Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Advent – What is it and why is it important to us as Catholics?

In wanting to share the hope of the coming season of Advent, I came across an article penned by Father Michael Van Sloun, I have borrowed from his article and added my own thoughts to perhaps help remind us of what the Advent season is.

Fr Van Sloun writes that the Church year is distinctive. It always begins on the first Sunday of Advent (which is November 27 this year). Advent is the four-week liturgical season that precedes Christmas. The term “Advent” is derived from the Latin word adventus which means “coming,” and it focuses not only on the past coming of Jesus on the first Christmas, but also on the present coming of Jesus in the gospels, the sacraments, other people, prayer, love, truth, and personal experience.

Advent is not Lent or a miniature version of Lent, the Advent season is about hope and joy, remembering the first coming of Jesus. The following video answers many questions about Advent such as

• What is Advent?
• Why purple?
• Why do we have an Advent wreath?

All About…Advent!

I hope that as the season of Advent begins, we can all take the time to escape the materialism of what Christmas has become and center ourselves in what Christmas really means.

Michael Morris
Principal

Leadership Team Message

 Upcoming Events!

We have a very busy couple of weeks ahead of us, here are the important dates to make sure that you have on your calendar.

Event	Date and Time	Which Classes
Week 7
Wheels Day	Friday 25 November	Pre Primary to Year 6
Week 8
End of Year Concert	Tuesday 29 November – 6.00pm	Whole School
Assembly – Kindy M	Wednesday 30 November – 2:15pm	Whole School
Pre-Kindy G Christmas Concert	Thursday 1 December – 2.30pm	Pre-Kindy G
Year 6 Graduation Mass	Thursday 1 December – 5.30pm	Year 6
Pre-Kindy G Christmas Concert	Friday 2 December – 2:15pm	Pre-Kindy M
Week 9
Whole School Transition	Monday 5 December 9.00 –9.40am	Whole School
Whole School Transition	Tuesday 6 December 9.00 –9.40am	Whole School
Year 6 Adventure World Excursion	Thursday 8 December	Year 6
Water Fun Day – Big Day In	Thursday 8 December	Pre-Primary – Year 5
End of Year Mass	Friday 9 December – 1:00pm	Whole School
Guard of Honour	Friday 9 December – 2:45pm	Whole School
FINAL DAY FOR STUDENTS – FRIDAY 9 DECEMBER

Christmas Concert Tuesday 29 November

We are very much looking forward to our annual Christmas Concert. Please find the following information below to help make our night run as smoothly as possible. Students from Kindy- Year 6 will be performing in the annual OLA Christmas Concert.

All students will perform a dance they have learnt during their dance lessons with Meagan from Make a Move. They will also sing a Christmas song with their year group.

• Please take note of the following information:
• All students from Kindy to Year 6 are to meet in their classroom by 5:45pm. Doors will open at 5.40pm.
• Concert start time – 6pm.
• Kindy students are to be collected from the right hand side of the stage once they have completed their item. One parent for each child is asked to wait by the side of the stage.
• Previously, we have found that the evening can become chilly, please supply your child with a jumper at the beginning of the evening before they go to their classroom, prior to the commencement of the concert.
• Costume requirements have been included in the weekly updates. Shoes are to be worn throughout the concert.
• Parents, families and friends are invited to bring along rugs and/or picnic chairs.
• The front section of the parent seating is for rugs only.
• Picnic chairs are to be placed in the area behind the area marked for rugs.
• Kindy students and younger siblings who are watching the concert, are asked to remain with their parents for the eveninge. not run around the stage area, oval and playgrounds.
• All playgrounds and play equipment are out of bounds.
• Panini Gourmet Bar grazing boxes can be collected from the canteen upon arrival.
• All students are expected to stay until the completion of the concert.
• To ensure the safety of all students, parents are required to collect their children from their classrooms at the conclusion of the concert.

The evening promises to be a highly enjoyable one for our students and families. We look forward to celebrating the wonderful year we have had together as a community.

Big Day In

To celebrate the end of 2022, students from Pre Primary to Year 5 will be having a ‘Big Day In’ on Thursday 8 December. All students will be participating in a jam packed, super fun day! Students will be joining in a Suitcase Circus workshop, slipping and sliding on water slides, have the chance to be dunked in a dunk tank- only if they wish and play some outdoor games. All students are required to wear free dress with sneakers and bring bathers, rashie, thongs, towels, hat and suncream. More info to follow in the weekly updates.

Transition for 2023

In order to reduce the stresses and anxieties of beginning a new year, the students of OLA will be participating in 2 transition sessions on the mornings of Monday 5 December and Tuesday 6 December. Students will go into their 2023 classrooms with their new teacher and classmates and spend some time getting to know each other.

Wellness Week

You may have noticed the coffee van, colouring in competitions, had your children tell you they did yoga, discussed mindfulness or growth mindsets. These were all part of our school Wellness Week where we were all encouraged to take some time to focus on our wellness. The timing was perfect for teachers during this busy time as they prepare student reports and end of the year activities. A huge thank you must go out to the staff who coordinated the week for the staff and students, as well as those parents who contributed to the morning tea (it was amazing). The week was definitely a hit, and we are already looking forward to our next one.

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Uniforms

Parents, please note that even though we are heading towards the holidays, we need to maintain our uniform standards. A few habits that our students have been slipping into include

• Wearing the sports jacket with the academic uniform instead of the jumper
• Wearing sneakers with the academic uniform
• Incorrect socks (with both academic and sports uniform)
• Incorrect Jewellery

Further clarification of the correct uniform may be found at: https://www.ola.wa.edu.au/uniform/

Family, Grandparents’ and Volunteers’ Morning – Wednesday 23 November

What a celebration we had! It was such a great turn out and was so heartening to see our church absolutely packed, we celebrated Mass and after a special grandparents’ blessing, led by Father Ken, the students moved back to class where classes eagerly awaited visits from their grandparents, parents, aunties and uncles. An awesome morning tea was put on for our grandparents after they looked at the classrooms. There are too many people to thank for putting the days Mass and morning tea together, however, I’d like to point out that the staff put on a great morning tea for our visitors, please know that we are thankful to each and every one who contributed, and thankful for everyone that came to share in the morning with us.

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Uniform Rescue

Uniform Rescue is a wonderful initiative that provides school uniforms to children in need in Africa. OLA is proud to be part of the regular donation drives.

If you have any old OLA uniforms that you no longer require, please drop them in at the school office.

Parking at Dianella Library

We have had reports from the library staff, shire and ranger that parents are parking in the staff, disabled and loading bays at the library. Please be considerate and do not park in this area as it is reserved for the library staff, those with ACROD permits and those making deliveries to the library.

Scholastic Book Fair

The library is looking for a few volunteers to assist with Scholastic Book Fair from next year. The time commitment will be approximately 2 afternoons per term, 3 terms per year, to send catalogues out to classes and help organise orders when they arrive. Please contact Mrs Claire Dale by email (claire.dale@cewa.edu.au) to volunteer.

Arrival Time for Students

Parents please be aware that students are not to be dropped off at school before 8.00am. The Chester Avenue entry is opened at 8.00am. It has been concerning to see children standing alone outside the gate earlier than this time. Morning fitness and a duty teacher are out in the quadrangle from 8.00am. If you require supervision for your child earlier than this, please consider the OSHC as a secure and safe alternative. Registration details can be found on the school website.

Be Sun Smart in Term 4

A reminder that a cold cloudy day doesn’t negate the impact of the sun on our skin, please have your children apply sunscreen before school. Last year in Term 4 it was very encouraging to see children reapplying their sunscreen during the day. As always, children are more than welcome to bring sunscreen to school, we recommend the roll-on type so as to stop any messy spills in bags. Please also note the school’s ‘No hat, no play’ policy by ensuring that your child has a clearly labelled hat.

Students’ Stationery – Available Via the Canteen

With students not always having the stationery required at school, and parents having to go to the shops to purchase an item, like a pencil, the OLA Canteen will be selling everyday student stationery items to students. These items will be included on OLA Canteen QuickCliq menu and will be sold in the future:

• Red and blue pens – 60c each
• HB Pencils – 60c each
• Glue Sticks – $2.20 each
• Erasers – 60c each
• Rulers – $1.95 each
• Batteries (for the students’ laptop mouse) – $3.30 each

If purchasing an item, parents are requested to order the item online via QuickClick and the stationery will given to the students during the day. Students may also purchase these items on canteen days, over the counter.

Thank you.

Michael Morris & Anella Tollis

OLA Leadership Team