Principal's Piece 

Term 4, Week 5

Dear Parents and Carers, 

Last Friday we celebrated World Teachers’ Day,  a day to recognise and thank our wonderful teachers for all that they do. Each teacher at OLPS makes a difference every single day through their care, dedication, and belief in their students. Each teacher received a badge with the words:  Together we dream, believe, lead and achieve. These words perfectly capture who we are as a school community and what our teachers model each day. They dream big for their students, believe in their potential, lead with compassion and purpose, and help every learner achieve their best. I would like to acknowledge all of our teachers at Our Lady’s for  the difference they make in the lives of our students and in our school community. A special thank you to one of our parents Jennifer Ishow for providing us all with delicious cupcakes. 

On Wednesday evening, Mrs Glouftsis and I  had the pleasure of attending the Hume Young Leaders Awards, where we proudly celebrated and recognised our Year 6 student, Niamh Anderson. This event acknowledges young people across Hume who consistently demonstrate leadership, empathy, initiative and a commitment to making a positive difference in their school community and beyond. We congratulate Niamh on this outstanding achievement. She is a wonderful role model who leads with kindness, acts with integrity and always shows a genuine dedication to supporting others. We are incredibly proud of her efforts and the way she embodies what true leadership looks like in both words and actions.

In keeping with our school’s child safe practices, there are a number of policies and procedures that have been recently updated and reviewed. These policies and procedures have been updated for new terminology and roles of responsibilities within MACS. They are now available on our school website for you to view. 

These include: 

• Protect: Identifying and Responding to Abuse - Reporting Obligations Policy v6.0
• Informing Staff of Reporting Obligations: Protect Procedure v3.0
• Police or Child Protection Interviews at School: Protect Procedure v3.0
• Responding to All Forms of Child Abuse: Protect Procedure v3.0
• Responding to Offences under the Crimes Act 1958(vic): Protect Procedure v2.0
• Responding to Requests from Victoria Police and Child Protection: Protect Procedure v3.0
• Responding to Student Sexual Offending: protect Procedure v3.0

You may have heard about upcoming government changes to the law regarding social media accounts for children under 16, which will take effect from 10 December 2025. As a school, we are committed to understanding these changes and working with you to ensure our young people are safe and protected. I want to be very clear — no primary school student should have access to social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat. These platforms have inbuilt design features that can encourage excessive screen time, exposure to inappropriate or harmful content, and contact with people they do not know. These features are increasingly linked to increased stress, reduced sleep, and difficulty concentrating for young people. If your child is on these platforms and is receiving inappropriate messages or contact, I strongly encourage parents to contact the police immediately, as this becomes a law enforcement concern. I strongly encourage all families to subscribe to the eSafety Commissioner alerts so you remain informed about the law changes and emerging digital trends.https://www.esafety.gov.au/about-us/industry-regulation/social-media-age-restrictions-hub

We are very excited for our Christmas Musical on Thursday 11th December.

Location: Kolbe College Gymnasium (39 Lysterfield Dr, Greenvale)

Performance Times:  

5:30 pm: Samaritan and Teresa Houses

7:30 pm: Kolbe and Romero Houses 

In order for us to know how many family members will be attending and ensure that there is enough seating, we have created a link for parents to book their tickets. This is a FREE event.

PLEASE NOTE: Only family members require tickets, there is NO need to book a ticket for students attending Our Lady’s as seating has already been arranged for students. 

Link for tickets: https://compasstix.com/e/i48gs0w1h5 or the QR Code Below

On Tuesday, we will come together as a school community to honor and remember the courage, sacrifice, and resilience of those who have served and continue to serve in defense of our country. We will pause at 11am for a 1 minute silence to pay tribute to the men and women who have given so much for our freedom and peace. This small act of reflection is a reminder of the significance of their service and a moment for us to appreciate the peace and unity we experience today. 

School closure days this term:  Friday 28th November 

Take care and God Bless

Cinzia Mancuso

Acting  Principal