Principal's Message

Dear OLA Families,

What an awesome day we had last Friday! The Colour Run brought so much joy and laughter to the children at OLA. This was our second whole school Colour Frenzy's Colour Blast Fun Run! It was great to see so many students and staff wearing white t-shirts, colour sunglasses, rainbow headbands and getting covered in non-toxic, biodegradable colour powder from head to toe! Such a fun time!

Thank you to our chief organiser Clifford, our P&F and all our parent volunteers for our successful Colour Run event last Friday. We couldn't do it without you. We always do it for the kids and this is a classic example. Thank you also to our amazing staff for helping make the day great too. We loved seeing everyone enjoying the day, sharing laughs, creating all the colour and slime, and supporting our wonderful school. Your enthusiasm and generosity help make events like this so special. 

This was our major fundraiser for 2025. We fundraised specifically for improvements to our grounds through such items like refreshing our Adventure Playground with a splash of paint, new outdoor seating in the shade, together with new trees and plants. We raised an incredible $24,265. Thank you to all who donated to this great cause.  

PJM was the highest fundraising class with $5070 and our two highest fundraisers being Isla in PJM and Jai in 2MV both raising $2500 each and in turn getting to slime the Principal!!  See below in the congratulations section for the individual fundraisers.

It was exciting to see the fun run commence with a whole school aerobics warm up followed by each grade setting off on an obstacle course. At each station, our Colour Run champion volunteers squirted our children with colour! We think the kids also loved the special finale surprise of some of our teachers being slimed! It was such a fun and action packed day and we are so grateful to our Grade 6 P&F Class Rep Clifford Maillard for his organisation of such a popular and engaging event for the kids (and for all of us!). Thank you also to our staff for helping make things happen and to our many many parents for your support and presence. Thank you also to the Cheltenham Police for helping us cross the Nepean safely. This will have to go down as as one of the highlights of the year!!

Remembrance Day

On Tuesday our school stopped to honour and acknowledge this important moment on the 11th of the 11th at 11am. We came together to remember in faith all who have served, and continue serving in our armed forces, especially those who have died and those wounded in battle. We also pray for healing and peace; that one day, all peoples will lay down their arms and embrace one another as brothers and sisters in one human family. 

During World War 1 which occurred from 1914 to 1918, on many of the ruined fields in France and Belgium where the fighting took place, red poppies began to grow and flower. People saw the flowers as a symbol of remembrance for those who had died. Today, we wear poppies on Remembrance Day to honour all those who have died in wars.

Our school captains also attended the Cheltenham Moorabbin Remembrance Day Ceremony and laid a wreath on behalf of the OLA community.  This is a day for us to pay our respects and be thankful for the sacrifices made by so many. Thank you so very much. We were also proud to see one of our Dad’s Chad so involved in the ceremony. 

LEST WE FORGET

Prep 2026 Parent Information Evening

It was a joy to welcome our incoming families for our two Prep classes for 2026, at the Prep Parent Information Session held last week. On the night, we provided an overview of our programs and practices, and some important school readiness tips for our littlest students and their families. The Prep and Leadership Team were so impressive, reassuring families that their little ones are in the very best hands at OLA.  It was also really lovely to speak with our parent group after the session, and to hear just how excited they are to join our wonderful community. The relationship between school and home is arguably the most trusted and crucial throughout a child's journey, and is a huge influence over this 7 year period. 

Thank you to Sarah Robson and Frieda Sison for speaking about tips for starting school, being an active parent and the many ways families can get involved in the OLA community. 

Thank you also to Ella Meagher, Ros Sayers and Sally Wright from OSAC for their hospitality and thank you to the amazing Second Hand Uniform Shop volunteers for providing this brilliant service to our OLA families. 

Prep 2026 Orientation

We loved having our 2026 Prep children for their first Orientation morning this week and we can't wait to have them all back again on Tuesday! The Grade 5 Buddies for next year especially loved it and we hope our Preps loved it too. The parents took the opportunity to meet at Frank's Café which was a lovely way to meet up again and make even stronger connections. The orientation program provides a wonderful opportunity for the students to meet one another and spend time playing together, as well as engaging with the staff who will work with them next year. During these sessions, the staff observe the emotional and social interactions, and look for ways to best support the little ones with their transition to school. We are acutely aware that some students can easily transition, while for others, this can be quite an emotional and tricky time. Rest assured, these little hurdles are all part of the school journey and, in time, the students will become better equipped with the skills to overcome these challenges. The remaining orientation sessions are as follows: 

Classes - 2026

We are so excited to see how word of mouth, the work of our teachers and the deep sense of community at OLA have all assisted in building the reputation of our school over the last 5 years.  We have grown from 18 children coming into Prep in 2020, to 45 children in 2026!  This growth is very exciting and very positive for OLA.

The staff, Leadership Team, Consultative Committee and School Advisory Council have been in consultation over class structures and numbers for 2026 and beyond. We have researched and spoken with experienced educationalists and parents, and are determining a grade structure that will best support the needs of students and the school over the coming years.  Whilst we are finishing off the year with great momentum we are also securing staffing and plans for next year.

2026 Enrolments per level:  (as at 14.11.25)

With Grade 1 and Grade 2 we have looked at the learning styles of the children and teachers, the student numbers, finances, MACS regulations etc. and have determined that the best combination for next year is four multilevel Grade 1/2 classes.  A strong case was presented for our Grade 1/2 classes being around 22 for multilevel classes (refer below) versus classes being 27 or 28 for straight classes. There was also very explicit feedback from this year when we were looking at three classes of 27 in Grade 3/4. We are excited to present our families with a Prep to Grade 6 class structure where all classes have student numbers of less than 25 children.  We are also excited to be growing from 12 classes in 2025 to 13 classes in 2026 as we exceed the magic number of 283 (our next target currently is 310 so we can add one more extra class). We will continue with multilevel classes for Grade 3/4 and Grade 5/6.

Class Structures for 2026

Locations of classrooms for 2026 :

• The two Prep classes will be relocated to the current WIN Room and Spanish Room (facing the playground)
• The Grade 1/2 classrooms will remain where they are
• The Grade 3/4 classrooms will remain where they are
• The Grade 5/6 classrooms will remain where they are with the one extra room replacing the Performing Arts Room
• The Performing Arts Room, WIN Room and Language Room will be relocated to the current Prep rooms.

We thank members of our staff and our parent representatives on the School Advisory Council for the level of consideration given to the structure of classes for the 2026 school year.  We approach the new year with great anticipation as we continue to see the OLA community thrive.   

'The Sound of Musicals' School Production

Preparations for our whole school production 'The Sound of Musicals' continue to be exciting. Acting, singing and dance rehearsals continue to be a highlight of the week! The show will be performed on the evening of Thursday 4 December at Kingston City Hall. Please note that the children will need to be returned to the Hall at 5.30pm in readiness for a 6pm show and the show will go for approximately two hours. Grade 5/6 lead characters are asked to arrive at 5.00pm. Drinks and snacks like chips and chocolates will be available for sale at the bar prior to the show. Tickets went on sale on Wednesday 12 November at 10.00am. Please note that there will initially be only 3 tickets available per family with the remaining tickets being opened up to everyone on Friday 28 November. In the mean time if any further tickets become available we will be sure to make these available to families.

We are grateful to the volunteers who have already offered to help with costumes and lighting and the like. Please don't hesitate to email our amazing Performing Arts teacher Trish O'Gorman if you have any questions or if you would like to help out - pogorman@olacheltenham.catholic.edu.au

Costumes are our priority and we ask parents to ensure they have requested items at school with your child's classroom teacher. We have loved seeing the creative skills of our students who have entered the poster/front cover competition for our Program. Our Arts and Culture Leaders have proudly announced the winners for each year level. Congratulations to Emma, Olivia, Savannah, and Poppi on their winning entries. We can’t wait to see your beautiful artwork displayed around the school!

OSAC and Parents and Friends AGM

We invite you all to our AGM on Monday 8 December at 7.00pm. This will be a relaxed event, where we will share our school, P&F and School Advisory Council achievements for 2025. Light refreshments will be provided on the night and this is a way of saying thank you to all our volunteers and we will enjoy some Christmas cheer.

Calendar

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

School Term Dates - 2025

Term 4, 2025

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

School Closure Days

Term 4, 2025

Friday 21 November - Faith Formation with Gen Bryant

Friday 5 December (the day after the production) - Planning for 2026

Volunteers

OSAC

Thank you for the nominations that we have received for 

the vacancies on OSAC. Thank you to the following parents for their nomination to OSAC starting in 2026:

Anthony Bons (Harper 3/4NC, Noah & Finn PJM)

Laura Morel (Oliver 5/6MG, Sophie 3/4NC & Harry 2MV)

Renee Wijesinghe (Flynn 3/4NC, Charlie 2MV, Elliot PCH).

We have processed applications following the end of October closing date and we are delighted to announce that all three applicants have accepted the role for 2026, 2027 and 2028 term.

OLA P&F Team

We continue to look for volunteers to be P&F Chair and Deputy Chair or Co-Chairs, Second Hand Uniform Shop volunteers as well as each year level requiring two parent representatives, who are responsible for updating the parents in their year level with important information/reminders, and organising a couple of events throughout the year. We have enjoyed a great year together in 2025 and hope to continue building on this as we do each year.

Summer Uniform

All students need to be wearing their full (correct) summer uniform. A school hat must be worn at break times, with a strict 'no hat, no play' rule applying. Students are required to apply their own sunscreen, as staff are not permitted to do so. We encourage families to please apply sunscreen before school and if you would like your child to apply sunscreen again during the day to have a roll on sunscreen in their school bags. 

Correct school shoes and socks must be worn and we remind students and families, when purchasing new school shoes for next year, black sneaker Asics or Nike runners are not part of the regular school uniform. If the sport shoes are black leather and black soled then they are welcome to be worn as school uniform - no branding to be visible in white or another colour other than black.We thank you in advance for your understanding. 

School Fees for this year

Term 4 school fee statements have been sent out to families earlier this term. We kindly request that all families with outstanding account balances settle their payments at their earliest convenience. In the event that you did not receive your fee statement as anticipated, please reach out to Maria (mhogan@olacheltenham.catholic.edu.au). Your prompt attention to this matter is greatly appreciated. 

Please note Term 4 is the term a school relies on its cash reserves that are paid by our families and that is why our fees are due at the end of Term 3. We appreciate all families who have been at the table or in conversation and have established a payment plan with the school. For anyone who is on a payment plan we understand that payments do continue in this last term of the school year. 

School Fees 2026

Please find attached below the 2026 School Fee Information for our OLA Community together with the Direct Debit Form for you to access as and when required. 

Prep 2027 Enrolments

Enrolments for new and current families for 2027 are now open. We require all current families to please ensure they submit a sibling application for 2027 prior to Friday 27 March 2026 to ensure a placement in our Prep intake for 2027. The enrolment application form can be found on our website here. Please do not hesitate to contact the school office should you have any queries. 

School Operations Updates

In the new school year, we will be expanding our use of the nForma platform to include most of our school communication functions. While we already use nForma for the daily roll, first aid notifications and student reports, this transition will allow us to make full use of the additional features available within the system. This includes medical information, permission forms, notices and announcements.

This change has been prompted in part by Operoo ceasing operations in Australia, making it timely for us to consolidate our processes within one integrated platform. Having the majority of our operations in nForma will streamline communication with families, allowing easier management of medical information, permission forms, updates and general correspondence.

Our families do not need to take any action yet. The month of December will be dedicated to this changeover, allowing adequate time for families to set up the app, and enter their child's personal and medical information. Further updates and instructions will be provided in due course.

We are confident this will make communication clearer, more consistent and more convenient for families in the long term. 

Congratulations

We congratulate our five overall highest fundraisers for our OLA Colour Fun Run:

Isla M (PJM) - $2500

Jai K (2MV) - $2500

Harmony P (2EB) - $920

Skylar M (3/4NC) - $780

Will S (PJM) - $735

We also honour the children who came in with the highest fundraising for each grade:

Prep - Isla M

Grade 1 - Sebastian Mc

Grade 2 - Jai K

Grade 3 - Skylar M

Grade 4 - Lily W

Grade 5 - Avacyn N

Grade 6 - Louisa  K

Nude Food Champions!

Congratulations to PNL for winning the Nude Food trophy. Each day, our SRC representatives record the number of students who bring lunch boxes with zero wrappers, and thanks to our impressive class effort, we were announced as last week’s winning class! In the classroom, PNL have focussed on strengthening our collaboration abilities. The children have enjoyed developing their reading, listening, and addition skills through shared time in the library, partner activities and time spent reading with their buddies. It has been a wonderful year filled with learning, teamwork and sustainable habits!

Grade 4 Camp Experience

Today our Grade 4 students arrived in their casual clothes with their pillows, sleeping bag and cuddly toys. The aim of this program is to familiarise students with the Camp Education Program before they enter Grade 5/6. Students participated in a range of fun activities throughout the day including active team building tasks provided by Supreme Incursions and led by experienced instructors. These activities are designed to work on students’ communication, understanding and leadership skills. Students were given the opportunity to describe how similarities and differences can affect relationships and identify the importance of including others for team efficiency and fairness. Students rotated through four problem solving activities and were encouraged to take a resilient, ‘trial and error’ approach. 

They listened to a camp presentation from teachers and senior leaders on the camping experience and have the opportunity to ask questions about what to expect or share any other wonderings they may have. They also loved a pizza lunch. Congratulations to all of the Grade 4 students and staff for helping make the day a special one.

Shining Moments...

Some shining moments from this week! Proud sharing of student work and lots of fun and lots of sand! We hope all that sand does not make its way home. These children were the definition of joy. 

Staff Professional Learning & Staff Planning Days

A friendly reminder that the school will be closed on Friday 21 November for staff professional learning and faith formation. The school will also be closed on Friday 5 December for the staff to gather and plan for next year.

We are heading into Week 7 next week! This precious time is flying by. We can't wait for our School Production on Thursday 4 December. 

May the sun keep shining. Enjoy the weekend.

Richard Jacques

Principal