Learning & Teaching

2024 Victorian Premiers' Reading Challenge is Now Open

Message from the Premier

It’s my absolute pleasure to welcome you to the 2024 Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge.

This is my first Reading Challenge as Premier – and I am so excited to get started.

Since the Challenge began, more than 4.3 million young Victorians have read more than 60 million books.

That includes my own kids - with reading one of the best ways we spend time together as a family.

This year’s Challenge is a chance for all of us to explore new books and find new favourites.

With the help of your families and teachers, you’ll learn about different things, and enjoy stories that take you to different places.

But most importantly, I hope you’ll develop a love of reading together.

So please, sign up for the Challenge. And read as many different types of books as you can.

Explore. Learn. Most importantly, enjoy.

Happy reading,

Jacinta Allan

Mum of two

Premier of Victoria

Well done to 2EB for the most registered students actively logging their reading so far! 

⭐Star Readers This Week⭐

Prep: Maisie H (PCH) 

Junior: Ava P (2EB)

Middle: Josephine T (3/4GO) and Sophia K (3/4TR)

                                                            Senior: Lachlan R (5/6MG) 

Australian Mathematics Competition

Preparation and planning for the 2024 Australian Mathematics Competition (AMC) is well under way. The AMC is an engaging 30-problem competition that demonstrates the importance and relevance of Mathematics in students’ everyday lives; it is open to students in Grades 3 to 12. The students are given 30 minutes to complete the mathematical assessment.

Students have been invited to participate by the classroom teacher, Mathematics Leader and Principal using assessment data to determine which students might benefit from the opportunity.

If you have not been contacted and would like your child to participate, please contact Nicole Collins on 9584 9488 or collinsn@olacheltenham.catholic.edu.au for more information. 

Nicole Collins

Mathematics Leader

OLA joins in National Simultaneous Storytime 

National Simultaneous Storytime (NSS) is an Australia wide group reading and literacy event, where schools, libraries, and other institutions gather school age children together to read the same chosen picture book at the same time.

Ever since its inception, the aim of NSS has been to promote the value and fun of books, reading, and community storytime activities, as well as the work of the featured author and illustrator. 

This year’s selected picture book was Bowerbird Blues by Aura Parker. It is a moving story of longing and connection, that unfolds as the bowerbird’s search for blue things sends him soaring across the sea, sky and city. 

Big Green Schools Conference 

Recently the Grade 6 Sustainability Leaders attended the first day of the Big Green Schools Conference at Carrum Primary School. We heard about all the Sustainable Programs that Carrum already have in place which gave us ideas for our Lady of the Assumption.

We visited the wetlands first which was onsite at the school. At the pond we collected some water in vials and using nets we searched for small creatures. We then looked through a microscope at the vial contents and saw tiny snails and small water bugs.

Then we visited the resident long-haired goat, Pebbles, and wandered through the large chicken coop where some of us held a chicken. The students then showed us where they clean and date the eggs which are then used in the school kitchen. Every two weeks the students in Grades 3-6 have a cooking class using the fresh eggs and vegetables from their garden.

We went into the garden where we tried the salty leaf (Warrigal Green) bush tucker and small guavas from the bush. In one of the garden beds we helped make a teepee for the vegetables and then we made our own sweet potato pot using the clippings. We searched for sweet potatoes that were ready for harvest.

In the last session of the day all the schools met and were each given time to decide on project ideas to help boost sustainability around our community. We decided that we are going to introduce a garden waste bin and a soft plastics bin at school so we can reduce our landfill waste. We are going to present to the OLA Community to educate everyone about recycling and teach them exactly which items belong in which bin. We are also going to reach out to the wider Cheltenham community and visit the Kingston Green Retirement Village (where Alice’s Grandma lives), to educate them about recycling. 

We are really looking forward to helping our community in varied aspects of Sustainability.

Instrumental Mini Concert

Srebrenka has offered recitals as a wonderful opportunity for the kids to showcase their Instrumental performances in our library during Friday lunch breaks. Students who would like to share their wonderful music skills to a wider audience outside of their weekly music space will be presenting their Instrumental performances. 

These are wonderful Opportunities for:

• families to be invited as support and an audience for students
• children to take their music outside of their normal lesson times where their music can be shared, heard and appreciated.
• students to have a sense of musical acceptance within the school as they can share with others their talents and hard work.
• practise and setting goals
• building confidence skills, a positive self esteem, something to work towards and a sense of accomplishment & completion.
• allowing children who are more introverted  a chance to be brave and step outside their comfort zone which then sets pathways to further confidence in the classroom of presenting talks or projects & even public speaking.

This also allows a stronger relationship with staff and the wider community within the school which further gives rise to possible new friendships and rewarding experiences & memories as they journey & walk with their children through the many wonderful experiences OLA offers.

Excellence at OLA

We celebrate achievements at OLA every day in the classroom. Outstanding achievement is celebrated at every assembly in the front of the school. Congratulations to all the students who received an award last week. 

Michela Vella and Josy Reeder