are NEEDING VOLUNTEERS for the timeslot 11am -2pm. Please return your notes to the office if you can help.

Cake Stall Donations:

We are asking for families to donate homemade cakes, banana bread, cupcakes and slices for the cake stall and to deliver them to the school on Friday 22nd March. All items must be NUT FREE.

If you have some great FUNDRAISING IDEAS and could spare some time, we are still looking to fill the TREASURER POSITION. If you think you can help out, please let myself, Nas Obray or Leanne in the office know you are interested. It would be great to fill this position soon.

The recent AGM saw the following people elected to the Executive roles

Next P and F MEETING

Set for Monday 25th March, school library 6.30pm all welcome. Please note the earlier time.

CANTEEN

The canteen will be open Wednesdays, 27th March & 3rd, 10th April and Fridays, 29th March, 5th and 12th April. If you can spare some time next term, please let Rowena Olejnik know.

UNIFORM POOL

Is located in the Bell Room next to the Year 1 classroom. It is open every Thursday morning 8.40am - 9.10am

New school bags ($60) and our library bags ($15) are back in stock.

OLV Hair Scrunchie Packs are now available to purchase for $5 each at our School Uniform Shop. If you can’t make it to the shop on a Thursday Morning, then send your $5 in a labelled envelope via your child’s class note bag.

Pastoral Care News

The competition for Pin the Tail on the Donkey, and Colouring In finish this week. I believe we have some very talented students at our school. Hopefully, all our students have enjoyed participating.

As we approach Harmony Day, let us think about how, as a community, we express ourselves to others.

Are we kind? Are we peace makers? How can we make someone’s day better?

I have witnessed the community at Our Lady of Victories come together on many occasions to work as one.

Let us continue the goodwill towards others.

Dear God

If I can’t be brilliant, let me be kind.
If I can’t change the world, let me inspire one other to do so.
If I can’t give away riches, let me be loving.
Let me be known for kindness, for it is the greatest glory.
Amen

Take Care and God Bless

Class News

Kinder

Next week Kinder will be taking home their first Readers to practise reading at home. Two readers will go home on Monday, please send them back on Friday in the Homework folder. In English we will have covered all the alphabet letters up to ‘Nn’ by the end of the week. We have been identifying the beginning sound in words eg. Lion begins with ‘Ll’. We need lots of practice in listening for beginning sounds as this skill is needed for Reading. Our shared Reading text is ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’. We learnt about the life cycle of a caterpillar and sequenced the events in the story. We learnt some new vocabulary (cocoon or chrysalis and transform). In Religion we are learning the symbols of Lent and Easter and what makes Lent and Easter a special time. In Maths we have been working on Multiplication. This involves making groups of objects and identifying if they are equal or unequal. We need to know how many groups there are and how many in each group. In visual Arts we looked at portraits by Pablo Picasso. We discussed why artists paint portraits and are having a go at painting our own Picasso style portraits.

Year 1

My news! Year 1 have been very busy! In Maths this week, we have been learning about halves of wholes and also halves of groups. As this is the season of Lent, we have been learning about the different words that are used when talking about Lent. Some of these include: forgiveness, almsgiving, purple, penance and prayer. In Art, we enjoyed starting our self portraits. Together we looked at some famous portrait paintings to see what types of things they included. We used mirrors to look at our own features and try and draw the size and shape of our features. Everyone looked wonderful for our class photo this week, we look forward to having a look when it comes back!

Year 2

This term Year 2 have looked at Narratives in English. The children have started to write their own narrative with their main character being a superhero. Year 2 have learnt how time consuming it is to write and illustrate a book. We are looking forward to sharing our narratives with the rest of the school. Last week the children made magnetic powered cars in Science which they really enjoyed.

Year 3 /4

Over the past two weeks in Religion, Yr 3-4 has been taking a closer look at Lent and the meaning of the main three elements of it: Fasting, Prayer and Almsgiving. We reflected on Jesus’ time in the desert and made the parallel between this and the 40 days of Lent. We wrote an acrostic poem about TEMPTATION and discussed how prayer can help us become strong when faced with temptation. In English, we finished reading the book “The Tale of Despereaux’ by Kate DiCamillo. We were surprised at the ending but also glad that all the main characters were okay. We are now writing our own Despereaux narrative. We are looking forward to viewing the movie and comparing it to the book. In Maths over the past two weeks, we have been learning more about fractions and completing activities to find the area of flat shapes. We had fun yesterday working out the areas of capital letters and whose name had the greatest area. In PDH, we have had some good discussions about smoking and learnt about its effects on the body. We all agree that smoking is not healthy. We were surprised to learn of all the places that smoking was allowed until 2004 when laws were changed.

Year 5

We were so happy with our Catholic Schools Week Mass. I’m sure the people who attended would agree. Ms McGann was incredibly impressed with the reverence shown during the opening procession and the beautiful way we read. We have since done a liturgy as well and have another one in Week 11. Having the responsibility to lead the school in this way shows our increasing levels of maturity and leadership skills.

In the classroom, we have begun our new unit on LENT by looking at the similarities and differences between a physical journey and a spiritual one. We have looked at the main focus for the season – Prayer, Almsgiving and Fasting – and looked at fasting as something that we give up - not food based items which may have been the focus when mums and dads were younger - but things like anger, selfishness and negativity, and replacing them with happiness, compassion and positivity. These are much more achievable goals. Ask us what we decided to fast from this Lent? In Maths we have been focussing on the strategy of using tree diagrams to solve problems as well as creating, continuing and interpreting patterns involving whole numbers, fractions and decimals. In History we have looked at the accomplishments and failures of the colony in the early years and have completed an assessment task which asked the following: Should Governor Phillip have been disappointed with the progress of the colony when he left in 1792? Some interesting and very well thought out answers were evident. In Sport, the Year 5 and 6 girls started learning the basics of Frisbee throwing in anticipation of playing a modified version of Ultimate Frisbee by the end of the term. The boys loved it and their skills showed enormous growth over their 5 weeks and the same is expected of the girls.

Year 6

In Religion, in our unit on Lent and Easter and we explored and deepened our understanding of the season of Lent through observing media and following up with discussion and by looking at the significance of Ash Wednesday and what it all means in relation Jesus. We each wrote a summary of our understanding of Lent. We are now focusing on the Paschal Mystery and its significance in our lives.

In English, we have been working in groups of three on a presentation of a chapter from the book “Playground” compiled by Nadia Wheatley. Once completed we will share our information with the class. Six groups have chosen to use PowerPoint and one group is planning a video presentation.

In Maths, we completed a variety of activities as we worked on fractions and decimals, including online activities, creating fraction lines and determining equivalent fractions In Science we are learning about Digital Technologies. It is interesting to learn and think about how amazing these technologies are in our world.

In Sport last week, the Year 5 & 6 boys started to practise and play League Tag. The girls really enjoyed their five weeks and developed great skills over the time.

Sport News

School Cross Country

We will be holding our annual Cross Country Trials on Wednesday 3 April at 10am. The children will participate in 500m (Kinder and Year 1), 2km (8,9 & 10years) & 3km (11 & 12 year) distances. Only those children who wish to be considered for representative selection need to complete these distances. The morning is also meant to an opportunity to get some fresh air and do some exercise. The event is also open to any parents/carers who wish to accompany the children or cheer them on. Racing begins at 10am.

Dio AFL Trials

Unfortunately, weather caused a postponement of today’s trial. The trial will now be held on Thursday 28 March. All other arrangement are the same.

Touch Football Trial

Those children who indicated they would like to participate in the Regional Touch Football Trial, must return their form TOMORROW (Friday 22 March). Late nominations cannot be received.

PSSA Athletics

A NSW PSSA State Athletics Team will NOT be selected through the usual pathway process ie. at the NSW PSSA State Championships in November, when our MacKillop and Polding teams compete.

Due to the School Sport Australia National Championships being held in Darwin, in September, a State Selection Trial will be held at Sydney Olympic Park on 8 August. All applications go straight through to NSW PSSA. Please download and read the detailed link.

MORE DETAILS can be found here>>

In summary:

Sport : Selection Trial - 2019 NSWPSSA Athletics Representative Team

Date: Thursday 8 August 2019

Venue: Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre, Homebush

Application for invitation to the NSWPSSA Selection Trials for the 2019 School Sport Australia Track & Field Championships.

This Trial is not for participation at the NSWPSSA State Athletics Championships held on 6 and 7 November 2019. Students will need to qualify for these championships through their school and association representative pathway.

In 2019 the School Sport Australia Track and Field Championships will be held in the Northern Territory.

Due to extreme heat conditions in Darwin during November/December, when the National Track and Field Championships are traditionally held, this year’s SSA event will be held from the 18-23 September 2019.

In order to select a NSW representative track & field team for this event, the NSWPSSA will be holding a special selection trial.

Participation at these trials will be via a formal application to NSWPSSA and athletes MUST compete at this event to achieve selection in the 2019 NSW representative team.

An entry fee will be applicable to successful athletes.

Age eligibility: Participants must be in at least their tenth year (turning ten during the year of competition) in order to compete at a School Sport Australia Championship as per School Sport Australia policy. There are no events at the SSA 12 Years & Under Championships for competitors under ten or turning thirteen.

All athletes must apply using the form provided and include a verifiable official time, distance or height that meets the minimum qualifying requirements listed below, for each event he/she is applying for.

Completion of this application does not guarantee the right to compete at these trials as there are strict entry limits for all events. The convener will consider all applications and send invitations and further information electronically to successful athletes.

Please note: Any athletes who attends on the day without a formal invitation or approval will be unable to compete.

Notes on Qualifying Times, Distances & Weights

• For throws, the implement weight should be added eg 500g, 2kg etc.
• All official times, distances or heights must have been achieved at a school, PSSA or official athletics event after August 1, 2018 and must be verifiable. Please submit the name of a school or athletics official who can verify submissions and/or supply a link to an online verification source such as a PSSA or Little Athletics website e.g. regional or state championships results.

Important information:

Late applications will not be considered.

• Any student competing at the selection trials must be available to attend the School Sport Australia Track and Field Championships in Darwin everyday between Wednesday 18 and Monday 23 September 2019 inclusive.
• Only students invited to the Selection Trial will be considered for the state team and these students must compete at the trial to gain a position.
• No special consideration will be given to athletes who can not attend due to clashes with other sporting or personal commitments.
• No medals will be awarded at this event.
• Successful applicants will be notified via email, with all successful students listed. If you do not wish for your child’s name to be published on this list please indicate on application form.

APPLICATIONS

To be considered for the Selection Trial for the 2019 NSWPSSA Athletics Representative Team complete either the online entry application via links below or complete and submit paper entry forms at the end of this information package.

Please note a separate online form must be completed for each event an athlete is applying for.

APPLICATIONS CLOSE: 5PM WEDNESDAY 26 JUNE 2019.

Important: Late applications will not be considered.

Able Bodied Application:

Multi Class Application:

Class Awards