11 November 2019

Newsletter Articles

School Calendar

PRAYER

Loving Father, your Spirit draws us together into a family of love. With the help of Jesus our brother may we truly embrace the gifts you have given us and show your love
to the world in the way we use them.
We ask this in Jesus’ name confident that you will hear us.

Amen.

Principals Report

Dear Parents, Caregivers and Students,

Last Thursday and Friday we had our annual School Sports Days and whilst the weather wasn’t the best resulting in us changing the timetable over two days and the venue from the Berri town oval back to our school grounds, the last minute change brought with it a wonderful opportunity in a number of ways. Everyone was very flexible providing a more friendly experience with parents and spectators who could attend one or both of the days. The children all competed well and more importantly displayed great sportsmanship supporting not only their teammates but their competitors as well. Thank you to all the parents for you positive feedback regarding the format and understanding regarding the need for the changes. Thanks to our Sports Captains for entering into the spirit of the day and leading their Colour Teams with great care and enthusiasm. Thanks to all the parents who came along and volunteered with the events, it was great to see so the helpers both days. Thanks also the wonderful staff of Our Lady of the River School for their support and encouragement of all our students. Special thanks to the team of students and Mr. Cotter that did all the set up and pack up, twice, to ensure a very smooth and organised event occurred. Finally, a very special thank you must go to Mr. Cotter who managed to come up with a revised format in a short period of time, leaving nothing out and managing all the changes in resources to and from both venues. Thank you to all the parents who came along as spectators, your presence is greatly appreciated by the children and always enhances the experience for our students. Please refer to the sports report for more information and results.

Thank you to all our school families who took part in the Have your Say Survey conducted during last term. As you will be aware, Catholic Education South Australia (CESA) and Department of Education schools are moving Year 7 to secondary settings by 2022. As part of this transition, CESA is considering the possibility of expanding their education offering in some regional locations where there is currently no Catholic Education pathway beyond Year 6. Your survey responses, together with those received from another 600 families across regional SA, and alongside further demographic analysis, have informed the ongoing work of the Regional Schools Pathways Project Team. The South Australian Commission for Catholic Schools (SACCS) met in September and received the preliminary findings of this research and analysis.

The Commission has confirmed that all Catholic primary schools in the Riverland will become R – 6 schools from 2022. In 2022 the current Year 4 class will be our graduating students that year in Year 6.

In addition, further research will be undertaken to explore the feasibility of establishing a new 7 – 12 secondary Catholic school in Renmark, which would provide a secondary pathway for all Catholic primary schools in our region. A range of possible town locations and school structures were considered, with Renmark deemed the most suitable and feasible location for a new 7-12 Catholic secondary school to be established. More detailed feasibility work will continue throughout 2019 and early 2020. Our school community will receive further information as outcomes become known, and we will keep you updated. This is exciting news for our region.

School Board News!

The following members of our community make up the current OLOR School Board moving into the 2020 school year. Every member of the School Board plays and important role in nurturing and strengthening the Catholic culture of the school. The main role of the board is to ensure we work towards our school vision where all people feel supported and valued. We are a community-building group open to input and will provide hospitality towards visitors, all staff, students and parents, as well as members of the local community.

At the last meeting, I presented a number options for our 2020 class structure and a model for school tuition fees moving forward. All of this was based around the decision the South Australian Commission for Catholic Schools (SACCS) made regarding OLOR being a R-6 Primary School in 2022.

When considering class structures for 2020, there is consultation with school board members, staff and a draft model(s) constructed using the following principles: classroom availability, learning needs of the students; teacher expertise in year levels, social/emotional/behavioural needs; family/sibling/friend combinations and the available resources of the school to accommodate quality and expert teaching staff. Class size is also a very important consideration, along with ESO support. The board meets again in November to approve the final model after which time I will write to the community to advise of the outcome. In addition to this the school board will present a 3 year fees schedule outlining to families the approximate costs for tuition and the discounts available.

Other School Board matters included setting a date for the next Chocolate Carnivale, which will be held on Saturday 4th April, 2020. Any interested parents wishing to be involved with the organisation of this event, we will have our first meeting on Friday 29th November at 4pm in the school Multi-purpose room. All welcome to attend. The next School Board ‘Working Bee’ is on Sunday 17th November. Please see the roster below or volunteer if you were unable to make the previous working bee last term.

School Fee statements have also been sent home last week. As this is the last term of the school year, please ensure all school fees are settled by 22nd November, 2019 unless you have a repayment plan with us. Should you be experiencing any financial difficulties please contact me to discuss possible options.

St Vinnies Christmas Appeal

As we approach the Christmas Season, it is time to ask for your generosity as we consider those families who do it tough at this time of year. Many families are struggling with costs and low income. Our St Vinnies appeal for Christmas toys for children commences this week. We ask that you label your toy as boy or girl and the expected age you intend the gift to go towards. There will be a collection box in the administration office.

St Vinnies are also in need of non-perishable Christmas hamper food items. These include Christmas puddings, cake, long-life milk, canned goods etc. Please feel free to pop any donations into the administration office leading up to the end of the term. Thank you.

Mrs. Ros Oates
Principal

Religious Education News

PLENARY COUNCIL 2020 UPDATE

This fortnight I provided you with the fourth of 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 fourth National Theme for Discernment – Humble, Healing and Merciful.

This National Theme for Discernment is inspired by the voices of the People of God who expressed a deep and faith-filled trust in God and a need for lament and healing within the Church, acknowledging the sexual abuse crisis as a turning point for the Church in Australia. It identified the need for relationship and reconciliation among many within the Catholic community, and with the wider Australian society, particularly with Australia’s First Peoples and with all of creation. A desire was expressed for stronger prayer and sacramental life and more effective outreach to those who seek healing, as a renewed openness to and sign of God’s mercy.

God of beauty and God of truth,

Everything in your creation is connected, for all share a common origin in your creating hand.

Fill us with a spirit of praise, gratitude, wisdom, and courage, that we might care for creation and not misuse it, ensure that its goods are shared in justice with all our brothers and sisters, and speak out on its behalf whenever it is threatened.

Amen.

Planet Ark's National Recycling Week (Monday 11 to Sunday 17 November 2019) is the annual opportunity for councils, workplaces, schools and individuals to brush up on their knowledge and become successful recyclers. Australians are willing recyclers with 90% of us agreeing that it is the right thing to do. It is a great reminder that we all have our role to play in the care for our common home.

At OLOR we encourage our students to rethink what we usually toss in the garbage and make a concerted effort to decrease the amount of waste we produce. The image above has some pointers to help us achieve this goal. It has been shared in classrooms and we encourage you to consider some of these actions in your own homes. Thank you to all of the families who have taken up our Nude Food Challenge. It is fabulous to see less waste in lunch boxes with your help we are on our way to creating a healthier planet.

To live in a better world, the United Nations, together with 193 member states, set 17 goals for 2030. These goals universally apply to all countries and will rally efforts to end all forms of poverty, fight inequalities and tackle climate change, while ensuring that no one is left behind.

These goals are unique in that they call for action by all countries, poor, rich and middle-income to promote prosperity while protecting the planet. They recognise that ending poverty must go hand-in-hand with strategies that build economic growth and addresses a range of social needs including education, health, social protection, and job opportunities, while tackling climate change and environmental protection.

Our challenge as global citizens is to look at the goals and ask ourselves what action we can take to help achieve these goals. We need to remember that each decision, choice and action we make to help our Earth, will make a very big difference.

I call on you to take up this challenge.

Rosemary Perre
Religious Education Coordinator.

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

Remembrance Day

The year 6/7 class attended the Remembrance day service held by the Berri Barmera council to remember all those who gave the ultimate sacrifice so we are all able to live in peace.

Lest we forget

Growing with Gratitude

Last Friday, 8th November the school hall was buzzing with excitement, cheering, lots of clapping and many smiles as we learnt about the importance of positive reflection. When we reflect on our lives positively we are happier, we are less stressed, we are better learners and we sleep better.

Olor wishes to thank Sam, Liam, AJ, Rachel and Claud from the Adelaide Football Club for keeping our students engaged through out the entire Growing with Gratitude presentation on the five positive places,

1. Home life
2. Fabulous Friends
3. School is cool
4. Super Sports
5. Dare to Dream

These are five areas in the lives of the students where they can make a difference to others and also focus on the positives.

The Positive Reflection presentation taught our students about how to reflect on the good things in our lives, how to ask ourselves that important question of What can I do to improve?, and how to overcome adversity and challenges to be happy members of the school community.

Congratulations to Ashley Manuel and the Growing with Gratitude team on receiving well deserved recognition in the form of a South Australian Community Acievement Award in the category of Breakthrough Mental Health Research Foundation, Social and Emotional Wellbeing Award.

The advice Ashley offers and his program are well grounded in research and have positive results. This is the reason we so strongly believe in it and advocate it as best practise in our school. If you would like to leave the Growing with Gratitude team a message of support, just pop on over to their Facebook page.

I love that we grow in gratitude and kindness as a community of learners at OLOR.

Regards
Rosemary Perre
Growing with Gratitude Coordinator.

Literacy

When reading with your child it is so important not only for the child to be decoding but also engaging and enjoying the text. Talking to your child about what's happening in the story, predicting what will happen next and discussing how characters are feeling are great ways for children to be gaining a good understanding of what is being read.

This week I have included an easy to read article from the Reading Rockets website with some tips for parents about how to build reading comprehension when reading.

How to build comprehension when reading with your child

Children learn when they make connections between what they hear and what they know. One method parents can use to help make these connections is called a think aloud, where you talk through your thoughts as you read.

When you share books with your children, they are learning to think and act like good readers — without even knowing it! You can help them get even more from reading time when you talk to them as you read.

Children learn when they make connections between what they hear and what they know. One method parents can use to help make these connections is called a think aloud, where you talk through your thoughts as you read. Here are three ways to use think alouds, with examples from some of our favorite kids' books. Try these ideas to expand learning and to improve reading comprehension.

Think Alouds - These books and many more can be found in our OLOR library!

Connect the book to your child's own life experience

Example: Rivertime by Trace Ball

"This book reminds me of when we take the boat out on the river. Do you remember the time we went fishing?"

Connect the book to other books they have read

Example: Zog and the Flying Doctors

"This story reminds me of the other Zog books . Do you know any other stories about dragons? Let's keep reading to find out other ways the stories are similar."

Connect the book to big ideas/lessons

Example: Stellaluna by Janell Cannon

"This story helps me understand that we are all the same in many ways, but it's our differences that make us special."

In these examples, you are "thinking aloud" many of the connections that good readers make naturally as they read. Modeling these types of connections will help young readers know how to do it when they read alone.

Happy Reading!

Melanie Steele
Literacy Coordinator

Sports News

Sports Day

CONGRATULATIONS TO ST. JOSEPH’S HOUSE ON WINNING THE SPIRIT SHIELD FOR 2019!

CONGRATULATIONS

TO ST. MARY’S HOUSE ON WINNING THE SPORTS DAY SHIELD FOR 2019!

Well, after some last-minute reorganising courtesy of our yo-yoing weather, Sports Day was a resounding success for all! I would like to thank the staff, parents and especially the students for their flexibility and openness to change. I am hoping and praying for better and more predictable weather in future years!

Congratulations to all teams for their participation and energetic encouragement across both days! I was very proud and pleased by the sportspersonship on display by all, especially our senior students and captains who excelled in assisting younger students in many events.

Some final thank yous…

• To Ben and Jackson Kennedy for their assistance at the Berri Oval
• To Roger, Sandy, Pat and Mrs Sander for inputting the scores and handing out ribbons
• To the parents who assisted at the finish line of the track events on Thursday
• And to anyone I may have missed, thank you for your help! It was much appreciated!

Congratulations to the many students who broke their own or standing records within Long Jump, High Jump, Sprints and the Open 400m events.

Special mentions to Charlie Kregar (St. Mary’s) smashing the Year 1 record with a new distance of 3.00m! Absolutely outstanding! Also, to Abby Fenwick (St Mary’s) who after setting a new school and Year 7 High Jump record with a height of 1.25m now holds all the High Jump records from Year 4-7! I have a feeling they will last for quite a few years to come! Lastly, to Amelia Morgan (St. Patrick’s) and Molly Wishart (St. Patrick’s) who both broke the Open 400m Record finishing first and second respectively in their final year at OLOR. However, with Amelia coming in one second quicker than Molly, she retains her record with a new time of 1 minute, and 13.35 seconds in what was challenging and windy conditions.

Sapsasa News

Sapsasa Cricket Championship

Last week, some of our senior students represented the Riverland in Adelaide for the week at the Sapsasa State Cricket Championships. Peter Safralidis coached the group of boys including our very own Paul D, Yianni E, Peter E, and Matthew S. The boys all had their moments to shine by scoring valuable runs, taking crucial wickets or energetic and vocal encouragement in the field. Unfortunately, not all the results went their way finishing the week with a 1-3 record with a couple of tight losses. I am sure the four boys learnt many lessons not only for their cricket but also in life from their experience.

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

Thanks to the Australian Government and Teachers Mutual Bank, Bell Shakespeare’s Regional Teacher Mentorship offers 30 teachers from regional and remote Australian schools a fully-funded, year-long mentorship with Bell Shakespeare. If you’re running low on inspiration, not sure how to successfully engage your students with Shakespeare, ready for a challenge, have limited access to PD or resources, or just need to connect with likeminded individuals, then this incredible program is for you.

Teachers will play student for an intensive four days of practical, collaborative, and tailored training at Bell Shakespeare HQ in Sydney. They will design new curriculum content, network with other teachers from across Australia, challenge themselves, strengthen their teaching arsenal, and see Hamlet at Sydney Opera House. They will then return to their schools where they will receive mentoring and ongoing support from Bell Shakespeare staff and Teaching Artists for the duration of 2020.

All travel, accommodation and Professional Learning expenses are provided

Applications close Monday 25 November 2019, 5pm AEST.

Happy Birthday!