OUR LADY OF HOPE NEWSLETTER - Term 1 Week 11 2024
A Word from the Principal
Dear Families
What a terrific term at Our Lady of Hope School!
At our staff meeting on Tuesday afternoon our staff focussed on the celebrations that we have witnessed at OLOH over the past eleven weeks. It was extremely powerful to share in the stories that our Teachers, Administration Team and Co-educators shared about important moments across the term that had significant impact upon our staff and the children and their learning and their social/emotional growth at Our Lady of Hope. Many of these events reflected the tremendous support that we receive from our families and reinforced the importance of the collaborative partnership between home and school.
Some of the celebrations included:
- The importance of relationships in enabling our community to feel safe, happy and successful
- The documentation and explicit teaching of the OLOH Way in defining the core values at OLOH and the beautiful mural on the STARS building
- The professional formation of our staff through the consolidation of our work with Lee Crockett in building the capacity of learner agency through the Futures Focused Learning Network, catering for neurodiverse learners with assistance from Mark Le Messurier and establishing greater consistency in our behaviour structures through the Positive Behaviour Intervention and Supports program.
- Deeply moving and reverent liturgical events through Lent & Easter
- Our ongoing work with the DeMazenod Family in deepening our knowledge of the Oblate story
- Significant growth of many children in successfully regulating their behaviour and engaging in their learning
- Our Yr 5/6 children preparing to engage in the Makers Empire STEM project
- Acknowledging the resilience of children to persist with challenging learning activities and/or social interactions and sharing these in our Three Way Learning Conversations
- The diversity of learning activities for our children including cooking sessions, Yr 5/6 Camp, Leadership Day and Sports Day
- Introduction of the 'Move, Learn, Grow' program
- The community events including our Scavenger Hunt and Outdoors Movie Night and Sports Day
Whilst there is much to celebrate, I look forward to continuing to work with our staff, children and families in Term 2 as we look forward to enjoying a restful break and returning with renewed energy to continue the evolution of our practice at Our Lady of Hope School.
May God continue to be within us & amongst us.
Kind regards
Paul
Mrs Anne-Marie Platten
Dear Families and Community Members,
Last week, Our Lady of Hope was selected for the 2023 Non-Government Schools’ Post Enumeration Audit. The audit investigates enrolment and student data utilised to determine government funding. We are pleased to inform you that Our Lady of Hope performed well in the audit. Accurate student data enables us to maximise funding for the support of all students. Congratulations to our staff for their hard work and diligent record keeping that led to a successful result from the audit.
Throughout the term I have been fortunate to meet with a number of families through review meetings that were held for parents and teachers of students with a Personal Plan for Learning (PPL). The meetings provided me with greater insight into the students’ academic and social/emotional learning needs. I am impressed with the positive partnerships I have witnessed between staff and families for the benefit of the students involved. Communication is an essential component of successful relationships and honest and open communication allows us to work together to provide the best experiences for the students in our care. I look forward to meeting with more families as the year progresses.
On reflection of my first term at OLOH, I feel extremely grateful for the warm welcome I have received from staff, students and families. The OLOH Way’s key values of Respect, Relationships, Responsibility and Resilience are active and present in our school which makes for a positive and thriving school environment. Wishing you all a safe and wonderful break. I hope you enjoy some quality time together and I look forward to working in partnership with you in Term 2.
God bless,
Anne-Marie Platten
A Prayer for a Restful Holiday
Father,
I thank You for the opportunity to take a holiday
and be enabled to have a complete break
from the daily rounds and the many responsibilities
and routines that govern our lives.
It is such a joy to have this break,
and I pray that it will be a time of rest
and refreshment where I am enabled to go quietly
through the day without having to plan
for the many ‘workaday’ things that have
become the norm in my busy daily schedule.
I pray that during this holiday,
I will enjoy both spiritual and physical renewal,
and find rejuvenating rest for my mind and spirit
as well as enjoy relaxation and respite
for my body as well.
Thank You, Father, in Jesus' name,
Amen.
Religious Dimension
Holy Week & Easter
We are extremely thankful to the classes who assisted our community in preparing for Easter though the Holy Week activities. Room 15 did a wonderful job with our Palm Sunday liturgy and were well supported by the Junior Primary classes who looked fantastic in their dress-up clothes and had great enthusiasm in being 'part of the crowd' following Jesus.
A big thank you to Mrs Reuther for preparing Room 16 and 18 for their moving performance of the Garden of Gethsemane scene and Good Friday reflection.
Likewise, this week we celebrated the joy of the Resurrection and our senior students reinforced the exuberance of our faith in our belief in eternal life. We are certainly blessed to have a school band that provides the music and vocal support for these whole school ceremonies.
Sacramental Journey
Next term on Saturday 18th May we have a number of our children participating in our Parish Sacramental Program. We wish these children every blessing as they receive the Sacrament of Confirmation and First Holy Communion. It has been a reflective journey for them and their families and we trust that God will continue to strengthen their love and devotion to their faith.
Learning Dimension
Student Agency
This term our teachers have participated in Professional Learning Community groups. The purpose of these development sessions has been to engage proactively in growing their practice and supporting their colleagues in the meeting and in the network. Ultimately, our teachers have been focussing on three elements:
1. What can I implement in my teaching that will provide my students with agency in their learning?
2. What evidence will I collect that will demonstrate the impact?
3. On reflection, what will I do next time?
The feedback and engagement from our teachers has been significant and reinforces the energy and joy that they bring to their learning spaces. I am proud of the endeavour of our staff in all curriculum areas to evolve their pedagogy to achieve the destination that we seek at OLOH, "To joyfully release the responsibility for our children to build their capacity to be life long learners and agents of their learning."
Administrative Dimension
Uniform Review
Our Uniform Review Committee have been extremely proactive in meeting with four different companies to identify alternative uniform options for Our Lady of Hope School. I appaud this team for their diligence in seeking options that are cost effective, high quality and proudly reflect the high standard that we desire at Our Lady of Hope School.
Next term we envisage obtaining samples that we can display to our school community and facilitate consultation and discussion sessions with the aim to obtain feedback that will guide our future direction.
As previoulsy discussed, we wish to reassure our community that any alteration won't be likely to occur until early/mid 2025 as we discern styles, fabrics, prices etc. When any decision is made, a transition period will be established to ensure families are not left holding existing items. Once again, we are grateful for your patience as we aim to undertake a thorough investigation of how we can ensure our uniform reflects student pride in their school and allows them to be active and comfortable when undertaking indoor and outdoor activities.
New Volunteer Induction Session
If you have any queries about your current volunteer status or would like to start the process of becoming a volunteer at OLOH please contact the Front Office staff on 8289 8344 or email mmcgrath@oloh.catholic.edu.au
Marion McGrath, Principal’s Assistant & Events Coordinator
Enrolments at OLOH
To all current families; if you have a young child due to start school in Term 3 2024 or 2025, please ensure that you have lodged an Enrolment Application (you would have received correspondence from the school if you have lodged paperwork). Places are filling fast! Enrolment applications can be obtained from the front office or via our school website:- OLOH Enrolments. If you are not sure please email us at deeles@oloh.catholic.edu.au and we will check our enrolment records.
School Absentee Notification
If your child or children are going to be away for any reason (i.e. illness, family/social, medical/dental appointment, car trouble, running late etc.) we ask that parents please contact the Front Office via the SZapp absences form or if this is not possible by phone on 8289 8344. If your child arrives at school after 8.50 am, please sign them in at the Front Office.
Uniform Shop News
The Uniform Shop is open on Tuesday morning between 8:30-9:30 am and Thursday afternoon between 2:30-3:30 pm. Any further changes to opening times will be notified via the newsletter and SZapp in due course.
The Uniform Shop order form can be found on the OLOH website: https://www.oloh.catholic.edu.au/uniform-price-list or alternatively hard copies of the form are available in the Uniform Shop as well as the Front Office.
Admin Staff
Community Dimension
Save the Dates for Term 2 2024
A few events occurring during Term 2:
- Staff Professional Development Pupil Free Day - Monday 29th April (Week 1)
- School recommences for Term 2 - Tuesday 30th April (Week 1)
- Mother's Day Breakfast 8.00 am and Liturgy 9.15 am Friday 10th May (Week 2)
- Confirmation and First Communion at St. David's Church 10 am and 2 pm Saturday 18th May (Week 3)
- Volunteers Morning Tea 10.30 am Friday 24th May (Week 4)
- Whole School Mass hosted by 2024 Communion/Confirmation Students 11.30 am Friday 24th May (Week 4)
- Principal's Tour 9.30 am Wednesday 5th June (Week 6)
- King's Birthday Public Holiday Monday 10th June (Week 7)
- Transition 1 for new Term 3 Reception Students 9.15-10.45 am Monday 24th June (Week 9)
- Whole School Mass 11.30 am Monday 24th June (Week 9)
- Transition 2 for new Term 3 Reception Students 9.15-10.45 am Monday 1st July (Week 10)
- School Concert Future's Church 7.00-9.00 pm Wednesday 3rd July (Week 10)
- Last day of Term 2 ends at 12.30 pm Friday 5th July (Week 10)
OLOH Principal's Tour - Wednesday 5th June 2024 at 9.30 am
Sports Day
Last week at The Bridgestone Athletic Centre we witnessed another succcesful OLOH Sports Day. We are grateful to Mrs Cottrell for the high level planning and implementation of an engaging and enjoyable program for our classes. The tremendous support from our families was noted by the staff at BAC who commented on the volume of families present to cheer on their children. As always, I admire the joy of our staff in enabling this annual activity and their engagement with the children in learning the Team chants and assisting our House Leaders in undertaking their roles successfully.
Congratulations to the following Teams for their success on the day:
- Sports Day Shield: XAVIER (Green)
- Spirit Cup: GLEESON (Red)
Maggie Moo Music
School Calendar
Families are able to access a ‘live’ calendar at the following locations:
- Szapp tiles
- OLOH Website ‘News & Events’ tab – School Calendar
- OLOH online newsletter
A paper copy is static and doesn’t allow us to make alterations should circumstances change. Whilst it is our intention to eliminate date changes, should they be necessary, we will communicate these to families via Szapp/Seesaw.
OLOH Playgroup
Playgroup recommences for Term 2 on 2nd May 2024 from 9.00 am to 10.30 am in the Parish Centre. We look forward to seeing you then!
Bern and Grace, Playgroup Facilitators
Noticeboard
The services and events contained in this bulletin are in no way connected or endorsed by the school and are included in this newsletter for your information only. Parents and caregivers need to make their own enquiries and assessments about the suitability of these events and services for the needs and those of their children.
Tea Tree Gully Netball Club
Modbury Hawks Netball Club