Newsletter 1st of November

Dear Parents, Friends and Students of Our Lady of Lourdes

All Saints: Today we gathered as a school to commemorate the feast of All Saints. On this special day we remember those men and women who are now in heaven and be inspired by their many qualities such as a concern for justice, gentleness, purity of heart, mercy and courage. We take comfort in knowing that from their home in heaven they intercede for us still. Thank you to Fr Francis for leading the Mass and the parents and parishioners who came along and celebrated with us.    

QCESR: We are currently undertaking The Quality Catholic Education School Review (QCESR). The process focuses on our school improvement journey where a panel visits our community to meet with me, the Leadership Team, a selection of staff and students, Parish Priest and members of the School Advisory Council and P&F. At the conclusion of the review, we will receive a two-part report commenting on our school improvement/strategic direction processes and my leadership. I look forward to sharing the feedback we receive as I am sure it will only affirm the wonderful things we are doing at OLOL.  

Sacrament of Reconciliation: On Wednesday 25 October, students from our Year 3 class and the parish, celebrated the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time in our church. Fr Francis welcomed the children in making this intimate Sacrament in the Church and expressed the importance of making it a regular occurrence throughout their faith journey. Thank you to Miss Welch who did an outstanding job preparing the students and to the families, friends and staff who attended to show their support for the students.           

Faction Athletics Carnival: The 2023 OLOL Faction Athletics Carnival, held across two days in Week 2, was again a success. The weather was beautiful, records were broken, cheering was loud and MJR sportsmanship was shown by all. Leonard remains on their winning streak finishing atop of the score sheet for another year. Congratulations to Mrs Goode for organising two wonderful days of competition for our students. Further information regarding the carnival and the upcoming Interschool Carnival can be found in the newsletter. 

Thank You OLOL P&F: At the most recent meeting, the following items were decided to be funded by the P&F. 

• New carpets Years 1 – 6: (2023) $27,780 
• Early childhood equipment replacement (2023) $5,000 

• Hall stage carpeting (to be done in Jan 2024) approximately $10,500  
• Early childhood playground upgrades (to commence in 2024) 

Thank you OLOL P&F! 

The P&F are busily organising the school Disco set to be held on Friday 10 November. Please keep your eye out for communication regarding this event. 

If you would like to see what other items were discussed at the meeting, minutes have been uploaded to the school website under the ‘Parents & Friends’ tab. 

School Advisory Council Nominations & Annual Community Meeting: Our Annual Community Meeting will be held on Wednesday 22 November straight after school at 3:30pm. This event is a wonderful way to reflect on the year that has been and celebrate the many successes we have had as a school community. All parents are encouraged to attend as important information regarding school fees and class teachers are communicated at this meeting. 

The school is seeking new School Advisory Council (SAC) members in 2024. There are no prerequisites or qualifications needed to be on the SAC, just an interested attitude in our beautiful school. It is an excellent opportunity to meet other parents and stakeholders associated with our school, with the only commitment being your attendance at the four meetings held throughout the year. Please use the link below to nominate or please contact the office if you have any questions about membership. 

https://forms.office.com/r/qUBEDafNN3 

Remembrance Day: With Remembrance Day falling on a Saturday this year, we will gather as a school community on Friday 10 November to commemorate Remembrance Day. Our Year 2 students will lead this liturgy in front of the flag poles on the school oval at 11am. This liturgy is our way to remember all that have fought in war or are currently working in the services. All families are welcome to join us as we pay our respects. 

Staffing News: Mr Dobbie recently informed me that he is resigning from his teaching position with us at the conclusion of this year. He went to St Peter’s Primary School a week ago hoping to gain a position to supplement his role with us, however, left being offered a position he couldn’t turn down. On behalf of the community, I would like to thank Mr Dobbie for joining our team this year.  

Mrs Goode has made the decision to resign from her position at OLGC to become a more permanent staff member with us. In 2024, Mrs Goode will teach Phys Ed and Science. Congratulations Mrs Goode! 

Away Week 6: I will be away on long service leave for the duration of Week 6. For any urgent matters, please see Mrs Vivante who will be Acting Principal in my absence. 

MJR – Spirit of Jesus ‘Shout Outs’: Here are a few ‘SOJ Shouts Outs’ from around the community this past fortnight: 

• Martina (Year 5) demonstrating excellent leadership qualities encouraging younger students to move to class at the conclusion of lunch time 

• David, Advita, Anmol and Jovanna (Year 6) assisting teachers at the Faction Athletics Carnival to organise students to be ready for their events 
• Katie Menchetti (mum to Charlotte in Year 4) and her father assisting staff to transport all the equipment needed for the Faction Athletics Carnival. This included loading and unloading a very full trailer  
• A parent commented on Peter’s (Year 4) caring nature when assisting her son to calm his nerves before his events 
• Stephanie (Pre Primary) taking personal time during recess to plug in all the iPads to ensure they were charged for the class  

Our Lady of Lourdes School was successful in receiving a funding grant from Catholic Education WA to set up a multilingual library. This is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate all the languages spoken in our multicultural community. The money will go towards purchasing multilingual books for classrooms. We would like to ask the community if anyone is interested in selecting books in a particular language or has a request for their child’s classroom. Please speak to Mrs Quesnel in Kindy or Mrs Vivante if you are interested or have the capacity to be involved in this initiative.