15 May 2019

Newsletter Articles

School Calendar

PRAYER

We pray for all our mothers and for those who perform a motherly role in our lives.
May your energy of gentleness, love and compassion guide us in our roles to be all hat we can be as mothers and mother figures.
May we all show our mothers the honour and respect that they deserve.
Bless them all this Mother’s Day, and always.
We pray for all those who do not have a mother or whose relationship with their mother is broken; and give thanks for the people who play a motherly role to those in need.

Principals Report

Dear Parents, Caregivers and Students,

What a wonderful occasion it is for us to celebrate our mothers and the motherly figures in our lives. The first relationship we have is with our mother and it can often be the strongest. Thank you to the many mothers, grandmothers and special friends that attended our Mother’s Day Mass, before enjoying a cup of tea. I hope all mums enjoyed a special day on Sunday, full of blessings and thanks for the role they play in our lives.

Thank you to Miss Roberts and Mrs Perre for their time and effort in organising the Mass, which was a lovely acknowledgement and appreciation of all Mothers. Thank you to all of the wonderful teachers in helping the students make beautiful gifts and cards for their mums and carers.

Fundraising news!

Another big thank you to everyone who contributed something towards the fundraising efforts catering for the National Karate Academy grading day last Saturday, we raised valuable funds that will go towards this year’s school camps and excursions and reduce costs to families.

This weekend the school is hosting in our school gym the Federal Election Polling venue. We have a sausage sizzle, school garage sale and basic canteen running on the day. Again these funds will go towards reducing costs to the planned 2019 camps and excursions.

Below is a roster of those willing to assist, however, we really need more help on the day with running the canteen and selling sausages. If you are yet to contribute and are willing to do so, please contact the administration office immediately. Thank you.

NAPLAN

This week, the children in Years 3, 5 and 7 started completing in the online NAPLAN testing period. NAPLAN is undertaken by all Year 3, 5, 7 and 9 students in Australia, it includes reading, writing, language conventions and numeracy.

On Tuesday morning, before the testing period started, the teachers read this passage out to the students.

“This test does not assess all of what makes each of you exceptional and unique. The people that score these tests do not know that some of you love to sing, are good at drawing or can teach others how to use a computer program. They have not seen the way that some of you confidently dance or speak clearly to a large group. They do not know that your friends count on you to be there for them when they are sad. They do not know that you participate in sports and help your mum and dad. They do not know that you are caring, thoughtful and that every day you try to do your best.

The scores from this test will tell you how you did on that particular day, but they won’t tell you everything. They can’t tell you that you have improved on something that you once found difficult. The scores don’t measure the life skills that you already have, and will continue to develop, in order to become active citizens in our world and successful in whatever you choose to do with your life. Enjoy this opportunity to put down what you think, know and understand at this moment, appreciating that learning and growth will continue throughout your entire life.”

I encourage all parents to reassure their child about these tests. They are just a small snapshot of our child’s academic ability and one piece of information that I use to inform and evaluate the learning programs in our school now and into the future. Please keep using all the forms of communication available to you as parents and carers if you have any questions about your child’s learning. The staff and I are always available and believe it’s very important that we work together as a team to support and guide every child’s learning.

Thank you to all the parents since the beginning of this term who have made the time to attend parent teacher interviews. The teachers have found this to be of most value and have enjoyed the opportunity to meet with you and talk about the learning happening in their classrooms and for your child/ren.

School Board AGM – Wednesday 22nd May 2019

The Our Lady of the River School Annual General Meeting will be held in the Multi-purpose room on Wednesday 22nd May at 7.00pm. A crèche is available.

The purposes of the meeting are to report to the parent body on the activities of the School Board and throughout 2018/19, to outline plans for the future, present our budget and to conduct elections for the 2019/20 School Board. Refreshments will be served at the conclusion of the evening.

We would certainly like to see as many parents as possible at this meeting and I also encourage you to nominate for a position on the School Board. Involvement with the School Board is very rewarding and gives parents the opportunity to be more closely associated with the many operations of the school.

A brief outline of the role and structure of the school Board, including the responsibilities of the members of the Board, is available from the school office. The school Board usually meets for approximately one and a half hours, six times a year and discusses a range of topics including school policies, finances, buildings and facilities, promotion of the Catholic ethos and future directions. The role of the Board is viewed as being integral in sharing the responsibility of the overall wellbeing of the school.

Our current School Board membership consists of the Parish Priest: Father Paul Bourke and the Principal: Ros Oates, Chairperson: Cilla Marsden and members Naomi Hunt, Kelly Minchella, Kelly Storer, Michelle Kennedy, Rowan Cresp, Phil Cresp, Sarah Rothe and Brett Meigel. Staff representative is Rosemary Perre.

A nomination form will be sent out to families today or can be sent to you electronically by contacting the administration staff or the principal as soon as possible. Many of the School Board members named above will end their term at this AGM and we will have up to four vacancies. I thank the current board members formally at the AGM but wish to also publically thank all those parents involved in the 2018/19 School Board for their support and input into many of the exciting projects we have completed in the last 12 months, especially our most successful ‘Chocolate Carnivale’ fundraiser and our new Foundation/Year 1 classroom and library renovations.

Mrs. Ros Oates
Principal

Federal Election Update - Make your vote count for your child’s education

As we head towards a Federal Election, parents are encouraged to consider how each political party is promising to support our Catholic schools.

The National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) has asked the major political parties to respond to specific questions regarding Catholic education.

Please go to the Catholic Education South Australia website to:

• Explore the Federal Election Party Promises
• Explore other resources

To find out more go to:

Religious Education News

MOTHER’S DAY

On Sunday we celebrated Mothers’ Day. It was a chance to celebrate and give thanks for mothers all over the world and for those who are no longer with us but live forever in our memory and nourish us with their love. It is a chance to shower our Mums with gratitude and to return a little of that unconditional love and selflessness that they give so much of daily. I hope that your day with your loved ones was extremely special.

Last Thursday, 9th May, the Year 4 and 5 students hosted a beautiful Mass dedicated to Mother’s Day. I wish to extend a big thank you to everyone who sent in photos to be included in the reflection after communion. It was certainly a special end to a touching Mass. Thank you to Miss Roberts and the Year 4 and 5 students for hosting such a heart-warming Mass.

A Mother’s Love

There are times when only a mother’s love can understand our tears, can soothe our disappointments and calm all our fears.

There are times when only a mother’s love can share the joy we feel when something we’ve dreamed about quite suddenly is real.

There are times when only a mother’s faith can help us on life’s way and inspire in us the confidence we need from day to day.

For a mother’s heart and a mother’s faith and a mother’s steadfast love were fashioned by the angels and sent from God above. - Author Unknown

Sacramental Celebrations

In the coming weeks we celebrate a significant time in the faith development of children in our school community. Through the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Communion six children will celebrate their relationship in a community of faith and love. Adam Hunter will celebrate the healing sacrament of First Reconciliation. Kenzie Sweet, Mackenzie Pitt, Layla Vallelonga, Will Cresp and Eli Cresp will celebrate their First Holy Communion, a Sacrament of Initiation. We congratulate these children on their sacramental journey and wish them many blessings. Please keep our sacramental children in your prayers during this special time.

You are all very welcome to join us at our Sacramental celebrations.

First Reconciliation will be celebrated in St. Mary’s Church, Berri on Monday June 3rd at 5:30pm.

First Holy Communion will be celebrated in St. Francis Xavier’s Church on Sunday 9th June at 11:00am.

May God’s Gentle Peace be with you always…

Rosemary Perre
Religious Education Coordinator

Parish news!

There are two initiatives that will be happening this year in the Port Pirie Diocese and national level. First is the MGL Team visit from 20 June - 12 of July 2019. Second is the Australian Catholic Youth Festival in Perth from 7 - 11 Dec 2019.

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

Witness - Latest Addition

The Witness is a bi-monthly publication of the Catholic Diocese of Port Pirie. Issued every February, April, June, August, October and December.

School News

Pupil Free Days 2019 – Reminder school holidays at the end of Term 2 are 3 weeks.

Term 3 – Week 1 (Monday 22nd July – Friday 26th July) – Our Lady of the River, staff Josephite Retreat, Office 365 training and teacher observations in Catholic Schools in Adelaide.

These days are approved pupil free days. Please note these days in your diary.

WOOLWORTHS EARN AND LEARN

Our school will again be participating in the Woolworths Earn & Learn promotion this year. It’s easy for everyone to help collect stickers. Spread the word and get grandparents, neighbours and friends involved and collecting for Our Lady of the River School.

Between 1 May and 25 June 2019, collect as many stickers as you can and drop into school collection box in our school’s office area or the community collection box at Woolworths Berri.

The more stickers we collect the more resources we can get for our school. Woolworths is once again partnering with Australia’s biggest supplier of resources for school, Modern Teaching Aids. This means we’ll have access to a wide range of resources across every possible category including ICT, science, sports, mathematics, arts and crafts and more.

School News

Class news

The Year 2/3 class enjoyed learning about ANZAC day and the significance of the last post. We created a silhouette of a man playing the bugle. They all did a fantastic job.

Literacy news

As we continue the Seven Steps program into Term 2 we are focusing on students learning how to brainstorm ideas and confidently plan a piece of writing.

Planning is a crucial first step when writing. It's really hard to show students how to plan but all good stories like movies, books, poems and even jokes are all planned and all have a similar structure.

This is what it looks like

1. Start with a bang - start with an action scene or at the moment of change.
2. Backfill - inform your reader of the who, what, why while the story unfolds.
3. Complication set up - the main problem or premise is introduced
4. A pebble sized problem
5. A Rock size problem to increase the tension
6. A boulder size problem to keep the reader on the edge of their seat; the stakes are high!
7. Climax - the character triumphs against the odds
8. Character resolution - the characters inner story is all wrapped up.

Once our students master this basic structure, they can plan more effectively and this will really improve their writing. In class students are using story graphs to track the planning of narratives. This planning will then move into other genre styles such as informative and persuasive texts.

I’ve added some photos of the Year 4/5 class brainstorming and planning stories this week.

Happy Planning!
Melanie Steele

Two nations reading together – Our Lady of the River School will participate with over 1 million other students from Australia and New Zealand.

The 19th National Simultaneous Storytime event, is hosted by the Australian Library and Information Association. Each year a picture book is selected for a simultaneous read-aloud event held in libraries, schools, pre-schools, family homes, childcare centres, bookshops, children’s hospitals and communities across Australia and New Zealand, where two nations read together as one.

This year, the selected story is Alpacas with Maracas by Matt Cosgrove. Alpacas with Maracas is the sequel to Australia’s best-selling picture book, Macca the Alpaca. Matt will be reading his book aloud to the nation, along with two very special (and adorable) guest alpacas!

To help celebrate this massive literacy event, Scholastic Australia will be gifting children who attend participating hospitals a copy of Alpacas with Maracas through the Book Bunker and Starlight Express. The aim is to connect as many children as possible—who are currently undergoing hospital treatment—through the power of storytelling.

Scholastic Australia is proud to support ALIA and this wonderful initiative. Last year we saw over 1 million kids join in the campaign. This year we aim to drive the numbers of participants even higher to help promote the importance of reading and literacy for children. At Our Lady of the River the class teachers will read one of the many Matt Cosgrove books in his Alpaca series.

Sports News

Sapsasa News

Netball Carnival

Fantastic effort by our girls who represented the school at Sapsasa Netball last Friday. The girls finished 3rd overall in our school group and had a lot of fun. They all displayed great teamwork, encouragement and support for each other! Thank you to Miss Drogemuller for coaching, to Layne Fenwick for umpiring, to Ella Kassebaum for the photos and to the parents who supported the team all day in wintery conditions!

Congratulations to Zoe S, Meg O, Abby F and Amelia M on being selected as part of the initial Riverland Netball training squad. Good luck in your upcoming trials!

Football Carnival

At the same time as the Netball team, Yianni E, Matt S, Ross S, Ryder H and Molly W played in the footy carnival for the Berri region. The team finished third with 2 wins and 2 losses. Molly W came 4th in the MVP for the carnival with two best on ground achievements as voted by the umpires. An excellent achievement being the only girl in the team and one of only four girls at the carnival.

Congratulations to Matt S for being selected in the initial Riverland Football training squad. We wish you all the best in being selected Matthew!

Riddle of the Week

I have an eye but am blind, a sea, but no water; a bee, but no honey; Tea but no coffee; and a why, but no answer. What am I?

Quote of the Week

Apart from education, you need good health, and for that, you need to play sports.

- Kapil Dev

Yours in Sport,
Mr Cotter

Special Events

PLEASE REFER TO the school website or SZApp for all school year calendar dates.

REMINDERS

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.

Policy Documents

School Uniforms

We would like to make aware to OLOR families we have a large collection of second hand uniforms in good condition. If any families are interested please see Pat or Sandy in the front office.

TERM 2 Reminders

Community News

Kidshotz Photography

Happy Birthday!