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Living Mercy in These Times
While we are all facing enormous challenges during this time, the video below produced by the Institute of Sisters of Mercy ‘Living Mercy in these Times’ is a reminder that the Mercy spirit is active and alive.
The short video (2mins 50 sec) commences with a letter from Catherine McAuley which shows that the early sisters were called upon to respond to the epidemics that occurred in their lifetime with the same Mercy spirit we are being asked to embrace today. In our response to this current crisis, we stand on the shoulders of the many Mercy women and men who faced and overcame similar challenges.
Dear Lord
With the world more than ever in need of Mercy, we pray that we all remember that in these troubled times we are all part of bringing Mercy to our world through our individual acts and that we are members of one large supportive Mercy community.
Amen
Dear Parents and Carers,
You may recall our theme for this year was working together in Faith, Hope and Love. The prayerful reflection in this newsletter reminds us that in Jesus' time he was the ”God of Now”, then Catherine McAuley, 200 years ago, was the “God of Now” for the people of Ireland. Today we are the ”God of Now” in the way we bring Mercy to others and ,ïn particular, respond now in these times of uncertainty.
I hope your last fortnight has been full of moments of faith, hope and love and you are continuing to stay connected in a positive way with each other.
Return to School:
As you may be aware, the Premier announced this morning a staggered return to school for everyone before the end of term. We are very excited by this announcement as I am sure your children and yourselves will be.
This means that Prep-2 will return to school on Tuesday 26 May, with a pupil free day for the whole school on Monday 25 May.
Year 3-6 students will return on Tuesday 9 June.
In the meantime and, in preparation for a return, we ask that in order to support the health and wellbeing of all in our community, you please endeavour to do the following things.
- Download the Covid safe app
- Ensure your child(ren) have had their flu shot
- Notify the school if you have a confirmed case
- Do not send your child to school unwell
- Continue to reinforce with your children good hand hygiene practices and using sanitiser at the entrances at school before entering.
- Follow any guidelines we share before returning including the dropping off of children and collecting. There will be more to come on this regarding safe guidelines and points of pick up.
Reporting on Semester One:
We have received confirmation that we will be reporting on Semester One. The teachers and yourselves have continued to do a great job in continuing the learning journey for our students during Term 2 with remote learning. We are collecting evidence of learning that we can authenticate and have been tracking both through Term One and Term Two. Whilst the learning has looked different, we are going to make the most accurate judgements based on the authenticated learning pieces and provide a personalised comment. We will also conduct interviews and details of when these will happen will come. In order to support teachers with time to begin the writing of reports, there will be no slides for Prep-2 on Friday 22 May and no slides for Year 3-6 on Monday 25 May. Please take the time to celebrate all you have achieved and enjoy some downtime, perhaps with no technology, with your families on these days.
Friday 22 May school will still be open for families needing to access onsite learning in Year 3-6 and students of essential workers Year Prep-6. The Premier announced Monday 25 May as a pupil free day. There will be no onsite learning for any students in preparation for the return of Year Prep-2 students. All teachers will be expected onsite from this day.
Finalists of the 2020 ResourceSmart School awards:
We have some very exciting news. We have just been notified this afternoon that we have been nominated for four awards in the Victorian Sustainability awards.
Teacher of the Year (Primary): Sue Constable and Kellie Clark, Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School, Ocean Grove;
Student Action Team of the Year (Primary): Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School, Ocean Grove
Community Leadership School of the Year (Primary): Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School, Ocean Grove
Curriculum Leadership School of the Year (Primary): Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School, Ocean Grove
A very big thankyou to Kellie Clark, Sue Constable, Alison Healy and the Leadership team for completing these applications for recognition. A special mention Kellie Clarke and Sue Constable for their continual great work and Rhonda Boyd and Alison Healy for being the pioneers of our strong sustainability focus. Also Marianne Caddy, our Learning and Teaching Leader, for her great work in the curriculum area.
Library: Please contact your class teacher if you would like to access books from the library.
Family Week
CatholicCare’s Family Week 2020 takes place next week, from Friday 15 May to Thursday 21 May.
The theme is ‘Building Connections in the Spirit of Hope’, and reflects CatholicCare’s focus on supporting and strengthening individuals, families and communities.
Family Week this year comes during one of the most challenging global health and social crises. The COVID-19 pandemic brings into sharp focus the importance of families, as it is families who bear the brunt of the crisis – sheltering their members from harm, caring for school children who are learning from home, and at the same time continuing their work responsibilities.
The spirit of hope
This year’s Family Week theme is ‘Building Connections in the Spirit of Hope’, and hope is a powerful and transformative idea. It has a focus of providing hope for vulnerable families, while building the rich, broad and meaningful connections that promote resilience in families and the community.
The Catholic Church seeks to support and encourage every family to become what it was intended to be from the beginning – a community of life and love. To the extent that each of us opens ourselves within our own ‘domestic church’ to life and to love, we become like the Holy Family, a family through which the light of Jesus Christ becomes a real presence in the world.
The Great Realisation Some of you may have seen this but a wonderful poem to share and invokes deep reflection. It is an older brother reading it to his younger brother.
A very big Terima kasih / Thank you
The last few weeks of flexible and remote learning have been challenging for everyone in education. It has been a difficult period for teachers, students and families, as we have all adjusted to new ways of learning and teaching. The transition has not been an easy one at times for families or teachers, but where we have been successful, it is because parents and carers are partners in achieving learning outcomes. As a staff we wanted to take this opportunity on behalf of the school and our teaching staff, to offer our sincere thanks for the support you have provided during this transition.
We have been inspired by the commitment and energy shown by you the parents, teachers and Learning Support Officers, in educating our students and, this is reflected in the innovative and creative ways we have come together to ensure continuity of education.
From the way you have been open to supporting your child with the learning, communicated warmly and respectfully with all our staff, embraced the technology, learnt alongside your children and enabled your children to be present for their morning greetings, Google Meets and Hangouts or assembly times.
Examples like this show how our school community is supporting each other through this period.
I believe that meeting this challenge together has strengthened the partnership between Our Lady Star of the Sea and our community, which will sustain us through the learning and teaching of the weeks, months and years to come.
Our Lady Star of the Sea and its staff are here for you and, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact us as we continue to be available to help during this challenging period.
Please note we have postpooned our Professional Learning Day in Term 3 on Friday 24 July with Berry Street to next year. Therefore, school will be open on this day and no longer a Pupil Free Day.
Wishing your family many blessings for the fortnight ahead
Kerryn
Wellbeing resources from SchoolTV
SchoolTV has generously shared it's special video report Wellbeing Checklist for Primary as part of its coronavirus series. In this special report by Dr Michael Carr-Gregg, parents/carers are provided with information on how to support the wellbeing and mental health of their children.
Dr Michael Carr-Grieg explains that while most children are resilient and seem to be demonstrating a remarkable capacity to manage during this challenging time, others are not faring as well. Some are experiencing a variety of emotions ranging from fear to anxiety, all of which are considered normal or natural responses to the current situation. It’s important for parents/carers to remain vigilant for any signs of unusual distress or behaviour, even if their child may not have any prior history of a mental health disorder.
Click on the picture to view this report from SchoolTV.
SchoolTV have also shared Wellbeing Checklist for Secondary for parents with older children.
If you as parents or carers have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact us for support. For immediate assistance, seek medical or professional help.
Regards
Paul Anderson
Student Wellbeing Leader
Bellarine Uniforms has re opened its retail store.
Monday - Friday: 10am - 5pm
Sat: 9am - 12pm
Online and email orders also welcome.
162 Moorabool Street
Ph: 5221 9199
The continued safety of our staff and customers is of paramount importance and physical distancing measures will be in place. Our retail staff will be working before and after trading hours to ensure extensive daily cleaning is conducted instore. Any uniform garments which are unpackaged, tried on and then not taken, will be separated out from stock and not handled for 24 hours as an additional precaution against COVID-19. We do not have fitting ranges which are used for ‘try on’ purposes.
As you can appreciate, we are required to limit the total number of people instore which includes staff and customers. Winter back to school is a busy time and our online uniform service is available at www.noone.com.au, where customers can choose either home delivery or ‘click and collect’. Given the reduced number of customers permitted in the store customers ordering “on line” will assist us in processing more orders efficiently.
We appreciate your support and thank the school community for their patience during this challenging time. Our staff continue to be committed in providing the best possible customer service during these extra ordinary times.
Archbishop Peter A. Comensoli has a message to share here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
INFORMATION FOR PARENTS
Every Victorian child should have access to the world of learning opportunities that exist beyond the classroom. The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) helps ensure that no student will miss out on the opportunity to join their classmates for important, educational and fun activities. It is part of making Victoria the Education State and the Government’s commitment to breaking the link between a student’s background and their outcomes.
School camps provide children with inspiring experiences in the great outdoors. Excursions encourage a deeper understanding of how the world works while sports teach teamwork, discipline and leadership. All are a part of a healthy curriculum.
CSEF is provided by the Victorian Government to assist eligible families to cover the costs of school trips, camps and sporting activities.
If you hold a valid means-tested concession card or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible for CSEF. A special consideration category also exists for asylum seeker and refugee families. The allowance is paid to the school to use towards expenses relating to camps, excursions or sporting activities for the benefit of your child.
The annual CSEF amount per student is:
- $150 for primary school students
HOW TO APPLY
New applicants should Click here for CSEF Application Form or contact the school office to obtain a CSEF application form.
If you applied for CSEF last year, you do not need to complete an application form this year unless there has been a change in your family circumstances.
You only need to complete an application form if any of the following changes have occurred:
- new student enrolments; your child has started or changed schools this year.
- changed family circumstances; such as a change of custody, change of name, concession card number, or new siblings commencing this year.
MORE INFORMATION
For more information about CSEF visit:
https://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/Pages/csef.aspx
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 UPDATE
Bellarine Community Health has a crucial role to play as part of the community effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Although some services have been disrupted, many critical services continue:
- GP Clinic in Portarlington
- BCH Community Nursing & Palliative Care
- Urgent and emergency Dental
- Mental health support
- Telehealth for some services
Non-urgent, face-to-face allied health services have been suspended until the end of May based on the current advice to minimise the risk of transmission of COVID-19. For more information visit www.bch.org.au or if you have an urgent need for service, please call 1800 007 224 to discuss your needs.
Myself, and the rest of the Healthy Communities Team have moved out of our BCH office and are navigating this work from home thing together. Please reach out to me via email (leanne.mcfarlane@bch.org.au) and I can even arrange a Teams Meeting chat with you from my home office which is likely to feature my two cute sausage dogs Bonnie and Bruce. Do you need some support writing or reviewing your health and wellbeing policies or is there some capacity right now for you to work through the health areas of the Achievement Program?
LOCAL SUPPORT
In response to the spread of COVID-19, BCH is now offering the following support:
• Transport to health appointments
• Pick-up and delivery of pre-ordered food
• Pharmacy script pick-up and drop-off
Call: 03 5258 0835
*All requests will be prioritised based on need. Vehicle availability is limited. For more information: https://bit.ly/2XMUWo6.
AND HOW ARE YOU DOING? I would like to shine the spotlight on you for a moment and check in to see how you are doing? A big thank you for keeping your students and their families calm during these difficult times. The Healthy Communities Team would like to share with you some important health and wellbeing tips/info so grab yourself a well-deserved cuppa and take a moment to read an example attached. Please feel free to also share with other people who you work with. If you would like us to email you more of these articles or have any specific ‘wellness’ topics you’d like our team to research, please email us at healthycommunities@bch.org.au.
INFO OVERLOAD? There is so much information out there at the moment in response to COVID-19 and I don’t know about you, but I am finding it all a bit overwhelming. A new Wellbeing Library: coronavirus (COVID-19) is now available on the Achievement Program website. It has free, hand-picked resources, tools and information to support teachers, educators, students and families to maintain health and wellbeing during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Check it out here: www.achievementprogram.health.vic.gov.au/coronavirus/education
If there is anything else, myself and the team can support you with during these difficult times, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
Cheers,
Leanne (and all of us in the Healthy Communities Team - Ruby, Laura & Zoe)
Leanne McFarlane
Healthy Communities Planner
(03) 5258 6142