Term 4 week 11

Dear Parents and Carers

We hope this newsletter finds you well and thriving in the joyous spirit of learning and the wonderful celebrations we enjoyed last week with our annual concert and Diversity Day celebrations. The second and third candles of the advent wreath are peace and joy. Joy was certainly what we experienced for both events.

Celebrating Diversity Day is a wonderful occasion for us to come together as a school community and celebrate the unique qualities that make each of our children special. It's a day dedicated to recognising and appreciating the rich tapestry of cultures, backgrounds, abilities, and perspectives that exist within our school family.

As parents and carers, you play a crucial role in shaping the attitudes and values our children carry with them. By celebrating diversity, we create a nurturing environment where every child feels embraced for who they are. This day holds immense significance in fostering a positive and inclusive environment for our children 

Lucy Carpenter spoke beautifully at assembly about her journey and challenges and successes. Her story and message is very powerful.  Her very clear message was to be aware of everyone and some of the challenges they may experience which are not always visible. The best thing you can do in an inclusive environment is offer help where you see it may be needed and ensure the environment is universally designed to include all. Many thanks to Marnie Hallam and Kristen Leonard on a wonderfully organised day. The individually designed T Shirts, caps and tote bags for every child were a colorful addition. The learning from the day promoted understanding, fostered inclusion and helps towards preparing our children for the real world.

Thank you all for your ongoing support and commitment to fostering a school community that values and celebrates diversity.

Concert:  On concert night all our students shone brightly. Many thanks to Helen Stephensen for her wonderful preparation, organisation and creativity. Many thanks also to all the teachers, such great choreography. A huge thank you again, to you- our amazing parents and carers in supporting yet another wonderful event, particularly with costumes and your presence.

Gratitude Letter from Sr Abeba: Sr Abeba has reached out with the following heartfelt thanks for the generosity of all in our community. 

Dearest  Marianne Caddy

Thank you very much for your email  and all the hard work and sharing the suffering of the poor it is a lot of many, it would help many people  thank you again  please  pass my gratitude  and my christmas  wishing  to all the staff and student  those who are involved.

please open  the attached letter.

thank you again

with love and prayer

sr abeba kidane

(Click here also for the full letter from Sr Abeba detailing what the funds raised will go further to support in this community.)

Class structure 2024: We had a very successful orientation morning session today with a positive vibe for the year ahead and excitement of what is to come. Please see below the hub teams for 2024. Our whole school theme for next year is “With Grateful Hearts.”

Reports: The reports were released yesterday. Please see below instructions for logging into PAM.

Finally, it is with immense gratitude on behalf of the staff and myself, we thank you for being Beacons of Hope not only for  your children but also for the Our Lady Star of the Sea learning community and beyond. Your warmth, respect and care is truly a blessing for us in our work. Wishing you all a relaxing, joyous and peaceful holiday break.

May the spirit of Christmas bring you all peace, hope, love  and joy.

Kerryn

Term 4 Week 11 - Prep Hub News

Term 4 Week 11 - Red Hub 1 News

Term 4 Week 11 - Blue Hub 2 News

Term 4 Week 11 - Yellow Hub 3 News

Term 4 Week 11 - Purple Hub 4 News

Term 4 Week 11 - Purple Hub 5 News

Term 4 Week 11 - Orange Hub 6 News

Principal: Kerryn Sells, Deputy Principal/Student Wellbeing Leader: Paul Anderson, Learning and Teaching Leader: Marianne Caddy, Digital Technologies Leader: Corey Gallagher, Learning Diversity Leader: Kristen Leonard, RE Leader: Rebecca Nancarrow, Sports Leader: Sam Scott, Indonesian Leader: Bree Jones

Administration Staff: Sharon Lane, Kathleen Ingles and Bernadette Giblin

Mental Health in Primary School role and Learning Diversity Year 4-6:

Natalie Skahill

Physical Education: Kathryn Vickers 

Performing Arts - Music, Dance and Drama: Helen Stephensen and Taliah deBeer

STEM: Leah Cole and Bec Notman 

Digital Technologies Teacher: Jane Laidler

Art Teacher: Rachael Thomas 

Prep Red Hub Michelle Richards, Taliah de Beer, Chloe Grist, Bryony Musarra LST Kylene Gray 

Year 1 Green Hub Melissa Garvey, Zac Stankiewicz, Charlotte Monahan, Georgia Cowling LST Sarah de Jong 

Year 2 Blue Hub Jacinta Ryan, Bella Scaffidi, Ryan Prest LST Miranda Kelly

Year 3 Purple Hub Bree Russell, Nicole Maier, Christine Lourie, Miranda McCluskey, Laura Grey LST Pat Kennedy 

Year 4 Purple Hub Marnie Hallam, Alyce Knight, Matt Eales, Alice MacNamara LST Bree Jones 

Year 5 Yellow Hub Ashlee Guifrida, Sharon Chirgwin, Lizzie Conquit, Sam Scott LST Jess Mullen  

Year 6 Orange Hub Brendan Casey, Lisa Grigg, Emily Bissell-Barahona, Caz Taylor LST Rebecca Nancarrow

Learning Support Staff (LSO)

Annelie, Millie, Jody, Byron

Robyn, Danielle, Kellie, Linda

Rachel, Emily, Catherine, Carly 

Jane, Luke, Michelle,Bridget, Erika

Priscilla, Sam, Leanne,Aurora,

You are able to access your child's report on Friday 14 June by 4pm via PAM (Parent Access Module login).

Please click the link here: http://pam.staroceangrove.catholic.edu.au . This will take you to the PAM login page. Your username is the email address you have provided to school. Once logged in, to access your child’s report, click on the ‘Assessment Reports’ tab on the left hand side and download the current report to view. 

For new families please sign up now by clicking the link here: http://pam.staroceangrove.catholic.edu.au  This will take you to the PAM login page. Click on the 'Forgot Password?' link and follow the prompts. You will be asked to enter your email address, then you will need to access the link sent to your email address. You can then create a password and this, along with your email address will be your login to PAM.

In the spirit of sustainability, here's a quick guide on how to responsibly dispose of your Christmas-related materials:

1. Recyclable Wrapping Paper: Place wrapping paper made of paper into the designated recycling (yellow) bin.

2. Non-Recyclable Wrapping Paper: Dispose of wrapping paper containing plastics, glitter, shiny, or metallic elements in the landfill (red) bin.

3. Ribbon and Bow Removal: Before recycling, ensure to remove any ribbons or bows from the wrapping paper.

4. Christmas Cards: Kindly deposit Christmas cards in the yellow bin for recycling.

Click here  Tips for a low-waste Christmas 

Sustainability Leaders Ramsar Wetlands Excursion to Swan Bay 

As part of being a sustainability leader, we were lucky enough to be part of an excursion to the Swan Bay area to learn about the local Ramsar wetlands. 

Our first stop was a visit to the Queenscliff Marine Freshwater Discovery Center where we were greeted by Naomi from Bellarine Catchment Network and Harry from the MFDC. At the MFDC there was a tank with lots of cool stuff like shells, corals, seaweeds, squid eggs, shark eggs and abalone that sucked your finger!  We also got to watch flatheads, bluethroat wrasse and globe fish being fed. 

Once we entered the water in our canoe, we couldn’t start paddling it or enjoying the experience, yet!  Before we set out, we were made aware of the rules and safety facts. Like; don’t get too close to the birds, DO NOT be silly, don’t flip your boat and make sure to have fun (we had FUN!!). Our boat included Zach, Flynn and I.  I think we were the fastest and most sensible boat, which resulted in us getting to our destination and back before the other canoes. We learned about the importance of Ramsar wetlands and how we play an important role in protecting them.  

After the discovery centre Ash from the Wadawurrung Aboriginal Corporation spoke to us about his culture and people, how they have always cared for this land and how it is very important to the Wadawurrung people today. He had some very interesting things to tell us and he also showed us many special things that he has collected throughout his lifetime.  Ash showed us some of his animal skins. One of them was a kangaroo and one was possum skin. The kangaroo skin would keep you cool in the summer, and the possum would keep you warm in the winter. He told us a story about how the indigenous people came to gather possum skin. There were also two boomerang looking things, that are his weapons or tools, for hunting.  Ash showed us the tools and bark that his people use to start fires. They would use them in a certain way to cause lots of friction and start a fire. The women would collect bark and also make string to tie to their bark to make rafts to fish for food.

We all had a fantastic day, which was made possible with the support of the Corangamite Catchment Management Authority, Bellarine Catchment Network and the Marine Freshwater Discovery Centre, Queenscliff.   

by Harry and Flynn

Year 6 Sustainability Leaders

Year 5 - Fighting Extinction in Schools Showcase at Melbourne Zoo

Recently ten Year 5 students with a strong interest in advocating for animal extinction attended the Fighting Extinction in Schools annual Showcase at Melbourne Zoo.   The excitement built as we caught the train from Geelong to Melbourne.  Upon arrival at the zoo we met with some zoo staff who explained we had some time to explore before the Showcase began.    The highlights of our walk around were: the butterfly house, a visit to the three baby elephants, the orangutan, lion feeding, the reptile house and the ohhhh so cute newborn baby meerkats. 

As we walked the zoo grounds we learned about many of Zoos Victorias’s Fighting Extinction Programs, such as how a mineral called coltan is used in the making of mobile phones, the mining for Coltan has destroyed gorilla habitats in Central Africa and all 4 types of gorillas are now classified as critically endangered.  Also palm oil use and production is destroying Asian rainforest ecosystems and devastating habitat loss for endangered species like Asian rhinos, elephants, tigers and orangutans, and the Zoos “Wipe for Wildlife” campaign is strongly encouraging the use of recycled toilet paper to save trees for our for animals like the Yellow tailed black cockatoo. 

Then it was time for the Showcase.    Twenty Victorian schools shared with us their Fighting Extinction projects and talked about the wildlife conservation and fundraising they have been leading and promoting throughout their schools and local communities.   We were very inspired by the amazing work they have completed to help save endangered species. Some of our favorites were the school who taught us about nurdles and what they are doing to protect ocean life from these damaging small plastics.  There were also schools helping to save frogs, wombats, dingoes and others were cleaning up their local beaches to protect seabirds, turtles, dolphins, seals and whales.  

The schools were all very enthusiastic and encouraging.  We were very inspired and are now starting to think about ideas for our own Fighting Extinction journey for 2024.  We like the idea of choosing to protect endangered animals that live on the Bellarine Peninsula and that use our local bushland, coast, beach, waterways and ocean, like some species of seals, turtles, dolphins, whales or birds.

Year 5 2023 Fighting Extinction in Schools team

Just a reminder if you are finishing your journey at Our Lady Star of the Sea or just need to have a clean out of uniforms, that Recycled Uniforms are advertised through the Parent Facebook - OLSOS Ocean Grove Recycled Uniforms page. The school is unable to manage a large amount of Recycled Uniforms and as we rely on parent volunteers the school tries to minimise donations to a stock for emergency purposes only.

Families appreciate being able to purchase, sell or swap uniform items and this practice supports the sustainability practises of the school.  

Staff return: Monday 29 January 

Tuesday 30 January : Staff Professional day

Term 1

Students First day: Wednesday 31 January - Thursday 28 March

Term 2

Monday 15 April - Friday 28 June

Term 3 

Monday 15 July - Friday 20 September

Term 4 

Monday 7 October -  TBC December 

Term 4 2024

Thursday 21 November: Yr 5 Parish Mass/Year 1 MOPA Excursion

Friday 22 November: Yr 5BC assembly

Thursday 28 November: Yr 3 Parish Mass

Friday 29 November: Staff Professional Learning Day - Student Free Day 

Staff Planning Day for 2025

Tuesday 3 December: School Concert 5:30pm-7:30pm

Wednesday 4 December: Prep orientation

Thursday 5 December: Prep orientation

Tuesday 10 December: Whole school orientation/Prep orientation

Wednesday 11 December: Future leaders days 2025

Friday 6 December: Diversity Day 2pm assembly 

Tuesday 10 December: Whole school orientation day 9.15am - 11am

Wednesday 12 December: Yr 6 end of year excursion

Friday 13 December: Yr 6EB assembly/End of year Mass

Monday 16 December: Whole school Beach Day (students are welcome to bring plastic shovels and buckets. Ensure they remember to bring sunscreen and hats).

Wednesday 18 December: Yr 6 Graduation Assembly/Last day of school Students finish at 1pm 

Term1 2025

Tuesday 28 January: Staff return

Wednesday 29 January: Staff professional Learning day

Thursday 30 January:  Students return 

Please note: Please refer to the Parent Calendar for all dates