Principal's Message
Prayer for the End of a School Year
At the end of this school year, we give thanks to God; For all the teaching and learning that has taken place in our school, both in and out of the classroom; For the talents and gifts that have been shared and the challenges that have been faced; For the burdens that have been lifted and the hurts that have been healed; For the respect and care that has been given.
We give thanks for the friendships that have just begun and for those that have grown; For the faith that has been lived in our daily struggles; For the hope that has lifted our hearts on the dark days, and for the love that has kept us going.
We give thanks for the community that we are, we ask you Lord - Bless our students and inspire them with confidence and calmness; Bless our families as we take our holidays, may our time together leave us with memories to cherish. Pour out your love on us so that we may return renewed and refreshed to continue our journey together.
Amen
Congratulations Graduates
Today, we farewell our Year 6 students. Many of these children have been members of the OLA community for eight years, some even longer. The week started with their Graduation Mass, a memorable night where they passed on their responsibilities to the 2019 Student Leaders. The celebrations continued with a Graduation Dinner where parents joined with their children to share a special meal, this was followed with a disco - a great night had by all! We wish these hard-working and dedicated students every success as they move into secondary school. May God bless them as they travel this next part of their journey and in the future as they grow into the best people they can be.
A Word from Our Graduate, Elena
Graduation week began on Monday night with a mass for Year 6 graduates, commencing with a special entrance procession of Year 6 students with symbols of the most important things brought to the altar that represented our time at OLA. All Year 6 students were given roles in the mass from reading bible passages, to carrying items to the altar and singing hymns. The Year 6s presented a graduation song, 'I Will Remember You' by Miley Cyrus to their families which was a new for OLA this year and was an emotional experience. The song was about saying goodbye and looking forward to the future. The song was moving for the graduates and parents and, luckily, Mr D brought a tissue box!!!
The Graduation dinner and disco on Tuesday night was another highlight for the Year 6s. The dinner was delicious thanks to Rosie Samuels who cooked all the incredible food and the graduates danced well into the night and even a few parents joined in. The disco was really fun!
On Thursday we went to Adventure World where according to Mr D "we ran amock" and even Miss Figueira joined the Year 6s on all the terrifying rides. This week has been very special to us and we thank Mr D and Miss Figueira for organising our graduation week and making it memorable.
Oh What A Night - End of Year Concert
Last Friday night OLA was rocking! What an overwhelming crowd of supporters came along to help celebrate the end of an amazing year! Each year level made Christmas come alive with a Christmas carol - our Year 5 and Year 6 modern version of Hark the Herald Angels Sing had us all bopping along. The children also dazzled us with the Dance piece they have been learning each week with Tina from Footsteps Dance. Our Around the World theme kept the night entertaining. Thank you to all of the families who joined us! We hope you enjoyed the surprise ending too - we have some very talented teachers!
End of Year Thanksgiving Mass
On Wednesday, we had the opportunity to come together with the Parish Community to thank God for a wonderful year. Our school is very fortunate to be spiritually guided by Fr. Ken D'Souza and we thank him for the support he has offered our children this year. We also farewelled staff who will not be returning in 2019. As mentioned previously, we wish Mrs Scoble, Mrs Hutton, Mrs Stillisano, Mrs McQuillian, Miss Croft, Miss Mannas, Mrs Saunders, Mrs Calleja and Mrs Ciullo all the best for 2019 and beyond - thank you for all you have contributed to OLA.
Water Fun Day
Yesterday, our Pre-Primary to Year 5 students had a fantastic Water Fun Day. We were very fortunate that the weather fined up and all students were able to celebrate the end of the year in a fun way with their friends! The children are to be commended for their outstanding behaviour and mature approach to the day.
Booklists 2019
Please see the attachments below for the 2019 OLA Booklists.
2018 School Annual Update
The Annual Committee met earlier this year and decided that the 2018 School Annual will be a snapshot of the whole 2018 school year. As a result, the annuals will arrive in Term 1, 2019. Families who are leaving the OLA community will have their annual posted out, and all other families will have their copy distributed through the school. We can't wait for them to arrive!
2019 Calendar
The draft 2019 calendar is attached below. The PDF will be uploaded to the school website and the interactive calendar will also be updated. Please refer to the interactive calendar for the most up to date events.
Term Dates 2019
Term dates for 2019 are as follows:
Term 1
Commences - Monday 4 February
Ends - Friday 12 April
Term 2
Commences - Monday 29 April
Ends - Thursday 4 July
Term 3
Commences - Monday 22 July
Ends - Friday 27 September
Term 4
Commences - Monday 14 October
Ends - Friday 13 December
2019 School Fees
Please see the attachment below for the 2019 Fee Schedule.
St Vincent de Paul Christmas Gift Donations
Thank you to all families for your generous donations of toys in supporting the St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal. Our school community donated just over 180 Christmas gifts which will be much appreciated by some lucky recicipents this Christmas.
Reflecting on 2018 and Looking Forward to 2019
As we say goodbye at the end of another school year, I reflect on my first year as principal of Our Lady's Assumption School. When I first entered the school in January, I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to become a part of this community. I have learnt so much over the year and feel privileged to have seen the community spirit flourish here at OLA. Your ongoing support of events such as; Mothers' Day, Fathers' Day, Grandparents' Day, Feast Days and, most importantly, in our classrooms has been invaluable. I thank you for your contributions and support to make OLA a great school.
I am especially proud of our students. This year they have worked so hard and have achieved so much. Their participation in the Catholic Performing Arts Festival, Write a Book in a Day, assemblies, liturgies and classroom programs has been unerring and they, too, should be proud of their achievements.
2019 is going to be full of new possibilities for the students of OLA. With the introduction of the Enterprise and Initiative, Targeted Intervention and Curriculum and Pedagogy roles, more opportunities will be available to enrich our students' learning experiences.
The year could not have been what it was without the supportive and dedicated staff here at OLA. Staff have implemented many changes to improve communication to families and broaden their teaching pedagogy. I wish them a restful, well-deserved holiday break and sincerely thank them for being on the OLA bus - together, we can Imagine, Believe and Succeed.
Thank You
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the families of OLA for their kind words and well wishes as 2018 draws to a close. Your generous gifts, cards and words have touched me deeply and I appreciate the time you have taken out of your busy lives to acknowledge myself and the staff of OLA.
Wishing all families in our community a happy and holy Christmas. I look forward to welcoming you back in 2019!
Greg Martin
Principal