Mary Help of Christians Sawtell eNewsletter

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Holy Week begins this weekend and we recall Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, the crowds buzzing with excitement.

This painting (this is only the bottom half!) by Tom Dubois always speaks to me of the chaos and joy of the day. Far from the warrior king the people were hoping for, Jesus chose to make his entry into Jerusalem on a donkey, symbolising peace and humility.

Wishing you all a blessed Easter and a safe and happy holiday break.

May the risen Christ give you peace in the knowledge that life is stronger than death, love is stronger than fear and hope is stronger than despair.

Warm regards,

Liz

UPCOMING EVENTS

Friday 18th April - Good Friday
Saturday 19th April - Holy Saturday
Sunday 20th April - Easter Sunday
Friday 25th April - ANZAC Day
Monday 28th & Tuesday 29th April - Staff Development Days (pupil-free days)
Wednesday 30th April - Term 2 First day for students
Wednesday 30th April - Easter Celebration and Raffle Draw (Parents welcome)
Friday 2nd May - Outdoor Family Fun Night
Saturday 3rd May - Federal Election - MHOC Polling Booth
Monday 5th May - Zone Cross Country Carnival
Thursday 8th May - Mothers' Day Stall
Wednesday 21st May - 3-6 Athletics Carnival
Monday 26th May - Mary Help of Christians Feast Day
Wednesday 27th May - 3rd June - National Reconciliation Week
Monday 2nd June - K-2 Athletics Carnival

WHAT'S THE BUZZ?

ANZAC Day

Thank you to all those coming along to represent MHOC at the Sawtell ANZAC Day march or to play in the school drum band. Some of our children are also singing in the ANZAC Choir at service following the march. Meet from 10.45am near the entrance to the Surf Club. Full school uniform is required. Don't forget hats!! We will keep the children near the entrance to the surf club at the end of the march until you are able to collect them.

Easter Hat Parade

What a delightful way to end the term! Our K–2 Easter Hat Parade was full of colour and smiles! Take a look at the photos below to see all the Easter fun!

Don’t forget that on the first day back after the holidays, we’ll be drawing our Easter Raffle, sharing a special Easter Liturgy, and inviting Years 3–6 students to join in an Easter Hat Parade (for those who’d like to take part).

What a lovely way to start the new term with joy, reflection and creativity. We can’t wait to see the hats!

Great Holiday Movies

There are some lovely Christian films showing at both Event Cinemas in Coffs Harbour and Sawtell Cinema over the holiday break.

The Chosen: Last Supper Season 5: Part 1

(If you haven't seen this free series online and streaming on Netflix, we highly recommend it!)

King of Kings

Free Dental Clinic

In the week commencing 30th June, Australian Dental Health will be at MHOC to provide free dental check-ups and treatment for eligible students.

The service is free to eligible families through Medicare’s Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS) and Private Health Insurance. If you have neither, Australian Dental Health will still provide a free check-up.

If you would like your child/ren to attend the dental clinic, please complete the online form via the link below. We will send a reminder to families closer to the date.

Click to Fill in the Dental Consent Form Online

LOVING LEARNING

Science & Technology

Students have had a very engaging and hands-on term in Science & Technology, focusing on the fascinating world of living things! Here's a breakdown of what each stage has been learning:

Kindergarten: Their exploration of the fundamental differences between living and non-living things was a crucial first step in biological studies. Growing beans in mini-greenhouses was a wonderful way for them to directly observe the needs of a living thing (water, light, etc.) and witness the process of growth firsthand.
Stage 1: Building on the foundation of Kindergarten, Stage 1 students have delved into the observable characteristics, external features, of plants and animals. Growing sunflowers was an excellent long-term project that allowed them to practice observation skills, learn about plant structures, and even incorporate measurement and recording into their science learning.
Stage 2: This stage has taken a deeper dive into the concept of life cycles, which is a key understanding in biology. By investigating external features, life cycles, and adaptations, they are starting to understand the diversity and interconnectedness of living organisms and how they change over time.
Stage 3: The research focus for Stage 3 is very broad and encourages critical thinking and investigation. Exploring extreme environments and survivors, animal adaptations, microlife, and plant/mould investigations exposes them to a wide range of biological concepts and encourages them to ask questions and seek answers about the world around them.

**Margaret Ryan**
**Assistant Principal**
**Learning & Teaching**

FROM THE MISSION DESK

Dear God,
As we come to the end of this school term, we pause in gratitude for the learning, the growth, and the shared moments that have shaped our journey together.

In this season of Lent, may we continue to walk gently with You, reflecting, renewing, and preparing our hearts for the promise of Easter.
Help us to remember the true meaning of this season: a time for compassion, prayer, and hope.

Bless our school community with rest and safety over the holidays.
May we return renewed in spirit, ready to celebrate the joy and light of the Resurrection.

We place our trust in You, Lord, knowing that even in quiet, challenging times, Your love is always near.

Amen.

Stations of the Cross Years 4-6

This week, as we prepared for Easter, students in Year 4 , 5 and 6 had the opportunity to deepen their understanding of this important time in the Christian calendar. Students were transported by bus to various locations to journey through the Stations of the Cross.

By moving through the stations, students were able to engage in a meaningful and age-appropriate experience of Jesus' sacrifice and love.

Class teachers accompanied and guided students as they moved through each station, providing support and helping them reflect on the significance of each step in Jesus' journey.

Stations of the Cross Years K-3

This week, students from Kinder to Year 3 took part in a special, hands on experience of the Stations of the Cross.

In small groups, students sat in a circle, each with a box containing symbolic items representing each station. As the story unfolded, guided by their teacher, students took out the matching item from their box to explore and reflect on.

It was lovely to see the children so deeply engaged, responding with such empathy and reverence.

This week, our students took part in the Big Water Walk, an activity to help them understand what life is like for kids in communities that don’t have easy access to clean water. At different stations along the way, our amazing Mini Vinnies leaders shared real stories about people around the world who face this challenge every day. Each home base carried a bucket filled with water, to get a small sense of the tough journey many children make just to collect water for their families. All the money raised will go to Project Compassion, helping make a real difference for those in need. Thanks to everyone who supported this great cause!

The Jubilee Boat is Coming to Sawtell Parish

We are excited to announce that the Jubilee Boat will be visiting the Sawtell Parish from Tuesday, 28 April to Sunday, 4 May 2025.

Designed and constructed by students at Newman Senior Technical College, this unique symbol of pilgrimage and connection takes the form of a boat. Its design reflects the rivers, waterways, and ocean that shape many of our parishes, beautifully aligning with the international symbol of the Jubilee.

As part of the Jubilee ‘Year of Hope’, this travelling symbol is intended to unite diocesan parishes and schools, inviting all to journey together in faith and hope.

Holy Week and Easter Mass Times

Project Compassion Boxes

We kindly ask families to return their Project Compassion boxes to school at the beginning of Term 2. All donations will be forwarded to Caritas Australia, supporting their vital work with vulnerable communities around the world. Thank you for your generosity and support.

Amber Biddle
Assistant Principal
**Mission**

MHOC SCHOOL COMMUNITY FORUM

Pop Culture Parenting

This is an interesting podcast available on Spotify, YouTube and Apple Podcasts. Download and listen for great parenting advice.

Outdoor Family Fun Night

It’s so exciting to be at school at night time! Especially when there’s a movie showing on the big outdoor screen!

Tickets for this fun family event are available now on Flexischools. BYO picnic or pre-order your dinner for an easy night out.

If you are able to help out on the night, please fill in this form.

Polling Booth at MHOC

The MHOC school hall is a polling booth on 3rd May for the Federal Election. The Social and Fundraising Committee are gauging interest in either holding a cake stall or running a ‘Democracy Sausage Sizzle’.

Please complete this form if you are available to volunteer to;

bake cakes or biscuits etc for a cake stall;
cook sausages; and/or
volunteer to work on a stall.

Mothers' Day Stall

Order now on Flexischools!

SPORT NEWS

Paul Kelly Cup

MHOC was represented at Wednesday’s AFL Paul Kelly Cup by three teams of enthusiastic students. Our teams had a lot of fun, tasting differing levels of success, but all teams showed improvement throughout the day. The boys team made the finals while the mixed team came away with a win and a lot of new skills. The girls played with tenacity and determination in the girls-only fixture and learned a great deal, with most of them playing AFL for the first time.

Mrs Glover was very proud of the way the MHOC students conducted themselves and is already making plans for next year’s competition.

After what seemed like half a dozen postponements due to wet weather, our rugby league boys finally got to attend Diocesan trials yesterday, and … the sun shone on them! Congratulations to Cole Adams, Cheyse Blair, Eoin Handsaker and Jackson Wood for their efforts and well done to the boys and their families for hanging in there through all the postponements and uncertainty around the staging of the trials.

Polding Winter Sports Trials

Best of luck to Ella Duncan (soccer) and Ivy Meehan (hockey) who will travel to Bathurst on 2nd May (Week 1) to compete for a place in a Polding team. We know you will do the school proud, girls!

**Rebecca Bennett**
***Sports Coordinator***

***Geraldine Hourigan***
***Sports Administrator***

HABITS OF MIND AWARDS

End of Term Awards - Term 1

2025 End of Term Awards - Term 1

CANTEEN NEWS

LIBRARY WHISPERS

Children from Year 3 up have been encouraged to take books home for the holidays but have been reminded if they’re going away on holiday, the book stays home. Also, don’t forget we have an amazing online library available for students. All they need to do is go to the MHOC website, go to Portals and Links, select student hub in the drop down menu and click on SORA e-library (with the picture of the aeroplane). Log in with their normal school details and the school they choose is ACEN member which covers our whole diocese.

Jess is obviously planning on doing lots of reading over the holidays!

We came across these three squeezed into this space and quietly reading..it was so cute I had to take a photo!

OSHC

April Vacation Care (VC) program.

Families must be enrolled in the service to attend the MHOC OSHC Vacation Care / school holiday program. If they are not enrolled, please email sawp-oshc@lism.catholic.edu.au before the holidays commence.
Families from the local community are welcome to join the VC program — if your friends or family are interested, feel free to invite them!
Some incursions and excursions have limited spots, so booking early is recommended.

2025 - MHOC OSHC April Program

**Laura McDiarmid**
**OSHC Coordinator**

NEWS FROM OUR PARISH

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

Carolyn & Marja

11 April 2025