Principal's Message

Dear OLA Families,

What a great couple of weeks at OLA! Lots of hands on practical learning with skills for life being learnt and lots of wonderful memories being created at events like G Day and 100 Days of Prep. Thank you to everyone for your positive spirit, support and presence.

G Day @ OLA

We loved celebrating our grand, great, good people in our lives at Grandparents and Special Friends Day on Monday 29 July. We loved meeting all the Nannas, Nonnas, Grandpas, Grandmas, Gramps, Pops and special people last Monday morning. We also celebrated Sr Margaret's 90th birthday and one of our grandparent's 80th birthdays. This has to be one of our most favourite days of the year and we are grateful for the gratitude expressed to our staff following this special event:

Congratulations to you and all of your wonderful team for a truly magnificent grandparents and special friends day. Your message of inclusion, care and respect for others and particularly the older generation who love and care for our grandchildren was right on target.

We loved the opportunity to join our granddaughter in her classroom and experience all of the creative activities of the whole class. We so enjoy being part of the OLA community and admire the spirit that we always feel when visiting your school.

100 Days of Prep

Hooray for 100 days of Prep! Congratulations to our littlest legends and our staff who rocked their 100-year-old looks - we couldn’t be prouder! 

Farewell to Gabrielle McGee

For nearly 20 years Gab McGee has welcomed families and visitors to OLA with warmth and care. Thank you Gab for your enormous contribution to how well the school has been organised from both a finance and admin perspective over so many years. We are so aware of the many changes, from changes in Principal, change in governance and change in financial system and processes - thank you for being across all of this. Not only have you had OLA working well, you have assisted and supported other schools during such significant change and steep learning. Our school’s leadership team, staff, parents and in particular students appreciate and are grateful for all you have done to ensure the smooth running of our school office for so long.  Nothing has ever been too difficult for you.  So determined to get down to the bottom of complex issues and ensuring things were always executed correctly. We all wish you and your husband Dave the very best and may you love all that comes with being retired at the end of this term. Enjoy the well deserved break. We will say thank you and farewell to Gab at our last assembly of Term 3 on Friday 13 September at 2.30pm.

A reflection from Gabrielle McGee

I can’t help but reflect on my journey at OLA over the past 19 years. When I first joined as the Finance and Administration Manager, amidst the whirlwind of new challenges, I had a fleeting thought: “I can see myself retiring here.” Why? Because from day one, this school embraced me with warmth and inclusivity - a community like no other.

It’s hard to believe that as Term 3 is flying by, my time working at OLA will also come to an end on Thursday, 19 September. Whilst I have an unmistakable sadness in leaving such a wonderful workplace, school and parish community, there’s also excitement for what lies ahead. 

I look at my time here with happiness and pride, to have enjoyed watching so many students on their journey from Prep to Grade 6, and for all the lovely families I have met. 

I’m filled with gratitude and I'd like to extend my heartfelt thanks to Richard Jacques for all his support, and guidance, we have certainly made a great team since he arrived at OLA. Also, to Leonie Young, the previous Principal, whom I worked alongside for many years, for her unwavering support and encouragement for me to always strive to learn, study, and grow professionally. To the Parish Priests during my time at OLA, Fr Frank Martin (dec), Fr Peter Matheson and Fr Alan Fox, thank you. 

I also wish to acknowledge Josy Reeder, Caitlan Taig and our amazing Leadership team, you are all a credit to OLA. 

Last but certainly not least, a big shout out to all staff, both past and present. Each of you has contributed uniquely to my journey - I carry fond memories of friendships made, laughter shared, lessons learned, and achievements celebrated. 

Thank you.

Gab

Parish Amalgamation

CHRIST OUR LIGHT PARISH, HIGHETT-CHELTENHAM

The 10th August, 2024 marks a new beginning: the formal amalgamation (merging) of St Agnes’ Parish, Highett and Our Lady of the Assumption Parish, Cheltenham, establishing

Christ Our Light Parish, Highett-Cheltenham. This weekend, the 10th/11th August, we celebrate the Sacrament of First Eucharist, as well as the formal establishment of ‘Christ Our Light Parish’. Next weekend, on the 17th/18th August, we will mark Fr Alan’s 30th Anniversary of Priesthood Ordination. You are welcome to bring something to share, as we celebrate these milestones with a cuppa after our Masses. After Mass there will be a gathering to honour and celebrate this special and significant event. 

NAPLAN

We were proud to receive our school NAPLAN results and we are thrilled to acknowledge the great achievement of our Grade 3 and Grade 5 students across all key disciplines. We remind families that NAPLAN results add value to teacher assessment and reporting by showing how their students' achievements compare to a wider group of students across the state and Australia. At OLA we use this data to track cohorts of students over the years. It is important to remember that the results reflect each student’s performance at a single point in time. It is a snapshot of one form of assessment and should be coupled with the many forms of assessment undertaken by the school. Teachers in all schools assess their students’ learning in literacy and numeracy on a regular basis. NAPLAN testing complements, but does not replace, the information that teachers gather. Should you have any queries regarding your child’s results, please do not hesitate to contact your child's classroom teacher.

OLA Fete

Things are getting busy for the fete committee with big day only 106 sleeps away!! 

We are on the lookout for marquees: John Bardon and Will Power have one of the most important jobs of the fete – ensuring we all have space and the right equipment to host a stall. This is a big job and this pair are doing an amazing job in getting us ready. 

For every dollar we save on equipment hire the more to go towards our school and parish community. So we are asking if anyone has a marquee that they could loan us for the fete to please let us know ASAP by contacting John at  jkbardon@gmail.com and copy to fete@olacheltenham.catholic.edu.au

Your donations make for a great fete!

As the fete draws closer we will be requesting your donations to fill our stalls and make for a great community fete. 

August: Lucky bottles. Got anything lurking in the cabinet or want to chip in with a friend to donate an extra special bottle? The lucky bottle stall is always a great hit. 

September: Each class is asked to contribute to a hamper prize. At the end of August we’ll be sending out a notification of what the donation category is for your class. 

October: Chocolate bars. Stash away a few bars when on special to donate to our Choc O Block and cake decorating stalls. 

November: Cake baking. What’s a fete without a bake stall? We’d love your donations of cakes, slices, cookies, jams, chutneys.

We understand we are asking a lot of parents but each contribution to making our school a better place. Every little bit helps and we hope by providing advance notice families can donate to these initiatives. 

Crazy Hair / Crazy Sock Day

Thank you OLA community for your gold coin donations and for being a little bit crazy. We raised $188.70 which will go towards running costs for the fete.

Help to raise awareness 

If you live on a high traffic / visible location and wouldn’t mind have a fete billboard on your front fence or garden, please email fete@olacheltenham.catholic.edu.au. Please check out our OLA Fete tab in this Newsletter and let us know if you can help in any way...

Claire & Mel

Fete Co-Chairs

Fete Sponsors

A request from our OLA Fete Sponsorship Team:

On behalf of the 2024 OLA Fete Committee, we are reaching out to seek expressions of interest for a corporate sponsor for our upcoming fete in November. Do you work for, or know someone who works for an organisation that would like to partner with the school and parish to make this year's fete an even bigger success? If so, please let Antonella and Liz know via email: biv_is@hotmail.com or liz.grace.dawson@gmail.com

On offer is digital exposure across our social media pages, links on the school website, physical billboard presence, and flyers that will be displayed in local shop fronts and distributed to local kindergartens and community groups.

Alternatively, if your business is in a position to donate goods or services for things like our raffle, silent auction, these would be warmly welcomed.

OLA Art Show

Save the Date

OLA's Art Show 2024, 'A World Full of Art' will be opened on Thursday 12 September, 6.30-8.00pm. This Art Show will celebrate amazing artworks from around the world and the art will be created in both Visual Art and Indonesian classes. The children can’t wait to show off their creativity.

Volunteers

If there are any parents who would be keen to help with mounting and labelling the children’s artwork on cover paper in Term 3 please email our Art Teacher Sam Hudson shudson@olacheltenham.catholic.edu.au 

2025 & 2026 Enrolments Welcome

Please note our new School Tour Dates from now until the end of the year. If these dates do not work for you please call the office to arrange a time that suits you and your family.

It has been so lovely to meet with each Prep child for 2025 - we thank all families for joining us at OLA and for helping your child make the best transition possible.

2025 Plans

We politely ask all families to notify the school should your child/children not be returning to OLA in 2025.  We have had a number of enquiries in recent weeks across various levels. Having an accurate indication of our enrolment numbers ensures we are able to plan accordingly for the following school year and access appropriate funding i.e. staffing and resourcing. We thank you for your cooperation.

Calendar

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

Pupil Free Days for 2024

• Monday 7 October Respectful Relationships 
• Monday 4 November Assessment & Reporting
• Friday 6 December 2025 Planning and Preparation 

Please note on the following dates school finish early at 1pm:

OLA Fete on Friday 22 November

Last day of school Tuesday 17 December

Congratulations

Wakakirri

Our Grade 5/6 students have been shining in their preparations for their Wakakirri Production at Frankston Arts Centre on Tuesday 20 August. The story of inclusion is one to remember forever. Thank you to Miss Riley, Miss Jones, Miss Turner, Miss Siracusa, Mrs Arthur and Mrs McDowall for going above and beyond - your dedication and enthusiasm are very much appreciated.

Tech Olympics

Congratulations to our amazing Grade 6 Tech Leaders for flying the OLA flag high at the Tech Olympics today! What a great opportunity for our children to problem solve and work collaboratively. They even came home with a silver medal for their bridge building and Miss Riley came through with a gold for touch typing! THank you Miss turner and Miss Riley for being the team leaders and attending this day with our Tech Lea

Letters sent to our Australian Olympians

The year 3/4's let their Olympic heroes know that the OLA community have been watching, cheering them on, and feeling incredibly proud through their letters of encouragement. These messages were delivered to a special mailbox at the Victorian Institute of Sport and will make their way to Paris to our Australian Olympians! How special is this!

Grade 1 Writers

Congratulations to our writers in Grade 1. It is so lovely to see our junior students enjoy their weekly writing, boosting their literacy skills as they develop into confident communicators and imaginative thinkers. We are so proud of their progress!

OLA Netball Team

Last Friday, the OLA Mixed Netball Team played at the Kingston Division Finals, after winning at the District Lightning Premiership. Thank you to all the team members that played amazingly, the parents that came along and our fantastic coach Mrs O’Meara, and thank you Mr Bucilli for your help.

Grade 5/6 Immigration Museum Excursion

Our Grade 5/6 students visited the Immigration Museum last week to complement the 'Tuning In' phase of our RE/Inquiry Units. The students participated in the 'Many Stories' Workshop and learnt about Australian migration stories and interacted with many interesting exhibits, artefacts and displays. They also visited the Sandridge Bridge and enjoyed looking at the sculptures of 'The Travellers' and finding their own countries of origin displayed on the panels. Congratulations for being mindful and respectful of all those around you in the middle of the city whilst being safe and having fun.

Cheltenham District Basketball

On Monday OLA competed against the Cheltenham District for Basketball. Our girls team finished second with only one loss and our boys finished third. Congratulations on the way these great ambassadors played and for the way they represented OLA, we are very proud of you all! Thank you to the teachers and parents who helped make this opportunity possible.

Olympics

We hope you are all getting some sleep with the Olympics on at the moment. It has been lovely to hear so many children and adults chatting about the Olympic Games in Paris. Highlights have included: The Olympic Flame being carried throughout Paris and then ascending up in a hot air balloon, Mollie and Ariana in the 200m Freestyle, Jessica Fox taking out two gold medals and then her sister Noemi taking out a gold medal too,  Boxer Harry Garside sharing his devastation and then sharing his personal triumph, so many PBs and medals being won by Australians... the list goes on. Aussie Aussie Aussie!!

Wishing our Grade 4s and their families all the very best for their First Eucharist on Sunday. Next week we look forward to our Feast Day celebrations and the week after is Book Week! Enjoy the weekend.

Richard Jacques

Principal