Principal's Message

Dear OLA Families,

The children have enjoyed a calm and happy start to 2022.  Thank you to our staff for maintaining such high standards and expectations whilst creating a caring and kind environment. The one on one meetings between students and teachers continued to prove to be time well spent in forming positive relationships, easing back into life at school and capturing where each student is with their learning and where they need to go to next.  We sincerely thank our staff and parents for supporting and preparing our students so well for their return to school.  The classrooms and learning areas are looking so organised, clean and fresh and the displays are bright and engaging.

It is so lovely to see the children of OLA back together with such a strong sense of belonging and pride.  It is great to see them taking pride in the way they learn, listen and in the way they present themselves.  We have prioritised relationships, connections, being kind and giving our best. Kindness is the theme for 2022 at OLA.  The positive relationships that staff model to each other, to the children and to the community and vice versa is contagious.  It should come as no surprise that our Grade 6s have hit the ground running, responding to the high expectations and responsibilities associated with senior leadership. We look forward to our senior students continuing to shine in the weeks to come. May 2022 be a year where our students and families have many opportunities to connect and where friendships grow.  May there be many seeds of kindness planted and bloom as our community chooses to be kind each and every day.

We have taken great joy in welcoming our 37 Prep children to OLA.  Each year our ‘preppies’ bring a delightful sense of excitement and enthusiasm to our community.  Our beautiful Preps have managed their first week at school with an amazing calmness and keenness to take in everything! The feedback from all staff has been overwhelmingly positive - they have adjusted to school life so quickly and confidently. Supported by Mrs Lee, Mrs Milinksi and Mrs Hudson, the Preps' readiness to embrace the full school experience has been quite exceptional.

Welcome

We’ve also taken enormous delight in welcoming Rosie Siracusa (Learning Support Officer), Meg McCallum (Grade 1/2MM teacher), Tess Riley (Grade 3/4TR teacher) and Steve Pertz (Grade 5/6 teacher) to our school community. 

Along with our 30 new Prep families, we extend a warm welcome to our new families joining us from Grade 1 - Grade 6 in 2022: 

Shokeen 1/2MC , Cummin 3/4ST & 1/2MM, Bonafede 5/6MB, Delorino 5/6GO & Treagus 5/6SP. We look forward to getting to know you this year. Some of our new students are photographed below.

Outdoor Mass

We thank Fr Alan, Pam from our Parish and Caitlan for working together to create a very special memory for the OLA Parish.  At a time when we have to think differently and flexibly we enjoyed the Opening of the School Year Mass outside which enables us to gather all together as a community and still keep safe during these restricted times. 70 years on we continue to live out the legacy of being a strong faith filled community.  We received a lovely note of gratitude from yesterday’s Mass:  

I just wanted to thank you for the lovely Mass this morning. It was great to be outside and the weather was good to us! Congratulations to all the children and teachers on their very settled manner at the Mass. Let's hope we can do more of these outside events to keep up our wonderful community spirit!

70 Years!

Throughout this week we here at OLA Parish Primary School have celebrated the milestone that our school commenced in Cheltenham on 6 February 1952.  In charge were two Brigidine Sisters. Mother Mercedes, as Principal and teacher of older children, and Sr Brigida who taught Prep, Grade 1 and Grade 2.  The sisters who lived at Kilbreda Convent in Mentone, caught the Melbourne bound train from Mentone to Cheltenham and then had a ten minute walk to school which was part of a vast empty paddock.  It is exciting that this particular original building is being renovated this year which is now due to begin in March and we look forward to an official opening later in the year.  Happy 70th Anniversary OLA Parish Primary School!

Building Update

With the tender being signed off today we understand that the building project here at OLA will begin after a 21 day contract agreement period.  In the meantime we are fast tracking an outdoor learning space that will be created in the place where our current portable classrooms are situated.  We successfully sold the portable classrooms in the holidays and they will be removed on the weekend of 19/20 March.  We will move the Japanese Room to the Hall Stage and the STEM Room will move to the spare classroom in the Junior Corridor.  This outdoor learning space will see the artificial green grass extended, new shade sails, stage, tables and chairs. This space will enable classes to learn outside and it will also provide a space for outdoor assemblies, playtime and other special events.

Donations to Fiji schools

As we clear out furniture and fixtures from the building being renovated (Library and MPR) and removed (Portable Classrooms) it has given us an opportunity to do a review of all the furniture we have in storage.  Our Lady of the Assumption Parish Primary school is pleased to support the Katalyst Foundation through the donation of older, unused school furniture, books, sport equipment and other useful resources. Katalyst is committed to breaking the cycle of generational poverty in the remote, underdeveloped regions of Fiji.  It’s charitable endeavours pursued to bring about long lasting meaningful change. The foundation’s initiatives aim to empower underprivileged communities by providing vital support to enhance the advancement of Education, Health, Social Welfare, Infrastructure and Employment and Training. Our much needed donation of school furniture will fit out empty classrooms for school children living in Vanua Levu. Teaching staff in these regions can often see an improvement in student engagement and academic success when children can move to working from minimal furniture and equipment to  chairs and tables. We are immensely proud to be able to support the incredible work of the Katalyst Foundation, to find out more please visit katalystfoundation.org

Liz from Katalyst wrote yesterday: 

I wanted to say a heartfelt thank you to Our Lady of the Assumption Parish Primary School Cheltenham community for your generous donation to Katalyst. The furniture and other school supplies will be well received with much gratitude. I look forward to sharing some images with you when it arrives at the other end!

School Tours and 2023 Enrolments 

I know we are still enjoying welcoming our new Preps for 2022 but we also have to move our thinking to enrolments for Prep 2023!!  Enrolments for Prep 2023 are now open and we encourage all families to submit their applications as soon as possible.  Please book your school tour online on the school website or call Alicia in our front office to book a school tour.  If you are not able to make these tours please note that you are also welcome to call to make a time that does work for you.

COVID Operational Guidelines Update

Please note RAT box number 2 will be provided to children on Monday 14 February and will come home in your child’s school bag. Please continue to test twice weekly.  Please refer to the COVID Safety Update page in this newsletter for more information.

Key Dates

Please see the Key Dates & Events page for further information.

Mobile Phones and Smart Watches

We ask families to remind their children that all mobile phones and Smart Watches (with mobile capacity) are to be handed in to the classroom teacher at the beginning of each school day. This aligns with the current state government legislation. Thank you for your cooperation.

Family Partnerships

With COVID Safe practices at the forefront of our thinking and actions we consulted the community about how we could keep safe and yet still enjoy building our community spirit.  In response we have enjoyed two further outdoor events where families have been able to engage in community spirit and learning.  Last Friday we enjoyed an outdoor Family Picnic where families spread out over our large yard.  The music and times together were good for the mental health and wellbeing of all who were able to attend.  

We also held a Parent Information Night onsite in classroom bubbles where teachers led conversations around learning and teaching at OLA.  Information booklets were shared with those present and those who were not able to attend.  This was a treat for our parents who are not usually able to be onsite in school buildings when the children are present.  Parents appreciated being able to meet their child’s teacher, get to know other parents, see where their child sits, what classroom expectations are and to learn some tips and tricks about how and what their child is learning. 

Celebration of Learning

We selected a number of pieces of Art from the OLA Art Show at the end of last year, framed and mounted them and then had Melbourne Art Services come and hang these pictures throughout the school.  This is an amazing celebration of children’s work and it also celebrates one very important dimension of our Arts Program at OLA.

We have also loved seeing our new Preps touring the school and popping in to see us in the Front Office.  We love celebrating the children’s learning by giving out special stickers and praise to children for being kind and doing their best work.

Long Service Leave

I take this opportunity to inform you that I have the privilege of being able to take 10 weeks of Long Service Leave from Thursday 10 March to Wednesday 1 June.  Together with my wife Mairead and children Liam and Hannah we will take this opportunity to spend time together in both Queensland and the Northern Territory. This is the first time in my 20+ year career that I have taken Long Service Leave and I feel blessed to be able to do so knowing that the school will be in the capable hands of Caitlan Taig as Acting Principal who will be strongly supported by the Leadership Team.  

Congratulations

Over the break, Marsha Van Cuylenberg welcomed a new addition to her family. Congratulations go to Marsha and her husband, Jon, on the birth of their beautiful baby girl, Evelyn Audrey.  

These first few weeks are exciting and tiring all at once so it is super important that extra rest and sleep are an option this weekend.  May we all get some well deserved rest! 

Richard Jacques

Principal