Principal's Message

Dear OLA Families

Welcome to Term 3 at OLA! What a happy and fun start it has been to the term. It has been lovely to see the joy on the children's faces as they all met up back at school after the holidays. The playground and classrooms have been buzzing. Thank you all for helping to create such a calm and happy start to Term 3. It has been lovely to hear about the many and varied holiday breaks our students, parents and staff enjoyed. While some skied the snow slopes, some jetted off to warmer climates and some enjoyed a 'stay-cation', enjoying some quiet days at home. It was so good to visit all the classrooms last week, catching up with the students and seeing how excited they were to be back at school. We have certainly hit the ground running and we are straight back into our teaching and learning program. 

Routine is key when returning to school, so we remind all families to ensure the students are in their classrooms by 8.40am. Please also remember that gates to the playground are open at 8.30am and staff are then on yard duty to supervise and ensure that all are safe before doors open to classrooms at 8.35am. For children arriving after 8.40am they are to remain in the front office foyer to minimise interruptions to meditation and prayer. After 8.40am we ask that parents say goodbye to their child in the foyer and depart from there.

It was lovely to have the students arriving back at School last Monday; there was lots of excitement and the biggest of smiles. Not even the clouds and cold could stop our kids having lots of fun. Playtime is still an all time favourite part of the school day. Lots of action and lots of fun. 

Term 3

This term we are looking forward to the Commonwealth Games, Great, Good, Gold, Grand People and Special Friends Day, Prep's 100 Day Celebration, Australian Mathematics Competition, Feast of the Assumption, Wakakirri, Book Week, Father's Day and Prep Prayer Services. There is lots to be excited about. Please refer to the Key Dates and Events tab in this newsletter for more information.

NAPLAN

We were proud to receive our school NAPLAN results and we are thrilled to acknowledge the great achievement of our Grade 3 and Grade 5 students across all key disciplines. Our students performed exceptionally well, with results that reflect the sustained focus on explicit teaching, structured literacy, evidence informed practice and high expectations for all learners at OLA.

These results are a testament to the hard work of our students, the expertise and dedication of our staff, and the strong partnership we share with families in supporting student learning. We are incredibly proud of what our students have achieved.

Our data shows that most students in Grade 3 are achieving at a Strong or Exceeding level across all learning areas. This means that, overall, Grade 3 students are making very good progress and achieving positive learning outcomes. Similarly, most students in Grade 5 are also achieving at Strong or Exceeding levels across all learning areas, demonstrating positive achievement and consistent progress.

We remind families that NAPLAN results add value to teacher assessment and reporting by showing how their students' achievements compare to a wider group of students across the state and Australia. At OLA we use this data to track cohorts of students over the years. It is important to remember that the results reflect each student’s performance at a single point in time. It is a snapshot of one form of assessment and should be coupled with the many forms of assessment undertaken by the school. Teachers in all schools assess their students’ learning in literacy and numeracy on a regular basis. NAPLAN testing complements, but does not replace, the information that teachers gather. Should you have any queries regarding your child’s results, please do not hesitate to contact your child's classroom teacher.

I take this opportunity to acknowledge our staff for their ongoing commitment to presenting rigorous teaching and learning programs and focussing on the growth of each child within our school.  In the busyness of all that we do it is refreshing to see that our daily work is strongly supported by external data sources. Thank you OLA team!  

Enterprise Agreement Update

We are conscious that there have been several media reports about ongoing industrial relations disputes in the Victorian education sector and we wanted to outline the current situation and what it means for OLA. 

• OLA operates under the Catholic Education Multi-Enterprise Agreement 2022, a four-year agreement that expired in December 2025. 
• Since early 2025, the School has, in collaboration with other Victorian Catholic school employers, been seeking a fresh cooperative workplace agreement. These negotiations have been led by Victorian Catholic Education Authority (VCEA), the peak body for Victorian Catholic schools. 
• The parties have not yet concluded a new enterprise agreement.
• At the same time, the State Government has, in parallel, been seeking to conclude a new enterprise agreement for state schools.

While the Catholic sector negotiations are separate from the State Government negotiations, VCEA has, consistent with the 2022 agreement, committed to pay parity with state school teachers and staff. As a result, the state school outcome will, in large part, flow through to OLA.

Once concluded, the new agreement is likely to result in substantial cost increases for all State and Catholic schools. Using the latest State Government pay offer as a guide, key features will include:

• Salary increases of at least 28.3% over four years, with an initial 12.75 % increase by October 2026
• Significant increases in staff allowances, including daily allowances for staff supervising camps 

Rest assured that we are monitoring the situation closely and that we will work with Melbourne Archdiocese of Catholic Schools and OSAC to understand and mitigate the impacts this may have on school operations. 

The leadership team and OSAC remain focussed on maintaining the outstanding educational and formation experience at OLA. We have outstanding teachers and staff at OLA. The expertise, hard work and care they bring to work each day will be evident to you and is what provides the first rate OLA education that our students enjoy. We thank our teachers and staff for their efforts and will continue to support them going forward. Information on the negotiations is available on the VCEA website.    

Lockdown exercise

Your child’s safety and wellbeing are our highest priority. As part of our Emergency Management Planning, we are committed to ensuring that all students are supported in the event of an emergency. We encourage you to partner with us in helping your child understand and prepare for emergency incidents such as evacuations and lockdowns. Today we carried out a discreet lockdown to add to previous evacuation drills. Staff had educated the children in both possible scenarios and the possible responses at OLA. Observations indicated that all entry and exit doors across the site had been secured, with no unsecured access points identified. This demonstrated a high level of security and adherence to lockdown protocols. The noise level across the school was minimal, with complete silence maintained in most areas, reflecting effective staff and student compliance.

How You Can Help Support Your Child

Talk About Emergency Situations

1. Use age appropriate language to explain what an emergency is.

2. Emphasise that emergencies are rare but we practice drills to stay safe.

3. Reassure your child that adults will help and support them during these times.

Discuss What Might Happen During a Drill

1. Lights and alarms may activate or an announcement given over the PA

2. People might move quickly and quietly

3. Teachers will give clear instructions

4. Your child may need to relocate to a different room or area

It is our aim to ensure that your child feels supported, confident, and safe in the event of an emergency. We congratulate all staff, students, parents and visitors who were onsite and thank them for respectfully participating in this important safety exercise.

Car Park Safety

A reminder to all families to take it gently in our OLA Car Park and to remember that the safety of all in our community needs to be the focus of this space. If you are pushed for time I would encourage you to come up with Plan B. Please follow the arrows in the car park and drive at 5km per hour. Please remind grandparents and helpers of this as it is often those visiting our community who are not aware of our processes.

A reminder that all cars lining up in the left lane are in the process of dropping off or picking up their child and we ask that parents remain in the car and that your child has quick access to their bag/s for a quick kiss/hug and drop. Cars in the right lane are proceeding through the car park to locate a car park. If your child is not at the gate when you arrive at the front of the line we will kindly ask you to move into a car park so we can keep the flow. Thank you for your patience and for not sounding your horn during this time. If you do a lap of the car park or enter from Wilson Street and turn left to join the queue you may get a little locked in until the flow of cars begin to move. We thank you again for your patience with this.

We ask that all children especially toddlers and preschoolers are supervised by parents and carers at all times when in the carpark and school grounds. Please ensure you are holding your preschoolers hand when in the carpark.

Save the Date - OLA Art Show

We are delighted that our 2026 Art Show will be held on Thursday 8 October from 6:30pm - 8:00pm.

This year's theme is 'Flourish', a concept that will connect across all special areas of our community life, such as, botanicals, nature, family, friends, faith, culture, learning and our environment.

The Art Show is always a highlight of the school calendar, providing an opportunity to celebrate the creativity, imagination and artistic talents of every student. Families will have the chance to view a stunning collection of artworks created throughout the year and experience our school transformed into a vibrant gallery space. Further details will be shared next term. 

Volunteers

If there are any parents who would be keen to help with mounting and labelling the children’s artwork on cover paper this term please email our Art Teacher Sam Hudson shudson@olacheltenham.catholic.edu.au 

Maintenance

During the holidays it is always a good opportunity to carry out important maintenance and this recent holiday was no exception. Works included:

• Termly deep clean of classrooms and learning spaces

• GrasSports bi-annual maintenance of the oval and artificial grassed areas

• Air Conditioners quarterly service, clean and inspection

• Installation of a Security Camera capturing the car park and eastern end of the playground

• Replacement of vinyl flooring, nosing and installation of tactile ground surface indicators on 3/4 staircases

• Painting and sealing of the external administration area

• Gardens topped up with plants

Working Bee #2

We are so grateful to the many families who have already joined us for our Working Bees so far this year and thank you to those who have rescheduled their Working Bee date if they were not able to make their rostered one.  We also have had some cash donations which has contributed towards the purchase of tools and equipment as well as the top up of mulch. 

We are looking forward to welcoming families to the Term 3 OLA Working Bee TOMORROW Saturday 25 July, 10.00am-12.00pm 

We especially welcome the following families who are rostered on:

OLA Fete

On Tuesday evening we had a wonderful turn out from our Core Committee for our OLA Fete Meeting where we had an update on Fete preparations. Thank you to our OLA Fete Committee for their dedicated and amazing support of this great event. Please check out our OLA Fete tab in this Newsletter and let us know if you can help in any way...

• Taking the time to reach out to companies and small businesses to sponsor or make donations to our Fete
• Can you make jams or preserves for our Fete?
• Do you or a sporting club that you belong to have a Marquee that we could borrow for the Fete so that we can reduce hiring costs?
• Are you able to bag up some mixed lolly bags or make cup cakes or larger cakes/slices for our Cake Stall closer to the time?
• Save some money by purchasing Early Bird Wrist Bands for the Rides
• Don’t forget to donate your pre-loved toys, books and clothes - Please take them to store in Exodus Hall.

Child Safe Standard 6

11 months 11 standards...

As a school we will highlight one Child Safe Standard each month. 

For July it is Child Safe Standard 6.

‘’People working with children and young people are suitable and supported to reflect child safety and wellbeing values in practice.’’ 

As Catholic educators, we have a moral, mission-driven and legal responsibility to uphold and actively promote the wellbeing and safety of every student entrusted in our care. Our commitment to the protection of students involves ensuring families and community members actively participate in promoting and upholding child safety and wellbeing. Our Catholic communities uphold robust systems, processes, and policies that support staff and volunteers to act with professionalism, integrity, and care, ensuring child safety and wellbeing are embedded in all aspects of school life. 

Prep 2028 Sibling Applications

Believe it or not, we are already planning for Prep 2028! We have received strong interest from new families wishing to join the OLA community, and we are beginning to look ahead to future enrolments. If you have a younger child who is eligible to commence Prep in 2028, we kindly ask that you submit a sibling application as soon as possible (please log onto our website to complete). This will assist us in understanding the number of sibling places required and help us determine how many new families we may be able to welcome into our wonderful school community.

Planning for 2027

As we begin preparations for the 2027 school year, we kindly ask that families notify the school as soon as possible if their child/children will not be returning to OLA next year.

We have received a significant number of enrolment enquiries and currently have waiting lists operating across most year levels. Having an accurate understanding of our student numbers allows us to plan effectively for staffing, class structures and funding allocations for 2027. 

School Fee Payments

Fee Statements for Term 3 were sent out to all families this week. As we pass the midpoint of the school year, we encourage all families to review their school fee account and ensure payments are up to date. As a general guide, families should have paid approximately 50% of their annual school fees by this stage of the year and we are so grateful to all who have been able to meet this expectation. We also thank families who have worked with the school to create a payment plan. If you have any questions regarding your account, or require support, please be in contact with the school office or myself. 

Catholic School Parents Victoria – Newsletter 

Catholic School Parents Victoria (CSPV) has been re-established. For more information please refer to the CSPV website (www.cspv.catholic.edu.au) and social media channels CSPV is pleased to launch its new quarterly newsletter which can be viewed here.

This edition includes: 

• Introductions for the CSPV Chair and Executive Officer 
• NAPLAN Results Are Coming Home 
• What do they mean for your child? 
• Parenting in the Digital Age 
• Webinar – Understanding AI and New Online Risks for Children – presented by the eSafety Commission. 

Calendar

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

School Term Dates - 2026

Term 3, 2026

Tuesday 14 July - Friday 18 September (10 weeks)

Term 4, 2026

Tuesday 6 October - Tuesday 15 Dec (11 weeks)

Pupil Free Days for 2026

• Monday 5 October Vision For Instruction continued
• Monday 2 November Assessment & Reporting
• Friday 4 December 2027 Planning and Preparation 

Please note on the following dates school finish early at 1pm:

OLA Fete on Friday 6 November

Last day of school Tuesday 15 December

Congratulations

Assumption Netballers

What a great way to start the week! Ever Monday morning first thing before any teachers arrive and before the school is opened, our very own Assumption Netballers are in full swing training their hearts out. The children’s listening, attitude and effort is exceptional. 

Gardens at OLA

Congratulations to all our students for taking care of our newly planted gardens as well as our existing gardens. Thank you for staying off these special areas and giving these plants the best chance at establishing themselves and helping make our school even more beautiful. If you would like to volunteer to water our new plants from time to time you would be very welcome.

iSea iCare Team

Congratulations to our iSea iCare Leaders, Avacyn, Ava, Annabelle and Sam on educating our OLA and wider community on taking care of our environment. We appreciate all of your initiatives and your presentation at assembly last Friday. We learnt how important litter traps are in Melbourne and we have been challenged to place our wrappers and litter in the red lid bins around the school so that we don't have plastics and papers ending up filling the litter traps and impacting our waterways. 

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat

Our Grade 3/4s recently attended the St Bede's College and Kilbreda College production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. We thank the staff and parents for helping make this happen. This opportunity is another wonderful aspect of our our partnership with our local secondary schools and visits like this form a very special part of transition to secondary school for our students.

Principal Awards

We all love to receive a visit from extra proud students sharing their best work. Well done to these students for their outstanding Mathematics. The challenge was to spend $100 at the school canteen over a given time using the canteen price list from OLA. What brilliant life skills are being nurtured and created in Grade 3/4. 

Reminder for Monday 27 July

Great, Good, Gold, Grand People and Special Friends Day

Monday 27 July - 8.45-10.45am

The start time can be when your Great, Good, Gold, Grand People and Special Friends arrive with your child. If it's easier our special visitors can take a seat in the Church ready for us to come across or they can go through to the classrooms and start the day there.

Invitation - see Parish News tab for more information

The Care for Our Common Home Group of Christ Our Light Parish is holding an Information Seminar on "Saving Money on Home Energy Bills" on Monday 27 July 2026 at 7pm in the OLA Church Meeting Room. The presenters will be Cait O’Shea and Tom Rose from Solar Savers which is a council-led program designed to help households access vetted suppliers and trusted information to make improvements to the energy efficiency of their homes. 

Reminder for tomorrow Saturday 25 July

We hope to see many of you at our Working Bee tomorrow, Saturday 25 July, 10:00am-12:00pm. 

Richard Jacques

Principal