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We’ve hit the ground running this term, and it’s no secret that Term 4 will be our busiest yet.
Among the many important tasks this term is the process of organising class groups for next year. This is a significant undertaking that requires thoughtful planning and collaboration.
Class teachers, with the support of our Leaders of Diversity, will be working together to formulate classes in 2026. The teachers will be using their knowledge of the children and professional judgement to create class lists which include the individual needs of each child; a balance of academic abilities; a balance of social and emotional needs and abilities as well as a balance of gender. If your child has a particular need or there is some information that we should be aware of when considering class placement, it will be important that this information is made known to the classroom teacher and me no later than Friday, 31st October via email. Please do not assume that information from previous years will be on file. Please also note that requests for specific teachers or for your child to be placed with specific children will not be considered. It is important to note that once classes are established for the year, no alterations to allocations will be made.
We appreciate your understanding and support as we work to ensure the best possible learning environment for all our students.
Like many schools across the country, we have faced ongoing challenges in securing a qualified LOTE (Languages Other Than English) teacher. The number of available and suitably trained LOTE teachers continues to decline, and this has led the Non-State Schools Accreditation Board (NSSAB) to revise its expectations. NSSAB now states that “Schools decide whether to teach, assess and report on Languages by considering access to appropriate resources.” In 2025, we trialed a purchased language program for teachers to implement in the absence of a dedicated LOTE teacher. However, after nearly a year of use, the feedback from staff has been clear the program has not met the needs of our students or teachers. With no LOTE teacher available again for 2026, we have made the decision not to continue with the purchased program. Instead, we will embed rich cultural experiences throughout the year to ensure our students continue to develop global awareness and appreciation for diverse cultures in meaningful and engaging ways.
A very BIG thank you to our amazing groundskeepers, Dan and Michael, who have done a phenomenal job transforming the area near the Prep classrooms. What was once a space housing our skip bins has now been beautifully reimagined into a timber decked area. This new space will serve as an additional outdoor learning environment for our Prep students, especially during the cooler months.
Tonight marks our P&F Annual General Meeting, and I invite all families to attend. Our P&F Executive Team has been instrumental in supporting our school community over the past 12 months. Their commitment, generosity, and continued efforts have made a real difference in making OLHOC great again! As all positions become vacant at the AGM, I’d like to acknowledge that two of our current Executive members will not be re-nominating as their time with OLHOC comes to an end. We thank them sincerely for their service and the part they have played and continue to in making OLHOC community the best in the diocese. I hope to see as many of you at the AGM tonight, your involvement helps shape the future of our school.
As we navigate this busy term together, let us be reminded of the strength we find in community and encouragement: “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:11 Let’s continue to support one another, celebrate our progress, and look ahead with hope and purpose.
As always, I look forward to seeing you around the school whether it’s at the Mestrez Street gate or the Balaclava Road entrance. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, concerns, or just want to chat.
Respect, Love, Mercy and Community
Brendon Napier
Principal
Dear Parents and Carers,
As a faith and learning community, we recognise that our journeys are filled with both highs and lows—times of joy, challenge, and growth. Through each experience, we are reminded of God’s constant presence guiding and strengthening us.
Sports House Captains
Congratulations to our newly elected Sports House Captains! We commend each of the students who put their name forward for these leadership positions and thank them for their courage and enthusiasm in representing their House. Candidates prepared and delivered speeches to their teammates before the voting took place, demonstrating confidence, sportsmanship, and commitment to our school spirit and values. Well done to all involved! 
Student Voice Summit
On Tuesday, ten students from Year 5 & 6 attended the Youth Voice Summit which was dedicated to amplifying student voices and fostering meaningful dialogue between students and educators. The summit built on the momentum of the ACEC student panel, providing a valuable platform for students to explore themes of belonging, agency, and partnership in Catholic education. We are grateful to Ms Robb and Mrs Carreno who escorted the students to this event and supported them throughout the day.
What’s on this term
We ask our school community to keep our students preparing to receive the Sacraments of Confirmation, and First Eucharist in our prayers. This is a sacred time for them and their families as they continue to grow in faith and deepen their relationship with God.
With gratitude and blessings,
Dr Toni Foley
Assistant Principal - Religious Education
As we approach the final stretch of the school year, I’d like to share some important updates and developments happening across our school community.
Innovative Learning Environments (ILE) in 2026
We’re excited to announce some changes to our learning spaces in 2026.
2026 Year Level Movements:
- Year 1 will move to the lower floor of the ILE.
- Year 6 will relocate to the upper floor of the ILE.
- Year 5 will relocate to the current Year 2 classrooms.
- Year 2 will move to the current Year 1 classrooms.
The bottom floor of the ILE space will be remodelled with new furniture and the installation of three smart screen projectors, creating an even more engaging learning environment tailored specifically to our Year 1 cohort. This move is a significant step forward in enhancing our early years play-based learning approach. The open and spacious design of the ILE allows for greater collaboration, creativity, and exploration which are key elements in early years education. These environments also support differentiated learning and foster independence from an early age.
We look forward to sharing more about the Year 1 transition to the ILE at our upcoming Parent Information Sessions on Thursday October 23 in the STEM Lab. These sessions are for our current Prep families and will run from 8:15-9:00am and 2:45 – 3:30pm. Families are only required to attend one session at the time that suits them best.
Semester 2 Reporting
Semester 2 reports will be available to families on Wednesday December 3rd via our reporting platform, The Learning Dashboard.
Earlier this year, we introduced bite-sized updates to help families navigate the dashboard. As we approach the reporting period, we’ll revisit key features and provide guidance to ensure everyone can access their child’s report with ease during the final week of term.
Please keep an eye out for these updates in upcoming newsletters.
Swimming Program – Week 7
Our swimming program will run in Week 7, with Prep, Year 2, Year 4, and Year 6 students participating. This program operates on a two-year cycle, giving students the opportunity to build water confidence and skills every second year.
Due to scheduling overlaps with Bump Up Day on Thursday November 20, there are a few adjustments:
- Prep and Year 6 students will miss their Thursday session.
- Year 4 will continue with their Thursday session as planned.
- Year 2 will have their Thursday session moved to later in the day, ensuring they still receive five sessions across the week.
Further details, including session times and requirements, have been shared with families via a parent slip. Swimming reminders will be shared with participating families closer to the date via the newsletter and Seesaw.
Red Shirt & Crazy Sock Day – Friday, October 31
Day for Daniel is held annually on the last Friday in October. It is Australia’s largest child safety education and awareness event.
This special day honours the memory of Daniel Morcombe and reinforces the vital message that keeping kids safe is a responsibility we all share, parents, carers, educators, businesses…the entire community.
Next Friday, we invite students to wear a red shirt in memory of Daniel Morcombe, honouring his legacy and promoting child safety awareness.
We’ll be combining this with Crazy Sock Day.
We look forward to seeing the children in their red shirts and crazy socks!
Warm regards,
Karina Brady
Assistant Principal - Administration
Full payment is expected by the due date (30.10.2025), unless other arrangements have been made with the school. This may include regular Direct Debits from your nominated bank account, or regular part payments via EFT or BPAY (please note a prior agreement with the school must be arranged for part payments – a phone call or email is sufficient).
If you would like to review or set up a payment arrangement, feel free to email me and I can provide calculations.
If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact me on 4280 7200 (press 2 for accounts) or email: accounts.earlville@cns.catholic.edu.au
Lauren Blenkinsop
Finance Officer
** PIZZAS WON'T BE AVAILABLE THIS FRIDAY. SORRY FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE CAUSED. **
If you miss the cut-off for Flexischools, you can ring and order through the Tuckshop directly and pay by credit card over the phone.
** Please take note that the tuckshop will be closed on Thursday 4th and Friday 5th December of Week 9.**
Carmen Mellor
Tuckshop Convenor
Library News
Jill Watson and Paula Tindall
Borrowing Days
Please ensure your child brings their library bag and returns ALL borrowed books at their weekly session.
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
| Year 1 | Year 6 | Prep | Year 5 | Year 4 |
| Year 3 | Year 2 |
Overdue Books
Please check your emails for any overdue library notices. Any outstanding books need to either be returned as soon as possible or a payment for their replacement to the library or office.
Book Fair
Next week the Library will be hosting our annual Book Fair. It is open every day before school (7.45 to 8.05am) and after school (2.30 to 2.55pm) for families and at first lunch (cash only) for students. The Book Fair is a great way to begin your Christmas shopping for family and friends so make sure you don’t miss out. A percentage of all sales will go back into the school library.
Happy Reading,
The Library Team:
Paula Tindall and Jill Watson
The MyCE app will now be our main way of communicating with parents. If you have more than one student attending at different catholic schools, you will be able to see all of them on the one app, instead of accessing the different school portals.
Things that will be able to be seen/accessed on MyCE:
- School Reports (via The Learning Dashboard, NOT Academic Reports)
- Edsmart slips
- Advising of absences
- Access to newsletters
- School Calender, etc
If you require any assistance with the MyCE App, please contact the office.
For problems where not all the usual options/data appears for your child, try the following:
Navigate to MyAccount > App technical support > Refresh my data
This will refresh the App and the data within.
Also, please always use a reliable wifi source - ie. your mobile data or reliable wifi, not public wifi.
QAMT 5/6 Maths Quiz
In Week 9 of Term 3, nine students participated in Round 1 at Peace Lutheran College with teams from 4 other schools. As Year 6 were on camp, our teams consisted of all Year 5 students. Charlie, Lucas & Logan placed 3rd, Abigail, Megumi & Hana placed equal 5th and Liam, Patrick & Rory placed equal 11th.
Round 2 was held last Wednesday afternoon and the OLHOC teams were rearranged to allow some Year 6 students to participate. Our teams put in a fantastic effort with harder questions in all 5 sections – estimation, speed, written problems, short answer & general knowledge. This time TAS were closely followed by two teams from St Andrews CC and Charlie, Jayveer & Ollie were only 1.5 points behind in 4th place. Abigail, Megumi & Hana placed equal 8th while Floyd, Lucas & Logan came equal 10th out of 13 teams.
Cairns Regional Council Christmas e-card Competition
Download the entry form or get one from Mrs Williams. She will collect finished entries until Thursday 13th November.
Alison Williams
Enrichment Teacher
The P&F AGM is being held on Tuesday 21st October at 5:15pm sharp in the stem lab.
From the P&F Executive Team
Congratulations
Congratulations to our very own Lachlan Curcuruto from Year 4!
On Saturday, Lachlan entered his first ever wakeboarding competition that was held at the Cairns Wake Park. It was called The Battle of the Schools, so Lachlan represented Our Lady Help of Christians for the competition.
Lachlan performed amazingly, and he came 1st in his division for his efforts!
Everyone is so very proud of you, Lachlan. Well done!
Christmas Concert preparations have begun!
The students are practicing the songs and there is a buzz of anticipation in the air. For the creation of some of our concert props, we are asking for donations of Christmas wrap and ribbons. If you have any spare at home, please drop your items in to the front office for Ms Anderson and Mrs Wunsch.
Only 4 ½ weeks until Concert Night. Ho Ho Ho.
Dear OLHOC community,
We are currently collecting books for a school library in Bali, and we'd love your support. If you have any books in relatively good condition that you’re willing to donate, a representative will be collecting them from school during the first week of November. They are especially in need of early reading books, so titles suitable for young children would be most appreciated.
Please see the attached letter and photos from Rose for more details.
Thank you in advance for your generosity!
If you know anyone or could assist in donating books, then the children and I would be very appreciative. I am happy to drive over and collect them. I am hoping to finalise the collection on the 05th December 25 so that they can be shipped by freight to Denpasar in early January 2026.
Regards Rose Elliott"
Join the Aussie Bird Count with BirdLife Australia
Held over National Bird Week from 20-26 October, the Aussie Bird Count is Australia’s biggest citizen science event. Every year, tens of thousands of Australians of all ages and experiences join us in observing and counting the birds we live with. In 2024, over 57,000 participants counted a staggering 4.1million birds ‒ every family at Our Lady Help of Christians School can help make this year’s count the biggest yet!
