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- From Adrian ...
- Eggspo
- End of Term
- First Eucharist
- Sacrament of Confirmation
- Year 5 & 6 Camp
- Easter Raffle
- ANZAC Badge Appeal
- Chess Club - Term 2
- Lego Club
- OLOL Clubs
- Baptism
- Bach Easter Concerts
- Works Being Carried out on Malvern Road
- We are on Social Media
- News from Extend
- Stonnington Library - Holiday Program
What a busy two weeks it has been!
Francine had a wonderful conference in Lorne last week and has received so many great ideas to help improve our school. Unfortunately, she has contracted COVID and is due to return back to school next week.
The Year 5/6 camp was a huge success, all the kids and staff had a wonderful time at Camp Wyuna in Queenscliff. You can read all about it and view some images in the article below. After a chat with the students on the last day, it seems unanimous that the Gaga Ball game and Chocolate Mousse were the highlights of the three-day camp. Already the Year 5 and 6 students are putting together a presentation to convince Francine that we should build a Gaga Ball pit at school.
Watching all our students run and compete in the Athletics Day events today with the sheer noise and excitement from the students shows that the students had a great time. A big thank you to Mr Costa for organising the event and another big thank you to all the parents who came to support our students and help out. The event would not have been as successful without you. Congratulations to Gold house who took out the top honors!
Next week on Thursday we will be hosting our very first Easter Eggspo. All OLOL families are to create their own family egg and hand it in to their classroom teacher once completed. The Eggspo will take place from 2:30 pm - 3:45 pm on Thursday with all families welcome to come and view the exhibit. On Friday will we be announcing our Easter Raffle winners during our final assembly for the term. Please make sure the raffle tickets are returned to the school office by Monday. Jordana will be wrapping up the easter egg hampers on Monday morning from 9 am. If you are available to come in and give her a hand it would be greatly appreciated. Many hands make light work.
As COVID continues to be a daily issue in our community we have been very lucky this term that it has caused very few disruptions to our student's learning and class structures. There are a large number of students who have contracted the virus this term but seeing as it has been spread out across the past 10 weeks we have still been able to operate as normal. Let's pray that this continues in Term 2 and we continue to focus on the growth and development of our students without any interruptions.
Just a reminder that the final chance to order from our school uniform shop will be Friday the 6th of May. Our school uniforms will then be available for you to purchase from a PSW store from Tuesday 14th of June. There will be a five-week period where no uniform will be available to purchase from either OLOL or PSW.
Next term we look forward to Interschool Sports, dance lessons and a disco, NAPLAN, Cross Country, Mother's Day Liturgy, celebration of Sacraments, Aboriginal Culture Day, Scienceworks excursions, HOLT Netball and Football Lightning Premiership. Please keep your eyes on the school calendar in the Schoozine App and the Newsletter. LOTS AND LOTS OF FUN THINGS ARE HAPPENING!!!
Next Friday school will finish at 1 pm. If you are unable to pick your child up at this time, you will be able to book them into Extend after-school care for the afternoon. Leo is great fun!
From all the staff and I, we wish you a very Happy Easter and a safe, fun-filled Term 1 break.
Adrian McAlister
Please click on the link below for instructions on how to make your family egg for the Eggspo.
The celebration of the Eucharist will take place on Saturday 4th June at 6pm at St Peters Church, Toorak and Sunday 5th June at 11:15am at OLOL Church. First Eucharist Masses will be allocated on a first come first served basis.
Please complete the web form indicating whether or not your child will be making their First Eucharist before Friday 29th April.
At 8.30 am the Year 5 and 6 students burst through the gates yelling “Bye mum and dad, see you on Friday!” The level of excitement was high and the kids couldn’t wait to begin their three-day getaway. Although some people may have thought they were heading off for a month by the size of their suitcases!
After a quick talk from the teachers, the buses were fully loaded and off we set for Queenscliff. The music was pumping to the soundtrack from Encanto and all the kids were singing along to the songs at the top of their voices. After an hour and a few truck beeps along the highway, we stopped in Geelong for a quick surprise to see our Production Queen Mrs McGurk and her three delightful children-Imogen, Nicholas and baby Felicity. She was extremely excited to see the teachers and the students.
The view of the bay along Portarlington Rd was picturesque and the students reached a new level of anticipation about the fun time they were about to have down at the beach. Upon our arrival, we were greeted by our host Ellie and shown around the grounds of Camp Wyuna and most importantly our cabins. The excitement lifted and the cheers began once the students' sleeping arrangements were revealed.
We kicked off camp with bodyboarding and a visit to the Queenscliff Marine and Freshwater Discovery Centre. Finbar, our resident budding marine biologist, took over at the Marine Centre teaching all the students, teachers and tour guides about his detailed knowledge of whales.
Over at the beach, the waves were rolling in fast and furious. The kids were loving catching the big sets of waves back to the shore. Lily and Heidi were in their element, showing their confidence in the sport and catching some of the bigger waves out the back. A big set rolled in and Evander got in position early. The wave caught Evander and tumbled him upside down and around. Pushing his hair back out of his face, he got back onto his board and set off in search of his next wave. Mr Podbury could hear screams from the beach not knowing where they were coming from. A child in distress? No! It was Miss Ross screaming with excitement as she caught the waves into shore.
After a delicious schnitzel and chocolate mousse, Mr Podbury got us into our teams and ready for a night of fun-filled trivia. The questions were tricky and in the end, there were three teams vying for the title. The Teachers, It’s Itzy and Fish Smarties. Sarah couldn’t stay in her seat as she argued with her team that she knew the answer to the question. In the end, THE TEACHERS WERE THE WINNERS!!!
Not a sound was heard throughout the camp at 7 am, Mr Mac was in shock and looked over to Robyn and said “Are the kids seriously still asleep? I’ve never been to a camp where kids have slept past seven”. BANG! The students started jumping down from their top bunks and the day began! The activities for the day were the next rotation of bodyboarding and Marine Centre followed by an afternoon bike ride, beach activities and a tour of the Queenscliff Fort.
Mr Costa and the kids reached the beach with their bodyboards and just stared out to the bay. “Where are the waves Mr Costa?” asked Vicente. “Yeah! The water is completely flat!” replied Tom.
Mr Costa looked over to the camp staff to see what the plan was. Instead, the kids paddled around on their boards and used them as a bridge to walk across. Nate was the first one to run into the water with a huge splash!
Meanwhile, the Year fives were learning a lot about marine life from their guide Alex. Elijah and Nathanial were nervous to touch the shells, while Oliver couldn’t keep his hands off the sea urchin as it cuddled his finger.
After morning tea, the year fives jumped on their bikes and set off along the track to Point Lonsdale. Na’Ole and Clem were fighting for the front spot while Mila and Aria cruised at their own pace taking in the beautiful scenery. Allegra despite a few hiccups along the track, showed her resilience and pushed on to join up with her classmates. Miss Ross was having the ride of her life as she sped past all the students, kicked up a wheelie and then came to a stop with a 3-metre skid.
After a quick bite of raspberry slice for afternoon tea, we arrived at the fort and were greeted by our tour guide Mary from Leopold (we could have sworn she was from South Africa). Her wealth of information and the ability to just say “no” to the students when they answered a question incorrectly were a highlight of our time at the fort. The kids loved seeing the layout of the base, big cannons and the gunpowder storage bunkers.
As all the students were tired from a busy day, we quickly ate our delicious spaghetti bolognese and settled in for a movie, Toy Story 4 (it was Mr Costa’s recommendation as he didn’t know there was a fourth).
“Can I have a piece of lasagne Mr Costa?”, asked Billy
‘No, that's for the teachers. We are going to have two pieces each so there won’t be any left for you,” replied Mr Costa with a chuckle!!!!!!!
“Well I’m going to be extra noisy tonight,” said Billy as he walked back to his table with a cheeky smile!
Sounds of popcorn-munching quickly descended into sounds of snoring travelling around the room from Nathanial, Gabriella, Juliette and Anashe.
It was the morning of the final day and the kids were up and about much earlier than the morning before. Rooms were packed up and final checks were done to ensure nothing was left behind. Bacon and eggs breakfast was waiting for us in the dining hall, along with a sea of tired faces. As we tidied up, Amber pulled out 10 packets of Jam from her pocket. She said she was saving them to use on her toast later that day as Jam is her favourite conserve.
The final rotation of activities of the day was in play with Rupert leading the pack before being overtaken by Nate. Arianna, Roxy and Adelaide were having a great chat on the track, narrowly missing an elderly couple out for their morning stroll. “Sorry!!” Yelled Roxy. Adelaide and Arianna, both look at each other in embarrassment.
Meanwhile down on the beach, The kids were walking on their toes making sure they didn’t step on one of the hundred Blue Bottle Jellyfish scattered across the beach. Aria was smashing out the flag races with a narrow win over Clem. Clem showed great sportsmanship by congratulating Aria on her win. Two teams were challenged to a competition that entailed them digging underneath a piece of timber and pulling each other through without touching it. Patrick was the first through coming out the other end with sand all over his head with Domi coming through in close second. Arias’s team was victorious and the cheers echoed down the beach.
“Mr Mac, what are the portion sizes at the fish and chip shop?” asked Pepe. “Are you hungry Pepe?” replied Mr Mac. “Yes!, I want to eat heaps,” replied Pepe.
Over the three days, the teachers couldn’t believe how much food the students consumed. The camp staff couldn’t keep up with the demand for an apple at breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. We thought that the trucks coming in every day were just to restock the hundreds of apples the kids were eating.
As we left camp for the final time, we said goodbye to our kind hosts. Billy jumped onboard first continuing his tradition of wearing an item of clothing with the Melbourne Demons logo on it. As we ate our fish and chips, we chatted about what we enjoyed most about the three days away. Pep and Cooper agreed that The Gaga Ball Pit was the number one activity followed closely by the chocolate mousse. The Gaga pit was the place to be during free time as the students competed to become the champion. Olivia got injured early in the first game, after a bit of ice on her finger, she jumped back up and got back into the game. In her first two hits, she eliminated Billy and Nate.
A number of kids fell asleep on the bus ride back, Miss Ross made sure she got the photo of Arianna and Isabella curled up in their chairs asleep. It had to be one of the quietest rides back to the city. Driving through the gates we were greeted by all the parents excited to see their kids and hear all about their three days in Queenscliff.
Key dates for the Easter Raffle are:
Monday, 4th April – Final Day for Easter egg donation
Monday, 4th April – Final Day for the return of raffle tickets
Friday, 8th April – Raffle drawn at 11.30am in the school hall
Jordana will be wrapping up the easter egg hampers on Monday morning from 9 am. If you are available to come in and give her a hand it would be greatly appreciated. Remember, many hands make light work.
All proceeds from the raffle will benefit the children at OLOL.
Many thanks and best of luck!
- Parents and Friends Committee
Lunchtime Chess Classes will recommence next term on Monday 2nd May. ‘Chess Ideas’ will run the sessions. These classes will cost $16.00 per lesson. All students from Prep - Year 6 are eligible to enrol, but they must commit to a full term’s program (this term it is 7 sessions). During the sessions there is a formal teaching component and then an experience/play component. The formal component is fully interactive, with children being required to analyse situations and decide on a series of outcomes together before breaking off to play one on one.
It is important to remember that in the game of chess, a child mentally analyses a situation and then makes a move. All of this is done without the aid of reading or writing. So Chess is a valuable game to learn to play even before a child has acquired the skills of reading and writing. It supports all students in reasoning, logical deduction, process, strategy and analysis. It is easy to see why there is research around how playing chess supports students learning in other areas.
Please see below, chess registration form. They will also be available from the office upon request.
Lego Club will be held on Tuesdays next Term. Registration details will be sent out next week.
As usual, OLOL will be running Chess and Lego Clubs again in Terms Two and Three of this year. We like to offer students the chance to learn to play Chess and Lego when the weather is less inviting than in terms one and four.
I thought this might be a good time to outline all the clubs that OLOL runs, on what days/times they are held, and how you can make contact with the organisers of the different activities if you are interested in being involved. All Providers run independently of the school but as they are using our school come under our strict Child Safety Standards.
CLUB | TIME | CONTACT |
Chess | Monday Lunchtimes | admin@chessideas.com.au |
Lego Club | Tuesday Lunchtimes | jlang@bricks4kidz.com |
Netball | Tuesday after school | |
Hip Hop |
Tuesday |
Cathy 0406 022 919 |
Choir | Wednesday Lunchtime | bernadette.walsh@olprahraneast.catholic.edu.au |
Net-Set-Go! | Wednesday after school | |
Hip Hop |
Thursday |
Cathy 0406 022 919 |
Garden Club | Lunchtimes | jamielee.jackson@olprahraneast.catholic.edu.au |
Running Club | Friday during school hours | daniel.podbury@olprahraneast.catholic.edu.au |
If you would like more information on celebrating the Sacrament of Baptism, please contact Delisa, the Pastoral Associate at Our Lady of Lourdes and St Peters, for more information.
Delisa.Gonsalves@cam.org.au
- 15th Apr 2:30pm St Matthew Passion - Bach, will be perform by Australia's finest vocal soloists, MBC and orchestra.
- 16th Apr 5:30pm Lost and Renewal - Chamber music of JS Bach, will be perform by 3 baroque specialists of Australia.
- 16th Apr 8:00pm Mozart Vesper and Bach Treasures - will be perform by Australia's finest vocal soloists, MBC and orchestra.
Works Being Carried out on Malvern Road
Works type: Tram track renewals and bridge strengthening
Location: Malvern Road, between Little Chapel Street and Beatty Avenue
Early works:
- Bridge strengthening works: 24-hour works from Sunday 20 March until Friday 29 April.
- Delivery and welding of rails: 24-hour works from Friday 15 April to Friday 29 April.
Major works (tram renewal and bridge strengthening major works):
- 24-hour works from 9pm, Friday 29 April to 5am, Sunday 15 May.
More information:
Yarra Trams webpage:
www.yarratrams.com.au/projects
PTV webpage:
www.ptv.vic.gov.au/disruptions
Please direct any queries to projects-comm@yarratrams.com.au.
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Stonnington Library - Holiday Program
Bookings for the Stonnington Libraries April School Holiday Program are now open! We've got loads of fun space themed activities for Primary School aged kids including: craft sessions, science shows, VR sessions, slime making, and water colour painting. The sessions are a mixture of in person and online programs and all are free, but spots are limited. More information and booking links can be found here: https://www.stonnington.vic.gov.au/Library/Whats-On/All-events?dlv_Library+events+master+list=(dd_OC+Composite+Date%3d18+Mar+2022)(dd_OC+Event+Categories%3dSchool+holiday+program)