Newsletter 31st of May

Dear Parents, Friends and Students of Our Lady of Lourdes

First Holy Communion & Farewell Fr Stan: Sunday 11 June, we will gather as a school and parish community to celebrate the children receiving Jesus in the form of Holy Communion for the first time. It will be at this same Mass that we say a final farewell to Fr Stan. I am hoping that the church is at capacity for these two special events taking place in our community.   

Parent/Teacher Interviews: Our parent/teacher interviews are in full swing. As mentioned previously, these opportunities are such a wonderful way to build positive, healthy relationships between home and school, which is vital for your child to flourish in the educational setting. Thank you to all parents and caregivers for your ongoing support.    

Reconciliation Week: National Reconciliation Week (27 May – 3 June) is a time for all Australians to learn about shared histories, cultures and achievements while exploring how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia. This year’s National Reconciliation Week theme, ‘Be a Voice for Generations’, urges all Australians to use their power, their words and their actions to create a better, more just Australia for all of us. At OLOL, the students created a ‘Sea of Hearts’ to recognise our commitment to be a voice for generations. These are displayed throughout the school and I would like to thank Miss Jenni Brown for organising. 

Our Lady Help of Christians: On Wednesday 24 May, we gathered as a school community to celebrate the Feast of Our Lady Help of Christians (see explanation of Feast below). Thank you to Fr Stan for celebrating and our fabulous choir and musicians who make up our talented Music Ministry. 

Under the title of Help of Christians, Mary was chosen as Patroness of Australasia by the First Provincial Synod, convened by Archbishop John Bede Polding, in Sydney in 1844. The fledging colonies needed Mary’s help at that time, as the nation does today. We are helped through Mary’s powerful intercession and through the example of her life that we find in the Gospels. 

Staffing News: Donia Clews, aka Ms Donia, informed me last week that she has accepted a position with ‘Helping Minds’ that will greatly enhance her chosen counselling career. Donia has made such an impact since joining our school and we will be very sad to see her go. Donia’s final day will be to assist with the audit on Wednesday 7 June. We are currently advertising (with St Denis) for a new Social Worker. 

Mr Matthew Gray will be taking some well-deserved long service leave for the duration of Term 3. His teaching position in Year 6, as well as his Assistant Principal role, will be filled during this time. I hope to announce the replacements for these roles in next fortnight’s newsletter.  

Wellness Week: Wellness Week is fast approaching, falling in Week 7 this term. This coincides with the WA Day public holiday and the pupil free day on Tuesday 6 June. I hope all families enjoy this extra-long weekend as we prepare for the final weeks of Term Two.     

Previous Staff Reflections: On Monday 24 April, the OLOL staff gathered for a special day of professional learning called ‘Faith Story & Witness’. During the day, Mr Gray stepped us through the very beginnings of Our Lady of Lourdes School back in 1958 under the direction of the Sisters of Mercy. We were given the opportunity to read reflections from previous staff and over coming newsletters, I will share these with the community. The final reflection is from Janet Callaghan. 

Mrs Janet Callaghan 

I commenced teaching on a Relief basis at Our Lady of Lourdes in Nollamara in 1974, sixteen years after the school had been built. 

At that time, Father Kelly was the Parish Priest and Sister Helena Hartnett was the principal. Sister Ambrose taught Year One. The only other Sister who was at the school during my time was Sister Anne McFarlane who was principal for a short time before becoming ill. The remainder of the staff over the years have been lay principals and teachers. 

The sisters were very committed to their roles and worked tirelessly to provide for the needs of the children and the wider community. Rules were strict but the students were encouraged to show pride in their work, appearance and respect for others. 

Assemblies were held twice a day for the whole school. (Years 1-7) 

The Angelus, Benediction and weekly Masses were celebrated. There were holy water fonts in each classroom. Year One, under the direction of Sr Ambrose, had a special graduation Mass each year. 

Parents were very involved with supporting the school, especially from the late 1950’s-1990’s. 

Many families were involved with building the school, convent and church. 

With a lot of parent and staff support, many fundraising events were held, including yearly fetes, lamington drives and bottle drives. Walkathons around the streets of Nollamara and Dianella were held in the heat of Summer over a course of many kilometres. Quite challenging for all, especially five-year-olds. 

Class sizes in the 1970’s were around 35 students per class. Boys only attended O.L.O.L. school until the end of year 3. 

Class resources were limited, and most were hand made by the teacher. 

Cuisenaire rods for Maths were very popular in the 1970’s. 

A Gestetner machine using a thin sheet of wax paper on which information was drawn with a stylus was used to copy sheets by putting them through an ink roller. Spirit duplicators came next but were quite messy to use. 

No D.O.T.T. time or support staff were available, so the teacher had the class for the whole day until 3.30 p.m. 

O.L.O.L. is a school that has become increasingly multicultural and has experienced many changes over the years. 

I have personally found it to be a very welcoming and caring environment and have made many friendships over the years. Though sometimes challenging, the children continue to interest and inspire me with their different personalities and cultures. We are the facilitators in their learning and we can learn so much from them. 

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

• Amora (Year 4) assisting to translate information about OLOL in Portuguese to a prospective family looking to enroll while I was taking them on a school tour 
• A group of Year 6 students staying back after Mass to search for a missing earring belonging to a Year 4 student. Allegra (Year 6) finding it, much to the delight of everyone involved 

• Aizel (Kindy) showing the E (encouraging) in WEST while teaching a friend how to swing herself independently 
• Mrs Versaci showcasing her amazing artistic talent completing our MJR mural. Make sure to check it out the next time you are walking down the breezeway 

Term 2
Last Day of Term 2 – Friday 30th June
Mid-Year break: Monday 3^rd July – Monday 17th July

Term 3
Students: Tuesday 18th July – Thursday 21st September
Term 3 break: Friday 22nd September – Sunday 8th October

Term 4
Students: Tuesday 10th October – Friday 8^th December

Student Free Days and Public Holidays 2023

Term 2
Monday 5th June – WA Day

Tuesday 6th June – Pupil Free Day

Term 3

Monday 17^th July – Pupil Free Day
Friday 22^nd September – Pupil Free Day

Term 4

Monday 9^th October – Pupil Free Day