6 March 2020

Newsletter Articles

School Calendar

Scripture

He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Matthew 4:2-4

Principals Report

Parents, Caregivers and Students,

This week represents the half way mark of the first term. It has taken a little while to get to know each student in the school but it has been amazing to see each child grow and experience success in this short amount of time.

No doubt by now, you have noticed how passionate and proud I am to be the principal of this wonderful school in 2020. Each day, the staff give their all to ensure we are providing the very best for every child. Over the last couple of weeks, I have received feedback from families and the wider community about how much they appreciate all that we do and the difference that we make. I appreciate that families feel comfortable to come in and see me or call me. I welcome feedback as it either affirms that we are on the right track or that I need to do some learning.

Last week we celebrated Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Church’s season of Lent, with a morning mass and a breakfast at the school.

The season of Lent begins and ends with a cross. On Ash Wednesday there is the tradition of receiving the cross of ashes on the forehead to mark the beginning of a six-week period of prayer and reflection before Easter; and on Good Friday we come to the cross of history on the hill outside Jerusalem where Jesus died.

Lent is a time of self- denial in the weeks preceding Good Friday. In the silence of Lent you are invited to walk a little with Jesus. Walk with Jesus in his suffering and walk with Jesus as he fought temptations during the 40 days he spend praying in the desert. The Lenten period asks us to make good choices. Choices that are good for ourselves, good for others and good for our planet.

This week had Bernard Holland visit the Port Pirie Diocese. Bernard is the Director of Catholic Earthcare Australia, which operates with its own organisational identity within Caritas Australia.

Bernard served as a school principal for two decades and was Director of Eco-Schools, an environmental education program running in 64 countries. Bernard engaged with the Year 4 and 5 classes to talk about awareness and action based on the principles of Pope Francis’ Laudato Si, a statement on the care for our common home, the earth. We were very privileged to have him visit our school.

Jayne Shortt from the St Vincent de Paul society visited the Year 5 class this week to work with the Mini Vinnies. Through Mini Vinnies students get together to help those in need within our community. The Mini Vinnies are introduced to social justice issues, to the St Vincent de Paul Society and to living faith through action.

Coming up on Saturday 4th April we have our annual Chocolate Carnival which is our significant fundraiser for the year. This is a great community celebration which will be held on school grounds. Thank you to all families who have collected chocolate boxes to sell as part of this fundraiser. There will be a meeting this Friday 6th March at 3.30pm in the school. Please feel welcome to join us if you want to be part of organising this event.

As we move into the second half of the term, we still have the Feasts of St Patrick and St Joseph, Harmony Day, Chrism Mass, SAPSASA Athletics, parent-teacher interviews, First Reconciliation, Holy Week and more to look forward to. There will be more information coming out about these events soon.

The journey towards Good Friday is always a special time for me. There is so much hidden in the stories that are written in the bible, things that are hard to see. There is so much hidden in Jesus’ determination to go straight to the lion’s den, risking everything. There is so much hidden in the fear of his friends who did not understand the different reality Jesus kept talking about when he talked about kingdoms and kings. There is so much hidden in the loneliness of Jesus in the most striking moments of his life. It was in these moments that his friends left him and that fear took possession of those people closest to him.

When Jesus in the deepest and most prominent moment in his life, suffering on the cross, calls God to help him it remains eerily silent. In that most important moment of his life, the one moment it really matters, his calls are met with silence.

God does not appear to be there. Sometimes when I ask for Gods help it stays silent too. I get no sign from above, no direct instructions on what to do, no voice from heaven and no outstretched hand. In those moments I bury my faith; God is not there, He remains silent.

God seems absent and Jesus dies. Jesus is carefully buried in a well-tended grave. But a few days later he appears to be alive in a miraculous way. Everything that seemed to be over, everything that seemed to be dead and buried turns out to be germinated again to stand in full bloom in a spring garden.

Dear Lord
During this Lent help us tend the garden of our hearts.

Nanda de Winter

Religious Education News

OUR DIOCESAN THEME FOR 2020: ‘Bring Your Fire to Earth’

Our Diocesan theme aims to unite us all, through our Liturgical Year celebrations and other events such as Catholic Education Week celebrations and even simply our everyday interactions with each other. Through this theme we aim to strengthen the Catholic identity and culture of our school community, as well as our diocesan network of schools. The theme was decided upon mid last year and the scripture was chosen to inspire us to live in active mission and service - to be leaders in the world that God desires.

Our Lady of the River School acknowledges that, if interpreted literally or out of an envisaged scriptural context, this theme could be seen as inappropriate and insensitive considering the turmoil and heartache caused by the unprecedented bushfire crisis in Australia over the last few months. Like me, you will have been struck by the scale and severity of the fires. The loss, grief and trauma caused to all those affected directly or indirectly, by those impacted personally and by those who serve in emergency service support remain forefront in our prayers.

Compassionate God, we pray for all those affected by the bushfires which have occurred across many parts of Australia. May your gentle Spirit of hope and healing spread to all corners of our wonderful country.

Heal the people, plants, land and animals affected by the bushfires in Australia. Fill us with the fire of a compassionate spirit and guide us in hope. We ask this through Jesus and the Spirit of life, Amen.

Project Compassion

During the Season of Lent Our Lady of the River School supports Project Compassion. This is a part of our mission to spread the fires of compassion to all. Project compassion is a Caritas initiative which supports long-term development programs in impoverished communities in Africa, Asia, Indigenous Australia and the Pacific — helping oppressed people to rediscover their dignity by taking greater control over their lives and overcoming poverty.

Last week each family received a Project Compassion box in which to collect donations for Project Compassion. Each Wednesday during Lent, our prayer focus will be dedicated to Project Compassion. Families are invited to send in their donations on this day.

Caritas Australia’s annual Lenten funds and awareness-raising appeal brings thousands of Australians together in solidarity with the world’s poor to help end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity. A different story is featured each week during Lent to highlight the plight of those in need. This year the theme of this campaigne is, “GO FURTHER TOGETHER”. Each week during Lent a different story is featured highlighting the programmes that Project Compassion is able to support thanks to the generous donations we make during this campaign. Following are the stories for the first two weeks of Lent.

First Week of Lent

Around 2.8 million children in the Philippines do not go to school.

We begin Project Compassion learning about the story of Shirley. Shirley was struggling to support her family and keep her children in school. She faced regular discrimination and disadvantage, limiting her family’s access to food, education, employment and healthcare.

With Caritas Australia’s support, Shirley trained to become an indigenous health worker. She has learnt to supplement her income and is able to feed her family. The program has also empowered Shirley to send her children to school.

Second Week of Lent

In Cambodia, 1 in 8 people live below the poverty line.

In the second week, through Project Compassion we will learn about Phany (pronounded Parn-ee).

Struggling to earn a living as a farmer in Cambodia, Phany was forced to leave her daughter behind in the village to take up construction work in the city.

Thankfully, through a Caritas funded program, Phany learnt new farming techniques which enabled her to get a better yield from her vegetable crops and to conserve water in her drought-stricken region. Phany’s community also took part in training in health, nutrition, hygiene and disaster preparedness, arming them with better strategies to cope with environmental changes.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your generous donations so far. As the pictures show, our Pancake Day fundraiser was a highlight for many students, the pancakes were extremely yummy. Your support is life-saving for people experiencing poverty and oppression. Please help more people like Shirley and Phany gain confidence and respect within their communities and help improve the conditions of indigenous people around the world. Let’s Go Further, Together.

Wishing you light love and God’s brightest of blessings,
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

Literacy

The Premiers Reading Challenge is back and this year we are aiming for every child to complete the challenge. The Premiers Reading Challenge encourages students to read. It is really simple to complete and with the support of teachers and parents, students will find completing the challenge very achievable. Students are awarded with medals and certificates at a school assembly in Term 4.

Students need to read 12 books before the end of August, 8 of those books need to be on the Premiers Reading List (you can find the lists online) and 4 of those books are free choice books. Students will record the books they have read on the Premier's Reading Challenge record sheet with a parent or teacher initial to verify.

The great thing is there is such a wide variety of books that can be included like audiobooks, non fiction books, class and shared reading books, books in languages other than English and a book that is read together with your child or to your child.

Premier's Reading Challenge Record Forms are best kept in the back of diaries so school staff can assist students in filling out forms and parents can also fill out at home. We really want this to be a fun challenge and stress free!

An added incentive this year will be the awarding of Spirit Points for completing the Premier's Reading Challenge. Students will earn their sport team 4 spirit points for a completion in Term 1 and 2 spirit points in Term 2.

Keep an eye on our Spirit Point Tally in the library and if you have any questions ask our Premier's Reading Challenge Co-ordinator Sandy Sando or OLOR staff!

Happy Reading!

Melanie Steele

Scholastic Book Club

On Thursday, your child received the second issue of Scholastic Book Club. By ordering through Scholastic, you are benefiting our school library. We receive a small percentage from orders, which allows us to purchase new books.

If you would like to place an order, please fill in the order form and send with correct money or cheque (made out to OLOR) in an envelope marked with your child’s name and class on the front. Orders being paid by credit card need to be placed online through the Scholastic web site and clicking on LOOP Orders. Orders are due in Wednesday, 18th March.

Please see Sandy if you have questions regarding ordering.

Thank you, Sandy Sando

Guitar Lessons

Positions are still available for guitar lessons, if you would like to book a lesson for your child please fill out the enrolment form attached below and email back to Music Alive as soon as possible.

Be quick as positions are limited.

Sports News

T20 Blast Carnival

The Year 6/7 class had a blast at Berri Oval today! All students participated in teams in the Riverland Central T20 Blast Carnival organised by SACA. It was a great opportunity for novices to be introduced to the game of cricket in a safe and inclusive format.

Congratulations to the Girls team who won their division and have been given the opportunity to travel to Adelaide in Term 4 to compete in the State Finals.

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 Fees

As many of you are aware the school fees have been sent out for 2020, there is an early bird discount if the fees are fully paid before the 10th of April this year. If you have any questions regarding fees or payment please contact Pat in the office. For those eligible for school card the discount has yet to be taken off. School card applications will be processed in week 3 and 4 if you would like to apply for school card please contact Pat before week 4.

Below is a copy of Our Lady of the River school fees that shows the breakdown of all fees and levies and early bird discounts.

Canteen

This term on every odd week (weeks 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11) the following items will also be available:

• Cold rolls (chicken, lettuce, carrot & cucumber) - $1.20
• Watermelon cup - $1.00
• Jelly cup with fruit or plain - $1.00
• Cold salad
  (chicken or ham, lettuce, cucumber, tomato, carrot, cheese & half an egg) - $4.00
• Piece of chocolate cake - $1.00

Community News

Mighty Murray Clash Junior Netball Clinics – Thunderbirds and Vixens

Proudly sponsored by the Riverland Netball Association, we invite and welcome all interested netballers to take part in the junior clinics held by Thunderbirds and Vixen players.

When: Saturday 18 April
Where: Berri Hotel Sporting Complex in the Toyota Arena
Cost: $20.00 pp
Where to buy: Purchase the tickets via the Adelaide Thunderbirds website

AGE GROUP 7 - 9YRS: 8:45AM TO 9:45AM
AGE GROUP 10 - 12YRS: 9:30AM TO 10:30AM
AGE GROUP 13 - 15YRS: 10:15AM TO 11:15AM

There will be a meet and greet and photo opportunity with the Thunderbirds and Vixen players during this time.

Happy Birthday!