Term 2, No. 1

6 may 2025

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School

​We are Respectful
We are Responsible
We are Safe
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School is located on the traditional lands of the Punnilerpanner people of the North Nation. We acknowledge and deeply respect the Palawa people, the Tasmanian Aboriginal Community, and all Elders past and present. We are committed to learning alongside our students and community in this place, and support the continued sharing of knowledge and culture.

What's On?

Whole School
​Prayer

Monday 12th May (9:00am - 9:30)
Primary - 3B
Parents and carers are welcome!

upComing Events

Term 2
  • OLOL Cross Country - Wednesday 7th May
  • Assembly (Grade 2) - Friday 9th May
  • Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra Visit - Friday 9th May
  • SBSC Taster Day - Thursday 15th May
  • NW Primary Cross Country - Friday 16th May
  • Assembly (Grade 3) - Friday 23rd May​
  • MND Casual Clothes Fundraiser - Thursday 5 June
  • Student Free Day - Friday 6 June
  • Early Childhood Cross Country - Wednesday 11 June

mr mcculloch's Reflection

acting principal

Reflecting on the Papacy and Life of Pope Francis
After the recent news of his passing I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the papacy of Pope Francis - a leader whose message has deeply influenced not only the Catholic Church, but the wider global community.

In 2018, I had the great privilege of attending a Mass led by Pope Francis in Vilnius, Lithuania during my travel through the Baltic states. Standing among thousands of pilgrims in prayer, I witnessed firsthand his humility, warmth, and deep connection with people from all walks of life. It was a moment I will never forget - one that reaffirmed the power of faith to unite and inspire.

Pope Francis has consistently called us to live lives rooted in compassion, mercy, and service. His teachings challenge us to look beyond ourselves and care for the marginalised, to be stewards of the environment, and to build bridges of peace and understanding. He reminds us that true greatness is found not in status, but in kindness, and that faith must always be accompanied by action.

As a school community, we are called to reflect these values in our relationships, our learning, and our everyday decisions. Let us continue to be people of hope, guided by love and a commitment to the common good - just as Pope Francis encourages.

Wishing you all continued blessings and strength for the term ahead.
​
Warm regards,


Ben McCulloch​

Restrictions to Video Footage Published Online
Images or videos of students are a form of personal information (a record) which must be managed in accordance with the Federal privacy laws and the Tasmanian Catholic Education Commission Privacy Policy. With permission from parents, which is sought through the enrolment process, Our Lady of Lourdes is able to place images or videos online. However, we have an increasing number of students who cannot have their image published for safeguarding reasons. 
As per the Acceptable Use of Images Policy on our school website:  “Images of students who have not provided express consent to be featured online must not be used in any documents or materials intended to be produced as printed documents and subsequently published online such as school newsletters.”
This clearly raises the challenge of sharing video footage of events such as assemblies, carnivals or Whole School Prayer without breaching this privacy requirement. 
To continue supporting communication of events and parental engagement in this space, we will continue to take still images, which are then screened for ‘photo restrictions’ and then published.
We appreciate your understanding of this matter and commitment to ensuring the safety of our students at Our Lady of Lourdes. 

Kind regards
Our Lady of Lourdes Administration Team ​

RE NEWS

3rd Sunday of Easter
Gospel Reading
John 21:1-19 

Family Connection 
Last week’s Gospel describes what we can easily imagine as a picnic on the beach. Just as Jesus' miracle at the wedding feast at Cana blesses the love celebrated in the sacrament of marriage, Jesus' attentiveness to food and mealtimes raises the possibility that our meal gatherings can be sacred times. In families, the domestic church, our meals together are everyday opportunities to gather and recall Jesus' presence with us. As in the Eucharist, we bring the gifts that God has given us, which have been prepared especially for our Mass, and at our family meals we share gifts that God has given to us and that we have worked together to prepare. This includes the food on the table and also the people who gather around the table. We ask God to bless these gifts and to be present among us in all of our interactions.
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Consider a recent family meal: What food was served? Where did the food come from? Who prepared the food? Who served the food? Was mealtime a happy time? Why or why not? Reflect on the Gospel reading using the questions above. You might choose to plan a special meal together as a family, encouraging each person to participate in the meal preparation. 

Loyola Press. (2025). Sunday Connection. Loyola Press. Retrieved from:
https://www.loyolapress.com/catholic-resources/liturgical-year/sunday-connection/

School news

MYTERN (Take Emotional Responsibility Now)
MYTERN is a powerful communal language that helps students, staff, parents, carers and grandparents handle the daily stressors of life. The effect of minor stressors such as an argument with a friend, a nasty look or nasty word, lower test results than anticipated, not looking good, or not being chosen for a team, can easily go unnoticed, resulting in the development of more serious problems. We cannot eradicate the daily stressors of life. Therefore, MYTERN, combined with other strategies that we already have in place, will strengthen our community’s ability to handle these everyday stressors. MYTERN focuses on creating emotional intelligence, health and resilience, helping all of us deal with everyday situations (be they positive or negative) in a realistic and practical manner. Like reading and writing, this skill is acquired through daily practice, and is just as essential a skill to master as literacy and numeracy. That is why it is so important that the language of MYTERN is practised both at school and at home. To help us facilitate this at home, we recommend that you also download the MYTERN App, follow MYTERNCITY Facebook page or subscribe to the MYTERNCITY Instagram. This will not only help embed the language into your vocab but also assist in applying the skill daily, as the app delivers a message from Monday to Friday at random times within the hours of your choice. We will also be providing a weekly/fortnightly post, educating our community on what MYTERN is and how we can embed the language in our everyday experiences. We are excited about introducing MYTERN and are looking forward to hearing about the different roads that each of you will travel.

Vinnies School Essentials Program
Vinnies School Essentials Program runs for the whole school year and is available to anyone that is finding things tough.
We can help with Uniform, Sports shoes, bag, lunch boxes, drink bottles, sports rego, camps and other things that benefit a child's education.
  • Kinder to grade 6 up to $150.
  • Grade 7 to 12 up to $250.

​Canteen
Canteen Burger Special - Wednesday 21st May
Chicken Burger $7.00
GF Chicken Burger  $8.00
Burgers served with lettuce, cheese and your choice of sauce/mayo
Orders will close Monday 19th May at 8.45am. There will be no other lunch orders on this day.

​Kinder 2026 Enrolment Applications
Kindergarten Enrolment Applications for 2026 close on Friday 4th of July 2025.
Existing families with siblings born in 2021, please ensure that you have submitted an Enrolment Application to the office.
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​Before School Supervision
A reminder to families that students are NOT supervised by staff prior to 8:30am each morning. Students are not permitted to be in the school grounds before 8:30am or after 3:30pm, unless they are involved in a supervised activity.
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​Breakfast Club
Breakfast club is held in the school canteen each school day from 8am until 8:40am.  
The first meal of the day is a chance to get the energy we need to learn, play and stay healthy. While most Australian children eat breakfast, skipping breakfast is still common.  Children who eat breakfast have better school attendance, better academic performance and improved wellbeing. Eating breakfast is associated with better dietary and physical activity behaviours.
Everyone is welcome to Breakfast Club.

Picking up Children Early
Our Lady of Lourdes reminds parents to provide advance notice if you are picking up your child early. An email to [email protected] is the best communication method. Phone call is also an option. It allows for advance preparation if the office staff are given significant advance notice as organising students to leave class or specialist lessons can take some time. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Playing in the Playground After School
It is our school expectation that if parents choose to allow their children to play in our playground after school then it is their responsibility to supervise and support them to be Respectful, Responsible and Safe through direct behaviour support of their own child and modelling of appropriate adult behaviour.  Effectively, you are responsible for your child after you have collected them at the end of the day. Our school gates will continue to be locked at 3:30pm each day.  We do ask that you please ensure you have left our school grounds by then.

Head Knocks at School
If your child presents to First Aid with a head knock, we will assess and treat it with ice. If they appear fine your child will go back to class where they will be monitored by Staff. The office will send you an SMS so you are aware and able to check in with your child when they get home. If we are at all worried about your child we will phone you so they can be collected.

School Gates
The school Steele Street gates are now locked from 3:30 pm each day.
If requiring any assistance after this time, please come to the Stewart Street school entrance and knock for assistance.

Buses
Please contact Merseylink/Kinetic on 6427 7626 for further information on routes and times. If your child will be catching the bus, please contact the office with your child's name and the bus number and we will add them to our daily bus lists.

Drop Off and Pick Up
In order to avoid congestion at the end of the day, please be reminded that students are not to wait for collection at the main office.  
We would appreciate families accessing our school by the 2 main external entry/exit points, rather than the main office doors.
  • Main gates from Steele Street Carpark
  • Side gate near Parish Hall 
We thank you and your children for your cooperation.

Pick Up Zone
A reminder to families to drive around the block if Steele Street entrance to the school is full with parked cars from 2:50pm. Staff are on duty to 3:20pm enabling pick at any time within 30 mins after school.

Morning Entry to Classes
A reminder to families, when entering the classrooms of a morning Prep - Grade 2 are to use the front blue sliding door and Grades 3 - 6 use the back oval doors.

Little Treasures Program
Our Little Treasures Program runs on Fridays 9:30 - 11am in our Kinder classroom. Please bring a drink and fruit. All members of the community with children from Birth to 5 years old are welcome. 

Student of the Week

Mersey Leven Catholic parish

Weekend Masses
Saturday Vigil
  • 5:00pm St Mary's, Penguin
  • 5:00pm Our Lady of Lourdes Devonport
Sunday
  • 8:00am St Joseph, Port Sorell
  • 9:00am Sacred Heart, Ulverstone
  • 9:30am Our Lady of Lourdes, Devonport
  • 11:30am Holy Cross, Sheffield
  • 5:00pm St Patrick, Latrobe

POLICY IN FOCUS

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School
Attendance Policy

RATIONAL
Attending every school day is essential to enable student to achieve the most from their education and to achieve quality outcomes in their lives.
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OLOL School Calendar

Term Dates

2025
 TERM 2
Monday 28th April - Friday 4th July
TERM 3
Tuesday 22nd July - Friday 26th September
TERM 4
Tuesday 14th October - Thursday 18th December
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