Newsletter

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,

I trust you have received the Special COVIDSAFE edition of the newsletter on Monday 19 April.  I ask you to take note of all the important information contained therein, for the safety and wellbeing of your child/children and all students at OLSH.

“Time and tide wait for no one”.  We have a high-energy, high-impact term ahead of us.  And wait!!  There’s more, as you read along.

• 7-12 – Wednesday 28 April – 3.30 – 7.00 pm
• P-6 Wednesday 5 April – 3.30 – 7.00 pm

 All parents are encouraged to attend the above interviews and have those vital conversations with your child’s/children’s teachers.

 Mask-wearing is mandatory and social distancing will be observed.

From Term 2, Leadership Team has decided to introduce the practice of coaching our students to strive for their wellbeing for learning and to begin or continue to develop life-skills that will serve them well for the future. OLSH International acknowledges the expertise of Kildare Catholic College, Wagga Wagga, New South Wales in designing the Coaching Model which we have embraced, as one of the outcomes of my visit to this leading edge school in July 2018.   

One thing you can be assured of is that the teachers at OLSH will give all they have, to ensure that every student is being guided to achieve their best, every day.  Earlier this week, Mrs Rachel Baiwan, Head of 7-12 led the secondary team of coaches in a session which was well-received by all present.  Mrs Baiwan has offered a few reflections below from this session.

“Go out and meet others where they really are, not where you think they should be”

(Pope Francis, 2015)

Monday mornings

Whole class meets to start the week and highlight successes, opportunities, events and other Student Wellbeing reminders.

Tuesday to Friday

Tuesday to Friday mornings and Friday afternoons begins with coaching time:

·         A 10-minute session in home group teams to prepare for the learning and challenges of the day. Self-regulated students get straight to work. Coaches support students to identify and start the most important work.

·         Students variously work on assessment tasks, on-line literacy and numeracy tools, reading, coaching conversations and more. Coaches work to ensure that those who most need support get access to expert assistance.

Coaching Time Builds Collaboration and Learning Skills

Students have the opportunity to work with a coach to devise their learning plan. The plan is shared with all teachers of the students, to ensure collective responsibility for student learning and wellbeing.

Effective use of data allows us to

• Better understand where individuals and groups of similar individuals are with their learning.
• Plan next steps in learning, based on evidence rather than ‘hunch’.
• Quickly provide expert support and high-impact teaching and learning strategies for individual students and groups of students who require support and/or extension.
• Promote a collective responsibility for student learning.

Mrs Rachel Baiwan

Head of Secondary

Last term, I focused mainly on the daily rigour of Learning-Teaching, on which OLSH prides itself: the 3 As, good study habits, Every Child Under the Microscope Year Level Teacher Meetings, Parents As Partners Evenings.  In the Week 8 newsletter, I also included this article on the importance of sleep, which I reiterate below as a refresher for all parents and guardians.

In this edition, I would like to focus on the importance of adequate rest for a sound mind in a sound body.   In addition to good nutrition and daily exercise, every person requires adequate sleep.  This is most true for our students from the smallest to the oldest, as they cope with the challenges of their learning, taking in so much new information and learning so many new skills each day. 

The link to the article below makes for interesting reading and discussion with your child/children about whether they are getting adequate sleep each night, in preparation for the next day of rigorous learning.

https://theconversation.com/for-children-its-not-just-about-getting-enough-sleep-bed-time-matters-too-153301