Filter Content
Dear Parents,
Today is the final day that our school review is conducted. Wendy Ross (the reviewer) has spent hours going through the vast array of documentation that the staff prepared. She then spent Tuesday of this week and today speaking with focus groups. Unfortunately due to restrictions, she has not been able to enter the school and therefore does not get to see how beautiful it is or meet the people (face-to-face) that make OLOL the special place it is.
We will meet this afternoon for a briefing as to her initial findings and then there is a more explicit session given to her findings in a couple of weeks. From this report, we will map the School Improvement Plan (SIP) for the next four years. From the SIP we develop a more specific plan called an Annual Action Plan (AAP) each year to prioritise the directions from the review report to continue on a strategic journey of improvement.
Thank you to everyone who responded to the Lockdown 5.0 and 6.0 Feedback Survey. The results were overwhelmingly positive. We had a focus on Specialists subjects in this survey and generally people seem to be taking what I think is a very practical attitude toward these subjects. Students and parents know the activities are there, teachers will continue to create them, and your family is best placed as to whether or not these get completed. Please continue to put your energy into ensuring literacy and maths sessions are attended and work completed to as high a standard as possible. We feel the pain in some of your answers and if you were to survey us you would find similar levels of frustration at the situation we find ourselves in. Having said all that, we need to congratulate our infant teachers (in particular Miss Ross) because this week Mrs Gammilonghi (Literacy Leader) has been completing some reading assessments and our resilient little Preps are ACING them!!! Kudos of course also goes to wonderful supportive engaged parents for ensuring growth continues during lockdowns.
As I write things do not seem to be improving quickly enough to foresee a speedy return to school. Therefore our plans continue to change. Our production has now been moved to early Term 4 (further details in the article below) and the ART SHOW 2021 will be cancelled. We will however resurrect an important aspect of the art show which is a whole class piece. Each class produces a spectacular and 'hanging worthy' piece of art - this single class piece is then auctioned and as with all auctions the highest bidder wins. There will much more detail in future newsletters about this significant and fun aspect even if our beloved Art Show won't actually happen.
As usual next week's take-home packs will be ready for pick up from the Art Room on Friday at 2.00 pm - 3.30 pm and Monday morning 8.00 am - 9.00 am.
In many respects, this lockdown seems more difficult than previous ones. I speak with many of you and I completely understand the huge struggle the restrictions are having on you and your families. I speak for the entire staff when I say, thank you for your words of support, your gifts of appreciation, and even the tone of your emails when you are querying some aspect of online learning. This is an incredibly difficult time for everyone and your kindness to us is appreciated.
God Bless and stay well,
Francine
As we are unable to celebrate all the special dads, grandads, Godfathers, uncles and other special men in our lives during our usual Fathers Day Liturgy, this year some of the students in Year 3 will be creating a very special video.
At the end of this video we will have a presentation of photos with the students and the special men in their lives. If you would like to include a photograph in the video please email it to Irene (irene.archer@olprahraneast.catholic.edu.au) before Tuesday 31st August. Please note: this video will be shared with the Parish community.
The SRC are thrilled to announce a whole-school Yoga Incursion on Wednesday 1st September to support the wellbeing of our students during lockdown.
Please join us on Zoom, using the link below:
1pm: Prep/Year One
1:30pm: Years 2-3
2:15pm: Years 4-6
Zoom link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3037338404?pwd=UGhlUlhlaU1LS0hNVFJDcnRtUUJDdz09
Meeting ID: 303 733 8404
Passcode: wellbeing
The SRC have also been busy creating posters to advertise this special event, so keep your eyes on our digital platforms to view them!
In the wise words of one of our SRC members, Tessa:
"Need to do some yoga? Join a zoom meeting on Wednesday 1st of September.
Get a mat and a positive outlook. "
If you have any questions, please contact: angelique.gabriel@olprahraneast.catholic.edu.au
In the last newsletter, we spoke of the impact COVID is having on our 'Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dream Coat' production plans. As a result of the extended lockdown and reduced face to face rehearsal time our plans have had to change yet again.
As per the last newsletter we will have the show filmed professionally and air it according to the rights which we have purchased which are to record for a viewing. We are not allowed to film and keep the recording of the show or to sell copies of the film. We are allowed to film it to view.
The plan is now to film the beginning of week 3 Term 4. (Monday 18th October) with a view to having an edited version ready for viewing by the end of the Week 4 (Friday 29th October).
We will then organise an outdoor live 'concert version' of the show to take place on our basketball court when we are allowed. Parents will have the opportunity to see the live version obviously with some tweaks allowing for the change in setting.
I know you will understand the change of plan and I ask that you to continue to buy tickets as this new format will in fact cost more to provide than just performing it outright.
Whilst on ticket costs, a concert done properly costs a lot of money to produce and we set ticket prices simply to help subsidise these costs. Thank you all for your excitement around this production, to Ruth McGurk and the team for their tenacity in the face of disruption. We are, despite everything, really looking forward to this significant moment of our school year.
As previously mentioned, we encourage you to continue to purchase tickets in order to assist us with subsidising the cost of filming the production.
To purchase tickets please visit: www.trybooking.com/BSYLE
A reminder to parents and friends that, sadly, we are not permitted to have any of you entering the school building at this time. If you need to see a staff member for any reason please ring the doorbell and wait (with your mask on) at the front door. Under no circumstances are parents to enter the office area. All student pack collections are from the Art Room which you can access via the side gate. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated. Thank you!