Term 1, Week 4

27 February 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 4th March
(9:00 am - 9:15 am)
Primary - 5B 
Parents and carers are welcome!

upComing Events

Term 1​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
  • Grade 5 Excursion (Devonport Regional Gallery) - Monday 4th March
  • OLOL Swimming Carnival - Grades 2 - 6 (Splash Aquatic Centre) - Thursday 7th March
  • Assembly (2M) - Friday 8th March
  • Public Holiday - Monday 11th March

Miss wootton's Reflection

student support Coordinator

Welcome to Week 4 everyone! 

I am privileged to be acting in the Student Support Coordinator role this year. A new year, new role and new challenges! Similar to how our students feel I guess, stepping into the unknown of a new year filled with feelings of excitement and perhaps some nervousness too. 

Here at Our Lady of Lourdes we support the whole child. A significant part of our role as educators is to support the social and emotional needs of your children. We do this incidentally and specifically through whole-class explicit programs, small groups, 1:1 support through counselling or by offering time away from the classroom environment to regulate. 

More specifically our staff: 
  • Establish trusting relationships
  • Respect and care about each individual child’s needs 
  • Give effective praise and encouragement
  • Create environments that feel safe and secure 

I have truly enjoyed witnessing the positive and settled start to the new year. I have met new faces and connected with a wider range of families and look forward to continuing to do so as we navigate the year in partnership. 

Happy week ahead! 

Kindest, 
Meg
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
World Day of Prayer
​The 'World Day of Prayer' has a long history. It begun in New York in 1887 by Mary Ellen Fairchild James as a day of prayer for home missions. Two years later it became prayer for world missions. It travelled to Canada in 1922, then to the British Isles in the 1930s. From 1927, the prayer day was known as the ‘Women’s World Day of Prayer’. After the Vatican Council in 1967, Catholic women united their ‘May Day of Prayer’ with the March ‘Women’s World Day of Prayer’ which then became the ‘World Day of Prayer’.

The aim of the World Day of Prayer is to become aware of other countries and cultures, especially those living in isolation, to pray for those countries, and to encourage women to offer and use their talents to better society.

Different countries have been given the responsibility of organising the theme and the prayer service each year. For this year, Palestine has prepared the prayer based on the theme, “I beg you… bear with one another in love”. (Ephesians Ch 4: 4-5).
One would have to say how much we need this in our present environment!

For the service booklet, a Palestinian artist, Halima Aziz, has prepared a beautiful artwork showing three women praying together.  The symbols in her image are:
  • Olive trees – Symbols of Everlasting and abundant life
  • Golden roots – Underlining rights and freedom for Palestinians
  • Poppy flowers – reminiscent of lives given for the country
  • Palestinian dresses/white scarf – representative of the Palestinian people and their art and history
  • Keys (round the neck) – symbolising hope of return to Palestine

This year the World Day of Prayer will be held on 1 March 2024 around the world, uniting the world in prayer and understanding of the needs of others and acting in solidarity with them.
(Patricia Williams rsj)
https://www.sosj.org.au/world-day-of-prayer-24/

​Sacramental Program

School news

Digital Technologies - Roblox Heroes Battlegrounds
It has come to the attention of the school that some students are playing an online game called Heroes Battleground.
Heroes Battlegrounds, is a game from the Roblox series. The game consists of a variety of heroes you can choose from Green Hero to Blue Flames hero. You can slap other players with your unlocked gloves! You might spend some robux to buy the game passes to unlock heroes. (From Google) It is a PG game with mild violence and online interactivity and recommended 9+.
The particularly concerning aspect is the with the online interactivity (voice and text); where the children playing are hearing adult conversations with sexualised language.
As you would agree, this is a worrying context for young children to be playing an online game in.
Please take an intentional interest in the sites your children are accessing and what is actually occuring within this site that your child may be exposed to.
​
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.

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 3:20 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.

Learn to Swim Program (Prep - Grade 1)
  • Prep Learn to Swim program will commence March 19th - 21st.
  • Grade 1 Learn to Swim program will commence March 18th - 21st​.
More information has been sent via Compass.
​
Uniform Shop
Our school Uniform Shop has moved premises.  We have the great opportunity to join Midford Clothing in their new East Devonport Store, as a school along with other schools, providing uniforms to the local area.
The new shop is on 1/59 Wright Street East Devonport, it is directly across from East Devonport Primary School.
​Please see information below on hours.

​OLOL Complaint Procedure 
Fish Free School Zone & Nut Awareness
Can all parents be vigilant about enforcing our fish free school zone and nut awareness.
​
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.

Kinder 2025
We are now taking enrolments for Kinder 2025. Please complete enrolment forms which can be found on our website or collected from our office.
​
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 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.

Student of the week

Sports News & Rosters

Click here to access 'Sports News, Registrations and Rosters​​
Basketball
Soccer
​Netball​

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
Uniform Policy


​By wearing a school uniform students can readily identify with, and feel pride in their school.
The purposes for wearing a uniform:
  • to develop a sense of belonging
  • to promote pride in the school
  • to promote the image of the school
  • to ensure that students feel equal with each other
  • to promote effective and practical clothing
​

OLOL School Calendar

2024 Term Dates


2024 TERM DATES
TERM 1
Wednesday 7 February - Thursday 11 April
Easter Break
Friday 29 March - Tuesday 2 April
Students Return - Wednesday 3 April
TERM 2
Monday 29 April - Friday 5 July 
TERM 3
Tuesday 23 July - Friday 27 September
TERM 4
Tuesday 15 October - Wednesday 18 December