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Heavenly Father,
We thank you for the wonderful gift of Ebony's life and the time she spent with us at Our Lady Star of the Sea.
We remember her kindness, her dedication and the joy she brought to our students and staff every day.
Lord, we pray that you welcome Ebony into your heavenly kingdom.
Comfort her family, friends and all who mourn her loss.
Help us, as a school, to support one another in faith, hope and love.
Amen.
Dear Parents and Carers
I hope you are all well. I have recently returned from my Principal Pilgrimage to Rome, Loreto and Assisi and will share the profound exprience with you in the next newsletter. For now, we would like to pay tribute to Ebony, our much loved OT, colleague and friend.
In Loving Memory of Ebony Mitchell: A Light to Our Children, Our Staff and Our Families
It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of our cherished OT, colleague and friend, Ebony Mitchell, on Saturday 18 October. At just 26 years old, Ebony had already left an extraordinary legacy as an Occupational Therapist.
In her professional life, Ebony brought unwavering skill and a gentle heart to the most vulnerable children in our care, championing their potential and making a tangible, positive difference in countless young lives.
Beyond her vital work, Ebony was the close personal friend and confidante of so many across our learning community and was a part of the Our Lady Star of the Sea family. She was a bright spirit, a source of ready laughter and a true pillar of our student and staff community. A beautiful person so tragically taken. We feel so blessed to have witnessed Ebony’s kindness, compassion and graciousness and will carry this with us. We grieve not only the loss of an exceptional colleague and friend but the absence of a beloved member of our work family.
Our deepest condolences, thoughts, and support go out to Ebony’s parents Shaun and Kylie, her partner Jaryd, sister Chloe, brother Joshua and all her family and friends who mourn this immense loss. Ebony will be deeply missed and eternally remembered.
May perpetual light shine upon Ebony and may she Rest in Peace.
Arts Trail 2025:
A huge thankyou to Rachael Thomas for such an amazing event. Her organisation, passion, vision and creativity are so greatly appreciated. Congratulations to all the students for their "masterpieces"- truly incredible all their talent. Many thanks also to LSO staff and teaching staff who supported Rachael further in this leadership space and all staff for shining the light so brilliantly on Art and Creativity in our learning community. For the beautiful music and singing from our very own Bella Scaffidi, Luke Giblin and other musicians we say thank you. Many thanks also to PFA representation of Belinda Kerr, Heidi McKerracher, Richard Kerr, Tim McKerracher, Saoirse Mc Kerracher and others on the BBQ roster and from the PFA. A true celebration of the Arts and Community.
Mission Fete:
In the next couple of weeks, Friday 7 November, our community is coming together to celebrate the annual Mission Fete, a vibrant event deeply rooted in our faith commitment to serving others. As people of faith, we are called to act, bringing hope to times of darkness both in our own lives and in the lives of those we may never know. This year, our students are specifically focusing on the sacred principle of Human Dignity—the belief that every single person is made in God’s image and every life is sacred. The Fete is a joyful, tangible expression of our focus on Human Dignity, transforming our community's generosity into life-affirming support—like school fees and medical aid—for our partners in Bulbula, Ethiopia. We thank you in advance for supporting the preparation for the upcoming Fete and keeping an eye on the newsletter and hub news specifically for what is required.
Wishing you all a peaceful and gentle fortnight ahead.
Kerryn
Students need to wear their school hat from 1st September. Please ensure your child’s hat is in good condition and named, we do not have spare hats for them to wear.
Hats are available to purchase from Bellarine Uniforms, Moorabool Street, Geelong.
Friday 7 November is our Mission Fete Day. This is our major fundraiser of the year and for many students, their favourite day. The day includes:
- A Liturgy at the Church, which you are welcome to attend at 9:15am
- A sausage sizzle lunch
- Mission Fete from 1:30pm - 3:00pm
- Raffle
As part of our catholic mission to care for others, our school has developed a relationship with the community of Bulbula in Ethiopia. Our direct communication with Sr Abeba keeps us in touch with how our donated money is being used within the community and the difficult circumstances faced daily by the community.
From Sr Abeba’s most recent letter you can read that our money has:
- Children with disabilities received hospital care
- Enable students with disabilities to attend school
- Support housing for poor families
- Supporting mothers so they don’t need to sell their land
- Food, clothing and medical treatment for the elderly
- Sr Abeba Letter- Sr Abeba’s most recent email.
Procedure for Mission Fete
Students are to wear casual clothes, with closed in shoes.
Raffle tickets will be sent home this week. They are $2 a ticket and the major prizes, donated by Lib MacPherson (Miss Lib) and staff, include:
- Family getaway - $850 voucher to Big 4 Anglesea caravan park (this money can go towards and cabin or a camping site - whatever best suits your family).
- $250 Adventure Park gift voucher
- Combination packs with other major prizes including; sporting goods, arts and crafts, books.
Please return one side of each ticket with a name and contact number by Wednesday 5 November. More tickets are available at the office.
There will be a sausage sizzle. Children can order sausages for $1 each. They can pay their money on the day.
Whilst there will be a number of free activities, most stalls require a cash payment for participation. (50c to $1) We encourage students to use their own money, or complete tasks around the home, to earn money for Mission Fete activities. We hope this will help students appreciate the value of money. In the past most students usually spend around $10, but that is only a guide and your decision to make. Coins are great, in a bag or purse with the child’s name on it.
Volunteers Required
We are mindful that parents are often looking for ways they can assist. For this, teachers are most grateful. Please check your child’s Hub News. Some classes requiring volunteers will have a link in their Hub News.
We do need volunteers to help cook the sausages at 10:45am until around 12:00.
If you are available to assist please email mcaddy@staroceangrove.catholic.edu.au
Mission Fete Stalls
Below are the Mission Fete stalls. Please check your class for the required donations to the stalls.
|
CLASS |
ACTIVITY (keep sustainability in mind) |
DONATIONS (no nuts please) |
Cost |
|
PREP |
Lucky bags Sideshow alley: tin can alley(the free one) Knockdown ducks Human fruit machine Movie and popcorn (quiet activity) Hoopla Hair braiding |
Novelty toys and trinkets, individually wrapped lollies fun size lollies (NO LOLLIPOPS) Bags of popcorn kernels Tubs of vanilla icecream Ice Magic Soft toys in very good condition |
$1 50c 50c 50c 50c 50c $1 $2 |
|
1AM |
Hairspray |
Coloured Hairspray |
$1 |
|
1ZS |
Icy Poles (to be stored in the canteen freezer) |
Icy Poles (no zooper doopers) |
$1 |
|
1NM |
Lucky dip |
Treats/ prizes |
50c for 1 turn $1 for 3 turns |
|
2AG |
Baking stall |
Labelled baked goodies |
various |
|
2CM |
Glow room |
Glow sticks/glow supplies |
50c |
|
2MG |
Baking stall |
Labelled baked goodies |
various |
|
2RP |
Baking stall |
Labelled baked goodies |
various |
|
3BS |
Toy store |
Preloved toys Balls Jewellery Games Books Puzzles |
20c 50c $1 |
|
3CL |
Rock decoration Bullseye |
Rocks and paint pens Choc & lollies |
$1 50c |
|
3JR |
Boxes of doom! |
*fun size treats and mini toys for prizes *Shaving cream, slime, bag of rice, fake spiders, rubber snakes, cobwebs *medium sized cardboard boxes/ shoe boxes |
20c, 50c, $1, |
|
4MH |
Ice cream stall |
|
$1 |
|
4LG |
Photo Booth |
Basic dress ups (hats, oversized glasses, costume jewellery, capes etc) |
|
|
4LC |
|
|
Varied prices from $1 |
|
4ME |
Tattoo stall Lemon balance- place any coin on the floating lemon. If it balances for 5 seconds, triple your money! |
|
Tattoos- 50 cents each |
|
5SV |
Spiders |
Cups Straws Ice cream Soft drink Canned whipped cream |
|
|
5CT |
Dunk Tank |
Water guns/pistols |
$1 for 3 throws |
|
5SC |
Guess the number jars Guess the clinker colour? |
Jars with different things inside them (lollies, pencils, lollipops, jellybeans etc) . The children have to work out what they will put in their jar. Bags of clinkers |
|
|
5BC |
Choc Toss/Corn Hole Lolly Bar/Bags/Jars |
||
|
6EB/SS |
Sideshow Alley/Minute to win type games |
Yr 6 students will advise of donations required. Some students will be running their own stalls. |
Varied costs 50c - $1 |
|
6LG |
|||
|
6PK |
|||
|
6BR |
Term 4 2025
24th October: Assembly Prep MR
30th October: Yr 1 and Yr 4 Parish Mass 9:15am
31st October: Assembly Yr 3CL
3rd November: Student Free day
4th November: Melbourne Cup Public holiday
7th November: Mission Fete/Mass
14th November: Assembly Yr 2MG
20th November: Prep and Yr 6 Parish Mass 9:15am
21st November: Assembly Yr 5 BC
24th November: PFA AGM 7.00-8.30pm
27th November: Yr 5 Parish Mass 9:15am
28th November: Diversity Day Assembly
2nd December: 9-1.30pm Prep Orientation in small groups
2nd December: School concert 5-7.30pm
3rd December: 9-1.30pm Prep Orientation in small groups
5th December: Student free day
9th December: Whole school orientation 9-10am, Prep orientation 9.30-11am
12th December: Assembly Yr 6PK Farewell and Thank you
17th December: Assembly Yr 6 Graduation, End of term (early finish 2.30pm)
Please note: Please refer to the Parent Calendar for all dates
Term 1
Thursday 29 January - Thursday 2 April
Easter: Friday 3 April - 6 April
Term 2
Monday 20 April - Friday 26 June
Term 3
Monday 13 July - Friday 18 September
Term 4
Monday 5 October - Wednesday 18 December 2.30 pm
Please see below information regarding the new OSHC provider MACSEYE.
- This includes an overview of our approach to child safety and compliance.
- Including program and enrolment information, details regarding child care subsidy, operating hours and fees.
If you have queries, please contact their Customer Service Team via contact@macseye.vic.edu.au or 1300 501 029.
