Principal: Ms Judeline Wadhwani, principal@olshinternational.org
Acting Principal: Mr Patrick Baiwan, admin@olshinternational.org
Head of P-6: Mrs Wiki Thomas, primary@olshinternational.org
Head of 7-12: Mrs Rachel Baiwan, secondary@olshinternational.org
Head of RE, Faith & Mission: Mr Raymond Rangatin, rrangatin@olshinternational.org
School Address: P O Box 211, Kavieng, New Ireland Province
School Telephone Number: (675) 984 2128
School website address: www.olshinternational.org
Dear parents and members of the OLSH community and extended OLSH community,
Yesterday OLSH marked the exact half-way point of the school term. Only five and a half weeks to go before we reach the end of half of the year’s learning.
P-12 teachers and Leadership Team are looking at our Student Progress Charts very closely to study each student’s learning needs, the teacher intervention being implemented and the extent of student progress being made. Many teachers have brought to the attention of the Leadership Team their serious concerns about student attendance.
I have emphasised and reiterated in Term 1 newsletters the research-based findings on the importance of school attendance. If your child is regularly absent from school or comes late to school regularly, there is a notable loss of his/her learning which accumulates to a fair amount of loss of learning over a week, or fortnight or month. Please help us to enable your child do their best, by sending them on time to school every day. The only exception is when your child shows symptoms of a cold, fever or flue or has Scabies or any other contagious illness
Due to strict adherence to COVID-19 regulations in the interests of the health and safety of all students and staff, it will be a very sober celebration of our school’s Feast Day tomorrow. A paraliturgy will take place in each of the classrooms before the commencement of lessons and students will be provided with ice-cream at the end of each lunch session. A Happy Feast Day to all members of the OLSH International community. May Our Lady of the Sacred Heart bless and protect each of us through the COVID-19 pandemic with good health, kindness and wisdom. Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, pray for us.
A couple of regular reminders appear below for the attention of all parents and guardians.
It has been noted that some students are standing outside the school gates as early as 7.00 am. Parents please note that there is no supervision for students before 7.30 am. Please do not leave your child outside the school gates. This is a hazard to their personal safety.
As the health and safety of all members of the community are paramount, I reiterate below my message to the OLSH community with regard to COVID-19 safety and Scabies Management. All parents and guardians are asked to support the school by doing the right thing at all times.
Please do not send your child to school if they are sick or display any signs of cold and flu or have a fever. Please get medical attention for them at the earliest and inform the school of their absence.
All students above 12 years of age are expected to carry and wear a mask to school.
Personal hygiene and hand hygiene are to be practised every day at home and at school.
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Scabies ManagementAs there have been a few cases of scabies at OLSH, parents are asked to please take note of the school’s scabies management policy which can be found in the link below. As scabies is a highly contagious disease, please ensure that you follow the guidelines in the policy. In the interests of the health and safety of the entire OLSH learning community, it is important that all families act with caution and care in taking prompt action to treat their son/daughter for scabies. Please send your child to school only after the steps for first line treatment and follow up treatment (if necessary) are carefully followed. |
Term 2 Assessment started this week. We believe in continuing our Parents As Partners conversations about your child’s progress, throughout this year. Please see your child’s teacher with any queries regarding assessment matters.
A reminder to all P-6 parents and guardians about the use of the Home Link book. The purpose of this book is to enable regular and improved teacher-parent communication. Parents are welcome to write about any issues or queries concerning their child’s learning and the teachers will do likewise. They will also respond to your note. All P-6 students are expected to have this book in their school bags daily when they come to school and when they go home. I encourage all P-6 parents to check this tool daily and to please respond to whatever note is written in the book. Notes about uniform, homework, teacher concerns about absenteeism or lateness, parent concerns about their child’s learning needs are to be written in this book.
Following on from our Parents as Partners Evenings in Term 1, I look forward to Home Link becoming a regularly used and useful tool in our collaboration with parents.
Mrs Wiki Thomas
Head of P-6
Year 6 students are studying matter. Substances are matter. They can either be solid, liquid or gas. Mixtures are combinations of the three states of matter. The different types of mixtures are; solid + Solid, Liquid + Liquid, Gas + Gas, Solid + Liquid and Liquid + Gas.
Students were able to identify the different types of mixtures. They named the different types of mixtures. The students mixed different substances to make mixtures.
As the photos show, they had an interesting time of learning about matter and the different types of mixtures.
Mr Anthony Kavanamur
Year 6 Teacher
As we lined up the Year 4s did a procession of Mother Mary to our classroom (Year 5). They sang songs and prayed the rosary, when they came closer they stopped. Then our class captain introduced Mother Mary to our classroom and thanked the Year 4’s for bringing Mother Mary to us. We took Mother Mary into our classroom and prayed one decade of the rosary. She stayed with us for two days. Then on Wednesday morning we got ready and did a procession to the Year 6’s with mother Mary. Mr. Kavanamur thanked us and we returned to our class.
Brianna Kimbe- Year 5
These interviews continue to enable Mrs Baiwan and me to have detailed conversations with each Year 10 student. We are discussing progress made, using comments from the Student Progress Charts as well as results from both Mock Exams done recently. Each Year 10 student is encouraged to let us know the difficulties they experience in their daily learning in each subject. I convey the learning difficulties at the conclusion of each day’s interviews, to respective subject teachers, to be addressed through a range of intervention strategies in the classroom. Daily afterhours study routine is discussed and advice given for improvement or for maintaining their excellent effort, as the case applies. Each student is being motivated throughout the conversation, towards consistent high aspiration for personal best in preparation for all their Mock examinations and the National Examinations.
All Year 10 students will appear for the final English Written Expression Examination on
Please ensure that your daughter/son is putting in the recommended study hours in preparation for this all important examination. Please emphasise practice, practice, practice at home.
Please also ensure they are getting enough hours of sleep especially over the next week and regularly.
YEAR 10
YEAR 12
Last Thursday all P-9 teachers and senior school English teachers attended a Professional Learning session on the use of Read&Write software that OLSH has recently acquired. Miss Francisca Tome, ICT Co-ordinator reports below.
I started off with the introduction of the Read&Write Software, stating its functions and the reason why we needed to use the software in everyday classes.
As I went on discussing the features of the software I could see the excitement in the teachers’ eyes knowing this software will help them a lot when it comes to checking and marking students’ written work.
One of the features of Read&Write is the Scan option. This option will allow the teachers to scan student papers; they can use the other features of the software to check for grammar and punctuating errors.
After going through all the features of the software, Mr. Baiwan and I gave the teachers time to ask some questions. Most of the questions were for me to further explain some features of the software. Teachers wanted a one-to-one session to engage better with Read&Write.
All in all it was a good response from the teachers and I would like to thank Mr. Baiwan for his support throughout the session. I believe Read&Write will benefit both the students and teachers a lot when it comes to reading, writing and researching information.
Francisca Tome
ICT Coordinator
In our Week 6 newsletter, the Photo Gallery had not done full justice to the dedication of our staff who worked so hard and so well to ensure the highest Deep Cleaning standards on 15 May. This week, we have published all the photos taken on the day.
A reminder that Term 2 fees are payable in full on Friday 18 June. Your timely payment of fees helps OLSH meet our high operational costs to provide the highest quality of learning-teaching every day. If you are experiencing difficulty in meeting this deadline, you must contact Mr Patrick Baiwan and make alternate payment arrangements as soon as possible.
Mr Patrick Baiwan
Acting Principal
CATHOLIC CHURCH CALENDAR: 8thweek Easter in the ordinary Year ‘B’ 2021
MAY THE MONTH OF MARY
WEEK REFLECTION: Acts 2:1--11
This week we have chosen a reading from the Acts of the Apostles instead of the Gospel. We celebrated Pentecost, the birthday of the Church. On that day of Pentecost, the disciples began their mission, inspired by the Holy Spirit.
We like the disciples, have a mission. God’s Spirit working in each and every one of us gives us the courage to live as Jesus tells us to. The Holy Spirit helps us to live in love, peace and harmony.
Just like the first disciples, we are called to be joyful and energetic Christians. Remember, the whole purpose of receiving the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit are to use them.
There are seven gifts of the Holy Spirit:
We need not worry about how to do things; the Holy Spirit will show the way.
Jesus knows that it will not be an easy task to proclaim the Gospel to the world. The world is full of evil and persecutions. The Holy Spirit will be with us to strengthen our faith and hope when facing turbulence from the evil one.
The journey of the statue of Our Lady for this week will be for the Year 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 classes.
Let us continue to pray in intercession to Mother Mary, petitioning for our own intentions, for the needs of our loved ones, and in union with all those who join us in prayer for OLSH INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL. She always hears us.
A Blessed OLSH FEAST DAY to you all for this Friday.
Thank you and God bless you all.
Mr R. Rangatin
