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Last week marked National Children's Week, a time dedicated to celebrating the importance of children while promoting their rights, well-being, and development. It encourages communities to create a supportive environment where all children can thrive. I feel incredibly fortunate to work at Our Lady of the River School, which embodies this supportive atmosphere, allowing our wonderful children to flourish and be happy.
How fitting that the week concluded with World Teachers' Day, which highlights the crucial role our amazing staff play in nurturing and shaping the futures of the children entrusted to our care. Our passionate and dedicated staff advocate for the education and empowerment of all children. Their commitment to connecting with students and ensuring their happiness is evident in the countless hours they dedicate and how they interact with students and their families. This dedication is what makes our school the best place to work. I sincerely thank each staff member at Our Lady of the River School for making OLOR a joy to be a part of and a wonderful place for learning.
November - Month of Remembrance
November is known as the month of remembrance in the Catholic Church. We start the month with two important feast days: All Saints Day and All Souls Day.
On November 1st, we celebrate All Saints Day, honouring canonized and non-canonized individuals who shone their light daily, living virtuous lives and setting examples for all Christians. Saints believe that with God by their side, nothing can stop them. They take the initiative to help others and serve their communities. Saints strive to see Christ in everyone and every situation, teaching us what it means to be true disciples. They remind us that life’s most important aspects aren't our possessions, jobs, or social circles but how deeply we love God, others, and ourselves.
On All Saints Day, we express our gratitude to God for the impact these holy individuals have had on our lives. Mr. Dunn and the Year 4/5 students led a beautiful mass to celebrate this special day. They created beautiful images identifying how we can be saints in our time.
The following day, November 2nd, we celebrate All Souls Day. This day is dedicated to praying for our loved ones who have passed away. We ask God to welcome them to the joy of heaven, where they can be with Him and the Saints forever.
Jesus,
We thank you for the example set by all the saints—ordinary men and women who lived out the truth of the Gospel in their own time, addressing the needs of their day. May we learn to follow their example and cultivate generous hearts, enabling us to bring about justice in our time. Help us to walk in the footsteps of these holy individuals and embrace the challenges of the Gospel.
We ask this in your holy name.
Amen
November 11th - Remembrance Day
On November 11, 1918, an armistice was signed, marking the end of the First World War. Each year on this date, we take time to reflect on and honour the brave men and women who fought tirelessly for peace, especially from World War I onwards.
Our school will observe a one-minute moment of silence at 11:00 AM on November 11 to commemorate the courage and sacrifice of these remarkable individuals. Senior students will be attending a service at the Berri War Memorial.
Almighty God,
We remember with thanksgiving, those who made the
supreme sacrifice for us in times of war. We pray that their
selfless offering of their lives may not have been in vain. May
your grace empower us today to commit ourselves to the
causes of justice, freedom, and peace. Grant us the wisdom
and strength to create a better world.
Amen
Let us strive to shine our light, like the many people we remember in November, to make the world a better place.
In light and peace,
Rosemary Perre
APRIM
I extend a warm welcome back to all our students, families, and staff for Term 4. It’s wonderful to see everyone refreshed and ready to embrace the final term of the year.
Our Junior Primary students recently enjoyed an exciting excursion to the Berri Riverside Caravan Park and took part in some fun activities. Getting out of the school gives students a new perspective and gives them a chance to share fun experiences with those in their class as well as other students. I thank the teachers and ESOs for their initiative and support with these events.
We are eagerly anticipating the upcoming Year 4/5 and Year 6 camps. These camps provide students with unique opportunities to develop their independence, teamwork, and problem-solving skills, as well as take part in outdoor adventure activities. Again, they give students a chance to see each other in a different light and experience some of the wonderful things our state has to offer as part of the experience. We are confident that these experiences will be memorable and enriching for all involved.
We look forward to our Multicultural Celebration evening next week. This will be a great way to celebrate the diversity of our school community and the vibrant cultural mix that we are all part of. We look forward to sharing food, having fun, and maybe even a few cultural performances. We look forward to the evening and thank those who are coming and sharing.
As we head towards the end of the year, it's important to maintain a strong focus on learning and wellbeing. Please encourage your child to continue their efforts in all areas of their education. Over the coming weeks we will be finalising staffing and class placements for 2025, and information about this will be shared with families once it is finalised.
We kindly remind parents and caregivers to monitor their child's attendance and punctuality. Regular school attendance is crucial for academic success and personal development, as well as for maintaining and developing social connections.
We look forward to a productive and enjoyable Term 4.
Mr Michael Slagter
Principal
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 responding to these messages.
If have not yet given us your RSVP, please let the office know so we can confirm numbers for the evening.
Calling all OLOR students!!
Are you ready to make a lasting impact at Our Lady of the River? We invite you to design a new mascot that shows our PBIS values: respect, resilience, kindness, and trying your best.
This is your chance to be creative and represent our school spirit! Your mascot can inspire your friends to live by these important values every day. You are encouraged to design a mascot that encourages everyone to share these great traits!
Read the procedure for "How to enter our mascot competition." The 2025 mascot for the Jubilee year is included as an example of how you might consider different ways to make your mascot represent our OLOR spirit and also our PBIS values.
Talk to your friends, teachers, and family to brainstorm and bring your ideas to life!
If you have any questions or want some guidance, feel free to reach out to Mrs. Perre.
Good luck! I'm really excited to see who you all come up with as our OLOR PBIS mascot!
The Lions Club Peace Poster Competition
Congratulations to Jack Burnett for winning the Lions Club Peace Poster competition for our school. We had lots of strong entries from the Year 5/6 class. Well done to all students involved.
Rosie Clark Dance
This term, our Junior Primary students have been having lessons at Rosie Clark Dance Studio. Our students have been learning a dance that they will perform at our Christmas Concert. We have had lots of fun so far experimenting with different music, props and dance moves! Thank you to Miss Natalie and Miss Claudia for teaching our classes.
Upcoming Events:
Christmas Concert – Thursday 5th of December 6pm
Berri Carols – Sunday 8th of December 7pm
Please let your class teacher know if your child will be unable to attend the Christmas Concert, as this will affect their concert items. Thanks!
On Wednesday the 30th of October, our Junior Primary students (Foundation-Year 2) hopped on the bus and headed to the Berri Riverside Holiday Park for an excursion. We had lots of fun playing mini golf, playing on the playground and jumping pillow, and we enjoyed pizzas cooked in the wood fire oven.
Christina from RAA Street Smart came to OLOR this week to share tips and reminders about Road Safety.
Students learnt about crossing the road safely, wearing highly visible colours and how to be a safe passenger, as well as things like bike safety, how to wear a helmet correctly, and how to check your wheels are ok when riding. Older students also learnt about being safe road users, reaction times and how they are important to avoid accidents, and the importance of all safety features on bikes and in cars. The students all learnt something about how to be more responsible when getting around the community.
SAPSASA Basketball
Last Friday, nine boys from OLOR represented us proudly at the SAPSASA basketball competition in Adelaide. They displayed fantastic teamwork and a strong sense of community spirit with other schools. The team achieved three wins out of their eight games, with the final match keeping us all on the edge of our seats. A huge thank you to Mark Howie for his invaluable coaching—we couldn’t have done it without you! Your encouragement and support meant so much to the boys, who had an amazing day. Congratulations to Bode, Charlie, Adrian, Van, Troy, Emmanuel, Ashton, and Jaxon!
Good sleep has great benefits!
Sleep is like magic for babies and children! It:
- Restores Energy: Sleep helps kids feel strong and ready for the day ahead. It's like recharging their batteries!
- Boosts Learning: When babies and children sleep, their brains get supercharged, helping them remember things better and learn new stuff faster.
- Keeps Them Healthy: Sleep makes their bodies strong and helps fight off germs and illness. It's like putting on a superhero suit for their immune system!
- Helps Them Grow: Did you know that children grow when they sleep? It's true! Their bodies make a special growth hormone while they snooze.
Children Need Different Sleep at Different Ages:
- Babies need lots of sleep because they're growing super-fast.
- As children get older, they need a bit less sleep, but it's still super important.
- Sleep changes as kids grow too! Babies sleep a lot during the day, but as they get bigger, they snooze more at night like grown-ups.
How much sleep? At Raisingchildren.net.au we learn that:
- Newborns sleep on and off during the day and night. They sleep for 14-17 hours in every 24 hours.
- Babies 3-6 months usually sleep for 12-15 hours in every 24 hours.
November
Year 1 - Lilli, Hannah
Year 3 - Aradhya
Year 4 - Mia
Year 5 - Grace, Jack B
Many children will have a positive experience starting school or moving from primary to high school and despite some initial nervousness, most will settle in very quickly. However, we know some parents/carers may be very concerned about the upcoming changes e.g. buying uniforms, books or devices and that's where we can help.
What is Saver Plus?
Saver Plus is a program for people on lower incomes. It’s about enhancing financial skills, to develop (and keep) good savings habits. Since 2003, Saver Plus has supported more than 60,000 people to start saving.
Saver Plus has helped overcome the barriers around education expenses. And sets families up for a brighter future.
To be eligible You must have all of the following:
- A Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card
- An eligible Centrelink payment*
- Be studying yourself OR have a child in school (can be starting school next year)
- Have regular income from work (either yourself or your partner)* including Carers Payment / Child Support / Cash in hand
- Be 18+ years old
- Agree to join in free online financial education workshops called MoneyMinded
- Not completed Saver Plus previously
* Many types of income and Centrelink payments are eligible, see the Saver Plus terms and conditions for more information.
What are the eligible savings goals?
Eligible savings goals are education related products or services eg:
We also offer Saver Plus in 6 languages: Arabic, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Karen, Burmese, and Dari.
If families would like to check their eligibility and receive a call back please include our enquiry link - Our Saver Plus financial literacy program (thesmithfamily.com.au) or they’re welcome to call our national number 1300 610 355 and a local coordinator will contact them directly.
