Term 4, Week 1

15 October 2024

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 21st October
(9:00 am - 9:15 am)
Primary (5M)
Parents and carers are welcome!

upComing Events

Term 4​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
  • Assembly - ​Friday 18th October
  • OLOL Athletics Carnival (Girdlestone Park) - Thursday 31st October
  • Public Holiday - Monday 4th November

Mrs seagar's Reflection

principal

We must teach more by example than by word
Mary MacKillop, 1867​
Welcome to Term 4 at Our Lady of Lourdes.
​
Term 4 is always extra special: increasing warmth of the sun as we move well into Spring and anticipate our Tassie Summer; the imminence of Christmas and the importance of the expectation (Advent) and then the  celebration of  the birth of Jesus (Christmas Day); the graduation to Secondary School for our Grade 6 students after 8 years of education at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School and this year new Admin Offices underway.

Term 4 is also a time to assess student growth over a year of learning. Assessment in order to inform ’teaching impact’ on student progress is critical in 21st century teaching  (John Hattie). Over the next few weeks  Prep – Grade 6 students will participate in Progressive Achievement Tests (PAT) in Literacy and Numeracy. These are designed to focus on assessing and monitoring student growth in learning (skill acquisition and understanding) over successive years, mapped to the Australian Curriculum.   

By analysing this summative/diagnostic (assessment of learning) data staff can:
  • Tailor teaching to the needs of individual learners
  • Use this information for students into the following year as a starting point for class and individual planning
  • Identify areas in need of a stronger focus as a whole school and thus use it to inform our strategic directions in learning. 

We welcome this term our new Kinders for 2025 who will be attending their orientation days shortly.  We welcome new and existing families and wish their young children a positive, welcoming and exciting start to their learning at Our Lady of Lourdes.
 
At OLOL and indeed at all Catholic Schools we have had since 2008 Kindergartens attached to and as a very vital integrated part of our schools. These educational rooms are where early learning occurs in an environment rich in curiosity and wonder. The Early Years Learning Framework is addressed and reported to as well as providing students with inquiry based learning to further their interests. This is not formal schooling which begins in Prep but the learnings occurring under 5 years  of  age are vitally important for every developing child.
 
Our caring and supportive school environment at Our Lady of Lourdes promotes optimal early childhood development that greatly increases children’s chances of a successful transition to school. This, in turn, promotes children’s chances of achieving better learning outcomes while at school, and better education, employment and health after they have finished school.


God Bless,
Carol

Update of Enrolment Form/Terms of Enrolment

Religious Education

The Rosary
The Rosary is a meditative prayer based on Scripture. When we pray the Rosary, we ask Mary to pray for us as we seek to grow closer to her son Jesus by contemplating His life, death, and Resurrection. 

The Rosary remains an important prayer today. In May 2022, Pope Francis called on Christians to pray “the Holy Rosary for peace” in response to the war in Ukraine. In November 2022, Archbishop Cordileone of San Francisco invited the faithful to pray a “Rosary for Peace” on Election Day. In May 2024, he again called on people to pray the Rosary in the face of wars in different parts of the world.
https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-the-rosary/
Prayer plays an important part at OLOL for staff and we have weekly prayer together, prepared by class teaching teams.  At the beginning of this term our prayer is in preparing ourselves for the term as well as being the best possible teachers we can for our students
 Lord God,
At the beginning of this new term
Help us embrace our teaching vocation with renewed energy
At the beginning of this new term
teach us to be your hands and feet where we are,
 At the beginning of this new term
Help us to be your eyes and see each child as they are
At the beginning of this new term
Teach us to be your ears and listen to each students’ needs
At the beginning of this new term
Renew us with optimism and hope for our students
At the beginning of this new term
Help us to support and care for each other
At the beginning of this new term
teach us to love as you love us
At the beginning of this new term
teach us to pray for those in need
So that You are honoured and glorified
Amen

​Through daily prayer, we come to a deeper understanding of both ourselves and God. We do not pray for God's sake, but for our own sake, so that our relationship with our Lord may be more complete and our lives may be filled with God's goodness.

School news

2024 National Parent Survey
2024 National Parent Survey on Student Wellbeing and Learning - closing extended to Friday 18 October 2024.

​School Uniform
Please ensure that your child has a spare uniform/change of clothes in their school bag, should they require a change throughout the day.
Due to the current building works we are unable to provide spare clothes to students. 

Building Works
Our Lady of Lourdes will be renovating and creating new offices in the Admin area and at the back of the library.    These offices will create space for counsellors, allied health professionals, finance and leadership; as well as reconfiguring the Main Office for better workflow and access to the First Aid Room.
These building works are planned for all of Term 4.
The impact for parents and students for Term 4 will be:
  • No access to the current Office Area - the temporary School Office will be in the Library, straight through the blue doors; from the last week of school until the end of Term 4 and the Summer Holidays.
  • The Library will be closed to students from the end of Week 8 to the beginning of Week 4 Term 4.
  • You will see visual fencing and barriers around the school being erected this term.
Please respect these and be guided by directions from staff if you are unsure.

Parent Invitation for Class Requests for 2025
Class allocation for 2025, involves a variety of factors including balancing the  academic, social and emotional needs of all of our students. Our staff are in the best position to objectively do this. They spend 800 hours with your child over the school year. We also wish to work with you as parents if you have valid concerns for class allocation in 2025. 

Please contact the school office for an interview with Carol between Monday 16th  September and Friday 26th October: [email protected]

Not all parent requests can or will be granted. This decision will be the Principal’s, based on conversations between the Principal and class teachers following the parent request.

Our Lady of Lourdes Class Formation Policy provides a clear framework for the process of placing children into classes and ensure Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School:

  • ​Provides each child with the opportunity to be part of a class of children where they will have the best opportunity to learn.
  • Provides evenly balanced classes in which the social, emotional, academic, spiritual and physical needs of each child are taken into account.
  • Ensures that optimum use is made of prior knowledge that teachers, parents and other key stakeholders have of each child before class placement.

We do state that this process does take us considerable time and discernment, therefore any parent requests received after 28th October will not be considered.

End of Day Pick Up Time
Grade 1 - 6:     2:55pm
Kinder & Prep: 2:45pm (if parents are able to come) Staff will wait with children till 2:55pm.
​
Student Drop Off & Pick up on Stewart Street
Stewart Street is becoming very dangerous for our students. Several parents are doing U-Turns or driving in an unsafe manner to drop off or pick up. Please use the Roundabout at the end of the street to turn around.
  • Any students who are dropped off or picked up at the Stewart Street side of the school MUST NOT cross Stewart Street when they are dropped off or picked up.
    Students must stay on the school side of the street and parents pick up from this side only. 
  • It is not safe for our students to cross Stewart Street during school hours and especially at the end and beginning of the day.
  • There is no crossing on Stewart Street, and the Council will not provide one, so parents please drive up on the school side of Stewart Street to pick up your child. Alternatively, use the Pick-Up Zone on Steele Street. 
  • Please be aware of signage during our renovations in Term 4, as there will be some changes.
 
We thank you in anticipation of your cooperation with Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School.

Personal Sport Equipment
​Our Lady of Lourdes provides lots of balls and sports' equipment for students to play with at lunchtimes.  We ask that students do not bring in their own sports equipment.
Only toys needed for classroom regulation may be brought to school.

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 3:20 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.

Have your say on the future of Tasmania’s education system
Did you know, the Tasmanian Government has established an Independent Review of Tasmania’s Education System? The Review is being undertaken to provide advice to the Tasmanian Government on how to improve our education system over the next 10 years.
The Review wants to hear from every Tasmanian, including children and young people of all ages, families, those working in the education sector and members of the community. 
There are multiple ways you can get involved. 
Specifically for children and young people, submit a creative response to the question.
Imagine yourself at the end of school, what have you learned, what have you achieved and who do you want to be?
You can answer this question by providing an image of a piece of artwork you have done (with a short explanation), or something written – a short story, a sentence, a paragraph, a poem – the choice is up to you! 
Creative submissions, including which year level you are in, can be sent to the Review 
  • by email [email protected] or posted to GPO Box 104, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia 7000 - Attention: Independent Education Review.
Submissions responding to the Consultation Paper must be lodged by Sunday 13 October 2024, and all other consultation opportunities will close on Sunday 27 October.
Visit  www.ier.tas.gov.au today, to learn more and have your say!
Nut & Fish Aware School
OLOL is a Nut & Fish Aware School and encourage parents to refrain from using these products in school lunches.
​
These foods can contain fish:​
  • Fried rice, spring rolls and paella with fish specifically.
  • ​Dishes that are often prepared with fish-based sauces, like oyster sauce.
  • Sushi.
  • Salad dressings.
  • Sauces, like steak and Worcestershire.
  • Seafood soups and broths.
  • Spreads like taramasalata​​ ​​

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. 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.

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.

Technology News

STUDENT OF THE WEEK

Sports News & Rosters

Click here to access 'Sports News, Registrations and Rosters​​
Basketball
Soccer
​Netball​
​NW Futsal
​Local Futsal
Tennis
​

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
sports Policy

RATIONAL
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School is committed to the development of the whole person. This includes providing opportunities for students to be involved in and develop healthy lifestyle habits. Students are encouraged to participate in Team Sports for a variety of educational, personal and formative reasons.
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OLOL School Calendar

2024 Term Dates


2024 TERM DATES
TERM 4
Tuesday 15 October - Wednesday 18 December

2025 TERM DATES
TERM 1
Friday 7th February - Thursday 10th April
 TERM 2
Monday 28th April - Friday 4th July
TERM 3
Tuesday 22nd July - Friday 26th September
TERM 4
Tuesday 14th October - Thursday 18th December