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Respect, Love, Mercy and Community
Brendon Napier
Principal
Dear Parents/Caregivers,
Thank you to the wonderful P & F helpers who made pancakes for the community on Shrove Tuesday – several students commented that ‘they were the best pancakes ever!’ We really appreciate all the parents, staff and students who helped to make this a wonderful community event.
Our Ash Wednesday liturgies were wonderful prayerful celebrations and it was wonderful to have parents, grandparents and carers join us for that as well. The students’ singing was so joyful!
Second Week of Lent
(Week beginning Monday 17 March)
Toefuata'iga - (Toy-foo-ah-tah-ing-ah) is a 13-year-old primary school student from Samoa. Samoa may be a country surrounded by water, but access to clean drinking water is scarce in some areas, with many families facing extreme hardship as a result.
Toefuata’iga’s school community struggled without reliable access to clean water, which impacted students’ education and hygiene. Teachers often had to leave the school to fetch water from nearby homes, disrupting lessons and adding strain to the community. When the water ran out at the school, students were sent home which meant they missed out on valuable learning time.
Thanks to the support of Caritas Australia in partnership with Caritas Samoa, Toefuata’iga’s school now has a 10,000 L water tank through a Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) program. Teachers and students are now able to focus on education and improved hygiene.
Watch Toefuata'iga’s story here.
Will you stand with students like Toefuata'iga this Lent?
Photo credit: Caritas Australia
Evangelisation & Faith Formation 
Our Catholic schools are both educating and evangelising communities. They areevangelising communities to the extent that they give an authentic voice to the religious dimension of the life through the lens of a community of faith. Our schools evangelise through their particular culture, through the life witness of staff and students and through the curriculum. (Religious Education Curriculum – BCE)
At Our Lady Help of Christians, evangelisation and faith formation are at the heart of who we are as a Catholic school. We are called not only to educate but also to nurture the spiritual growth of our students, staff, and families. Evangelisation is about sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ, while faith formation helps us deepen our relationship with God. Together, they strengthen our Catholic identity and guide us in living out our mission with purpose and joy.
There are many simple yet powerful ways we can embrace evangelisation and faith formation in our daily lives:
- Living the Gospel – We are called to live as Jesus taught us, showing kindness, compassion, and justice in our words and actions. By treating others with respect, forgiving readily, and serving those in need, we make Christ’s love visible in our school and beyond.
- Spiritual Formation – Taking time for prayer, reflection, and participation in the sacraments nurtures our faith. Whether through daily prayer, attending Mass, or learning more about Catholic and other religious traditions, deepening our spirituality helps us grow closer to God.
- Witnessing to the Wider Community – Evangelisation extends beyond the classroom. By engaging in social justice initiatives, supporting those in need, and sharing our faith through words and deeds, we bear witness to Christ in the world. Our Catholic identity shines through when we act with integrity and inspire others through our example.
As a Catholic school, we are all part of this mission—students, staff, and families. By embracing evangelisation and faith formation, we help create a community where faith is not just taught but truly lived. May we continue to grow together in faith, sharing the love and hope of Christ with all those we encounter.
Religious Life of our school Term 1
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Week |
Activities |
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Eight |
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Seven - Ten |
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Ten |
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2025 Parish Sacramental Program
The Sacramental Program is Parish-based and school supported where your child has the opportunity to prepare for the Sacraments of Reconciliation, Confirmation and Eucharist. The Sacrament of Reconciliation Parent Information Night will be held on 29th April. The program is offered to all Catholic students in Year 4. If your child is in Year 5 or 6 and would like to join the program, please contact Fr Nathan. Nathan.Mckay@cairns.catholic.org.au
Looking forward to a wonderful fortnight ahead.
Best wishes,
Toni Foley
Assistant Principal - Religious Education
Communication via Seesaw
If for some reason you need to contact your child’s classroom teacher, we ask that you continue to use email. Seesaw will be a one-way communication tool from teacher/students to families.
Due to NAPLAN, there have been some changes to the specialist and library timetable this week and next week. If your child’s class has had to swap days for one, or both of these activities, this will be communicated to you by the classroom teacher.
Parent-Teacher Interviews
Karina Brady
Assistant Principal - Administration
Thank you to those who make regular payments. If you have fallen behind, please contact me to arrange a payment plan as soon as possible. Please remember, direct debits may need to be increased as fees change, it is important that direct debit payments are updated to reflect the fees each year to prevent falling behind.
If you have any questions, please email: accounts.earlville@cns.
Explore Catholic Theology in Context
Gain a deeper understanding of the principles that underpin Catholic Theology in this engaging 10-week course.
When: Starting 3rd February, Monday nights, 7–9 pm
Where: Bishop’s House, Cairns (with an online option available for remote participants)
Cost: $100
Presented by the Brisbane Archdiocesan Centre for Catholic Formation, this course provides a unique opportunity to explore the rich tradition of Catholic Theology and its relevance in the modern world.
Register now at cairns.catholic.org.au.
For more information, contact: Anne anne.chellingworth@cairns.catholic.org.au | 4046 5118.
Children's Liturgy
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. The class borrowing days are:
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
| 4E | ALL Year 5 | ALL Year 6 | ALL Prep | 4L |
| 3O | 1O | ALL Year 2 | 4O | |
| 3L | 1E | |||
| 1L | 3E |
Reading Challenge Finished
Our first reading challenge for the year has finished. Congratulations to 2L who had their whole class complete and return their bookmarks. They will be receiving a prize for their amazing efforts!
Our next whole school challenge will be the Cassowary Cup Reading Challenge in Term 2. Keep a look out for the recording sheets which will go home next term.
Happy reading, everyone!
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
- Edsmart slips
- Advising of absences
- Access to newsletters
- School Calender, etc
If you require any assistance with the MyCE App, please contact the office.
OLHOC Cross Country Timetable 2025
Friday, March 21
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Time |
Race Information |
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· Please note that this is just a guide for race start times. Races may start before or after these times depending on how students are running on the day. |
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8:45 |
12-year-old boy race (3 Laps) |
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9:00 |
12-year-old girl race (3 Laps) |
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9:15 |
11-year-old boy race (3 Laps) |
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9:30 |
11-year-old girl race (3 Laps) |
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9:45 |
10-year-old boy race (2 Laps) |
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9:55 |
10-year-old girl race (2 Laps) |
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10:10 |
Year 4 boy race (2 Laps) |
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10:20 |
Year 4 girl race (2 Laps) |
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10:35 |
Year 3 boy race (2 Laps) |
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10:45 |
Year 3 girl race (2 Laps) |
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11:00 |
Year 2 boy race (1 Lap) |
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11:05 |
Year 2 girl race (1 Lap) |
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11:15 |
Year 1 boy race (1 Lap) |
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11:20 |
Year 1 girl race (1 Lap) |
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11:30 |
Prep boy race (1 Lap) |
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11:35 |
Prep girl race (1 Lap) |
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11:50 |
OLHOC Staff Inflatable Costume Race |
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12:00 |
Presentation - Hall |
Hello everyone,
There will be a P&F meeting on Tuesday 11th March at 5.15pm in the stem lab.
Megan, Tiffany, Miranda and Susan
Inter-school Chess Tournament
Sixteen students represented OLHOC at the first Inter-school Chess Tournament on Thursday, 6th March, with four attending for the first time. It was a huge event with a total of 451 participants!
Congratulations to all students for representing our school so well and especially Taichi Dowden & Tina Yan on their outstanding individual achievements. Many others just missed out on a merit ribbon by one or half a point.
A Grade – 7th
Finn Cripps, Charlie Rillstone, Lucas Killeen, Logan Barden
B Grade – 6th
Malcolm Wilcox, Zavier Stanton, Taichi Dowden (2nd), Akain Pathirana
C Grade – 9th
Lynn Takahashi, Hannah Yet Foy, Dylan D’Andrea, Patrick Byrne
D Grade – 2nd
Tina Yan (Merit & 4th), Tenasi Downs, Willow Mackail (Merit), Rory Hunter (Merit)
Alison Williams
Enrichment Teacher
Year 5 Students Shine at FNQ Swimming Championships
On the 1st and 2nd of March, three talented Year 5 students, Isabelle Warren, Elanor Cole and Daniel Stewart, represented their swimming club Stingrays at the FNQ Swimming Long Course Championships at Tobruk Pool.
The competition saw some outstanding performances, with Daniel Stewart securing 1st place in the Under 9’s category. All three swimmers achieved impressive personal bests, demonstrating their hard work, dedication and commitment to the sport.
We congratulate Isabelle, Elanor and Daniel on their achievements and commend them for their perseverance and sportsmanship. Well done!
Tammy is on a mission to raise awareness about recycling the right way, and she’s inviting primary schools in Cairns to take part in an exciting challenge to help “Keep Recycling Out of Waste!”
All registered schools are now in collecting mode!!
If your child, grandchild, neighbour, friend or just someone you know attends one of the registered schools, help them out!!
The school who raises the most amount of money will win the Major Prize!
How It Works:
Collect as much recycling as you can from before Friday, 21st March. Tammy and JB will visit schools throughout the challenge, sharing key recycling tips, fun facts, and motivation! Take your cans and bottles to Containers for Change, collect your cash and hold onto your receipt! Upload a photo of the receipt on the website by Friday March 21st. Triple M Roadies will tally up the recycling receipts from each school by Monday, 24th March. Winning school announced on-air on Tuesday, 25th March. Outside Broadcast at the winning school on Friday, 28th March.
The Prize
Major Prize: $1,000 Cash! Plus Tammy and JB broadcasting live from your school
Spread the word, start collecting, and let’s keep recycling out of waste!
