Principal's Message

Dear OLA Families

This week at OLA we enjoyed one of the most anticipated moments of the school year - the Grade 5/6 Camp at Camp Weekaway in Benloch (near Lancefield).  We were amazed at how good the weather was and couldn't believe we did not need thermals like we usually do - picture perfect weather. We are super proud of each and every Grade 5 and Grade 6 student.  

Camp Weekaway combines a range of indoor and outdoor activities, creating a unique program which encourages campers to push their limits while in a safe and enjoyable environment.  The children enjoyed a large variety of both land and water based activities, such as: Canoeing, Low Ropes Course, Possum Glider, Flying Fox, Archery, Mountain Biking, Orienteering, Go-Go Ball, a night walk, Maze…  The highlight of the experience was seeing each child challenge themselves individually as well as working together as a team.  Many friendships were deepened and lots of laughs were enjoyed.  

Many of our children P-4 were excited to wave off our 5/6s on school camp and I'm sure many of them can’t wait until it’s their turn to be on those buses!

A big thank you to the staff for setting the happy and fun tone to camp and for being away from your own beds and families for three days.  Thank you to the many families for showing your gratitude to staff in person after the camp, sending a box of chocolates along for the staff to enjoy or sending a lovely email like this one…

“I just wanted to say a big thank you to you and all the staff that went to camp this week. I know there is a huge amount of work involved in organising the camp and it requires the commitment of many staff members, to leave their own families, so that our children have this wonderful opportunity. It is greatly appreciated! My child had an amazing time.”

Best Wishes to Caitlan and Rick Taig

We all feel like we are walking alongside Mrs Taig as she prepares to have her baby in early June. Friday 15 May will be Mrs Taig's last day before she embraces Parental Leave and enjoys welcoming Baby Taig #2 into the world with her husband Rick. Mac will be the best big brother and he must be feeling the excitement too. I know you will join me in giving Caitlan our warmest and best wishes with this exciting time in her life. 

Change up of roles

With Mrs Taig beginning Parental Leave on 15 May, I am delighted to once again share the following staff appointments during Caitlan's leave:

Deputy Principal, RE Leader & Learning and Teaching Leader - Josy Reeder

Learning Diversity Leader, Wellbeing Leader & Literacy Leader - Shelby Turner

Intervention Teacher - Ruby Powell

Congratulations and thank you to Josy, Shelby and Ruby.

2027 Preps!

For the last month or so we have seen many new and current families coming to meet with Caitlan, Josy and myself for the Prep 2027 interviews. These important meetings have been vital in helping our new Preps for next year get excited about starting primary school. It has been such a special experience and we are delighted to welcome so many wonderful families into our amazing school community. 

We remain indebted to our current families and staff who continue to spread the great word about our school, as this was referenced by nearly every single new family we met with this week. It has been a joy to see the children share what they are looking forward to and to see first hand how curious and keen they are to learn. Today we have emailed our first round offers out to families and we have a strong waitinglist ready and keen to join our community.

ANZAC Day Ceremony

As a community we came together last week as many of our families did on ANZAC Day to remember, reflect and honour the service and sacrifice of those who served and are serving. We especially honour and remember those from our own families and our community. We are so grateful for the peace and freedom we enjoy here in Australia and we pray for peace across our world. A big thank you to one of our great Dad's Corporal Cooper for turning up each year with a new story and message for us all.

Thank you to our School Captains Noah, Charlotte, Cleo K, Rishon and their families for representing OLA at the Cheltenham Moorabbin RSL ANZAC Day Commemorative Service on Saturday 25 April. We are so proud of you all and thank you for being such great role models for the children at OLA.

Athletics Carnival

The weather was stunning for our Athletics Day. The efforts from the children were amazing. Everyone showed up and gave their best. We know it can be nerve racking but we hope the children ended up having lots of fun and enjoyed the amazing House Team spirit. We are so proud of the house team spirit from all children and we thank our House Team Leaders for their extra involvement and energy.

Thank you to Mrs Thompson for being an awesome PE teacher and for organising such a great day. Thank you to our parent volunteers and our amazing staff for their huge effort and for helping make it all happen it takes positive energy and effort from each and everyone of you to make a day like this successful. Thank you also to the many parents and their extended family who came to support the children. It was a wonderful day. 

Mini Vinnies

It is such a beautiful way to begin the term all together with a whole school Mass and the Mini Vinnies Commissioning Mass. We congratulate Michael and all involved in the Cheltenham Conference of the St Vincent de Paul Society and we thank them for their amazing work in our community. Michael is a wonderful role model and the work he leads at OLA has all in our community thinking of others placing ourselves in the shoes of those who are less fortunate.

2026 Working Bee #2 - 16/5/2026

Like many schools, we hold Working Bees where we ask our families to commit to one rostered Working Bee a year completing basic gardening and maintenance tasks.

The Working Bees will take place on the following dates:

• Term 2 - Saturday 16 May 10am-12pm 
• Term 3 - Saturday 25 July 10am-12pm
• Term 4 - Friday 30 October 4-6pm

Please find below the 2026 Term 2 Working Bee Roster - we have families from each of the grades across each of the three Working Bees. You are welcome to bring your children to the Working Bees and they can help with tasks and/or play with other children who are also attending. The sense of pride in our school grounds and buildings is increased dramatically with engagement in activities such as this and it is a lovely informal way to get to know other families at OLA. We also ask families to bring tools along to Working Bees (clearly named) that may be able to assist us in the tasks at hand, for example, wheelbarrows, rakes, shovels, Whipper Snippers, Hedgers, blowervacs etc.

If you have a particular skill that could help the school please also let us know and we can ensure that you are able to be assigned to an appropriate task. Please note you are welcome to swap/change your days with another family or you can make a donation (on average families donate $50) if you are unable to attend. If you would like to request a different date to attend a Working Bee please email Sharan at the office (office@olacheltenham.catholic.edu.au) with your preference.  Thank you as always for your support of our great school.

2026 Working Bee #2 - 16/5/2026

Calendar

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

School Term Dates - 2026

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)

OLA Fete

We thank Kim, Rachel and their committee for their energy and leadership of this exciting event. We have had conversations about the different stalls and the many jobs to be done to bring this day together. Please ensure you SAVE THE DATE in your calendars Saturday 7 November. It will be a great day out and a great chance to celebrate and come together as a community. If you would like to get involved in this great event please let one of the team know here at OLA and we will pass your name onto Kim and Rachel. If you can help we are currently looking for...

Plants

Calling all plant lovers and green thumbs! The plant stall is one of the most successful and most loved stalls at our fete. This year we need your help to make sure it is blooming and bigger than ever.  We are looking for people who can: 

• Donate indoor/outdoor plants, indoor/ outdoor plant pots (can be creative) or source donations for the stall; or 
• Propagate plants that you may have in your garden/home to donate to the fete. Even if it is just a few – every little bit helps.  

Jams and Preserves

Once again our Fete Cake Stall will seek donations of jams, curds, oils and preserves. These items are always very popular so please make as many jars as you can. 

Two great ways to help our Fete be a huge success.

Congratulations

GATEWAYS

This week we had students represent OLA at GATEWAYS Science Days. At GATEWAYS the P-2’s learned that bees are certainly more than cute little insects and they got to expand their knowledge on dinosaurs, fossils, rocks, and prints. The Grade 3-6’s journeyed to Mars and explored the much loved topic of space and ‘into the unknown’. It was great to hear that the children enjoyed the experiences very much. Congratulations and thank you to the students who went along and represented OLA.

Special reminders:

Mums & Special People

To celebrate the wonderful Mothers & Special People in our school community, the OLA Mother’s Day Breakfast will be held on Friday 8th May 2026.

BOOK NOW (PRE-ORDER REQUIRED): https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1559554

The P&F Team will be providing a delicious breakfast for you and your children - a lovely way to start the day together 

ON THE MENU:

 Bacon & Egg Rolls

 Bacon Rolls

 Egg Rolls

 Bircher Muesli

 Fruit Juice (for children)

 Coffee (for mums & special guests)

 Gluten free rolls available upon request

 No hot drinks available for children

WHO CAN ATTEND?

Mothers, children (including those starting at OLA soon) and Special People 

TIME: 7:30am – 8:30am

You’ll be asked to select an approximate arrival time when booking.

*8:00am is usually the busiest period, so arriving earlier can help avoid queues.*

IMPORTANT – PRE-ORDER REQUIRED

All orders must be pre-booked via the link above

No ticket = no food (this helps us cater accurately)

Tables and chairs will be available under cover so you can enjoy time with your children before heading to classrooms from 8:00am onwards.

BOOKINGS / ORDERS:

https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1559554

Mother's Day Stall

OLA Parent Trivia Night

May this be a beautiful weekend for each and everyone of you and may these blue skies continue to greet us each morning, especially this weekend as we continue with our many sporting commitments.

Richard Jacques

Principal