Principal's Message

Dear OLA Families

Next week promises to be an exceptionally busy one across our community, and we can expect some very tired students at every level of the school. The extended 4 day Melbourne Cup weekend, will therefore be particularly timely. We ask families to be mindful that increased fatigue and heightened emotions may emerge as students and families prepare for the Fete on Saturday 7 November, 9am-3pm. This is all in addition to a full academic program and the commencement of our end of year assessment schedule. Plenty of rest, patience and understanding will be especially important throughout the week.

OLA Fete

Not long now!! We are so grateful for everyone's generosity. Our storage rooms have been bulging at the sides and we appreciate all Fete donations being delivered directly to Exodus Hall.  Thank you to everyone who has donated toys, books, clothes, bottles, gold coins – and in every other way to contribute to our fundraising drives. We couldn’t do it without everyone’s support. Please keep good quality books, toys and clothes coming in.

Volunteers Needed – Grab a Mate and Sign Up! 

We can't run the fete without volunteers on our amazing stalls. We need you to volunteer a little bit of your time on the day – it’s the easy bit, and it’s FUN!

Every stall, every game, every sausage sizzle needs hands on deck.

So, grab a mate, pick a time slot, and sign up a stall today. Whether you've got an hour or the whole day, your help turns this into the best day of the school year.

👉 Sign up here: volunteersignup.org

Rides Wristbands: Early Bird Still On – Grab your Savings!

• Lock in the fun (and go in the running for prizes) by grabbing your ride wristbands early:

• 	Junior	Senior
  Early Bird (1 Sept – 6 Nov 2026)	$38	$48
  On the day	$45	$55

  The earlier you book, the more you save and every pre-purchased wristband is an entry into our prize draw.

OLA Raffle

We’ve got 1 week until our amazing Fete! The raffle tickets are on sale online this year.

Each and every ticket sold supports our fundraising efforts and you have got to be in it to win it! 

There are 3 major prizes available, all generously donated by members of our school community and supporters of OLA in our local area.

Please support them as they support us:

1st: Nintendo Switch 2, generously donated by Sound Electronic Integration

2nd: $500 Luxury Escapes voucher, generously donated by Luxury Escapes

3rd: $500 Westfield gift card

4th: $200 Gold Class voucher, generously donated by Pritchard McIntyre & Associates

Ready, steady, bid! 

Our Silent Auction is now open. You need to be in it to win it. 

Cakes & Preserves - Ready Steady Bake! 

All cakes, slices, cookies, cupcakes, preserves and any other sweet or savoury items are welcome. Please drop all donations to the OLA School Office on Friday, 6 November or alternatively on the Fete day morning directly to the cake stall.

This is the same with donations of plants.

Bike Ed

Our Grade 4 students had a fantastic time taking part in the Big Bike Ride during the week. The Bike Ed Program has helped students build their confidence, develop important road safety skills and become more aware and responsible cyclists in our local neighbourhood.

The Big Bike Ride was a wonderful opportunity to put their learning into practice and help keep themselves and others safe on our roads. Thank you to all our parent volunteers and staff from OLA who have made this possible.

Aspiration's Day

OLA held their first ever Aspiration’s Day, an initiative of the SRC and their leader Miss Riley. The children began the day with a parade dressed up as their dream job and then we listened to parents share their story of their careers. There was a wonderful spirit and the thinking by the children was next level. Thank you to Miss Riley, the SRC and all for getting so involved.

Working Bee

A huge thank you to our wonderful OLA community for coming together for our working bee! It was fantastic to see so many families giving their time and energy to help care for our school grounds and buildings.

We are so proud of our school and the beautiful spaces our students learn and grow in each day. Days like these remind us how lucky we are to be part of such a caring, supportive and dedicated community.

We are so grateful to the many families who have joined us for a Working Bee this year and thank you to all who have made a cash donation as this contributes towards the purchase of the bark, sand, mulch and maintenance to keep things working well and looking good around our school. 

2027 School Closure Days

As referenced in previous newsletters and discussed with the OSAC, there will be some changes in 2027 under the new EBA, including all MACS and government schools having four additional closure days, bringing the total to eight. We recognise the impact these mandated days may have on families. To minimise disruption, we have carefully scheduled them, wherever possible and practical, alongside long weekends, public holidays and existing school breaks.

The proposed dates will be shared in the coming weeks to assist families with planning for 2027. We thank you in advance for your understanding and support.

Class Placements 2027

Over the coming weeks, our staff will invest significant time in finalising class placements for 2027. This careful process considers each child’s social, emotional, behavioural and academic needs. Teacher judgement, supported by a deep understanding of each student and cohort, will guide decisions to create balanced and effective learning environments. While friendships are considered, our foremost priority is achieving the best possible classroom dynamic for all students.

As part of the process, students have been asked to nominate five classmates with whom they learn and work well. They will be encouraged to consider peers from across the cohort, including those in other classes. Every effort will be made to place each child with at least one nominated classmate; however, specific placements cannot be guaranteed.

We know our families trust the professionalism of staff to meet the needs of all students, and we remind parents that all specific 'educational' requests were to be made to the Principal in person throughout October with requests closing today. Your understanding and support with this is appreciated. Class placements will be finalised for Grade 1-6 Orientation Day in Week 10, Thursday 10 December. 

2027 Class Formation

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 7 years.  We have grown from 18 children coming into Prep to now approximately 50 children in 2027! And across the school we are growing from around 277 to 307. 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 2027 and beyond. We are researching and speaking 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.  We are working with the following numbers to come up with the best class structures:

2027 Enrolments per level:  (as at 30.10.26)

Multi-level Classrooms

When enrolling families at OLA we always talk about class structures and it's that time of year when we believe it is timely to once again share some of our work and research around our multi level classrooms.  In 2020 we worked as a staff and with the students and community to grow our understanding of multi-level classrooms. Karilyn Gumley who is a passionate leader in learning and teaching worked as a consultant with OLA to create a shared understanding of the pros and cons of multi level classrooms. At OLA we believe in making the best decisions for our students and our community.  We believe multi level learning environments can…

• Strengthen Confidence - Multi level grouping provides younger students with the opportunity to observe, emulate, and imitate a wide range of behaviours; older students have the opportunity to assume responsibility for less mature and less knowledgeable students.
• Offer wider friendship opportunities - In a smaller school a multi level setting offers children greater opportunities to build relationships across age levels and within levels. Research indicates that this builds resilience and the ability to form friendships across the school learning community.
• Support academic success - Students in the lower grades can enrich their learning by attending to the material designed for the higher grades, while students in the higher grades can profit from opportunities to review the material designed for lower grades. Research also demonstrates that learning is reinforced when a peer is able to share and articulate their learning with others.
• Balance diverse learning needs - A  multi level construct offers the opportunity for greater ability to balance out the demands of various learning needs if a particular cohort is challenged.
• Enhance the Learning and Teaching environment by providing greater access for the zone of proximal development - Current concepts of cognitive development (for example, the zone of proximal development and cognitive conflict) imply that children whose knowledge or abilities are similar but not identical can stimulate each other’s thinking and cognitive growth.
• Strengthens community - We see a positive flow on from the mixed classes within the community feel of school, with families across year levels having friendships and then able to work as a team on school wide initiatives and socially.

As a staff we have developed our vision for what we understand and believe that multi level learning environments offer for our students: 

At OLA, children are at the heart of everything we do. We believe a multi level learning environment allows for flexibility and differentiation in learning and teaching. We are committed to embedding the pedagogical practices that will support a range of learning results. We provide opportunities to build relationships, resilience and develop a range of social connections.

Please feel free to contact me at any time and I will happily discuss this further with you. 

Below are some recent articles which explain why our school uses multi level class groupings, how they work, and what research tells us about them. We encourage you to read whichever you find interesting:

• What parents commonly ask: #2 & #4
• What it looks like in practice: #5
• School-leadership perspective: #6
• Why this approach works: #1 & #3

While some research is interstate or national, the principles apply in Victoria and we adapt them for our context.

Child Safe Standard 9

11 months 11 standards...

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

For October it is Child Safe Standard 9.

‘Physical and online environments promote safety and wellbeing while minimising the opportunity for children and young people to be harmed.’

As Catholic educators, we have a moral, mission-driven, and legal responsibility to ensure that every environment where children learn, play, and connect, both physical and online, promotes safety and wellbeing. This responsibility is lived out not only through policies and procedures, but through the way school spaces, activities, and digital platforms are designed, supervised, and used each day. 

Our commitment to child safety includes creating and maintaining safe physical spaces and responsible online environments that minimise risks and reduce opportunities for harm. This includes thoughtful supervision, clear expectations for behaviour and technology use, and proactive approaches that support children’s wellbeing, dignity, and inclusion in all settings. 

Grounded in our Catholic mission to uphold the dignity of every child as made in the image and likeness of God, Child Safe Standard 9 calls us to act with compassion, vigilance, and responsibility. When our school environments are intentionally shaped by Gospel values to be safe, supportive, and respectful, both in person and online, children are protected, feel secure, and are enabled to flourish spiritually, emotionally, and academically across every aspect of school life. 

Christmas Carols

We look forward to hosting our OLA Christmas Carols in Brigid Hall on Thursday 3 December 6.30pm. Please come wearing a touch of Christmas and be ready to singalong with some traditional carols as well as some fun new ones too!

OSAC and P&F AGM & Thank You to Volunteers

We invite you all to our AGM on Monday 7 December at 7.00pm. This will be a relaxed event, where we will share our school, P&F and School Advisory Council achievements for 2026. 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.

Calling for new OLA Parents & Friends members

We thank our 2026 P&F Committee for their support of our great school and we especially thank our Co Chairs John Bardon and Pascale Arlove together with Raf Gouel and Susan Cotterill for creating such a welcoming and positive team. This year has seen a large focus on providing opportunities for the children and parents to have fun, enjoy being part of our great community and to fundraise. Please know that your active support is very much appreciated. We have also loved the social events organised in the different year levels and the support the P&F representatives give their level when there is a need for support for a family, a child or a staff member. These P&F Year Level Reps will be looking for new reps to join them or replace them in 2027. Current P&F Reps please let our Co Chairs know if you are keen to continue or if you have secured a replacement.

If you would like to be part of helping our school next year and adding to our wonderful sense of community, please consider joining the 2027 P&F Team. It is a great way to contribute to the development of the school and meet other parents.

We are looking for two parent representatives from each year level, who are responsible for updating the parents in their year level with important information/reminders, and organising a couple of events throughout the year. For example, the Grade 1 P&F representatives host the Morning Tea for new and current families on the first day of school. Feel free to chat to this year's P&F members if you would like some more information or, better still, if you would like to get involved. You can also speak with me in person or email any questions or ideas to principal@olacheltenham.catholic.edu.au

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. We have over 20 applications already so please ensure your application is submitted too.

Prep 2027 Transition Dates & Times

We are excitedly preparing to welcome our 2027 Prep families and students for the Prep Orientation program. The orientation program is an exciting and enriching experience, as the children transition from a small Kindergarten setting to a larger, more vibrant school setting. 

For our new (and not so new) Prep parents, we look forward to welcoming you on Thursday 5 November at 7.30pm. This information evening is a wonderful opportunity to meet new families, teachers and key staff who will work with your children next year. Our orientation sessions are as follows: 

School Fees

Term 4 school fee statements were sent out this week. 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). 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 Shoes

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.We thank you in advance for your understanding. 

Planning for 2027

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. 

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 4, 2026

Tuesday 6 October - Tuesday 15 Dec (11 weeks)

Pupil Free Days for 2026

• 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

State Reps competing at the Aussies

Wishing Cleo & Zoe all the very best as they represent Victoria at the School Sport Australia National Championships in Newcastle! The VIC girls are off to a fantastic start, winning their first four matches, with victories over ACT, South Australia and Western Australia. Our Grade 5/6 students even got to watch the girls live as they defeated the First Nations team 4–0! OLA is so proud of Cleo & Zoe. Go Victoria!

Look out for this TV star...

Congratulations to Parker for his acting this year especially in being a background actor in Little Lunch as well as in a feature film called The Chamber Door. More recently, he auditioned for and was cast as one of four children to voice the new Bega Cheese TV commercial, which will air in 2027. We understand this is his biggest achievement to date and we are incredibly proud of him! Parker is represented by a children’s talent agency - IWM Next Gen and he is absolutely loving it. He even dressed as an actor for the recent Aspiration's Day. 

Our very own Film Maker...

Congratulations to Maree who submitted a short film which was screened on the big screen at the Greek Student Greek Film festival at the Palace Cinema Como in South Yarra, last weekend. We are super proud of your efforts Maree as you entered as a solo category.

VIT Project

Congratulations to our second year teacher Miss Lim, who successfully presented her Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT) registration project to her panel! The panel included her amazing mentors Mrs Harrison and Mrs Vella as well as the Principal Mr Jacques and Deputy Principal Mrs Reeder. Miss Lim's inquiry focussed on a vital aspect of student engagement and deep understanding: the impact of using concrete materials to support students' understanding of multiplication and division. By integrating hands on manipulatives into her lessons, she demonstrated how tactile learning bridges the gap between abstract concepts and real world understanding for our students. The panel was incredibly impressed by her evidence based approach, reflective practice, and dedication to student learning. Please join us in celebrating this wonderful milestone as Miss Lim officially transitions from graduate teacher to fully registered teacher!

Confirmation

Congratulations to our wonderful students who celebrated the Sacrament of Confirmation at OLA. It was a beautiful and special occasion for our children, families and school community. May the gifts of the Holy Spirit guide and strengthen our students as they continue to grow in faith, love and kindness. We are so proud of each of you and wish you every blessing on your faith journey. 

Principal Awards

It is moments like these that make me burst with joy, as our students drop by the office to proudly share their growth and growing confidence as learners. Every smile tells a story!

Poppy Appeal

Cheltenham Moorabbin RSL have invited us again this year to raise awareness of the Remembrance Day Poppy Appeal. These items will be on sale until the 11 November and can be purchased from the front office or children who are selling them before/after school. Items range from $2-$10.

Prayers

We ask for your prayers this week for the Ali family. We pray for Barti and Kenzie (Grade 1/2CH), and their family, following the death of their mother and grandmother Nina (Barti's Mum) in Dubai last week. May the Ali family know of the love of their OLA and wider community at this very sad time. 

And finally...

A reminder to families that there will be no school on Monday, 2 November. Together with the Melbourne Cup Day public holiday on Tuesday, 3 November, this will give our students and our staff a four day long weekend. 

Richard Jacques

Principal