Newsletter 28/11/2024

From the Principal:

Dear Parents and Carers,

This Sunday marks the beginning of Advent.  Advent is intended to be a season of preparation for the birth of Jesus. While we typically regard Advent as a joyous season, it is also intended to be a period of preparation and reflection. 

No season of the year is more at odds with the prevailing culture in Australia than Advent.  The advertising blitz for the Christmas shopping binge, reinforced by Christmas decor in shops, stores and streets, starts several weeks before Advent.  To make matters worse, all these commercial Christmas decorations disappear on Christmas night to make way for the Boxing Day sales.

It’s a busy time of the year.  Schools and colleges are marking the end of the school year with exams, graduation ceremonies and farewells.  Businesses are holding end-of-the year parties.  Time and energy go into sending Christmas greetings of one kind or another.  Families are occupied with plans for Christmas Day meals and summer holidays.  There’s a spirit of indulgence in the air. 

Most people do enjoy Christmas—the gift-giving, the decorations, the family get-togethers, etc. Many, however, give little thought to the real reason we celebrate Christmas—or if they do, they dismiss it from their minds. It’s somewhat like going to a birthday party and ignoring the person who’s having the birthday!

You see, if Jesus had never been born, we wouldn’t be celebrating Christmas. But Jesus was born—and that makes all the difference, because He was different from anyone else who would ever be born. He was different first of all because of who He was: God in human flesh. As the angel declared to his mother Mary, “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High” (Luke 1:32).

One way at school we try to focus on the real meaning of Christmas is through the use of an Advent wreath. This helps us to prepare for the Solemnity of Christmas, in which the birth of Jesus, the Son of God,  is remembered and celebrated.  Advent is a period of devout and expectant delight.

The custom of displaying and lighting the candles on an Advent wreath is a widespread tradition in the Western church.   The practice may stem from pagan rites for the winter solstice which found their way into 17th century domestic devotions in Germany and then into the liturgy during the 20th century.  Traditionally the wreath is shaped into a circle of evergreen branches that house four candles, one for each week of the season, three being violet and one rose.   Advent wreaths will be displayed in our school and a candle will be lit weekly as we await the birth of Christ.

Kind regards,

Mary.

2025 Class Structures and Staffing

Please see below for class structures,  Teachers, and Education Assistants for 2025. 

As you can see all classes have significant support provided by our wonderful Educational Assistants.  At Our Lady of Mercy, we strive to give each child what they need to enable them to do their best. The EA support in each class reflects this.

Kinder - Mrs Lauren Workman 

EA - Mrs Anita Bowman

Prep - Mrs Alisha Mitchell  

EA’s Mrs Jayne Pitchford (Mon-Wed) and Mrs Vanessa Magg (Thu-Fri)

Grade 1/2-  Mrs Emma Pagett

EA’s Mrs Sarah Avery (Mon- Fri)

 Mrs Sharon Leguis (Mon- Thur) and Mrs Keira Stafford (Fri)

Grade 3 - Mrs Debra Jones

EA  TBC (Mon-Wed) and Mrs Grace Lyall (Thur-Fri)

Grade 4 - Miss Caitlyn Mills

EA  Miss Reegan Heathcote (Mon- Fri)

Grade 5/6 - Mrs Megan Badcock

EA Mr Jayden Purdon ( Mon-Thurs)

Performing Arts- Mrs Jacquie Wood

PE & Health- Miss Montanna Eastley

Science - Mrs Lesley Hillhouse

Curious Kids/Set Up- Miss Michelle Donohoe and Mrs Sarah-Jayne Vidler

Library - Mrs Sarah-Jayne Vidler

Literacy Leader  - Miss Michelle Donohoe 

EA Mrs Carmen Wadley

Student Support Co-ordinator - Mrs Clare Weare

Instructional Leader Religious Education - Miss Di Murray

Finance Officer - Mrs Maree Mills

Wellbeing Officer - Mrs Leigh-anne Newington

Administration Officer - Mrs Jayne Bennett

Utility Officer - Mr Jacob Bester

Deputy Principal - Mr Simon Wood

Principal - Ms Mary Bennett

Step-Up Day:

On Monday 2nd December we will be having our Step-Up morning. Children will head off to their new classrooms to meet their Teacher and EA's for 2025. 

All Schools Triathlon:

On Friday 22nd November, a team of students participated at the All Schools Triathlon Challenge held in Devonport at The Bluff.  Over 2500 students participated in the Devonport Schools Triathlon Challenge in absolutely beautiful conditions. This was a record number of students at the Devonport event. It was so great to see students challenging themselves, enjoying physical activity with their friends and establishing healthy habits for the future. Well done to all the students that participated, and a huge thank you to parents/carers for your support on the day.

Prev

Showing images 1 - 8 of 9

Next

NMPSSA Swimming Carnival:

On Monday, the 25th of November, 22 students represented our school at the NMPSSA Interschool Swimming Carnival held at Hagley Swimming Pool. These students did an amazing job, swimming to the best of their abilities and even pushing themselves out of their comfort zones.

Many students made it through to the finals in their races, with some achieving placements. These students were:

• Grace Avery
• George Van Rooye
• Grace Paton
• Amelia Vidler
• Evie Neal
• Lenny Hall
• Hedley Hall
• Grade 3/4 Girls Relay Team

A massive well done to all the swimmers for their efforts on the day! 

Kind regards,

Montanna Eastley

St Patrick's College:

Congratulations to past Our Lady of Mercy student's Lucas Sullivan, Bella Gibson and

Tumai Bennett (St Patrick's College Captain) Class of 2024 on their recent graduation.  We extend our warmest wishes for all that is to come.

What's Happening in Kinder:

In the Kinder classroom, students have enjoyed making Christmas ornaments using air dry clay. 
Using different textured rolling pins, the students first flattened out the dough. The students enjoyed seeing the interesting patterns the rolling pins left behind on the dough.
Next, they used different shaped cookie cutters to cut out a Christmas shape of their choosing. 
Lastly, the students made a small hole in the dough and threaded some string through the hole so the decoration can be displayed either on a Christmas tree or somewhere else at home.
The end results look great and we are certain that Kinder families will love them when they are sent home later in the Term!
Our students are beginning to get very excited for Christmas and are enjoying learning about Christmas traditions, including Advent, the birth of Jesus and of course Santa Claus!

Rainy Day Activities:

Mrs Newington certainly knows how to draw a crowd at lunch time. The children had a ball with air dried clay. They soon worked out that it also bounces! 

Library Returns:

Friendly reminder that all library books are required to be returned this week. Please check around your house or children's school bags for any books that may belong to the school library.

Curious Kids Christmas Party:

Christmas Food Drive:

Christmas Hamper 

We are only too aware that our community has many families that struggle with the extra pressures that surround Christmas.  As a school community, we invite all families who are able to donate an item or two towards the food hampers we will provide to Deloraine House.  Items can be added to the table in the office hallway.  Our P&F group has committed to match the money raised by our students throughout the year.  Miss Murray and the Mercy Crew will purchase foods to add to our hamper and present this to Deloraine House in the last school days for their use and distribution locally.

Free Learn to Swim & Water Safety:

The Rotary Club of Deloraine are once again holding a Free Learn-To-Swim & Water Safety Program for 2025 school holidays. This is a wonderful initiative by the local Rotary Club and we are lucky to have this held in our local community, so please go along and support it.

Australian Government Mobile Service:

Australian Government Mobile Service Centres travel extensively throughout rural and regional Australia. A Mobile Service Centre will be visiting your area soon.

Staff from Services Australia travel with the Mobile Service Centres and can assist people with Centrelink and Medicare payments and services. Information about Department of Veterans’ Affairs programs and support services for veterans and their families is also available.

Our Mobile Service Centres have disabled access and customer Wi-Fi to assist in creating myGov accounts and accessing online services. 

The attached fact sheet includes further information about the services available.

We would appreciate it if you could assist us in promoting this visit in your local community. This could be by publishing an article in your local newsletter or on your community noticeboard and by printing the attached poster and placing it in prominent locations around town and on public noticeboards.

The week prior to our visit, we will be posting a message on our Facebook page.  When our post goes live, we will send you the link to share with your community members.

More information about the Australian Government Mobile Service Centre is available on our website: servicesaustralia.gov.au/mobileoffice

Upcoming Dates:

Parish Mass Times: