Newsletter 1/5/2025
From the Principal:
Dear Parents and Carers,
I am warmly inviting you to attend an evening organised by the Catholic schools in our Northern region with the support of the Tasmanian Catholic School Parents Council (TCSPC). Dr Jane Foster will speak on Emotional resilience.
Grab a friend or two and come along to learn about;
- Taking control in a world that is out of control
- Teaching your child healthy responses to everyday conflict
- Dopamine addiction
- Managing family dynamics
- Identifying what destabilises you
- Tools for self-regulation
- Learning how to regain and maintain control on any emotional road
- Coping with adolescence
- Peer pressure
- Daily strategies to empty your glass of stress
Date: Wednesday 14th May, 2025 at 7pm
Venue: Sacred Heart Primary School Launceston
227 York Street
Refreshments provided, Child Care will be available if required through this link:
https://forms.gle/
Upcoming Dates:
Outreach from the Bottom of the World:
By Neve Clippingdale (past student)
I have always loved science communication. There is just nothing better than being able to share your enthusiasm for something and seeing someone else become equally excited about it! So when ACEAS offered me the opportunity to become the Outreach Coordinator on the 2025 Denman Marine Voyage, it is safe to say I didn’t need to think about it for very long.
My first port of call was to spread the word and contact schools to be part of the program, so naturally I started with my primary school Our Lady of Mercy in Deloraine. They were very excited to talk to scientists in Antarctica, so a few weeks into our voyage, after lots of emails and planning, we had our first call.
On this first call we took the students on a tour of the RSV Nuyina (including outside where we saw some ice bergs and sea ice!), showed them some Antarctic outdoor gear modelled by our fabulous scientist Noah, and also gave the students the opportunity to ask us some questions about our time in Antarctica, including what it is like to live on a ship! The science teacher at Our Lady of Mercy had organised some students to ask questions, and after these had been answered they opened the floor to anyone else who wanted to talk to us. It was incredible watching half the room back in Deloraine put their hand up to ask us a question! The students were so involved and excited, it made it so much fun for the scientists on the other end. They asked lots of excellent questions, but I think everyone’s favourite was:
“Are you hanging upside down because Antarctica is at the bottom of the Earth?”
It was incredibly exciting to get to call my old school first, and it gave the whole outreach team a bit of a confidence boost to have the first official outreach call for ACEAS go so well. It put us in a very strong position for the following calls!
As of writing this blog post ACEAS has had five calls in three different countries (Australia, USA, and Germany). We have spoken to a range of different age levels ranging from 4 to 16 years old and we even had a call that was conducted entirely in German by our incredible German speakers on Nuyina! We are also planning one final call with a German high school.
Science can often be perceived as intimidating and confusing to people not directly involved, so outreach is incredibly important to break down barriers and allow people the opportunity to see with their own eyes what happens when working in the field. It is even more important to speak to young people who might one day work in the marine sector, so they know what exciting opportunities there are. I hope that through speaking to us down south in Antarctica, a student out there is now telling their parents “I want to be a marine scientist!” – and who knows – one day, with the right amount of work, passion, and excitement we might get to work with some of these students, in Antarctica!
News from Kinder:
Kinder students have been creating flower vases as a part of our Mother's Day craft this week.
Launceston Competitions 2025:
Last year the Grade 3/4 class won the Group Speaking Shield for Grades 3/4 in the Launceston Competitions. Next Wednesday all classes from Prep-Grade 6 will be competing again. We are looking forward to the experience of performing on stage, entertaining an audience, and hopefully bringing a shield or two or three back with us! All are welcome to watch our performances. See the Compass event message for further details.
Lions Eye Health Program:
The Lions Eye Health Program is offering free vision screening for children. Over 80% of what children learn is processed through their eyes. Untreated eye conditions can affect a child's development.
It is estimated that 1 in 5 children in Australia have undetected vision problems. Screening can help identify children who require further examination by an optometrist for vision problems. Members of the Lions Club have been specifically trained to perform 4 vision screening assessments including:
1. Visual Acuity - using a Lea 3m -15 line Symbol Chart
2. Colour Vision - using a Quick 6 - Basic Colour Screening Book
3. Depth Perception - using a Stereo Fly Screening Tool
4. Spot Vision Screener - State-of-the-art portable machine designed to screen for Myopia (near-sightedness), Hyperopia (far-sightedness), Astigmatism (blurred vision), Anisometropia (unequal refractive power), Strabismus (eye misalignment) and Anisocoria (unequal pupil size).
The individual screening takes just a few minutes to perform. There is no physical contact made with the child and no eye drops are administered. Individual reports will sent to parents/guardians. If a vision problem is detected, this will be written on the child's result sheet and you will be encouraged to seek a further eye assessment with an eye health professional. If you would like your child to participate in this vision screening program, a permission form has been sent home today. Please return your form filled in by Wednesday 7th May.
Please note that if a child is already under the care of an optometrist they should not participate in the screening.
Reminder to Check Your Child's Hair:
We do not have any Head Lice at the moment but this is just a friendly reminder to please check your child’s hair regularly for head lice. Early detection helps stop the spread and makes treatment easier.
If head lice are found, your child may return to school once treatment has been completed.
Thank you for helping keep our school community healthy!
OLOM has Worms!
Anzac Day 2025:
We extend our sincere thanks to all students who attended the ANZAC Day service last week.
On Monday, a commemorative service was held at school to honour the courage, sacrifice, and service of our Australian and New Zealand armed forces. Your respectful participation was greatly appreciated and contributed to the dignity of the occasion.
Jump Rope for Heart:
Dear Parents and Guardians,
I am excited to announce that Our Lady of Mercy is participating in Jump Rope for Heart this term – a fantastic physical activity program by the Heart Foundation.
By participating in Jump Rope for Heart this term, I’m expecting to get our students moving. We’ll have skipping ropes available on the school grounds and are encouraging everyone to support life-saving research and support programs.
Over the coming weeks, your child will learn new skills, increase their physical activity, and learn about heart health. The program will end with our school-wide ‘Jump Off Day’ where your child gets to show off their new skipping skills to their friends.
Students will get a log to track skipping skills progress and during class, students will be able to access skipping resources.
Thank you for getting involved in Jump Rope for Heart!
Miss Montanna Eastley, Jump Rope for Heart Coordinator
Community Notice Board:
