Filter Content
Dear Families, Caregivers and Students,
What a week! This week we appreciated how wonderful books and stories are and how amazing reading is to inspire wild and curious minds. Book Week is all about creating a community that celebrates quality Australian literature for children. The highlight of the week certainly was the dress up day. The efforts that families, staff and students put into their costumes is simply astounding and made the experience extra special.
This year we have had to change the way we live, the way we connect to each other, the way we educate our children and the way we run events. Next Friday 30th October is Sport Day.
Please support the school in making Sports Day a COVID safe event for everyone to enjoy.
All families attending Sports Day need to adhere to the following COVID safe measures:
- Any person (child/student, staff member or family member) who is unwell or symptomatic must not attend Sports Day.
- All adults need to adhere to the SA Health social distancing requirements of 1.5m. This means that families cannot join students in the team marquees.
- All adults need to sign in upon entering the oval for COVID-19 tracing purposes only.
- Do not share food and drinks.
- Maintain good hand hygiene. Hand sanitizer will be readily available.
- Greet people without making physical contact.
- There is very limited shade available, please provide your own shade and ensure you wear hats and sunscreen.
COVID marshals will be in attendance. Please follow their instructions when asked.
With or without COVID in our world, children continue to need stable, supportive adults in their lives to teach them to cope with the ups and downs of everyday life and help them grow resilient. We build resilience in our children firstly by modelling it in our own lives instead of giving up or throwing our hands in the air when things get difficult. Secondly we need to encourage some failure, the saying goes: ‘He who never made a mistake, never made anything.’ Making a mistake or not being the best is ok at times. Thirdly we need to make time and talk things through with our children. It is my experience as a mother that no matter how flat the pancake is, it still has two sides. The story my child tells me at home is very rarely accurate; she tells me her version of events. If I am concerned about what she tells me, I contact her teacher or the school and ask for clarification, this way I won’t make unnecessary or incorrect assumptions about the situation or other children involved. The brain is wired in a way that it holds on to negative experiences much longer than positive experiences. A child can have a wonderful day filled with many positive experiences, yet that one unkind thing fills and occupies their mind and they cannot think about anything else. When having a conversation with your child about their day at school it helps to get them to first tell you what was fantastic about it. You can then ask them about any bumps in the road they have encountered and what they did to move through them. Instead of emphasising what other children did to them, bring the focus back to your own child and ask them what skills they used to make friends that day or how they treated others. It may take some practice at first but having these conversations with your children not only provides them with an extensive problem solving toolbox, it will also become apparent that, at times, your own children’s actions fill and occupy other children’s minds and they can't think of anything else.
As a principal it is my job to look at all children through kind eyes and see individual potential, provide everyone with nurturing support and advocacy to ensure all children in my care are given the opportunities to grow and thrive. Plans to start a parent support group within our Lady of the River School are in the works. This group will be for parents of all children in the school but can be especially important for those with students that experience difficulties in social and emotional learning. The aim is for parents and children in our community to not feel isolated and have access to support. Participation is completely voluntary. More information will go out to families soon.
Simon Hutchinson from Climbing Tree visited Our Lady of the River School last week to help us realise plans for a nature playground. Studies show that natural play contributes to the overall physical, cognitive, and emotional development of children and leads to beneficial growth in physical and mental health and happiness. A Nature Play committee is being established to give voice to all within our community, including the children, to collaboratively design a playground that is unique and caters to the needs of our community. If you are interested in being part of this committee, please contact me.
I want to take a moment to inform you that James Preece and Cobie Drogemuller have taken the opportunity to embark on a new adventure in 2021. James and Cobie have been part of the OLOR team for several years and during their time here have contributed greatly to the school community and student learning. We thank James and Cobie for their time with us and wish them well for the future.
It is with delight that I am able to announce some changes to our teaching team in 2021. I extend a very warm welcome to Lisa Rayner, Kimberly Smith and Thomas Charlton who will join the Our Lady of the River staff Team in 2021. Lisa is making her way back home to South Australia from the Northern Territory and will bring with her many years of teaching experience. Kimberly Smith is local to Berri with three years of teaching experience under her belt. Kimberly is a keen dancer and has been dancing with Rosie Clark for many years. She is excited to join us at Our Lady of the River and share her love of learning with students and teachers alike. Thomas Charlton, a graduate teacher from Port Lincoln will bring an enthusiasm for teaching and learning as well as a love for sport to add to our strong team of educators.
Please join me in congratulating Lisa, Kimberly and Thomas and welcome them with open arms into our wonderful community.
There are still plenty of events to look forward to before the end of 2020 like Sports Day, Year 4 camp, Transition, Year 7 Graduation, Year 7 camp and Carols.
Enjoy your weekend.
Nanda de Winter
Pope Francis’s intention prayer for October
This week, we celebrate “Catholic Mission Week” beginning on World Mission Sunday, 18th October. During Mission Week we are encouraged to think about the small acts of love we can share to bring Jesus’ mission to the world. How can we work with our head, hearts and hands to help those in need around the world overcome the challenges of poverty, and hopefully improve their living conditions to be able to have better access to the basic needs in life, like clean water, doctors and education.
Socktober is an annual Catholic Mission initiative that encourages students and families to broaden their perspective while supporting the work of Catholic Mission in developing countries through the universal game of soccer. A game that enhances social connections, helps children learn about countries around the world, and evokes a sense of belonging no matter where you are from.
In countries supported by Catholic Mission, children play sockball. Sockball is soccer played with a ball that is made out of recycled materials. The very first sock ball (pictured above) was invented by four young Zambian men in a town four hours west of Chennai in southern India. OLOR students discovered how this very same sockball was given to Catholic Mission and has subsequently travelled the world featuring in soccer games in Cambodia, Ghana, the Philippines as well as different states within Australia.
Since its humble beginnings, and through its continuous journey bringing joy to children across the globe, the sockball has become an iconic symbol of Catholic Mission. The Year 3 students worked together to make their own sockballs created from 100% recycled materials, such as old clothes, our lunch and recess snack wrappers, bubble wrap and plastic bags.,They donated one sockball to each class, which was used in some friendly games across the school in OLOR’s very own soccer carnival. On Thursday, the school yard buzzed with encouragement, enthusiasm and teamwork, as students kicked goals while raising awareness for Socktober.
This Sunday’s Gospel Message for Families
(Brisbane Liturgy)
30th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A 25th October 2020
"Love the Lord your God, and your neighbour as yourself.”
Something to Think About
What does it mean to love someone? Who do you love? Sometimes it seems easy to love people but, at other times, loving is not easy. Is there someone that you find difficult to love? Since God loves us so much, we are called to love God and other people.
The Story
The religious leaders are trying to trick Jesus again in today’s story, by asking him which is the greatest commandment. This is an easy one for Jesus! First of all you must love God and secondly, you must love your neighbour. The two commands go together and form the basis of the entire Scriptures
The Scriptures
A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew 22:34-40
Love the Lord your God, and your neighbour as yourself. After Jesus had made the Sadducees look foolish, the Pharisees heard about it and got together. One of them was an expert in the Jewish Law. So he tried to test Jesus by asking, "Teacher, what is the most important commandment in the Law?" Jesus answered: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.' This is the first and most important commandment. The second most important commandment is like this one. And it is, 'Love others as much as you love yourself.' All the Law of Moses and the Books of the Prophets are based on these two commandments." The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
God of love,
Help us to love you with our
whole heart and to love one another.
Guide our hearts and hands to reach out
to our brothers and sisters in need.
Teach us to be kind and forgiving as
we spread you love in the world.
OLOR Bulletin
Witness
The Witness is a bi-monthly publication released every February, April, June, August, October and December, please click the following link to view.
Co-editors; Jennifer Wainwright and Michael Preece.
The Southern Cross
Please click on the following link for the latest issue of The Southern Cross.
OLOR sports day 2020 will be held on Friday the 30th of October at the Berri number 2 oval from 9am to 1pm. Please find the booklet attached for all information.
Our Lady of the River are excited to offer our families a substantial drop in our school fees for 2021, please find below a more simplified fee structure showing a cost per family and a cost per family with a low income, if you have any questions or to check eligibility for the low income rate please contact the school on 0885821128 or email patperre@olor.catholic.edu.au
Hot Food Price List
Chicken and corn Pie - $4.50
School Pie (Large) - $3.50
School Pie (Small) - $2.50
School Pasty (Large) - $3.50
School Pasty (Small) - $2.50
Sausage Roll - $3.00
Mini Sausage Roll - $1.50
Hot Dog - $3.00
Hot Dog with Cheese - $3.50
Tomato / BBQ Sauce - Free
Ham & Pineapple or Pepperoni or Vegetarian Pizza - $4.50
Half Ham & Pineapple / Pepperoni Pizza - $2.50
Congratulations to the following students who are having a birthday in October:
Foundation - Francesco Aglipay.
Year 1 - Olivia Stiles.
Year 2 - Bode Gates, Charlie Kregar, Alice Colligan, Xanadu Olney, Ally Sweet, Zoe Stevens.
Year 3 - Bailey Exarheas, Harley Martin.
Year 4 - Ella Rothe.
Year 5 - Reece Clark.
Year 7 - Mika Martin.