23 November 2016

Newsletter Articles

From the Principal

Dear Families,

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the gift that you share with us each day…your children. It is a privilege for us to share in the journey of their childhood.

In response to our Vision Statement We recognise the home as the prime influence in the education of the child, welcoming parents into the school, communicating freely and striving to foster the greatest possible harmony. We endeavour to support and build on parents' efforts to further the total development of every child. We aim to foster in students an enthusiasm for learning and the development of skills necessary for living a purposeful life.

This year we are proud to reflect on the processes that we have undertaken to recognise the voice of feedback from students, staff, parents and the community. We are implementing many improvements next year based on your ideas, support and suggestions.

In 2017, our strategic goal is to provide quality learning and wellbeing for all. Our Mission statement encourages us to provide a culture where we develop the whole child, in search for their place in the world and their inner happiness.

We have made major inroads this year in providing a sequenced and consistent learning environment to all of our students, across both campuses. This is one of the main criteria of success identified in the National School Improvement Guidelines. It is at the heart of our Catholic identity that we recognise that children are not able to reach their full potential unless we nourish their hearts, soul, body and mind. Through our motto 'All for Jesus' we provide a unique culture where we offer service to families throughout the community to assist with supporting the wellbeing of our students. In 2017 we will continue to focus on providing a meaningful social emotional learning programme, guiding children to nourish their hearts. Please look out for some new changes to our menu in the Tuckshop as we continue to nourish the bodies of our students and embed practices that support the Australian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education Curriculum.

This week we farewell staff of our school; Kendall Jones, Emma Lovell, Vimal Shankaran, David Magner and Sascha Newman. We wish them all the best with their continued educational journeys and thank the school communities that have loaned us Emma and David for the last 12 months.

I would also like to thank Miss Bree for the support and assistance that she has provided to us across both campuses.

Many blessings to those families who are leaving Thursday Island at the end of this year. We thank you for your commitment to the school and your participation and support of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart School Community.

To our graduating students….may you be guided by the gospel values and your faith as you take the next step in your lives; may the Holy Spirit be present in your hearts and minds as you make future decisions and may you always remember that you will always remain an important part of our history.

Mr Bryan Wharton, one of our regular relief teachers has had open heart surgery this week. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers as he commences his recovery.

As we conclude the year, we wish you all the best for the Advent Season as we prepare for the birth of Jesus on Christmas Day. It is important that we teach our children the true meaning behind the celebration of Christmas and we look forward to sharing the new year with each of you and your families in 2017.

Sharon County
Principal

Year 5 & 6 News

Hi everyone!

Well short and sweet this week as school is all but completed for the year. I just want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their help and support throughout the year. I can assure you that I have really appreciated the warm welcome I have received.

It really has been a pleasure coming here to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart School. While it has not been without its challenges, I have really enjoyed teaching this wonderfully diverse group of young people and it has been very satisfying to see the way they have grown and developed throughout the year. I feel sure the year five students will make great school leaders next year and that the current year six students will really make the most of their senior schooling opportunities.

While I have been kept very busy teaching, I haven't forgotten what an amazing island this is. Thursday Island is an incredibly beautiful place, full of equally lovely people. While I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of my family again, I know I will miss all of the people I have met in my time here and you will always have a special place in my heart.

So thanks again for everything you have done to welcome and support me. I hope 2017 brings peace and happiness to your all and that this wonderful school continues to go from strength to strength in the future.

Year 4 News

Congratulations to Jordayn & Victor who were our award winners last week for their persistent efforts with classmates and working tough. This week Talitha & Christina were our persistent and consistent effort award winners. Well done!

Thank you very much to our year four families for your continued support for Vimal and I throughout 2016. Thank you for the privilege of teaching and sharing the year with your fantastic children. We have learnt so much from them. I will miss them all in 2017 and the day to day things we have done that have made this year amazing. We wish you all a wonderful family Christmas filled with God's goodness and a great start to 2017!

In the last 2 weeks of Year 4 we have had fun with;

• Welcoming Miss Katrina to our upper classes and who we have found to be just what we needed. Thanks Miss Katrina for fitting in so quickly to our crazy class.
• Celebrating an early birthday for Jacob as we wouldn't see him in the holidays.
• Finishing off our Plastic lid mural.
• Designing and creating a "Marble's Playground" in Science-to show our knowledge of gravity, catapults, pushes, pulls and force.
• Visiting HACC, the main street and Star of the Sea with the choir.
• Making a video each in Geography to show off our African and South American animals.
• Making Christmas decorations with dough, straws and card.
• Competing in Basketball and touch footy with Tagai primary campus on Fridays.
• Completing our trip around the world in Geography and drawing out our prize winners.
• Singing at the carols evening and thanksgiving Mass.
• Visiting Hammond Christmas night and seeing Zahdein and Charles Island Dancing!
• Celebrating the Year 6 Graduation Mass.

LID MURAL NEWS…As you can see by the pictures and in real life at school, our first OLSH lid mural is complete. This was only possible by the huge collection (over 1500) of lids throughout our school community. Our students designed, drew, painted, sealed, glued and screwed the lids to create this piece of art. We are planning on doing another next year as a whole school project and much bigger. We have some talented students ready to draw some Torres Strait sea pictures and Dinghys to bring it to life. In short please keep sending your lids to school, keeping them over the holidays and collecting them when you're away…it will make a huge difference!

SPECIAL THANKS TO ALICIA AT THE COFFEE VAN AND UNCLE FRANKIE'S FOR THE HUNDREDS OF LIDS YOU KEPT FOR US. Also to Mr Silva See Kee, Mr David and Mrs Tracie Magner who donated tools and time to help get the project underway and completed. We really appreciate the team effort from everyone!

Finally, it is with great sadness that the year 4 class say goodbye to Mr Shankaran, Miss Emma, Mr Magner, Miss Sascha, Miss Bree and Mrs Jones. They have all touched our lives and been a big part of our learning at Sacred Heart this year. We wish you all the very best for the future and look forward to hearing of your next adventures. We have been so lucky to have you all at our school in 2016!!!

Best Wishes,
Helen Osborne
hosborne@cns.catholic.edu.au

Year 2 & 3 News

I can't believe that this is the last newsletter for 2016. What a wonderful year we have had in Grade 2/3.

Congratulations to our award winners over the past four weeks. I would like to pay special attention to this week's award winners: ALL OF GRADE 2/3. The Grade 2/3 class has shown all of the five keys throughout the year to work together, have a great time and achieve wonderful things.

We welcomed a new member, Georgina Laifoo to our 2/3 family this term. Georgina has joined us from Cairns and we feel very blessed to have her join our OLSH family.

The past weeks have seen us learning many new things.

In Maths, we have been exploring number patterns and fractions. We have also been sharing groups into fractions.

In Science, we have been exploring night and day. We investigated the changes in our shadows throughout the day. We had a great time tracing around each other's shadows and discovering where the sun rises and sets and how we could use shadows to tell the time.

Art and design has seen us designing prototypes of chairs to suit specific needs of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. We also got creative and completed a challenge of creating formal attire to attend the Melbourne Cup using only a few set materials. I must say, Grade 2/3 were looking very striking attending the Cup.

Thank you to all of the mothers and sons who attended the Mother-Son Night. From all reports everyone had a great night.

I would like to say a BIG ESO to the OLSH school community for your support and friendship throughout the year. We have had many great times and achieved many great things. It is with a heavy heart that I say goodbye to the island and head back to Cairns.

I wish you all a safe a happy festive season, and an absolutely wonderful 2017.

Keep shining Grade 2/3!

Miss Emma

Hammond Campus News

What a year…. Over the last few days we are reminded that we will be saying goodbye to our Yr 3 children. They are wonderful group of students who all deserve a fabulous send off. For some of our families this is their only /last child with us on Hammond Island Campus before moving onto the big school so we say to you… keep in touch and please come and join us in our special school and community events. For other families we are able to keep in touch through younger brothers and sisters. Friday will be an emotional day for all of us but we know that the 5 amazing youngsters are more than ready for the next chapter of the learning journey. Next year we are welcoming some new staff to our Hammond Island Campus.

I would like to say thank you to the Hammond Island community and families for your ongoing support throughout the year.

Now, it is time for a Christmas holiday. I would like to finish with a huge thank you to the teachers and School officers for their outstanding support and commitment throughout the year.

Have a great Christmas holiday!

Nativity Play Charaters in the played by: Chataya Yorkston – Mary Stephen Ambar – Joseph, Caden Pearon & Ted Pearson – Shepherds, Three Wise Men – Tamu Sabatino, Dakota & Desmond Maynard Multitudes of angels

Little Island Dancers

Mr. Shankaran last visit to Hammond Island Church with his students Oskar, Victor, Mary & Methraima

BRONCO'S FANS

Hammond Island students had the privilege to meet and catch up with one of the Bronco's local football player Jonus Pearson.

Jonus took the opportunity to visit Hammond Island where he was once a student himself many years ago. He gave an inspiring talk to the students to be good listeners, learn and follow instruction from their teachers and to always have a go and enjoy school.

The Year 3 Children from Hammond had the opportunity to join Miss Emma's Year 2/3 Class on TI on Thursday 10th November as part of the transition program. The children had to catch the ferry from Hammond to TI in the morning and again in the afternoon. I'm sure the older students were of great help to them.

Water play

Students cooling off after cleaning desks and chairs

Hammond Pre-Prep News

Hello Parents/Caregivers,

Yes! Pre-preps have had a busy and exciting year attending Hammond Island Campus School site. Our parents wonderful support in making our lunches for the three days of attendance has been great with lots of fruit, sandwiches, yoghurts, juice and museli bars which we ate during our breaks.

Thank you to Ms Elisha at our Hammond Island Library for her dedicated support in encouraging us to read lots of books, play with puzzles and soft toys, plus colouring and drawing pictures.

Our Christmas Concert was a huge success with the preparation of all staff members who spent a lot of effort for a tremendous night. Thanks to the parents, elders and community members who turned up to watch our performances including our girls and boys island dances which concluded our night. The super food was already for all to share, Fr Saju said grace and the elders and the rest of the people all treated themselves to some very delicious food including deserts!

Finally, we are in our last week of school. The pre-preps have received their certificates and are ready for preps next year. They need to be congratulated for their hard work, confidence, persistence and resilience shown, well done to all pre-preps all the very best with your education.

A very big thank you to Ms Harriet for all of her great work and assistance given to our pre-prep class. Welcome to Ms Dora!

Regards,
Mrs Ball & Ms Dora

Tuckshop News

Good afternoon families!

We have some great news to share with you.

The tuck shop working party in collaboration with the Student Council and school representatives have come together and developed a new approach to how food is viewed and catered for at OLSH.

Everyone agreed on the importance of healthy eating and how the school as a whole would benefit from continuing to offer new choices to the tuck shop menu that reinforce the adapted philosophy "food is nourishment".

As a team, we will continue to work together in the new-year to bring together and implement ideas within the tuck shop. This also supports the Australian Curriculum Health and Physical Education and our successful grant application for Healthy Eating submitted through the Parents and Friends Association in 2016. This will be a year-long project that the entire team is excited about and will present endless opportunities for our school community.

Christian values and spirit were also highlighted and the parent committee expressed the importance of these values and spirit to be reflected within the tuck shop menu. As a Christian school the health message "food is nourishment" must be introduced and reiterated as it reflects the desire God has for us.

We hope that our new ideas will be welcomed by the school community as it has been embraced by the tuck shop working party. We have every belief that the students will enjoy and be excited by the choices they will have for next year and the philosophy "food is nourishment" will be a celebrated choice within Our Lady of the Sacred Heart School community.

Wishing you a wonderful Christmas and New Year.

See you in 2017!
God bless you.
Tuck shop working party

Remembrance Day Ceremony

We had the opportunity to attend the Remembrance Day Ceremony in the Park on Friday 11th November, along with Navy Cadets and Australian Defence Force Representatives.

Last Day of School for 2016

Please note that Friday 25th November is the last day of school at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Thursday Island and Hammond Island Campuses. School will finish at 12noon following the final assembly at 11.30am. Please make arrangements for your child or children to be collected from school at 12noon. The school will then be closed for 2016.

The 2017 School Year commences on Monday 23rd January 2017. See you all then for another fun and active year!

Library Thank You

Thankyou to parents, students, teachers and the P&F Association for the great support in 2016. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Miss Chi

School Office News

Term 4 School Fees are due. Please finalise your payments before the school office closes.

The School Office will continue to be open from 8.30am to 3pm, Monday 28 November to Friday 2 December. After this time, the whole school will then be closed until 2017.

The School Office will reopen on Monday 16 January 2017.

Have a safe and happy holidays.

2017 Staffing Update

Please see below the list of staff for 2017. Each year our staffing structure is reflective of our strategic annual goals and the priorities that we have placed on specific learning focuses for 2017.

We have also welcomed your feedback and provided where possible, straight classes with consistent teaching across the five days.

Our strategic goal for 2017 is to provide quality learning and wellbeing for all. To achieve this, it is important that our staff fulfil the roles established by the Diocese in each school, attending professional learning opportunities to network with other schools, share knowledge and teaching practice and then share with all staff at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart School.

It is only through professional learning that staff remain up to date with current practices and develop a high level of proficiency in their teaching practice.

2017 Staff Listing

Marion Ball - Pre Prep HD
Cecelia Davi - P-Yr 3 HD
Briohny Jones - P-Yr 3 HD
Helen Osborne - Prep TI
Bradley Worland - Prep - Year 1 TI
Stephanie Hogan - Year 1 TI /LST
Annette Whitton - Year 2/3 TI
Lachlan Parker - Year 4/5 TI
Michelle Hall - Year 5/6 TI

Kendall Jones has been offered a position at Tagai College and we congratulate her on her new position where she will be providing support across all campuses in the Torres Straits. This is an amazing opportunity for her and we wish her the very best.

We also would like to thank David and Emma for their support of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart School and wish them God's blessing as they return to their school communities where I am confident they have been greatly missed by their communities.

Sascha commences an exciting stage of her life which I can confidently say is life altering! We look forward to hearing about her educational journey in Brazil. We are confident that this will continue to provide her with life experiences that will shape her as a global teacher for the future.

Vimal, after four years on Thursday Island, is returning to Ravenshoe. Another beautiful area of God's creation. During his time on Thursday Island he has had a huge impact on many students and families lives and cemented many life long friendships. We also wish Vimal the best for his future pathway and know that we will see him throughout the Diocese.

The Assistant Principal of Faith and Learning is still progressing through the employment process. The community will be informed as the appointment is finalised. This position will include the support of the Religious Education Curriculum, our Catholic Identity and the delivery of the Australian Curriculum, Explicit Teaching and Visible Learning.

School Officer positions will now be allocated to funding and classroom support based on enrolments for 2017.

Thanksgiving Mass & Carols Under the Stars

Our Award Winners

Week 7 Awards

2017 Booklists & Orders

Orders can be dropped into the School Office by Friday 2nd December or online upto Wednesday 7th December 2016.

Christmas Mass Times

Saturday 24th December 2016 (Christmas Eve)

6pm St Joseph's Church, Hammond Island
12midnight Sacred Heart Church, Thursday Island

Sunday 25th December 2016 (Christmas Day)

9am Holy Family Church, Horn Island

Construction Site

Please be careful when entering the lower playground areas near the Parish Hall. This area is now a Construction Site due to the Hall Renovations and is off-limits to the public.

Community Announcements

2017 OLSH School Term Dates

2017 Special Events and Public Holidays

Please Note: More days will be added once confirmed.

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