7 Wynnstay Road, Prahran East 3181

Phone : 9510 6688 Fax : 9510 6039 Email : principal@olprahraneast.catholic.edu.au

9 FEBRUARY 2017 NEWSLETTER No. 1

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome to the first newsletter for 2017. Above all else 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 it being in digital form means that it remains on your

device for you to check in on details, dates and doings at any point.

We have had a lovely day celebrating the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. This morning,

Fr Hayes led us in an informative and prayerful liturgy which was followed by our Year 5 and 6

students making their impressive leadership election speeches in front of the whole school. The

children then all voted to elect the Year 5 and 6 students to this year’s leadership positions. The

results of the elections are announced in the context of the whole parish at Sunday’s Mass. The

very hot afternoon was then spent in our very cool hall watching an animated version of the

story of St Bernadette and Our Lady of Lourdes. So all in all, a lovely day.

Beginning of Year School Mass (Staff and Leaders Commitment Mass) – Sunday 12th February

As everyone in our community understands, there are four Masses a year that we ask the whole

school to attend. On Sunday 12th February our beginning of the school year Mass will be

celebrated. At this Mass, the teachers and leaders of the school commit themselves to the

year ahead in the presence of God and the Parish community. The Student Captains and

Leaders of the school are also announced. This Mass is followed by a morning tea in the Parish

Hall hosted by Year 5 & 6. Students in Year 5 & 6 are asked to bring a plate for this event (in fact

anyone feeling generous can also bring a plate).

We teach the children that the Church is a special and holy place. The students are generally

very good at showing respect in the Church but we do ask you, as parents, to help develop

their sense of reverence by modelling appropriate behaviours.

Whole school Mass dates for this year are as follows :

Sunday 12th February at 11.00am

Opening School Mass, hosted by Year 5 and 6

Sunday 11th June at 11.00am

Trinity Sunday Mass, hosted by Year 3 and 4

Sunday 6th August at 11.00am

First Eucharist Mass, hosted by Year 1 and 2

Sunday 3rd December at 11.00am

Welcome Mass for 2018 Foundation Students, hosted by current Foundation

Please put these dates into your diary as it is really important for everyone to attend each of

these Masses.

Circus Skills – Friday 10th February

All students will participate in a circus skills session tomorrow during class time. Children should

come to school in their sports uniform.

ICT User Agreement In STEMS this term students are learning how to use Chromebooks and Google Applications for

Education to enhance their learning. E-Safety is very important to OLOL and the lessons during

the term will focus on being responsible technology users. Today the ICT User Agreement and

the Google Apps for Education Permission Form will be sent home with each student. There is

also a copy attached to this newsletter. We ask that parents read and complete these forms

with their children, sign and return to their teacher. Students will not be able to use technology

until the form has been returned. Ideally these should all be back by Friday 17th of February. If

you have any questions regarding the use of technology or the use of Google Applications

please come and see me.

I am looking forward to working with each class to develop each student’s technology skills and

knowledge during STEMS and in class this year. - Chris Todd

P&F Meeting – Tuesday 14th Febraury

The P&F will hold their Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Tuesday 14th February at 7:00pm in

the staff room. We are in need of new members, with lots of positions vacant and all Classroom

Representatives also available. The invitation is extended to both Mums and Dads!

The P&F Committee is instrumental in providing essential fundraising for the school and as such is

of paramount importance for the opportunities provided to your child. It is also a lovely social

way to get to know others in our community.

Please come along on Tuesday 14th February and support your school.

Parent Teacher Talk Time – Monday 20th and Tuesday 21st February

We are holding Teacher Talk Time next Monday and Tuesday afternoon between 3:45pm-

5:45pm.

We will be using an online booking system for this event : www.schoolinterviews.com.au which

will be open for bookings from tomorrow afternoon. The event code is 5k3as.

Ash Wednesday – 1st March

The season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and is derived by counting back 40 days (not

including Sundays) from Easter Sunday. The period of Lent is a reminder of the forty days that

Jesus spent in the desert before taking up his active discipleship.

We will be attending Ash Wednesday Mass as a school at 10:00am Wednesday 1st March at

Our Lady of Lourdes Church. If you are free on Wednesday at 10:00am please join us for this

very important Mass.

Welcome Disco – Friday 17th March (which just happens to be St Patrick’s Day)

The Parents and Friends (P&F) traditionally hold a welcome disco for the community. The

Welcome Disco and BBQ will be held on Friday 17th March. The children always look forward to

this event and it is a great way for our new families to get to know others in a social

environment. Entry is free and food and drinks will be available for purchase on the evening.

Open Day - (Enrolments 2018/2019)

Please invite your friends to attend one of our Open Days.

Thursday 9th March 10:00am – 11:00am

Tuesday 14th March 10:00am – 11:00am

Wednesday 26th April 10:00am – 11:00am

Thursday 10th August 10:00am – 11:00am

Open Day Invitation cards will be available at the office if you would like to pass them on to

potential OLOL families. Thank you.

Lunch Orders / Classroom Cuisine

We use a web-based school tuckshop service called Classroom Cuisine, where meals are

prepared off-site then delivered to schools. Attached to this newsletter is a flyer outlining the

foods available and Classroom Cuisine's website details.

First step is to logon to Classroom Cuisine – www.classroomcuisine.com.au

Second step is to register, look under the How it Works icon.

Third step is to 'add a kid(s)'.

Once you've completed these steps, Classroom Cuisine will know which school and grade your

child/children attend.

It's now a simple matter of ordering lunch via the Order Now icon!

Tiqiz

The school is using Tiqbiz for the dissemination of important information relating to school

matters. It is really important that you are signed up! Most of our families from last year are

already on but our new families need to ensure that they are good to go. Attached to this

newsletter are easy to follow instructions to download the Tiqbiz App.

EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

Extend Before and After School Care - Monday to Friday 7.00am – 8.30am and 3:30pm – 6:00pm

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 Before and 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.

ABC Instrumental Music - during school hours

Mairead, Sara and Joshua are our wonderful piano/keyboard teachers. The goal of ABC’s

instrumental opportunities is to provide high quality and affordable music lessons in a fun

learning environment, whilst developing a strong musical foundation for students.

If you would like to enrol your child in music lessons, please contact ABC Music on 9427 8049 or

visit their website: www.abcmusicgroup.com.au

Hip Hop - Wednesday and Thursday 3.45pm - 4.45pm

OLOL currently runs Hip Hop lessons twice a week, with skills taught according to the child’s

ability. The junior and intermediate group (Foundation – Year 3) meets 3:45pm to 4:45pm on

Thursdays and the senior group (Year 4 – 6) meets 3:45pm to 4:45pm on Wednesdays.

Classes are taught by Cathy Vertkas and students can be enrolled by contacting her directly

on her mobile telephone: 0406 022 919.

Carnival Fitness – School Circus Classes for children aged 5 to 12 years.

Tuesday 3:45pm – 4:45pm (5-7 years) and 4:45pm – 6:15pm (8-12 years)

Classes have been specially designed to help children develop hand eye coordination,

balance and group work, self-esteem and trust. Carnival Fitness is a place where your child

gets to juggle and balance, tumble and challenge their bodies with circus activities and the

use of their imagination. Most importantly they have loads of fun while getting stronger, more

flexible and building really great skills. For more information phone Jho on 0451 586 890 or go to

www.carnivalfitness.net.

Specialist Classes

This term the Specialist Classes are as follows:

Day Specialist Class Teacher Requirements

Monday Art (Years 4, 5 & 6)

Wednesday Physical Education* Mrs Jane Dummett Sports uniform to

be worn

Wednesday Italian Mrs Josie Gleeson

Wednesday STEMS (Year F, 1 & 2) Mr Christopher Todd *During February Foundation students have Wednesday’s off. Physical education will be

covered by the classroom teachers of a Friday.

Friday Art (Years F, 1, 2 & 3) Mrs Luisa Vivarelli Art Smock

Friday STEMS (Years 3,4,5 &6) Mr Christopher Todd

Friday Sport Class Teacher Sports uniform to

be worn

STAFF FOR 2017

Principal – Mrs Francine Walsh

Deputy Principal – Mr Chris Todd

Admin Officers – (Mon – Wed) – Mrs Margaret Biviano & (Thu – Fri) – Mrs Tones Dalitz

Foundation / 1 C – Matt Callery

Foundation / 1 M – Alison March

Foundation / 1 S – Miss Sarah Simpson

Year 2 – Miss Irene Archer

Year 3 – Miss Arena Yao

Year 4 – Miss Jamie Lee Jackson

Year 5/6 –Mrs Ruth McGurk

Art Mrs Luisa Vivarelli

Physical Education Mrs Jane Dummett

LOTE-Italian Mrs Josie Gleeson

STEMS (Science Technology Engineering

Maths Sustainability) Mr Chris Todd

Student Services/Reading Recovery Mrs Mary Gammilonghi

Education Support Officer (Classroom Aide) Ms Anne Vella

Education Support Officer (Classroom Aide) Mrs Robyn Lazzaro

Education Support Officer (Classroom Aide) Miss Rosie Ashburner

Education Support Officer (Classroom Aide) Ms Di Platt

Mr Chris Todd is Deputy Principal and will be available to all should I not be at school.

Starting Times

I think that by advertising school starting at 9.00am I have led parents to believe that it’s OK to

rock up at 9.00am. IT’S NOT! We ask that students arrive at school somewhere between

8.30am and 8.45am. The classroom doors open at 8:45am each morning as this allows each

child to unpack their bag, change their reading book and have a chat with their friends. This is

the best time to come to school as their socialisation and organisational skills are being

supported. The first bell rings at 8:55am. This signals that school will start soon. The second bell

rings at 9:00am and signifies that lessons are starting. I ask for your support in ensuring that your

child is at school before 9:00am so they have a chance to ‘get organised’ and begin the day

in a calm and orderly manner.

Parent Forum

It doesn’t matter how much information we try and get out to you or how many forms of

communication we use there are always questions that need to be answered. To this end I am

running a couple of parent forums which is where we get together over a cup of tea and ask all

the questions you like!

School Assemblies

School Assemblies will be at 3:00pm on Monday afternoons this year. Parents are always

welcome to come along.

Parking

Please be aware of the parking restrictions on Wynnstay Road on Wednesday and Thursday

mornings. The parking officers are lethal!

Have a great week!

Francine Walsh

Principal

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER OTHER NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS ....

FEBRUARY

Thursday

09

OLOL Feast Day

Extend OSHC at OLOL Primary School Hello Everyone, A very BIG "Hello" to everyone as I happily look forward to before and aftercare at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School with the children. I am happy as I will meet old acquaintances as I have been here at OLOL aftercare previously to fill in Tuesse or Sophie on different occasions. I am also glad as I will meet new preppies who will start school this year! Whatever the reason, I'm so happy to start a new academic year with OLOL before and aftercare program from Extend. About me: I have completed my Master of Teaching in Early Childhood. With regards to experience, I have been with Extend OSHC since 2014 and worked at 16 different schools so I am confident and equally excited to bring all of my experience and learnings from each school that could help us enjoy our time. I love creativity, encouraging play and exploration and especially in reusing resources...in other words I believe in "Sustainable Practices". I am open to new ideas and sharing as I believe that's how we learn, so I am here to learn, celebrate ourselves and also have some fun along the way! At Extend, it is all about "Providing the opportunities kids should have" so every day we have a bunch of planned experiences that children can enjoy. There is also room for open ended indoor and outdoor experiences and plenty options for children to try. I welcome all to come and have a look at our aftercare space or to just say a "hello"!! Recap We had fun doing activities such as Getting to know "Me" and Treasure Hunt, where we met new faces, interacted warmly and ensured everyone felt comfortable. We also made collage quilts, hand print rainbow, fruit and veggie faces, birthday charts and friendship bracelates. Our Extend Superstar is Adrian Jackson for being very helpful! What we will be doing during the next fortnight: Monday 13th Feb – Blow Painting Tuesday 14th Feb – Fruit Kebabs Wednesday 15th Feb - Walking water science experiment Thursday 16th Feb - Yummy Coconut Balls Friday 10th Feb – Sand Portrait Monday 20th Feb - Paper Plate Faces Tuesday 21st Feb - Lego and Jenga Construction Wednesday 22nd Feb - Wool weaving on Paper Thursday 23rd Feb - Abstract art using recycled materials Friday 24th Feb - Origami There will also be a host of other outdoor activities such as octopus, four square, silent ball, red letter, dumb charades and many more to choose from. Thanks, Jui (Zui) ONLINE BOOKINGS: extend.com.au CALL OUR OFFICE: 1300 366 437

Sunday 12 OLOL Beginning of Year Whole

School Mass – OLOL Church 11am

Tuesday 14 P&F Meeting – 7.00pm

Wednesday 15 Foundation Rest Day & Assessment

Swim Squad training – 7.30am

Monday 20 Parent/Teacher Talk Time

3.45am – 5.45am

Tuesday 21 Parent/Teacher Talk Time

3.45am – 5.45am

Wednesday

22 Foundation Rest Day & Assessment

Swim Squad training – 7.30am

Friday 24 Holt District Swimming Carnival

(Years 3-6)

MARCH

Wednesday

01

Ash Wednesday Mass – 10.00am

Thursday 9 OLOL Open Day – 10.00am –

11.00am

Monday 13 Labour Day Holiday – NO SCHOOOL

Tuesday 14 OLOL Open Day – 10.00am –

11.00am

Friday 17 St Patrick’s Day – Mass at the

Cathedral for Year 6 Leaders

Welcome Disco

Friday 31 Easter Bonnet Parade & Raffle

TERM ONE ENDS – 1.00pm

APRIL

Tuesday

18

TERM TWO COMMENCES – 9.00am

Monday 24 ANZAC Day Liturgy – 2.30pm

Tuesday 25 ANZAC Day Holiday

Wednesday 26 OLOL Open Day

MAY

Wednesday

03

OLOL Interhouse Cross Country –

1.30pm

Thursday 11 Mother’s Dinner

Friday 12 Mother’s Day Liturgy

Sunday 14 Mother’s Day

Tuesday 16 School Photos

TERM DATES FOR 2017

Term 1

Thursday, 2nd February – Friday 31st March Term 2

Tuesday 18th April – Friday 30th June Term 3

Monday 17th July – Friday 22nd September Term 4

Monday 9th October – Friday 22nd December