Newsletter T2W5
Acknowledgement of Country
Today we acknowledge and pay our respects to the First Peoples, the traditional custodians of the lands and waterways and thank them for their continued hospitality.
We acknowledge and celebrate the continuation of a living culture who have lived with Creator God through creation of land, sea, waterways and life.
Prayer
Leadership & Stewardship
Principal's Message
Dear members of the OLHC school community,
As we move to the Feast of Pentecost this weekend, and the completion of the season of Easter, John’s Gospel 20:19-23 reminds us of the connection between the gifts of peace and forgiveness and the action of the Holy Spirit. Jesus greets his disciples with the gift of peace and commissions them to continue the work he has begun: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” As educators and all staff in schools, we are also commissioned to continue Jesus’ work of peace and forgiveness - rich and important work with the beautiful, hope filled young people in our schools every day!
On Thursday we hosted our first 2025 school tour for prospective Foundation families. They were a terrific group of young parents and it was a pleasure to tell them a little bit about our school and walk through the classrooms. We were bathed in sunshine so the school was shining. As always, the stars of the show are your children. We don’t change anything for these open-day tours other than making sure the place is clean. So when we walk parents and children through they are taken by how calm the school is and how warm and respectful the relationship is between staff and students. The tough part of all this is that we have 44 siblings already indicating attendance at OLHC in 2025. That leaves us with only 22 spots to offer these great families. Our open days continue next Tuesday at 10am and 6pm.
This week our school communities have continued to advocate for Catholic school families to be included in the $400 (per student) School Savings Bonus announced in last week’s State Budget. Our Catholic school families are feeling cost-of-living pressures too, yet only those who are healthcare card holders are eligible for this program. Like government schools, the vast majority of our families are in the low and middle income brackets and we believe the payment should apply to all students, or should be means-tested for all students. It should not be based on which school you attend. A template has been included in this newsletter below, if you wish to write to our local member Roma Britnell. Roma has been a strong supporter of OLHC.
Important Dates
Term 2
Tuesday 21st May - 10am & 6pm School Tours
Thursday 23rd - District Winter Sports Competition
Friday 24th May - OLHC Feast Day Mass @ 12.30pm
Friday 24th May - Assembly 4DP
Saturday 25th May - Sacrament Celebration of Confirmation @ 6pm
Sunday 26th May - Sacrament Celebration of Confirmation @ 9am
Monday 27th May - Regional Cross Country
Thursday 6th June - Division Girls Footy
Friday 7th June - Assembly - 2BW
Monday 10th June - King's Birthday Public Holiday
Tuesday 11th June - School Review Writing Day - Pupil Free Day
11th & 12th June - Yr 6 Camp
Wednesday 19th June - Enrolments Close
Friday 21st June - Assembly 5GR
24th, 25th & 26th June - Yr 5 Art Show
Thursday 27th June - Last day of Term 2
Friday 28th June - Staff Literacy PD - Pupil Free Day
Teaching & Learning @ OLHC
A Message from Mr A
Week 5 term 2
SCHOOL TOURS
I have to admit that this is one of the more enjoyable moments of my job when we get to showcase the amazing classrooms, teachers and students here at OLHC. The best part of it was that when we went into each classroom in F-2 it was business as usual, no one putting on a show or altering from daily practice. Steve and I can talk all we want in the first part of the tour, but it is the classrooms that sell our school and it is something we should be proud of. Well done teachers and students!
BOOK FAIR
What a success! Thanks to Mrs. Taggert and Mr Louden for their tireless work prior and throughout to make it a hit with the students. A great fundraiser for the school.
DIVISION CROSS COUNTRY
I popped up to the Reid Oval on Friday to watch some of our students compete in the Division Cross Country. Well done to all involved. I bumped into Dean up at the Reid late Thursday night as he was marking out the course, well done Mr K!
Have a great weekend with your family.
Thanks,
Naish
Technology Toolkit with Ms Bourke and Mrs Murfett
New technology updates, cyber safety tips and snapshots of the learning experiences happening in the digital classroom. Let’s work together to make the online space a positive space! If you have any questions or concerns please contact us:
Ms Peta Bourke: petabourke@olhcwarrnambool.catholic.edu.au
Mrs Sarah Murfett: smurfett@olhcwarrnambool.catholic.edu.au
This is particularly for children that are gaming online or using Kids Messenger. Follow the link below to read seven ideas that help a young person decide what to do if they experience unwanted contact.
https://www.esafety.gov.au/kids/I-want-help-with/someone-is-contacting-me-and-i-dont-want-them-to
District Cross Country
Cross Country season continued as 26 students competed in Warrnambool City District Cross Country last Friday. Students from East Warrnambool PS, Warrnambool PS, St Pius, St Josephs, and OLHC competed over 2km or 3km around the Albert Park precedent.
It was a very close finish with St Josephs taking it out by only 3 points. All schools have quality runners, so all athletes should be proud of their run.
Results are below with the green highlighted qualifying for SSV Division. Ten of the grade 5s also qualified on time as they had camp last week. So we see 24 students head back to the Reid today, Friday 17th for the SSV Division Cross Country.
U11 Girls | ||
Result | name | time |
1 | Maya McLeod | 12:59.2 |
4 | Chloe Burrows | 13:34.0 |
U12/13 Girls | ||
2 | Miranda Jansz | 12:35.5 |
3 | Matisse Aberline | 12:52.0 |
14 | Hannah Ragg | 14:36.1 |
19 | Indi Griffin | 15:21.2 |
23 | Summer Lowe | 16:17.7 |
28 | Evie Coxal | |
U12/13 Girls | ||
1 | Tadhg Loughran | 11:31.9 |
4 | Fletcher White | 11:43.9 |
7 | Harvey Rogers | 12:05.2 |
9 | Jack Skilbeck | 12:12.2 |
10 | William Kerr | 12:17.1 |
20 | Harvey Warburton | 14:26.5 |
U9/10 Girls | ||
1 | Lotte Forsterling | 10:03.0 |
2 | Bonny McLeod | 10:14.1 |
7 | Pippa Byrne | 11:09.7 |
10 | Maeve Barraclough | 11:19.3 |
14 | Isabella Moore | 11:33.3 |
21 | Lily Barraclough | 11:51.5 |
U9/10 Boys | ||
1 | Lenny Jansz | 8:22.8 |
8 | Max Couch | 9:38.3 |
9 | Fletcher Watson | 9:45.6 |
11 | Finn Fogarty | 9:54.1 |
13 | Lenny Chiller | 9:58.8 |
14 | Archie Small | 10:00.1 |
Division Cross Country
Some great results today regardless of the weather. Placings & times will be confirmed in next week's newsletter.
Faith & Culture
Parish Office Hours: 9am - 4pm Monday - Friday
P: 5562 2231
E: southwestcoast@ballarat.catholic.org.au
Sacrament of Confirmation - Yr 3
Celebration of Confirmation - Saturday 25th May @ 6pm & Sunday 26th May @ 9am
The Language of Angels
(John 20: 19 - 23)
Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As I have been sent, even so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” (John 20: 19 - 22)
Consider the deep peace of Christ. The shalom of God in Hebrew means more than freedom from anxiety. Shalom is the fullness of God’s blessings, joy, and satisfaction, a life without need. To have the peace of Christ is to have it all. Nothing interrupts this abundance.
You know you live in the peace of Christ when nothing can harm you. The loss of a job means God has something new to offer you. Loneliness becomes the soil of contemplation, from which new life will come. Illness becomes a means of polishing your soul to a brilliant witness. The death of a loved one is sorrow mixed with the hope of reunion in God’s reign. Compassion becomes natural, forgiveness the first response to injury. You face life with freedom, others with love, and death with confidence.
The peace of Christ comes to us in ‘angel-speak,’ words rich in meaning. We can hear the words, Peace be with you, like we do most greetings: as a salutation of little impact. Or we can receive these words in full knowledge that Christ isn’t saying hello here, but means to give us something vital. The peace of Christ is our environment, as native to us as sea is to fish. We live in this peace. We breathe it in and let it out.
How do you witness to the peace of Christ in the way you live?
Mission Central
(John 20: 19 - 23)
In the early days of the Pentecostal movement, a few of its missionaries went to foreign countries fully expecting to receive the gift of instant fluency in native tongues, just as the disciples at the original Pentecost did. Needless to say they quickly realised they would have to learn the language just like everyone else. While one can credit them for their faith, zeal, and even courage, their story reflects what can happen because of an over-literal reading of scripture.
Pentecost is one of those events that’s prone to too-easy interpretations. The preacher’s well-worn fallback line, “it’s the birthday of the church,” is an example. But if you leave the cake at the door, you’ll see the solemnity offers a rich description of how to be church and do mission.
Where to start? Trust Jesus. Jesus said he would send his Spirit, and he did. What to do? Cultivate the many gifts of the community in ways that begin and end with the common good. Let the Spirit be your guide: live according to it, not to the self-centredness, “the flesh.” And don’t forget to forgive – that’s as sure a sign of the Spirit as any.
Wellbeing
If you want to learn to ride a skateboard or get better at maths, you need to practise. It’s the same when you want to feel happier!
Here are some easy ideas to give Gratitude, Empathy, Mindfulness and Emotional Literacy a try every day. Because the more you practise, the better you will feel.
Let's Practice!
Flourish Wellbeing e-Magazine – May 2024
The May 2024 edition of Converge International’s Flourish Health and Wellbeing eMag is now available.
Featured Articles:
- National Sorry Day
- Family & Domestic Violence
- Conflict Resolution in the Workplace
- The Volunteering ‘Feels’
- Managing Personal Issues in the Workplace
- The Wellness Wave hits the Pet World
- Beyond the Noise
- And more!
Have smartphones created an ‘anxious generation’? Jonathan Haidt sounds the alarm
A new book argues that the first generation to go through puberty connected to their smartphones have had their brains rewired for depression and anxiety, writes Hugh Breakey.
The social psychologist Jonathan Haidt’s new book The Anxious Generation delivers an urgent call for action.
Haidt argues that the evidence is in. Teenagers’ widespread use of smartphones is causing a mental health crisis. Individual, collective and legislative action is required to limit their smartphone access.
Haidt begins his book with an allegory. Imagine someone offered you the opportunity to have your ten-year-old child grow up on Mars, even though there is every reason to believe that radiation and low gravity could greatly disrupt healthy adolescent development, leading to long-term afflictions. Surely, given the risks, you would refuse the offer.
A decade ago, parents could not have known the threats lying within the shiny new smartphones they presented to their excited teenagers. But the evidence is mounting that the children who grew up with smartphones are struggling.
Haidt calls the period from 2010 to 2015 the ‘great rewiring’. This was a period when adolescents had their neural systems primed for anxiety and depression by extensive daily smartphone use.
The kids aren't alright
Haidt’s two central claims are that Gen Z is suffering from a major mental illness epidemic and that smartphones are largely to blame.
Readers should be wary about both these claims – not in the sense that we should resist believing them, but rather we should not be too eager to embrace them. After all, it is perilously easy to believe that the kids aren’t alright. Elders routinely despair of the younger generation.
Haidt explicitly acknowledges that other experts have argued against claims of widespread teenage anxiety. In response, he cites recent evidence from a host of different sources: not just self-reports of problems, but hard data on self-harming, suicide rates, diagnosed mental disorders and mental health hospitalisations.
While Haidt focuses on the US, he observes concurrent shifts in youth mental health in many Western countries, including Australia.
But do these findings constitute an epidemic demanding society-wide responses? Here the book would have benefited from systematically drawing together the science in easily understandable terms.
Haidt’s marshalled evidence consistently shows a rise, beginning around 2010 and starting with girls, in a host of adolescent mental health disorders and wellbeing concerns. Broadly speaking, the figures in the US show mental health issues that previously plagued around 5-10 per cent of adolescents growing to afflict around twice that amount.
On the one hand, these data suggest the term ‘anxious generation’ is somewhat misleading. A large majority of Gen Z do not have anxiety disorders – and of those who do, almost half would have done so irrespective of smartphone usage.
On the other hand, the numbers remain concerning. No parent would be comfortable handing their child any substance they knew had a one-in-ten chance of causing the child a mental disorder within a few years. There are also data suggesting that, even among those without disorders, children increasingly suffer from loneliness and other concerning outcomes.
Perhaps the most alarming part of the steep curves and precipitous falls in Haidt’s many graphs is not the current figures, but the current trajectories. In almost all cases, things are getting worse. It is possible we may be in the early days of an unfolding catastrophe.
Insert your ideological preference
If we accept there is a serious problem, then the question arises as to its cause. Again, we must resist intuitively appealing answers to this question. The worry is that we will all look into a ‘witch’s mirror’, seeing what we want to see or what our preferred ideology tells us we should expect. I am old enough to remember panics about heavy metal music and Dungeons & Dragons.
Indeed, it is possible that Haidt himself fell into this trap, at least in part. In a previous book, The Coddling of the American Mind, Haidt and his co-author Greg Lukianoff argued that harmful worldviews and beliefs prevalent in US educational settings were priming young people for worrying mental health outcomes.
Haidt thinks this coddling remains a factor, but now recognises the hypothesis fails to fit the data. Specifically, he acknowledges the plummeting mental health of adolescents is evident in many countries, and across all educational levels and social classes.
Are there alternative hypotheses that fit this data? Perhaps kids today are anxious and depressed because they should be anxious and depressed? After all, they inherit a world facing runaway global warming, systemic injustices, insecure work futures and more. Yet Haidt rightly observes that past generations with dire prospects did not show similar mental health outcomes.
Ultimately, the problem is likely to stem from a mix of factors. Haidt argues the current situation was not caused exclusively by smartphone use. Recent decades have also seen the rise of ‘safetyism’ – a term he and Lukianoff coined to describe the preferencing of individual safety ahead of other values –and helicopter parenting. These phenomena have increasingly shielded children from the vital development provided by physical play and unsupervised exploration of the real world.
Haidt argues that parents became fearful of the healthy risks posed by the outside world, even as they catastrophically opened their children up to the unhealthy dangers of the virtual world.
Developmental concerns
Smartphones did not initially raise major developmental concerns for children. The problems started around 2010 when they combined with other factors like social media, high-speed internet, a backward-facing camera (encouraging selfies), addictive games, easily accessible pornography, and free apps that maximise profit by cultivating addiction and social contagion.
This toxic technological mix allowed smartphones to take over children’s lives. Usage rates averaging seven hours a day gradually but profoundly rewired their maturing brains. Haidt thinks this rewiring gives rise to four ‘foundational concerns’:
- Social deprivation: a smartphone is an ‘experience blocker’, taking up hours a day that would otherwise be spent in physical play or in-person conversations with friends and family.
- Sleep deprivation: too many teenagers stay on their smartphones late at night when they need rest.
- Attention fragmentation: alerts and messages continually drag teenagers away from the present moment and tasks requiring concentration.
- Addiction: apps and social media are deliberately designed to hack vulnerabilities in teenagers’ psychologies, leading to an inability to enjoy anything else.
Building on these foundational concerns are ones specific to each gender. Girls proved more vulnerable to the damaging effects of social media, while boys retreated into online gaming and pornography.
Dangers to adolescent mental health
An intriguing part of Haidt’s book is its account of the way smartphones became addictive and damaging.
Teenagers, like all humans, have several basic needs and emotional drivers: for social connection and inclusion, for a sense of individual empowerment and agency, for sexual fulfillment, and so on.
Haidt explains that, normally, for almost all human history and evolution, these incentives drove teenagers to do things in person, in the real world – things like making friends, playing games together, navigating disputes, getting tasks done, developing romantic attachments and taking physical risks.
While these activities can lead to injuries, tears and frustrations, they are nevertheless important for teenagers’ mental health and development. Children are antifragile: they need these types of risks and stressors to grow properly.
Smartphones – and their apps, games and social media – also provide responses to all these drivers. But they do so without prompting the above activities and the important outcomes they deliver, such as close friendships and resilience.
For example, a teenager might feel lonely and want connection, so they join Instagram or TikTok. Social media provides a type of connection and delivers a temporary dopamine hit. But it fulfils the teenager’s immediate need in a way that does not involve real world connections and challenges. This only makes them lonelier and more isolated in the longer term.
What can we do?
Even if we accept Haidt’s claims about the rise in anxiety fuelled by smartphones, it is not clear how we should respond. Perhaps radical solutions are unnecessary. In time, things might work themselves out, such as through further technological innovations.
Haidt’s view is that collective action is critical. As he sees it, the problem is not only that smartphones are intrinsically useful and alluring (which is why we all wanted them in the first place); it is not only that their apps are addictive. The problem – especially in a school setting – is that if most of a teenager’s peers have smartphones, then the ones who don’t have one risk being social outcasts, perpetually ‘left out’ and never ‘in the know’.
For this reason, Haidt thinks actions by isolated parents are unlikely to be successful. Ironically, the same heightened parental concern for child safety Haidt has previously critiqued may prove to be a powerful force for change. At least some parents are likely to view their children’s future mental health as a non-negotiable good and treat smartphones as the modern-day hypodermic needle.
For his part, Haidt argues for four new norms, to be created by parents’ collective action alongside legislative and regulatory reforms:
- No smartphones before high school
- No social media before 16
- Phone-free schools
- More independence, free play, and responsibility in the real world.
A deeper problem
Haidt’s book leaves the reader with a further, deeper worry.
Suppose he is right that the things that lead to human flourishing involve real world physical encounters with other people: family, close friends, romantic partners, neighbours, local community groups and members.
Such encounters are often unpredictable, messy, inconvenient and frustrating. Conversely, the online world is becoming easier, cheaper and more alluring every day. Innovations and algorithms continually hone our experience, as profit-driven industries work ever more aggressively to capture and keep our attention.
In the face of all this, it may be that the real world can’t compete. The mental health concerns currently plaguing Gen Z might turn out to be ones that every generation will face.
If so, Haidt’s suggested reforms might mark the first foray in what will be a long battle between the human need for real-world experience and connection, and the powerful temptations of an online world that offers something we can’t possibly resist: ‘a little bit of everything, all of the time’.
About the author
Hugh Breakey is Deputy Director, Institute for Ethics, Governance & Law at Griffith University.
This article appeared on The Conversation, and is republished here under the terms of the Creative Commons licence. You can read the original.
Parents & Friends Association
- Pizza Day will be happening later this term (18/06/2024). More information will come out later in the term.
- Next PFA meeting will be 18/06/2024 at 7 pm, we would love to see you there!
Coming.......
OLHC Netball Mini's Program in Term 3
More info out next week!
Community
Birthdays
This Weeks Birthdays
Yr 2
Lincoln Pickford
Archer Mahony
Ollie Marr
Rylee Timms
Yr 3
Pippa Knowles
Yr 4
Owen Ryan
Yr 5
Evie Dillon
Hudson Ryan
Oliver Drake
Asher Purcell
Ben Adcock
Yr 6
Hannah Ragg
School Sponsorship
School Forms & Policies
Mobile Phone Policy & Form
Medication Administration Form
Asthma Action Plan
Camps, Sports & Excursions Funding Form
OLHC Lunch Order Menu 2024
Please clearly label your child's Name, Class, Order & Total Cost on a brown paper bag with the correct money inside.
Country Bus Travel Application
Jill Burgess - Administration/Bus Coordinator @ Brauer College
P: 5560 3888
E: Jillian.Burgess@education.vic.gov.au
TheirCare Before & After School Care - plus Vacation
& School Closure Day Care
WCC After School Care Information
LOWES Uniform Price List
OLHC 2023 Prospectus