Term 4, Week 9

12 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 12 February
Whole School 
Parents and carers are welcome!

upComing Events

Term 4​​​​​​​​​​​​​

  • Grade 6 Graduation Mass (6:00 - 7:00pm) - Wednesday 13th December
  • Last day of Canteen - Wednesday 13th December
  • End of Year Assembly (1:30 - 2:55pm) - Thursday 14th December
  • LAST DAY OF TERM - Thursday 14th December

Mrs seagar's Reflection

principal

Welcome everyone to Week 9.

As we finish the school year of 2023 at Our Lady of Lourdes, I wish to thank you all for the genuine partnerships you have with the school. Having parents who are willing to  work with staff, facilitates a supportive learning environment that enhances all aspects of school life.  It is always a pleasure and privilege to work with you all and share the journey of your child's learning.

I thank all staff for their dedicated commitment at Our Lady of Lourdes and their care and concern for each student they teach. Teaching is truly a vocation that entails a love of working with children to see them flourish and is not a 9-5 job. I wish all staff a well-deserved restful break.

I also wish to thank our students for the focus they bring to their learning, the joy they bring to the school: for their playfulness, their uninhibited freedom; and their genuine desire to be the best they can.
​
Prayer for the end of the school year 

At the end of this school year we give thanks to God: 
For all the teaching and learning that has taken place in our school, both in and out of the classroom, 
For the talents and gifts that have been shared and the challenges that have been faced; 
For the burdens that have been lifted and the hurts that have been healed; 
For the respect and care that has been given. 
We give thanks for the friendships that have just begun and for those that have grown. 
For the faith that has been lived in our daily struggles, 
For the hope that has lifted our hearts on the dark days And for the love that has kept us going. 
We give thanks for the community that we are, and we ask you Lord:
Bless our families as they take their holidays, may their time together give them memories to cherish. 
Pour out your love on us that we may return renewed and refreshed to continue our journey together. 
We make this pray through Christ out Lord,
Amen
Picture

​As we approach Christmas, waiting for the birth of Jesus, the message of Christmas is timeless; because Christmas is about the birth of God’s Son – Jesus. It is about how he came to give us love, hope and joy. That message doesn’t change from year to year. When there is so much bad news and devastation in the world, this is good news worth celebrating!

God Bless,

Carol

School news

Canteen
Last day of canteen is this Wednesday 13th December.

​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 (School Gym)
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.
​
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.
​
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