Term 1, Week 8

21 March, 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 27 March
Primary Years School Prayer
(Grades 3 - 6)
Grade 4B leading.
9:00am in the Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church.

​Parents and carers are welcome!

upComing Events

Term 1​​​​​​
  • Harmony Day (Tuesday 21st March) - Orange clothes day
  • Grade 5 Excursion (Friday 24th March) - Clarendon House

MR FARR'S  Reflection

DEPUTY Principal

Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.
Winston Churchill
Welcome everyone to Week 8.

It’s hard to believe that it’s Week 8 already!  In fact, as I’m typing this I’m realising that when it is published, there will only be 12 school days left this term!

We reflected in Week 3 about resilience.  If you can’t remember, that’s OK, it wasn’t overly memorable!  But we were reflecting on how we, as parents support our children to develop resilience and what challenges we experience in doing so.

This week I have had the privilege of supporting our Grade 3 and Grade 5 students to complete their NAPLAN tests.  4 tests over consecutive days starting last Wednesday and finishing yesterday, with a handful of students to complete catch-up tests this week.  I say that it is a privilege to have been able to support our students complete NAPLAN because I genuinely realise what a lucky position I am in.  I get to witness our 8/9 and 10/11 year old students display immense resilience, have a go attitudes and a genuine effort to give of their best.

NAPLAN is challenging.  There are some rather difficult questions in the tests that require significant thought and problem solving.  However, out of the 120 or so students that have sat NAPLAN across our school over the past week, I have not seen a single student give up or simply rush through and give any old answer.  Yes, we have had a number of students who felt anxious before a test, and a number of students that needed support and encouragement during a test, but these students too found a way to be resilient and give of their best.

Developing resilience is curious.  To be able to become resilient we have to experiences difficulty, struggle and challenge.  If we never experience those things we never need to be resilient, hence we never develop the skills to bounce back, keep trying and finding another way to solve a problem.  That’s the juxtaposition in learning to become resilient.  We have to genuinely experience disappointments to learn how to deal with them, we have to experience set backs to learn how to push forward in a new and different way, we have to experience failure to in order to truly understand success and the learning process.

As parents this is a real challenge.  The last thing we want is for our children to have negative experiences, disappointment, be upset or lose.  But if we don’t allow these opportunities to occur, how are we going to support them to be strong, confident, resilient adults?  For me, it’s about our mindset.  When our children experience challenge, disappointment etc, after often jumping to protect them, I strive to support them to see what learning they can take from this experience and talk about what they could do differently next time.  As a parent, it’s hard to balance that approach whilst also ensuring that we are not making our children feel like we are brushing them off or not comforting them when they need it.  Again, it’s about balance.

After witnessing our students give of their best toward NAPLAN, what I’m taking from the week is that challenge is good.  Struggle is good.  Disappointment, even failure and losing are good.  As long as we support our children to learn from their setbacks and help them to bounce back.

Enjoy the rest of your 13th last day of Term 1!

​Stu

McCarthy Centre

Our school gym is named the McCarthy Centre. It is named in honour of Sister Mary Francis McCarthy who with two other Sisters of St Joseph established Our Lady of Lourdes in 1891.

Social & emotional learning 2023

Prayer and Resilience
May I acknowledge you in everything I do and draw near to you to grow my character and develop my resilience. Thank you that your promise to me is to make my path straight when I do these things. Amen
Proverbs 3:3-5
Studies have shown that prayer reduces anxiety and concern, and leads to improved health outcomes for those who believe in the power of prayer. It can also play an important role in improving other aspects of  mental health. Spiritual support in general, and prayer in particular, can drive resilience in children, parents and communities. Some research has discovered that prayer and religion  assist children in dire situations around the world. During Covid it was also discovered that prayer gave families a sense of hope and the search for prayer increased during these years.​
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/7/1/11#:~:text=Prayer%20was%20considered%20a%20positive%20factor%20in%20seven,physical%20functioning%20of%20patients%20who%20believe%20in%20prayer.
https://www.wvi.org/publications/case-study/faith-and-development/learning-brief-spiritual-support-children-move-and
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8557987/
Prayer offers a bigger sense of purpose: a connection to a greater power or truth that can give you a sense of purpose and meaning beyond the day-to-day, beyond our concerns to the bigger picture as well as taking the worry/stress/concern from us and offering it to God.  This connection to a higher power helps strengthen emotional health.

A deeper sense of prayer that can develop with a prayerful daily practice enables us to still ourselves enough to listen and receive, to ask for nothing. When we can empty ourselves of schemes and demands, when we can let the fear settle and open ourselves without intent, this quiet bravery lets us be renewed by the forces of Wholeness.  God will speak to us.
There can be a rhythm of breathing when praying and a rhythm to the prayer, recited or created by self, petition or praise, that enables our ‘soul to breathe’.  

The peace, that sense of meaning and connection that happens with prayer is what is positive and has physiological effects on the body, such as calming the cardiovascular system and reducing stress.

In the quote at the top from Proverbs we are encouraged to show gratitude to God and we also know that gratitude assists greatly the development of resilience. 

The students are really enjoying singing the song below and the lyrics permit us to see that in the good and tough times, God is with us:
Lord, I thank you for sunshine, thank you for rain
Thank you for joy, thank you for pain
It's a beautiful day, it's a beautiful day

Sometimes life is good, but then trouble comes my way
But whatever happens Lord, I thank you for this day
And when I'm feeling troubled, I lift my hands and pray
That your will be done in the rain or sun
Oh, it's a beautiful day

I don't want to act too high and mighty
'coz tomorrow I might fall down on my face

I give thanks when I'm feeling lonely
I give thanks when I'm feeling glad
I give thanks in the morning & thanks in the evening
and thanks when I'm feeling sad
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/7/1/11#:~:text=Prayer%20was%20considered%20a%20positive%20factor%20in%20seven,physical%20functioning%20of%20patients%20who%20believe%20in%20prayer.
https://www.wvi.org/publications/case-study/faith-and-development/learning-brief-spiritual-support-children-move-and

RE NEWS
Yesterday the Junior Joey’s led the Whole School Prayer with a focus on The Feast of St Joseph. Here is some of that liturgy shared with all of the students.
Let us Pray 
Loving God, we gather today with you and with each other.  Help us to remember the humble and empowering gifts St. Joseph’s life teaches us. 

Let us pray that St. Joseph will help us to be compassionate in our caring for others, and that we will imitate his faithfulness to God’s call in our own families. 
All: Amen

We Respond 
The response is ‘Gracious God, hear our prayer’
All: Gracious God, hear our prayer

For the Sisters of St. Joseph. May they be blessed with courage to walk the path marked out for them by God. 
We pray as one.
All: Gracious God, hear our prayer

For fathers and grandfathers; may they be guided by the example of St. Joseph and trust that God will guide them. 
We pray as one.
All: Gracious God, hear our prayer

For our families; may they be blessed with loving respect between children and parents. 
We pray as one.
All: Gracious God, hear our prayer

We pray for ourselves.  That we too may know God’s love and be filled with the strength to follow God’s call. 
We pray as one.
All: Gracious God, hear our prayer

We Go Forth
Creator God, help us to imitate St. Joseph. We ask in St. Joseph’s name, that our life be lived each day with love, gentle strength, and enduring hope. 

Help us care for others as Joseph did for Jesus and Mary. 
May we bring peace within our own family, school, workplace, city and neighbourhoods. 
We ask this in the name of Jesus, your Son who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.

May we go forth with faith to love and serve the world.
All: Thanks Be to God
Caritas
For 40 days as Catholics we try to abide by prayer, fasting and almsgiving.
As part of almsgiving we are fundraising for Caritas, as we do each Lent.
Caritas works to end poverty and promote justice in countries throughout Africa, Asia, Australia, the Pacific, and the Middle East. Their work tackles global issues like food and water insecurity, national disaster readiness and gender-based violence. Caritas Australia is the Catholic Church’s international aid and development agency in Australia.  They are committed to working alongside the most vulnerable and addressing the imbalance of power by including the people affect in the decisions impacting their lives. Caritas’ vision is Justice, dignity and hope for humanity and all of God’s creation.
Sourced: https://www.caritas.org.au/

School news

Student Free Days 2023
Student Free Days for 2023 are:
Term 2: Monday 24 April
Term 3: Monday 24 July
Term 4: Monday 16 October
Seeking Board Nominations
Please email Carol Seagar at [email protected] if you would be interested in becoming a Board Member for Our Lady of Lourdes.  There is an application process that can be forwarded to you.
Role of the School Board:
  1. To promote the Catholic identity and evangelising mission of the school;
  2. to develop the school vision, mission and strategic plan;
  3. to develop school-level policies as appropriate;
  4. to support the development of the school budget and the monitoring of the financial sustainability of the school;
  5. to ensure that the approved processes of review and monitoring of educational outcomes are implemented; and
  6. to assist in collaboration, consultation and building of partnerships with local parish/parishes, the parents and the broader community.
​
Kinder Enrolments 2024
Enrolments for Kinder 2024 are now open. Children born 2019 are eligible to being Kindergarten in 2024. Please contact the Office on 6424 1744 for any further information.

Uniform Shop
New stocks of PE shorts and rugby tops are now available.
Soccer socks $5.00 and $14.00 and small sizes of second hand boots available.
Term 2 - Winter Uniform
Long sleeve shirts - $26.00
Ties - $20.00
Beanies -  $18.00

Student of the week

Sports News & Rosters

Click here to access 'Sports News, Registrations and Rosters​​
  • Devon Netball 
  • Soccer Prep - Grade 6 - Registration Closes Friday 10th March
  • NW Football League Primary School Roster 
  • Devonport Primary Basketball Roster​

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

Move Well Eat Well

Community News

Click here access 'Community news'​​​
  • Devonport Surf Life Saving Club - Aquathlon - 17th March
  • City of Devonport Brass Band
  • Net Set Go Come and Play - Netball  5-10 years
  • Tennis
  • Hockey
  • Studio 81 Dance Company
  • Mersey Leven Catholic Church - High Tea

Policy in Focus

This week in our 'Policy in Focus' section of the Newsletter we have attached our Uniform Policy.  This policy outlines the expectations that we have for our students in regards to the wearing of their school uniform.  We are currently having a focus on 'doing the small things with pride'.  This means boys keeping their shirts tucked in, girls wearing the appropriate headbands, jewellery and nail polish, students with shoulder length hair keeping it tied back and the wearing of black, polishable school shoes.

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School Uniform POLICY

OLOL School Calendar

2023 Term Dates

​
2023 TERM DATES
TERM 1
Friday 3 February - Thursday 6 April
TERM 2
Wednesday 26 April - Friday 7 July
TERM 3
Tuesday 25 July - Friday 29 September
TERM 4
Tuesday 17 October - Thursday 14 December