Newsletter 1/8/2024

From the Principal:

Dear Parents and Carers,

I trust you have all enjoyed a break from the routine of the school term, and took the opportunity to spend a little extra time with your children over the school holiday break.  We all seem to have settled back into the routine of school pretty quickly which is great to see.  Many children have grown a significant number of centimetres whilst I was away! 

My leave was a wonderful opportunity to reset and to recharge my batteries for the next few years.  Travelling makes you aware of how lucky we are.  We certainly have a long and rich history dating back many thousands of years here in Australia with our Aboriginal/First Nations people.  Much of our tangible history is subtle and woven into our landscapes in the form of petroglyphs and paintings and requires us to go on country, to look, to be inquizitive, and to be reflective.  The history that I saw in Spain and Morocco is visible and tangible above the ground and is layered with different cultures as they have spread across the regions often in violent and unwanted ways. 

What struck me is that Australia is very unique in that our Aboriginal peoples all respected their neighbouring Aboriginal groups across the entire continent.  They live and interact peacefully and side by side.  We have had for thousands of years now, an astounding gathering on this continent of First Nations peoples who have lived peacefully without the need to take over, fight or dominate each other and put up borders and divisions across this continent.  The invasion of this continent by the first Europeans has and continues to be felt in all corners of this country but I reflected, whilst away, on how fortunate we were that our Federation fathers recognised that we should remain one land and agreed to work together to be one country rather than three or four small ‘countries’ which was very much on the cards at the time.  How different we could have been.

I am sharing some photos of my trip - I have chosen a selection from across Morocco where there are the newest trucks and cars on the streets alongside donkey and carts.  Where the traditional markets have not really changed and are filled with tourists and locals in the tiny narrow streets built to accommodate those on foot and a donkey or two. No modern transport in here except for scooters.  Some photos of various parts of Southern Spain from Barcelona to Madrid  - a very modern country amidst the beautiful and varied architecture of centuries past often side by side.  Spain where still the population is predominantly Catholic.  Where feast days are attended by thousands and parades go for hours involving hundreds of participants.  The feast of Corpus Christi that we stumbled upon in three cities that still hold street parades, was a sight to behold.  Corpus Christi is a liturgical ceremony of medieval origin (thirteenth century), in which the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist is celebrated. It was amazing to witness the pomp and ceremony and to see as you will see in the photos, the police, army and navy supporting and playing a central role in these processions together with the parish communities of the area. 

It is good to be back and am looking forward to catching up with everyone’s news.

Mary

Deputy Principal Announcement:

Simon Wood has been appointed as Deputy Principal at OLM from 2025.  We congratulate Simon and look forward to having him in this new role.  

School Board:

Are you interested in joining our school board?

The School Board supports the operation of the school at a local level. In accordance with the Board Terms of Reference, the Church Trust Corporation delegates a range of functions to the Board. These include supporting the Principal across a range of governance issues such as strategic planning, local policy development and preparation of the budget and the capital works program of the school. 

We have two vacant spaces on the School Board.  

• We meet six times a year for an hour.  
• A board term is 3 years.

If you think you have the skills and would like to nominate yourself or someone for the school board please contact the school office for a nomination form.

Current members are: 

Fr Ben Books

Dion Vidler

Mary Bennett

Award Winners for This Week:

Congratulations to this week's award winners.

Upcoming Events:

Dates for upcoming events now appear down the left side of the Newsletter.

News From Kinder:

We have begun our Olympics investigation unit in Kinder. On Monday, the children made their own Olympic torch, participated in an Olympic Torch lighting ceremony and participated in the first round of Olympic Games. To make our games more exciting, they have a nursery rhyme theme.

The children competed in the Humpty Dumpty Egg and Spoon Race, the Twinkle-Twinkle Shooting Star Shot-put, The Cow Jumped Over the Moon hurdles, and the Golden Goose Waddle Race. We will continue our Olympics investigation over the next few weeks!

100 Days of Prep:

This Thursday marked the 100 days of school! Prep celebrated through various activities, including making a 100 monster and a 100 day crown. 

Premier's Reading Challenge:

We have 3 weeks left of the Premier's Reading Challenge!

We are one of 36 schools who have elected our Kindergarten students to join the challenge this year. This year there is a record number of schools and students on board for the Premier's Reading Challenge. 157 schools and 29, 450 students! Remember, books that count towards your child's reading goal can be:

* read by the student

* read to the student

* listened/watched through technology

Happy Reading! 

Book Week Dress-Up Day:

Book Week Dress-Up day will be held on Wednesday 21st August.

This year's theme  "Reading is Magic".

Just a reminder that costumes do not have to cost a lot of money, we fully encourage homemade costumes as they are a great option and  a lot of fun to create. 

North West Dental Visit:

Last week our K-2 students along with Curious Kids had a visit from North West Dental, who are located at 33 Parsonage Street Deloraine.

They chatted to the students about the importance of good dental hygiene and also handed out toothbrush packs. We thank them very much for their time.

Bus Zone News:

Please be aware that the Bus Zone Times will be changing soon.

There will be no parking in the bus area 8:30-9:30 am, not 9:00am as stated currently. New signs will be put up very soon.

Could parents please remind students to use the crossing as we are having an increasing amount of fast cars driving up the street.

Catholic Education Week:

Catholic Education Week this year runs from 12th-16th August. Our Lady of Mercy will be hosting our annual Family Breakfast to celebrate. Please see details below.

Deloraine High School Information Evening:

Canteen News:

Canteen will not be offered for the next two Wednesdays as all students will be travelling to Devonport for Gymnastics lessons. Friday Canteen will be running as usual.

Deloraine Auskick 2024:

Parish Mass Times:

Acknowledgement of Country: