Principal's Message

Dear OLA Families

The children have enjoyed a calm and happy start to 2026. Thank you to our staff for maintaining such high standards and expectations whilst creating a caring and kind environment. The one on one meetings between students and teachers continued to prove to be time well spent in forming positive relationships, easing back into life at school and capturing where each student is with their learning and where they need to go to next.  

We sincerely thank our staff and parents for supporting and preparing our students so well for their return to school.  The classrooms and learning areas are looking so organised, clean and fresh and the displays are bright and engaging.

It is so lovely to see all the children of OLA back together with such a strong sense of belonging and pride.  It is great to see them taking pride in the way they learn, listen, in the way they present themselves and in their book work. We continue to prioritise relationships, connections, being kind and giving our best. Peace is the theme for 2026 at OLA.  

It should come as no surprise that our Grade 6s have hit the ground running, responding to the high expectations and responsibilities associated with senior leadership. We look forward to our senior students continuing to shine in the weeks to come. May 2026 be a year where our students and families have many opportunities to connect and where friendships grow.  

We have taken great joy in welcoming our 42 Prep children to OLA. Each year our ‘preppies’ bring a delightful sense of excitement and enthusiasm to our community.  Our beautiful Preps have managed their first week at school with an amazing calmness and keenness to take in everything! The feedback from all staff has been overwhelmingly positive - they have adjusted to school life so quickly and confidently. Supported by Mrs Montebruno, Miss Riley and Mrs Levitt, the Preps' readiness to embrace the full school experience has been quite exceptional.

We hope all our new families are feeling the warmth and welcome of our OLA community. A special thank you to our Grade 1 parents for their generous morning tea which was enjoyed at our Welcome Morning Tea on the Prep's first day following our Welcome Assembly. A special thank you to our new P&F Co-Chairs and Grade 1 Parent Reps.

Welcome

We welcome back all our staff after the summer holiday and extend a warm welcome to our new staff for 2025: Sally Jeffree (1/2MV classroom teacher on Tuesdays), Rebecca Nielsen (1/2RN classroom teacher),  Ellie Levitt (Prep JM on Monday, Prep TR on Tuesday & 1/2CH classroom teacher on Friday), Clara Davidson (3/4CD classroom teacher), Melissa Bien-Izowski (5/6SP classroom teacher on Tuesday), Isabella Rourke (Learning Support Officer) and Pilar Caviano (Spanish Teacher). We are also very fortunate to be able to welcome back Tess Riley who will teach Prep TR as well as be the Prep Level Leader. We are thrilled to have you on board and we know our community will make you feel very welcome.  Please note that staff email addresses are available in this newsletter on the Staff Contact Details tab.

Along with our 42 new Preps and their families, we extend a warm welcome to our new students and their families joining us from other grades in 2026: Vivienne (1/2CH), Finlay (1/2NL), April (1/2CH), Vilada (1/2CH), Amilia (1/2MV), Xavier (3/4NC), Emily (3/4CD)and Edward (5/6MG). We look forward to getting to know you this year. 

2026 Staffing List:

 Leadership & Management Team

• Principal – Mr Richard Jacques
• Deputy Principal and Religious Education Leader – Mrs Caitlan Taig
• Learning & Teaching, Learning Diversity and Wellbeing Leader – Mrs Josy Reeder
• Literacy & Intervention Leader – Miss Shelby Turner
• Mathematics Leader – Ms Nicole Collins
• Prep Level Leader- Miss Tess Riley
• Junior School Level Leader – Mrs Michela Vella 
• Middle School Level Leader – Miss Eliza Jones
• Senior School Level Leader – Mr Steve Pertz

School Improvement Team & Wellbeing Team

• Mr Richard Jacques
• Mrs Josy Reeder
• Mrs Caitlan Taig
• Miss Shelby Turner

Classes & Teachers

• Prep JM Mrs Jamee Montebruno (T-F) & Mrs Ellie Levitt (M)
• Prep TR  Miss Tess Riley (M, W-F) & Mrs Ellie Levitt (T)
• Grade 1/2CH  Mrs Catherine Harrison (M-T) & Mrs Ellie Levitt (F)
• Grade 1/2MV  Mrs Michela Vella (M, W-F) & Ms Sally Jeffree (T)
• Grade 1/2NL Miss Natasha Lim (M-F)      
• Grade 1/2RN Miss Bec Nielsen (M-F)
• Grade 3/4CD Miss Clara Davidson (M-F) 
• Grade 3/4EJ Miss Eliza Jones (M, W-F) & Mrs Fiona Lee (T)
• Grade 3/4GO Mrs Gen O’Meara (M-F)
• Grade 3/4NC Mrs Nicole Collins (M-W) & Mrs Fiona Lee (Th,F)
• Grade 5/6ES Miss Emma Summers (M-F) 
• Grade 5/6MG Mr Michael Glennon (M-F)
• Grade 5/6SP Mr Steve Pertz (M, W-F) & Mrs Melissa Bien-izowski (T)

Specialists

• Mrs Clare Flood (STEM)
• Mrs Sam Hudson (Visual Art)
• Mrs Liz Thompson (PE)
• Mrs Trish O’Gorman (Performing Arts)
• Ms Pilar Caivano (Spanish)

Library Team

• Mrs Katherine Grima
• Mrs Diana Milburn

Learning Support Officers

• Mrs Di McDowall (M-W)
• Miss Rosie Siracusa (M-F)
• Miss Ruby Powell (M-F)
• Mrs Jovana Kelman (T-F)
• Miss Isabella Rourke (M &Th)

Admin Team:

• Mrs Maria Hogan (M,T, Th,F)
• Mrs Sharan Talbot (M-W)

Please find email addresses for all teachers in the Staff Contact Details tab of this newsletter.

Information Night

Thank you to our families for joining us for our Information Night last night. It was a privilege to share the school's vision, priorities and direction for 2026 as well as the three priorities from our School Improvement Plan. In addition to this we spoke about the high expectations at OLA and the importance of family partnerships. I was able to share some amazing data from our MACSSIS surveys and we celebrated the growth since 2023 in the area of Family Partnerships, Student Engagement, Sense of Safety and Belonging. It is also wonderful to see the increase in the number of families completing this survey. Please look out for this survey in September this year and take the time to complete this and provide the school with valuable feedback. I attach the slides shared for your perusal. 

Our parents/carers were then able to visit their child's classrooms and spend time with their child's classroom teachers - these slides will be shared next week along with Term Overviews. It was lovely to have so many of you join us as we continue to partner together in 2026.

Student Safety Online

As we embark on a new school year, we would like to address a topic of concern related to large online group chat groups which is probably more focussed on Grade 5/6 students but in today's day and age you never know!  

We know our students increasingly engage with technology and online communication. We value and celebrate the many friendships and connections within our school community, and, given the stage of development of our students, prioritise fostering these relationships in ways that promote inclusivity, kindness, and respect. 

Whilst online chat groups can appear to be a fun and easy way for students to stay connected, our experience has shown (for younger children in particular) that large group chats often come with significant challenges, including the risk of cyberbullying, unkind or ill-considered messages, and the pressure to constantly check and respond. These platforms can create anxiety for children who feel overwhelmed by the volume of messages or excluded if their families choose not to participate in these online groups. 

At OLA, we work diligently to provide a welcoming, inclusive community where every student feels valued and connected. Large chat groups can undermine these efforts, and for this reason, we do not endorse or encourage their creation. Instead, we ask families to help us reinforce the importance of in person connections and open circles of friendship. 

We strongly encourage parents to take an active role in monitoring all online interactions. In line with the advice from the Australian eSafety Commissioner, parents are encouraged to always consider:  

• Are you aware of what your child is posting, and have you discussed safe and responsible online behaviour? 
• Is the group size my daughter is engaging with manageable and inclusive? 
• Are the conversations respectful and aligned with our family values? 
• Does your child understand what is safe to share online? 
• Does your child know how to manage and report negative online experiences? 

Thank you for working with us in partnership to nurture an environment that is kind, inclusive and connected.  This is a timely reminder with Safer Internet Day taking place on Tuesday 10 February.

School Tours and 2027 Enrolments 

I know we are still enjoying welcoming our new Preps for 2026 but we also are beginning to receive many enrolment enquiries for Prep 2027 and beyond!!  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. If you would like a school tour please book online on the school website or call Sharan/Maria in our front office. If you are not able to make these tours please know that you are also welcome to call to make a time that does work for you.

Sharing our story 

We have worked closely with Tserlin and Mark from School Presence to develop our new billboards for Centre Dandenong Road as well as our Kinder Flyer ready for the start of this year. The words and concepts have come from feedback from our community. Thank you to everyone in our community for sharing our story and talking about OLA in the wider community. Next week we will be dropping off flyers and posters to local kinders so if you notice your child's child care centre or kinder does not have these please visible please let us know and you may be able to help us deliver some.

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 1, 2026

Wednesday 28 January - Thursday 2 April (10 weeks)

Term 2, 2026

Monday 20 April - Friday 26 June (10 weeks)

Term 3, 2026

Tuesday 14 July - Friday 18 September (10 weeks)

Term 4, 2026

Tuesday 6 October - Tuesday 15 Dec (11 weeks)

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. 

CSEF and MACS School Concession Fee

For concession card holders, Camps, Sports, and Excursions Fund (CSEF) eligibility will be subject to the parental/legal guardian’s concession card being successfully validated with Centrelink on either the first day of either Term One, (27 January 2026) or Term Two, (20 April 2026).  

Health Care Card holders may be eligible for the MACS School Fee Concession Program Application. The MACS Concessional Fee Policy is currently being reviewed by MACS Head Office, and the policy and application form will be available in Term 1 2026 which is to be submitted to the school office in Term 1 2026 (specific dates to be confirmed).

Any family wishing to discuss CSEF or MACS School Concessions Fee please contact Richard Jacques (principal@olacheltenham.catholic.edu.au) or Maria Hogan (accounts@olacheltenham.catholic.edu.au).

School Operations Updates

As you are aware, Operoo has ceased operations in Australia and we are no longer able to access this program. This year we are expanding our use of the nForma platform to include most of our school communication functions. While we already use nForma for attendance, 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. Having the majority of our operations with nForma will allow us to streamline our communication.

If you haven't already, at your earliest convenience, please access your nForma Parent App (or download it if you haven't already done so; instructions are attached), and enter in your child/ren's personal, contact and medical information. With Operoo closing, all medical and contact details must be entered directly into nForma moving forward.

The PDF linked below outlines how to use nForma for:

• Student Reports
• Notices and Permission Forms
• Medical Information
• Marking future absences for your child/children

Please note that at this stage, we are not utilising the nMeet feature, so we will continue to use www.schoolinterviews.com.au for parent–teacher bookings until further notice.

Please reach out if you have any questions or need assistance with setting up your nForma Parent App. 

TheirCare - Before & After School Care 

One less thing to worry about later with Before and After School Care atTheirCare.

Even if you don’t need before or after school care right now, enrolling your child means it’s there when you do. Work runs late. Meetings pop up. Appointments happen. Kids get invited places. Life moves fast, and having care already set up makes those days so much easier. The good news? There’s no catch.

• It costs nothing to enrol

• You won’t pay unless you actually book a session

• Care can cost as little as a few dollars per session (after CCS)

So you can enrol, be prepared, and only use it when you need it. Your child will be with caring educators, doing fun activities, and spending time with friends in a safe, familiar space. It only takes a few minutes to set up and in the future you will be glad it’s done. Click here to enrol. 

TheirCare Team

Congratulations

Throughout the course of a week we hear stories of children's achievements and growth at school as well as extra curricular involvement, commitment and achievements. Our community enjoy hearing about these proud moments and so we invite families to share a photo and a little explanation to add to our newsletter each fortnight.

Congratulations

Wedding at Loch Ness in Scotland

Ellie and Chris,

Congratulations on your wedding. We wish you both a lifetime of happiness. We could not be happier for you and these photos are just amazing. Miss Mackenzie is now Mrs Levitt!!

All of OLA are excited for you and we wish you both all the very best.

Reminder

Welcome Family Picnic - Friday 20 February

All families are warmly invited to attend our Welcome Family Picnic on the OLA Oval Friday 20 February at 5:00-7:00pm. Sausages and drinks will be available for purchase as will face painting for some extra fun. Otherwise families are to BYO picnic rugs, drinks and nibbles. Thank you to our wonderful P&F team for organising this event for our families. 

Wishing everyone a restful weekend after our first full week back at school.

As always please do not hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions or queries. Our doors are always open. We hope this is a great year ahead for your child, for your family and for our school.

Thank you Bella for helping take care of our thirsty plants after school today!

I hope you didn't get too wet!!

Richard Jacques

Principal