16 October 2019

Newsletter Articles

School Calendar

PRAYER

Prayer - Missions

Empower us by the gifts of the Holy Spirit
to be courageous and zealous
in bearing witness to the Gospel,
so that the mission entrusted to the Church,
which is still very far from completion,
may find new and efficacious expressions
that bring life and light to the world.

Help us make it possible for all peoples
to experience the saving love
and mercy of Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
One God, forever and ever.
Amen.

Principals Report

Dear Parents, Caregivers and Students,

Welcome back to our last term of the year. It was so exciting, when I popped in briefly at the beginning of the week, to see all the students return happy and refreshed for what I am sure it is going to be a busy Term 4. We can all look forward to many exciting activities over the coming months, especially our school musical/dance production ‘Young Hercules’ next week, 2019/20 transition for new Receptions, our Year 7’s to High School, excursions and our end of year celebrations. Please continue to access the school’s app, SZapp for all calendar updates and information.

Volunteers Needed Please

We are looking for a convenor (Mrs. Oates is on long service leave) and volunteers to help us cater for breakfast and lunch on Saturday 19th October (this Saturday) in the school gym canteen. 1 to 2 hours of your time to run a basic canteen will be most appreciated. (note sent home to families Monday)

OLOR is hosting the National Karate Academies grading day and this is a great fundraising activity for our school. Please let the administration staff know of your availability.

Principal Cumulative Appraisal

At the end of October I will be involved in a cumulative appraisal of my leadership at Our Lady of the River School. This appraisal is in keeping with policies that apply to Diocesan school leaders in Catholic Education SA.

As a part of this process an invitation is open to all community members who should wish to contribute to this appraisal process. The community is invited to complete an online questionnaire available through the survey monkey link sent home on Monday 14th October. The survey closes on Friday 25th October 2019 at 9.00 am. The information you share will be treated in strict confidence. No individuals or their responses will be identified and only summary information will be shared with the panel and myself as a part of this process. I would really appreciate your support with this process. It aims to offer the opportunity for community feedback of any nature for me to reflect upon as I continue my principal role at Our Lady of the River School.

Final Note

I’m absent for this first week of Term Four, returning to work on Monday, October 21. Hopefully, feeling refreshed and fit after my 300km bike ride with the ‘Wheel to Walk’ team from Paruna to Adelaide. The school is in good hands with Mrs. Rosemary Perre again acting as my proxy. I am grateful to Rosemary for her ongoing support and leadership development in this regard.

Mrs. Ros Oates
Principal

Religious Education News

PLENARY COUNCIL UPDATE

Last Term I provided you with the six National Themes for Discernment as part of Phase Two of the Plenary Council. For each of the themes, a snapshot report was created to see a sample of the voices and answers that inspired this theme.

The document below is a snapshot of the second National Theme for Discernment – How is God calling us to be a Christ-Centred Church that is Inclusive, Participatory and Synodal.

This National Theme for Discernment is inspired by the voices of the People of God who expressed a desire for individuals and groups within and also beyond the Church, to find a better welcome and be incorporated more into her life and mission. There was a call to renew forms of governance and leadership in the Church, to find ways formally and informally of being co-responsible for ministry and mission, seeking structures and processes of collaboration, shared decision-making and financial co-responsibility in order to enable this greater involvement of lay people particularly of women, young people, people of diverse cultural backgrounds and people with disabilities. There was an expressed need for stronger connections across the many parts of the Church, and with other Christian traditions.

OLOR’s Art Exhibition and Mission Month Fundraiser

Celebrate the inner artist in your child!

On October 22nd – The night of our school performance, you will have the opportunity to view the artrageous artistic talent of the Our Lady of the River Students. Throughout the year, students have created artworks inspired by world famous artists. These artworks will be on display in the hall for viewing prior to the whole school performance.

The artwork will remain on display for the remainder of the week. We invite you to purchase your child’s artwork for a donation of $5, or if you feel your child’s artwork is deserving of a higher donation, you could then make a donation of your choice.

Staff will be in the hall on Friday the 25th October after school to collect donations and distribute artwork. If this time is inconvenient, could you please let me know and we can make different arrangements.

The money raised will fund a couple of projects in October outlined below. With this exhibition you get to brighten up your home with an amazing unique artwork created by the students at Our Lady of the River School as well as brighten the future of a child in need. It is a win-win initiative.

Assist A Student

Fundraising can make a real difference in the lives of children. This year OLOR has decided to assist a student via the St. Vinnies Assist a Student program. A donation of $70 will provide education funds to a student in a poverty-stricken country for one year. This will include the provision of course fees, uniforms, books etc. One of the most positive ways of helping families in need throughout Asia and the Pacific to become self-sufficient is through education. With our help a student in one of St. Vinnie’s partnering countries - Fiji, India, Indonesia, Kiribati, Myanmar, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand might become empowered enough to break their cycle of poverty. We may even be able to assist two students.

We will receive the following information about the student we assist – Their name, country and course of study. I look forward to sharing this information with you in the future.

If you would like to assist a student of your own, please follow the link below.

The Extraordinary Missionary Month - Catholic Missions

In 2019, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Pope Benedict XV's Apostolic Letter Maximum Illud, Pope Francis announced the Extraordinary Missionary Month October 2019. Pope Francis has chosen the theme 'Baptised and Sent: The Church of Christ on Mission in the World'. The Extraordinary Missionary Month is an invitation for all to join in and do something extraordinary for mission.

This year, students across Australia are encouraged to learn about how the Church in Ghana is taking a lead in providing life-saving care to children with disability and fostering their personal development for a brighter future. We hope to fulfil our missionary service with funds raised from our art exhibition.

Sometimes the smallest contributions can have the biggest impact. We never know when a simple act of helping someone will cause a long-lasting, positive ripple effect in the world. This is my hope for Our Lady of the River School’s mission, to help one child break free from the cycle of poverty and for this to have that positive ripple effect throughout the world.

Wishing you God’s Gentle Peace always.

Rosemary Perre
Religious Education Coordinator.

God Speed, Mrs Oates.

Today is a most exciting day for Mrs Oates as she begins her ride from Paruna to Adelaide to raise funds for and awareness of spinal injuries in support of her good friend, Charles Brice. Mrs Oates you are an inspiration to us all at Our Lady of the River School, we wish you safe travels. You will be in our thoughts and prayers daily as you embark on this amazing expedition.

May God be your companion to guide you and protect you each kilometre you cycle. May God’s grace support you when you grow tired and welcome you safely on your arrival in Adelaide.

Enjoy every minute! We will be waiting to see updated posts on our Facebook page!

If you have not yet had the opportunity to support Mrs. Oates and you would like to do so, please follow the link and donate.

Walk One for Type One Diabetes

Lilly Andrews, our resident Year One Juvenile Diabetes ambassador, together with her amazing mother Chelsea are hosting JDRF’s One Walk fundraiser on Sunday 3rd November at the Barmera Football Oval. This is a fun and engaging day for the family to raise awareness of and vital funds for continued research to hopefully one day discover a cure for Type One Diabetes. Some of the activities available include face- painting, a jumping castle raffle and silent auction. The Murray Man Triathalon and the Barmera Main Street Markets will also be in full swing on the same day. So why not make a day of it in support of our Beautiful Lilly, who was diagnosed with Type One Diabetes in late 2017, since then, Lilly and her family have had to make major adjustments daily to help manage the condition.

If you are unable to be present in person on the day, perhaps you could support Chelsea with a donation of a prize to be auctioned off in the silent auction. Chelsea is hoping to reach out to family businesses to assist with raising funds. If you are able to contribute, you can contact Chelsea on her mobile 0400 746 481 or via email at chelsearogers@live.com.au

OLOR BLUE DAY – Friday 1st November

Our Lady of the River School will once again host our BLUE DAY to support Lilly on her journey. On Friday 1st November, students are invited to dress in JDRF’s iconic cobalt blue and bring in a $2 donation. We will host our own OLOR mini Walk One for Diabetes.

Rosemary Perre
Religious Education Coordinator.

Wheel to Walk

If you would like to support Mrs Oates – please follow the link and donate.

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

Literacy

I want to share with a great article written by Dr Lillian Fawcett (creator of the Cracking the ABC Code) about how parents can engage reluctant readers at home.

As one of her tips is to find out what other kids are reading I will be including in the newsletter books that kids have really enjoyed that you may want to recommend to your child.

Regular reading and fostering the love of reading is incredibly important to all teachers at Our Lady of the River, we have lots of new and exciting books for students to enjoy.

Class library borrowing day is Wednesday, students are also able to return and borrow throughout the week with an adult.

Getting Past the Boring Bit

Many older children, especially reluctant readers, quickly stop reading their chosen book, usually with the reason that, ‘It is boring!’

Many of these children choose books based on the illustration on the cover of the book and perhaps the title. This means that there is often a mismatch between the actual story and the children’s expectation based on the cover illustration. When they do start to read, they will often lose interest before reading to the end of the first chapter or even the first page. This occurs because the first chapter of a book usually introduces the characters and sets the scene and consequently is not particularly riveting reading.

How do we help these children?

If children do not have the reading stamina or the skills to read through the first chapter, they will lose interest before the book becomes exciting.

Initially, read the first chapter to get your child ‘hooked into the story’. You need to learn to differentiate between a child saying the book is boring because it is too difficult or challenging to read versus it not really being a story that is interesting. If the child will happily sit and listen to you read the story, then it is likely that it is the first rather than the second issue.

Encourage your child to read books from a series. If your child likes the first book he/she will know it’s worthwhile persevering through the first chapter for the other books in the series. Your child will also be familiar with the setting, the characters and the author’s writing style which makes it easier for him/her to access the storyline.

Find out what other children are reading and encourage your child to read the same book. This way your child will be able to discuss the book with other children and become inspired by their enthusiasm.

Set aside time for reading each day – making it a part of your child’s bedtime routine makes it easier to ensure there is time to read.

During the day on the weekend at any random time, read some of your child’s book but stop part way through a chapter or at an exciting part and make an excuse to go off and leave him/her to continue reading independently.

Acknowledge and accept that it is okay for your child to sometimes be reading books that are easy or have larger font. If your child can easily read and understand the text, then he/she is more likely to enjoy the book.

Make sure your child sees you reading novels. Discuss the books you are reading, what you are enjoying and what is difficult. Children need to know that sometimes we, as adult readers, find the first chapter boring or that some parts can be slow moving.

Happy Reading!

Melanie Steele

Sports News

Sapsasa News

Yours in Sport,
Mr Cotter
Physical Education Coordinator

Car Park Safety

Can I remind everyone once again to be absolutely diligent at the 3.10pm pick-up time, especially on Verran Terrace. NO Parents should be parked across the road on the housing side of Verran Terrace. Please hold children’s hands when walking to cars and keep everyone safe. If there is not sufficient parking the church car park is often free.

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.

Community News

Our dental practice Dental Care @ Berri (24 Wilson Street) is now offering Bulk-Billing to those eligible for the (CDBS) Child Dental Benefit Scheme, meaning you may be entitled to gain access to $1,000 worth of treatment per child over 2 calendar years.

The CDBS is a government scheme that covers routine examination & hygiene appointments and in most cases other general dental services including x-rays, fillings, fissure seals and more. We have experienced & gentle Oral Health Therapists to care for your child and their smile.

Call us today to arrange an appointment on 8582 5566 or for more information on eligibility visit the Department of Human Services website.

Happy Birthday!