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EASTER CELEBRATIONS
KINDER ENROLMENT 2025
Applications are now being taken for parents wishing to enrol their children in Kindergarten for 2025. Please let Leanne know if you require a form and return it as soon as possible. If you are aware of any new families that are looking for a school placement for their children in 2025, please pass on their details so an enrolment package can be sent to them. Closing date for applications is the 24th May.Parents of Year 6 children seeking application to either San Clemente Year 7 next year should return their application to their office ASAP.
PLAY GROUP
One of the activities that our Pastoral Care Worker, Mrs Samira Telford, is starting is a “Playgroup” for our preschool siblings. Each Monday morning after Liturgy, any families with pre-school children can come together in the hall from 9:30 to 10:30 for a chat and some social interaction with their children and other families. First session will be Monday 29 April.
At this stage it will only be open for our school families however we are entertaining the idea of expanding it to new families enrolling next year in Term 3.
CANTEEN
Thanks to all those that were able to put there hand up for CANTEEN duties this term. The Victory Cafe will be open for lunches on two days next week - WEDNESDAY 3 APRIL & FRIDAY 5 APRIL. QKR lunch orders will close by 8:15 am on those days. Iceblocks and snacks will also be available for cash over the counter.
In Week 11, lunches will be available on MONDAY 8 APRIL - again, QKR orders in by 8:30 that morning.
Holy Week
This year we began Holy Week on Sunday 24th March with Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday commemorates the Christian belief in the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, when he was greeted by cheering crowds waving palm branches that they set out on the ground along his path, according to the Bible.
Holy Thursday is often used interchangeably with Maundy Thursday, as the word comes from a phrase spoken at the Last Supper, which Holy Thursday commemorates. The word “maundy” comes from the Latin phrase “mandatum,” meaning commandment, which was spoken by Jesus at the Last Supper, according to Catholic Culture. Christians remember it as the day of the Last Supper, when Jesus washed the feet of his disciples and established the ceremony known as the Eucharist. The night of Maundy Thursday is the night on which Jesus was betrayed by Judas in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Good Friday is an important holiday as it commemorates the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. This is an important event because it represents the sacrifices and suffering in Jesus’ life.
Holy Saturday is the day of quiet reflection and anticipation for Christians around the world. It is the day between the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on Good Friday and his resurrection on Easter Sunday. Holy Saturday, also known as Easter Eve, is a time to mourn the death of Jesus and to prepare for his resurrection.
Easter, also called Pascha (Aramaic, Greek, Latin) or Resurrection Sunday, is commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in the New Testament as having occurred on the third day of his burial following his crucifixion by the Romans at Calvary c. 30 AD.
The staff of OLV would like to wish everyone a wonderful and safe Easter break.
Project Compassion Boxes
Could you please return your Project Compassions next week so we can forward the money so it can be distributed to the areas of need.
First Reconciliation
We would like to congratulate Ruby, Paige and Osita for making their First Reconciliation with the Wallsend- Shortland Parish.
Easter Mass times for Our Lady of Victories Shortland Parish
Good Friday - Friday 29th March - 10am- Stations of the Cross - 3pm Passion of the Lord
Easter Saturday 30th March - 6pm Easter Vigil
Easter Sunday 31st March - 8am Easter Sunday
BISHOP'S EASTER MESSAGE
VOLUNTEER REGISTRATION
In order to Volunteer at OLV you are required to complete the Volunteer Induction and be cleared by the Catholic Schools Office to Volunteer.
Please follow this link https://www.mn.catholic.org.au/people/volunteer/ and complete the steps.
EXTERNAL PROVIDERS
If your child will be seeing a provider (e.g. speech therapist or occupational therapist) this year at school, please complete the attached application form and return to school. If you require further information, please don't hesitate to contact the office.
COMPASS
OLV uses the "Compass" App. Log in details for parents/carers have been emailed to all new parents. If you are still unable to login, or your account has been made inactive, please contact Leanne in the office to arrange a reset of your password.
- For all new families please familiarise yourself with the information booklet you received in your information pack or enrolment pack, "Parent Portal Compass User Guide" This is also attached
- Only Parents/Carers have access to Compass Parent Portal. Parents must have separate email addresses in order to both have access to compass
- New Users when logging into Compass are given the opportunity to update their details. It has been noted that some parents have updated their mobile phone number by taking out the gaps within the phone number. This is not required. The system requires phones numbers to be in this format
- REMINDER: PLEASE ONLY EXPLAIN WHOLE DAY ABSENCES - PLEASE DO NOT REPORT PARTIAL ABSENCES through the Compass App. Reporting partial absences will cause inconsistences with your child's attendance
- SMS's are sent to parents of students who are absent from 9.35am each weekday morning. You will receive a text message if your child was not present during the marking the roll process. Please logon onto compass and explain your child's absence. Do not reply to the text as compass does not accept reply texts
- Please notify the office beforehand if your child is going to arrive late; you will however still receive an SMS. The arrival time of the student will be logged as an explained absence when they present to school on their arrival
- On occasion you may be sent a text message even though your child is in attendance at school, this may be because they have arrived late and not come to the Office for sign in. If your child is late, please come into the Office with your child and sign them in via the compass kiosk.
QKR APP
Part of “progress” is moving towards a cashless society. To assist with the banking, ordering and handling of money, we are moving more of our payments to the Qkr system.
You will find attached instructions for the QKR App. This easy to use phone app gives you the flexibility to place orders for Canteen and fundraisers from your phone. It also reduces the need for your child to bring cash to school. Please remember to amend your child's year group on the QKR App to aid the timely collection of their order. We will be moving to a wider usage of this app as the year progresses.
- Make sure your child matches the class they are in now. You may need to go to your account settings and change their class. This will have to be completed at the beginning of every school year
- Please do not send in a paper bag as well as ordering online; this will stop any double up of ordering
- If your child is away or sick and you have ordered their lunch, you have until 8.00 am to cancel your order on QKR and receive a credit for next time
- All ordering is now closing at 8.15 am Monday morning. This allows enough time to print out the relevant reports for our volunteer ladies
- As of Term 2 all lunch orders will only be able to be ordered through QKR. Cash on the day will only be for ice blocks, lollies and chips.
We will be looking at providing this service for other quick financial transactions such as sausage sizzles, raffles, pie drives etc,
Thaks to everyone for taking up this service.
Health Care Card
Most families have already completed the attached Health Care Card Forms and returned to the school with a copy of their Health Care Card. If you have a Health Care Card and have not handed it in please contact the Office. Health Care Cards gives up to 50% off your tuition fees.
| Kinder |
Oskar B - for being able to oral blend sounds together to create the word. Samuel I - for being able to identify pictures that start with the letters 'm' and 's'. James T - for starting to have a go at challenging tasks. |
| Year 1 |
Sophia C for coming to school with a big smile on her face and being ready to learn. Kai P for showing independence in his schoolwork and trying to complete tasks. Maria T for demonstrating her ability to grow in confidence in her daily tasks. Ben Z for being an eager student to share his ideas in classroom discussions. Evie C for achieving pleasing results in all areas of her learning. |
| Year 2 |
Sam C- for demonstrating great measuring skills when measuring length and showing great teamwork when working with others! Micko A- for always participating in activities with a positive attitude and a big smile on your face! Josie B- for demonstrating amazing measuring skills and teamwork when jumping the plank! Nikita P- for always having a go at challenging tasks with a positive attitude! |
| Year 3 |
Allison A- For being a kind, supportive friend and demonstrating a willingness to help others. Tesa S - For her engagement in her learning and demonstrating a growth mindset. Josie B - For her positive contributions to class discussions. Kaidence G - For approaching all learning tasks with a determined mindset. |
| Year 4 |
Lily P - for developing her growth mindset and remembering that she can do hard things! Gibson F - for demonstrating neat handwriting and taking pride in his work. Afia O - for trying her best, even when faced with challenging tasks. Eli O - for his enthusiasm towards new learning opportunities and tasks |
| Year 5 |
Grace D - for showing resilience and trying multiple methods of problem solving in math lessons. Jesse M - for his outstanding attitude towards his learning. Kasey S - for her excellent commitment during writing lessons. |
| Year 6 |
William T - for dedication to his work and having pride in his bookwork presentation. Well done, William Virginia V - for her helpful, caring attitude and maturity when approaching all class tasks. Thank you, Virginia. Dylan S - for making a determined effort to improve his listening skills and developing more confidence in approaching class tasks. Leisha K - for settling very quickly into class routines. The school is lucky to have you as a student at OLV. |
| V & M Awards |
Kindergarten: Hannah F for being a beautiful friend. Year 1: Hailey S for showing her love for others by being kind and supportive to OLV students. Year 2: Adamma U for always seeing a need and doing something about it! Year 3: Year 4: Alierah M for treating everyone with kindness and respect. Year 5: Isabella T for being an inclusive and supportive friend to all her peers. Year 6: Ben T- for having a great understanding of the words empowering, flourishing and full potential in the school’s Mission Statement. |
| Leaders Awards |
Pippa Shammah |
| Lexia Awards |
Caleb S. Level 3 Matilda B. Level 5 |
| EALD Awards |
Virginia V – For showing great leadership and responsibility throughout the preparation for the Harmony Day Liturgy! Leisha K – For being a great role model and helper for the younger students when preparing for the Harmony Day liturgy. Ivy S – for showing amazing confidence when speaking at the Harmony Day liturgy. Well done! |
SCHOOL ATHLETICS CARNIVAL
We are looking forward to our Athletics Carnival next week. The children will travel to the Fearnley Dawes Athletics Centre in Newcastle West for a great day of running, jumping and throwing. Children will be showing the skills they have been developing in the PE program in which they have been participating. We hope to get under way by 9:45am.
Parents are welcome to attend and cheer on the children or maybe put their hand up to help in some way. Thanks to those who have already volunteered, Mr Watmore will be in touch to let you know your task.
There will be no Canteen facilities during the day, though we are offering a BBQ Sausage in a roll with a drink for those that might like that. Please go onto QKR to place an order. We made need 1 or 2 volunteers to help serve the lunch. We will be stopping the carnival at 11:30 for lunch.Presentations will be at an Assembly on the last day of school from 2pm.
CROSS COUNTRY
Our school Cross Country Trial will be held on Thursday 11 April in the school grounds from 9:30am. Three runners from each age group will be eligible to represent the school at the Diocesan event as long as they meet the Diocesan qualifying time.Children who wish to qualify for the Diocesan event to be held on Wednesday 15 May need to finish their race under the following times:
|
Age Distance Qualifying Time |
Age Distance Qualifying Time |
|
Girls 8/9 yrs 2kms 13 mins |
Boys 8/9 yrs 2kms 11 mins |
|
Girls 10 yrs 2kms 13 mins |
Boys 10 yrs 2kms 11 mins |
|
Girls 11 yrs 3kms 18 mins |
Boys 11 yrs 3kms 16 mins |
|
Girls 12/13yrs 3kms 18 mins |
Boys 12/13 yrs 3kms 16 mins |
We encourage all the children to get out and have a go – whether it be just to walk, skip, hop or just have a bit of exercise with their friends. Parents are welcome to spectate – or even join in if they wish.
We will start our races at 9:30am on the top field. All are welcome to come along and cheer the children on - or join in yourselves.
We would like to wish the following children a Happy Birthday.
| Kindergarten | Elliot R |
| Year 1 | William H, William F Nicholas O, Sophia C, Emmet M |
| Year 2 | Israel L |
| Year 3 | Allison A, Jemima K |
| Year 4 | Afia O, Thea W, Ariana C, Gibson F, Paige W, Sophia T |
| Year 5 | |
| Year 6 | Millie H |
Congratulations and we hope you had a happy day
MONDAY'S MEETING
We had a very productive meeting last Monday evening with some great input from everyone. We met both Face to Face and online. A couple of important points were raised and good discussion was had. It is important to know that the FACE is not just a Fundraising group but an important connection between families and school. Parents are encouraged to be active participants when they can.
It was decided that the monthly meeting was important to continue, however time and attendance were discussed. Most thought that an earlier time would be more suitable and the online connection would only be necessary. Especially since the coming of the colder months makes it less desirable to come out – 6pm was a suggested time.
To gauge everyone’s feelings please connect to the short survey which will come to you next week. The next meeting will be Monday 29 April.
Mrs Dunn’s Cuppa and Chat will continue every odd week on a Thursday.
BEHAVIOUR, BIG FEELINGS &SELF REGULATION
You are invited to attend an online event on Tuesday 9 April with internationally respected child development expert and author, Karen Young. Karen will be speaking on the topic ‘Behaviour, Big Feelings, and Self-Regulation’, providing parents and carers with valuable insights and practical strategies to support their children and teenagers.
This event is free for all parents and carers to attend and is brought to you by Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle’s peak parent body, the Federation of P&F Associations. If you cannot attend the webinar at the designated time, you are encouraged to still register, as a recording of the event will be available to you on demand, for one week after the event.
Please see the attached flyer for more information, including how to register.
ST NICHOLAS OOSH Services
How to enrol for our OOSH Services:
You will be able to access the school newsletter here, special dates notifications and other messages from time to time.
Go to this link to download the Schoolzine App: