Filter Content
- Welcome
- OLOL Centenary
- OLOL Welcome Picnic
- Parent and Family Engagement
- February 2023 Meet and Greet
- Leadership Speeches
- School Photo Day
- Flag Raising and School Assemblies
- Swim Squad
- ICT User Agreements
- Before School Child Minding
- Sports Uniform Days for 2023
- Specialists Classes for 2023
- Absences
- Classroom Cuisine 2024
- Staff Emails
- Termly Overviews and Home Work Requirements
- Birthdays
- Photo Permission Form
- Medication Authorisation
- Term Dates & School Closure Days for 2023
- Rest Days for Prep
- Speedy Pick Up and Drop Off - WE ASK THAT ALL PARENTS PARK IN THE SURROUNDING STREETS AND WALK TO PICK UP THEIR CHILDREN.
- Calendar of Events for Term 1
- Carnival Fitness - Circus Skills
- Hip Hop
- ABC Music 2023
- Extend After School Care
We also welcome all of our new families to the OLOL community.
We begin this year some new staff and we would like to welcome them ... Vanessa Ratnayake (STEMS), Madam Agathe (ESO/French Teacher), Niamh Power (Prep/1 Classroom Teacher), Louise Morgan (Year 3/4 Classroom Teacher) and Gaya Nair (Admin Support).
The newsletter remains the major source for information dissemination and therefore we encourage (read demand) parents and carers to read it every fortnight. The beauty of the newsletter being digital and on SZapp means that it remains on your device for you to check in on details, dates, and doings at any point.
Family engagement is said to be one of the greatest predictors of student success. But what is family engagement and what is the best way to get families involved? We will focus on these questions this year and hopefully improve our data on parent engagement and ensure the families of OLOL are best placed to enable their children to succeed. Our MACSSIS data (which is the survey you are all invited to complete every year) showed that our data in the domains related to engagement were down somewhat. So this year we will focus on building engagement by providing greater opportunities for you to know and participate in your child's learning and school life.
Looking forward to a sensational 2023 and to seeing everybody at Mass on Sunday 12th and then the Welcome Picnic on Friday 17th February at Lumley Park!
Regards
Francine
This year we are celebrating the centenary of the Our Lady of Lourdes School and Parish. As the feast day occurs next week we have a very short window to prepare for the event.
FRIDAY 10TH FEBRUARY
The students will be celebrating with a Liturgy in the church on Friday morning. This is then followed by the eagerly awaited Leadership announcements. The school will vote for their captains and leaders after speeches on Wednesday next week and the outcome of the elections is announced as part of the Feast day Celebrations.
In the afternoon we have arranged for KABOOM Sports to run a tabloid sports afternoon for the whole school. Our newly elected leaders will be helping the KABOOM Team lead the afternoon of fun. This will be taking place at Victory Square (as Orrong Romanis is having work done). This should be a great afternoon and all families are welcome to join in the fun.
Students will be dismissed as usual from OLOL at 3.30 pm.
SUNDAY 12TH FEBRUARY
The usual 11.15 am Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Church will be celebrated in honour of the Centenary. All families are asked to attend and be part of this significant event.
Our newly elected senior leaders will be helping the parish assist guests at this Mass, they are therefore asked to wear their summer uniform. They will also be taking tours at the school for visitors who would like to be taken around the school as it is today.
After Mass, the school will host a Morning Tea in the School Hall. As we are expecting there to be visitors as well as our school community we are asking for everyone to contribute a plate. All food will need to be dropped at the school on either Friday or brought over before Mass on Sunday 12th. As we have not as yet reset our parents' committee we are asking volunteers to help. There is a sign-up sheet below and we ask that you give of some of your time to help us celebrate this milestone in the history of the School and Parish.
We are also holding an Open Morning for any guest who would like to walk through the school. The staff will create displays of the photos and archives and guests will be taken on tours by the Year 5 and 6 students.
OLOL Centenary Afternoon Tea Helpers Sign-Up Sheet
Date & Time |
Event |
Location |
Notes |
Friday 10th February
9.15am - 10.15 |
Feast Day Liturgy followed by Leadership Announcements |
Our Lady of Lourdes Church 631 High Street Armadale |
Whole school feast day liturgy in the church followed by senior leadership announcements. Parents are welcome to join us. |
Friday 10th February |
Students Centenary Celebration KABOOM tabloid sports afternoon. |
Victory Square Reserve 27 Ashleigh Road Armadale |
Kaboom tabloid sports activities at the oval Families are welcome to join for this. Students are to wear Sports Uniform for the day. Students will be dismissed as usual for the school. |
Saturday 11th February |
Our Lady of Lourdes Feast Day |
||
Sunday 12th February
11.15am - 12.15pm |
Centenary Mass |
Our Lady of Lourdes Church 631 High Street Armadale |
Whole School Mass. School leaders will act as ushers at the Mass for visitors. Year 5 and 6 students need to be in full summer uniform. All other students can wear Mass appropriate clothes. |
Sunday 12th February
12.15 pm - |
Open School and Morning Tea |
OLOL School 7 Wynnstay Road, Prahran |
Photo and Archive display at the school. Morning Tea or guests in the school hall. School leaders will act as guides at the school for visitors. Year 5 and 6 students need to be in full summer uniform. |
After the success of our whole school picnic last year we will again hold a big Welcome Picnic. At this event, you essentially bring absolutely everything you need to eat drink sit and be merry together. We had a brilliant turnout last year with almost every family present. Let's make this one every bit as successful. Its a great opportunity to get to know each other.
Where: Lumley Park Playground, Jessamine Ave, Prahran
When: Friday 17th February from 5:30pm
What: Pack a picnic, a beverage of choice, and a blanket and join us for catch-ups with old friends or make some new ones.
What else to bring: Grandparents, aunties or uncles
Word of warning: parking around Lumley Park is difficult, can we suggest dropping off picnic supplies and family and then going to find a park on High Street, William Street, or other surrounding streets.
We look forward to seeing everybody there!
*If it rains this event will be canceled.
As mentioned in the introduction our family survey data in all of the seven domains; Family Engagement, School Fit, School Climate, Barriers to Engagement, Student safety, Catholic Identity, and Communication scored above the MACS Average. Added to those encouraging results is that in the important areas of School Fit, School Climate, Student Safety, and Communication OLOL scored in the high 80 or 90 percentiles. All of this is obviously good news. However, in the domains of Family Engagement, Barriers to Family Engagement, and Catholic Identity our data although still above the MACS average was much less impressive.
After nearly three years of disrupted schooling, we all limped to the finish line in 2022. We had over the course of 2022 some great incidents of family engagement including the Art Show the Welcome Picnic along with our massive Carols and Disco night. But we also experienced many low lights such as the Federal Election BBQ not being able to go ahead and a completely worn-out P&F exec who spent the year begging for parents to be involved.
The MACISS domain summaries for the three areas that need improvement go some way to explaining what engagement is.
Family Engagement - The degree to which families are partners with their child's school.
Barriers to Family Engagement - Factors that can hinder a family's interaction or involvement with their child's school.
Catholic Identity - Families' perceptions of and engagement with the overall Catholic identity of the school.
So with this data and being of a mind of constant improvement we have already discussed as a staff what we might be able to do to enhance Parent engagement in the school. Obviously, this is a two-way track and we can 'put it out there' but 'it has to be picked up!' What we believe will support your engagement levels may in fact not be the best way. We will be seeking your input on how we best enable your engagement in the school.
Our Parents and Friends (P&F) we believe requires a complete rethink. I fear we are trying to make a 1950's model of parent support fit a very different social and educational scenario. We will be holding a whole school evening later in term one to gather everyone's ideas as to how you as parents can best support your children and their school.
We will be holding our traditional events and making you aware of our digital offerings. We will also ensure that you are invited to partner more with your child's learning.
Post COVID we have been a bit disappointed with the number of parents able to attend assemblies. In order to try and attend to this we surveyed all parents at the end of last year to see which day/time would suit the greatest number of parents and enable a greater attendance at assemblies. Friday afternoon won with a decent majority. So for Semester One, we will trial Friday afternoon assemblies in an effort to break down a barrier to engaging with your child's learning.
There are a few other immediate ways in which you can engage with the school. The first one is with our Centenary celebrations next week and the second one is with our welcome picnic at Lumley park on Friday 17th February. Both events have specific articles in this newsletter.
We know that together we can work on improving engagement levels at OLOL a school that has for one hundred years been an example of community spirit.
The aim of this session is for the teacher to find out more about your child. Prior to this interview, we ask that you consider the answers to the questions the Class Teacher will ask you.
Bookings using 'Session Keeper' are now open and will close on Monday 6th February at 4.00pm.
Instructions on how to book an appointment with your child's Class Teacher are as follows :
Session Keeper Instructions
February 2023 Meet and Greet Bookings are open between Thursday, 2nd February, 3.30pm and Monday 6th February, 4.00pm.
- Click book your time here to access the Session Keeper website
- Click ‘Add New Student’
- Enter your child’s name and click ‘Save’
- If you have more than one child at OLOL repeat step 3 as necessary
- When you have added all children, click on one child and then ‘Save and Continue’
- Choose your child’s Class Teacher and click ‘Next’
- Choose the date and time from those available and then click ‘Next’
- Review the date and time then click ‘Next’
- If you need to make an additional booking for another child click ‘Book Again’ and repeat the process
- To view all bookings made click ‘My Bookings’
Please see Meet_and_Greet_February_2023.pdf
As per the uniform code, girls are to wear white short socks, boys are to wear navy short socks and ALL students must be wearing black school shoes.
This year there will be a special whole school Centenary photo available for purchase.
To order your child/ren photos, please click the Order Instructions link. Please make note of the OLOL School ordering code Z9GYBD97C.
Thank you
Flag Raising and School Assemblies
A reminder to our Swim Squad participants that training commenced this morning, Thursday 2nd February, and will continue on Thursday 9th February and Thursday 16th February.
Please note that if your child is participating in Swim Squad the $35.00 fee for the term must be paid next week. This fee covers lane hire and breakfast as well as contributing toward the bus for the Carnival.
Please also remember that the children will be travelling back to school by tram together at the conclusion of each training, hence they will need to bring a Myki card (with credit on it) for the tram.
Many thanks!
Each year as part of the OLOL ICT Policy parents and students are required to read through the OLOL ICT User Agreement fill in and sign the form at the bottom. This form must be completed by Friday 17th February, only one form per family needs to be filled out. If you have any questions regarding the user agreement please email or phone Adrian McAlister (adrian.mcalister@
Students are to wear their sports uniform on the following days:
Prep - Year 2 - Tuesday and Thursday
Years 3 & 4 - Monday, Tuesday and Friday
Years 5 & 6 - Monday and Friday
Specialist | Day | Year Level | Requirements |
STEMS Mrs Vanessa Ratnayake |
Monday | 3, 4, 5, 6 | |
Tuesday | Prep, 1, 2 | ||
PE Mrs Rachel McLeary |
Monday | 3/4M, 5, 6 |
Sports Uniform to be worn all day |
Tuesday |
P, 1, 2, 3/4V |
Sports Uniform to be worn all day |
|
Performing Arts Miss Bernie Walsh |
Monday | 3/4V, 5, 6 | |
Tuesday |
P, 1, 2, 3/4M | ||
Art Mrs Lusia Vivarelli |
Monday |
3, 4 | Art Smock |
Tuesday | P, 1, 2, 5, 6 | Art Smock |
Classroom Cuisine's lunch service has recommenced for Term 1.
Classroom Cuisine has created an option that:
- is easy to use and affordable
- offers variety and choice within a healthy framework
- allows busy parents to provide great lunches for their children
- takes the headache out of coming up with lunch and snack ideas
- empowers children to make their own healthy food choices
No nuts
Nude food
Take home what's left
Classroom Cuisine is an Online alternative to the traditional and disappearing 'tuck-shop', offering a convenient, user friendly service; creating, preparing, packing and delivering high quality School Lunches at the most affordable price.
Classroom Cuisine’s Mission is to delight both our ‘Diners’ with the quality of our lunches as well as the Schools that offer our service by ensuring it’s hassle free for them.
A Healthy Alternative
Classroom Cuisine has created an option that:
- is easy to use and affordable
- offers variety and choice within a healthy framework
- allows busy parents to provide great lunches for their children
- takes the headache out of coming up with lunch and snack ideas
- empowers children to make their own healthy food choices
How it Works
- Register your child
- Select dates you wish your order for
- Choose delicious menu items
- Confirm your order and payment
- Relax while we do the rest
https://classroomcuisine.com.au/how-it-works
If you need to contact your child's teacher the best way generally is via email rather than ringing the school. For your convenience, please see below a list of classroom teacher emails.
Prep/1
Niahm Power - niamh.power@olprahraneast.catholic.edu.au
Tanya Murphy - tanya.murphy@olprahraneast.
Eimear Ross - eimear.ross@olprahraneast.catholic.edu.au
Year 2
Irene Archer - irene.archer@olprahraneast.catholic.edu.au
Year 3/4
Louise Morgan - louise.morgan@olprahraneast.catholic.edu.au
Tom Venier - tom.venier@olprahraneast.catholic.edu.au
Year 5/6
Daniel Podbury - daniel.podbury@olprahraneast.catholic.edu.au
Please appreciate that using email to communicate does not result in an immediate response; however, 48 hour acknowledgment of receipt can be expected.
Termly Overviews and Home Work Requirements
Termly Overviews and Home Work will be available on the SZapp from Monday 6th February.
Access to the Termly Overviews and Home Learning is now available via the SZapp and here. To keep up to date with what your child is learning and support this at home we strongly recommend you read the Termly Overview.
Any further communication around your child's work will be via the classroom teachers.
Birthday Party Invites
We ask that parents be responsible for giving out birthday party invites (not the children). Please be careful and discreet with invitation handing out as it can be hurtful if an entire grade is not invited. If you are working parents and do not get to see students or parents at pick up or drop off it might be an idea to email invites.
Teachers are not responsible for handing invites out.
Celebrating Birthdays
While on birthdays … we ask that you do not send birthday treats (cakes, lollies etc) to school to be shared. The students will sing happy birthday to your children on or close to, their birthdays and they will receive their birthday award in assembly.
FAO: Preps and new families to OLOL this year
Please complete the Photo Permission form, if you have not already, and submit by Friday 10th February.
As you are aware the school has to comply with a myriad of rules, regulations and guidelines in order to stay registered with the VRQA. These compliance measures change regularly and we are continually updating our processes and procedures accordingly.
One important and impactful measure that will change the way we have traditionally operated is in regard to administering medication to children at school.
If you require the school to give your child any form of medication, please complete both forms linked below (Medication Authority Form is not required if we have a condition-specific report). All Medical Management Plans must give specific advice and be signed and dated by the treating medical/health practitioner.
All our school policies are available on our webpage: ololprimary.com.au choose the OUR SCHOOL tab and then POLICIES.
Part of the policy reads:
Where students require that medication be administered to them, the school will first explore with parents/guardians/carers whether they may administer the medication outside the school day, rather than have staff administer the medication at school. Where the medication must be administered at school, a Medical Management Plan and up-to-date Medication Authority Form is required (Refer Medical Management Policy).
Clearly, the emphasis of this set of policies is on not having the school administer medication unless absolutely necessary. As always OLOL is happy to support our families and will continue to administer medication where required but we need you to understand that unless the required forms are filled and signed we are unable to do so.
There is a raft of policies and documentation related to this and we are happy to discuss the implications of these new regulations with anyone requiring support.
Required Forms
Medical Management Plan Template
Please note: the Medical Management Plan does not have to be completed where a doctor has provided a condition-specific report (for example: Anaphylaxis or Asthma Action Plan).
Related Documents
Term Dates & School Closure Days for 2023
Term 1 Tuesday 31 January – Thursday 6 April
Term 2 Wednesday 26 April – Friday 23 June
Term 3 Monday 10 July – Friday 15 September
Term 4 Monday 2 October – Friday 15 December
School Closure Dates
Monday 30 January
Monday 24 April
Monday 6 November
Monday 27 November
Our Prep students do not attend school on the following days for the month of February :
Wednesday, 1st February
Wednesday, 8th February
Wednesday, 15th February
Wednesday, 22nd February
- There is no parking at all in the front section of the school until after 9.00am
- This is the speedy drop off area
- Drivers are asked to remain in their cars
- Mr McAlister will supervise the drop offs helping children from cars
- Students will then go directly to the top playground where Mrs Walsh will be on duty
If you would like to accompany your child onto the playground, please park your car away from the designated drop off section and walk with your child into the school. Supervision on the playground is from 8.30am. Prior to 8.30am your child must be booked into before school care with Extend (www.extend.com.au).
AFTERNOON – 3.30pm – 3.45pm
PLEASE DO NOT ARRIVE EARLY TO SPEEDY PICKUP AND BLOCK WYNNSTAY ROAD AS THIS INFURIATES OUR NEIGHBOURS.
WE ASK THAT ALL PARENTS PARK IN NEIGHBOURING STREETS AND WALK DOWN TO THE SCHOOL AND THEN WALK THEIR CHILD/CHILDREN BACK TO THE CAR. PLEASE LEAVE SPEEDY PICK-UP FOR PARENTS WITH TODDLERS AND BABIES IN THE CAR.
- Students to be picked up will come to the front of the school
- When a parent/carer pulls up, drivers are to remain in their cars and staff will help the student/s into the car
- Please drive right into the curb so cars can pass you
- Car, parent/carer and students drive off allowing for the next car to move up into the section
- Please DO NOT make a U-TURN from the parking zone into the house opposite (No. 18) driveway. We understand that you need to turn around so that you are not faced with trying to get out onto Orrong Road. We are asking that you drive off down Wynnstay Road, over the children’s crossing and then use the driveway on the other side of the crossing to make your U-turn
Finally, of an afternoon ‘Speedy Pick up’ operates from 3.30pm to 3.45pm. You do not have to be at the front of the school at 3.30pm sharp. There is a 15-minute window in which you can arrive. There is no pressure from us that you are out there at exactly 3.30pm.
Parking
Please be aware of the parking restrictions on Wynnstay Road on Wednesday and Thursday mornings. The parking officers are lethal!
Please also pay close attention to the parking restrictions in A’Beckett Street. This is the street that our back gate opens onto. If you need convenience and speed, please use the front Speedy Pick-up service mentioned above. If you’re not in a hurry, please park near Orrong Romanis Park, walk up to the school and then accompany your children back to the car. The council has advised that parents should not park at all on A'Beckett St between Sydney St and the school. This is reasonable as there is no safe way to get out of that section of the street. It is too tight to U-Turn safely. As a result, this forms part of our Stonnington Approved Traffic Management Plan (Yep, there really is such a document.)
IMPORTANT DATES FOR TERM 1 | |
Date | Event |
Thursday, 2 February | Swim Squad |
Tuesday, 7 February | Parent/Teacher Meet and Greet - 3.10pm - 6.00pm |
Wednesday, 8 February | Leadership Speeches |
Parent/Teacher Meet and Greet - 3.10pm - 6.00pm | |
Prep Rest Day | |
Thursday, 9 February | Swim Squad |
Friday, 10 February | OLOL Feast Day Liturgy - 9.15am - 10.15am |
Students Centenary Celebrations - Tabloid Sports at Victory Square Reserve | |
Saturday, 11 February | Our Lady of Lourdes Feast Day |
Sunday, 12 February | Centenary Mass - 11.15am at Our Lady of Lourdes Church |
Open School and Morning Tea at OLOL School | |
Wednesday, 15 February | Prep Rest Day |
Thursday, 16 February | Swim Squad |
Friday, 17 February | Welcome Family Picnic |
Monday, 20 February | School Photo Day |
Wednesday, 22 February | Prep Rest Day |
Ash Wednesday | |
Monday, 13 March | Labour Day Holiday |
Wednesday, 5 April | Passion Play |
Thursday, 6 April | Easter Raffle Drawn |
Term 1 Ends @ 1.00pm |
*please note that all dates are correct at the time of publishing this newsletter however dates are subject to change and therefore it is important to check the SZapp and subsequent newsletters for any changes that may occur.
Classes are taught by Cathy Vertkas and students can be enrolled by contacting her directly on her mobile telephone: 0406 022 919.
Extend understand that high quality care and education doesn’t ‘just happen’. They believe it takes a committed team of quality staff all working towards great outcomes for children, parents and school communities. Their ideals, expectations and vision fit easily into the OLOL philosophy and so we enjoy a very successful program of out of hours care. I regularly receive feedback from parents about just how happy they are with the care the students receive.
As Extend is a professional group, it takes several days to process a new ‘enrolment’. We ask that every student is enrolled in the Extend After Care Program so that if you ever need to use the service you are ready to go.
Extend have a comprehensive website which they invite you to browse to learn more about Extend or to enrol your child: www.extend.com.au.
All families requiring bookings for After School Care (existing and new families) must create a new account with LookedAfter. Go to https://www.lookedafter.com.