Principal's Message

Dear OLA Families,

It is hard to comprehend that we only have 11 and a half 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 myriad of activities that take place at our great school. With lots planned in the last 2 weeks, we ask that families please be mindful of fatigue and try to keep to 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. 

'The Sound of Musicals' School Production

Less than a week to go!!

Our School Production will be performed next Thursday 4 December at Kingston City Hall from 6.00-8.00pm. The performance will begin at 6pm (student drop off is 5:30pm) and is expected to finish at approximately 8pm. Drinks and snacks will be available at the bar from 5:30pm. Grade 5 and 6 lead actors are asked to arrive at 5.15pm. Students will enter Kingston City Hall and go to the right and the parents will go to the left. Staff will be there to guide and welcome.

Thank you to all families for having sourced costumes and for placing in a labelled bag and delivering this to your child's classroom teachers.

Rehearsal Days

A full dress rehearsal will run onsite at OLA on Wednesday 3 December. Students are welcome to wear their sports uniforms on this day. We ask that all costume items be at school before that day.  As part of preparations for this event, students will spend the day on Thursday 4 December rehearsing at our performance venue, Kingston City Hall. Students will travel to and from the venue by bus. Please arrive at school promptly at 8:30am on this day to ensure the bus can depart at 8:45am. Students are due back to OLA for the normal 3:15pm pick up time.

What to bring

Students will be sent home with their costume basics (e.g. pants/shorts and a top) on the afternoon of Wednesday 3 December. We ask that students wear their costume basics to school on Thursday 4 December to avoid the need for 250 children to change in changerooms. Students will remain in their costume basics for the day and through to the evening performance. Students are welcome to bring a jumper/jacket if the weather requires this. 

Students bring their school bag or small backpack with the following:

• Lunch, snack and fruit break
• Full water bottle
• A game, book or activity to do throughout the day. This is so important because there will be lots of 'down time' throughout the day. Some ideas that would work well are Uno, Go Fish, mindful colouring, a book to read, etc. No electronic devices please. 

Show Time

There will be a short amount of down time in the afternoon after school before we ask families to drop off children at Kingston City Hall at 5:30pm for the show to begin at 6pm. 

Please note that parking is scarce around Kingston City Hall. Please arrive with plenty of time to find a park and make your way to the venue. 

Ticket Update

Tickets have been selling well for the last couple of weeks now - we have currently sold 510 tickets. There were three seats available per family. 83 remaining tickets were made available at 10am this morning (Friday 28 November) for families wanting to purchase extra seats. We have also been able to manage to fit an extra 43 seats, making it possible for 126 tickets now available for purchase.

Please also let us know if you have any tickets that you no longer need as we may be able to help out other families. You could also communicate this in your level WhatsApp groups. 

Hair and footwear

Please refer to the recent Operoo for information regarding hair and footwear for the performance. Hair can be done for the evening performance (not needed during the day). Students are welcome to wear light stage makeup (only if comfortable wearing). 

DVD and Photo Orders

Encore Videography will be capturing 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-Concert-2025/p/603692973  

As our production is towards the end of the school year we will be aiming for this to be ready prior to Tuesday 16 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 12 December.

Photographs

Encore Videography will also be taking photographs of the students on stage and these will be made available after the event and they can also be purchased online similar to the DVD. These details will be provided following the production when the photos are ready for sharing. If you have any further questions please call Corey Payton on 0498 185 295.

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

Prep 2026 Orientation

Our Preps for 2026 have loved their Orientation Sessions and our Grade 5 Buddies for next year have been so kind and caring. The Second Hand Uniform Shop will be open on the same morning 9-11am. The final orientation session is this Tuesday:

Faith Formation 

Last Friday 21 November, our staff dedicated the day to faith formation and we were led by Gen Bryant. Gen enabled and encouraged us to take time, pray, sing, move, reflect and be still. As a staff we have such an important role to help our students and our community to connect life and faith and so a day like this helps nurture our own spirituality and reminded us that we too are on a Pilgrimage of Hope inspired by Jesus. Thank you to our staff for bringing their energy and for engaging so willingly in the day.

2026 Classes 

On Thursday 11 December, students from Prep - Grade 5 will have their 'Moving Up' orientation session with their new classroom teacher. Over the past few weeks, we have especially 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. 

Books & Stationery for 2026

Following feedback from teachers, parents and students, we continue to assist families and the classroom teachers by placing one bulk stationery order that provided a consistency across the school. It 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 will also help to maximise desk space around the classroom and it also minimises the distractions that some items can create.

We will ensure book list items including exercise books and stationery will be purchased by the school and all costs are included in your school fees and levies. The school will supply new pencil cases complete with all stationery at the beginning of the 2026 for Grades 3 to 6. The pencil cases have the OLA school crest printed on them and your child will keep that pencil case from Grade 3 through to Grade 6. We ask that children use the pens and pencils provided at school and keep their special stationery for home. We will be emphasising that these pencil cases are cared for and graffiti will not be accepted. At the end of each year pencil cases will remain at school and the student’s leftover stationery will be sent home in a bag. Stationery for Prep to Grade 2 will be provided, ensuring shared access for all.

We also purchase band aids, tissues and wet wipes in bulk. These costs are also included in your school fees and levies.

School Shoes 

Correct school shoes and socks must be worn and we remind students and families, when purchasing new school shoes for next year, black sneaker Asics or Nike runners are not part of the regular school uniform. If the sport shoes are black leather and black soled then they are welcome to be worn as school uniform.We thank you in advance for your understanding. 

Overdue Library Books Reminder

As we move towards the end of the year, we are preparing for our Library Stocktake. We kindly ask that all books be returned to the Library as soon as possible. Overdue notices will be shared with families, and if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact your child's classroom teacher or our Library Technician, Katherine Grima grimaka@olacheltenham.catholic.edu.au 

OSAC and Parents and Friends AGM

We invite you all to our AGM on Monday 8 December at 7.00pm. This will be a relaxed event, where we will share our school, P&F and School Advisory Council achievements for 2025. Light refreshments will be provided on the night and this is a way of saying thank you to all our volunteers and we will enjoy some Christmas cheer.

Calendar

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

School Term Dates - 2025

Term 4, 2025

Tuesday 7 October - Tuesday 16th December (11 weeks)

School Closure Days

Term 4, 2025

Friday 5 December (the day after the production) - Planning for 2026

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).

OLA Canteen

Liz contacted us from Fun Fresh Foods and wanted to let you know that they are implementing a menu price increase right across the board of Fun Fresh Foods. As of the start of 2026 all menu items will be increased by 10%. All customers will be informed via their Flexischools account.

Please be assured this decision has not been made lightly. Over the last 2 years, Fun Fresh Foods have experienced significant rises in the cost of ingredients, packaging, staff, council rates and general operations. While Fun Fresh Foods have absorbed these increases for as long as possible, they now need to make a moderate price adjustment to ensure they can continue to provide the quality, freshness, and service you expect from Fun Fresh Foods.

Fun Fresh Foods understand that price changes can be challenging, and they truly appreciate your understanding and continued support. Fun Fresh Foods commitment to offering fresh, delicious, and a convenient service made with care remains as strong as ever. We thank Liz and her team for providing this amazing onsite service each Friday for students and staff at OLA.

Prep 2027 Enrolments

Enrolments for new and current families for 2027 are now open. 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. 

School Operations Updates

In the new school year, we will be expanding our use of the nForma platform to include most of our school communication functions. While we already use nForma for the daily roll, 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.

This change has been prompted in part by Operoo ceasing operations in Australia, making it timely for us to consolidate our processes within one integrated platform. Having the majority of our operations in nForma will streamline communication with families, allowing easier management of medical information, permission forms, updates and general correspondence.

Our families do not need to take any action yet. The month of December will be dedicated to this changeover, allowing adequate time for families to set up the app, and enter their child's personal and medical information. Further updates and instructions will be provided in due course. We are confident this will make communication clearer, more consistent and more convenient for families in the long term. 

Congratulations

Grade 6 2026 Leadership Speeches

Term 4 is an exciting time for our Grade 5 students as they begin to think about and prepare for the 2026 Grade 6 Leadership Positions. The Senior teachers have been talking with our students about the many wonderful opportunities that await them. Each child wrote a letter indicating their leadership style and preference of leadership positions for next year. Some of the Grade 5 students chose to make a speech to share their story and nominate for the role of School Captain. Each child stepped up and spoke with a wonderful warmth and  confidence.

Grade 6 Big Day Out

It’s hard to believe we are already preparing to farewell our Grade 6 students as they conclude their time at OLA. Today the students have participated in their final excursion, at Gumbuya World. We call this day the ‘Big Day Out’. From all reports they tell us it has been a special day together and a fabulous way to end their year. 

Production Rehearsals

Preparations for our whole school production 'The Sound of Musicals' continue to be exciting. Acting, singing and dance rehearsals continue to be a highlight of the week! Stage hands! Stage faces! Stage moves! 

Staff Planning Day

A friendly reminder that the school will be closed on Friday 5 December for the staff to gather and plan for next year. This day is strategically placed each year for the students to rest up and chill out after our late night at the production and the staff have the day together to plan for 2026.

A reminder that next week St Vinnies are wrapping hampers for those less fortunate in our community so please take a moment this weekend to purchase a voucher or something for a Christmas lunch or dinner. Thank you in advance for your generosity and support in making this Advent season a joyful time for all. 

Take care this weekend and we hope there is some time to be still at a time that can be super busy.

Richard Jacques

Principal