Term 4 Week 2 2024

A Message from the Principal

Dear parents and friends,

Next week, our Year 6 students will embark on an exciting adventure as they head to Brisbane for their much-anticipated camp. Accompanying them will be Mr. Komndi-Diggins, Mrs. Sue Cutting, and myself. The students will fly out on Monday afternoon and have a packed itinerary, including visits to Parliament House, Brisbane Museum, Australia Zoo, and SeaWorld, among other activities. They’ll return home on Friday, and I know they’re eager for the experiences ahead. We will also be joined by students from Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Springsure. While I’m away, Mrs. Lisa Neuendorf will serve as Acting Principal on Monday and Tuesday, and Mrs. Belinda Thurecht will step into the role on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

In other news, tickets for our 125th School Anniversary Gala are now on sale! This milestone event will take place on the weekend of March 1st, 2025, and promises to be a fantastic evening. Tickets are $110 each and can be purchased via TryBooking; https://www.trybooking.com/CWAHE. There are only 300 tickets available so get in quick!! The night will feature a live band, a two-course meal, an art auction, and speeches—a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with friends and family. We would still love additional sponsors for our commemorative magazine. If you’re interested in supporting this special project, please contact the school office.

Our Annual Spelling Bee has been scheduled for Week 9 on Monday. Information was sent home yesterday to give students time to prepare before the classroom rounds in Week 8. Last year’s Spelling Bee was a huge success, and we look forward to fostering a love of word study again this year.

Finally, we are noticing a number of hairstyles among the boys that do not align with our Uniform Policy. Just a reminder that scullets are not acceptable and mullets longer than the top of the collar are considered inappropriate. We kindly ask that families make adjustments to these hairstyles in the coming weeks to avoid receiving a uniform notice. If you’re unsure whether a hairstyle meets our guidelines, please feel free to contact the office for clarification.

Thank you for your ongoing support, and I wish you all a wonderful week ahead!

God bless,

Mr Peter Thurecht

Reflection - Sr Kym Harris OSB

Only a drop in the ocean…

My friend took an amazing photo of a group of green ants working together to fold back a leaf – the beginning of one of those nests we in the tropics dislike, (except if they are on a mango tree where they deter the bats from the fruit as the bats hate them even more than us.)  It was just about six ants – working to begin a home for thousands.  But what would have happened if one or two of those ants had said, ‘What difference would my small effort make?’ and walked away.

That is the nature of our lives.  We are rarely offered the chance to make a big, dramatic gesture of help or sacrifice but each day we are offered a myriad of smaller opportunities that can build up to a significant difference in our world.  As Mother Teresa put it, ‘We may feel that we are only a drop in the ocean but the ocean is only made up of drops.’  In shaping our lives, God gives us only one moment at a time.  Yet moment by moment, we have the opportunity to make small gestures that shape our lives, and the lives of others, for the better.

Imagine what our families, our schools, our communities would be like if we realistically understood the impact that our small gestures, our little moments of generosity could make.  Over our lifetime, such gestures turn us into generous, big-hearted people.  We all want to be known for that.  So, help pull when the opportunity arises.   

Loving God, you give me many opportunities each day to make a difference to my family and my community, little differences that will transform the ocean of my life.  Help me to take up those opportunities when they come.  I ask this in Jesus’ name, confident that you will hear me.

Sr Kym Harris osb

APRE News

What's happening at Our Lady's during Socktober

• Completing mission packs in class focussed upon building awareness around Catholic Social Teaching and Socktober
• Fundraising by selling Zooper Doopers after school on Tuesday & Thursdays in Week 2-5
• Crazy Sock Day on Thursday 24/10 – gold coin donation
• Inflatable Soccer Field set up for Week 4 – Teacher vs Year 6 Soccer game

God Bless,

Mr KD

St Brigid's Sacramental Program

St Brigid's Sacramental Program is offering to prepare children to make their First Reconciliation. Children must be 7 years or older. The Sacramental program will be commencing in week 3.

Please contact Angela Arthur to enrol or for more information angela_arthur@rok.catholic.edu.au

Student Protection

Student Protection is taken very seriously within our school and Diocese. Each year all staff undertake mandatory student protection training at the beginning of the year. This year our School Student Protection Officers are Mr Peter Thurecht, Mr Sahlie Komndi-Diggins, Mrs Belinda Thurecht and Ms Sarah Wall. If you have concerns, please do not hesitate to contact one of our officers.

Scholastic Book Club

The final book club of the year will be going out this week all orders are due back on the 25^th of October.

Swimming Lessons Commencing Week 2

James Anderson - Look Back, Look Forward

What do you say and celebrate when your child does something incredible. When they reach a goal, or achieve a grade? This simple strategy - look back, look forward, reminds us that as important as it is to celebrate the achievement, it's even more important to put the achievement in context of their continuous growth.

Parent Orbit App

We're excited to announce a new mobile app for Our Lady's Longreach, Parent Orbit, is now ready for you to download and use.

The Parent Orbit app, which is connected to Parent Lounge, will improve our communication with each other as it offers a quick and easy way to receive notifications, view academic reports, book Parent/Teacher interviews, add Student Absences, view and pay School Fees, accept or decline excursions via the Events and Activities, update student details, email class teachers and much more.

Once you are in the app enter your Username and Password.  Your Username is your Parent Code, and your password is the same password that you use to login to Parent Lounge.  If you cannot remember your Parent Lounge password, click here to access the "Forget Password?" feature and follow the prompts to reset your password. Please contact the school office on 4994 8375 if you require further assistance.

Please take the time to explore the app as it offers many useful features. A "How To" guide has been included below. The app is very intuitive and will help keep us connected to support the education of your children.

The key features of the Parent Orbit App:
• Instant Notifications: Stay up to date with the latest announcements and important
alerts on your smartphone (be sure to enable Notifications)
• Events and Payments: Easily approve excursion attendance or make fee payments
• Medical Details: Keep your student’s medical details up to date
• Attendance Tracking: Easily track attendance and notify the School of your student's
absence
• Event Calendar: Stay informed about school events, meetings, and important dates
• Parent Teacher Interviews: Schedule parent-teacher interviews and receive
reminders
• Academic Reports: View and download your student’s school reports

How to download the Parent Orbit App
To download the app, scan the following QR code or follow the directions below

For iOS (iPhone and iPad) Users:
• On the iPhone or iPad device you would like to install Parent Orbit
• Once the App Store page for the app appears, tap "Get" or "Download"
• You may be prompted to enter your Apple ID password or use Touch ID/Face ID to
confirm the download
• After the download is complete, tap "Open" to launch the app
• Please ensure you enable Notifications

For Android Users:
• On the Android device you would like to install the Parent Orbit app
• Once the Google Play Store page for the app appears, tap "Install"
• The app will request certain permissions; tap "Accept" to grant them
• After the installation is complete, tap "Open" to launch the app
• Please ensure you enable Notifications

Setting Up Your Account

Once you have successfully downloaded and installed the app, follow these steps to set up your account:

1. Open ‘Parent Orbit’
2. Type “oll” (in lower case) into the School Code box and click Submit
3. Select Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School, then ‘Continue’
4. Enter your Parent Code (same 6 digit number Username as Parent Lounge which can be found under ‘Account Number’ on your Fee Statement) and Password (the same Password for Parent Lounge), then select ‘Login’
5. Parent Orbit will request access to your student information from Parent Lounge, select ‘Allow’
6. Parent Orbit will request permission to send Notifications, select ‘Allow’
7. You can now navigate Parent Orbit
Please note: A red dot signifies either; a notification, something that needs action ie. Events and Payments or an absence to acknowledge
8. Information such as links or contact details for the school can be obtained via the side bar. This can be accessed by hitting the hamburger menu button located in the top left corner, or by swiping right.
9. For extra security when accessing the parent orbit app, Face ID or a PIN can be setup (dependant on phone settings). This can be done by first going to the settings page and then selecting Face ID or PIN to be enabled.

Our Lady's Catholic Primary School P&F

Due to a number of apologies received Wednesday's P&F meeting was postponed. We will reschedule the meeting to a date to be advised later.

Thank you for your understanding, and we look forward to seeing you at the next meeting.

2024 National parent Survey

Catholic School Parents Australia (CSPA) would like to hear from you!
We are excited to launch our 2024 National Parent Survey which is now LIVE

To have your say, scan the QR code or click on the survey link: https://unesurveys.au1.qualtrics.com/.../SV_d5a7NXLpTKbNAtE

Australian Council on Smoking and Health

The Australian Council on Smoking and Health (ACOSH). ACOSH is a not-for-profit advocacy organisation dedicated to creating a smoke-free and vape-free Australia.

ACOSH is conducting an online survey to find out what parents think about student vaping in high schools. We would like to hear the views of adults who have a child attending high school in Australia.

All results will be kept anonymous and no individuals or schools will be identified. ACOSH will use the survey results to advocate for improving vaping education and support for students.

Click on the link below to complete the 5-minute survey

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/acosh_parent_vaping_survey

Isolated Children's Parents' Association Qld Longreach Branch

Family Support Program

Isolated Children's Parents' Association (ICPA) is committed to advocating for equitable education access, opportunities and support for all rural and remote students. Motivated by this commitment the ICPA Longreach Branch is initiating a program that enables our Longreach and district families to access up to $500 in financial assistance toward educational, sporting or cultural/arts support or activities for your children.

•    Educational support for your child may include, but is not limited to, speech therapy, occupational therapy, paediatrician appointment, or literacy and numeracy support.
•    Sporting activities relate specifically to those students selected to represent our region at North West Sports or a specialised coaching clinic.
•    Cultural/Arts activities may include music or drama workshops such as SHEP.

Eligibility criteria include:

•    Membership of the ICPA Longreach Branch. ($50 p/a https://icpa.com.au/qld/membership)
•    The child receiving the support lives in the Longreach 4730 / Ilfracombe 4727 postcode area.
•    The child is aged up to 17 years of age.
•    If the child is of school age, the child must be attending a Longreach or Ilfracombe school.
•    No more than one application per child to be submitted per calendar year.
•    Evidence that your child received the support or participated in the activity.

The ICPA Longreach Branch Family Support Program financial assistance is on a reimbursement basis. Upon receipt of a paid invoice/receipt and proof that your child received the educational support and/or participated in the sporting/cultural activity, up to $500 will be paid via bank transfer to your nominated account. 
ICPA Longreach Branch has allocated a capped budget for this program, so once allocated funds have been spent, the program may be modified with the aim of providing assistance to the maximum number of families in our Branch. The ICPA Longreach Branch committee reserves the right to assess applications on a case by case basis. The Committee's decision is final in all application assessments. Your input and feedback on this Family Support Program is welcome as we aspire to provide a useful service to our Branch members. 
If you are seeking educational support for your child and you're not sure where to start looking, these are providers in our Longreach area:

•    Virtual or face-to-face speech therapy, https://popfamily.au/about/
•    Little Legs - Occupational Therapy based in Central West, https://www.littlelegsot.com.au/
•    Outback Futures - multiple services, https://outbackfutures.org.au/

Please email icpa.longreach@gmail.com for more information on this program, or to submit an application form. 

LSHS Year 6 Highschool Parent Information Evening & Transition Days

Homework Policy

Homework Policy Update for 2025

Another important agenda the School Board has focused on this year is our Homework Policy, which will come into effect at the beginning of 2025. After thoughtful consideration, some significant changes have been made to better align with the developmental needs of our students.

For students in Prep to Year 2, homework will still remain optional. At this early stage of learning, we recognise that students often require an adult to assist with homework tasks. Understanding the busy schedules of families, we know this won’t always be possible, and as such, we encourage, at the very least, regular reading at home. Reading together as a family fosters a love for learning and is an excellent way to build essential literacy skills.

For students in Years 3 to 6, homework will be compulsory. As children move into the middle and upper years of primary school, we aim to instil greater independence and a sense of responsibility in their learning. The rigor of homework at these levels is designed to support the development of key skills that will benefit them throughout their educational journey.

We are excited to see how these changes will positively impact both our students and their learning experiences moving forward!

Mobile Phone & Wearable Technology Policy

Uniform Policy

Tuckshop

There will be no Tuckshop on Friday 18th October due to Mrs. Cutting attending year 6 camp.

Key Dates

St Brigid’s Parish News

Please follow us on Facebook for up to date information on what’s happening in the St Brigid’s Parish. https://m.facebook.com/people/Central-West-QLD-Catholic-Church/100080215845014/

Catholic Diocese of Rockhampton

The Cathedral College Rockhampton

Community Notices

St Joseph's Online Conference - St Vincent de Paul Group

Do you want to make a difference in our community? You’re invited to join the St Joseph’s Online Conference (St Vincent de Paul Group). We are taking expressions of interest from anyone throughout the Diocese. Meetings are monthly, online via Microsoft Teams.

Training will be provided. Email membership.rocky@svdpqld.org.au if interested.”

The Feeding of the 5000 Project

Outback Futures Community Conversation

Thomson River Festival 11th to 13th October

Western Queensland Junior Rugby

Longreach Regional Council

We have an exciting program from September – November 2024 and February 2025 for all girls and women 14 and above. The program consists of exercise, nutritional information and beauty session with a variety of local instructors and businesses.

The program takes places every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon starting 10/09/2024 at 5:30pm and all we need is your commitment! It is completely FREE and for all levels, beginners through to experienced athletes. Grab your girlfriend and sign up! Active Women and Girls – Longreach Regional Council

Longreach Stingrays

Positive Partnerships

Central West Hospital & Health Services