Our Lady of the River School eNewsletter

Catholic Education Week

Next week is an exciting time for all schools in SA as we celebrate Catholic Education Week. This is a great opportunity for us to Shine our Light on the quality educational experience we offer to our students. This year's theme, "Shine your Light for the awe and wonder of all Creation," encourages us to do all we can to make the world a better place, especially when it comes to caring for our common home and its most precious resources. We can shine our light in simple ways, such as being welcoming, helping others, picking up litter, watering plants, believing in our unique qualities and talents and sharing them with the world. At OLOR, we inspire our students to live our values of Respect, Care, Community, Compassion, and Quality. Next week and every week, we encourage our students to not only shine their light but also ignite the spark in each person and encourage everyone to shine. Our values help us shine our light brighter to illuminate the world for all in our community and ensure that our lights keep shining bright.

You are invited to help celebrate this special week by attending any of the events as highlighted in the attached flyer.

cew_parent_flyer_2024.pdf

cew_parent_flyer_2024 _pdf 575.64 KB

Mother's Day

Our Mothers, Grandmothers, and Caregivers are the essence of love and care, and they hold a special place in our hearts. They nurture us and guide us through life's ups and downs. They are the ones who make us feel safe and protected, no matter what. We would be honoured if you could join in celebrating them.

Thank you to the many Mums who have already sent through photos of themselves and their beautiful children. I am putting together a reflection for our upcoming liturgy on Monday. I understand this is short notice, but with your help, we can make this a beautiful tribute to the love and dedication of mothers and caregivers. Please feel free to send your photos via Seesaw or email rosemaryp@olor.catholic.edu.au.

To give me time to put the project together, I would need photos no later than Sunday 12:00pm.

Next week, we have the chance to reflect on and share all the things we love about Our Lady of the River School, and what makes our community stand out. I encourage you to share your heartfelt reflections with the school and your fellow students, in order to strengthen the positive community that we are all proud to be a part of.

If you have any questions about next week, please feel free to reach out.

School/Parish Weekend Masses

Remember to mark your calendars for next Sunday, May 19th! Our Foundation/Year 1, Year 2/Year 3, and Year 4/5 students will be hosting the weekend Parish Mass, alongside the Sacramental students who will be celebrating their rite of election. We ask that you keep them in your thoughts and prayers as they prepare for their First Holy Communion, an incredibly important milestone in their faith journey.

A friendly reminder of the dates for our School/Parish weekend Masses for the year.

Term 2 – Sunday 19th May 9:00 am Yr 4/5, Yr 2/3 and F/1

Term 3 – Sunday 15th September Yr 4/5 and Yr 5/6

Term 4 - Sunday 8th December F/1, Year 1/2

Sacramental Program

For those families whose child/ren are involved in the 2024 Sacramental Program, please be aware of the following dates for Term 2. Sacrament Celebration dates

First Communion

Parent Education and Rite of Election - May 19th 8:15 am

First Holy Communion – 2nd June 2024, 9:00 am

Commissioning Mass - 16th June 2024, 9:00am

Confirmation

Welcome Mass – 30th June 2024, 9:00am

You can access this month’s Southern Cross with the following link.

The Southern Cross May 2024

Almighty God, whose unconditional love sustains us.

We pray for the blessing of all mothers and express our gratitude for all they do for us out of incredible love. May they be filled with laughter and joy and surrounded by love from their family and friends. We ask for good health, peace, and fulfilment as they shine their light on motherhood. May they always know their true value and worth in Your eyes and in ours.

We make these prayers in Your loving name.

Amen.

Rosemary Perre

APRIM

Term 2 has started really well at OLOR. The weather at this time of the year is wonderful and a great chance to get outside and enjoy the sunshine, the students are keen for everything that the term brings and the staff are refreshed after the holidays. This term we have lots of learning and other things planned, including Catholic Education Week, Year 3 camp, Year 6 Sleepout, a few performances and other things such as SAPSASA. We always look for how we can enhance the education experience at OLOR, and know that a variety of experiences are important as students learn what they enjoy and what they want to do as they get older.

At the start of the term I was lucky to be able to take part in the Leading with Integrity for Excellence course in Brisbane. This was a great chance for me to collaborate with other Principals from all around Australia on many different topics, from challenges such as student learning and behaviour issues, to the difficulty of an increasingly cramped curriculum, as well as the role schools play in the wider church. It showed me that no matter where the school is, what the size of it is, or what the current head office focus is, we have more in common with each other than we realise. It also gave me more drive to continue to do what I can to make improvements at OLOR for the benefit of all of the students.

Next week we celebrate Catholic Education Week. This is a chance for us to celebrate what makes our Catholic schools unique, and think about what being a Catholic school means in the world today. Our school was founded by St Mary MacKillop’s Josephite order nearly 90 years ago, to provide education to children no matter their family’s ability to pay, or the background they came from. One thing we try to promote during this special week is that Catholic schools are open to everyone. Sometimes on enrolment visits I get parents concerned that we are a ‘private’ school and they aren’t sure if they fit into that category, or that they come from a different religious background and wonder how this will be seen in a Catholic school. We openly welcome and embrace all students, no matter their background, culture, religion or history. Part of being a Catholic school is about us following the example of Jesus and inviting everyone to share the journey together.

This morning we enjoyed a cool morning walk from the Berri Plaza to school as part of Walk Safely to School Day. This day is all about us remembering that physical activity is important to all of us, and a healthy body can help us keep a healthy mind as well. It is also about giving our students an opportunity to learn about road safety and sharing spaces with traffic. We thank the Berri Police, Magic 931 and Mission Australia, who also walked with us and supported our students this morning.

This weekend, and every weekend, we wish all of our mothers, grandmothers, aunts and special female friends a fabulous Mother’s Day. Mums and female carers and role models are so important in our lives and do so much for us. This Sunday, we celebrate not only the women who gave us life but also those who nurture, support, and guide us through life's journey. Beyond their nurturing embrace, mothers are our first teachers, imparting lessons of love, kindness, and resilience. They are the pillars of strength during challenging times and the source of endless love and support. Whether it's a warm hug, a reassuring smile, or words of encouragement, mothers have an innate ability to make everything better. To all the mums out there, thank you for being the rock for our children. Happy Mother's Day!

Mr Michael Slagter
Principal

SAPSASA Netball

On Thursday Week 2, a group of nine Year 5/6 boys had the opportunity to participate in the inaugural SAPSASA Boys Netball Carnival. Being the first year of the competition, we did not know what to expect. The boys quickly developed their skills and knowledge of the game throughout their games and found a great rhythm together on the court. They worked their way through the competition, going undefeated to take out 1st place in Pool B. The boys then took on top of Pool A, Loxton Primary School, in the Grand Final. After a shaky start with Loxton up 3 – 0 in the first few minutes, the boys found their stride. Everybody played their role, and the boys were able to pull off a great win to take home the flag. A special mention goes to Van Koch for receiving a Good Sport award. Overall, the day was an amazing opportunity for the boys to have a go at a new sport and have some fun. We look forward to this event continuing in the future.

On Friday Week 2, a group of ten Year 5/6 girls participated in SAPSASA Netball in Loxton. The girls played in the division two competition and faced some great competitors. Throughout the day the girls displayed excellent sportsmanship and worked together to achieve success. The girls won all their minor round games which meant they got to play in the grand final against Barmera Primary School. It was a closely contested game with some amazing moments, however, when it came to the conclusion of the game we lost by two points. Big congratulations to Ally Sweet, who was named MVP for the division two competition.