Principal’s Message

As we visit classes and talk to students in the playground, the hot topic at the moment is the Olympic Games, there are so many events that there is something for everyone to enjoy. The Olympics are a testament to our drive to achieve, they are the pinnacle of athletic achievement, but so often woven into the fabric of a competitor’s story is adversity, desire, drive and a lifetime of work.

It is amazing to simply appreciate that we have been able to have the Olympics this year, albeit without crowds (The financial impact of this is another story!), but seeing moments like our 10,000m runner, Patrick Tiernan, who collapsed three times before crossing the line with his body failing him while his heart drove him on was inspiring. Conversely, seeing the despair of a competitor who has missed out on an opportunity to medal, shows in all of its emotional rawness, what desire and drive is at the heart of each athlete.

Children in homes all over the world are now shelving the typical answers to the question of, “When I grow up I want to be …”, and inserting an array of Olympic sports. But arriving at an Olympic Games is the culmination of an often lifelong journey of hard work. How can a child conceptualise the effort required to even get to an Olympics?

This thought of achieving long term goals is tackled in a speech you may have already heard titled, “Make your bed”. Every day, no matter what we set out to achieve, can be broken down into smaller more achievable tasks. Funnily enough, in this speech, the first achievable task to complete each day is to make your bed. We need to encourage our children to dream big, but we also need to ensure that they know that these lofty aspirations don’t occur overnight. As parents, we should apply this mentality to all aspects of school and home life.

Please take the time to watch the video, let your children know that even the biggest dreams can be achieved by “Making your Bed”, and that we can apply these lessons to everything we do here at school, be it academic, physical or social.

Leadership Team Message

Cross Country

The weather was kind to us with only a brief morning shower before the sun came out for the rest of the day. Cross country is not an easy event and every child who represented our school did so with pride. In a field of many schools, we still punched above our weight and every single person who had anything to do with the carnival should be proud of the efforts of our students.

Feast of the Assumption

Please join us for our Feast Day celebrations next Wednesday.

Sacrament of Confirmation Retreat Day

We were very lucky to be able to have our students engage with Dr Nathan Leber who ran our Year 6 Confirmation Retreat Day on Monday. The students were given opportunities to reflect on what Confirmation really means and to explore the lives and achievements of various saints.

Old Uniform Collection

We will be doing another collection of the old OLA school uniforms to donate to Uniform Rescue. Please drop in any old uniform items to the School Office by Wednesday 25 August. Please ensure that all items are bagged.

Performing Arts

Our students are very excited to have begun both individual and class entries this week. Performing in front of a crowd is never easy, and it is an awesome opportunity to tap into the talents of our OLA students. Our solo piano performers kicked things off this week (pictured) with our Year 3 classes performing at Morley Recreation Centre on Thursday. Next week our Year 5 classes will be performing at Orana Catholic Primary School on Friday 13 August.

Arrival Time

As communicated previously, students are not permitted on school grounds until 8am. Please do not drop your child to school prior to this time. If you require before school care, OLA OSHC is open from 7am each morning. Please contact Kristen Ruffo via email oshc@ola.wa.edu.au if you would like to enrol your child.

School Merchandise Orders

We have received our delivery of merchandise which will be distributed to families that ordered this week. Thank you for the outstanding response to our school merchandise orders.

Bishops’ Religious Literacy Test

This week our Year 3 and Year 5 students will be partaking in the Bishops’ Religious Literacy Test, the students have already completed a practice test and results will be sent home later in the year.

CEWA Funding Letter

On Monday a letter was sent out via SMS outlining Catholic Education’s funding submission to the State Government, please take the time to read this as it outlines how CEWA proposes to spend State funding moving forward. https://bit.ly/3jdinQC

Commonwealth Schools Data Collection Process

Please refer to the attached letter for further information.

Parent Privacy Notice

Open Night

Parents, thank you for braving the wet and cold weather to share in your children’s Open Night, we had an awesome turnout with the majority of families in each class attending. Just as pleasing was the pride and enthusiasm that the children had while showing parents their work.

OLA Story Slam

Due to the positive response and losing a week last term, we have extended the OLA Story Slam until 15 August. If your reading log fills up, please ask for another one from your classroom teacher.

NAIDOC Celebrations

On Open Night, you may have seen the Six Noongar Seasons display in the Fr. O’Mara Centre, the students put an awesome effort into completing their sections of the display and, judging by the looks on their faces, they themselves were very impressed with how it all turned out. Well done to everyone involved!

School Jumpers

Please ensure your child is wearing the OLA school jumper (old or new) with their academic uniform. Sports jackets are not permitted to be worn, unless it is with the sport uniform. Thank you for your ongoing support with this.

Thank you.

Michael Morris and Rebecca Smith

The OLA Leadership Team