Principal's Piece 

Term 2, Week 10

Dear Parents and Carers,

Thank you to all families who have booked a time to meet with their child/ren's teacher to discuss the Mid Year Report. Nearly 600 families have booked a time for our parent-teacher conference next week on Tuesday or Thursday . Please book a time via COMPASS if you haven't already. Reports will be sent via COMPASS on Friday 21st June. 

We’ve had a busy week of excursions this week. Our Year 3 students attended the Melbourne Zoo as part of their Biological Science Unit. Our Year 5 students visited the Old Melbourne Gaol and the State Library. 

Our Year 6 students and teachers had a fantastic time at The Ranch on the Mornington Peninsula.  I would like to thank our Year 6 teachers Mr Wright, Ms Mikhael, Mr Nolan,  Ms Phi and our additional staff Mr Pietryk, Mrs Murray, Miss Audino, Miss Martin and Miss Garcia for attending. The highlights were horse riding, giant swing, flying fox, archery, and rock climbing. I’m sure everyone had a good night’s sleep on Wednesday night.  

Next Friday we will have a whole school mass at 9:15 am in recognition of Refugee Week which was celebrated this week. We would like to extend a warm welcome to our refugee families who have joined our school community this year. 

Some Exciting Staffing News for Term 3:

We say farewell to Mrs Olivia Dawood next week as she will be taking maternity leave as she prepares to welcome a new addition to her family. We wish Olivia and Roni all the best during this special time. Mrs Dawood has been an integral part of our school community, her dedication, passion, and warmth have touched the lives of many students and families. While we will miss her presence, we are excited for her as she prepares to embrace the precious gift of parenthood. We welcome Miss Stephanie Burgess back to Our Lady’s as she will be taking 2B for the remainder of the year. Miss Burgess is excited to continue to support the students and meet all the families.

We also farewell Mrs Maria Marchioli as she has decided to pursue a career in the marketing industry. We thank Mrs Marchioli for her dedication and commitment to the students in 3C. We wish her all the best in her future endeavours. We welcome Mr Marc Nolan to our Our Lady’s school community who will be taking 3C for the remainder of the year. 

Mrs Julia Pungitore will also be taking maternity leave at the end of week 2 next term. We wish Julia and Brandon all the best as they embark on their journey of parenthood. We thank Julia for her dedication, passion and the care she provides our students and for being a valued member of Our Lady's School. Julia has been an exceptional teacher, dedicated to nurturing and inspiring our students. Her passion for teaching and her caring nature have made a significant impact on our school community. We are grateful for all the hard work and commitment she has shown. We welcome Ms Jo Elliott who will work Monday and Tuesday in 3D and we welcome back Mrs Alisha Lok who will be returning from maternity leave and will work Wednesday, Thursday and Friday in 3D. 

I want to congratulate Mrs Tayla Vella on accepting a position at St Carlo’s as the Mental Health in Schools and Student Diversity Leader. This is a great opportunity for Tayla and we wish her every success in her new role. I know I speak on behalf of everyone at Our Lady’s, Tayla has been an invaluable part of our school community, bringing dedication, expertise, and a caring spirit to her role. Her contributions have positively impacted many of our students. Thank you, Tayla for all your hard work and dedication during your time at OLPS. You are going to be greatly missed. Tayla will finish at the end of week 2 in Term 3. We are in the final stages of allocating 5B's new teacher.

School Calendar: Please check the School Community Calendar Page for important upcoming events. 

Take care and have a lovely weekend.

Cinzia Mancuso

Acting  Principal