Principal's Message
Prayer in Praise of the Saints
How shining and splendid are your gifts, O Lord
which you give us for our eternal well-being
Your glory shines radiantly in your saints, O God
In the honour and noble victory of the martyrs.
The white-robed company follow you,
bright with their abundant faith;
They scorned the wicked words of those with this world's power.
They bore their holy witness to you
who were grounded deep within their hearts;
they were sustained by patience and constancy.
Endowed with your everlasting grace,
may we rejoice forever
with the martyrs in our bright fatherland.
O Christ, in your goodness,
grant to us the gracious heavenly realms of eternal life.
Amen
Staffing 2019
It is with pleasure that we announce the appointment of Mrs Jemima Saunders to the role of Assistant Principal at St Michael's, Bassendean. Jemima has been on secondment at the Catholic Education Office as part of their Digital Technologies and Teaching and Learning Teams for the past four years. Mr Justin Kirry has also had his secondment at St Luke's extended to the end of 2019. We wish Jemima and Justin all the best with their exciting opportunities.
Staffing allocations for 2019 are currently being decided. Parents will be informed of staffing placements in the Week Seven newsletter. Class lists are also being reviewed at the moment with these being announced to families on Monday 3 December. When determining class placements, teachers make professional decisions based on a number of factors including; social, academic and gender. Any formal requests need to be emailed to class teachers so that they can forward them onto the Leadership Team. It is important to remember that building children's resilience in preparation for high school is a focus for us here at OLA so only urgent requests should be made.
Building Resilience
Thank you to the P&F for organising the Resilience Kit talk on Tuesday night. Building children's resilience is paramount in our society today and is an ongoing focus for us here at OLA. In 2019, we are looking at implementing TRUE Values in our every day interactions and as a means of increasing children's self-esteem. Maggie Dent is a mother, author and parenting and resilience expert. Her two articles, attached below, provide an insight into motivating students using intrinsic motivation.
Article 1 - https://goo.gl/VL9Lqv
Article 2 - https://goo.gl/5m3HRL
Intrinsic motivation is linked to building children's resilience as it allows them to challenge and extend their thinking while developing their ability to cooperate and engage in healthy competition.
Annual General Meeting 2018
The 2018 OLA Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held on Tuesday 20 November at 6pm in the Fr. O'Mara Centre. All parents and caregivers are invited to attend the AGM.
Early Arrival and Late Collection of Students
Some OLA students are arriving early at school and are being collected late at the end of the day. Supervision of students does not commence until 8.15am and children are encouraged to arrive after this time ready for an 8.40am start. Similarly, students are not being collected by 3.30pm. If you are running late and your child will not be collected before this time then please call the Office and advise us of this. Parents will be contacted by a member of the Leadership Team if their child remains on school grounds after 3.30pm.
Remembrance Day Liturgy
All families are invited to join us for a Remembrance Day Liturgy on Monday 12 November at 11am in the Sr. Goretti Hall (Shared Facility).
New Uniform Update
The Uniform Sub-Committee is still working on the future uniform changes at OLA. The implementation and transition phase of changing the uniforms will occur over a few years. In 2019, the current uniforms are to be worn with the anticipated announcement of the changes midway through 2019 with a phase in period of 5 - 7 years. All current uniform items should be purchased as required.
2019 Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten Parent Information Sessions
The 2019 Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten Parent Information Sessions have been rescheduled. Please note the new times:
- Kindergarten Parent Information Session - Thursday 8 November, 9.30am
- Pre-Kindergarten Parent Information Session - Friday 16 November, 9.30am
All prospective families should have received a letter confirming their child's enrolment for 2019 and inviting them to attend the relevant session. If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact the Office to discuss your enrolment.
Swimming Lessons
Swimming lessons for Pre-Primary to Year 3 commences on Monday 5 November and will conclude on Friday 16 November. Lesson times are as follows:
PPG and 3G - 11.30am - 12.00pm
PPM and 3M - 12.00pm - 12.30pm
1G and 2G - 12.35pm - 1.05pm
1M and 2M - 1.05pm - 1.35pm
Further information about the lessons is attached.
With Sympathy
It is with great sadness that we advise you that Mr Tony Di Cesare, husband of Lisa, father of Eva (5G) and Antoni (3M) passed away over the weekend after a long illness. May he Rest In Peace.
Lisa and the children are thankful for the support they have already received from families by way of contact and messages.
Please keep the family in your prayers.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Greg Martin
Principal