Filter Content
Made in the Image of God
Your child will participate in the Human Sexuality Curriculum 'Made in the Image of God' (MITIOG) during the next two weeks of this term.
Mary Mackillop Feast Day
Mary MacKillop, recognised as Australia's first saint, achieved greatness through her humble beginnings and unwavering determination. Despite financial struggles and opposition from authorities, she remained dedicated to her mission of educating and caring for the poor, especially children in remote areas. Her legacy is celebrated not only for her pioneering work in education but also for her embodiment of love, selflessness, and devotion to God. To honour this inspirational woman, we're celebrating her Feast Day on August 8th. Students are invited to dress in late 1800s to early 1900s fashion, reflecting the era in which Mary MacKillop lived. On this day, our Year 2 and 3 students will lead a whole school and parish Mass at 9:00 AM. No donations are required; this is a fun way to celebrate OLOR’s founding saint, St. Mary MacKillop, who made a significant difference in her community by standing up for the underprivileged and fighting for justice. We warmly invite everyone in our school community to join us in celebrating the life of this remarkable woman. For costume ideas, please see the attached image.
Our Lady of the River Parish 10th Birthday Celebrations
Next Sunday, 11th August, Our Lady of the River Parish is celebrating 10 years of our 6 Mass centres (Loxton, Waikerie, Morgan, Berri, Barmera, and Renmark) amalgamating as one Parish. The celebration will begin with a Mass at 11:00am, followed by a shared lunch and presentations. All members of the OLOR community are warmly welcome to attend.
You can access this month’s Southern Cross with the following link.
The Southern Cross August 2024
This week’s prayer is inspired by our MITIOG program.
Heavenly Father,
We stand in awe of Your incredible power and wisdom in creating us in Your own image, a testament to Your boundless love and grace.
We are deeply grateful for Your unconditional love, which calls us into a profound relationship with You and with one another.
Help us to mirror Your divine love in all our interactions, preserving the dignity of every person we encounter.
May Your Spirit guide us to reflect Your compassion and understanding, fostering connections built on respect and kindness. In Your infinite love, teach us to cherish and uplift each other, honoring the sacredness of every life You have lovingly fashioned.
Amen.
In love and light,
Rosemary Perre
APRIM
We have had a great start to Term 3 and everyone is back in the swing in the classrooms. We have welcomed 7 students into our Foundation class as part of our Mid-Year intake this term. We also have 6 new Bright Start students joining us for the first time as they begin their journey to starting school at the beginning of next year. It is great to see the ongoing interest in our school. If you know anyone who is considering sending their child here next year, tell them to get in contact with us to get the process started soon.
On our Student Free Day, we did lots of learning and planning for the term ahead. We outlined the PBIS structures and routines that we will
be focussing on this term, and developed lesson plans so all students know what they need to do to achieve success. We also looked at our NAPLAN and report data to review what we are doing for those students who need more support, as well as extending those students who need a bit more. We have spent a lot of time and effort setting up our intervention across the school this year, and look forward to seeing continued improvement as the year goes on.
Last week we received our full NAPLAN results for our Year 3 & 5 students who sat the tests in March this year. As mentioned, the staff have looked at the data and will use this to inform and guide our future staff professional development and focuses for improvement. We were particularly pleased with our Year 3 cohort who performed above national averages in most areas. Our Year 5 results were mostly as expected, and we were pleased that most of our Year 5 students had average or above growth since their Year 3 tests. We look forward to using the data to help support school improvement going forward.
Our Wakakirri troupe has been busy finalising their performance in preparation of their showcase at the Norwood Concert Hall in Week 3. Miss De-Gregorio has been fine-tuning the dance and the students are excited for the opportunity to perform with other schools on stage in Adelaide. It promises to be a big day, but also a fun one. We thank Miss D for her co-ordination and mentoring of the group and bringing all of the plans together. I can’t wait to see the final product!
Miss De-Gregorio has also been working hard with the school choir for the Riverland Music Festival in Week 5. This involves lots of practice at school, as well as with our cluster, in preparation for the big night at the Chaffey Theatre. As we head towards the performance night we wish the choir well in their final preparations.
This term promises to be another great one with lots of events and happenings. We look forward to all of the wonderful opportunities that this brings for learning, not only in the class, but also out and about in the community.
Mr Michael Slagter
Principal
We are very excited for our upcoming performances this term.
In Week 3 on Friday our Wakakirri troupe will head to Adelaide to perform at the Norwood Concert Hall. Thank you to everyone who has participated in Wacky Wednesdays this term to help us raise funds for our travel expenses. This week we loved seeing everyone’s wacky hairdos! Next week is a casual day on Wednesday for our last Wacky Wednesday.
In Week 5 on Tuesday our choir will be performing at the Riverland Primary Schools’ Music Festival. Tickets are now on sale at the Chaffey Theatre website if you would like to come and support our singers!
Miss D
Arts Coodinator
A reminder to please inform the school each day when your child is absent from school, as we need to record a reason for their absence (illness, family reasons, appointment etc). You may message on Seesaw, fill in the form on the Schoolzine app (SZapp), or phone the school. If we do not hear from you, student absences are recorded as 'Unapproved Absences' (and if there are too many of these throughout the term it is automatically reported to the government as persistent unapproved absences).
We do send SMS messages each day to try and find reasons for any unapproved absences, and appreciate parents resonding to these messages.
This year's Book Week theme is 'Reading is Magic'. Each class has picked 2 books from the CBCA Shortlisted Books of the year, and will present their work to the school in the Hall on Monday 19th August, at 9.00 am.
Children are encouraged to dress up as their favourite book character for our parade, which will take place in week 5 on Thursday 22nd August, at 9.00 am in the Hall.
A reminder that the Challenge closes on the 6th September, and I hope students have been busy reading! Please return all completed PRC forms to their class teacher or myself, and encourage children to continue reading to finish the Challenge. Thank you.
Kind regards,
Sandra Sando
The Australian Primary Principal’s Association (APPA) is committed to supporting families in ensuring every child has the best start in life. They have partnered with leading paediatrician Prof Frank Oberklaid of The Murdoch Children’s Research Institute to produce the Thrive with Five paper.
In the first 1000 days of a child's life, their brain grows really fast. Every time they see, hear, or touch something, it helps their brain make new connections. Eating healthy food and getting good sleep are very important because they help the child grow strong. When parents show love and care, it helps the child feel safe and learn to trust others. Playing and exploring help children learn to talk and become curious, which makes learning easier as they get older.
Families benefit from a supportive community, ensuring both they and the child thrive. Our school is part of a supportive community, and we want to partner with families to shape a lifetime of benefits for every child.
Our school newsletter will share information about the important five: play, talk, read, eat well and sleep. Share these ideas with friends and family. Be a ripple for a bright future!
August
Foundation - Kashana
Year 1 - Bodee
Year 2 - Luca, Mary, Shagun
Year 4 - Gurion
Year 5 - Troy
Year 6 - Anna, Harriet
