Term 2, Week 10

27 June 2023

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 3 July
Whole School Prayer
(Early Learning - 2M Leading)
9:00am in the Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church.

​Parents and carers are welcome!

upComing Events

Term 2​​​​​​​​​​​
  • Cross Country (Kinder - Grade 2) - Thursday 29th - Friday 30th June
  • SBSC Taster Day (Grade 6) - Friday 30th June

MR Stewart Farr

Deputy Principal

“Each of you has been blessed with one of God’s many wonderful gifts to be used in the service of others.  So use your gift well.
1 Peter 4:10 - 11
Welcome to Week 10!

The above is probably a message we are very familiar with, although it is likely we've heard it in a slightly different form, more like we all have gifts and talents and we should use them to the best of our ability.  I must say, I prefer the above version, the original version. 

Specifically, it’s the very first sentence that I’m drawn to:

‘Each of you has been blessed with one of God’s many wonderful gifts to be used in the service of others.’

This resonates with me as it clearly establishes what our gifts are for - to serve others.  But how do we ensure that’s what we’re doing?  How do we give the best of ourselves to serve, not for self gain, but truly for others?  This is hard!

As teachers our entire profession is centred around serving others.  It’s about giving of ourselves to ensure our children flourish in their whole person.  We regularly assess our children to see where they are at in their learning, and to assess our own impact as teachers.  Has this child made progress?  If so, how did we cause that learning so we can continue to have the impact on them, and others?  If not, what can we do to have greater impact on their learning and move them forward?  It’s constantly what else, what else, what else!

Having finished reading through student’s individual reports this week, I’m buoyed by our teachers knowledge and understanding of not only where our children are at, but also who our children are.  Our teachers consistently give of themselves not for self gain, but for our children.  The same can be said of Mrs Seagar and Mrs Gratton, and, humbly, I hope of myself as well.  We may not get it right all of the time, as miscommunications, oversights and missteps are normal.  However, nothing we do is ever without the best interest of the children at Our Lady of Lourdes' at heart.

I truly believe that this is one of the elements that makes our school such a wonderful place.  Our teachers, in fact our entire staff, are driven to serve the children in our care.

Enjoy your week,

Stu

RE NEWS

​Grade 6 are learning in Religious Education about the Sacrament of Confirmation.
In planning this unit the teachers refer to a number of documents.
They begin with understandings derived from the Church’s Doctrinal Statements: e.g
 
  • God’s Holy Spirit is active in people and in the world around us.
  • Sacraments are sacred actions of the Church that celebrate God’s presence and grace.
  • In the words, actions and symbols of the sacraments, Jesus continues his actions of welcoming, healing, nourishing and serving.
 
Teachers then refer to the Content Statements from the Religious Education Curriculum:
 
Students will be offered opportunities to deepen their understanding of the presence of the spirit in their lives.  That people and the world around us are signs of the presence of God. They will be supported to see how Jesus used words, actions and the things of the world (with his hands to bless and strengthen; with his breathing of his Spirit) to communicate God’s loving presence. ……
 
Guiding questions are next planned for: e.g.
How does celebration of the Sacraments celebrate God’s Spirit in our lives?  
How and why do we use ritual actions and symbols in Sacraments?  
How does the Sacrament of Confirmation empower Christians to participate in the work of Jesus? 
 
And then the learning sequence:
  • give examples of God’s Spirit throughout our lives 
  • recognise ritual celebrations of the Sacraments
  • identify Sacraments as sacred actions of the Church
  • identify the signs and symbols used in the Rite of Confirmation
  • participate in ritual celebrations
 
Teachers then create Learning Intentions and Success Criteria from all of the above: e.g.
Learning Intention:  We are learning how the Sacrament of Confirmation empowers people to participate in the work of Jesus.
Success Criteria:- I can identify people who actively demonstrate God’s Holy Spirit.
 
Many of these learning intentions and success criteria are created throughout the learning sequence and then used for assessment purposes.
 
As you can see preparing for learning and teaching is no simple matter and a lot of research, time and effort goes into teacher planning, then teaching and finally assessment, with misunderstanding and misconceptions addressed throughout the learning journey.
 
Planning for all subject areas follows the same process.  Teachers are very confident that they have a well-planned and evidence-based teaching program that allows all students to acquire both knowledge, skills, and understandings.

School news

 School Gates
​The school Steele Street gates will now be 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.

Student Free Days 2023
Student Free Days for 2023 are:
Term 3: Monday 24 July
Term 4: Monday 16 October

Uniform Shop
Uniform Shop Hours
Amended hours - commencing Monday 5th June - Wednesday 6th July
Open afternoons only.
Monday - Wednesday 1:30pm - 3:30pm

Parent Teacher 
Reports/Parent Teacher Conferences
Reports will be available on the Compass parent portal on Tuesday 4th July from 3pm. Prep - Grade 6 Parent teacher conferences will be held on Thursday 6th July. Parent teacher meetings can be booked via the compass parent portal from 3pm on Tuesday 20th June.

Cross Country
Kinder - Grade 2
Kinder - Grade 2 Cross Country will be held Week 10 of Term 2 during PE Lessons. Students may wear their house coloured T-shirt with the PE uniform. Families are invited to come and spectate from around the rotunda/playground area. At the conclusion of each grade's race you will be able to congratulate your child on their participation.
Change of Clothes
Due to the wet weather, there seems to be more students coming to the office needing uniform items due to falling over in the muddy/wet conditions. Can all students please pack a spare change of clothes. 
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SBSC Enrolments
Second-round enrolments for Year 7 2024 will close on Friday, 30 June 2023, contact us today to secure your enrolment interview as spaces are filling up quickly! Interested students and their families can get more information by contacting the College Enrolment Registrar at [email protected] or visiting www.sbsc.tas.edu.au/enrolments.
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Don't miss out on the chance to join our vibrant and supportive learning community, where we provide a quality education that fosters critical thinking, creativity, and lifelong learning.
Contact us today to start your educational journey.

College Production: Thursday 17 - Saturday 19 August (Tickets on sale Thursday 1st June)
Rehearsals are well underway for the College production of Pippin. Students have been working hard on dancing and singing, and things look positive. We have some talented students in the lead roles and supporting players with great vocal talent. The choreography as well is led by some very well-tuned dance students. The sets are being created by a fantastic artistic team and constructed by Bevan Scramm and his crew.

Pippin tells the story of a young man, fresh from his studies at University, determined to live a fulfilling life and do the extraordinary. As he moves through his life, he realises that the promise of an exciting life isn't all it is cracked up to be. With some fabulous choreography and singing, Pippin will be a show you will never forget.

Tickets are on sale now through the Paranaple Arts Centre.
Avoid disappointment, don't miss out, and get your tickets early!

Adults - $30 
Concession - $22
Student - $20

Student of the week

Sports News & Rosters

Click here to access 'Sports News, Registrations and Rosters​​
  • Devon Netball 
  • Soccer - Season Commences 1st April 2023 
  • Devonport Primary Basketball Roster​
  • Devonport Basketball Tournament - Rosters/Rules
  • OLOL Sports Policy

Mersey Leven Catholic parish

Weekend Masses
Saturday Vigil
  • 6:00pm St Mary's, Penguin
  • 6:00pm 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


TECHNOLOGY NEWS

School Technologies Focus

Community News

Click here access 'Community news'​​​​
  • City of Devonport Brass Band
  • Tasmanian Tennis Academy
  • Mersey Rowing Club
  • Slip Stream Circus
  • Tennis
  • Hockey
  • Studio 81 Dance Company
  • NAB - AFL Auskick - skills development program
  • Girls Football (Soccer) Holiday Program

Policy in Focus

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School
Strategic Plan 2023 - 2025

As part of our ongoing school improvement process Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School develops a 3 year Strategic Plan.  This plan is aligned to both the Archbishop's Charter and the Strategic Plan of Catholic Education Tasmania.  Our goals have been developed through a process of discernment and consultation amongst staff and our school board as a representative of our parent and community and are reflective of the feedback provided through our Validation process in 2022.

Our Strategic Plan is attainable in that it has 3 accessible, broad goals which we as a community have discerned to be of most important to our school, yet it is aspirational and identifies how we as a school aim to support all members of our community to be the best version of themselves.  As you can see below our Strategic Plan has 3 goals, which are unpacked further to identify the strategies and structures that we will live out over the next 3 years.

Throughout the course of this Strategic Plan we will be gathering data through a variety of means to determine how successful we, as a school community, have been in achieving the goals identified and to provide future direction as we continually strive to make Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School the best it can be for all members of our community.

Tasmania Catholic Education Commission Outdoor Play and Learning Policy

OLOL School Calendar

2023 Term Dates

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2023 TERM DATES
TERM 2
Wednesday 26 April - Friday 7 July
TERM 3
Tuesday 25 July - Friday 29 September
TERM 4
Tuesday 17 October - Thursday 14 December