Principal's Message

Dear OLA Families

The children have enjoyed a calm and happy start to 2025. Thank you to our staff for maintaining such high standards and expectations whilst creating a caring and kind environment. The one on one meetings between students and teachers continued to prove to be time well spent in forming positive relationships, easing back into life at school and capturing where each student is with their learning and where they need to go to next.  

We sincerely thank our staff and parents for supporting and preparing our students so well for their return to school.  The classrooms and learning areas are looking so organised, clean and fresh and the displays are bright and engaging.

It is so lovely to see all the children of OLA back together with such a strong sense of belonging and pride.  It is great to see them taking pride in the way they learn, listen, in the way they present themselves and in their book work. We continue to prioritise relationships, connections, being kind and giving our best. Hope is the theme for 2025 at OLA.  

It should come as no surprise that our Grade 6s have hit the ground running, responding to the high expectations and responsibilities associated with senior leadership. We look forward to our senior students continuing to shine in the weeks to come. May 2025 be a year where our students and families have many opportunities to connect and where friendships grow.  

We have taken great joy in welcoming our 54 Prep children to OLA.  Each year our ‘preppies’ bring a delightful sense of excitement and enthusiasm to our community.  Our beautiful Preps have managed their first week at school with an amazing calmness and keenness to take in everything! The feedback from all staff has been overwhelmingly positive - they have adjusted to school life so quickly and confidently. Supported by Mrs Montebruno, Mrs Harrison, Miss Lim and Mrs Berley, the Preps' readiness to embrace the full school experience has been quite exceptional.

We hope all our new families are feeling the warmth and welcome of our OLA community. A special thank you to our Grade 1 parents for their generous morning tea which was enjoyed at our Welcome Morning Tea on the Prep's first day following our Welcome Assembly.

Welcome

We welcome back all our staff after the summer holiday and extend a warm welcome to our new staff for 2025: Natasha Lim (Prep NL), Emma Summers (Grade 1ES), Ruby Powell (Learning Support Officer), Clare Flood (STEM teacher), Cecilia Moya (LOTE teacher - Spanish), Maeve O'Halloran (Tuesday 5/6SP classroom teacher) and Ellie Mackenzie (Tuesday 3/4EJ classroom teacher). We are also very fortunate to be able to welcome back Fiona Lee who will teach in 3/4NC on Thursdays and Fridays. We are thrilled to have you on board and we know our community will make you feel very welcome.  Please note that staff email addresses are available in this newsletter on the Staff Contact Details tab.

Along with our 54 new Preps and their families, we extend a warm welcome to our new students and their families joining us from other grades in 2025: Gleb G (1ES) , Ava Y (5/6SP) & Milla B(3/4EJ). We look forward to getting to know you this year. 

2025 Staffing List:

Leadership & Management Team

• Principal – Mr Richard Jacques
• Deputy Principal & Religious Education Leader – Mrs Caitlan Taig

• Learning & Teaching Leader, 

  Learning Diversity and Wellbeing Leader – Mrs Josy Reeder

• Literacy & Intervention Leader – Miss Shelby Turner
• Mathematics Leader – Mrs Nicole Collins
• Junior Level Leader – Mrs Michela Vella 
• Middle Level Leader – Miss Eliza Jones
• Senior Level Leader – Mr Steve Pertz

 School Improvement Team & Wellbeing Team

• Mr Richard Jacques
• Mrs Caitlan Taig
• Mrs Josy Reeder
• Miss Shelby Turner

 Classes & Teachers

• Prep CH            Mrs Catherine Harrison (M-Th) & Mrs Lara Berley (F)
• Prep JM             Mrs Jamee Montebruno (T-F) & Mrs Lara Berley (M)
• Prep NL             Miss Natasha Lim (M-F) **NEW**
• Grade 1ET        Ms Emma Tiberi (M-F)
• Grade 1ES        Miss Emma Summers (M-F)  **NEW**   
• Grade 2EB        Miss Emilie Brady (M-F)
• Grade 2MV       Mrs Michela Vella (M, W-F) & Mrs Lara Berley (T) 
• Grade 3/4EJ     Miss Eliza Jones (M, W-F) & Miss Ellie Mackenzie (T) **NEW**   
• Grade 3/4GO   Mrs Gen O’Meara (M-F)
• Grade 3/4NC   Mrs Nicole Collins (M-W) & Mrs Fiona Lee (Th,F)
• Grade 5/6SP    Mr Steve Pertz (M, W-F) & Miss Maeve O'Halloran (T) **NEW**   
• Grade 5/6MG  Mr Michael Glennon (M-F)

Specialists

• Mrs Clare Flood (STEM) **NEW**   
• Mrs Sam Hudson (Art)
• Mrs Liz Thompson (PE)
• Mrs Trish O’Gorman (Performing Arts)
• Ms Cecilia Moya (LOTE) **NEW**   

 Library Team

• Mrs Katherine Grima
• Mrs Diana Milburn

 Learning Support Officers

• Mrs Ann Arthur (M-Th)
• Mrs Di McDowall (M-W)
• Miss Rosie Siracusa (M-F)
• Miss Ruby Powell (T- F) **NEW**

 Admin Team

• Mrs Maria Hogan (M,T, Th,F)
• Mrs Sharan Talbot (M-W)

Information Night

Thank you to our families for joining us for our Information Night last night. It was a privilege to share the school's vision, priorities and direction for 2025 as well as the next four year School Improvement Plan. In addition to this we spoke about the high expectations at OLA and the importance of family partnerships. I was able to share some amazing data from our MACSSIS surveys and we celebrated the growth since 2022 in the area of Family Partnerships. It is also wonderful to see the increase in the number of families completing this survey. Please look out for this survey in September this year and take the time to complete this important information. Our parents and carers then shared their thoughts on what is working well and what has led to this excitingly positive data and what else we can do to improve our great school further. Parents/carers wrote these ideas on sticky notes and we will collate and share with our staff and OLA School Advisory Council to discuss and prioritise subsequent actions throughout the year. I attach the slides shared for your perusal. 

The parents/carers were then able to visit their child's classrooms and spend time with their child's classroom teachers - these slides will be shared next week along with Term Overviews. It was lovely to have so many of you join us as we continue to partner together in 2025.

Student Safety Online

As we embark on a new school year, we would like to address a topic of concern related to large online group chat groups which is probably more focussed on Grade 5/6 students but in today's day and age you never know!  

We know our students increasingly engage with technology and online communication. We value and celebrate the many friendships and connections within our school community, and, given the stage of development of our students, prioritise fostering these relationships in ways that promote inclusivity, kindness, and respect. 

Whilst online chat groups can appear to be a fun and easy way for students to stay connected, our experience has shown (for younger children in particular) that large group chats often come with significant challenges, including the risk of cyberbullying, unkind or ill-considered messages, and the pressure to constantly check and respond. These platforms can create anxiety for children who feel overwhelmed by the volume of messages or excluded if their families choose not to participate in these online groups. 

At OLA, we work diligently to provide a welcoming, inclusive community where every student feels valued and connected. Large chat groups can undermine these efforts, and for this reason, we do not endorse or encourage their creation. Instead, we ask families to help us reinforce the importance of in person connections and open circles of friendship. 

We strongly encourage parents to take an active role in monitoring all online interactions. In line with the advice from the Australian eSafety Commissioner, parents are encouraged to always consider:  

• Are you aware of what your child is posting, and have you discussed safe and responsible online behaviour? 
• Is the group size my daughter is engaging with manageable and inclusive? 
• Are the conversations respectful and aligned with our family values? 
• Does your child understand what is safe to share online? 
• Does your child know how to manage and report negative online experiences? 

Thank you for working with us in partnership to nurture an environment that is kind, inclusive and connected.  This is a timely reminder with Safer Internet Day taking place on Tuesday 11 February.

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!!  Enrolments for Prep 2026 are now open and we encourage all families who have a Prep child beginning next year to submit their applications as soon as possible.  Please book your school tour online on the school website or call Sharan/Maria in our front office to book a school tour.  If you are not able to make these tours please know that you are also welcome to call to make a time that does work for you.

2025 School Fees and Levies

Please complete your direct debit form for school fees, and either email to accounts@olacheltenham.catholic.edu.au or hand in at the school office on Monday 10 February. Please also see below the school's bank details. Thanks in advance and thank you to all families who have completed this form already and/or paid their fees/levies. 

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.

Their Care 

TheirCare is our before school, after school and holiday program provider at OLA.

OLA's TheirCare Coordinator has been Adrian for 2024. Adrian has been the consistent face of this great service. Unfortunately he is stepping down from the Coordinator role effective from Monday due to his studies and placement requirements this year, but he will still be working with us in a casual capacity, meaning you will still see him around. Please know ThierCare are doing everything in their power to ensure consistency, whilst actively recruiting to find the perfect staff member to fill the role. We thank Adrian for his hard work and dedication to not only TheirCare but also to our community. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact Courtney Maloney, Area Manager – South East 2 Region, 0400767939, courtney.maloney@theircare.com.au

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.

Please note on the following dates school finish early at 1pm:

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

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

Throughout the course of a week we hear stories of children's achievements and growth at school as well as extra curricular involvement, commitment and achievements. Our community enjoy hearing about these proud moments and so we invite families to share a photo and a little explanation to add to our newsletter each fortnight.

Celebration of Learning

We love to see students engaged in their learning and producing work they can be proud of. 5/6MG hit the ground running with narrative writing, as well as Wellbeing lessons exploring what safe, happy classrooms look, sound and feel like. It is great to have visitors come and share this work with us.

Interschool Sport

Today our Grade 5/6 students began their 2025 Summer Interschool Sport competition and we were proud how our students warmed up, practiced, worked as a team and competed against Mentone Girls Grammar. The children played volleyball, T-ball and tennis. We wish the students all the best for the remainder of the season and thank our parents for partnering with us to help make this opportunity happen

Reminder

Welcome Family Picnic - Friday 21 February

All families are warmly invited to attend our Welcome Family Picnic on the OLA Oval 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. 

Wishing everyone a restful weekend after our first full week back at school.

As always please do not hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions or queries. Our doors are always open. We hope this is a great year ahead for your child, for your family and for our school.

Richard Jacques

Principal