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Brendon Napier
Principal
Dear Families,
Welcome back to a new term at Our Lady Help of Christians! We hope all our students and families enjoyed a restful break and are ready for the exciting learning and opportunities that lie ahead. We look forward to a term filled with growth, connection, and shared success.
Catholic Education Week
Catholic Education Week is celebrated each year in Week 3 of Term 3. The theme
‘Communities of Faith, Hope and Love’ captures the essence of what it means to be part of a Catholic school community.
Catholic education strives to make a difference in the lives of those in our schools and in the wider community by challenging young people to live out the message of Jesus and to reach their full potential as compassionate, contributing, life-giving members of society.
This year the Northern Deanery Mass for Catholic Education week will be held at St Monica’s Cathedral on Thursday 31st July. We will have 8 of our Year 6 leaders attend this important event. We will also have a whole school liturgy on Wednesday 30th July which will incorporate a celebration of Grandparents Day. After the liturgy, Grandparents will be invited to visit the classrooms, and this will be followed by a bring-your-own morning tea for families to enjoy in the grounds. We look forward to sharing this wonderful celebration with our students, families, and staff.
Catherine McAuley – Living the legacy of Mercy
Catherine McAuley, founder of the Sisters of Mercy, dedicated her life to serving the poor, sick, and uneducated, particularly women and children. Guided by deep compassion and faith, she established the first House of Mercy in Dublin in 1827, providing shelter, education, and care to those in need. Her legacy lives on in Mercy schools around the world, including Our Lady Help of Christians and many in the Cairns Diocese, which proudly continues her mission of compassion, service, and justice. As a school founded on the Mercy tradition, we strive to follow her example by nurturing faith, promoting dignity, and acting with courage and kindness in our daily lives.
One of Catherine McAuley’s most well-known and beloved quotes is:
“Be sure you have a comfortable cup of tea for them when I am gone."
This sentiment reflects Catherine’s deep belief in hospitality, kindness, and the importance of small acts of care. She often encouraged the Sisters to offer tea as a gesture of warmth and welcome, especially during times of difficulty or transition. The "cup of tea" has since become a cherished symbol of Mercy hospitality.
Mercy Works Fundraiser
On the last day of term 2, our Year 6 students led a wonderful Mercy Works Fundraiser, raising an impressive $1237.50. The event featured a range of fun activities enjoyed by younger students in exchange for a silver or gold coin donation. This initiative was a meaningful expression of our commitment to social justice and solidarity with the poor and marginalised. Mercy Works, the development arm of the Sisters of Mercy in Australia and Papua New Guinea, supports vital projects including education, agricultural training, nutrition programs, and assistance for women affected by human trafficking in Australia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Timor-Leste. Thank you to everyone who supported this important cause so generously.
Religious Life of our school – Term 3
|
Week |
Event |
|
One |
Thursday – Pupil-free Day Friday - Show Holiday |
|
Two |
1:45 pm Friday – Assembly |
|
Three |
Catholic Education Week Wednesday 30th July - 8:45am CEW Prayer Assembly + Grandparents Morning Thursday 31st July – Deanery CEW Week Mass 10 am – St Monica’s Cathedral – School Captains + Spirit Mercy Workers attend with Principal and APRE. |
|
Four |
NAIDOC Week Celebrations Lunchtime NAIDOC Activities – Tuesday/Wednesday/Friday Friday 9th August – Combined St Gerard Majella & Our Lady Help of Christians Yrs 3 & 4 Liturgy 9 am in the Church 1:45 pm Friday – Assembly – Prayer for NAIDOC Week |
|
Five |
Sunday 10th August Combined St Gerard Majella/ Our Lady Help of Christians Sunday Mass 5pm + Pizza Thursday 14th August – Year 3 Liturgy – 11:10 am Church |
|
Six |
Thursday 21st August – Year 4 Liturgy – 11;10 am Church 1:45 pm Friday – Assembly |
|
Seven |
Thursday 28th Aug – Year 1 Liturgy 11:10 am - Church Friday 29th August - Year 5 Leadership Day - Seville Mercy Centre |
|
Eight |
Friday 5th September - Father’s Day Coffee + Muffins from 7:45 am Father’s Day Liturgy –whole school - 8:45 am in the Hall 1:45 pm Friday – Assembly |
|
Nine |
Thursday11th Sept – Year 2 Liturgy 11:10 am - Church Thursday – RUOK day |
|
Ten |
1:45 pm Friday – Assembly |
Wishing you God’s blessing on the coming fortnight.
Best wishes,
Dr Toni Foley
Assistant Principal - Religious Education
Dear Families,
Welcome back for Term 3! I hope you had a restful and enjoyable school holiday period and are excited for the term ahead. Term 3 promises to be a vibrant and busy time filled with learning, growth, and community events.
Health & Physical Education (HPE) Update
As you may be aware, our HPE teacher Peter Henson, is on leave as of yesterday (Tuesday July 15) until August 29, the end of Week 7.
During this time, we will have some familiar staff stepping in and teaching our HPE lessons.
Staffing for HPE will be as follows:
- Monday and Tuesday: Erica Rusch, current Year 4-6 Health teacher, will be leading the HPE sessions.
- Wednesday: Alison Jago, a current relief teacher who is familiar to Our Lady Help of Christians, will be taking one day a week.
- Thursday and Friday: Jaimee Hislop, current Leader of Diversity, will take over for the latter part of the week.
We appreciate your understanding and flexibility as we ensure a smooth and engaging HPE experience for all students.
Term 3 Sporting Events
This term brings a range of exciting sporting opportunities within our diocese. Various teachers across the school will be working closely with students to prepare for upcoming competitions. Training sessions will be held during school hours, and we encourage students who are interested to participate to represent our school. These events are a wonderful way to build teamwork, resilience, and school spirit.
The sporting events available to students this term include;
- Cairns Catholic Schools Cricket Cup for Years 4-6 (July 31)
- Cairns Hockey Primary School Competition for Years 4-6 (August 19)
- Fowlers’ Group Marlin Coast Primary Schools Netball Competition for Years 5 & 6 (August 22)
- Jamie Gosling Primary Schools Soccer Cup Years 4-6 (September 3 - Year 4 and September 4 – Years 5 & 6)
- Jim Graham Rugby League Cup, held in Innisfail, for Years 5 & 6 (September 19)
- Mary Mills Netball Competition for Years 5 & 6 (September 19)
Next week we have some students representing Our Lady Help of Christians at TCC Athletics at Barlow Park. We wish them all the best for their events.
A Busy Term Ahead
Term 3 is packed with enriching experiences and celebrations, including:
- Year level excursions across multiple grades
- Prep and Year 1, 100 Days of School celebration
- Catholic Education Week – reflecting on our shared values and mission
- NAIDOC Week – recognising and celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures
- Year 5 Camp and Year 6 Camp
- Grandparents Day – a special time to honour and celebrate our extended family
- Father’s Day – a chance to show appreciation for the dads and father figures in our lives
- Book Week – celebrating the joy of reading
- Parent-Teacher Interviews, scheduled for the end of Term 3 to discuss your child/ren’s academic progress.
We are also excited to have our P&F hosting a school disco next week on Thursday July 24. If you feel you can volunteer some of your time for this event, please register on this link.
Warm regards,
Karina Brady
Assistant Principal - Administration
Lauren Blenkinsop
Finance Officer
Last chance:
IEU Art Design Awards
Any student can enter. The theme is FRIENDS. Original artwork must be able to be posted. Due date is 18th July. Contact Mrs Williams for further information.
ICAS Assessments
Parent Payment System closes 28th July. Contact Mrs Williams for further details if your child is interested. Available for Years 3-6 only.
Acknowledging success:
Cairns Eisteddfod Literary Section
Out of the sixteen students who entered, ten received awards at the presentation ceremony last term. Congratulations to the following students:
First place – Zavier & Hana (Creative Writing)
Second place – Aria (Creative Writing)
Third place – Charlie (Creative Writing), Kimmy (Creative Writing)
Highly Commended – Isabelle & Patrick D (Creative Writing)
Max & Beau (Book Report)
Lynn (Script Writing)
Coding Challenge
In Week 9 of Term 2, all students in Years 5 & 6 participated in the Coding Challenge during their Technology lesson. It was the first time for OLHOC to participate in this competition. It was a great success as students found the tasks fun and learnt new skills for coding using a block program. Many experienced the challenge of finding something hard, persevering and then enjoying the satisfaction of success.
Congratulations to the following students for achieving Merit Awards:
Year 6 – Keynen, Jackson, Ollie, Willow
Year 5 – Patrick D
Congratulations for completing the challenge within the time limit AND obtaining a perfect score:
Year 5 - Aedrick
Poem Forest
Students in Enrichment Writing spent the last two weeks of Term 2 writing poems about nature. Many of these poems were submitted into a competition where a tree is planted in a Botanic Garden near Wollongong NSW for every poem received. Shortlisted poems will also be published on the “Red Room Poetry” website. 3L wrote Haiku poems about spiders and some of these were also selected to be entered.
Be amazed at the creative literary skills displayed by OLHOC students. Grab a cuppa and have a read of OLHOC’s Poem Forest Entries for 2025!
Year 3: Ivy, Caitlyn, Zairon, Peyton
Year 4: Beau, Aiden, Luis, Martin, Luna
Year 5: Aria, Zavier, Finn R, Abigail D, Hana, Megumi, Patrick D, Willow
Year 6: Avery, Irene, Liam, Ruby, Jace, Jayveer
Events in the Enrichment Calendar T3
| Week 3: | Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee |
| Week 4: | Australian Maths Competition |
| Weeks 4-7: | ICAS Assessments |
| Weeks 1-7: | Opti-MINDS |
| Week 8: | Inter-school Chess Tournament |
| TBC: | Wonder of Science |
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.
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
| Year 1 | Year 6 | Year 5 | Year 2 | Year 4 |
| Year 3 | Prep |
The Cassowary Cup Results
The Cassowary Cup has finished for 2025. During the challenge period, our school community read 9 373 books. Every student who completed the challenge received a Certificate of Participation.
The highest student participation in the challenge was Year 3L with a staggering 1099 books read! The year level superstar classes with the most students completing the challenge were Prep E, Year 2E, and Year 3E.
Congratulations to the following Prep to Year 3 students who won a Cairns Books voucher by reading 100 books or more: Leo (3O), Gracielle (3O), Korbyn (3O), Ashton (3L), Avery-Rose (3L), Walter (3L), Ivy (3L), Steel (3L), Addison (3E), Ryder (3E), Rylee (3E), Ella (3E), Ivy (3E), Kaylee (20), Annalise (20), Beau (20), Samuel (2L), Max (2E), Lachlan (2E), Kimmy (2E), Julius (10), Millie (1L), Ava (1L), Mardin (1L), Eddie (1E), Hannah (PO), Jacob (PO), Aya (PL), Nancy (PE), Juliana (PE), Hugh (PE), Alexandria (PE), Luca (PE), Eira (PE). Finally, a special mention to Max (2E) who read an amazing 300 books and Leo (3O) who read 280 books during the challenge period!
Congratulations to the voucher winners in Year 4 to 6 who read 30 or more detailed novels: Luke (40), Matilda (4L), Max (4L), Cienna (4O), Luis (4O), Aiden (4O), Max (4O), Regan (50), Lamana (5O), Charlie (5L), Harriet (5L), Samuel (5E), Chloe (6L), Liam (6L), Jayveer (6L), Fiona (6E)
Well done everyone!
VIP Read and Sip!
Friday Mornings Just Got Cozy! Warm Milo. Picture books. Inspiring voices. Every Friday in Term 3, students are invited to join us on the library deck from 7:45–8:00am for a magical start to the day.
Each week features a special guest reader sharing a beloved picture book—while students sip warm Milo and soak up the story vibes.
Let’s sip, listen, and begin each Friday with imagination.
Limited spots will be available so please respond to the trybooking event that will be on Seesaw and facebook.
Week 7 Book Week
Start thinking about your 2025 costume
Each year the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) brings children and books together during the CBCA Book Week. This year’s theme is ‘Book an Adventure”.
On Wednesday August 20th (Week 6), students are invited to come to school dressed in a sun safe Book Week costume, based on either this year’s theme or their favourite book character. They will need to bring their character’s book (or photocopy of the cover) to school.
On the dress up day, there will be a parade where all the students will show off their costumes. Parents, carers and family members are welcome to join us. There will be prizes for the best dressed students and staff members.
So start planning your child/ren’s creative costumes now and stay tuned to future newsletters and facebook for more information about this exciting event.
MS Readathon
The MS Readathon starts on the 1st August. This activity inspires kids to read as much as they can for an incredible cause. By joining the quest, you will be helping kids who have a parent with multiple sclerosis.
The funds raised go towards services, including helping children with a parent living with MS to attend camps. The camps help families spend quality time together, learn more about multiple sclerosis and bond with others who are sharing their journey.
Although Our Lady Help of Christians will not be registering as a school, you can sign up your child/ren to participate individually by visiting the website.
We would encourage everyone to discuss if this is something you would be interested in doing as a family.
Important Library Dates
These are some important whole school library dates and celebrations coming up for the remainder of this year. We will release more information about each activity closer to the date.
|
Term |
Activity |
|
3 |
● Week 6 Book Week (includes dress up and parade) |
|
4 |
● Week 4 Book Fair |
Happy Reading,
The Library Team:
Paula Tindall and Jill Watson
Dear parents and carers,
OLHOC Backpacks are now for sale in the office for $75 each.
No pre-order required.
Stock Available now.
Our wonderful P&F are hosting our annual school disco next Thursday 24th July!
We are looking for some volunteers for each of the sessions. If you are able to help out, please click the link to register. Bring your dancing shoes and join in!
These are the sessions:
- Prep & Year 1: 1:30pm - 2:30pm
- Years 2, 3 & 4: 3:00pm - 4:30pm (students can not be left at school until 3pm unsupervised - a parent or carer is required to either collect them or stay with them until 3pm)
- Years 5 & 6: 4:45pm - 6:15pm
A popper and packet of chips will be offered to the students as a snack.
Students are to be signed in and out by a parent/guardian for safety concerns.
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.
| Date: | Thursday August 14th, 2025 (Term 3 week 5) |
| Time: | 8:30am-2:30pm (Parents to arrive at 2:00pm for a presentation of all the ensembles) |
| Location: | St Mary's Catholic College, Woree, in the Hugh O'Brien Centre (HOB) |
Date: Saturday 25th of October 2025
Cost: FREE
Tickets: One ticket per person attending the show. Children MUST be accompanied by an adult.
Seating: Seating isn’t allocated.
Time: 12PM and 2:30PM
Duration: Approximately 1 hour 20 minutes
Location: to be confirmed
World Festival of Magic has been organized as a special FREE outing to bring some joy and laughter to the children, teenagers and families who have been having a hard time due to illness, disabilities, or other health related issues as well as children in protective custody. This also includes those who may be experiencing emotional and/or financial difficulties.
Students of OLHOC who may fit the above criteria are invited to enjoy this opportunity to view the show FREE of charge due to the kindness of the Cairns business community and the Lions Club of Cairns.
Please click here for a preview of past shows: https://vimeo.com/912431457