Newsletter

Dear Families and Friends of Our Lady’s Community,

It is very hard to believe that we are almost at the end of the term. We have achieved so much this semester and I am incredibly grateful to my wonderful staff, the support of our parents and friends and mostly for the beautiful students that fill our corridors, learning spaces and playgrounds with joy. It has been a little challenging with the reduction in the play space this term but together we managed and now we have a wonderful place to play, learn and gather in.

It is our vision to continue with the resurfacing of the basketball court and the additional concrete areas of the playground in the September school holidays. 

Sacrament of First Eucharist

Last night our parents gathered at Our Holy Redeemer Church for our Parent Faith Evening. I am grateful to Fr Mark for leading us in this time of faith formation. It is not often that we take a deliberate pause for some self-reflection. Thank you to Clare Hicks our Deputy Principal for leading us in prayer and to the staff that attended on this evening. 

Our prayers are with the students as they draw closer to receiving Jesus through the pinnacle of Sacraments, the Eucharist. I look forward to seeing you at one of the Commitment Masses this weekend as we begin this journey together. 

Opening of the School Playground

Next Thursday, June 27th we will officially open the new playground. As you can imagine we are very excited to be celebrating this wonderful new learning space in our school and are eternally grateful for the fundraising of our school community over a number of years. Without the support of our parents and friends, this would not have been possible.

The official proceedings will commence at 11.00am with the Acknowledgement of Country, followed by a paraliturgy. We will then be privileged to a skipping demonstration and a shared lunch organised by the PFA.

Following the break the students will be engaged in a variety of activities in groups consisting of students from across the school.

We hope that this will be a day of celebration for our school and create some lovely memories for our students.

Hockey Gala Day

Last Friday, Mrs James, Ms Ludescher, Mr Hawke,Tania and 30 students from Year 5 and 6 went to  Elgar Fields to participate in the District Gala Round Robin. The students hockey skills were obviously enhanced due to the hockey program. The students and staff enjoyed the day and many thanks to the parents who supported us.

The grants we received from the Australian Sports Commission paid for the Hockey Sticks and the shin pads. 

2020 Enrolments

 If you are contemplating or have already arranged for your child/children to leave Our Lady’s at the end of 2019 (Year 6s excepted), please let me know immediately as we have Prep enrolments wishing to attend and I am currently organising places and considering staffing for 2020. I understand it seems early, but it will really assist me to make a more accurate estimation of our enrolments. 

Annual Report to the School Community

The Annual Report to the School Community will be posted on our website in the coming weeks. I ask you to read the report as we are proud of our results in NAPLAN and the growth we have made in learning areas. I congratulate our teaching staff for their dedication to school improvement. I also thank the parent community for working in partnership with the school to enable greater achievements for our students to take place. I am particularly grateful for the Parish Education Board for their support and guidance of me as Principal. As a school community we are working together for constant improvement and the best outcomes for our students. 

Semester One Reports

This semester we are pleased to announce that you will be receiving your child’s semester report online via the nForma Parent Portal for the first time. 

It is very important that you have updated your email addresses with the school, as an automated email containing instructions and login details will come from noreply@nforma.com.au and not the school. Please ensure that you check your junk/spam folder for an email from that address.

It is highly recommended that you use a computer to access your child’s reports for the first time. Subsequent logins can be made on a mobile device if preferred.

Once you have followed the instructions, you will be able to view your child’s report online.

Once in the portal you will need to choose your child (if you have more than one at our school) and then choose 'Assessment and Reporting'. Then select the year/semester.

Forgotten passwords: If you have forgotten your password, please follow the 'forgotten password' link. Please note that your new password needs to be at least 7 characters long and must include at least one non alpha-numeric character, e.g. *, - / or similar.

If you have requested a password reset and the email does not appear, please look in your junk/spam folder for an email from no-reply@nforma.com.au.

 If you have any questions or issues, please contact the school’s nForma administrator

Ms Lucy Ludescher. 

Parent/ Teacher Interviews

We advise parents that Semester 1 Parent/Teacher Interviews will take place on Tuesday 25th (3.45pm-7.30pm) and Wednesday 26th June (3.45pm-6.30pm). 

Online bookings opened on Tuesday 11th June at 3.00pm

To see your child’s class teacher for the 15 minute interview please log onto  www.schoolinterviews.com.au   The login code is  ca5ac (Please see below)

Semester 1 Reports will be distributed on Friday 21st June via our online parent portal. As mentioned in previous newsletters, this year we are going to trial our Parent/Teacher Interviews in the Multi Purpose Centre. Please be reassured that confidentiality will not be a concern. This is common practice in most schools as it assists in ensuring the interviews run on time, collegiality for teachers and offers a warm and inviting space for all. 

Whole School Assembly

Next semester our Monday assembly will take place at 3.00pm not 9.00am. The reason for this change is to allow our students to begin the week engaged in literacy learning. We are committed to implementing high impact instructional strategies at Our Lady’s, and an uninterrupted 2 hour literacy block is one of these. 

Prep Family Interviews

Over the past few weeks I have had the pleasure of interviewing our 2020 families enrolling at Our Lady's. This is an exciting time, meeting the children and parents and finding out what the children love about kinder and what they hope to be doing at school. Many parents commented on the wonderful community spirit that has drawn them to Our Lady’s. 

Winter Uniform

Just a reminder that all students need to be wearing the Winter uniform by now, unless otherwise discussed with me. As members of Our Lady’s we take pride in wearing our uniform correctly and neatly. This also includes correct school shoes and hats. Winter beanies can be purchased via the Uniform Shop. 

Head Lice

There has been a number of head lice cases reported to school recently. I have attached some useful information that may assist you in managing this condition.

https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/head-lice.html 

Long Service Leave

Mrs Joelle Lake will be on Long Service Leave next week. We wish Joelle and her family safe travels and thank her for all the wonderful gifts she brings to our school.

I will be travelling with my husband for the holidays to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. I will be absent from school for the first week of Term 3. Ms Clare Hicks will be responsible for the school during this time. I thank Clare and the leadership team for their support and leadership. 

Student Safety

All parents and carers are reminded to NOT park along the yellow lines in front of the school at the beginning /end of the school day. There are clearly marked signs informing drivers of the parking restrictions but we have some  who choose to ignore them, therefore compromising the safety of our students.

I respectfully ask that you obey the parking restrictions outside of the school.

Fete

Thank you to our Fete Committee for all the work you are doing to bring this amazing event to life once again. I hope everyone knows how welcome they are, if you would like to assist in any capacity in the lead up or on the day.

Please chat with your Class Rep or email me if you have any questions.The more the merrier and it’s a great way to make friends. We can’t do it without the support of our whole school community. Be sure to read the Fete News further on in the newsletter. 

Thank You

Thank you for all your support of me as Principal of our wonderful school. It is an honour to lead our school community and I look forward to a successful Semester Two. Have a safe and restful term break and I look forward to seeing you back at school before you know it. 

The last day of term 2 will be Friday, June 28th @ 1.45pm. School will resume for Term 3 on Monday, July 15th. 

Quote of the fortnight

“Raising children who are hopeful and who have the courage to be vulnerable means stepping back and letting them experience disappointment, deal with conflict, learn how to assert themselves, and have the opportunity to fail. If we’re always following our children into the arena, hushing the critics, and assuring their victory, they’ll never learn that they have the ability to dare greatly on their own.”Brené Brow

nhttps://www.azquotes.com/quote/714867

Thank you for your continued support of our school community. 

Annie Engellenner

Principal

From 17-23 August 2019 we celebrate CBCA Book Week and the theme this year is READING IS MY SECRET POWER. In conjunction with this we have organised an engaging and entertaining incursion from Perform Education.  “This heartfelt and inspiring in-school production looks at different episodes in each character’s journey from a selection of the shortlisted books. The children will learn not to be discouraged by negative messages in order to follow their heart’s desire. Filled with humour, suspense and featuring student interaction throughout, this educational musical adventure encourages the children to pursue their ambitions. If you’re going to dream, let them be Big Dreams!”

Our Lady’s ‘Book Week’ celebrations will take place Tuesday, 20th August and the performance will begin at 9am. Your child/ children are encouraged to dress up as their favourite book character or super hero. There will be a costume parade after the performance at approximately 10 30 am. Specialist classes will run as normal for Year 3-6 classes.

We are looking forward to this wonderful opportunity which no doubt will ignite the children’s imagination and inspire them to follow their dreams!

Antonella Coloretti

(Literacy Leader)

First Eucharist Commitment Masses will be held on:

Saturday 22nd June at 6:00pm (OHR Church) or Sunday 23rd June at 9:00am (Our Lady’s Church) or Sunday 23rd June at 10:30am (OHR Church)

Candidates need to attend just one of the above commitment masses.

Home Masses are:

Thursday 18 July (Students receiving First Eucharist on Sunday 4 August @ 9.00am)

Tuesday 30 July (Students receiving First Eucharist on Sunday 11 August @ 9.00am)

Wednesday 7 August (Students receiving First Eucharist on Sunday 25 August @ 9.00am)

If you would like to host one of these evenings, please email Nanette (nanette.giovannini@cam.org.au)

We will be organising the First Eucharist Mass dates for all candidates at the Parent Faith Evening, so please come to the evening with a preferred date.

The children will also be attending a Eucharist Retreat Day at the Don Bosco Retreat Centre, Lysterfield on Friday 26 July.

Deputy Principal

Clare Hicks

Week 8

Foundation

Jasper - for trying his best in the classroom

Rafe - for drawing great pictures for his stories

Ned - for trying hard in his work and for helping others

1/2 S

Sam D - for his very imaginative and creative ideas

Seb - for his excellent contributions during our planting time on our new playground

Chloe - for outstanding motivation towards her learning tasks

1/2JL

Ryan - for the wonderful way you help students in the classroom. Ryan you are always the first to help others with their ICT issues. Thank you for being so helpful.

Holly -  for your dedication to your learning and school work. You always strive to do all tasks accurately and in the right amount of time in order to experience success. Well done Holly.

Ella - for doing your very best with all of your learning. You have made great progress this term Ella because you always try hard. Great job!

3/4C

Liam C - for being a determined Mathematician and embracing challenging tasks.

Rhys - for displaying effort and a positive attitude towards learning.

3/4U

Leena - for the  outstanding effort you display in completing your tasks! Congratulations Leena!

5/6H

Lucas C - for his enthusiastic approach to complex maths learning activities. His curiosity is a wonderful asset in his learning

Jack K - for his hard work and enthusiastic approach to learning. Jack is always polite and gives 110% effort to every task.

5/6L

Alec - for sharing his passion and knowledge with others during our Shakey Digital Technologies session. Thank you Alec!

Billy B - for working collaboratively with his team to successfully complete a formal debate. Well done Billy!

Jade - for helping around the classroom without being asked. Thank you Jade!

Art Awards

Isabel F - for displaying initiative during pack-up time.

Max G - for completing an impressive monster drawing.

Sport Awards

Owen D - for always being prepared to help during P.E. lessons and being prepared to enjoy other activities when injured. Great frisbee skills.

Billy B - for running with courage, training well and displaying excellent sportsmanship.

Ivy V - for trying very hard during hockey coaching session and displaying a positive, dedicated and kind attitude during P.E.

Stanley - for playing a skillful game of soccer and scoring four goals.

Tom M - for being ever reliable in defence in soccer at Inter-school sports.

Week 9

1/2JL

Matthew - for building your confidence in sharing your opinions and ideas during group discussions. Keep up the good work Matthew!

Charlize - for showing a growth mindset. Charlize you are always willing to give everything a go and have such a positive attitude towards your work. Well done!

Cooper - for demonstrating a positive attitude towards his writing and for working hard to make your writing interesting to read. Keep up the wonderful effort Cooper!

Mya - for applying a range of problem solving strategies to solve maths problems. Well done on using a growth mindset and for bringing a positive attitude to your maths learning. Well done!

3/4U

Mollie - for the kindness, generosity and maturity you display towards classmates and others. Thank you!

Ariana - for the excellent attitude you show with all your new learning. Well done Ariana!

5/6L

Damian - for his enthusiastic participation and team work at hockey. What a fantastic goal, well done Damian!

Maddie - for the focus and effort she puts into all learning tasks. Well done Maddie.

Gabe - for his amazing organisational skills which are an asset to our classroom. Thank you for all your help Gabe!

Sport Awards

Oscar - for playing well for Our Lady’s at Interschool Sport, scorig four goals.

Gabriel - for superb team management, rotating players fairly at Interschool Sport.

Noah - for leadership and  good sportsmanship at the Hockey Gala Day plus excellent skills during the matches.

There will be no tuckshop for the final week of Term 2.

Tuckshop will start on Friday 27th July in Term 3.

Many thanks,

Luisa

Details are as follows:

Save the date 2019 PFA Dinner, Box Hill Town Hall, 20th July. More details to come. Please save the date.

Outside School Hours Care at Our Lady’s Primary –

 Different Booking Options to Cater for Different Needs  

At Camp Australia, we know that all families have different needs and schedules. Some families rely on Outside School Hours Care and have a schedule that never changes, whilst others have an irregular schedule, meaning their Outside School Hours Care needs change from week to week.   

To cater for all families, we offer three booking options and fees according to your lifestyle and needs:  

1.    Blue Account: for fixed routines to access savings. 

2.    Silver Account: for occasional changes to your scheduled care.  

3.    Gold Account: for irregular schedules that can take advantage of a two-hour cancellation window.  

These accounts give families options. But our advice is to always book in advance.  

Why in advance?

We operate a child care service governed by Education and Care National Law and Regulations, so we can only operate within Educator to Child ratios. This means the more notice we have on bookings, the better equipped we are to staff a service to meet your needs. This way we can provide the best care to all families in the school. 

Worry you might need to cancel last minute?

Our Gold Account option has a two-hour cancellation window, for only $2.50 more per session than our Silver Account option.    

To find out more about our service, view our fees and to register, visit www.campaustralia.com.au and search for your school. It’s free to register! 

We look forward to seeing you and your family soon! 

From the Team at Camp Australia  

If you have any questions regarding the bookings, please contact Camp Australia Customer service on 1300 105 343. You can also come and see me in the Multi-purpose room between 6.30 am-8.30 am and 2.55 pm-6.00 pm. I will be more than happy to discuss any issues or feedback you have and pass it on to the head office. 

Thank you,

Richa Mankad

Camp Australia Coordinator