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- Prayer
- From the Principal
- Student Wellbeing
- Hub News
- Sustainability News
- Sports News
- RE News
- Student Residential Address Data Collection
- 2025 Sibling Enrolments, Open Day time and school tours
- School Uniform
- Travelsmart News - Ride to school day Fri 19 March
- New Building Update
- PFA - Easter raffle
- Mowing Roster
- BCH Bellarine Community Health Dental Screenings
- CSEF - CAMP, SPORT AND EXCURSION FUND
- 2021 Catholic Secondary Open Days
- Reminders
- Community News
Dear Parents and Carers
During this Lenten period we are asked to take time to pray, to fast, to repent and to give and do for others.
As a family in today’s world, Lent is also an opportunity to develop our own character strengths and acknowledge our Catholic values. Firstly, we must identify our strengths and secondly, we must be given an opportunity to develop other character strengths, or Catholic values, that may not necessarily be on top of our list. Teachers will work through activities with students during this time reflecting on Scripture and making faith and life connections, leading up to the Easter story. As a family, you can support this time with helping your children to acknowledge what they are grateful for and what they may be able to give and do for others, using character strengths such as kindness, love, spirituality, forgiveness, compassion and empathy.
If you are interested to further reflect on and consider what Lent means for Catholics I recommend this link to you. LENT
COVID Update:
With minimal or no community transmission at present, we can also now invite you back to enter your child’s classroom one morning a week if you wish to do so. This is a great time to make a plan with your child and communicate clearly that on the other days you will continue the "kiss and drop" approach. A reminder that this happens within a 10 minute window and masks are worn indoors. We thank you for your support with this as we continue to manage numbers onsite. Assemblies are also now open for all families to attend as you wish, not as per the timetable previously shared. Please only access the assembly area via the outside of the buildings and sign in using the QR codes on the silver tables near the basketball court assembly area. The next assembly will be on Friday 5 March due to the student free day for staff professional learning this Friday.
Barbecue Enclosure and Outdoor Learning Centre: We are ready to embark on our Outdoor Learning Centre and Barbecue enclosure. Our Lady Star of the Sea values God's creation and our wonderful world. We place a large focus on sustainability with our whole learning community. We educate and encourage our students to be stewards of creation and care for our planet. We have in fact won recent awards from Victorian Sustainability awards for community leadership and curriculum leadership and the Victorian Gardens awards for promoting outdoor learning and spaces. We have raised money for this particular project over the last couple of years through the PFA fundraising and with our Earth Fest and received a $6,000 grant from Libby Coker-Federal MP for Corangamite to go towards this project. The rest of the funds will come from our building donation account and school funds. This has been factored into our budget for the year. In summary, our reasons for undertaking this project are:
Due to a current building project we have lost a portion of our main vegetable garden and over the last couple of years have had plans completed to relocate our main vegetable garden to another area of the school where this facility will be built. Also to have a larger vegetable garden to cater for our population and with our kitchen gardens learning focus this will be a wonderful accessible learning area.
Not only will it promote more community engagement but it will also enable and enhance our learning and teaching focus on sustainability and be more accessible to students and families, supporting authentic, purposeful and engaging learning.
Part of this structure is an outdoor learning space or classroom. This year we have introduced Sustainability as one of our specialist subjects and this space will be used daily. This also fits with our school improvement plan and annual action plan of ensuring meaningful, authentic and purposeful learning outdoors for our students which supports student voice and action, wellbeing and engagement.
An outdoor area for the learning community to gather and meet, promoting the sense of a community that values belonging and cooperation. For example Father's and Significant other's bbq night, Mother's Day Breakfast,barbecues at the end of our working bees.
Story Dogs: Our Lady Star of the Sea is very excited to have a new regular visitor to our school to help our students with their reading. ‘Wally’ and Jeff will be visiting every Wednesday to help our year 2 classes with their reading.
The Story Dogs program partners with the classroom teachers to help students with their reading. ‘Wally’ and Jeff will help the same 4 students each week. The students will come out of their classroom and sit one-on-one with ‘Wally’ and Jeff and read to ‘Wally’. ‘Wally’ loves to listen and will not mind if the student makes a few mistakes, he just wants to have a fun time so that books and reading become a joyful experience. Jeff King is also the grandfather of 4 of our current students: Izzy and Gus Montgomery and Ivy and Billie King.
‘Wally’ is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and he loves going for walks and playing at the beach. ‘Wally’ has been practicing at home with his new reading rug and books so that he will be ready to help the students. He is super excited about starting and going to school each week.
Welcome ‘Wally’ and Jeff!
Tutoring Re: 2021 Tutor Learning Program
In October 2020, the Victorian Government announced the Tutor Learning Program, which provides funding for the recruitment of tutors to support students to accelerate their learning in English or Mathematics during 2021 to compensate for the disruptions they have experienced last year. We have begun this tutoring program across Year 1-6 with a selection of students for Term 1 and will continue to offer it throughout the year with different students each term.
Our Lady Star of the Sea decided to use current teaching staff to implement this program throughout the year. Kristen Leonard (Learning Diversity Leader) and Byron Taylor (Learning Support Officer training to be a teacher) have begun working with small groups of children from each year level, twice a week for 45 minutes during Term One. Miranda Kelly (teacher) is also supporting with the planning of the Mathematics lessons.
Parking: Please be aware of the signage around the school particularly the bus zone on Marlin Drive. We have had a call regarding cars parking in the bus zone on Marlin Drive at pick up time. We are also expecting the council to increase parking spaces in the drop off zone and change the signage to 2 minute parking from 3.30 pm- 4 pm over the next few weeks. Please be mindful of safety out the back of school at the Surfside Centre entrance as traffic has increased and discuss with your children who use this entrance and are on bikes, scooters or walking to be aware and take care. We are also liasing with council to support signage in this area.
A Baby Girl: Congratulations to Miss Taliah and family on the safe arrival of a beautiful baby girl, Neve Lucy De Beer. Little sister for Noah.
Wishing you and all the family many blessings during this Lenten season
Kerryn
Road Safety
Children need to develop vital road crossing skills for when they become mature pedestrians. For these skills to develop, children need experience crossing roads with parents and carers. Research suggests that it is important for children to hold an adult’s hand when crossing the road up to the age of 10 years.
Also, children need to learn to make use of supervised crossings. When parents use a supervised crossing with their children, they model the safest way of crossing a road, increasing the chance that their children will also look for the safest option as an indepentent pedestrian. Parents who do not use the supervised crossing at the front of our school and cross the road with their children are placing themselves and their children at risk of being hit by a vehicle. They also miss the opportunity to help their children develop vital road crossing skills.
Our Lady Star of the Sea School is committed to providing a safe community for all our members. To assist your child to develop road safety skills and be safe, we once again remind you to use the supervised crossing on John Dory Drive.
Paul Anderson
Student Wellbeing Leader
Connewarre District Tennis Championship
Congratulations to Raimend Bernazzoli, Natalia Eyck and Eilidh Sheridan on representing our school at the District Tennis Championships last Friday.
All three represented our school well, displaying great sportsmanship and channeling their inner Australian Open Champion by giving their all. Well done to all three students.
Each year the Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment request schools to provide residential address and other information as required under the Australian Education Regulation 2013 (Cth). The school generates a unique and unidentifiable record number for each student record. The number
is only used by the school for this collection. It is not allowed to be used for any other purpose. The number indicates to the department that each record provided is for one student. Click here to access the 2021 Student Residential Address and Other information Collection Notice.
If you have a child due to start school in 2025 we ask that Applications for Enrolment are lodged before the end of Term 1. As applications are received by the school, you will be contacted to make a time for you and your Prep 2025 child to meet with Kerryn. To access forms and further information click here.
Open Time and School Tours
The school will be open for student led tours on Tuesday 26 March between 9.15am and 10.30am. Parents and children welcome. No bookings are required.
Information Session for Parents
Parents are invited to an information session on Tuesday 26 March at 6.30pm – 7.30pm.
Please be reminded that the school shoes to be worn by students are to be black traditional school shoes. Black runners, skate or street shoes are not acceptable unless a letter has been provided by parents.
Click here to see the latest new building update by Nate Wombell Yr 3 MC.
Raffle tickets have been sent home with your eldest child.
There are spare raffle ticket books at the office if you require more.
Families are asked to donate as follows:
Senior School – Easter eggs
Junior School – bags/ baskets
Please send tickets and eggs in no later than Tuesday 23 March.
If tickets could be separated and folded upon return,
we would be forever grateful.
Let’s all do our best and try not using snap lock bags/plastic.
Raffle to be drawn the last day of term.
Thank you to everyone who has volunteered for the Mowing Roster. An email with instructions and dates allocated will soon be sent. Please keep an eye out in your email inbox or junk mail. We thank you very much for committing to this for 2021.
Oral health therapists will be visiting Our Lady Star of the Sea Primary School on Tuesday 8 June 2021. 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
Click here for information about the service.
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 February.
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.
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
Do you have a budding musical theatre performer aged 10 - 14yrs old?
GSODA is Australia's longest running Junior Theatre Company and applications are now open to join the 2021 workshop group. If this sounds like a perfect opportunity for someone you know, please check out gsoda.com.au to find out more about our company and download an applications form to sign up for an audition.
