Newsletter 22nd of February

Dear Parents, Friends and Students of Our Lady of Lourdes

Year 6 Faction Captain Speeches: I had the pleasure of being in attendance to watch our Year 6 students present their Faction Captain leadership speeches on Friday 17 February. I can honestly say that we are extremely fortunate to have such a wonderful cohort of aspiring leaders at OLOL. The Faction Captains will be announced at Prayer Assembly (note time below) with a badge presentation on Friday 24 February.  

Ash Wednesday: We commence the season of Lent today with Ash Wednesday. At Mass, students received ashes on their heads as a sign of their desire to change their lives to become more like Jesus. This cross of ashes tells friends and neighbours that we are not perfect, and that we know we are not perfect, but that we are trying to grow more into the people God destined us to be, by loving and serving others as Jesus did.  

Prayer Assemblies: After COVID put a stop to our Prayer Assemblies in 2022, I am pleased that they will be making a return in 2023. At this event, classes will be facilitating prayer for the community and awards will be handed out. We have also decided to trial Prayer Assemblies in the afternoon so Fr Stan will be able to attend. The first Prayer Assembly is on Friday commencing at 2:15pm in the Hall. The Year 6 students will also be presented with their leadership badges at this event. All parents and friends are welcome to attend.     

School Advisory Council Commissioning & Sacrament Enrolment Mass: Last Sunday, members of the School Advisory Council and office bearers from OLOL P&F were commissioned by Fr Stan at the 9am Mass. On behalf of the entire school community, I would like to thank these parents who volunteer to take on roles in support of our school. Students planning on making a Sacrament in 2023 were also in attendance with their families to begin this very special journey.  

OLOL P&F: We had our largest ever attendance (in my time as Principal) at our first OLOL P&F meeting for 2023. The buzz in the room was hopefully a sign of things to come, with all attendees eager to assist in building parent relationships within the school. The minutes from the meeting can be accessed on the website under the ‘Parents & Friends’ tab. The next meeting will be held in Week 3 next term and remember that all parents are part of the P&F and are welcome to attend. 

Staffing News: I am very pleased to announce that Mrs Fiona McDonald, who is currently teaching Science in Mrs Jenaway’s absence, will be continuing in the role until the end of Semester One.  

COVID Reporting: In 2023, COVID-19 community case numbers have remained manageable with no indication of a requirement to return to a Temporary COVID-19 Declaration. For this reason, the Catholic Education Western Australia (CEWA) COVID-19 Self-Reporting Form and CEWA COVID-19 Portal will be decommissioned on Monday 13 February 2013. Student absences due to COVID-19 must be reported to school via normal attendance procedures. 

Flinders Street Crosswalk: You may have noticed that there is no one manning the crosswalk on Flinders Street. I want to clarify that this is not controlled by the school and is under the jurisdiction of WA Police. In previous discussions with them, I know that they are very short staffed. Fingers crossed they can find a replacement soon. In the meantime, please drive or cross with caution at the crosswalk. If you know of anyone that may be interested in the role, please pass on the following link https://www.police.wa.gov.au/Traffic/Childrens-Crossings-Unit/Traffic-Wardens. 

Pupil Free & Revised Term Dates: A reminder that next Friday 3 March is a pupil free day for all students. Staff will be taking part in further professional development on the Talk for Writing program. Students will return to school on Tuesday 7 March after the Labour Day public holiday, which is also Wellness Week. 

As previously mentioned in communication, there have been revised term dates for 2023. Please see revised dates below:     

Term One: Wednesday 1 February – Thursday 6 April 

Term Two: Wednesday 26 April – Friday 30 June 

Term Three: Tuesday 18 July – Thursday 21 September 

Term Four: Tuesday 10 October – Friday 8 December 

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

• Our awesome P&F for organising the Tears & Tissues for our new Kindy parents on the first day of school and our community Welcome Picnic 
• Mrs Fusco for stocking up emergency meals for students without lunch 
• Barry Wood (Class Contact Rep for Year 3) introducing himself to new families on the first day of school making everyone feel welcomed  

• Amora (Year 4) welcoming new Brazilian families to our school by conversing with them in Portuguese 
• Mrs Isherwood, Mrs Fusco and Yolan covering over 700 reading books to be used in MiniLit 
• Year 6 leaders Steven, April David & Allegra holding the gates open at Yokine Reserve for younger students  

The Uniform Shop is open for online orders. If you know what you would like to order and the sizes, please send through an email to Mrs Dyblik at bernadette.dyblik@cewa.edu.au. Bernadette will contact you regarding payment over the phone. If you are unsure what to order please visit or call the Uniform shop on 9413 5300 option 2, Tuesday and Thursday from 2.00pm to 4.00pm.

Parents, a reminder that the White Polo top is worn Term 1 & Term 4 and the Faction polo top is worn Term 2 & Term 3.

If you have a child born between 1/07/2019 to 30/06/2020, they will start 4Yo Kindy next year. The Interview process starts next week, so please collect an Enrolment from the office as soon as possible.

Thank you.