Newsletter

Our Lady's Primary School - 4th June 2021

Our Lady's Primary School Surrey Hills


Guided by the life of Jesus Christ

Inspired by the Spirit of Mary

Our Lady’s Primary School is a place of growth and challenge.

Where we seek to ignite imagination and promote a lifelong passion for God and learning 

Learning together in Faith Hope and Love


Principal: Mrs Annie Engellenner - principal@olsurreyhills.catholic.edu.au

Office Manager: Mrs Julie Leung - jleung@olsurreyhills.catholic.edu.au

Parish Priest: Fr Brendan Reed - wattlepark@cam.org.au 

Hours of Supervision of Students: Monday – Friday 8.30am -3.45pm

School Office Hours: Monday to Friday - 8.30am – 4.00pm


Reflection

Loving God,

Help us to focus on what we have, not on what is removed or changed.

Strengthen us when we feel discouraged or overwhelmed.

Embrace us so that we know your loving presence within us and among us.

Walk with us as we bring your love, and carry your light, into our world.

Amen.

- Sandra Lucas, MDiv., BCC


Remote Learning 4.0 - We've Got This!

School Improvement Plan Goals - 2018 - 2021

Strategic Intent:

At Our Lady’s School, we aim to strengthen our Catholic community through: fostering respectful relationships; clear, strategic faith-filled leadership; and our commitment to professional pedagogical excellence that is founded upon our deep knowledge, collegiality, effective teamwork and our Gospel inspired dedication to the learning and wellbeing of each child.

Education in Faith

That students understand and make more meaningful, relevant connections between the Catholic story and their own lives.

That staff develop their capacity to design and implement a contemporary RE curriculum.

Leadership and Management

That staff teamwork and ownership of the Vision and educational priorities of the school will improve

Learning and Teaching

That student learning outcomes will improve.

Student Wellbeing

That the wellbeing of all students will improve.

School Community

That the home/ school partnership is strengthened to the benefit of student learning outcomes. 

Important Dates

Term 2

Week Beginning 7th June 

Thursday 10th June  - Semester One Reports go live

Friday 11th June  - School Closure Day

Monday 14th June  - Queens Birthday Public Holiday

Tuesday 15th  June- Return to Onsite Learning 

Tuesday 15th  June- Parent/ Teacher Conversations

Wednesday 16th June - Parent / Teacher Conversations

Friday 18th June  -Yr 5/6 Hockey 7's Day  - TBC

Sunday 20th June - Year 5 Eucharist TBC

Wednesday 23rd, Thursday 24th,Friday 25th June -Year 5 /6 Camp  TBC

End of Term Two - Friday June 25th @ 1.45pm

Term 3

Wednesday 28th July, Year 5/6 HoopTime Nunawading

Friday 30th July, Year 3/4 Hoop Time Nunawading 

Friday 20th August, OLPS School Sports Friday

3rd September -School Performance  

Term 4

Tuesday 14th December Graduation Mass and Dinner

School Closure Days - 2021

11th June  (Term 2)

July 12th ( Term 3) School Review Closure Day 

6th December  (Term 4 )

2021 Term Dates

2021 Victorian Term Dates

Term 2   Monday April 19th - Friday June 25th @ 1.45pm

Term 3   Monday July 12th - Friday September 17th @ 1.45pm ( School Closure Day Monday 12th July)

Term 4   Monday October 4th – Thursday December 16th @ 1.45pm             

Leadership and Management :To grow and sustain a professional culture that is characterised by excellence, shared vision, collaboration, a strong sense of teamwork and a focus on continuous improvement.

Dear Families and Friends of Our Lady's School Community,

A message for our students...

OLPS has closed  for a little while so we can stay at home and keep healthy and safe. You may be feeling frustrated, angry, worried or sad that the school is closed but it will be ok because you can do your learning at home using an iPad or a chrome book. You will see your teacher and attend lessons via Google Meets. You can still see your friends using the chrome book or iPad. If you need help with your school work you can still talk with your teacher or one of our amazing learning support staff. We are all here to help and look after one another. We will continue to keep you up to date and as soon as we know when schools can open, you will be the first to know.

Next week, we will be running clubs via google meet, we would love to see you there. Be sure to read your daily overviews so you are aware of google meets for clubs schedule.

You are all amazing and we are so very proud of you.

Thank you parents.....

We sincerely thank you and trust that we will continue to do our very best for our students under these circumstances. As always, we encourage students and families to do their best during this time. We appreciate that there will be times when tasks can not be undertaken, due to family commitments, illness, unreliable access or high demand for the internet. At the end of the day, do what is possible, your wellbeing and family’s wellbeing is more important than any academic skills. Look after each other and we will do all we can to support you.

At this stage, we are anticipating the lifting of the restrictions to be next week. As communicated to families at the beginning of the year, we do have a School Closure Day planned for Friday, June 11th. This date was identified early in the year as it allowed for a long weekend, something I know our families appreciate.

If the restrictions ease, the school closure day will go ahead as planned. Families, therefore will still be able to travel next weekend and honour bookings already made. As a school staff will be working on our School Review documentation with MACS ( Melbourne Archdioces of Catholic Schools) as planned. 

Thank you for your understanding and support.

I have accepted the invitation by Carley McGauran to  provide our school community with access to her latest webinar - " Lockdown 4.0 - Tips for Managing as a Family." The Webinar will be taking place this Sunday. By registering for this event, you will be able to access the presentation at a later time if Sunday does not suit.

I urge all our parents to take the time to register and participate. These are unprecedented times and we need all the help we can get. It really helps to have our feelings acknowledged and to know that we are not on our own.

Finally, thank you to the teaching, support and administrative staff of OLPs for all the flexibility, professionalism, care and love you bring to our school community. This is not easy for teachers and we are very blessed to have the wonderful staff that we have at OLPS.

I remain grateful for your kind works of support and gratitude.

Bring love wherever you go. Shine light  wherever it's dark. Leave blessings  wherever you've been. Be kind wherever you are.

( Mary Davis)

Best wishes

Mrs Annie Engellenner

Principal

A message from Lola

Family Tips for Managing Lockdown 4.0

Join Carley this Sunday (June 6) as she shares practical tips, strategies and ideas for your family to help manage lockdown 4.0.

Below there is a YouTube link  which describes the webinar and a link to register.

Learning and Teaching :To improve student learning outcomes through personalised, effective and stimulating teaching that builds student engagement and success in all areas of the curriculum.

Semester 1 Reports

This semester  you will be receiving your child’s semester  report online via the 'nForma' Parent Portal.

Instructions on how to access the 'nForma' Parent Portal will be sent out to the email  addresses that have been previously supplied to the school. These emails will be sent  out on Thursday 10th June, 2021, 3.30pm. Instructions on how to access the reports will be included in the email. An extra security development will now request all parents to create a new password each semester. You will be given instructions on how to do this in the email.

It is very important that you have updated your email addresses with the school, as  an automated email containing instructions and login details will come from no reply@nforma.com.au and not the school.

Please ensure that you check your  junk/spam folder for an email from that address. 

It is highly recommended that you use a computer to access your child’s reports for  the first time. Subsequent logins can be made on a mobile device if preferred.  

Once you have followed the instructions, you will be able to view your child’s report  online. 

You can also use the following link on the 10th June, 3.30pm at

https://parent.nforma.ct.com.au/app/index.html?schooldomain=olsurreyhills#/login

Clare Hicks

Deputy Principal



Parent Teacher Conversations 15th and 16th June

Parent/Teacher interviews will take place on Tuesday,15th June from 2.30pm to 6.30pm and Wednesday, 16th June from 4.00pm to 7.00pm. 

Specialist Teachers will be available for parents who would like an interview on Tuesday 15th from 4.00pm-6.00pm.

(If we are learning onsite on Tuesday 16th, students will be permitted to go home from 1.40pm. If your child needs to remain at school, supervision will be organised, and you will be asked to complete a google form informing the school of this.)

If you have a termly PSG (Program Support Group Meeting), you do not need to book an interview for the 15th/16th June. 

These interviews will be held remotely using ‘whereby.com’ which is an easy online video meeting tool and will be 10 minutes in length.

Further information involving booking these interview on "school inteviewsonline" will be sent out shortly. 

Clare Hicks

Deputy Principal

Literacy

Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge 2021

The Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge is now open and Our Lady’s is excited to be participating. The PRC application offers a range of exciting features including:

  • access to a library catalogue (including book images and blurbs)

  • a modern user-friendly interface

  • rewarding  students with badges as challenge milestones are achieved

  • the option for students to mark books as a favourite, give them a star rating or complete a book review

The Challenge is open to all Victorian children from birth to Year 10 in recognition of the importance of reading for literacy development. It is not a competition; but a personal challenge for children to read a set number of books by 17 September 2021.

Children from Prep to Year 2 are encouraged to read or ‘experience’ 30 books with their parents and teachers. Children from Year 3 to Year 10 are challenged to read 15 books.

All children who meet the Challenge will receive a certificate of achievement signed by the Victorian Premier and former Premiers.

To read the Premier’s letter to parents, view the booklist and for more information about the Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge, visit: www.education.vic.gov.au/prc 

We will be opening the school library on Wednesday mornings and at playtime so that students can come in to read and enter their challenge books.

Classroom Helpers

Please remember to fill in the google form if you would like to be a parent helper in our junior classrooms. Your classroom teacher will be in contact shortly.

parent helper days and times

Please remember to watch the presentation, present your Working With Children’s Check and also sign the confidentiality form from the office.

Presentation

Kimberly Chin

Literacy Leader

The National Young Leaders Day

The National Young Leaders Day

On Monday, May 24th, I had the pleasure of joining our school leaders at the Halogen National Young Leaders Day at the Melbourne Convention Centre. The students had the privilege to listen to Lachie Smart; the youngest person to fly around the world solo, Jordan Lewis; previous Vice Captain of Hawthorn Football Club, Josh Pike;  Song Writer, Jimmy Rees; Actor and Performer and Michelle Young; Deputy Comissioner of the Fire Rescue Service.

The purpose of the Leadership Day was to inspire our young people to be courageous and to follow their passions and make the world a better place. I am sure the day planted many seeds of inspiration for our students.

The leadership messages were simple yet very powerful.

  • Setbacks and failures are the foundation of our success
  • Dont ever be afraid to ask for help
  • Hard work is what it takes
  • Dont compare...success is different for everyone
  • It is always the darkest before the dawn
  • It is how we get over our setbacks that is important
  • Surround yourself with good people
  • Don't hold grudges
  • Step out of your comfort zone
  • Attitude is everything
  • Do things with grace and dignity
  • Be kind
  • When things go wrong ...dust yourself off, pick yourself up and start all over again!
  • Find the funny in everything  - giggle alot!
  • Be You
  • Be true to yourself 
  • Keep Learning
  • Think it/ Do it / Be it!
  • Your difference is your power.

It was a plesure to spend the day with Emma, Angus, Oli, Eva and Mr Hawke. I look forward to making this experince part of the OLPS Leadership Program in the future.

Annie Engellenner


Education in Faith; Students undertand and make more meaningful, relevent connections between the catholic story and their own lives. Staff develop their capacity to design and implement a contempory RE curriculum. a title

A Letter from Fr Brendan Reed

Dear Parents,

As you are aware the current Victorian lockdown will continue through until Thursday, 10 June.   Unfortunately, this means that the celebration of First Eucharist, planned for Year 4 students, on Sunday, 6 June will not be able to go ahead.  The final catechist class at Camberwell, Balwyn and Deepdene rescheduled to this Friday will also not proceed.

Last week we also had to postpone the First Eucharist for the Year 5 students across our parishes who had waited a whole year for this celebration to take place.

At this stage we have prioritised First Eucharist for our Year 5 (and older) students.  We have rescheduled this celebration to take place on Sunday, 20 June at 1.00 pm and 3.00 pm.   We will now have to wait to see if there will be number and density restrictions that will apply to Churches.   If numbers are limited, we may need to schedule extra Masses to ensure that all the Year 5 students across our parishes have the opportunity to celebrate First Eucharist.

Once we have been able to complete First Eucharist for Year 5 students, we will be in the position to reschedule a date for our Year 4 students.  This may be later in term three or early in term four.

Thank you for your understanding of these changes.  We will continue to do our best to ensure that you and your children can have a meaningful and joyful celebration of First Eucharist this year.

If you have any questions you may wish to direct them to the classroom teachers or Religious Education Leader, if you attend one of our parish schools or to Nanette Giovannini, our Sacraments Coordinator, if you are enrolled in our parish catechist programme.

With best wishes,

Fr Brendan Reed

Parish Priest

Camberwell, Balwyn Deepdene and Surrey Hills Wattle Park Parishes

Parish Office: 19 Brenbeal Street, Balwyn  3103

Tel:  (03) 9816 9291

E: cbdparish@cam.org.au

W: www.cbdparish.org.au

Sacrament of First Eucharist

This term, students from Prep to Year 6 are focusing on the Eucharist.  Students are learning about the historical context, the connections between the Liturgy of the Eucharist and their own lives and what the Sacrament of the Eucharist means for them. 

Whilst we keep our students who are preparing to receive the Sacrament of the Eucharist in our prayers, at home you may want to share in the task below as a family. 

"After Jesus nourishes us in the Eucharist, we are asked to go out to be “bread for the world.” Eucharist calls us to help feed those around us who are hungry. Some people are hungry for food, others are hungry for love, or care, or friendship.

Pray the following prayer together with your child.

PARENT: Some people in our world are hungry for food. They don’t have enough to eat.

CHILD: Open our hands, God. Help us to share what we have with others.

PARENT: Some people in our world are hungry for care. They are sad or lonely. They need comfort and support.

CHILD: Open our eyes, God. Help us to see the needs of those around us.

PARENT: Some people in our world are hungry for friendship. They are excluded because others think they are “different” in some way.

CHILD: Open our hearts, God. Help us to share your love with others.

Together, make a commitment to bring the love of Jesus to someone in need. Someone we know who is in need of help is...This person is hungry for (food, love, care, friendship, prayers)...We will help bring Jesus’ love and care to this person by..."

Student Wellbeing :To develop a whole school approach that will reinforce and strengthen positive, respectful relationships within the school community.

Even on difficult days, there are still things to be grateful for. And by noticing more of the good things, we can train our brains to be more resilient. So this month I encouraging everyone to find and share the little joys in life.

Let’s take time to notice and savour the daily joys, however small – and hopefully we’ll then be better prepared for any setbacks too.

As Robert Brault once said, “Enjoy the little things in life, because one day you’ll look back and realise they were the big things.”

The Joyful June calendar is full of actions to help you find more joy, even though life isn’t perfect. 

Joyful June!

Sport News

Virtual Cross Country 2021

Dear parents,

This is a fun and simple initiative to keep your children active during the colder months. A big advantage of this is students can run on any day at any time that suits them, (so avoid the rain & strong winds). I will be running again this year in the VXC for staff and lging kms for OLPS, it will be fun for the OLPS cohort to 'virtually' run together, especially when our Running Group is taking a hiatus during Winter.I'm happy to sit with any student who requires help to sign up, they should just pop in and see me, it is very easy to log runs/walks.I encourage all students to sign up ,remember you may walk if you choose (it doesn't have to be running) I hope our wonderful runners from the OLPS running group will join in as a priority :)Lets see if we can get a massive kilometre tally for our school! Below is the link to log in.

Go Our Lady's!

Mrs James

https://www.ssv.vic.edu.au/Pages/VirtualCrossCountry.aspx


SSV Virtual Cross Country for 2021

Built on the success of the 2020 Virtual Cross Country event, SSV is delighted to provide this great opportunity again in 2021. Victorian primary and secondary students can take part in any way they would like - they can run or walk.Students can run or walk for a new personal best or for fun and fitness. The main aim is for students to get out and give it a go. Every meter run by a student will earn virtual points for their school. Students will be given the option to submit their performance, but if they wish they also now have the additional option to not have their performance made public. #SSVVXC

Getting started

Students should make sure they have parent/guardians permission before heading out for a run or walk or even better take them along and maybe also a friend.There are three simple steps for students to participate in the SSV Virtual Cross Country:

  • Find a suitable route
  • Go for a run or walk
  • Record the time and distance
  • Find a suitable park, recreation reserve, oval, athletics track, green space, trails, the footpaths of the street on the block that you live to make a circuit (be safe out there if crossing streets) or even a treadmill. Students will need to measure out the length of their own course. There are many Apps available on Smartphones, ipads or pcs such as Google Earth, Garmin, Fitbit, a GPS, Strava etc or go old school & use a trundle wheel or a tape measure.  Students could always get someone to measure the distance using a bike computer off a bicycle or a speedo off a car. It doesn't have to be exact or perfectly accurate. And of course, students need an accurate way of recording the time it takes to run or walk the distance. The main thing is that students have fun. (please see "The use of third-party" apps at the bottom of the page.)Entries close Friday 16 July 2021

    Important Information The Virtual Cross Country offers 1000m, 2000m, 3000m or 5000m. The Virtual Cross Country will run in parallel to the normal SSV interschool sport cross country pathway. The Virtual Cross Country performances cannot be used to gain entry to the SSV interschool sport pathway for any sport and no medals will be awarded. Virtual points will be allocated to the student's school which will be added to the school ranking ladder. Students from SSV Member Schools, from Prep to Year 12, are encouraged to enter as many individual repeated performances as they would like. The data collected is in accordance with the SSV Privacy Policy. Schools are encouraged to promote this opportunity to all students in an effort to get them involved in recreational running.  It’s also a great way to get students moving and in training in the lead-up to the SSV interschool sport cross country season. One of the important aspects we learned from last year is that teachers play a huge part in students participating in virtual sport opportunities. Survey results showed that 51% of students get involved when a ‘Teacher encourages’ them to be involved. Teachers have the option to download a spreadsheet to allow student entries to be submitted in bulk. Download the bulk entry sheet.

    Things to remember

    • Warm-up before you participate to minimise the risk of injury
    • Be sure to have the correct footwear, clothing and equipment
    • Remember we are not looking for the best, we are looking for students to give it a go
    • Entrants provide their personal information to SSV for the purposes of SSV conducting the Virtual Cross Country and awarding school points. Entrant's information will be used in accordance with SSV's Privacy Policy
    • The use of third party apps: Please be advised, this is not a Department owned or managed licensed software for Schools. To the extent permitted by law, the State of Victoria (Department of Education and Training) and its employees, agents and consultants exclude all liability for any loss or damage (including indirect, special or consequential loss or damage) arising from the use of, or reliance on, the this software whether or not caused by any negligent act, omission or misuse. By accessing and using this software, you accept that any disputes about this software or its contents are to be determined by the courts having jurisdiction in Victoria in accordance with the laws in force in Victoria (except any principle of conflict of laws inconsistent with this requirement).  The State of Victoria (Department of Education and Training) makes no representation that the content of this software complies with the laws (including intellectual property laws, privacy and data protection) of Victoria.

    Dance For Sick Kids

    Download

    School Community :To enhance the relationships between the school and the parent community.

    Friends of Wattle Park

    The "Friends of Wattle Park"  would like to invite: students, staff and parents to join them in the carpark on top of the hill at 10.00am on Saturday July 3rd, to plant some small native plants around the park. They will provide the plants and gardening equipment. The event should take about one hour. Kirsten Phelan from Parks Victoria is coordinating this event.

    The "Friends of Wattle Park" who since 1992, have planted indigenous and native plants in the park, weeded garden beds and taken tours of the park. 

    It would be great to see OLPS supporting our local community in this way.

    Office News

    School Fees

    School fee statements were sent out in the coming weeks. School fees can be paid by direct credit or  B-Pay. If you pay your school fees by credit card, when you fill in your credit card details please include the CVC number on the back of the card.


    Student Absences

    If you child is going to be absent from school, it is your responsibility to inform the school via telephone call, skoolbag app notification or email.

    Teachers do not check their emails after 8.45am as they are invloved in the act of teaching or student supervision.

    If you are notifying the school after 8.45am, could you please contact the office not individual class teachers. This will avoid the school needing to contact families.

    Celebrating 200 Years of Catholic Education

    This year Catholic Education in Australia celebrates 200 Years of service to the community in education. The central value and purpose of Catholic Education is the fulfillment of the human person. We work for the learning of all students and enabling them to reach their full potential at each stage of the learning experience which we know is a life-long and life-wide journey. Attached is a magazine produced through the National Catholic Education Commission for your interest.

    Click on the Download Button

    Download

    Student Medical Issues

    Please contact the school office if there are any medical issues that we should be aware of. It is most important that all medical forms, asthma and anaphylaxis plans, are updated for the 2021 school year and returned promptly. We are advised that children may need to be excluded from school if they do not have the required medical information or medication available at the school eg. Epipens, with the correct ‘use by dates’. 

    Do I have to complete an Action Plan, if the child only has seasonal asthma, or asthma symptoms when they have a cold? 

    Yes, any time asthma medication is prescribed and expected to be taken at school or the children's service, it must by law be accompanied by a medical management plan. If the health professional is concerned about diagnosing the child with asthma, it is recommended that they put a shorter review date on the action plan, and write a covering letter to the school or children's service explaining the expected time frame the child will need reliever medication.

    Parents and Friends Association

    Parents & Friends Association (PFA) Class Representative

    Thank you to our parents that have voluntered to be class reps this year. 

    Prep: Lisa Grant, Kat Brosolo, Joanna Kelly

    Year 1 /2 C: Kasia De Costa, Emma Ryan

    Year 1 /2 L: Jess Campbell, Laura Edgcumbe

    Year 3 /4 L: Rach Voshege, Melissa Pellegrini

    Year 3 /4 N: Marjie Langford, Rach Glass

    Year 3 /4 L: Emma Lynch, Elaine Hanlon

    Year 5 /6 H&L : Daniela Greening, Cath Bergin, Steph Johnson

    School Uniform

    Please see attached below information regarding Our Lady's School Uniform, including how to order online and the uniform price list.

    A few things to keep in mind:

    • Uniform Orders are filled on Mondays.
    • Please order Uniform Orders thru CDF.
    • To keep costs low we are only stocking limited quantities across the Range. If items are not available please allow a 2 week turn around to allow time for items to be ordered and delivered from our Supplier.
    • If you need to try on Uniforms for size this can also be done on Mondays unless other arrangements have been made with Krista.
    • If you have any queries, please email Krista on uniformshop@olsurreyhills.catholic.edu.au

    Uniform Policy

    Download

    How to Order Online through CDF Pay

    Download

    Our Lady's Uniform Price List

    Download

    Child Safety

    All students attending Our Lady’s Primary School have the right to feel safe and be safe. The highest possible standard of care, safety and wellbeing of children and young people is a fundamental responsibility of all within our school community.