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1 Thessalonians 5:11
Respect, Love, Mercy and Community
Brendon Napier
Principal
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
We are very excited to have Andrew Chinn back at Our Lady Help of Christians on Thursday 8th May for a concert from 9:10 am – 10:10 am. Families are most welcome to join us.
Mother’s Day
For Mother’s Day, the P & F will be hosting ‘Coffee and Muffins’ and this will be followed by a short visit to the classrooms and then a Mother’s Day Liturgy. We look forward to enjoying the morning with our wonderful Mums.
Mother’s Day Celebrations
7:45am – 8:15am – Coffee and Muffins provided by the P & F
8:15am – 8:40am – Classroom visits
8:45am – 9:05am – Mother’s Day Liturgy
Our Lady Help of Christian’s Feast Day 24th May
This year our school Feast Day is on a Saturday, so we’ll celebrate it as a school on Friday 23rd May. This will be a wonderful day of celebration for us. In our next Newsletter, I will include some information about the history of the Feast of Our Lady Help of Christians. For now, I will share the plan for the day below as we hope to have as many families as possible join us for the celebrations.
Feast Day
|
Time |
Activity |
|
9:00 – 10:15 am |
Mass in the Hall followed by the presentation of the ‘Our Lady Help of Christians’ awards. |
|
10:20 – 10:50 am |
BYO shared morning tea with your children in the school grounds. |
|
12:30 - 2:15 pm |
Colour Run for students (in year levels) |
|
2nd Lunch |
Sausage Sizzle & Icy Pole for students provided by the P & F |
A Blessing
May God bless all mothers and those who mother others
with strength, patience, and enduring love.
May they be cherished for their care,
upheld in times of challenge,
and celebrated for the countless ways they give life,
nurture faith, and inspire hope.
May Mary, our heavenly Mother, walk beside them always,
guiding their hearts with wisdom, gentleness, and grace.
Amen.
I hope all Mothers and Mother figures are spoilt on Sunday, and I wish you a joy-filled day.
Blessings,
Toni Foley
Assistant Principal - Religious Education
Dear Families,
As we embark on our third week in Term 2, I found myself questioning last week if we really were in the month of May already. It is hard to believe how quickly the year is getting on. I recently have been reflecting on the community we have here at Our Lady Help of Christians. I am thankful for the opportunity I have to connect with, not only the students in class, but also families while on before and after school duty. We have a special, kind-hearted and passionate community here at Our Lady Help of Christians and I am so grateful that I get to come to work every day and be a part of it.
As we continue to strive for excellence and consistency in our school community, I would like to share some important updates and reminders with you.
Mother’s Day
We look forward to celebrating our mother’s and special women in our lives on Friday morning with muffins, coffee, open classrooms and a special prayer assembly led by Year 5. Thank you to all of those who have volunteered their time for our Mother’s Day celebration and the Mother’s Day stalls. We couldn’t do it without your help and support.
Carpark Before & After School
Please be reminded that the car park outside the administration building and the church is designated for staff parking only. This measure is in place to ensure the safety of our children and to maintain a smooth traffic flow during drop-off and pick-up times. We kindly ask for your cooperation in using the parking areas around the area on Balaclava Rd, Mestrez St and surrounding streets, to help us keep our school environment safe and orderly.
Seesaw
We are excited to announce that shortly, you will begin to see our weekly infographics presented on Seesaw. These will be shared via the administration team directly to your child's learning journal. By utilizing Seesaw, we aim to streamline our communication and reduce the number of emails landing in your inbox each week. This platform will provide a more interactive and engaging way for you to stay informed about your child's learning journey. To engage with the post, you can click the heart icon underneath the post.
The Learning Dashboard
We are thrilled to share with you further information about our new reporting platform The Learning Dashboard.
We have been working diligently with our staff to develop a consistent marking guide for assessing student effort in subject areas and the Affective Reporting Domains (ARDs). Our goal is to ensure that terms such as "consistently," "generally," "sometimes," and "rarely" are applied uniformly across all areas. This consistency will help provide a clearer understanding of your child's performance and effort in line with their developmental stage.
The ARDs are the expectations, aligned to the school values of Respect, Love, Mercy and Community. When the teachers are providing a judgement for your child, the judgement will be made against the expectations listed below. These expectations fall within one of our four values.
As mentioned in the last newsletter, we will be hosting three parent information sessions about The Learning Dashboard later in the term.
The parent information sessions will be held on Thursday June 5 at the following times.
- 8:00 am
- 2:45 pm
- 6:00 pm
An EdSmart slip will soon be sent out to gauge numbers for each session so we can prepare the most suitable space.
Thank you once again for your continued support and cooperation.
Karina Brady
Assistant Principal - Administration
Lauren Blenkinsop
Finance Officer
Kangourou sans Frontières Maths Competition (Australian Maths Trust)
In Term 1 Week 9, 43 students from Years 3-6 participated in this worldwide online competition. Congratulations to our highest scorers:
| Year 5/6 | Year 3/4 | |
| Credit | Broc Bertuna | Mitchell Carlsen |
| Floyd Duncan | Walter Irvin | |
| Jayveer Singh | Luke Woodward | |
| Avery Lee | Olivia Lee | |
| Charlie Rillstone | Sayul Naotunna | |
| Malcolm Wilcox | Johnathan Beal | |
| Xavier Abeleven | ||
| Luis Estrada | ||
| Distinction | Ollie Oastler | Martin Oraya |
| Max Armstrong |
All other students who participated will be presented with their certificates during Maths Enrichment lessons in Week 3 or 4.
Alison Williams
Enrichment Teacher
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 |
| Year 3 | Year 6 | Year 5 | Prep | 4O |
| 4E | Year 1 | Year 2 | 4L |
National Simultaneous Storytime
On Wednesday 21st May at 12 noon, our school will take part in the National Simultaneous Storytime. This event is held annually by the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA).
Every year a picture book, written by an Australian author and illustrator, is read simultaneously in libraries, schools, pre-schools, childcare centres, family homes, bookshops and many other places around the country.
The book for 2025 is ‘Truck Cat’ written by Deborah Frenkel and illustrated by multi-award-winning artist Danny Snell. The Truck Cat is the perfect book to inspire kindness and compassion in young children everywhere. A heartwarming tale of immigration, identity and finding home.
Some cats are house cats. Some are apartment cats. But Tinka is a truck cat. Tinka lives everywhere. Along with his human, Yacoub, Tinka travels roads wide and narrow, near and distant. But no matter how much they travel, home feels very far away – for both of them. Yacoub drives his truck to make a living, learning the landscape of a new country along the way, and longing for connection. When Tinka and Yacoub are unexpectedly separated, they are determined to find their way back to each other – and, in doing so, might find more than they expected…
A link of the book recording will be uploaded to our Facebook page for anyone who wishes to watch. There will be more information closer to the date so keep an eye out for the details.
Important Library Dates
|
Term |
Activity |
|
2 |
|
|
3 |
|
|
4 |
|
Happy Reading,
The Library Team:
Paula Tindall and Jill Watson
Year 4 Excursion to the Cairns Resource Recovery Facility – A Powerful Learning Experience!
This week, our Year 4 students embarked on an eye-opening excursion to the Cairns Resource Recovery Facility in Cairns — and what an amazing experience it was!
From the moment we arrived, students were captivated by the journey of waste materials and how they are transformed through the recycling process. One of the highlights was witnessing the impressive recycling machines in action. Students watched with wide eyes as plastics, metals, and paper were sorted, cleaned, and prepared for their next life as new products.
Inside the presentation room, we were amazed to see everyday items — including carpet, chairs, and decorative objects — all made from recycled materials. It was an inspiring demonstration of how creativity and sustainability can work hand-in-hand. Students were especially curious to learn how different materials are repurposed and sold once again to the community.
The tour continued with a visit to the old landfill site — a powerful reminder of the importance of recycling and reducing waste. Our guide then showed us the composting station, which plays a key role in breaking down organic materials. Unfortunately, this station caught fire earlier in the year, likely caused by a discarded battery. Tonnes of organic waste are now diverted to landfill until the station can be rebuilt. The incident highlights the risks of improper waste disposal.
Our final stop was the Buy Back Shop, a treasure trove of pre-loved items rescued from landfill and given a second chance at life. It was a great opportunity for students to reflect on the value of reusing and reducing waste.
This excursion was not only educational but also deeply inspiring. It gave students a real-world insight into sustainability and the importance of making thoughtful choices for the environment. A big thank you to the staff at the Cairns Resource Recovery Facility for hosting such an informative and engaging visit!
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.
Calling All Dads! Let’s Give the Mums a Break This Mother’s Day
Each year, our P&F does an amazing job organizing the Mother’s Day stall, but more often than not, it’s the mums who end up running it. This year, let’s give them the morning off and step up to help!
I’m looking for some dads to volunteer at the stall on Friday, 9 May, from 9:00 to 11:00 AM. Your job? Simply help the kids pick out and purchase gifts for their mums—making sure they have a special surprise to take home. It’s a fun and rewarding experience, and a great way to be involved.
If you can lend a hand, please get in touch with me at 0428 406 069 or shaun@halpinpartners.com.au.
Shaun Donaldson
OLHOC Backpacks are now for sale in the office for $75 each.
No pre-order required.
Stock Available.
