Principal's Message

Dear OLA Families,

Only 1 more sleep!!

We are super excited to be hosting our OLA Parish Fete TOMORROW Saturday 26 November, from 9am to 3pm.  It is the first time in four years that we have been able to host our fete so it feels good that we can all come together as a community.  There is so much fun to be had at the fete.  We can't wait to see you all there and we hope you are encouraging your friends, family and neighbours to come along too.

Tips for a safe and fun fete:

• The weather is looking amazing - remember sunscreen and hats
• Make sure you pop into Headquarters (HQ) for a bottle of water and sunscreen top up etc
• You can return and purchase raffle tickets up until 1:45pm and it will be drawn at 2.00pm 
• Children please know where your parents are and parents please know where your children are - HQ is where to go if you or your child gets lost!
• Please bring along cash and coins (some EFTPOS machines will be available)
• Please keep your belongings close and look out for each other 
• Please allow time to park and walk to the fete - the car park at OLA will be closed
• Make sure if you are hoping to win the Terry White Pharmacy Colouring Competition that your child or a member of the family are there to claim the prize at 10.15am
• You can purchase early bird wristbands for the rides up until 11pm tonight
• Bring some 20 cent coins for the Coin Toss Table
• The toilets at the back of the Admin Building will be open along with the portaloos we have onsite
• Remember to vote in the State Election tomorrow before or after you have been to the fete
• The children have said they can't wait to: guess the amount of lollies in the lolly jar, decorate cupcakes, watch the Talent Quest, buy a toy or shoot hoops to win a soft toy, cool off with a snowcone, have an icy cold drink, toss a coin to win some money, buy a showbag, have a go on choc-a-block or lucky dip, buy a book, eat a scone with jam and cream, win a hamper that their class put together on the Spinning Wheel, win an iPad, get face painted, buy some tattoos and have their hair coloured, check out the farm animals, have a sausage and go on the rides all day long!

It has been a huge team effort and we thank every person involved in making the Fete a success.  Thank you to all those who have been setting up at school this afternoon.  So many hands making lighter work. We are grateful to the coordinators Claire Melican and Mel Power and all the stall organisers and their families for making this fun day happen.  Thank you also to the OLA community for all the donations which go together to help raise money to go towards our great OLA Parish.

Building Project

We received a couple of truck loads of furniture for our new spaces today and yesterday. We also had our welcome sign installed in the Community Hub. Warmth and welcome are such a special part of what makes OLA Cheltenham the best school to belong to. As you know we asked our community how you say welcome in the language of their cultural background. We then had these words of welcome collated to make this amazing wall display in our new Community Hub. 

End of Year Dance & Community Event

It has been a joy to see students Prep - Grade 6 engaging in dance lessons over the past three weeks with Kyle and Bree from Kinect 2 Dance. We are working hard to perfect routines, learn our lines and position changes and gain confidence before our performance on Wednesday 30 November at 6pm. We are aiming to enjoy this night outside where families are invited to bring a picnic.  Each level is also learning a special routine to invite a special guest to join us… mums, dads, grandparents, siblings… dust off those dancing shoes in case you get chosen!

Talent Quest

What a huge treat it was to be at the OLA Talent Quest on Wednesday 23 November.  In my 20+ years in education this would have to have been the best one I have ever been to. The children were telling me that it was so hard to choose only three entries for each year level as there were so many good acts!  It was exciting to see the many and varied talents within our student community. We had everything from magic tricks, to comedy routines to gymnastics, to dancing to singing!  It is wonderful to see the confidence in our students and their keenness to shine in front of their peers.

2023 Prep Parent Night

We have enjoyed our first two Prep Transitions over the last two Tuesdays. The 2023 Preps will also enjoy a play at Kingston Heath Reserve Park next Tuesday at 9am and then their final Prep Transition on Tuesday 6 December, 9-11am where the children will be introduced to their buddy and their teachers for 2023. Not only have the children enjoyed art, dance, movement and free play their parents have also enjoyed getting to know each other with morning coffee time at Frank’s Cafe and an Info Session outlining learning and teaching at OLA. Some of these friendships will become friendships for life. A big shout out to Frank’s Cafe for covering half the bill and thank you for your awesome hospitality. 

Thank you to our 2023 Prep students and their families for attending the 2023 transition sessions. We hope that these sessions provided a welcoming opportunity for our children to meet new friends and for all children and families to feel a sense of belonging at OLA. We are excited to welcome our new Prep students to OLA next year.

OLA Parents & Friends Association

Please mark Friday 9 December into your diaries for the OLA P&F AGM (6.30pm) and Christmas Drinks (7.00pm).  This is a great chance for our parent community to celebrate the year and enjoy some Christmas cheer whilst checking out our newly renovated buildings.  

This will also be a great chance to thank our 2022 P&F and Fete Committees for their support of our great school. It will also be a great chance to welcome our 2023 OLA P&F Committee members.  Andy Wright will be our Chair in 2023 and he will be supported by Stacey Straford as Deputy Chair.  Rosie An will be our Treasurer and we are looking for a Secretary to complete the P&F Executive.

Each year level requires two parent representatives, who are responsible for updating the parents in their year level with important information/reminders, and organising a couple of events throughout the year. For example, the Grade 1 P&F representatives host the Morning Tea for new and current families on the first day of school.

Feel free to chat to this year's P&F members if you would like some more information or, better still, if you would like to get involved. You can also speak with me in person or email any questions or ideas to principal@olacheltenham.catholic.edu.au

Thanks again for your support and commitment to our school community.

Working Bee

Our biggest turn out of families yet for a Working Bee at OLA.  All families who attended took great pride in helping tidy our school grounds and buildings in readiness for the OLA Fete. Our school is looking amazing.  Thank you to all who turned up, gave of their time or made a donation towards maintaining our beautiful school.

Assessment 

It has been a particularly busy few weeks across all our classes, as staff and students worked to complete the end of year assessment schedule. This data is vital for measuring student growth in readiness for school reports and the data analysis/student handover at the upcoming school closure day. These multiple data sets, and important teacher judgments/ observations, will not only show student progress, but will assist the school in tracking specific students and cohorts over the years.  It is also an opportunity for us to reflect on the effectiveness of programs and allocation of resources.  We thank all staff for their work in this area - we especially love the celebration of growth that we hear you talk about with such pride.

School Closure Days  

Please note the upcoming School Closure Day as scheduled for Term 4, 2022.  

Thursday 1 December - Staff Planning Day for 2023

Key Dates for the End of School Year

2023 Dates

Congratulations - We are so proud of our…

Grade 6 2023 School Leaders

We are so proud of our Grade 5 students who have written a letter outlining their leadership skills and their top four choices of areas they would like to lead our community when they are in Grade 6 next year.  The students and staff vote with 50% equal weighting for School Captains and once these votes are counted by the Leadership Team and the Grade 5/6 teachers together, the team works at ensuring each student receives one of their top three leadership choices.

I do think these four are going to miss this job next year!! I’ve never seen so many children carrying one pole pad!! Thank you to our Grade 6 leaders for all you do for our school and thanks for having fun along the way.  We really hope you are enjoying this precious last few weeks together.  The Talent Quest item from a variety of friendship groups in Grade 6 was a testament to the great spirit of our Grade 6 Leavers for 2022.

Grade 4 Camp Experience

What an exciting night for our Grade 4s to come into school for so much fun with Supreme Incursions, their teachers and classmates. It was a special treat this year to hear from some of our older Grade 4 siblings who have already been on camp.  Such a fun night.

Thank you to all our staff, students, parents and OLA community for being so supportive and for helping create such special memories.  I think with great weather and fun times planned for the OLA Fete tomorrow it is going to be one of those days we remember forever.

Girls Division Softball

On Wednesday the 2nd of October we competed in girls division softball, with ten other members of our team. We got into division by winning the District lightning prem. We played 3 games, winning one and sadly losing the other two. Our first game was against Beaumaris North Primary who we lost to, then we played against Parktone Primary, and in our final game we played our hardest and managed to win against Lloyd Street Primary. We unfortunately did not get into regionals even though we tried our best. We had a lot of fun and enjoyed cheering for our teammates. Our coach Mrs Danson encouraged us to try our best throughout our three softball games.

The other girls who competed with us - Kara S-N, Suyen D, Kiara M, Eloise R, 

Charlize P, Sienna R, Sara T, Nina V,  Asha N, and Catherine M.

 (Away - Vivian L, and Alyssa T)

By Eloise R, Charlize P & Sienna R

Have a wonderful weekend.

Thank you all.

Richard Jacques

Principal