5 December 2019

Newsletter Articles

Dates to Remember

Principal’s Messages

COMING TO THE END

It is hard to believe that we are in the final throws of the year. What a ride we have had. The most pleasing aspect of the year was the confident and resilient way the children approached the challenges they faced throughout the year.

Our learning focus this year was aimed at improving our problem solving skills and this was achieved through a whole school approach to teaching with the same language across the all grades.

Successful Foundations gave Kindergarten a wonderful base to start their year and we look forward to extending the philosophy into the other infant classes next year.

Thanks to the generosity of the P&F by purchasing IT resources, we are in a good position to shift our focus to Science and STEM in 2020 and beyond and from an analysis of the results of this year’s NAPLAN we have also identified the need to focus on our Spelling, especially in our writing. Keep an eye out early next year for more info in these areas.

So, next year should be full of challenges as well.

Enjoy the Christmas break – may it be Holy and safe for everyone, get some rest and look forward to the start of 2020.

Enjoy the Christmas break – may it be Holy and safe for everyone. Get some rest and look forward to the start of 2020.

Pastoral Care Worker

On a sad note, we will be saying goodbye to the role of Pastoral Care Worker in 2020. The Chaplaincy Program did not fund our school in the next round. It will be a big blow to the school as many would attest to the wonderful contributions our PCWs (especially Mrs Johnson) have made to school life. The children have had a wonderful contact person with whom to debrief and discuss their day. The grounds are looking great and the chickens and vegie garden are well looked after.

We are investigating ways in which we can keep aspects of this program going, but at this stage many of the services of the PCW won’t be happening in 2020.

END OF YEAR REPORTS

Your child’s school reports will be available on your COMPASS Apps from Friday 13 December. Please see below how you access the reports. If you would like to meet with your child’s teacher, please make contact with them for a time in the final week.

How to access your child/ren’s semester report:

Log into your Compass Account using the USERNAME and PASSWORD. If you do not remember your USERNAME AND PASSWORD, please call the office so that we can reset it for you.

Click on your child’s photo – this brings up their “DASHBOARD”.

Click on REPORTS from the tabs across the top.

Select the required report from the list.

Have a practice accessing previous reports and let us know if you have any problems.

RE News

AVEO VISITS

All classes have now visited AVEO Retirement Village which was a wonderful experience for all. The buzz that I heard each time a group returned from their visit was excellent. We hope to continue this next year.

YEAR 6 RETREAT

Last Friday I had the opportunity to lead our Year 6 group in a retreat where they reflected on the years they have spent at Our Lady of Victories. They also had the opportunity to find out what high school would be like, thanks to a group of ex-students who now attend San Clemente. It was interesting to hear the questions that Year 6 were asking. I am sure they got a lot out of this session. We concluded the day with writing affirmations about each other which the children will be able to keep forever.

Advent

This week is the beginning of advent.

The Advent wreath originated in Europe. It was a symbol of life in a part of the world that is in the grip of a frozen winter. The evergreen reminded people that signs of life were still to be found. The circular shape of the wreath was a symbol of God’s never-ending love.

The lighting of the candles on the wreath as midwinter and the shortest period of daylight approached, was a reminder of God’s light in the darkness.

There are five candles in the Advent Wreath – three purple, one pink and one white.

This week we lit the first purple candle which is known as the Prophet’s Candle. The Prophets were those special people who spoke God’s words to everyone during the hundreds of years before Jesus was born.

Final Mass

Thursday 12th December will be the last opportunity for us to celebrate Mass together, so please take the time to join us at 10am to farewell our Year 6 and to wish them all the best for their future journey.

The whole school will be attending and each class will have a role in the liturgy – especially the Kinders who will be presenting something to their Year 6 buddies as a special farewell memento.

We will be hosting Mr Brian Lacey, Assistant Director, at the mass.

Pupil Free Day/ Staff Retreat

On Friday 13th December, our staff will have Craig Moore deliver a professional development day.

Teacher wellbeing and mental health are important issues for teachers today.

Teaching is a demanding job, and as such, teachers are at risk of high levels of work related stress and burnout. Teacher stress impacts on the teacher personally, as well as on our capacity and quality in the classroom, on what we are able to provide to our students.

The purpose of the course is to develop greater awareness of these issues, and to improve teacher wellbeing and resilience through both psychoeducation and skill-building activities that focus on self-care, cognitive coping skills and mindfulness practices.

PLEASE REMEMBER THIS IS A PUPIL FREE DAY SO NO CHILDREN WILL BE AT SCHOOL. THE TEACHERS WILL NOT BE ON SITE FOR THIS DAY.

OOSH WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR ANYONE WHO DOES NOT HAVE CHILD MINDING FOR THIS DAY.

St Vincent de Paul Envelopes

Please return your St Vincent de Paul Christmas appeal envelope by Thursday of this week.

I wish everyone a safe and enjoyable Christmas. MERRY CHRISTMAS.

PARISH CHRISTMAS MASS TIMES

Christmas Eve Mass

Christmas Day Mass

P & F News

Girls summer uniform shorts option

As mentioned in the last newsletter, students from Year 5 and Year 6 have requested that a shorts option be made available on the girls’ summer uniform list in line with current CSO Policy.  Currently there is only the summer tunic option.  The P&F have discussed options and support the following shorts option as an addition to the summer uniform list.  We will finalise the option to be added at our next meeting on 9 December. A display in the ‘breezeway’ is for your consideration.

Peter Pan Blouse in Sky Blue with Logo - $34.95 (TBC)
Classic Shorts in Navy - $39.95 (TBC)

Tamburlaine Wine Fundraiser information

After the success (and fun) of last year’s wine tasting and fundraising night we are keen to host another. This year it will be on Thursday 5 December from 6-7:30pm in the school hall. The P&F will provide some nibbles and for you to enjoy whilst you taste the delicious, organic and preservative free wines from Tamburlaine Winery at Pokolbin. If you like what you taste you can place your order on the night, and there is no minimum order, and orders are delivered to your door.

If you can't make it to the wine tasting and you know what you like, you can place an order by sending the attached order form directly our friendly wine consultant Glen (email address is on the order form).

OLV Christmas Party Tuesday 17 December

On Tuesday 17 December, the P&F will be hosting a Christmas Party for all families and friends.  The night will include Christmas Carol Karaoke, BBQ and canteen facilities, a visit from Santa, face painting, the Christmas Hamper Raffle draw and more!

If you would like a sausage sizzle, please pre order using the sausage sizzle note sent home and return to the office by Friday 13 December (cash only).

Christmas Out of Uniform and raffle donations Tuesday 10 December

Continuing with tradition, we will also be having the annual Christmas hamper raffle which will be drawn on the night of the Christmas Party. The Christmas Hamper Raffle donation and out of uniform day will be held on Tuesday 10 December and we are inviting all the children to dress up in their Christmas themed costumes, hats and/or t-shirts. Instead of a gold coin donation we ask that families contribute items for our popular Christmas Hamper Raffle which will be drawn at the end of year Christmas Concert (Raffle tickets will come home this week).

We ask that each class send in different items for the raffle as follows:

P&F Annual General Meeting:

Our Annual General Meeting will be held on Monday, 24 February, 2020. All positions will be vacated. The election of office bearers will be held then.

The success of our P&F this year has been because of the committed group of parents that want to be involved closely in the planning and discussion of various events. The outgoing P&F Executive needs to be congratulated in setting goals and seeing them through. Well done to all involved.

Canteen News

The VICTORY CAFE will be closed for the rest of this year. Thanks to all the volunteers who shared their time preparing lunches and serving treats for the children this year. We look forward to opening again in the New Year.

Pastoral Care News

REMINDER: Afternoon Tea Tuesday 10th December at 2:20 pm. This will be our final chance to come together for a chat a and cuppa. I will miss serving you all and having our chats. As usual, there will be some home baked goods. All welcome.

This term, OLV has been attempting to raise money for St Vincent de Paul. The aim was for $100 per family, so they could purchase a gift and food for their family. Imagine how wonderful it would be for a family to celebrate Christmas, especially during hard times when things look so bleak. Please, if you could donate as little as $5 in the envelope, you could assist in helping one family.

Last Tuesday, Mr Vandermaat and myself packed donations in a truck and drove them to the Taree Show ground. This truck (fully fuelled) was kindly donated by Jason from GSR Auto Tec from Sandgate. Thank you Jason. Thank you also to the Warburton family for putting us in contact with this generous person. I would like to also thank all the parents who kindly made donations. When we arrived at the showground, we were met by volunteers, who raced out to assist with the unpacking. We were served a cup of tea by volunteers, who had been tirelessly serving meals until 9pm for 19 days straight. Just goes to show how, when there is tragedy, people come together to help.

We will also be participating in a “Bust the Dust Rain Dance” next week. This dance is in support of St John’s Parish School Trangie, who thought of this idea, to cheer up kids who are in drought affected areas. What a fun idea! Bring along your dancing shoes on Wednesday next week at 11.30am and join us if you like. We are doing a rain dance!

The AVEO retirement village visits have been wonderful. Students have reported that they thought it would be boring, but the visits went too quickly. Feedback from both AVEO and OLV students have been positive, saying they would like to continue visits. A big thank you to Trevor from AVEO for his kind donation of books. We love the books and they will be treasured by students for years to come.

Take Care and God Bless

From the Office

Office Hours

Monday to Friday 8.30am to 11.30 am and 12.00pm to 3.00pm

The office is unattended between the hours of 11.30am to 12.00pm.

School Fees

All school fees are now overdue. It would be appreciated if all accounts are paid promptly. Those paying weekly should continue doing so. Thanks you.

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 experiencing legitimate financial hardships, can make application for consideration by making an appointment to see the Principal.

Family Discount Form

A form was sent home at the beginning of Term for parents to complete in preparation for 2020 school fees. This is an important form that we then use to calculate the fees for the coming year. It is vital that all parents complete this form and indicate if we need to apply a family discount (including siblings across both primary and high schools within the Catholic system), Health Care Card discount and the optional contribution to the Diocesan Pastoral Care program. The Diocesan Pastoral Care program contributes to the ongoing wellbeing of those most in need within our Diocese. Please ensure this form is returned to the office by Friday 15th November, 2019.

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).

Class News

Kinder

In Religion, we have started our Advent and Christmas unit. Advent is the period of preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus and its name comes from the Latin word adventus, which means "coming". We discussed how hard it is to wait for something special such as our birthday and the arrival of a new baby. We collected greenery from our school garden to make an Advent wreath for our classroom. Each day we light the candle, say an Advent prayer and sing an Advent song. We open the window and on our Advent calendar and the lucky person whose name is picked from the box gets to open a door on our Advent train and eat a special treat. We talked about ways we could prepare for Christmas. Some examples were trying hard to be good, buying presents and making decorations. In English, we are learning about the four kinds of sentences: statement (a telling sentence), question (an asking sentence), command (a command sentence) and an exclamation (an exciting sentence). In Maths, we are working on Multiplication and Division. We learnt how to name groups and rows eg. Three groups of six or three rows of six. ‘Rows of’ is trickier than ‘groups of’. In Geography, we are studying our world on a Globe and in Atlases. We are locating our country, Australia and other countries of personal interest. In Science we viewed a video clip on cotton farming and discussed things made from cotton eg our school uniform. We are also learning about Farm products and finding out where our food comes from. In Art and Craft we have started making Christmas decorations.

Year 1

We read the story called ‘The Day the Crayons Quit’ written by Drew Daywalt. We discussed the ways the crayons tried to persuade Duncan, in their letters, that their problem was most important. They used capital letters, underlined words and also used exclamation marks to get their points across.

In Maths last week we were working with fractions, in particular halves. We were able to link this to the concept we worked on the week before ‘sharing’. When we were trying to find half of a collection, we needed to divide the group into two equal parts. Year 1 were also introduced to the fraction notation of half (½). This week our focus has been on two-dimensional space. We have been looking at the different types of shapes there are: quadrilaterals, pentagons, hexagons and octagons.

In our Advent and Christmas unit, we have been learning about the Jesse Tree. The symbols on the Jesse Tree are used to tell the story of the Bible from creation to Christmas. We also enjoyed painting a beautiful background for our Nativity scenes.

In Science, we enjoyed taking our lessons to outside the classroom space. We explored the playground in different areas and took a close look at the living things that find their homes around our school. Year 1 had to be still and quiet to ensure they didn’t scare away some of the small insects. Everyone did a great job drawing their observations and recording their thoughts as to whether these specimens were living or non-living. We also had a lesson in the Library to access the computers. We used an activity called ‘Garden Detectives’ to investigate the many different living things that do exist in the outdoor environments and where they make their homes.

In Health, we discussed our emotions and times when we have experienced them. Sometimes it is easy to read people’s emotions when they physically show them using their facial expressions or their body language. Other times, it is difficult to understand when people don’t show them and it is important to talk to others about their feelings.

Last week, Year 1 had their visit at AVEO and shared their musical talents with the residents, singing two wonderful songs. They also had time to read a story of their choosing and talk about the books. Everyone enjoyed their visit, talking about the new friends they made there and look forward to returning again next year. Thank you to Year 5, who lead the way for us and helped introduce us to some of the residents.

Year 1 are very excited this week as a new friend appeared in our room, Tinsel the Elf! We are working hard to impress our friend with positive choices. Year 1 have fun each morning trying to locate our happy little Elf!

Year 2

Excursion to Murrook Centre

Last Thursday Year 2 went on an excursion to the Murrook Centre. WE would like to thank Mr Barns, Mrs Goodchild, Mrs Crandell, Ms Kriz, Ms Obray and Mrs Ford. The children learnt to throw a boomerang which they learnt wasn’t that easy. We then did some traditional beading. Indigenous people used to give necklaces and bracelets on special occasions such as weddings. Jason talked to the children about the history of indigenous people in the Newcastle area and how some of our suburbs got their names. He also should the children some artefacts and explained how they we used. Jason shared some Dreamtime stories with us. The day ended with John playing the digeridoo for us.

Over the next two weeks Year 2 will be writing Christmas books to share with the rest of the school. Who knows we might have a future author in our midst.

We began this week with hosting the Advent liturgy which the students learnt a lot about advent. We will continue with our Christmas unit over the next few weeks.

This week in Mathematics we are looking at 3D shapes and their properties. We will also learn how to draw 3D shapes.

Year 3/4

In Religion, we have been reading scripture passages from the Prophet Isaiah who foretells the coming of a saviour. We watched a short video about the meaning of Advent and Christmas. We discussed the significance of Advent as a time of joy when the Church prepares for Christ’s birth. Some things that we can do to prepare for Christmas are help others, be considerate, be patient, pray. In English, we have been revising some aspects of grammar: pronouns, punctuation, homophones, homographs and anagrams. In Maths, we have done some revisions of addition and subtraction and this week are learning more about angles. Our visit to AVEO Retirement Village was great. Here are some of the comments from the children: ‘I thought visiting the AVEO was going to be boring sitting with old people, but it was fun with my friend Harry and a lady named Margaret’; ‘I learnt that we don’t have to be the same age or height to have fun’; ‘I learnt how to play checkers and Guess Who. I also learnt about Bev’; ‘I learnt her birthday and her grand-daughter’s birthday is two days before mine!’ In Science, we have been busy creating a marble maze. After testing them out, we made a few adjustments until we were happy. We had fun and are quite pleased with the results. We have enjoyed doing Typing Tournament this term. A reminder to the class that if anyone would like to continue to improve their typing over the holidays, they can access their account using their passwords. Due to this being the final class news for the year, Year 3/4 would like to wish everyone in our school community a very merry Christmas and a happy and safe holiday.

Year 5

We cannot believe we are at this stage of the year already! If the saying, 'Time flies when you're having fun' is true, we have had a ridiculously fun year!

In Religion, we have been looking at Advent and the spiritual and physical journeys we take, their similarities and differences and how we can use each on the journey towards Christmas.

In English, we have compared the two stories of "One Small Island" and "Tanglewood" and found that they although they share many similar themes, they are very different stories. We used "Tanglewood" to investigate the literary tools of similes and personification and used these to add to our written work. We also used noun groups to improve simple and compound sentences, and make them more complex, painting beautiful pictures in the minds of the readers.

In Geography, we looked at an ABC story about the demise of Macquarie Island and what has been done to rectify the damage. Questions were answered and now the students will use this information, along with examples of different radio broadcasts, to create their own radio broadcast about Macquarie Island - past, present and future.

In science we have been looking at star constellations in our solar system. Students each chose a hypergiant or supergiant star to research and created a fact sheet inclusive of information such as their constellation, size and brightness. At home, students are creating a diorama of the solar system with a focus on the relative sizes of and distance between each planet.

In art students are creating artworks based on bushfires to complement our work done in the library and at home on this topic. We have completed a 3D artwork requiring painting, blending and cutting and placing 'flames' in a creative manner. We are now working on our second artwork using oil pastels to draw and smudge burnt out trees and cutting out coloured flames to position these around the trees.

Along with all of the learning done over the past two weeks, we have spent time with our Kinder buddies, helped move several classrooms, moved out of the hall and into our new room for 2020, and assisted Year 1 on their visit to AVEO.

We really have been busy!

Ms McGann and Miss Gallagher would like to congratulate the Year 5 students for the competent and confident way in which they have handled the many changes thrown their way throughout the year, but particularly this term. We know that they will indeed make a responsible and reliable leadership group in 2020.

Year 6

Only eight more days of primary school! We can’t believe it! We have had a busy week, moving classrooms and getting organised as the year comes to a close. Mrs Carroll would like to thank Year 6 for their cooperation and wonderful assistance in moving furniture and desks to our new space on Monday.

We have worked with Mr V to organise all the photos of our years at OLV to put into our photo presentation.

We are looking forward to our Graduation Mass next Thursday. It will be a special occasion, to enjoy together, followed by our Graduation Lunch, before we go our separate ways to high school next year. It will be a wonderful memory to take with us.

We will be leading the final Liturgy for the year on Wednesday in Week 10, 18th December, in the Hall. It will incorporate a thank you for our time at OLV and will commence at 1.30pm. There will be a chance to view our Photo PowerPoints again. Our leaders for next year will be presented to the community at this event. The Year 6 “Clap Out” will follow this gathering.

We invite all parents and friends, to join us for our Graduation Mass next week, the Liturgy on Wednesday afternoon of the last week, as well as the “Year 6 Clap Out” to help us celebrate our final week at OLV!

We are looking forward to participating in our final swimming carnival at OLV tomorrow.

Thank you to everyone in the school community for making our time here so amazing! We will miss you all!

Library News

Library borrowing has now finished for the year. All library books need to be returned to the library asap.

Any books lost or damaged will need to be paid for. An account will be sent home.

Happy hunting

Sport News

Swimming Carnival

We will be showing off our swimming talents at our annual swimming carnival tomorrow. It should be a great morning of friendly rivalry and fun in the pool. We have events for all levels of ability and are excited to see who will be crowned champions – Team BLUE or Team RED.

Our infants (Kinder, Year 1 & Year 2) will be competing in the Noodle Race and 25m Freestyle (if they want to take up the challenge). Those infants that are swimming in the other stokes will stay with the main group whilst the non-swimmers will have a short play in the water park. They will return to school at 12noon.

There will be no Individual Medley at our carnival. Those that wish to compete in this event at the Regional Carnival next year will be able to nominate for it next year and if their combined times for the different strokes is within the qualifying time, they will be invited to represent the school in this event.

The primary students and the remaining Infants will continue the carnival and should be finished by 1pm. All children will remain with the carnival group until the carnival is finished. Children are not permitted to have a free swim with their parents until the school leaves the pool.

We still need a couple of parents to help out as time keepers. If you would like to help, please put your hand up in the morning at the pool. THANKS

Please Note this important message

If parents decide to sign out their children early, they must leave the pool facility. Entry is for the carnival only. The pool regulations require patrons to re-enter with payment to use their facility for free swimming.

We will be presenting Ribbons and Trophies at our Awards Assembly which will be held on Wednesday next week from 2pm.

Class Awards

OOSH

One issue that may arise is the need for Casual Care on occasions. If you think that you might need this, it will be necessary to be enrolled in the service prior to making a booking. Remember that you need to contact St Nicholas OOSH to book your child in, as we can’t do it through the school.

Their contact details are, Christine 0447 288 040 or tracey.sweetman@stnicholasoosh.org.au

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 to pass on for processing.

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