Term 4, Week 8

5 december 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 11 December
Thanksgiving Mass - Whole School 
Parents and carers are welcome!

upComing Events

Term 4​​​​​​​​​​​​
  • ​Surf Awareness Program (Grades 5-6) - Wednesday 6th - Friday 8th December
  • Prep Nativity Play (Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church) - 3:00pm Wednesday 6th December
  • Grade 4 Excursion - Thursday 7th December
  • Prep Excursion - Thursday 7th November
  • Grade 2 Excursion - Friday 8th December
  • Kinder Orientation (Final) - Friday 8th December
  • Assembly (Grade 3) - Friday 8th December
  • Prep Excursion - Monday 11th December
  • Grade 4 Excursion - Tuesday 12th December
  • Grade 6 End of Year Excursion - Tuesday 12th December

Mrs seagar's Reflection

principal

Do not be afraid. Love one another, bear with one another, and let charity guide you in all your life.
Mary Mackillop (1909) 


Welcome everyone to Week 8.


​Orientation Day Celebrations
Change is the only constant in life.
Heraclitus
Today 400 students experienced some time with their new classmates and teachers for 2024. There was much excitement and some anxiety as the time approached for this transition and then much joy, happiness, focussed attention, conversation with new classmates and productive learning. There was a calmness,  much eagerness and  genuine happiness throughout all of the classes. Students were sharing information about themselves to their new teachers and mixing well with their classmates; completing some novel tasks and work, to be displayed in their classes at the beginning of next year. Teachers all expressed how wonderful the Orientation Day had been. I wish to thank all staff for the thorough and considered preparation that went into  this special day for our students.

We know that change is a challenge for many children and adults alike.  We as adults can assist our children to embrace the  change, by focusing on the positive and there are always many positives. If we are adaptable to new circumstances, situations, and people and lean into the opportunities they offer, we learn that there are always positive experiences to be gained.

In a dynamic world where change is constant, being able to adapt and embrace change is crucial.  Children learn to gain confidence in themselves and their capabilities; this in turn assists with stronger mental health.  For the adults supporting children by maintaining a positive mindset assists the children to reinforce what is going well for them and of course the reverse is also true: focussing on the negative only reinforces this in the child’s mind.

Change helps us grow, become adaptable and brings new opportunities.  Often we don’t know how we will be changed or how we will feel on the other side of transitions and we become fearful of change. That fear can keep us from experiencing new things and growing as a person. We can all  try to resist this fear of the unknown and take comfort in the fact that it is a part of life and part of moving forward.

As I see students taking these next steps in their Primary Education journey I want to give them this advice:  embrace all the change. Instead of focusing on all that is different and resisting the changes, look for the positive. New classmates bring new opportunities for friendships and new teachers bring variety and different styles of learning. A grade older means different responsibilities and ways to grow. And as we, the adults, send them off to school we can all try to embrace change too.

​
God Bless

​Carol
RE NEWS
The Christmas Season is an opportune time for us to really ponder and reflect on how the spirit of joy and hope can reduce the anxieties that we all live with every day as part of 21st century living.  Living as a hopeful person, believing in the innate goodness of people and being present for one another as we often are at Christmas shows us that we can be a people of love and peace.  Our challenge is to live like this throughout the year.  Human beings do know that light cannot be overpowered by darkness because as Christians we know God is always with us.

Each one of us that lives with hope, love, joy and peace we tilt the balance away from the darker sides of life.  As we are all infused at Christmas time with these sentiments, and feelings and know that receiving and relaying love changes the world – one step at a time; let us endeavour to live with these sentiments and actions all year round.
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School news

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​​

Families Leaving OLOL 2024
Can all families please inform the School Office if they will be leaving OLOL at the end of this year or in 2024.
Under the enrolment form, signed by parents 10 weeks notice is required.
9. Notice of withdrawal
9.1  Subject to clause 2.5 and termination under clause 14.2, written notice of at least ten school weeks is required prior to withdrawal of a Student from the School. Where notice is not provided, full tuition Fees may need to be paid to the School for the number of school weeks where notice was not provided. This includes withdrawal prior to the start of the school year.

​Uniform Shop
LAYBY now and collect Feb 2024.  No Deposit required.
For all OLOL uniform information, requirements and pricing, please access the button below:
SBSC Primary School Music Program

​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.

Breakfast Club
The last day for Breakfast Club this year will be on Wednesday 13th December.

End of Year Events
Tuesday 12th December:  Grade 6 End of Year Excursion (Ulverstone Waterslide and Fairway Park)
Wednesday 13th December: Grade 6 Graduation 6:00pm - 7:00pm (Our Lady of Lourdes Church)
Thursday 14th December:  End of year Assembly commencing 1.30pm (School Gym)
*Please refer to school calendar for events.

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.  Although the weather is beginning to change (slowly!) and it is lovely in the after school sun, our 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.
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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.   

National Office for Child Safety - One Talk at a Time
The National Office for Child Safety recently launched ‘One Talk at a Time’, a national awareness raising and behavioural change campaign on child sexual abuse. 
One Talk at a Time aims to protect children and young people from sexual abuse by helping adults understand that child sexual abuse is preventable and encouraging them to have ongoing, proactive, preventative conversations with children, young people and other adults in their lives. 
The campaign is a key measure under the National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse 2021-2030 and fulfils a recommendation of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
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Online safety
Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation
In the lead up to the end of year school holidays, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) is asking education departments to share important safety information within their departments and school communities to help prevent sextortion.

Sextortion is a form of online blackmail where someone tricks or coerces people into sending sexual images of themself and then threatens to share the images unless they comply with their demands. The ACCCE is receiving around 300 reports of financial sextortion per month, with the majority of reports involving 13-17-year-olds. There are serious safety concerns for victims, with instances of self-harm attributed to this crime.

For more information and further access to resources visit accce.gov.au/sextortionhelp
Online child sexual exploitation, including sextortion, can be reported to accce.gov.au/report
Online Safety - eSafety Commissioner's Office Resources
People usually know how to keep themselves safe offline, but it's not always the case when we go online. In our latest initiative, we compare online safety to everyday objects that keep you safe – just like eSafety does when you go online.

When it comes to online safety, we can help. We educate Australians about online safety risks and help to remove harmful content such as cyberbullying of children and young people, adult cyber abuse, image-based abuse and illegal and restricted content.
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The eSafety Commissioner can support with:

Sports News & Rosters

Click here to access 'Sports News, Registrations and Rosters​​
  • Touch Football 
  • OLOL Sports Policy

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

Community News

Click here access 'Community news'​​​​​
  • School Holiday Tennis
  • Mersey Rowing Club - Learn to Row Program
  • Niche Movement
  • Under 12 Devonport Football - Tuesday 12/12
  • St Brendan Shaw College - Music Program




Policy in Focus

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School
Class Formation Policy


Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School, Devonport is committed to providing a safe and supportive learning environment for its students, staff and volunteers. This commitment includes the social, emotional, spiritual and academic growth of each child.
A clearly defined, collaborative and transparent process for the creation of classes at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School, Devonport will assist in maintaining a positive environment for all stakeholders, particularly students, and create a school community that is effective in its core purpose of providing education for its students.
The purpose of this policy is to provide 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. 

OLOL School Calendar

2023 Term Dates

​
2023 TERM DATES
TERM 3
Tuesday 25 July - Friday 29 September
TERM 4
Tuesday 17 October - Thursday 14 December

2024 TERM DATES
TERM 1
Wednesday 7 February - Thursday 11 April
Easter Break
Friday 29 March - 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