Filter Content
Brendon Napier
Principal
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
Our busy term is rapidly coming to a close and this week our Year 6 students will enjoy their final Primary school camp. We wish them well and hope that it’s an engaging and enjoyable time for them all.
Father’s Day Liturgy
On Friday morning, we celebrated Father’s Day with a joyful gathering that began with donuts, coffee and conversation with our Dads. Thank you to our amazing P & F for organising this. Following the donuts, we came together for a special Father’s Day liturgy, prayerfully led by Fr Nathan and our Prep students. The students read with confidence and sang beautifully, creating a wonderful celebration that honoured and gave thanks for the love, guidance, and presence of all fathers and father figures in our community.
Mercy Day – 24th September
On the 24th of September, we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Mercy, a special day that invites us to reflect on God’s boundless compassion and love for all people. Mary, under the title of Our Lady of Mercy, reminds us of the call to live with kindness, forgiveness, and generosity in our daily lives. As a community, this feast encourages us to deepen our commitment to showing mercy to others, just as God shows mercy to us, and to draw inspiration from Mary’s example of faith, tenderness, and care.
Religious Life of the School Term 3 & 4
| Week | Event |
| Term 3 | |
| Nine | Thursday 11th September – Year 2 liturgy – 11:10 am in the Church |
| Thursday 11th September – Year 6 liturgy – camp- students only | |
| Term 4 | |
| Four | Wednesday 29th October, Sacramental Mass with Bishop Joe – 6 pm in the Church |
| Friday 31st October – Socktober Catholic Mission Fundraiser – Crazy Sock Day | |
| Five | Sunday 2nd November – Combined St Gerard Majella/Our Lady Help of Christians Mass – 5 pm in the Church + Pizza after. |
| Six | Tuesday 11th November - Remembrance Day – 10:55 am in the Hall |
| Eight | Monday 24th November – Christmas Carols – 5pm for 6 pm start at St Mary’s |
| Nine | Monday 1st December – Year 6 Thanksgiving Mass – 5:30 pm in the Church |
| Thursday 4th December – Whole School Thanksgiving Mass + Awards – 8:45 am in the Hall |
Season of Creation Meditations
Our Creation Meditations for the Season of Creation have been a wonderful success, providing students with meaningful opportunities to pause, reflect, and connect with God’s presence in creation. Through guided reflection, the students have deepened their sense of gratitude and responsibility for caring for our common home. A huge thank you to Mrs Wunch and the Environment Mercy Workers for leading us in these reflections.
The Environment Mercy Workers have also worked With Mrs Wunch to create a Peace Graden. This is a space where students can stop and take a moment to reflect, acknowledge gratitude and remember that all creation is connected.
With gratitude and blessings,
Dr Toni Foley
Assistant Principal - Religious Education
Dear Families,
As we approach the end of Term 3, I’d like to take a moment to thank you all for your continued support and partnership throughout the term. It’s been a busy and rewarding few months, and I’m so proud of the achievements we’ve seen across our school community. We have had several successful sporting events for our Year 4, 5 and 6 students outside of school, covering a wide range of sports. We have a few more events before the end of the term and wish our rugby and netball players good luck with their competitions on Thursday 18 and Friday 19 of September.
Crossing Safety Reminder
A key priority for us is ensuring the safety of all students, families, volunteers and members of the public during drop-off and pick-up times. We’ve recently had some concerning incidents involving vehicles exiting the staff car park and turning right onto Balaclava Road, passing through the crossing while the supervisor actively has their sign out stopping traffic and preparing for children to cross. This poses a serious risk to our students and crossing staff.
Please remember:
- The staff car park is not for parent parking or drop-off/pick-up.
- Always follow the instructions of the crossing supervisor.
- Follow the traffic and road rules accordingly.
If you have a member of your family or friend picking up your child/ren, we please ask this message is passed on to them. We all need to play our part to ensure a safe environment is provided around our school grounds.
2026 Prep Transition Begins
At the beginning of Term 4, we are excited to welcome our 2026 Prep students as they begin their transition to school journey. Starting on the first Friday of Term 4, these future students will join us each week for a one-hour session to explore their new environment, meet staff, and begin building confidence in their new setting.
While the children are engaged in their transition activities, parents and care givers will gather in the Church for informative sessions covering a range of topics designed to support a smooth and positive start to school life. We look forward to building strong connections with our incoming families.
Playground Safety and Student Support
Creating a safe and respectful environment is a shared responsibility here at Our Lady Help of Christians. We encourage all parents to talk with their children about the importance of speaking to a teacher if they experience any issues or concerns while playing outside. We aim to provide consistent support with playground incidents and like to address these as soon as possible. By encouraging your child/ren to speak with a teacher on duty, or their classroom teacher, we can hopefully deal with these situations in a timely manner and provide a safe and respectful environment for all.
As we head into the school holidays, I hope you all enjoy your time together as a family. If you are going away, travel safe and if you are staying around Carins, enjoy some of the amazing activities we have here. I am fortunate enough to be travelling back to Victoria, reconnecting with family and friends as well as celebrating my niece’s third birthday. I will be taking the first week of Term 4 as long service leave to attend a friend’s wedding in Victoria, so I look forward to reconnecting with you all in Week 2 of Term 4.
Wishing you all a safe, restful, and joyful holiday break.
Warm regards,
Karina Brady
Assistant Principal - Administration
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
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 | Year 5 | Year 2 | Year 4 |
| Year 3 | Prep |
Overdue Books
We still have a large number of overdue library books. If you receive an email about overdue items, please take the time to search all the great book hiding places at home. Any library books not returned will be added to the school fee accounts next term.
Please don’t hesitate to contact the library staff if you have any queries. We would like to thank you in advance for your understanding and cooperation.
Queensland’s Best Book Week Costume
Congratulations, Salina!
Crowned Queensland’s Best Book Week Costume of 2025!
Salina has danced her way into the spotlight, winning the title of Queensland’s Best Book Week Costume for 2025 with her giraffe creation!
Inspired by her favourite book, Giraffes Can’t Dance, Salina’s handmade masterpiece showcased incredible creativity, dedication, and a whole lot of heart.
Salina has shown us all how to stand tall and dance proud. Well done, Salina!
Looking for something FUN to do during the holidays?
Click on the link for more information about some exciting school holiday programs.
https://www.cairns.qld.gov.au/library/whats-on/library-events/children-youth/school-holidays
Important Library Dates
| Term | Activity |
| 4 |
|
Important Information - No Scholastic Book Club in Term 4
We would like to inform you that there will be no Scholastic Book Club in Term 4. But don’t worry - we have something even more exciting in store for you!
Get ready for our upcoming Book Fair
This is a fantastic opportunity to stock up on Christmas presents and all your holiday reading needs.
This year, we’re heading off on an Arctic Adventure - so keep your winter woolies ready because there will be “Snow much to read!”
Stay tuned for more details - we can’t wait to see you there!
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.
ICAS
A number of students performed well in the recent ICAS assessments. Congratulations on a fantastic effort!
Mathematics results haven’t been released yet. Certificates will be presented in Term 4.
| Spelling |
Luis Alexandra Charlie |
Year 4 Year 4 Year 5 |
Distinction Credit Credit |
| Digital Technologies |
Leo Luis Martin |
Year 3 Year 4 Year 4 |
Credit Credit Credit |
| English |
Charlie Xeryus Abigail D |
Year 5 Year 3 Year 5 |
Distinction Merit Merit |
| Science |
Charlie Luis Martin Max A Abigail D Xeryus |
Year 5 Year 4 Year 4 Year 4 Year 5 Year 3 |
High Distinction Distinction Distinction Distinction Credit Merit |
Opti-MINDS
Presentation Day at JCU on Sunday, 31st August was an awesome day. Congratulations to all teams for a super effort getting ready in the final week and pulling off some amazing performances on the day. Extra congratulations to “The Brainstormers” who were awarded “Honours” for their efforts creating 4 different devices in the Science Engineering category.
On Tuesday, 2nd September, four students participated in the State Final. With 82 000 participants nationwide for the school round, only 200 from each level were chosen to represent Queensland, so to be invited to participate in the State Final was a huge achievement. Congratulations to Ollie, Luis, Ezra & Alexandra.
Their final scores were:
| Ollie 27/30 | 2 min 50 sec |
| Luis 26/30 | 1 min 28 sec |
| Ezra 26/30 | 2 min 51 sec |
| Alexandra 25/30 | 4 min 13 sec |
Inter-school Chess Tournament
Last Thursday, twenty students attended the final inter-school tournament for 2025. With some regular players missing due to a clash with the soccer competition, other students were “bumped up” into higher divisions. One D Grade team were in 2nd place after four rounds, but unfortunately couldn’t hold the position until the end! Well done to the team in Premier division for withstanding the pressure, playing with clocks and against higher rated players in a board competition. Special mention to Luke, Johnathan and Avery for winning merit ribbons and to Harley for winning 3rd place individual medal in C grade at his first ever tournament!
| Premier: Taichi, Charlie, Lucas, Tina | 5th out of 8 teams |
| A Grade: Malcolm, Avery, Dylan, Lynn | 6th out of 12 teams |
| C Grade: Aiden, Harley, Asher, Max | 7th out of 17 teams |
| D Grade: Tenasi, Johnathan, Luke, Cindy | 5th out of 23 teams |
| D Grade: Xavier, Oliver, Fiona, Harry | 17th out of 23 teams |
Writing Enrichment
Year 2 students have been learning how to “show not tell” when writing a narrative. They have been practising how to show what a character is feeling through what the character says and does. Can you guess what emotions are being displayed in these short texts?
Tom shouted at the top of his voice, “It’s not fair. Jerry got a bigger toy than me!”
Jerry said with a teasing voice, “It’s just luck. Get used to it. I’ll always be the favourite.”
Tom replied, “Not always.”
(Isaiah)
Chloe stomped up the stairs and slammed the door. Chloe shouted, ‘I don’t want to go to school tomorrow.”
Chloe’s brother heard what Chloe said. He went to Chloe’s room. “What happened?” he asked.
(Kaylee)
Mum gave broccoli to Bella. “Yuk! I don’t want this,” exclaimed Bella. She poked her tongue out and shuffled away.
Mum yelled, “Excuse me!”
“I don’t like broccoli,” gasped Bella.
(Yuhansa)
Meah turned away and complained, “Why do I have to eat something healthy?”
Mum explained, “Because it helps you grow.”
Dad proudly laughed, “No kid, here, have some cake.”
“Dad!” yelled Mum. “That’s not helping.”
“It’s not supposed to help.”
“I will give her more.”
(Marley)
Tom stomped downstairs. “It’s not fair. My teacher said everyone gets a gotcha but not me.”
“It’s OK, son,” said his dad.
“No, you don’t get it,” said Tom.
(Elsie)
Emily asked, “What is for dinner?”
Mum said, “Mashed potato and vegetables.”
Emily poked her tongue out and turned her head away, put her hands up and shouted, “Eww!” and then Emily ran up into her room and took some deep breaths. Then she wrote a letter that said, “Mum, I’m sorry what I said before, from Emily.” She gave the letter to her mum and mum said, “I forgive you,” and they had a big hug and Emily actually liked it and ate it.
(Ava)
Lottie asked, “What is for dinner?”
Mum said, “Pasta!”
Lottie complained, “Why pasta again? I hate pasta!”
Bibi said, “I love pasta!”
Mum said, “Eat it or it is a waste of food!”
(Rina)
Lily was having a sleepover at Jessica’s house. When they went to bed, Lily started to feel anxious. She thought to herself, “It is really dark in here.” Her heart started to thump and her hands were shaking. Lily couldn’t go to sleep. She saw shadows moving in the corner that made her want to go under the sheets where it was warm and safe.
(Elli)
Bailee saw her dinner. “Ew, broccoli. I hate greens!” she shouted.
“Well you’re going to eat it otherwise it is a waste of money!” said Mum.
“Seriously I don’t want it!” exclaimed Bailee.
(Brennan)
Emily stomped upstairs, dropped her bag with no care and went to her room.
“You’re so loud!” said her brother, Noah.
“Be quiet!” said Emily.
“MUM, Emily is being annoying,” said Noah.
“Be quiet!!!!” yelled Emily.
“Gosh!” said Mum. “That is one grumpy Emily.”
Noah agreed.
(Kimmy)
At lunch play Masion and Jaxon were playing football. They got in a big fight.
“What the heck?!” exploded Masion. “Surely replay!!!!”
(Sam)
Lesson from a Pot
Alison Williams
Enrichment Teacher
Don’t forget our next P&F meeting on Tuesday 9 September at 5:15pm sharp – we’d love to see you there!
We are also excited to be supporting the screening of The Anxious Generation on Tuesday 16 September – an important event for our school community.
Looking ahead, our AGM will be held in October. With some of our executive members stepping down, this is a wonderful opportunity for parents to get involved and help shape the future of our P&F. If you’ve ever thought about joining, please come along to the meeting or reach out for a chat. Being part of this committee is such a rewarding experience, and we’d love to welcome new faces!
From the P&F Executive Team
We have three available spots for students in grade 3-6 in the small group singing classes with Mrs Croghan. These lessons are held on Thursdays during school time at OLHOC and are great for students to start developing their voices and music skills.
Parents and carers with students who love to sing are asked to please email kjepson@cns.catholic.edu.au if you are interested in joining in term 4.
This fantastic program is run by St Mary's Catholic College Instrumental Music.
This is to gather PURPOSEFUL dress-ups and other play equipment for our Year 1 Students, to help build their oral language, content knowledge and social skills as they learn through play.
We are looking for items in GOOD condition, from the list below:
- Weather dress ups (beanies, jackets, hats, jumpers, snorkels, flippers, floaties, sunglasses, other basket, and accessories)
- Australian animals (small animal toys, animal puppets/masks, barn house)
- Toy food/grocery items, cash register and kitchen items.
- Families and jobs (work shirts - hi-vis, nurse equipment/clothing, vet items, toy/dress-up builder items - tools and belts, old laptops, kids-sized fishing rods).
- Fairy tales (dolls and dollhouses, princess/prince/witch/pirate dress ups, fairy tale play, puppets, crowns/tiaras)
- Toys from the “olden days” (marbles, small wooden toys - train sets, cars, dolls, rocking horse, spin top, vintage phone, yo-yo, games)
THANK-YOU!
Our holiday programme is a 'STAY ACTIVE' holiday programme where we just keep the kids moving from 8am - 5pm with awesome activities including:
- Tennis
- Soccer
- Swimming
- Baseball
- Hockey
- Touch Football
- Shoe Golf
- and much more!
We are a locally owned business that has been established since 2008 and have been running these camps for over 5 years now and they are incredibly popular. Our senior all staff have:
- Working with Children Checks
- Police Checks
- First Aid Certificates
- All As Per 'Tennis Australia' Governance Criteria
We only offer 50 spaces each day and they usually fill up relatively quickly via the 600+ families we have in our regular tennis coaching programmes across Cairns so we always advise to book early to avoid disapointment.
Please see our website to get an understanding as to what we're all about: Holiday Website.....PRESS HERE
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out.
Kind Regards,
Wayne Fielder
Director of Tennis
Baseline Tennis Coaching Academy
Email: wayne@baselinetennisacademy.com.au
Website: https://baselinetennisacademy.com.au