Principal's Message

Dear OLA Families,

Thank you for a wonderful fortnight.  We really are getting into the swing of things now and are excited for what is to come.  

Grade 5/6 Camp

It was brilliant to hear how wonderful our Grade 5/6swere while away on their three day camp this week.  Camp Wyuna is a fabulous camping experience for the students - situated right on the beach in Queenscliff and providing a lovely variety of activities for our students. This is the first year we have enjoyed this camp site by the coast and we will continue moving forward to alternate this with Camp Weekaway in Benloch so our students are enjoy a coastal and countryside experience on their camps in the senior school. The children and staff simply didn't stop and it should come as no surprise they looked exhausted as they returned to school on Wednesday afternoon. 

Although we suspect some parents may have (briefly) missed their child/ren, the students had an amazing time and were blessed with both beautiful weather as well as rain and wind while down on the coast. Thank you to our camp leaders, Steve Pertz, Michael Glennon, Rosie Siracusa, Ruby Powell, Trish O'Gorman and Shelby Turner - you made an awesome team. Thank you for your generosity, care and calmness whilst away with our Grade 5/6 students. 

It was great to see how much the children really loved the experience and we have received some beautiful messages of gratitude from parents: 

Just wanted to take the time to say a big THANKYOU to all the wonderful teachers on camp this year. Our son has come home full of chatter, stories and such positive experiences from his time away. He can’t wait to go on camp again next year!! 

For someone on Sunday night/Monday morning who had a lot of worries and tears in the lead up to going - to see him return like he has, has been so amazing to see.

We can’t thank the teachers enough for giving up their time/ being away from their own families/friends and giving our son such a great experience at camp. We feel very lucky to be a part of a school that our kids feel so happy, supported and safe. Thanks again.

FIRE Carrier Ceremony

Congratulations to our 2025 FIRE Carriers: Oscar, Alex, Xavier and Ollie. 

Today, the OLA FIRE Carrier Commissioning Ceremony was a lovely moment and a reminder of our rich Indigenous history and connection to the land. We wish our FIRE Carriers all the best as they lead our community this year and we congratulate them for taking on this important role. We also thank our FIRE Carrier teacher leaders Fi Lee and Emilie Brady for supporting our student leaders and our community. 

As FIRE Carriers our leaders will:

• raise awareness and promote Indigenous Culture at OLA
• fundraise for the Open the Doors Foundation
• represent OLA at community events and gatherings
• help with Reconciliation activities and celebrations
• participate and lead Aboriginal prayer and liturgy

As we stand around this fire, let us receive its blessing;

Spirit of the Fire, be on our lips, that we may speak the truth in kindness 

Spirit of the Fire, put your glow in our eyes, that we may see what is good in life and in all people

Spirit of the Fire, burn in our ears, that we may hear with deep listening 

Spirit of the Fire, be in our arms and hands, that we may serve others with care

Spirit of the Fire, be in our legs and feet so that we may walk the earth with respect and give thanks for its life-giving nourishment

Spirit of the Fire, brand our hearts with the eternal flame of your love, that we may become the bearers of peace, beauty, hope, harmony and Reconciliation.

Grade 6 Leaders

Congratulations to our Grade 6 Leaders for 2025. At our whole school assembly last Friday our Grade 6s received their blessed leadership badge and a Leadership Certificate which was sent to us by the Hon Mark Dreyfus KC, MP. We hope our Grade 6 students are feeling valued and appreciated as they now have all this to add to their Grade 6 Leavers Jumpers, the amazing buddy experiences and of course camp! There is so much happening already in what is set to be an amazing last year of primary school.

OLA Expectations

As we begin the new school year it is a great opportunity for us to share our whole school OLA Expectations for families to reference. These have been developed alongside Patrice Wiseman who continues to lead us on developing our whole school positive behaviour approach.

OLA Car Park

Last year we repainted and added new signage to our OLA Car Park making it a safer place for all in our community. Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding with each other and the person on the crossing!! Please explain the process to grandparents and other friends or family picking up your child/ren. Some tips from users include:

• Please follow the flow of the car park as directed by the arrows.
• If your child is not waiting at the Hug and Drop section please move on after a couple of minutes to find a car park so the other families can pick their child up and so that the traffic is not stuck out on Centre Dandenong Road or Wilson Street.
• Cars coming off Wilson Street are having difficulty in joining the Hug and Drop line - please allow one car at a time to join the line coming from Centre Dandenong Road (like a zip!) and we ask that cars don't block the through lane for cars looking for a car park.
• Parents/Carers are to remain in their cars and staff on duty will help children in and out of the cars.
• Some users recommend reverse parking so that your departure is smoother - please be mindful of cars indicating and reversing in the car park.
• We do not use our car horns to share our sometimes frustrated feelings in the car park nor do we use our car horns to call our children to come to the vehicle.   
• A reminder to all families to take it gently in our OLA Car Park and to remember that the safety of all in our community needs to be the focus of this space. If you are pushed for time I would encourage you to come up with Plan B. 

Parents and Friends Meeting 

Our first P&F Meeting of 2025 will be held THIS Monday 24 February at 7pm in the Community Hub. We strongly encourage all Year Level Reps and any parents who would be interested in lending a hand this year to come along. We will be discussing the roles and responsibilities of the P&F and outlining the ways in which parents can be involved in various events across the year. Please make sure you read the P&F page in each newsletter for regular updates. 

Fete

We so appreciate the generous offers we received for parents to lead and co chair our OLA Fete for 2026. After much consideration we are delighted to announce that Rachel Leahy (Mother of Maddie PCH, Nathan 2MV and Vienna 3/4EJ) and Kim Baker (Mother of Emmy 3/4NC) will be our co chairs for the OLA Fete 2026. I know they will be welcoming of  ideas, connections and everyone's involvement. 

School Tours and 2026 Enrolments 

I know we are still enjoying welcoming our new Preps for 2025 but we also are beginning to receive many enrolment enquiries for Prep 2026 and beyond!! We have even hosted our first School Tour with over 10 families joining us and leaving wanting to pay their deposit to secure a place! Enrolments for Prep 2026 are now open and we encourage all families who have a Prep child beginning next year to submit their applications by the end of Term 1.  Please book your school tour online on the school website.  If you are not able to make these tours please know that you are welcome to call Sharan/Maria to make a time that does work for you.

2025 School Fees and Levies

We have had many Direct Debit forms completed which we greatly appreciate. For those yet to complete it, please fill in the direct debit form for school fees, and either email to accounts@olacheltenham.catholic.edu.au or hand in at the school office ASAP. Please also see below the school's bank details. 

If you would like support with fees and would like to discuss alternate payment plans please make a time to meet with the Principal. Families who hold Health Care Cards are encouraged to share this with the school and you are welcome to apply for fee support by completing the appropriate form below.

Camps, Sports & Excursion Fund (CSEF)

If you have a Health Care Card that was current on 30/01/2025, please email Maria for CSEF and Concessional Fee Rebate Application Forms (policy can be found on the school website). CSEF Applications close today Friday 21 February. 

Calendar

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

Key dates for the coming weeks:

Friday 21 Feb - Family Welcome Picnic TONIGHT

Thurs 27 Feb - 1pm early finish for Parent/Teacher Interviews

Thurs 27 Feb - 1.40-8.00pm Parent/Teacher Interviews

Thurs 6 March - 7.30-8.30pm Carley McGuaran Managing Big Feelings Webinar

Thurs 13 March - 6.30-7.30pm Grade 3 Reconciliation Parent/Child Workshop

Tues 25 March - School Photo Day

Thurs 27 March - 5pm & 7pm Sacrament of Reconciliation

Fri 4 April - End of Term 1

School Term Dates - 2025

Term 1, 2025

Friday 31 January - Friday April 4th (10 weeks)

Term 2, 2025

Tuesday 22nd April - Friday 4th July (11 weeks)

Term 3, 2025

Tuesday 22 July - Friday 19th September (9 weeks) 

Term 4, 2025

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

Congratulations

OLA Swim Squad

Our enthusiastic swimmers were up bright and early, vying for a spot on the OLA District Swim Squad. What an incredible way to start to the day for our Grade 3-6 students who were up for the challenge! It was great to see the two mornings filled with personal bests and ribbon-worthy performances.  Well done to all the children for their dedication and effort! A special thank you goes to Mrs Arthur, Mrs Thompson and Miss Powell for their coaching and encouragement of the children during these sessions, and to the parents for their support in making it all possible. 

Meditation and Prayer

A huge congratulations to all our families for ensuring that your child/ren are at school on time - a huge and important life lesson. This precious time before school is so important for our children to check in with each other and catch up on all things important to them so that when the learning begins they have even greater focus. It is also a time where our school stops and is still for mediation and prayer - such a beautiful way to start the day!

Prep and Grade 5/6 Buddy Program

Our Prep and Grade 5/6 Buddy Program started on the first day of school, with our Grade 5/6s taking to their roles as mentors with ease. For many of our students, they consider this relationship as one of their most treasured over their primary school journey and the Grade 5/6s have been reminiscing on who was their buddy, when they were in Prep, and how well they were looked after when they started school. Over the last couple of weeks, they have engaged in shared lunches outside and lots of buddy playtime, and this program can often be one of the key ingredients in settling our Preppies into school life. Thanks to our Prep and Grade 5/6 teachersfor coordinating this.  Parent feedback on our Buddy Program is so positive:

I felt obliged to send you an email to congratulate you, the school and especially my son's buddy on the great efforts to welcome my son to the school.

During the holidays, my son received a letter from his buddy, which essentially introduced himself and expressed that he was looking forward to welcoming him to the school. This really made my son happy and excited to start school.

Since starting school, my son has expressed every day after school how much fun he has had with his buddy during lunch and how welcomed he has felt due to the support of his buddy. I even learnt yesterday that my son's buddy assisted him to the sick bay after he hurt himself.

To hear these things as a parent has made our start to school so much easier and only reinforces the right decision we made in sending our children to OLA.

I wish also to express that my son's buddy has demonstrated real leadership qualities as a senior student at the school and this is credit to his parents and the school staff.

Little Aths Champions

Two of our Grade 6 boys, Jess and Tyler, competed in the Little Athletics Victorian South Metro Region Championships last Sunday 16 February and both medalled in the Under 12 Boys High Jump with the same jump of 1.39 meters!! Tyler winning 1st on count back and Jess winning silver. 

State Championships

Wishing Team OLA, including Zac, Iggy, Lucy and Elle, all the very best at today's Victorian State Surf Life Saving Championships. This great team are representing Mentone Surf Life Saving Club. We look forward to hearing all about this amazing experience next week.

Principal Award

Today we had Lee, our all round groundsman, cleaner and mover at school tidying up for tonight's Welcome Picnic when Emmy and Yvette approached him to offer to help and to say thank you for making our school look so beautiful! Two little superstars!

Fr Peter Matheson

Each year around this time we invite Fr Peter back to OLA to celebrate his birthday and to catch up with him now that he is semi-retired. Fr Peter was Parish Priest at OLA Cheltenham for13 years and left in 2020.

Reminder

TONIGHT - Welcome Family Picnic - Friday 21 February

All families are warmly invited to attend our Welcome Family Picnic on the OLA Oval this evening, Friday 21 February at 5:00-7:00pm. Sausages and drinks will be available for purchase as will face painting for some extra fun. Otherwise families are to BYO picnic rugs, drinks and nibbles. Thank you to our wonderful P&F team for organising this event for our families. 

One of my favourite times in the school day is to meet and greet so many children and their parent/carers on the crossing. One special moment this last week was when these three beautiful children were loving having their Oma pick them up and take them home! What a treat and such a precious time. Enjoy these special moments and enjoy your weekend.

Richard Jacques

Principal