Principal's Message

Dear OLA Families

This week I could not have been prouder taking the train into the city with a representative group of our student leaders: Rishon, Charlotte, Cleo K, Noah and Michael - our School Captains and Social Justice Leaders. Together with one of our generous Dad's Cathal Crawford, I accompanied the students to St Patrick's Cathedral to honour St Patrick's Feast Day. Not only did we have a great morning together learning about St Patrick, Ireland and our faith but we also ran into the Caritas Project Compassion team. The team was super keen to hear what was happening at OLA Cheltenham with Project Compassion. 

Michael spoke beautifully about how he has visited our classes and encouraged students and families to donate to this amazing cause. We had stories of children like Charlie W in 3/4 who had been doing chores at home and gave his $12 pocket money to help those less fortunate. We also shared our Lenten Prayer Services and how we are sharing the Caritas Project Compassion videos and stories at assemblies so that our community is more informed and able to put their feet in other people's shoes especially those who are less fortunate. Well done to these brilliant leaders and to our great community.

Catholic Education Week

This week is Catholic Education Week - a great opportunity to celebrate our school, our community and our Catholic identity. Thank you for your lovely words and support in person or via emails and surveys/reviews. We appreciate hearing what our parents have to say about our school:

We are in the third year of our journey at OLA, and I honestly could not be happier! 

I have two children attending the school, who each have a unique set of interests, skills, and learning styles. Each of these have been harnessed to support them to develop a love of learning, and confidence to pursue their goals in a positive school setting. The innovative curriculum and inclusive learning environment have really enhanced their learning experiences as well as their engagement in the classroom and broader school environment. I am often amazed with the new ideas and perspectives that they come home with and use in their daily lives. This is complemented by the teachers’ efforts, who after only a few weeks of each school year, have already developed an understanding of each child’s strengths and learning capabilities, while bringing energy, kindness and compassion in their classrooms.

OLA situates itself with models of belonging and wellbeing. Each of my children have been warmly welcomed as part of the OLA community, developing beautiful connections with their peers, and strong working relationships with their educators. As a parent, the strong sense of community and efforts by the school to facilitate connections with parents and families has also made me feel like a valued part of the school. I have also made lasting friendships with parents and families through the many social opportunities facilitated by OLA. Thank you to all the lovely teachers, LSOs, office staff, and the School leadership team. We are so happy here!

 

Our eldest son loves the school library and thinks the selection of "non-fiction and fiction books is so good!". We truly appreciate the effort put into curating such a diverse and engaging collection for the students. Additionally, we always enjoy seeing how Mr Jacques manages the school assemblies. He has a remarkable ability to keep all students focused and foster a respectful atmosphere. Rather than ignoring disruptions, he addresses them with kindness and firm guidance - ensuring order in a way that resonates not just with students, but with adults as well! Even addressing minor issues, such as audio problems, promptly and calmly, instead of dismissing them, sets a great example for the students. Lastly, we wanted to highlight something we noticed while reading the latest newsletter: the ongoing investment in teachers and the introduction of new learning techniques. This is something we've witnessed since we first joined the school, and it's encouraging to see such an important commitment continue.

Ride2School Day

It was wonderful to see so many students and lots of family members taking part by scooting, roller blading, walking and riding bikes to school. Thank you to Miss Riley and our SRC students for encouraging our community to participate in the National Ride2School Day today. There was barely a car in the car park. Thank you to our families for joining in and for all the extra efforts you made to make this happen. Our hall is full of bikes and scooters! 

Harmony Week

This Saturday 21 March is Harmony Day! Next week at OLA we will celebrate Australia's multiculturalism and the importance of respect and belonging for all Australians. We invite each child to wear a touch of orange on Monday 23 March. We wear orange to signify social communication, meaningful conversations, and to show support for cultural diversity and an inclusive Australia. 

Please build on our conversations in your homes and especially keep your ear out for inappropriate language and names being used that are racist and not ok. We need to name it to tame it - these must be called out. In the past it has been shared with us that there has been popular Youtubers using inappropriate words that have historical sensitivities and do not build people up, they are highly offensive and cut beautiful humans in our community down. Thank you for your support in creating an inclusive community here at OLA.

School Tours & Prep Interviews

We have been thrilled to welcome so many prospective families to our 8 fantastic School Tours (one more to follow), where they had the opportunity to experience firsthand the calm and vibrant learning community that makes OLA so special. Visitors were blown away by our students in action, particularly our evidence-based structured Literacy approach. Many also commented on our the beautiful, calm classrooms, further enhancing our exceptional learning environment. 

A huge thank you to our current families for sharing the good word and advocating for OLA. Your support and word of mouth remain our greatest endorsement, and we are truly grateful for your role in making our school such a wonderful place to learn and grow.

We also give a special shout-out to our Grade 6 School Tour Leaders - Noah, Cleo K, Charlotte, Rishon and Michael. Every family commented on the confident and polished manner in which the students proudly showcased 'their' school, and we could not be more proud. A special shout out and thank you to our Grade 6 Leaders, Mrs Taig, Mrs Reeder, Mrs Vella and Miss Riley for giving up their Sunday morning to lead tours at OLA. The families who cant make it during the week are so grateful for this opportunity.  It felt good to show off our school grounds and classrooms to so many visitors - the classrooms looked and felt amazing. 

We have also commenced our Prep 2027 Interviews and it was beautiful to hear one of our students who is a big brother to a Preppie for next year saying, "I was so proud to see my brother at the school yesterday I loved him visiting my classroom." 

NAPLAN

Over the last fortnight we have had our Grade 3 and Grade 5 students at OLA sitting NAPLAN and we are so proud of each and every one of them for turning up and giving their absolute best. A timely reminder that NAPLAN does not measure every part of what makes our children wonderful and we loved our students turning up with a positive mindset. Please read this post on Instagram from @theinquiryproject

OLA Fete

Dear OLA Families,

Our School Fete is just around the corner and we need your help!

To make the day a success, we are seeking volunteers to lead and coordinate individual stalls. This is a great way to get involved in our school community, meet other families and help create a memorable event for our kids. 

As a stall coordinator, you will guide the planning and running of a stall, but please don't worry, you will not be alone! Our Fete Committee will be there to support you every step of the way. 

If you are interested, or would simply like to learn more, please reach out to our Fete Committee via email fete@olacheltenham.catholic.edu.au or you are welcome to join us for our first Fete Committee Meeting on Monday, 23 March 2026 at 8:00pm.

We would be so grateful for your involvement!

Kim Barker & Rachel Leahy, OLA Fete Co-Chairs

fete@olacheltenham.catholic.edu.au

2026 Wish List

It is this time of year that we ask all in our community to share ideas about what the school could benefit from and we create a ‘Wish List’ of ideas that the Parents and Friends and Fete Team could fundraise towards.  These ideas are generated by staff, parents and students with the P&F/Fete Exec working closely with the Principal and Deputy Principal to select a realistic project that is aligned to our School Improvement Plan. We are sorry that swimming pools don't pass this realistic test! Examples of other ideas shared include: Bike Ed Program, Story Dogs, upgrade bike shed and upgrade to the surface and line markings of the basketball/netball courts. Please email your ideas to pandf@olacheltenham.catholic.edu.au or principal@olacheltenham.catholic.edu.au or write your idea on the list at the front office.

OLA Second Hand Uniform Shop

Sustainable ways at OLA

Thank you to our families for supporting our efforts to reduce lunchbox rubbish and food waste at school. We appreciate your support in packing ‘nude food’, using reusable containers where possible, and helping us reinforce this important sustainability initiative.

Safety

A reminder to drivers in our OLA car park to help keep our children and community safe. Please follow the arrows in the car park and drive at 5km per hour. Please remind grandparents and helpers of this as it is often those visiting our community who are not aware of our processes.

Crossing Guards

We ask all parents and carers to have a conversation with your children about the important role of crossing guards. We have three supporting our school and we have recently had feedback that children are forgetting and not following directions to hop off their bikes and walk across safely. We also take this opportunity to encourage families to chat about how important it is to greet these important people in our community with a smile, a hello and even to find out their names. Thank you for your support on this important life lesson.

2026 Working Bee #1 - 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 July10am-12pm
• Term 4 - Friday 30 October 4-6pm

Please find below the 2026 Term 1 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 #1 - 16/5/2026

School Tours and 2027 Enrolments 

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. If you would like a school tour please book online on the school website or call Sharan/Maria in our front office. 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. 

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 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)

Thank you 

Drawing Club

Thank you to our staff who take Lunch Clubs on top of their teaching, planning and preparation. The children at OLA are so lucky to have such dedicated and caring staff in their corner. This week Drawing Club began in the Art Room on a Tuesday and many children came to join in and enjoy the alternative to being on the yard.

Congratulations

SRC 2026

Congratulations to our 2026 Student Representative Council. What a wonderful opportunity to lead and listen to your classmates. Thank you for being the voice for your class and thank you for helping make our school an even better place to be. 

Happy St Patrick's Day

Happy St Patrick's Day to all especially our Irish Families. It was great to see a touch of green throughout our playground on Tuesday 17 March! Congratulations to all for turning up and being involved with wearing a touch of green.

District Lightning Premiership

Today our Grade 5/6 students participated in the Cheltenham District Summer Interschool Sport Lightning Premiership. We love how they absolutely gave their best and were respectful and kind along the way. We are proud of all our Grade 5/6s and thank our parent volunteers who became 'Super Coaches' overnight. Thank you also to our OLA staff for helping make this possible and for all their care and umpiring and coaching. We especially thank Mrs Thompson for coordinating these district opportunities for the whole area.

A big congratulations to the OLA Boys Tee Ball Team who won the Lightning Premiership day and proudly brought their flag back to the school. We wish them well in Term 4 when they compete in the Division Finals.

Wedding Congrats 

Congratulations to Eliza Jones and her husband Adam on their wedding last Sunday.  We have loved the joy that your wedding has brought to you both and to all of us too. May you take extra good care of each other and may you continue to create many special memories together.

We hope you all have a great weekend and Happy Harmony Day!

Reminder : Thursday 2 April is not far away and it is our last day of term. A reminder that it is a gold coin donation to wear Casual Clothes as a fundraiser for the Fete. There will be a 2.30pm Holy Week Prayer Service that day as well as the Easter Egg Raffle Draw following.  Raffle tickets are being sold for $2 each and a book of 10 has been sent home with the eldest in each family.

Richard Jacques

Principal