21 March 2025

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Did you hear I came third in the parents v teachers v students race?

No, just kidding…but I just couldn't resist the opportunity when Mr Barreto  (the real 3rd place getter!) had to leave early. My own children still believe me! Shhhh. 

So, it’s one each in this four-part series. The teachers won the swimming competition, the parents won the cross country and, as we’ve decided to separate the Athletics carnival this year (K-2 here at school and 3-6 at the stadium; on different days), there are two more opportunities to reign supreme. 

What a beautiful Cross Country Carnival. I am so proud of the children; their kindness, their humility, their encouragement of others and their perseverance were all on full display. Well done, children and well done Mrs Bennett, organiser extraordinaire!

Darby Hoy received the Walk Worthy of God, Good Citizen Award today. His teachers said  that he always looks after his friends and always makes them feel included and valued. Congratulations, Darby!

Happy Harmony Day, one and all! We thank God for the gift of a harmonious school community and continue to pray for peace and harmony amongst the people of the world. Please enjoy the photo gallery further down in the newsletter.

Warm regards
Liz

UPCOMING EVENTS

• Tuesday 25th March - Canteen Red Day
• Wednesday 26th March - Netball All Schools Cup
• Thursday 27th March - Diocesan Winter Sports Trials - netball, soccer, rugby league
• Wednesday 2nd & Thursday 3rd April - Polding Swimming - SOPAC
• Sunday 6th April - Daylight Saving Time Ends
• Tuesday 8th April - Polding AFL
• Wednesday 9th April - Paul Kelly Cup
• Wednesday 9th April - Walk For Water (TBC)
• Thursday 10th April - End of Term Effort Awards Assembly
• Thursdya 10th April - Stations of the Cross
• Thursday 10th April - Last day for students - Term 1
• Friday 11th April - Staff Development Day (pupil-free day)
  
• 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

WHAT'S THE BUZZ?

Harmony Day Celebrations - Everyone Belongs!

We had a wonderful Harmony Day at school today! Cultural dress, colours and flags of countries of origin and a sea of orange (the official Harmony Day colour) were evident at today's assembly.

Children enjoyed orange jelly cups and slushies from the canteen. There were peer groups activities, a multicultural music festival as well as a colouring-in competition to be judged by our Year 6 Diversity Team.

We have donated $250 from the sale of jelly cups and slushies to Caritas’ Project Compassion - the charity that works to end poverty and promote justice in countries throughout Africa, Asia, Australia and the Pacific.

Well done to our amazing student leaders for their planning and assistance throughout the day.

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Easter Raffle

Check your child’s bag for a small book of Raffle tickets. This is a fundraiser organised by the parents in the Social and Fundraising team. See the School Community Forum section further down in the newsletter for details.

ANZAC Day

This year, ANZAC Day (25th April) falls on the Friday in the second week of the holidays.   Each year we have a large presence in the ANZAC Day Parade and remembrance service in Sawtell. We are hoping that we will have many students attending again this year.

There are several opportunities for students to participate:

• March with the school, meeting at 10:45am near the entrance to Sawtell Main Beach.
• If your child is in Years 4-6, they may opt to play in the drum band during the march from 10:45am-11:30am.      Please note, preference will be given to Year 6 students and lessons will be provided at school over the next few weeks.
• If your child is in Years 3-6, they may opt to join the ANZAC Choir. They will sing during the ANZAC Day   Service after the march at the Lyle Rose Memorial Park in Sawtell from 11:30am. Parents are welcome to join our choir for this event.

Please fill in this form to let us know if your child/ren are able to attend any or all of the ANZAC Day activities:

• ANZAC Day march
• ANZAC Day Drum band
• ANZAC Day choir

LOVING LEARNING

What’s happening in Year 3?

In English this term we have been learning about narratives. We have discussed how authors create engaging storylines, build tension and introduce characters. We have studied these techniques in Roald Dahl's "Fantastic Mr Fox" and have worked hard to emulate these techniques in our very own sequels to the story, including new characters, events and settings. See below for some excerpts: 

"One misty morning ,when Mr Fox and his crew were navigating through the tunnels, they found fuming gassy air over top."

-Ava

"Down in a burrow under a big tree there lived 3 small foxes and 2 big foxes. Their names were Mr Fox and Mrs Fox. Mr fox tries to provide food for his wife and children but one vicious farmer named Bean hated him for stealing all his food so he set a trap in the burrow."

-Mia

Once in a land near Scotland there was Mrs Tibb and Mr Bob and they were chicken farmers. They were the meanest people you’ve ever met. And one day Mr Fox stole a chicken as normal. Mrs Tibb followed Mr Fox all the way back to his hole.                                                  

‘CRACK’ she stepped on a twig. Mr Fox bolted around.

‘Maybe it was just a field mouse, ’ he said softly.

 ‘Phew,’ she sighed a deep sigh.

-Alex

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Makerspace

This week in Makerspace, students have enjoyed the challenge of creating a Lego marble run. All marble runs were required to have an entry and exit point with some dead ends along the path to make it as tricky as possible! 

All students in Years 3-6 are welcome to begin a new Makerspace challenge every Tuesday at recess.

FROM THE MISSION DESK

Dear God

As we enter this third week of Lent,
may we take time to pause, reflect, and draw closer to You.
Help us to open our hearts to Your love
and recognise the ways You call us to grow.

In this season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving,
give us the strength to choose kindness over impatience,
forgiveness over anger, and generosity over selfishness.
May we follow Jesus’ example of love and compassion,
bringing hope and light to those around us.

Bless our school community as we journey together,
seeking You in all that we do.

We ask this through Christ, our Lord.

Amen.

What’s Been Happening in Religious Education in Year 3?

During the beginning of our Lenten unit, Year 3 has been reflecting on the purpose of Lent and how we can connect to Jesus during this time. We have discussed prayer, fasting and giving as the key elements of the Lenten period. We have reflected on what this means in our lives and created Lenten promise pockets with Lenten promises for ourselves inside. We are keeping these close to us in the classroom for the next few weeks and are including these in our daily prayer focus.

First Holy Communion Celebrations

We are so proud of our students who made their First Holy Communion on Sunday. May they continue to grow in God’s love.

Year 4 Class Mass

Tuesday was a special moment for our Year Four students as they attended Mass after making their First Holy Communion. Watching them receive the Eucharist with such care and understanding was beautiful to see.

It was clear they knew this wasn’t just ordinary bread. They approached with reverence, aware that they were receiving Jesus in a special way. 

Seeing their faith come to life like this is a reminder to us all of the beauty of the Eucharist. Well done Year 4.

Peer Groups

Today’s Peer Groups focused on Harmony Day. This is celebrated in Australia on March 21st every year. It is a day to celebrate cultural diversity and promote inclusion, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone, no matter their background.

Students discussed:

• Australia is a multicultural country, with people from all over the world living together.
• Harmony Day encourages everyone to learn about different cultures and appreciate the contributions that people from different backgrounds bring to the community.
• The message of Harmony Day is "Everyone Belongs." It reminds us that no matter where we come from, we should all be treated with kindness and respect.
• People often wear orange, the official color of Harmony Day, as a symbol of support for cultural diversity and inclusion.
• It's a time to listen to different stories, try new things, and show kindness to others.

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2025 Class Parents

Class Parents play a valuable role in strengthening communication, engagement, and support within our school community. By strengthening connections between families, teachers and school leadership, Class Parents help create a welcoming and inclusive environment where everyone feels involved. 

We are incredibly grateful for the time and effort our Class Parents contribute to making Mary Help of Christians a warm, connected and vibrant school community.

If there is anyone who would like to join the Kinder,  Year 1, Year 3 or Year 4 Class Parent group, please give Liz Watts or Amber Biddle a call at school.

Seasons For Growth

Seasons for Growth is a small group education program that supports children and young people to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes to understand and respond well to experiences of change, loss and grief.

Seasons for Growth supports children and young people who have experienced change and loss, including, although not limited to family separation; loss or death of someone they care about; living away in out of home care; physical or mental illness; We suggest that children and young people impacted by bereavement wait 6-12 months before participating in a Seasons for Growth program.

We will be offering the Seasons program at Mary Help of Christians. If you think that your child would benefit from this program, please fill in this expression of interest form.

Term One Class Masses

All parents and carers are invited to attend our weekly class Masses at Sawtell Catholic church at 9:30am. Don’t forget to stay for a cuppa and some morning tea afterwards. All families and friends are welcome!

Tuesday 25th March - Year 5 and 3 

Tuesday 1st April - Kinder and Year 6

Tuesday 8th April - No Mass

MHOC SCHOOL COMMUNITY FORUM

Parent Talk - ADHD

Please see the below invitation to a live webinar to help parents and carers gain a deeper understanding of ADHD.  Click here to register.

Outdoor Family Fun Night: Save the Date

Add 2nd May to your calendar for this wonderful family event. There’s delicious treats, a movie on the big outdoor screen and lots of family fun!

Easter Raffle Tickets

The Social and Fundraising Committee are running the annual Easter Raffle again this year. Check your child’s bag for raffle tickets. Tickets are 50c each or 3 for $1. There are three hampers to be won along with one prize per homebase. Please return tickets and cash by 7th April to be in the draw.

SPORT NEWS

Cross Country

Our prayers were answered and we were gifted a gorgeous day of sunshine for our MHOC Cross Country carnival. The day will filled with laughter, cheering, stunning displays of sportsmanship and a healthy dose of competition!

Days like this don’t just happen, so a huge thanks goes out to our staff community who always rally to ensure these days run smoothly and all of our students have a great time. 

Congratulations to the following students who were place-getters in our K & 1 races. Go little superstars!

Congratulations to the following students who will represent MHOC at the Clarence Zone Cross Country carnival in Grafton on 5th May:

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Netball

On Wednesday, 4 teams from Years 3-6 will compete in the Netball All-Schools Cup in Coffs Harbour. It has always been a hotly contested competition and a lot of fun, so we are looking forward to hearing how our teams enjoy this year’s Cup.

Winter Sports

Thursday is another busy day in the calendar, with Diocesan Winter Sports trials in soccer, netball and rugby league. Good luck to all our athletes who are trialling at these events!

HABITS OF MIND AWARDS

Term 1 Week 7

CANTEEN NEWS

Canteen Red Day - Hot Dogs

Order by Monday morning!

Canteen Helpers

Parent and grandparent volunteers are always needed and welcome. Please phone the school, complete this form or email sawp-canteen@lism.catholic.edu.au if you can spare some time in the canteen.

LIBRARY WHISPERS

Scholastic Book Club orders closed on Wednesday and all orders were sent off to Scholastic. Orders normally take between a week to a fortnight to arrive. If you missed the order you can contact Scholastic directly (see order form for details).

Overdue notes were sent home over the last two weeks. Thank you to those parents who helped find the books or who contacted me to let me know they couldn’t find the books at home. So often the books end up being in the classroom or even mis-shelved in the library. 

Year 5 boys were very happy chilling out and reading during library time. Mrs Tones took this photo and they didn’t even notice.

OSHC

Week 7 at OSHC

We’ve had a fantastic Week 7 at OSHC, making the most of the great outdoors with plenty of cricket, basketball and soccer. Indoors, we’ve been celebrating Harmony Week, exploring and appreciating different cultures through engaging activities.

Exciting news—our Vacation Care Program has been released, and we are now accepting bookings! Be sure to complete your booking form as soon as possible to secure your place. Some of the highlights this season include Carnival Day, a Tennis Excursion, a Cricket Incursion, a Hip Hop Incursion and a trip to the movies!

We can’t wait for another great week ahead! 

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.

NEWS FROM OUR PARISH

World Day of Prayer

Last week we celebrated World Day of Prayer – Cook Islands - where the MHOC School Captains led us through prayer.

We enjoyed a service filled with colour, song and yummy fruit!

Thank you for bringing the children along Liz; it’s always such a blessing seeing such glowing faces in the 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

COMMUNITY NEWS