Dear Parents,

As a Catholic Community and in line with our vision of being a respectful, engaging and nurturing learning community, we saw a wonderful effort by the 86 Our Lady Star of the Sea students participating in the ANZAC Day March. The students represented the school with much respect and we are grateful for their effort in acknowledging and remembering  the sacrifice of the men and women who died fighting for the freedoms we still enjoy today as Australians.

Our Grounds Master Plan has been completed, click here to view the plans. Some of the upcoming grounds projects will include a dry creek bed, outdoor kitchen, rejuvenation of the indigenous garden/amphitheatre, new chicken house area at the front of the school and bench seating outside classrooms.

As a learning community, we are endeavouring to create more classroom outdoor learning opportunities which comes with many benefits for our students. These include helping their motor, sensory, social and cognitive development while also being great for their general health and wellbeing. We are currently looking at beginning some of the grounds work and are accessing quotes from contractors as well as calling on any parents who may be able to complete some of the smaller projects. Please see the project list and further information in the sustainability section of this newsletter.

The next working Bee will be the Sunday 19 May 10-12noon with a focus of Blue and Yellow Hub attending. Of course other families outside of these hubs are welcome.

This coming Sunday we celebrate our Mothers and/ or women who are like mothers to us. We encourage all to get involved wherever possible with the Mother’s day breakfast Thursday morning in and around the library or the Mass on Friday at 12 noon It is a wonderful opportunity for your children to show their love and gratitude for you and I wish you all a beautiful day Sunday as a family.

As a whole staff, we completed our first day of Berry Street Training on Friday 3 May. The feedback from staff has been very positive. Teachers are already implementing some of the strategies. It is refreshing to have a Professional Learning with so many take aways that can be immediately introduced to enhance our student’s learning and wellbeing.

Naplan Testing for Years 3 and 5 will be happening in Week 4. Please see more information below about the testing online and the timetable for the week's testing.

Best wishes for the fortnight ahead

Kerryn

Implementation of the school Grounds Masterplan is underway. The plan will see projects prioritised and become part of a timeline for completion. Assistance is sought in some areas and families are invited to offer such. 

Click here - Nature Play Parent Project List

The school has recently reviewed and updated our Privacy Policy. The updated policy can be accessed from our school website. Alternatively, you may request a copy by emailing the Deputy Principal at panderson@staroceangrove.catholic.edu.au

Berry Street Education Model

In today’s changing and complex world, our students encounter daily challenges that can impact their success at school. These can range from ongoing stress, anxiety, change in the family structure, changing schools, friendships, social media, a lack of family support or a specific traumatic event. To help and support students, schools often require specialised strategies to address student needs for healing, growth, and achievement.

The Berry Street Education Model provides schools with the training, curriculum and strategies to engage all students. This education initiative is based on proven positive education, trauma-informed and wellbeing practices that enable students’ academic and personal growth.

Last Friday our staff commenced the first of 4 professional learning days, exploring the Berry Street Education Model. This model enhances the existing practices already in place here at Our Lady Star of the Sea School, through Respectful Relationships and the Kids Matter framework. It also further supports the development of school-wide practices and cultures that enable our students people to:

• deeply connect ‘who they are’ and ‘how they can be’ in the world
• reach their potential
• build positive and connected relationships
• develop skills and attitudes that promote wellbeing and resilience
• deepen their appreciation of learning, their perseverance and their stamina
• lead optimistic, graced and hope-filled lives of impact.

On Friday we explored the first domain within the Berry Street Education Model - Body.

This domain is centred on building students’ capacity by increasing physical regulation of the stress response, de-escalation and focus. We revisited the conditions required for humans to be able to learn, including exploring how the brain functions.  We explored the role mindfulness plays in learning and the importance of ‘brain breaks’ for students.

Our next staff professional learning day, focusing on the Relationship and Stamina domains of the Berry Street Education Model will be held in Term 3. The final two training days for the Berry Street Model will take place in 2020.

Paul Anderson

Student Wellbeing Leader

Term 2 Week 3 - Red Hub News

Term 2 Week 3 - Purple Hub News

Term 2 Week 3 - Green Hub News

Term 2 Week 3 - Yellow Hub News

Term 2 Week 3 - Blue Hub News

Term 2 is a very busy term for sport for our Year 6 students and selected students throughout the middle and senior grades. Important dates for your diary:

Year 6 Netball Basketball Round Robin

This Friday 10 May, 60 Year 6 students will be participating in the District Round Robin for mixed netball and basketball. The competition will take place at the Geelong Netball & Basketball Centre in South Geelong. A Caremonkey form has been shared with those students that will be attending.

We wish them the best of luck.

District Athletics

The District Athletics Championships is an opportunity for some of our Year 3 - 6 students to compete in athletics against other catholic schools in the Geelong area. This competition requires individual students to compete in age groups: 9/10 years, 11 years & 12/13 years. Students are selected on times and distances from our school athletics day. Qualifying standards apply for this day and in most events our school are only able to enter one student per event per age group.  

Students will be notified this week if they have been successful in qualifying for the District Athletics Day. The District Athletics Championships will take place at Landy Field on Friday 24 May.

Division Cross Country

Division Cross Country will take place at Eastern Gardens on Tuesday 28 May. The following students have progressed through to this event: Sam Eales, Noah Jeffrey, Tom Snowden, George Every, Riley Eyck, Lucas Kelly, Violet Wardley, Jez Johnstone, Emily Soppitt, Darcy Harrington, Harley Womersley, Charlie Eales, Alex Morgan, Lenny Honner, Ned Badrock, Georgia Maier, Zoe Seddon, Tannah Andrews, Baxter Briggs, Sonni Andrews, Eilidh Sheridan & Ava Seddon.

A CareMonkey form will be shared in the next two weeks outlining transport and race times.

Lightning Premiership

The Year 6 students will be involved in the 2019 Lightning Premiership on Friday 31 May 2019. Football, netball and softball will be the sports at this event.  Details regarding teams etc will be made available in the next 2 weeks.  

An Invitation

Mother's day breakfast at school Thursday 9 May at 7.45am.

Remember to bring your keep cup.

On Friday 10 May we are celebrating Mass

at Our Lady Star of the Sea Church at 12.00 noon

in gratitude for our mothers and women who are like mothers to us.

We would love our mothers and women who are like mothers to us

to join us at this Mass.

We hope to see you there on Friday 10 May at 12.00 noon.

Lib Macpherson ( Religious Dimension Leader )

National Walk Safely to School Day

On Friday 19th May we are participating in National Walk Safely to School Day. 

National Walk Safely to School Day is a community initiative that aims to raise awareness of the health, road safety, transport and environmental benefits that regular walking (especially to and from school) can provide for the long term well-being of our children. Apart from the physical benefits, regular walking also has a favourable impact on our cognitive and academic performance.

We encourage you to walk, ride or scoot to school on the day to help create a healthy lifestyle for all.

The travel smart leaders will be coming around on the day to conduct a survey to work out who was able to walk, ride or scoot to school and will have stickers for our active travellers.

Yellow and Blue Hub families are invited to the next Working Bee on Sunday 19 May 10am-12pm. Bring along your gardening gloves, rakes, wheelbarrows and plenty of enthusiasm. The Nature Based Play Project will be underway and it is hoped that some of this work can be undertaken at the Working Bee. 

Further information re NAPLAN online for Year 3 and 5 sourced from ACARA:

We as a school began doing NAPLAN online last year.

What does NAPLAN assess and why is the test moving to an online skills are part of the school curriculum format?

NAPLAN assesses literacy and numeracy – important skills that each child needs to succeed in school and life. If your child is in Year 3, 5, 7 or 9 this year, they will be participating in NAPLAN tests for reading, writing, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy. The NAPLAN tests are designed to help us make sure students are on track with their literacy and numeracy development over time.

Below is our timetable for Week 4 and 5.

All schools are moving to NAPLAN Online by 2020 as the online assessment provides more accurate information about what students know and can do. Feedback from schools that have undertaken the NAPLAN assessment online was that students generally find the online assessment engaging.

Students with disability

NAPLAN Online includes audio and visual alternative questions, including colour themes, that may be suitable for some students with disability. All questions are also keyboard accessible. The Guide for schools to assist students with disability to access NAPLAN Online provides an overview of the process that our teachers, in consultation with parents and carers, will follow to assist students with disability.

To see the types of questions and interactive features of NAPLAN Online, try out the tests on the public demonstration site, available on the NAP website.

ICT skills are part of the school curriculum

Students do not need to be computer experts to take the NAPLAN test online. Making sure students have computers skills is part of our school curriculum, and our teachers will ensure your child is familiar with the online format.

Year 3 students will continue to complete the writing assessment on paper. To see the types of questions and interactive features of NAPLAN Online, try out the tests on the public demonstration site, available on the NAP website.

ICT skills are part of the school curriculum. Students do not need to be computer experts to take the NAPLAN test online. Making sure students have computers skills is part of our school curriculum, and our teachers will ensure your child is familiar with the online format. Year 3 students will continue to complete the writing assessment on Paper. To see the types of questions and interactive features of NAPLAN Online, try out the tests on the public demonstration site, available on the NAP website.

Test integrity

To ensure test security and prevent student access to the internet and spell-check applications during NAPLAN Online, a locked-down browser will be installed to each student’s device.

One of the main features of NAPLAN Online is that it is a tailored (or adaptive) test. The NAPLAN Online tests adapt to student responses, presenting questions that may be easier or more difficult, to better assess the student’s ability.

Students should not be concerned if they think that the questions are more difficult than expected – this may simply mean that they are taking a more challenging but more appropriate pathway. This ‘tailored testing’ approach means that a wider range of student abilities can be tested (compared with the paper approach, where all students answer exactly the same questions).

How tailored testing contributes to more precise results

Tailored testing also provides more accurate information about what students know and can do, which, alongside other assessment information that teachers have, can help inform teaching and learning. Your child’s NAPLAN result will be based on the number and difficulty of questions he or she has answered correctly. Regardless of whether students complete the test online and or on paper, they are assessed on the same underlying literacy and numeracy skills taught through the curriculum content, and results are reported on the same NAPLAN assessment scale. Many of the same questions appear in both paper and online tests, which helps with the comparability of results. NAPLAN results should always be interpreted with care. Your child’s teacher will have the best insight into your child’s progress.

For more information about the move online, visit nap.edu.au/online-assessment

Hot Dog Days 

Hot dog and fruit box drink  - $5 

Wednesday 14 Dec - Prep & Grade 1
Thursday 15 Dec - Grade 4, 5 & 6.

$5.00 hot dog & juice box or $3.00 hot dog no drink.

Order online via schools24

Anzac Day

25 April 2019

As I lined up to march in the Anzac Day parade I felt important,proud and I had the butterflies in my stomach. I heard the drums going then the bagpipes. I said to myself “What's happening!?” then everyone started marching. I saw the soldiers marching in the line perfectly with their uniforms nice and tidy, they looked proud as they marched one by one. As i turned back I saw the students marching and smiling with happiness, everyone was clapping.              

It was now time to remember who fought for us in the war. It was now time to celebrate the Anzacs as we all came together for a significant ceremony. After we all sat down people were laying wreaths in memory of the soldiers that went to war to fight for us. We then sang the national anthem with the melody of the orchestra and Sarah Henderson did a magnificent speech from the prime minister, Scott Morrison. The crowd went silent as the bugle played and reflected on the Anzacs….

At the end there was a big thank you and the crowd clapped.   

By Alira Smith - 6TF

Junior School Parent Social Night
Open to all parents with children in Prep - Yr 2

When:   Thursday 23 May
From:    7pm
Where:  The Mex
Cost:      $20

Food will be provided for the night, drinks will be available at the bar. A great night to meet other parents, and have a bit of fun without the kids!

Please email RSVP to pfa@staroceangrove.catholic.edu.au 

Term 4 2020

Friday 16 October: Respectful Relationships "Gratitude Day"

Monday 19 October: Book Week Dress Up Day 

Thursday 22 October: Footy colours casual clothes day and Gold Coin donation for Cherished Pets Ocean Grove.

Friday 23 October: AFL Grand Final Public Holiday, school closed 

Sunday 25 October: School working bee 10am - 12pm - Purple Hub TBC

Tuesday 3 November: Melbourne Cup Public Holiday, school Closed 

Friday 6 November: Mission Fete Day 

Monday 9 November: School Photo Day Individual and Class Photos

Tuesday 10 November: School Photo Day Family Portraits

Monday 23 November  - Tuesday 24 November: Year 6 Camp Wyuna

Tuesday 24 November: Prep 2021 Parent Information Session 6 - 7pm TBC

Thursday 26 November: Prep 2021 Parent Information Session 6 - 7pm TBC

Friday 27 November: Staff 2021 Planning Day, student free day 

Monday 30 November: Year 3 Camp Wyuna

Tuesday 1 December: Year 4 Camp Wyuna

Wednesday 2 December: Year 5 Camp Wyuna

Wednesday 2 December: Prep 2021 Orientation Day 9.30am - 11am TBC

Tuesday 8 December: Prep 2021 Orientation Day 9.30am - 11am TBC

Thursday 17 December: End of Term 4

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

Bellarine Community Health Dental Service

Oral health therapists will be visiting Our Lady Star of the Sea Primary School on Monday 27  May. The visiting dental health service provides a screening check to children at Our Lady Star of the Sea, upon request from parents/guardians via the consent form attached. BCH Parent Consent Form

The service is free to students and may incur referral to Bellarine Community Health Dental Service.

If you would like your child to have a FREE dental screening, please return completed consent form to the school office by Friday 26 April. 

If you do not wish to participate in the school screening program, you are welcome to contact the Bellarine Community Health Dental Clinic to arrange an appointment for your child. All primary school aged children, are treated free of charge.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact Bellarine Community Health dental team on 5258 0828.

Parent Seminar - Parenting Children Who Worry Too Much

Ocean Grove S.L.S.C - IRB Carnival