Principal's Message

Dear OLA Families,

We are just over half way through Term 2 and we are enjoying opportunities like Bike Education in Grade 4, Chess, Grade 4 First Eucharist Family Workshop, 5/6SP Class Assembly, National Sorry Day, National Reconciliation Week, Grade 3/4 Excursion to Healesville, Athletics Day, 2MV Class Prayer Service, Preps in Pyjamas Parent/Child Workshop and Grade 5/6 Interschool Sport. Thank you to all for your support of these special events. 

National Reconciliation Week

We acknowledge the Boon Wurrung people, the Custodians of the land our school is on. We pay our respect to their Elders and acknowledge their continuous connection to Country. We come together in peace and harmony, respecting the dignity of each person.

This week is National Reconciliation Week (NRW). It is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.

As a school, we have been exploring NRW in class and look forward to further opportunities in the following weeks. I thank Fi Lee, Emilie Brady and the FIRE Carriers for organising activities for the students to enjoy and reflect.

OLA Aths Day

Good morning sunshine!  We were so happy to see the sun on Tuesday morning!! We managed to enjoy that sunshine until the P-2s completed their activities around midday and hopped back on the buses. Unfortunately the light showers then began to fall on our 3-6s and their 100m and 200m events! We take our hats off to the children especially for being resilient and forging on as well as a big thank you to the many volunteers and staff for coping in the wet and cold conditions. A special mention to our PE teacher Mrs Thompson for her excellent organisation and support on the day.

The OLA Athletics Carnival was a great opportunity to see good sportsmanship, team spirit, competition, the importance of turning up and having a go as well as some personal bests. What a great day! Thank you to all staff and parents involved in the day - it takes positive energy and effort from each and every one of you to make a day like this successful. We are so proud of the house team spirit from all children and we thank our House Team Leaders for their extra involvement and energy.

The Kimberley

Last week I attended the South Central Catholic Principal's Network Conference in the Kimberley, Western Australia. My time away included visiting remote primary schools in Derby and Beagle Bay, and we immersed ourselves in learning about faith, culture and community from an Indigenous perspective and within Indigenous communities. We enjoyed beautiful weather and spent the time deepening our understanding and connection to Aboriginal spirituality, cultures, languages and traditions.

We had time to be enriched and consider how we are culturally responsive in our own lives and in our own school communities. It became obvious through beautiful experiences and meeting great people that once we know better we do better. Integrating our cultures together in our communities is up to each one of us. 

Grappling with reconciliation is so important when acknowledging the diverse ancient culture of Aboriginal people. There is much to learn from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through their knowledge, cultures and traditions. It was a time for us to learn about our shared histories, cultures and achievements and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia. 

Not only did we learn about how the Catholic Church supported Indigenous communities up north, but we also heard from elders who were among the stolen generation and how being taken from their family impacted and still impacts their lives today and how decisions of the government of the time and of today impact lives in Australia and around the world.

We came together in prayer and for Mass and learned about the relationships of the Aboriginal people, their spirituality and connectedness to the environment. An excellent way to culminate a week of learning and immersion.

Networking with great Principals who brought their positive attitudes and enthusiasm was also a highlight. Such a great support network who are willing to listen and share their experiences and knowledge. 

Our week had an emphasis on relationships, respect and opportunities to foster connections with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. All our experiences had a meaningful impact toward us playing our part in Australia’s  reconciliation journey. 

The timing of this Principal Conference was perfect with all of this taking place as we acknowledge National Sorry Day and National Reconciliation Week. It certainly affirmed in each of us a respect for the languages, cultures and diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. 

Thank you to Caitlan Taig, Josy Reeder and Shelby Turner for being in charge and to all the staff for ensuring all continued on seamlessly. 

Working Bee

We are looking forward to our Term 2 Working Bee going ahead this Saturday 31 May 10am-12pm.  Thank you in advance to these families rostered on for joining us on this day.

Please remember if you are not able to make this date you are welcome to let us know and move to the Term 3 Working Bee. Alternatively you are welcome to make a donation to go towards our ongoing maintenance of ensuring our school grounds and buildings are safe, look and feel good.

Update from the OLA School Advisory Council 

OSAC held its second meeting on Monday 28 April in the Community Hub (this time over a bowl of grapes and chocolates!). OSAC Members considered the school’s policies and procedures for raising a query or concern in relation to our child’s learning or wellbeing and discussed the importance of following the procedures to:

• help promote the health, safety and wellbeing of students and staff
• ensure consistent and fair management of concerns; and
• help improve the outcomes through collaboration and resolution.

Members agreed that the best approach to highlight your query or concern is always with the classroom teacher (email addresses can be found in the Staff Contacts tab of this newsletter) in the first instance with a copy of the correspondence to a member of the Wellbeing Team. The teacher or Wellbeing Team member will work to understand your query or concern and be in touch within 24-48 hours.

Wellbeing Team includes:

Further information about OLA’s school policies or School Advisory Committee can be found on the school website or by contacting the school during office hours.

OSAC’s next meeting is scheduled for Monday 2 June 2025 at 7.30pm.

Sally Wright, Co-Chair of OSAC

2026 Enrolment Offers

All Enrolments for Prep 2026 were due on Friday 9 May. We have loved our Meet & Greets with each of our new and current Prep students and their families. Our Senior students were super proud to lead the children and their family over to the Prep rooms and other places they want to check out again like the playground, Library and Art Room. The excitement of little brothers or sisters popping in to see their sibling was delightful. We have now completed all of these 'Meet & Greets' and we have made our first round offers. 

We have received an overwhelming number of applications, and unfortunately some applications have been placed on our 2026 Prep enrolment waitlist. Should any places become available, for example, due to a deferral or interstate relocation, we will contact these families if we are in a position to offer their child a place. Thank you all for being the best advocates of our great school - the connections to our different families are many.

Lost Property

We have felt the cold this week! Not a good week to have lost a jumper! We now have two buckets full of lost jumpers that are not named in the foyer of the office area. Please take an extra look and retrieve what is yours as soon as possible. We will wash the remaining ones and give them to the second hand uniform shop at the end of next week.

Calendar

Please open the ‘Key Dates and Events’ tab in this newsletter for important dates or access the OLA Calendar here.  

School Closure Day - Friday 6th June

King's Birthday Public Holiday- Monday 9th June

There will be no school for children on Monday 9th June as it it is the King's Birthday Public Holiday. Children will return to school on Tuesday 10th June.

SAVE THE DATE

Monday 28 July - Grandparent's and Special Friend's Day - 'G' DAY

School Term Dates - 2025

Term 2, 2025

Tuesday 22nd April - Friday 4th July (11 weeks)

Term 3, 2025

Tuesday 22 July - Friday 19th September (9 weeks) 

Term 4, 2025

Tuesday 7 October - Tuesday 16th December (11 weeks)

Congratulations

Division Cross Country

Congratulations to our OLA representatives, Phoenix, Harry, Ollie W, Jess, Brigette and Dolores, who competed in the Divisional Cross Country Championships out at Cornish College on Wednesday. Thank you for giving your absolute best and running your hearts out. A very cold and wet day - a true Cross Country weathered event! A special mention to Ollie for stopping to assist a fellow runner who had injured themselves during his race to make sure they were ok, and then running with them to the finish line. What Superstars! 

Vinnies Winter Appeal

Congratulations and thank you to our Social Justice Leaders, together with Mrs Taig and the SVDP team at OLA for setting up our annual SVDP Winter Appeal. We are calling for warm clothes like gloves, socks, scarves and beanies, blankets and non perishable foods such as cans of food or toiletries. Please bring any donations into classrooms before the end of term.

Baby News

Congratulations

Congratulations to Gleb in Grade 1 on becoming a big brother last week to his beautiful and healthy little brother Leo!  Congrats also to Vita and Dmytro. The smile of Gleb's face has been absolute joy as has the skip in his step! It has been lovely to hear that our OLA community is already reaching out and showing how much they care. 

Wishing everyone a happy and restful weekend.

We hope you get a moment to be still and take a breath.

A reminder of our closure day on Friday June 6th, which backs onto the King's Birthday Public Holiday on Monday June 9th. 

Richard Jacques

Principal