OLHC News Issue 22 Term 3 Week 3 - 8th August 2025

Our Lady Help of Christians is a Child Safe School and is committed to the cultural safety of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We acknowledge the Wotjobaluk, Jaadwa, Jadawadjali, Wergaia, and Japagulk peoples as the traditional custodians of the land upon which our school was built. 

Principal Report

Dear Parents and Friends of Our Lady's,

Today is the feast day of Australia's only saint, Saint Mary of the Cross, better known as Mary Mackillop. St Mary's strength, resilience, fortitude, and love for the poor can be encapsulated in one word: holiness. Mary was holy, cooperating with God in all things, serving those around her both practically and spiritually, and giving heroic witness to her love for Jesus Christ and His Church. 

We will soon visit Penola, the birthplace of Mary's public work, and we look forward to placing this great Australian before our students as a model for hard work, faith in action, and holiness.

Prayer to St Mary of the Cross

Ever-generous God,
You inspired St Mary MacKillop
to live her life faithful
to the Gospel of Jesus Christ
and constant in bringing hope
and encouragement
to those who were disheartened, lonely, or needy.
With confidence in your generous providence
and joining with St Mary MacKillop, we ask that you grant our requests.
We ask that our faith and hope
be fired afresh by the Holy Spirit so that we too,
like Mary MacKillop, may live with courage,
trust, and openness.
Ever-generous God, hear our prayer.
We ask this through Jesus Christ.
Amen.

Source: Trustees of the Sisters of St. Joseph

As always, our school is open for tours and enrolment inquiries. Please reach out to us if you or anyone you know would like more information about the great work we do at Our Lady's.

All the very best, 

Chris McCumstie

principal@olhcmurtoa.catholic.edu.au

School Improvement Surveys

Insight SRC is conducting a survey on behalf of Our Lady's School and the Diocese of Ballarat Catholic Education Limited. It is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of parents' perceptions of their children’s experience of school.  The results will benefit everyone within the school by providing valuable information about the ways in which the school can use staff, student and parent input to plan programs and activities to improve your child's experience at school.

Parents, staff, and students have been invited to participate in these surveys and although we strongly encourage participation, responses are voluntary. It is important to remember, however, that the success of this important project is dependent on strong involvement.

The online survey can be accessed from Monday 4 to Friday 15 August 2025 via the details sent via email to parents.  

Parent Support Initiative: School TV

The SchoolTV initiative at Our Lady Help of Christians School aims to help parents navigate the often complex issues they face in raising their children.

Expert advice, helpful tips, and other resources, are available to all our parents and caregivers. Explore the wide range of topics at SchoolTV by clicking on the link below.

A Free Webinar is promoted below, addressing cyber safety, an issue parents have to navigate in an increasingly digital world. 

Gifting Mass

We are pleased to share that our school will be celebrating a Gifting Mass with St Patrick's Nhill on Friday, 29th August.
As part of this special occasion, we are inviting families to donate non-perishable food items. These will be collected and donated to local community services to help support individuals and families in need.

 If you would like to contribute, donations can be brought to the General Office.

Tours of New Building & Upcoming OPEN DAY

We warmly invite families, prospective families, parishioners, and friends of Our Lady's to come for a personalised tour of our new facilities. Come and see what we offer at our school, and hear about the excellent teaching and learning that happens daily in our classrooms.

We're also excited to be holding an Open Day on 28th August from 4-6pm. We will give tours of the school, answer questions about our teaching, learning, and extra curriculum programs, and will present an information session all about our school.

Excursion to Glenorchy

What a great day out at Glenorchy! The children learned all about sustainable gardening, especially the construction and use of Wicking beds. John, our generous host, shared with us his journey of gardening in sometimes harsh conditions and the positive environmental benefits of using wicking beds. We look forward to putting our learning into action.

Our excursion ties in with our commitment to sustainability. The late Pope Francis, in his encyclical Laudato Si (On the Care for our Common Home) encouraged Catholics to turn their attention to the environment, and to consider how we can impact the world God asked us to steward. Thank you, John, for letting us visit and for giving us an opportunity to put our faith into action. 

St. Mary of the Cross

Today students celebrated the Feast Day of  Mary MacKillop - Saint Mary of the Cross, Australia's first Saint.

First off they read a book 'The Story of Saint Mary of the Cross', then  spent time discussing aspects of  her life, and the places she lived and visited. 

Using a range of story books as a guide the students drew their interpretation of Mary.

See their vibrant display below.

Book Fair

The Book Fair has concluded and we thank you for your generous support.

Black Ranges Athletics, North Park Stawell

Black Ranges Athletics will be held on Wednesday, 3rd September at North Park Stawell.

Congratulations to Kirat, Andre and Irene who have qualified to compete in the next level of athletics. 

Information was sent home to parents, with a Permission Form available on Simon. Parents are responsible for taking their child to and from the day.

Child Safety

Our Lady Help of Christians is a Child Safe School. We implement the 11 Child Safe Standards, and work to embed these in our school culture. Our newsletter is just one place among a number where we educate our community about Child Safety. Below is a concise and helpful guide to the Child Safe Standards. The Child Safety Officer at OLHC is Chris McCumstie, and he can be contacted for information at any time.

principal@olhcmurtoa.catholic.edu.au

Important Upcoming Dates:

 August 2025

• Friday 8th August - St. Mary of the Cross - Mary MacKillop Feast Day
• Friday 8th August - Book Fair last day
  
• Friday 15th August - Mass for the Feast of the Asumption 12.30pm St. Mary's Church, Murtoa
• Monday 18th to Friday 22nd August - Book Week
• Tuesday 19th August - Mary MacKillop Centre Penola Excursion  
• Wednesday 20th August - Book Week Dress Up Day & Activities
  
• Monday 25th to Friday 29th August - Science Week
  
• Thursday 28th August - Open Afternoon Information Session 4-6pm
• Friday 29th August - Gifting Mass at  Nhill

September 2025

• Wednesday 3rd September - Black Ranges Athletics at North Park Stawell
• Friday 5th September - Father's Day Breakfast
• Thursday 18th September - Last Day of Term 3
• Friday 19th September - Pupil Free Day - Staff PD

October 2025

• Monday 6th October - First Day of Term 4

November 2025

• Tuesday 12th November- Pupil Free Day - Staff PD

December 2025

• Thursday 18th December - Last Day of Term 4

Mass Times & Parish Information

Sunday 10th August 2025, Livestream at 9.00am at St. Mary's Catholic Church.

Friday 15th August - Mass for the Feast of the Assumption 12.30pm St. Mary's Church, Murtoa

Parish Bulletin

Community News

See the attached flyers for initiatives that may interest from groups in and around Murtoa.