First Communion 

We proudly congratulate Harry, Rayner, and Laura, who recently celebrated their First Holy Communion. During this sacrament, these students received Jesus in the Eucharist for the first time. This event is significant, as the Eucharist is central to Christian initiation, alongside Baptism and Confirmation, and is the very source of the Church's life. Every authentic journey of faith, communion, and witness stems from this sacrament of love. 

In preparation for their special day, we spent time with our Faith Friend, Mrs. Val Fewster, for a day of reflection and learning. Additionally, we celebrated Fr. Leo's birthday during our gathering, as he was able to join us for lunch and festivities. 

We keep these students in our prayers and wish them every blessing as they continue their faith journeys. 

Year 1 and 2 Whole School Mass

The Year 1 and 2 class did a wonderful job of hosting Mass for us. We were lucky enough to have special guest musicians to provide us with live music for our Mass and the year 1/2 students performed the recessional song at the front of the church. 
 

MGL Group

Last week, we welcomed the Missionaries of God’s Love (MGL) to Our Lady of the River School, where they spent time sharing their faith through uplifting songs, energetic games, and heartfelt connection. Their joyful presence brought a special spark to our school community, with students fully engaged and eager to participate in every moment. It was a wonderful opportunity for our students to encounter faith in a fun and meaningful way.  

OLOR Mass Times - St. Mary's Church, Berri

Sunday July 6^th  – 9:00 am

Saturday July 12^th  – 6:30 pm

Sunday July 20^th – 9:00 am  

Saturday June 26^th  – 6:30 pm

Sunday August 3^rd   – 9:00  am 

The current edition of the Catholic newspaper put out by the Archdiocese called,' The Southern Cross,' is available at Southern Cross Latest Issue

Rosemary Perre

APRIM

What a fantastic Term 2 it's been! I'm incredibly proud of all the hard work and dedication shown by our students and staff this semester. We've had so many wonderful learning experiences and opportunities, from Catholic Education Week and Walk Safely to School Day to celebrating Mother's Day and First Communion. Our students also shone brightly in various SAPSASA events, we’ve been captivated with performances, and learned from engaging visitors, all while continuing their important learning in the classroom. A huge thank you to our amazing staff for their tireless efforts in providing such rich opportunities for our students across all learning areas.

This week, we had the pleasure of welcoming Michael Krawczyk from the SAPOL Road Safety Section. He spoke to our students about road safety and their role in keeping themselves and others safe. Our younger students learned about the importance of "stop, look, listen, and think," as well as seatbelt and helmet safety. Older students delved into Australian Road Rules, the appropriate use of cycles, skateboards, scooters, and roller skates, and how to call Triple Zero (000) in an emergency. Many students were surprised to learn that e-scooters are illegal on SA roads and footpaths for anyone at the moment (over 16s will soon be legal to use), and can only be legally ridden on private property by children. I encourage all families to discuss road safety with their children, as there were many misconceptions that could put them at risk.

Last week we had a visit from the MGL (Missionaries of God’s Love) brothers and sisters. They supported our Year 1/2 Class Mass by providing the music and singing background, and then spent some time with our Foundation to Year 3 students, sharing their stories and the importance of God and Jesus in their lives.

We've also been treated to two fantastic performances recently! Last week, students from Berri Regional Secondary College wowed us with their circus performance. This involved juggling, unicycles, acrobatics and more. This week, we enjoyed a visit from Christian Brother's College from Adelaide, whose music ensemble shared their talents with us. Their Vocal Ensemble shared some songs with us, before their Rock Bands shared some louder and more energetic numbers. We then heard some cool tunes from their Jazz Combo. Students loved getting involved, dancing, clapping and having fun. Both performances were wonderful experiences, showing our students what incredible things can be achieved with practice, time, and effort.

As we head towards Term 3, we're excited for even more events and activities to complement our learning program. Students have been working hard all year on the Wakakirri and Riverland Music Festival Choir performances, and we can't wait for them to share their artistic creativity with an audience. We also have more things such as Book Week, Science Week, SAPSASA events, and our highly anticipated Sports Day coming up towards the end of the term.

I wish all our families a wonderful and restful break. I look forward to seeing everyone back at school on Monday, July 21st for the start of Term 3!

Mr Michael Slagter
Principal

Assembly Awards

Congratulations to Jastaj, Gurnoor, Amy, Tej, Leo, Eccho, Lucia, Lucas, Akirah, Gurion, Lewis and Mary who all received Certificate of Achievement Awards at our last assembly in recognition of their efforts during the past few weeks.

 PBIS Awards

We were also proud to announce our PBIS award winners for earning the highest number of points in each category. Congratulations to -

 Jaxon - RESPECT

Jack M - KINDNESS

 Eccho - RESILIENCE 

 Akirah - BEING YOUR BEST 

On Friday in Week 8, our Foundation–Year 2 students celebrated the Term with an excursion to the Riverland Gymnastics stadium. We had lots of fun trying different stations and activities including balance beams, trampolines and the foam pit! After Gymnastics we had a picnic at Glassey Park and played some games. We had a great time! 

Here are some highlights from the Year 5/6 class this term!

Outreach - Volunteers Week  

To celebrate Volunteers Week we made a banner that is displayed at the roundabout in Berri main street.  

Outreach

Throughout the year we have been visiting St Catherine’s Aged Care facility.  Students interact with the residents through playing games, making cards, talking and on occasions singing. Last visit the class sang the PBIS song that we use in the classroom to help students to remember the expectations we have for them in the classroom and yard. The students sang and did actions to fit the song. The residents really enjoy our visits.

Cyber safety

As a school we had a guest speaker talking about Cybersafety, to help students understand the need to be appropriate and take care of themselves when using digital technology.

Immersion Day

On the 21^st May the year fives and sixes attended an Immersion Day at St Francis Of Assisi College, to gain an understanding of what high school is like. We explored the various opportunities it offers and experienced what it’s like to be part of a larger school community with more students and bigger school grounds. Throughout the visit, we participated in Science, Food Technology and PE activities designed to give us a feel for high school life.​

Buddy Reading end of term activities

To celebrate the term and the enjoyment the class gets from Buddy Reading with the Year 1/2 class we had a celebration on Wednesday, children got to make Hama beads trinkets and decorate biscuits.

Fun activities with Foundation class 

 Next term we are looking forward to our Wakakirri and Choir performances.  

Week 3 – Friday 8th August – Wakakirri Performance at the Norwood Concert Hall 

Week 6 – Wednesday 27th August – Choir Performance at the Chaffey Theatre 

Thank you to Woolworths for their generous donation and to everyone who purchased a special lunch order this week to help fundraise for our Wakakirri trip to Adelaide.