22 March 2024

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Happy Harmony Week!

Today, we’re launching a new regular newsletter feature- We All Belong-  in which we honour the various ethnicities, heritages and cultures which make up the MHOC school community. We certainly loved Miss Hockey sharing her Scottish heritage with us all on Thursday (Go the bagpipes!) but our inaugural interview is with Miss Maia Bennet, Year 6 student and vice captain. Maia is very proud of her Maori heritage.

Congratulations to Sienna Postlewait who received the Walk Worthy of God Good Sport award this morning. Mr Kolder said she is cheerful, fair and a great role model for others. Well done, Sienna.

The universal Church celebrates Palm (or Passion) Sunday this weekend. Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.

If you’re visiting Bunnings tomorrow, don’t forget to call in a the MHOC cake stall!

Warm Regards,

Liz

UPCOMING EVENTS

Term 1

• Sunday 24th March - Bunnings Easter Raffle and Cake Stall
• Tuesday 26th March - 2nd Rite of Reconciliation -6pm at the church
• Wednesday 27th March - Years 3 & 4 Breakfast 
• Wednesday 27th March - Cross Country (Please note change of date)
• Thursday 28th March - Schools Netball Cup (local round)
• Thursday 29th March - Holy Thursday
• Friday 29th March - Good Friday
• Monday 1st April - Easter Monday
• Tuesday 2nd April - Easter Hat Parade
• Wednesday 3rd April - Years 5 & 6 Breakfast
• Wednesday 3rd April - First Communion practice 5pm at the church
• Saturday 6th April- First Eucharist (Holy Communion) - 9am
• Monday 7th April-12th April - Catholic Education Week
• Monday 8th April - 12th April - Australian Dental Health Visit
• Monday 8th April - Year 3 Learning Showcase, 2pm
• Monday 8th April - Hot Dog Day in the canteen
• Tuesday 9th April - Years 4 & 1 Learning Showcase, 2pm
• Tuesday 9th April - Zone Cross Country, Grafton
• Wednesday 10th April - Years 6 & Kindergarten Learning Showcase, 2pm
• Wednesday 10th April - Schools Soccer Cup (local round)
• Wednesday 10th April - final AXIOS youth group meeting for Term 1
• Thursday 11th April - Years 5 & 2 Learning Showcase, 2pm
• Friday 12th April - Term 1 Effort Awards
• Thursday 26th April - ANZAC Day march

Term 2

• Monday 29th April - Staff Development Day - no school for students
• Tuesday 30th April - first day of term for students
• Wednesday 22nd May - MHOC Athletics Carnival, Coffs Harbour
• Thursday 30th May - Staff Development Day (pupil-free day)

WHAT'S THE BUZZ?

Harmony Week: Everyone Belongs

We have had a wonderful week celebrating the diverse cultures of our families at MHOC this week.

There was a huge amount of food from all around the world on offer on Wednesday and we were made up tasting plates for every grade. Thanks for your generous (and very delicious) donations.

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Our dress-up day saw staff and students dressed in the colour orange or clothing representing their cultural backgrounds.

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Finally, congratulations to our Harmony Day logo design competition winners from each grade. And all the prizes were orange, of course.

World Down Syndrome Day

Year 6 came together to celebrate World Down Syndrome Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness and advocating for the rights and inclusion of people with Down syndrome.

Our Year 6 students marked this special day wearing colourful socks and celebrating with  afternoon tea. Students indulged in delicious cupcakes especially baked for the occasion. At the heart of this celebration was Lawson, a cherished member of our school community who embodies the spirit of joy and inclusion. The event began with a sweet tribute to Lawson, whose infectious laughter and unwavering positivity have touched the hearts of everyone who knows him. Students shared heartfelt messages and reflections, expressing gratitude for Lawson’s friendship and the lessons he has taught us about love, acceptance, and embracing differences. 

Laughter, learning, and camaraderie were in abundance as students engaged in conversations about diversity, empathy, and accepting everyone in our classroom, which helped us understand and appreciate people with Down syndrome even more.

We felt grateful for the chance to celebrate together. Inspired by Lawson, we promised to keep spreading kindness and making sure everyone feels included in our school and beyond.

“Differences are a richness because I have something and you have something else and by putting the two together we have something more beautiful, something greater. Diversity is not something to fear, but is the path to improvement, to be more beautiful and richer.”

• Pope Francis

Class Breakfasts 

Class breakfasts are held from 7:30am - 8:30am. Come along and meet the teachers and other parents in your child's grade.

Order now on Flexischools!

Wednesday  27th March - Year 3 & 4

Wednesday  - 3rd April - Year 5 & 6

Understanding Vaping: Good Choices, Healthy Futures

LOVING LEARNING

Skills Your Child Will Learn In Mathematics

The aim is to develop your child’s knowledge and abilities across every Maths topic using five key learning approaches.

1. Fluency: Your child will be supported to:

• Learn, understand and recall definitions and facts to calculate answers and find solutions
• Choose and carry out the most appropriate procedure, method or strategy to solve different problems.

2. Understanding: Your child will be supported to:

• Learn, explore and adapt and transfer a range of different mathematical strategies.
• Connect different mathematical concepts.
• Apply mathematics to the classroom, life situations and the world around them.

3. Communicating: Your child will be supported to:

• Describe, represent and explain mathematical situations, concepts, methods and solutions.
• Use a variety of representations to express mathematical ideas, such as writing them down, talking about them and recording them in graphical forms.

4. Problem solving: Your child will be supported to:

• Solve new and unfamiliar problems.
• Investigate different strategies and plan an approach.
• Work through problems to arrive at solutions and answers.
• Check that calculations are correct and conclusions are reasonable.

5. Reasoning: Your child will be supported to:

• Explain their thinking.
• Analyse, evaluate, prove, infer and generalise and predict results
• Justify their use of a strategy and conclusion reached.

Where does learning multiplication facts (times tables) fit in all this?

Once children have a good understanding of making equal groups, identifying and describing patterns and an understanding of place value, it is helpful for children to develop fast recall of number facts. This allows them to give their energy and attention to more complex mathematical thinking when approaching Mathematics problems.

For this reason, we have recommended that children in Years 3-6 use time at home each week to memorise multiplication tables. Students are no longer encouraged to learn up to the 12 times tables; this was needed when we used imperial measurements.   Instead, we encourage children to learn facts up to 10x10 to assist them to solve more complex mathematical problems using multiplication and division.  

Here are some fun suggestions:

• Times Tables Rock Star - our students in Years 3-6
• Lots of songs are available that help children to sing their tables into their memory
• Practise skip counting by 2s, 3s, 4s etc
• Using a 10x10 multiplication grid, children write in the facts as they learn them and colour the ones they can quickly recall, reducing a feeling of overwhelm as they realise if they know 2x8, they also know 8x2.

Kindergarten Loving Learning Week 8

In Kindergarten, students have been learning that each letter has a name and a sound. With each letter we learn there is a special character. So far we have learnt: Andy Ant, Sammy Seal, Tommy Tiger, Poppy Princess and Maggie Mouse. 

Here are some photos of the learning we have been doing as part of identifying letters and their sounds.

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FROM THE MISSION DESK

Year 4 Class Mass and Mini Retreat

On Tuesday, some MHOC students participated in their First Communion Retreat at Sawtell Catholic Church. To prepare for this sacrament, students reflected on the importance of the Eucharist in their faith journey. Through prayer, discussion, role play and reconciliation, students were able to develop a stronger spiritual connection with God. It was great to have Fr Joy to celebrate Reconciliation with the children and our RMA (Regional Ministry Assistant), Ashlinn De Dassel, joining in on the fun. These students will celebrate the Sacrament of First Communion on Saturday 6th April at 9am at Sawtell Catholic Church.

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Blessing of St Joseph Statue

On Wednesday, Mrs Biddle, school captains and leaders of Evangelisation attended the special blessing of the St Joseph statue at Sawtell Catholic Care. The students were greeted warmly by residents and staff, who shared plenty of stories and smiles. Father Collin blessed the statue, explaining that St Joseph took care of Jesus when he was a little boy. He told the students that St Joseph was a kind and strong man. He helped Mary and Jesus, making sure they were safe and happy. St Joseph was like a superhero dad in the Bible!

Peer Groups

In peer groups today, students worked together to make a paper doll chain. Each student got to decorate their own paper doll to represent themselves. Groups linked their paper dolls together to show how we are all connected, just like in our communities. Students discussed how important it is to celebrate our differences and to always be kind. The paper doll chains were hung up in classrooms as a reminder of how special it is to live in harmony with each other. We all belong!

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Mini Vinnies - Year 3 and 4 Ice Cup Sale

Mini Vinnies and the Social Justice Team organised their second ice cup sale today. Year three and four loved their cool treats and shopped up a storm! Their efforts not only raised funds for Pete’s Place but sparked conversations about homelessness and the importance of lending a helping hand to those in need. Years 2, 5 and 6 you’re up next Friday.

What’s Been Happening in Religious Education in Year 5?

During our Religious Education lessons over the last week, Year 5 has been exploring the events of Holy Week. In groups they have worked together to put together a collection of texts that describe, detail and explain each day of Holy Week. They have enjoyed creating and collaborating with their peers. Students look forward to displaying their texts in the classroom and showing their visitors during the Learning Showcase in Week 11.

Term 1 Class Masses 

All parents are welcome to attend our weekly Tuesday Mass and morning tea at 9:30am. These class Masses are held at MHOC Church Sawtell. Please see the timetable below for Term One. 

Tuesday 26th March - Year 5

Tuesday 2nd April - No Class Mass. MHOC Easter Hat Parade from 8:50am.

Tuesday 9th April - Kinder & Year 6

MHOC PARENT FORUM

MHOC- Bunnings Easter Raffle and Cake Stall

The PSF is holding an Easter raffle and cake stall on Sunday 24th March at Bunnings. We hope you can join the fun!

We will be looking for some volunteers to join us in selling raffle tickets and baked goodies on the day. The stall will run from 8:30am until about 2pm (or until we sell out).

We are also in need of donations of cupcakes, biscuits/ cookies and slices (to be delivered to the stall at Bunnings) for sale on the day.

If you are able to assist with either selling and/or baking please fill in this form. We would really appreciate your support to help make this a success!

Council of Catholic School Parents

Bingo

The rostered teams for the next few weeks' Bingo are:

• Thursday 28th March - team no. 3 (Catherine's team)
• Thursday 4th April - team no. 4 (Donna's team)
• Thursdeay 11th April - team no. 5 (Meg's team)

SPORT NEWS

Cross Country

Our MHOC Cross Country will be held on Wednesday 27th March here at school. There are some slight changes in format from last year to encourage participation and inclusion. An overview of the format is below. More accurate information will be made available via Compass early next week.

• Straight after roll marking, all children will head to the field for our Parents vs Teachers vs Students race (we are still chasing volunteers for this race!). 
• Kindergarten and Year 1 will then run a short course race on the school oval.
• We will then hold races for each age group/year level in both boys and girls. Years 2-4 will compete at a 2km distance, with Years 5 & 6 competing at a 3km distance. 
• In all events, children wishing to engage in a shorter format of the race are able to complete a distance they are comfortable with. 

As always, parents and carers are most welcome to attend the event and volunteers for track supervision are welcome. 

Pray for sunshine! 

Upcoming Sporting Dates

Below are a number of pathway events and Gala Days which you may wish to add to your family calendars. Entry into the gala days will depend on the number of interested students.

More information on these events will become available closer to the dates.

Wednesday 27th March - MHOC Cross Country

Thursday 28th March - Netball Schools Cup local round

Tuesday 2nd April - League Tag Gala Day

Wednesday 3rd April - Polding Swimming, Sydney

Tuesday 9th April - Zone Cross Country, Grafton

Wednesday 10th April - Soccer Gala Day, Sawtell

Thursday 11th & Friday 12th April - State Swimming, Sydney

Friday 3rd May - Polding Winter Sports Trials, Tamworth (hockey, soccer, netball rugby league)

Tuesday 7th May - Paul Kelly Cup (AFL), Coffs Harbour

Friday 17th May - Diocesan Winter Sports Trials (Rugby Union)

Tuesday 21st May - Diocesan Cross Country, Grafton

Wednesday 22nd May - MHOC Athletics Carnival, Coffs Harbour

Wednesday 12th June - Diocesan Rugby Gala Day, Coffs Harbour

Tuesday 23rd July - Polding Cross Country, Sydney

Thursday 25th July - Zone Athletics Carnival, Coffs Harbour

Wednesday 7th August - Netball Schools Cup regional round, Port Macquarie

Friday 9th August - Zone Soccer & Netball Knockout, Grafton

Tuesday 13th August - Diocesan Athletics Carnival, Coffs Harbour

HABITS OF MINDS AWARDS

Term 1, Week 8

CANTEEN NEWS

Hot Dog Day

What's Cooking in the Canteen

Canteen Roster

Parent and grandparent volunteers are always needed and welcome. Please phone the school or complete this form if you can spare some time in the canteen.

Monday 25th Mar

Tuesday 26th Mar

Wednesday 27th Mar

Thursday 28th Mar
Angela Thaler

Friday 29th Mar
GOOD FRIDAY

LIBRARY WHISPERS

We celebrated Harmony Week in the library with lots of books about diversity and inclusion. My Year 5 Library Monitors helped make a beautiful display featuring some of the children’s handprints and an array of wonderful books celebrating our different cultures. Reading books to the children all week with Harmony Week themes really invited lots of discussion about our differences and our similarities. One of my favourites to read is a book called ‘Same, But Little Bit Diff’rent’ by Indigenous Australian writer Kylie Dunstan, which really helps illustrate how we’re all different in ways but really all the same.

Scholastic Book club orders went out this week and hopefully the books will arrive before the Easter break.

OSHC

How exciting! There are only 3 weeks left of Term 1 before  we head straight into April Vacation Care!

This week’s program theme is Farms and the children have thoroughly enjoyed the activities our educators have set up for BSC and ASC. The program favourites were definitely mobilo creations, felt chicken craft and Twister. 

Some other favourites from this week include Harmony Week crafts, Ga-ga and recycled construction craft.

MHOC OSHC Vacation Care

NEWS FROM OUR PARISH

AXIOS

The last two weeks we have had a focus on Easter with the children creating dioramas of  Jesus empty tomb and kites to symbolise the resurrection of Jesus. They have been discussing the Easter story from Jesus entry into Jerusalem, through the events of Holy Week and into the Easter season. Next week in our group we will be setting up the Altar of Repose for Holy Thursday and the Mass of the Last Supper. 

We pray that this Holy Week will be a very special time in your families to reflect on and participate in the events of Jesus' death and resurrection.

Baptism

The Sacrament of Baptism is available to those requesting it. Please ring Jennifer at the Parish Office (66583544) or talk to Amber Biddle, Liz Watts or Margaret Ryan at school if you have any questions.  Alternatively, if you wish to register for Baptism, there is now the option of an  online request form .

Parish Website , E-bulletin & Facebook Page

For all the latest news from our parish, check out the Parish website or subscribe to our  new e-bulletin which can be sent directly to your inbox each week. Why not sign up today by entering your details in the sign up box on the Homepage or Contact page of the website!

And don’t forget to check out our FaceBook page

COMMUNITY NEWS

Jetty Theatre

 A biological-musical-comedy-adventure that explores the ins and outs of the human digestive system

From the creators of “The Alphabet of Awesome Science” comes a brand-new multi-award winning family show… You are a doughnut!

It’s true! YOU are a great big fleshy lump with a remarkable hole running all the way through your middle — your digestive system.

Join biology teachers Oesoph A. Gus and Dewey Dean as they embark upon an utterly brilliant all-singing, all-dancing (and all-clowning!) exploration of every twisting tube and remarkable organ – with sketches, songs, and sensational science. Along the way you’ll encounter a frenzy of enzymepowered ping pong balls, sing along with a rainbow collection of poop puppets, and witness the weirdest poetry performance you’ve ever seen.

You Are a Doughnut has won a couple of Adelaide Fringe Festival Awards — the 2023 “Science at the Fringe” Award as well as a 2022 Weekly Award for “Best Kids and Family”.

Recommended for ages 5-12 & Families