Dear OLA Families,

It is hard to comprehend that we only have 4.5 days left of the school year! This year has flown by. Every day we have hit the ground running with a full program, and there has been very little time to catch our breath between the many different activities that take place at our wonderful school. We can be so proud of all that we have enjoyed and achieved together, with the children especially loving the opening of our new Community Hub, Courage to Create Art Show and Mission H20 whole school Production being the stand out memories. I wonder what you loved most about this year? With lots planned in the last week, we ask that families please be mindful of fatigue and try to keep solid routines at home. Importantly, let's all ensure we 'hold our line' and enjoy the remaining few days before a well earned break over summer.

Mission H2O School Production

What a week and what an amazing production!

Thank you all for helping us bring together two terms of rehearsals to have our children perform on stage in front of a 600 strong audience.

A huge thank you to you Mrs O'Gorman for writing and directing this amazing production, Mission H20 - you led us down new pathways and you did it with an incredible amount of experience and belief. Thank you Miss Siracusa for being such a huge support to our director and to all of us through your Stage Managing, program designing, set creation and costume coordinating. Miss Riley your work on the slides and screen images were out of this world and added to the energy and spark of the show as did your choreography work - a huge help to all involved. Thank you also for your videos and camera work. We thank the the City Of Kingston and Ventura Buses for partnering with us and for helping make the day such a positive and well organised experience. We also thank Kyle and Bree from Kinect2Dance for their choreography for each class - so supportive having them on our team and in our corner. Thank you Mrs McDowall for your lead in the costume department - you helped bring all this area together and we appreciated all you did especially with the needle and thread. Thank you to our parents who supported with costume creations and for sharing their creative skills - an extra special shout out to Agatha and Claudelle. Thank you Mrs Hudson for your work on the Props - the community especially loved the chocolate bars and coffee!! Sensei, Mrs Thompson and Mrs Thredgold - thank you for your quick take up of learning the ropes of music operation, microphones and prompt with only days to spare. Thank you Mrs Taig for bringing all the sound and lighting desk team together and for helping coordinate timetables and all things that help to bring a show together like this. Thank you Mrs Reeder for being there and extra present for the wellbeing and support of each of our students. Thank you to all staff at OLA - thank you for being so AMAZING and thank you for all you did to bring Mission H2O to the stage! What a night! Thank you for believing in the children, setting high standards, being so flexible and so very encouraging of each other and of all the students. The stories of courage and growth in the children during this period has been well worth all the hard work.

Some of the gratitude being shared:

Just wanted to say a massive congratulations to everyone involved in tonight's production. We were so blown away by the professionalism, talent and immense effort that went into the show. It was so beautiful to see confident, happy children giving it their all and doing an amazing job in the process. A huge credit to Mrs O'Gorman and everyone involved. We have one very happy Sun Ray and can't thank you enough for a wonderful night.

Well done and thank you for such an amazing production last night! The effort that you all put in has been astronomical and I bet you’re just as exhausted as the kids today. The Preps were unbelievable and undoubtedly the best performance of the night! My favourite part of the evening was seeing the huge smiles and clear pride on everyone’s faces as they streamed out of the theatre - kids and parents alike. Beautiful and joyful, and a reminder of the value of community at this time of year. Thank you so much OLA!

Could you please pass on a big congratulations to all staff involved with bringing Mission H20 to the stage on Thursday night, but especially Trish O’Gorman! As an ex-student of Mrs O’Gorman it was a little nostalgic to see her strumming her guitar with this generation! It’s an incredible feat to schedule a production in Week 9 of Term 4, but the students certainly showed they had energy as they enjoyed their moment in the spotlight! Opportunities like this really give students the chance to try something new and find new passions. It was wonderful to see so many embrace this opportunity and experience all that goes with it. There was definitely a buzz amongst the audience in the theatre!

Thank you so much for the gift of the inaugural OLA production, Mission H2O, last Thursday night. The production surpassed any expectations, especially for OLA’s first production. My only regret was that I couldn’t get there earlier to enjoy a drink at the bar! The screenplay was so cleverly created and executed, Trish. We loved the song list. The main cast and all the performers should be applauded for their courage and commitment. I feel very fortunate that my daughter was able to participate in such an event in her last year in the OLA school community. Congratulations to you, your key support staff and all the amazing volunteer parents that gave their personal time.

Production recording and photographs

DVD

Encore Videography captured our school production to sell in the form of DVD/USB/Digital Download. The link for payment is:

https://encorevideography.com.au/w/store/#!/Our-Lady-of-the-Assumption-Parish-Primary-School-Mission-H20-2023/p/603692973/category=0

As our production is towards the end of the school year we will be aiming for this to be ready prior to Thursday 14 December. The link will be able to be emailed to all who purchase it as soon as it is ready and the DVD or USB will be handed out at school. The closing date for DVD orders will be Friday 8 December.

Photographs

Encore Videography also took photographs of the students on stage and these can also be purchased online similar to the DVD. You can access the gallery here:

https://encorestudio.shootproof.com/gallery/OLA/

Photos will be available for pick up next year or you can opt for home delivery.

When cropping images, we recommend retaining 1/3 of the image for a quality print. Please check that your child is in focus before ordering.

You can purchase individual prints, matted prints and digitals or save with our collections.

Starter Collection: Buy four 5x7” prints and get one free.

Gifting Collection: Buy eight 5x7” prints and get two 8x10" prints free (perfect for framing).

Complete Collection: Buy five digitals and get three 8x10" matted prints and thirty 5x7" prints free.

Digitals Collection: Buy 4 digitals and get one free or buy 7 digitals and get 5 free.

Use the following password to access your photos: gKg*87

This gallery will expire on Wednesday 20th of December 2023.

If you have any further questions please call Corey Payton on 0498 185 295.

Welcoming our new Preps for 2024

At Tuesday's Prep Orientation, it was wonderful to witness the big brothers and sisters proudly showing off their siblings who’ll be starting school next year! We have enjoyed celebrating the pure joy of our 2024 Preps and their families during the three orientations sessions and play at the park. Each child headed home yesterday with a show bag packed full of excitement. A huge thank you to everyone involved in making these moments so fun and memorable.

Secondary School Transition

We are so proud of our past students at OLA and we were honoured to have these great humans return to us after their first year of secondary school to pass on their tips and tricks to our Class of 2023. This is a great example of secondary school transition opportunities at OLA which was initiated by one of our very own parents.

2024 Classes

Yesterday we announced our full staff list for 2024 and students from Prep - Grade 5 had their Orientation session with their new classroom teacher. It was lovely to see the resilient faces of our students Prep - Grade 5 accept the joys and challenges presented to them by changes such as moving up to meet their new teacher, classmates and classroom for 2024. Thank you for supporting your child at home at this time of change. Over the past few weeks, we have invested a significant amount of time and thought into the classes for next year, to ensure the best learning environment for all our students. This has always been an exciting time for our students and we sincerely thank our staff for the considerable investment in establishing these classes.

2024 Staffing

Please find attached the staff list for 2024. We warmly welcome Lou Watts, Eliza Jones, Emma Tiberi, Emilie Brady, Fintan O’Connor and Michael Glennon to the team, and welcome back Mark Bucilli from leave. Over the last few months we have invested a significant amount of time and thought into staffing arrangements, to ensure student wellbeing and learning is maximised. We could not be more pleased with our team for 2024.

Amongst this, we welcome our newest and final addition to 2024 staffing, Fintan O'Connor.

Fintan O'Connor

Hello OLA community! I'm Fintan O'Connor, delighted to be your newest team member for next year. I am proudly from Dublin, Ireland where I spent the first 4 years of my teaching career in year 4 and 6. I have spent the last year teaching in different schools throughout Melbourne and it is a pleasure to join my favourite school full time. Beyond the classroom you'll find me immersed in sports like running, golf and Gaelic football as well as cheering on Manchester United and Dublin's Gaelic football team. I am looking forward to an amazing year together.

Leadership & Management Team

Principal – Mr Richard Jacques
Deputy Principal, Religious Education Leader & Mathematics Leader – Mrs Caitlan Taig
Learning & Teaching Leader, Learning Diversity and Wellbeing Leader – Mrs Josy Reeder
Literacy & Intervention Leader – Miss Shelby Turner
Junior Leader – Mrs Michela Vella
Middle Leader – Miss Tess Riley
Senior Leader – Mr Steven Pertz

Learning & Teaching & Wellbeing Team

Mr Richard Jacques
Mrs Josy Reader
Mrs Caitlan Taig

Classes & Teachers

Prep CH – Mrs Catherine Harrison (M-Th) & Mrs Lara Berley (F)
Prep EJ – Miss Eliza Jones (M-F)
Grade 1 JM – Mrs Jamee Montebruno (M-Th) & Miss Shelby Turner (F)
Grade 1 ET – Ms Emma Tiberi (M-F)
Grade 2 MV – Mrs Michela Vella (M, W-F) & Mrs Lara Berley (T)
Grade 2 EB – Miss Emilie Brady (M-F)
Grade 3/4 TR – Miss Tess Riley (M, W-F) & Mrs Sam Hudson (T)
Grade 3/4 GO – Mrs Gen O’Meara (M-F)
Grade 3/4 FO – Mr Fintan O’Connor (M-F)
Grade 5/6 SP – Mr Steve Pertz (M, W-F) & Mrs Anna Danson (T)
Grade 5/6 NC – Ms Nicole Collins (M-Th) & Mr Mark Bucilli (F)
Grade 5/6 MG – Mr Michael Glennon (M-F)

Specialists

Mrs Anna Danson (STEM)
Mrs Sam Hudson (Art)
Mrs Louise Watts (Indonesian)
Mrs Liz Thompson (PE)
Mrs Trish O’Gorman (Performing Arts)

Library Team

Mrs Katherine Grima
Mrs Diana Milburn

Learning Support Officers

Mrs Ann Arthur (M-Th)
Mrs Di McDowall (M-W & F)
Miss Rosie Siracusa (M-F)

Admin Team:

Mrs Gabrielle McGee (M-W)
Mrs Sharan Talbot (M-T,Th-F)

Booklists

To assist families and the classroom teachers we place one bulk stationery order to ensure consistency across the school. All book list items including exercise books and stationery are purchased by the school and all costs are included in your school fees. Stationery for Prep to Grade 2 will be provided ensuring shared access for all. Grades 3 to 6 will be provided with individual pencil cases, have the OLA school crest printed on them and children will keep that pencil case from Grade 3 through to Grade 6. Items like tissues, wet wipes and bandaids are also purchased by the school and included in your school fees.

This bulk ordering also enables children not to compare and feel left out about who has and hasn’t purchased the ‘best’ or ‘coolest’ stationery items. From a learning point of view this also helps to minimise the large pencil cases around the classroom and it minimises the distractions that some items can create.

2024 Student Leaders

We congratulate all children who nominated for the OLA Grade 6 leadership roles for 2024. We will introduce the new leaders to the students across the school at the End of Year Prayer Service and Assembly on Friday 15 December at 9am and present their badges at the beginning of next year together with the Grade 6 Leavers Jumper which we have ready to go!

2023 School Fees

Thank you to everyone who has paid their 2023 school fees and levies or who have established a payment plan with the school. We are so grateful for your support. With the school year finishing next Friday we ask that those who have final payments outstanding are paid before the end of next week. As always if you require some support please reach out. Thank you.

2024 School Fees and Levies

Please find attached the 2024 School Fees and Levies charges. These fees and levies are discussed and agreed in consultation with the School Advisory Council and our Melbourne Archdiocese of Catholic Schools (MACS) Financial Business Partner. The top priorities when reviewing our funding model each year are:

To ensure our school remains financially viable
To continue to be accessible to families who value a Catholic education
To continue to offer a high quality education with exceptional education experiences.

Please see attached letter regarding school fees and charges for 2024.

Working Bee

Thank you to our families for participating in the four Working Bees across the year. The sense of pride and community that come from such mornings is a huge blessing for OLA. If you were not able to join us this year please make a donation so that we can maintain the care and high standards of our school buildings and grounds. Families often ask how much should we donate so we thought it would be helpful to know families make who on average a donation of $50.

Outside of School Hours Care (OSHC)

We are excited to announce that we have now partnered with a new and independent Outside of School Hours Care (OSHC) provider called TheirCare. TheirCare provides a stimulating and safe environment for all children. During sessions, children develop life skills, friendships, confidence, and creativity through play based programs. We look forward to welcoming TheirCare to Our Lady of Assumption Parish Primary School community in 2024.

Please note the current OSH service will continue until 29 January 2024 and TheirCare will commence on 30 January 2024. Further information on how to book Vacation Care in January to come.

The program will be available for all children at Our Lady of the Assumption Parish Primary School from 7:00am until 8:45am in the morning and from 3:15pm until 6:00pm each school day. During School Holidays and Pupil Free Days the service will operate from 7:00am until 6:00pm. Families wishing to use this service can visit the TheirCare website: www.theircare.com.au Families are eligible for a Government Rebate called the Child Care Subsidy which can reduce the cost per session by up to 90%.

More information can be obtained by contacting the school or ringing TheirCare Support Team on 1300 072 410. TheirCare provides a stimulating and safe environment for all children. During sessions, children develop life skills, friendships, confidence and creativity through play-based programs.

Please join TheirCare online this Wednesday evening 13 December at 6.30pm for an Information Session.

Canteen

Today we say goodbye and thank you to Bayside Canteens for their years of service at OLA providing lunches and treats for our students and families. We will miss you all and are grateful for you taking care of the children at OLA over the years.

We are excited to announce that we have now also partnered with Fun Fresh Foods. Fun Fresh Foods will provide Lunch and Recess Tuckshop service every Friday!

Tuckshop will commence on Friday 2 February 2024.

Their food is made fresh and onsite, every Friday, with a variety of fun and healthy choices. Home baked goods are also available to purchase over the counter at both playtimes. Fun Fresh Foods Ordering is done online via www.flexischools.com.au

Please see attached documents for more information.

Calendar

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

Please note the following change of dates:

Key dates for the next 2 weeks...

Week 11
Tuesday 12 Dec	9-9.30am - Prep Nativity Play & Advent Prayer Service 3
Thursday 14 Dec	Last Day of School for Grade 6 students
	2-3pm - Graduation Assembly
	6-7pm - Gr 6 Graduation Prayer Service & Ceremony
	7-8.30pm - Gr 6 Graduation Celebration
Friday 15 Dec	Last day of Term 4 for P-5 Students
	9.00am - End of Year Assembly & Advent Prayer Service
	1pm - End of Term 4

Week 1 - 2024
Monday 29 Jan	School Closure Day
Tuesday 30 Jan	Student/Teacher One-on-One Learning
Wed 31 Jan	Student /Teacher One-on-One Learning
Thurs 1 Feb	Term 1 commences for Gr 1-6
	9.00am - Welcome Assembly
Friday 2 Feb	Prep Students First Day
	9.00am - Prep Welcome Assembly
	9.15-10.15am - Welcome Morning Tea (new & current families)

EXTRA CLOSURE DAY in 2024

Please note we have our 4 year School Review in 2024 and as part of this important process we will be working with staff from the Melbourne Archdiocese of Catholic Schools on Monday 12 February. This will be a pupil free day.

OLA Fete

Our OLA Fete Team would love to ask families who have a tidy up in their homes this summer to keep hold of the good quality items (such as second hand/preloved items like books and toys) and bring them in for the Fete Team to store in the new year.

Beautiful moments being captured

This week we captured some beautiful moments to showcase what we love about our school. Thank you to all involved and I am sharing a sample of the photos here.

Thank you all for helping make these last few weeks of our school year such happy and memorable ones.

Richard Jacques

Principal

Community News