5 September 2018

Newsletter Articles

School Calendar

PRAYER

Principals Report

Last Sunday was Father’s Day. I hope you all had the opportunity to thank fathers and male role models for their love and support, but to also celebrate the blessing they are in our lives, and to pray for God’s blessing upon them. The staff and children worked really hard on their gifts this year and we really hope their gifts were something special to give on the day.

NAPLAN Online 2019

ACARA (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority) is moving NAPLAN online. This means moving NAPLAN from the current paper-based tests to computer-based assessments. The transition, training and preparation, to NAPLAN online was carried out by the teachers in Years 3, 5 and 7 last week.

In 2019, students in Year 3 and 5 will sit the NAPLAN testing online.

For more information on NAPLAN online, please visit the following website.

The Importance of Sleep

Recently, the teachers and I have become aware of many children being lethargic and lacking sleep when coming to school. The students in many cases are very honest and let us know they are sitting up late at night watching YouTube, Netflix and playing video games. Please take a look at the article attached below that could be relevant to your child who is suffering a lack of sleep. There are many other consequences of poor sleep but this one is worth taking note of.

According to UniSA research, a child’s bedtime and how well they sleep at night can impact their eating choices, causing them to skip breakfast and eat more junk food.

Getting Kids Outdoors ‘Mud Day’ Obstacle Course

Last Friday 31st of August, the staff and I organised a day of challenging fun at the Loveday 4x4 Adventure Park. It was fantastic to see the children play positively, explore more and see the benefits of being outdoors. This was a planned activity to encourage and compliment the ‘Growth Mindset’ activities of having a go, taking a risk and helping others.

The ACARA (Australian, Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority) website states;

‘Nature provides something for everyone regardless of age, culture, physical disposition or level of disadvantage. The outdoor learning environment cuts across multiple curriculum areas, engaging students of all ages in open-ended interactions, spontaneity, discovery, exploration, risk-taking and connection to nature. The calmness and sensory nature of the outdoor environment, means there is a place for everyone, regardless of age, culture, physical disposition or level of disadvantage.’

All the students who did attend the day said they loved the experience and opportunity to participate, even in the cold weather. The photos in the album below show just a snippet of the fun we all had.

When children experience problems at OLOR

In recent times, we have overheard a few children when they have been frustrated by something say,….. “I’m just going to leave this school!”

There have also been a number of small reports from concerned parents that their child has come home really upset from school about a mis-treatment issue or incident that has happened at school. Once informed about this, the staff and I act immediately. Unfortunately in most cases the staff and I have had no insight of the issue or event because the child/children have not reported what happened to us at school. What we witness most of the time are children really happy and having a great day of learning. If something is reported to us, I assure you the staff and I are really vigilant in recording and reporting to parents.

As a whole school we have also been working really hard on modelling strategies for the children to use when they feel upset or if they have been mis-treated. We have ‘Growth Mindset’ ideas in all classes and reminders continually at daily assemblies.

The staff and I are accessible to all students regularly throughout the day and pride ourselves on helping the children work through strategies of how to deal with mis-treatment.

We acknowledge that we are all human and make mistakes. It’s very important that we get the opportunity to work through problems, teach the children resilience and strategies of reporting so that everyone can learn from these experiences. The resolution is not just moving away from the problem, that does not build life skills in forgiveness, resilience and acceptance. I encourage all parents to please read the following attachment from Michael Grose. The seven point checklist is very important.

1. Be empathetic first
2. Stay calm and take your time
3. Get all the facts
4. Assess whether to go to school or not
5. Use the right channels if you take the issue to school
6. Look for solutions rather than blame
7. Stay in touch

If you are worried, concerned or thinking your child does need to move to a different school environment, please don’t discuss this around your child. It is important that you at least give the Principal the courtesy and time of discussing the matter so that we can establish a suitable solution. Moving a child from school to school can cause more stress and anxiety for a child if it is not for the correct reasons.

PLEASE READ THE NEWSLETTERS CAREFULLY. Everything you need to know about the school week and dates is on the school app. (SZapp) You can download on all smartphones and tablets for free. We get a lot of phone calls & text about events and programs that have been advertised widely.

Sport Days – Mondays (Mr. Cotter: Whole school).
Thursdays (Class teachers: Foundation, Year 1, 2 and Years 4/5)
Friday (Class teachers: Year 3 and Years 6/7)

A reminder that full day uniform is to be worn on other days. Sandshoes only on sport days.

Ros Oates
Principal

Religious Education News

Petticoat Lane Annual Fundraiser for St Catherine’s

Thank you to the Year 6/7 students, Charlie G, Jaden I, Alex H, Ella K, Francesco V and Macey E who willing volunteered to help at the St Catherine’s major event ‘Petticoat Lane’ on Friday 31st August at the Berri Senior Citizens hall. The students helped with distributing tea and coffee and clearing tables on the day. They also enjoyed talking to many of the people who attended and seeing some familiar faces.

The latest edition of the Southern Cross features all the latest news and information on our Catholic community. Click on the following link below.

Latest Addition

SCHOOL NEWS & EVENTS

CLASS NEWS

Congratulations

Well done to Riley Halupka for successfully completing his Multisensory Reading program with his tutor Mrs. Rosemary Perre. Since the inception of the ‘Cracking the ABC Code’ program, the staff and I have taken on a tutoring role, after hours, with individual students and their parents to support and help students with their reading. Riley and his parents are very proud of Riley’s recent achievement. He is now a more confident person and reader, setting him up for success in his future learning.

Cracking the ABC Code Tips for Parents

Learning to spell words correctly is a difficult skill and it is a skill that is even more challenging for children with learning and attention issues. This article explores the impact of various learning difficulties on spelling and suggests a range of strategies: Spelling and Learning Difficulties.

'e' on the end of words is very confusing. This video explains the various reasons for the 'e'. 'e' on the End.

Art work

In Art, we made watercolour paintings on paper and made them into our Father’s Day Shirt Cards. Students had a lot of fun creating their personalised paper and turning it into their cards for their Dads.

Year 6 and 7 Tag Rugby News

On Friday 24th August, the senior students competed in the NRL Tag Rugby Carnival held at the Berri Oval.

All players played extremely well, the event was a fantastic opportunity for our OLOR students to display their good sportsmanship. The boys’ team was amazing, they won three of their four games and battled for 3rd place in the final. They played hard, but were defeated, taking home 4th place for the day.

Our girls had an exceptionally strong team, and proudly brought the runners up trophy back to OLOR. The girls played phenomenally and won each of their four games for the day. The girls then played in the finals to take home the title. They gave their all and at the whistle the scores were tied. The game went into overtime, however unfortunately our girls were defeated for the game. The year 6 and 7 class wish to extend a massive thank you to Mr. Cotter for organising our participation in the carnival. Congratulations to our senior students on their sporting achievement and also on their outstanding behaviour. They represented our school well.

Zoo Snooze Report

Last week the Year 2 and Year 3 classes stayed overnight at the Adelaide Zoo. For many of the students this was their very first overnight camp and all students coped extremely well. The two days consisted of learning and observing many zoo animals and their behaviours in their enclosures and environment. As a group we also observed at night the behaviours of the nocturnal animals and learnt about how the zoo accommodates for the feeding and well-being of all the animals in their care. Students from both classes will present their research and reports from the Zoo Snooze experience at this week’s assembly on Friday.

Thank you to Mr. Pitt, Mr. Rundell, Mrs. Strong, Mrs. Kregar and Mr. Vallelonga for their support and assisting during the overnight stay.

SPORTS DAY NEWS

Sapsasa News!

Our year 6/7 girls’ basketball team have been very fortunate to be offered a place to compete at the State Basketball Championships in Adelaide in week 9. We wish the girls and Miss Drogemuller all the best at the Championships!

Riddle of the Week

Last newsletter: Only one; the last brick you put in will complete it.

I look at you, you look at me, I raise my right, you raise your left. What is this object?

Quote of the Week

Playgroup

Come along to B.O.P.P.E.R.S. (Berri OLOR Planned Playgroup Early Readiness for School) on Tuesdays 9am till 11am. There are a lovely group of young children and their carers enjoying our opportunity for free play, structured games and craft activities. Please let friends and family know in the community.

Fortnight Reminders

Community News

Berri Blazer

Berri Blazers Basketball Trials September 5th, 12th, 19th, 26th @ Toyota Arena.

Boys and Girls will trial at the same time on separate courts.

All enquires to Chrissy Lefty 0448887754 or Mandy O’Leary 0427973685

Happy Birthday!