GRANDPARENTS’ & SPECIAL FRIENDS’ DAY IS TOMORROW.

PLEASE ARRIVE NO LATER THAN 8.45AM FOR A 9.00AM START IN THE CHURCH

Dear Parents & Parishioners,

Tomorrow, we pause to recognise the special people in the lives of our children, whether they are grandparents, aunts, uncles, long-time friends, parents ... anyone.

When it comes to grandparents, there’s something about their grandparents that all children love, and here are some of them:

They know lots of stories … and some of them are even true.

They can grow things. Maybe it's a garden of tomatoes and zucchini. Maybe it's just a potted plant. And if kids help, grandparents will let them get their hands dirty.

They know their way around books shops and libraries. Where are the picture books? Where can kids find something for their Science project? Grandparents are great guides.

They're usually not afraid to be silly. Did a grandchild make a mask or a funny hat? They know who will try it on.
Is no one at home willing to listen to kids' knock-knock jokes? Guess whom they should call.

They let grandchildren take their time. When kids stay with their grandparents, they don't need to rush to get dressed in the morning. They know grandparents will wait for them … usually.

They make the best audience. When grandchildren learn a new poem, some fancy dance moves, or their first piano piece, they count on grandparents to watch, listen, and applaud … again and again.

They love to travel. They're up for a week in Noosa, a holiday on a houseboat along the Murray, or a family camping trip.

They knew their grandchildren's parents when they were kids, and they have the pictures to prove it. They can tell kids stories about their parents that their mums and dads would never tell children themselves.

They're walking history books. Most grandparents can remember when televisions had antennas, cars didn’t have seatbelts, and phones had cords. When they take kids to a museum, they make exhibits come to life.

They collect and display their grandchildren's art like museum curators, and they wouldn’t swap a grandchild's first sunny-day scene for the Mona Lisa.

When kids aren't feeling well, grandparents will snuggle up on the couch and watch cartoons with them, even Bluey.

They'll read their grandchildren's favourite books to them, over and over again. Then they'll go out and buy new books that are even better.

Even if they live far away, grandparents keep in touch and make sure grandchildren know that they're thinking about them.

They love their grandchildren unconditionally. Now, what could be better than that?

We are all looking forward to tomorrow which promises to be a very special morning. Thank you to Ange Southwood, and the other parents involved, for coordinating all aspects of the hall set up and tomorrow's morning tea.

Pentecost

Last weekend the Church celebrated Pentecost Sunday. Pentecost occurs 50 days after Easter Sunday or 50 days after Jesus rose from the dead. On this day we recall that Jesus had already gone back to Heaven so the disciples and new believers of Jesus were waiting to receive the Holy Spirit because that's what Jesus told them would happen.

Prior to the first Pentecost, Jesus’ disciples were in no-man’s-land. Jesus had gone from them and there was a void in their lives. For ten days after the Ascension they gathered together waiting for something to happen, as Jesus said it would. They had ten days to go over the past three years when Jesus had been the centre of their lives; ten days to reassess their own lives and be supportive of one another.

When the disciples, on the first Pentecost day, received the Holy Spirit into their lives, they were changed forever and they in turn changed the lives of thousands of other people. Likewise, our children, when they receive the Holy Spirit in Confirmation, will receive the potential for change. God is now with them, with the fullness of his presence, as they move ahead in their own individual lives.

Aboriginal Art Workshops

Shanai Kellet, from Maloga Art, has been running art and culture workshops with every class this week. You may recall that Shanai is the artist who, some months ago, created the beautiful aboriginal mural capturing our school's story.

Throughout the week, each class has particpated in a 1.5 hour workshop that included:

Learning about Aboriginal culture and art through the eyes of Shanai

Exploring a range of aboriginal symbols and their meaning

Students creating their own painting on a canvas, using a range of knowledge shared about Aboriginal symbols and culture

The students have participated enthusiastically throughout these sessions during which have created some beautiful masterpieces that they will bring home.

When your child does bring home their canvas, we encourage you to talk about their piece and the process involved, e.g. What do the symbols represent? Does your artwork tell a story? What techniques did you use to create your artwork? Did you have any challenges in creating your piece? How did you tackle these challenges? What did you enjoy the most during the workshop?

Year 3/4 Camp

Last Thursday and Friday the students in Years 3 & 4 travelled to Camp Jungai to participate in a two-day engaging educational program. The students were accompanied by: Mrs Jackson, Mrs Willis, Mrs Pettinato, Mrs Karagiannis, Mr Byrne and myself. The camp was located in the Rubicon Valley near Alexandra.

We had beautiful blue skies on Thursday Followed by thick morning fog on Friday. Over the two days, the children were engaged in a variety of activities that were designed to create an appreciation of aboriginal culture and traditions. The bus arrived back at the school later on Friday afternoon at precisely 3.05pm.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the staff who attended the camp, as they took incredibly good care of all the children.

PFA Sponsored Imaginary Garden

A huge volume of thanks to the PFA for supporting the development of the new Imaginary Garden. Matt and Tarn Herbert have a few more additions to install this weekend.

As of next Monday, the students will be able to explore and play in the new installations.

National Reconciliation Week: 27 May - 3 June

The National Reconciliation Week theme for 2024, Now More Than Ever, is a reminder to all of us that no matter what, the fight for justice and the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will —and must —continue. Now more than ever, we need to tackle the unfinished business of reconciliation.

The dates for National Reconciliation Week remain the same each year; 27 May to 3 June. These dates commemorate two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey— the successful 1967 referendum, and the High Court Mabo decision, respectively.

National Reconciliation Week (NRW) started as the Week of Prayer for Reconciliation in 1993 (the International Year of the World’s Indigenous Peoples) and was supported by Australia’s major faith communities.

Lamont Book Fair

The Lamont Book Fair is currently open to the school community until next Thursday 30 May. For details of the Fair, please go to the Library News page in this newsletter.

Please note that visitors on Grandparents & Special Friends' Day will be able to visit the Book Fair in the LRC (Library) from 8.30am - 8.45am and again between 11.00 - 11.15am.

Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD)

The NCCD is an annual collection of information about Australian school students with disability. The NCCD enables schools, education authorities and governments to better understand the needs of students with disability and how they can be best supported at school. The definition of ‘students with disability’ applies broadly to any student who has received adjustments over 10 weeks within a 12-month period.

Information pertaining to the NCCD can be found in today’s Newsletter under the Learning Diversity page.

Semester One Reports & Parent Teacher Conferences

Semester One Reports will go live on Monday 24 June. Instructions for accessing the reports will be communicated closer to the time.

Due to the fact that a number of classroom teachers will be away on Long Service Leave during the last week of Term 2, the Parent Teacher Conferences will be held early next term on Thursday 25 July.

School Closure Day

Our next school closure day for staff professional learning will take place on Friday 7 June June, which immediately preceeds the King's Birthday long weekend. The staffs from our three parish schools will gather together at OLGC where the focus will be on Religious Education.

Wishing everyone a great weekend,

Frank Dame

OHR Art Show