31 October 2025
FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Although All Saints Day is officially celebrated on Saturday, 1st November, we celebrated this special feast day today and what a fantastic day it was!
All Saints Day is a special time in the Catholic Church when we remember all the amazing saints who have shown God’s love through their lives. Our students often hear stories about these inspiring people in Religious Education, learning how the saints can guide and pray for us.
To make the celebration extra fun, our Years 3 and 4 students (and a few excited staff members) came to school dressed as their favourite saints. It was lovely to see our classrooms and playground full of halos and habits!
Happy All Saints Day, everyone! Don’t forget to check out the wonderful photo gallery of our ‘saints’ further down in the newsletter!
The school was bursting with colour on Wednesday as we held our Crazy Sock Day fundraiser in support of Catholic Mission. We’re thrilled to share that, thanks to the wonderful generosity of our MHOC school community, we raised an impressive $400!
Today is World Teachers’ Day. Each day, I see the care, faith and dedication our teachers bring to their work, guiding our students not only in their learning but also in living out God’s love in all they do. Thank you, MHOC teachers, you make our school a special place!
Amberley Law was presented with this week’s Walk Worthy of God Leadership Star award. Her teachers spoke of a young lady who is always happy to help, volunteering her time and effort without being asked, embodying the spirit of service and care for our community. Congratulations, Amberley.
Our Year 6 students are off to camp next week! We wish our campers a wonderful time and our teachers plenty of energy. We look forward to hearing all about your adventures upon your return!
Warm Regards,
Amber
Amber Biddle
Acting Principal
UPCOMING EVENTS
Term 4
- Monday 3rd November - 5th November - Year 6 Camp
- Tuesday 4th November - Stars Production The Cyber Bully’’
- Thursday 6th November & Thursday 27th November - Kindergarten Orientation Group
- Monday 10th November - Kmart Wishing Tree Choir Performance
- Tuesday 11th November - Remembrance Day
- Friday 14th November Year 5 Leadership Retreat
- Saturday 15th November - School-led Parish Mass - 6pm, Sawtell Catholic Church
- Tuesday 18th November - SJPC Year 7 Transition Day
- Sunday 23rd November - Christmas Markets at The Link - MHOC Choir Performance
- Monday 24th November - Carol Light Carol-singing Competition 10am
- Thursday 27th November - SJPC Year 7 Orientation Day
- Friday 5th December - Big Banana Waterslide Night, 6pm
- Monday 8th December - Friday 12th December - K-2 Water Safety Program
- Wednesday 10th December - Year 6 Graduation Mass and Dinner
- Monday 15th December - 2025 Awards Ceremony, 8.50am
- Wednesday 17th December - MHOC Christmas Concert, 12pm
- Wednesday 17th December - Last day of Term 4 for students
WHAT'S THE BUZZ?
Happy Birthday, Father Joy!
We had a wonderful time celebrating Father Joy's birthday this week! On Tuesday our school captains had the honour of presenting him with a delicious batch of cupcakes and a thoughtful gift: the Test Match Cricket board game. As an avid cricketer, we know Father Joy will enjoy this classic game! We wish him a year filled with joy and thank him for his dedication to our school community.
Reconciliation Parent Information Night
A big thank you to all the parents who braved the rainy weather to attend the Sacrament of Reconciliation Parent Information Night on Tuesday! We were delighted to be joined by Father Joy and Carolyn Tumminello from the Parish Office, who shared invaluable insights and information. If your child has not yet been registered for this important Sacrament, it's not too late! For more information or to register, please contact Toni Fletcher.
MHOC School Community Art Fundraiser
Don't Forget! If you're looking for the perfect Christmas gift for family and friends this year, place an order and help raise money for the school! Your child's artwork has been transformed into a variety of beautiful keepsakes, including calendars, cards, diaries, mouse mats and sketch pads. This is a fantastic opportunity to buy unique, personalised gifts! Orders close this Sunday, November 2nd. Thank you for supporting MHOC!
Social Media Age Restrictions
On December 10th, new Australian legislation will come into effect, requiring major social media platforms to take "reasonable steps" to prevent all minors under the age of 16 from having or creating social media accounts. This is a significant change for Australian families.
Click below to find out what parents need to know right now.
Parish/School Led Mass
LOVING LEARNING
Kinder Orientation
What a joyous morning for our second group of 2026 kindergarten students at their very first orientation on Thursday! The classroom was buzzing with excitement as these young learners got a wonderful taste of "big school." They enjoyed story time, got creative with some fun art activities and best of all, started making their first kindergarten friends. We can't wait to see them again!
Seesaw
Don't forget, staff and students are posting student work samples to Seesaw on a regular basis for you to see. Please make sure you have notifications turned on so you know when a new piece of work has been posted. If you have any trouble accessing your child’s Seesaw account, please contact your child’s teacher.
What’s happening in Year 4?
In Geography, we have been learning about sustainability and how different people, groups and communities sustain and protect their environment. Students were given the opportunity to think about how different people have differing views about the same place and to think about how they feel about their own environment.
Students really enjoyed studying the Australian Seasonal Food Guide website to get an understanding of which fruits are in season at what time of the year. They created a collage in Keynote using images and words. Please see some of their wonderful creations below.
Brendan Murphy
Acting Assistant Principal
Learning & Teaching
FROM THE MISSION DESK
All Saints Day
Today, our Years 3 and 4 students celebrated All Saints' Day with a wonderful array of activities!
They immersed themselves in the meaning of the feast day, with many students coming to school dressed up as their favourite saints. The children also enjoyed a special treat, cupcakes.
At our school assembly, students had the opportunity to share their knowledge about their chosen saints, teaching the rest of the school about these inspiring people.
Well done to our Years 3 and 4 students for their enthusiastic participation and for making the meaning of All Saints' Day come to life!
Mini Vinnies: Spreading Christmas Cheer, One Shoebox at a Time!
This Christmas, our Mini Vinnies students are supporting our community's annual efforts to assist those who are "doing it tough." As well as helping to provide the traditional Christmas lunch for people who access Pete’s Place, we are launching a special Christmas Shoebox Appeal.
We aim to fill simple shoeboxes with useful small items to show our love and support during the festive season.
We are asking families to donate useful items that will make someone's life a little easier and brighter. Please consider adding the following to your next shopping trip:
- Essential Toiletries: New toothbrushes, toothpaste, small bottles of shampoo, body wash, soap, nail clippers, or combs.
- Small Comfort Items: Chocolates, lollies, or other small treats.
Please bring your donations into the school office area starting next Monday. Mini Vinnies will lovingly pack all the boxes before delivering them along with the Christmas lunch.
Thank you for your generosity and for helping us share the true spirit of Christmas with our community!
Cool Treats, Big Hearts: Mini Vinnies Fundraiser!
The Mini Vinnies students are excited to announce they are hosting an Ice Cup Fundraiser on Wednesday, 12th November, Week 5. For just $1 each, students can purchase a refreshing ice cup at recess time (and at lunchtime if stock remains). All money raised will be used to purchase food for the annual Christmas lunch at Pete's Place.
Mass with Year 6
This Tuesday, Year 6 gathered for Mass, where Father Joy invited the children to reflect on Luke 6:12‑19, highlighting how Jesus’ choosing of the twelve disciples is an invitation to live out humility, love and faithful service, qualities we strive to nurture in our students. He reminded them that the apostles, as the foundation stones of the Church, share in Christ’s mission and are called to carry forward his love to the world.
What’s happening in Year 4?
In Religious Education in Year 4, we have been learning about the purpose of rules in groups and communities. We have been exploring God’s ten commandments and how they can guide us in living our lives with purpose and positivity. We worked collaboratively to imagine and create 10 rules that we think are important for people to follow. We also created symbols to represent each of the 10 Commandments from the Bible.
Term 3 Class Mass Roster
All parents and carers are warmly invited to join us for our weekly class Masses at Sawtell Catholic Church at 9:30am. We’d love for you to stay afterwards for a cuppa and some morning tea. It's a great chance to catch up and connect with others in our school community.
Tuesday 4th November - Year 1
Tuesday 11th November - Year 4
Tuesday 18th November - Year 2 and Sacrament of Reconciliation students
Tuesday 25th November - Kinder & Year 6
Tuesday 2nd December - Year 3
Tuesday 9th December - Year 5
Wednesday 10th December 5 pm- Year 6 Graduation Mass
Toni Fletcher
Acting Assistant Principal
Mission
SPORT NEWS
Basketball NSW Gala Day
On Thursday, a group of Yr 5 & 6 boys and girls headed off to Sportz Central in Coffs Harbour to compete in the annual Basketball NSW Gala Day. We were surprised by the number of teams that entered, coming all the way from Banora Point, Port Macquarie and even Gunnedah!
We had a range of talents, from never playing before, to only playing during lunchtime at school, all the way through to representative basketballers who play on the regular. As always (and as we come to expect of our MHOC athletes) our teams showed great heart, amazing sportsmanship, played with smiles on faces and put smiles on the faces of their teachers and teammates.
In great news, our MHOC Gold team made it to the grand final, going down by just 2 points in a nail-biting finish to St James Primary Banora Point. Check out their awesome medals!
We had such a wonderful day! Thanks go to Mrs Hourigan for all of her organisation, Mr Madden for his coaching on the day and all of our wonderful MHOC parents who support our sport at every turn.
Signing off, one very happy sports coordinator!
Elective Sport Fun!
The rain held off and we were off again! Fishing, bowling, learning, flipping, jumping and teeing off into our second week of Elective Sport. We’re having a blast!
Rebecca Bennett
Sports Coordinator
Geraldine Hourigan
Sports Administrator
MHOC SCHOOL COMMUNITY FORUM
Thank You and Farewell!
After many wonderful years of support, we sincerely thank Renate Crowe for all her incredible help running the MHOC Bingo. Your dedication, energy and enthusiasm have made a lasting impact and you will be greatly missed! We appreciate everything you’ve done for our school community!
Calling Our Year 6 Families – Donate Your Uniforms!
As our Year 6 students prepare to set out on their journey to high school, we invite families to consider donating any gently used school uniforms to our Second-Hand Uniform Shop. Your donations help other families, promote sustainability and support our school community.
If you have items in good condition (shirts, shorts, skorts, blouses, socks or hats) please drop them off at the school office before the end of term. Every contribution makes a difference and is greatly appreciated!
We have lots of Size 6 girls shirts! If you would like to order second hand uniforms, please click here.
Help Make Our Events Amazing!
Our Big Banana Waterslide Night and Christmas Markets Bake Sale are just around the corner and we need YOU!
MHOC Big Banana Waterslide Night 5th December (assist with handing out wrist bands, selling tickets on the night and event support).
Christmas Markets Bake Sale at The Link 23rd November (help with baking, stall setup, and sales throughout the day).
If you can spare some time to support either (or both!) of these fun events, please click here. Every helping hand makes a big difference and it’s a wonderful way to get involved in our school community!
Jo Melinz
SCF President
LIBRARY WHISPERS
Overdue books are due before the end of the term. If your child has an overdue book, could you please help them look at home for it or let me or their class teacher know if you are unable to find it.
Every week since he borrowed it, Charlie in Year 3 has been making his way through a Wings of Fire chapter book. I’ve been so impressed with his perseverance because they’re big books with pretty complex stories. This week he finally finished it and has borrowed his next one. Well done Charlie!
My amazing Library Monitors have been hard at work again this week, reorganising the games cupboard. I don’t know what I’d do without them!
Rachael Hewitt
Librarian
MHOC OSHC
The students at Mary Help of Christians OSHC enjoyed a successful and engaging Week 3, despite a mix of wet and sunny weather.
Indoor Creativity & Construction
Our wet weather days fostered a wonderful environment for indoor creativity. The children demonstrated great imagination and focus through constructive play using Lego and Mobilo. Additionally, a wide variety of craft and colouring-in activities provided engaging opportunities for fine motor skill development and artistic expression.
Outdoor Play & Physical Activity
When the sunshine returned, we made the most of our outdoor space. The children enthusiastically utilised the available equipment and natural play areas. Highlights of the week included collaborative games of "44 Homes" and lively, active participation in cricket, promoting teamwork and physical health.
Jemma
Laura McDiarmid
OSHC Coordinator
HABITS OF MINDS AWARDS
Term 4 Week 3
Kinder | Ollie Grant, Harry Boundy, Jai Kaur |
Year 1 | Imogen Robinson, Saachi Singh, Harley Woods, Charlie Wright, Helena Hobson, Arlo Hayes, Lua Ponciano Maciel |
Year 2 | Ekam Khatra, Paxton van Hamond, Tully Kennedy, Angela Prince, |
Year 3 | Riley Gleeson, Jonathan Bailey, Daisy Stitt, Maddisyn Why, Scarlett Carson, Charlie Gosney, Layla Forbes |
Year 4 | Isla Rogers, Lachlan Gould, Sullivan Watson, Zoe Collon, Charlee Stevens, Lucas Donald, |
Year 5 | Anna-lese Ross, Ry Strazzari, Max Herbert, Poppy Stephens, Abbey Paul, Atticus Hobson |
Year 6 | Harry Munro, Jack Higgins, Huon Emerson Clyde, Ivy Walmsley |
CANTEEN NEWS
Volunteers
We are looking for more volunteers on Thursdays. If you are able to help, please contact the school office.
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 or Toni Fletcher 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
Vinnies Van
Toormina Gardens has a Community Kickstart Competition with a prize of $10,000.The Vinnies Van is 1 of 3 finalists in the competition.The winner is decided by a popular vote made on line on the Toormina Gardens website. Toormina Gardens - Toormina Gardens
