“Don’t stand in front of them, stand next to them”

 

Last night I attended my Year 3 child’s First Reconciliation workshop, in the discussions and activities centering around forgiveness and God’s unconditional love for us a parent mentioned that part of our role in loving our children was to make life easier for them, but this prompted the opposite response from parents in that we show our children love by allowing them to confront difficulty but guide their actions and love them regardless of the outcomes.

I was asked for my view and said that if I stand in front of my son and remove all obstacles from his life he will not learn, and at some point he will have to step out from behind me and he will not be ready for the world. I said that I believe my role is to stand next to my son, to guide, support and most of all love him and help him learn. Relating this back to his upcoming sacrament is a reminder that yes, children, and we, make mistakes but it is forgiveness that allows them to move forward. It is also this forgiveness that allows them to reconnect with us to be their guides, helping them grow closer to God and developing valuable life skills such as resilience.

Our Year 3 class is currently progressing through the same learning as they prepare for their Reconciliation on October 27. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

In terms of us as parents, reflecting on this has reminded me that my role as a parent is not to ‘remove’ all obstacles for my children, but to guide them in their navigation of these obstacles, whatever they may be. We need to allow them the opportunities to find their way so that through this they will hopefully develop resilience and persistence moving forward. Last year I shared this video with you and I thought it a good time to do so again.

Things that Build Resilience in Kids

 Athletics Carnival

Wow – What a day! Congratulations to all the students who took part in the carnival and to our Champion Boys and Girls and O’Mara who took home the overall Faction Championship. It was wonderful to see all the participants giving their all. Thank you to Mr Allsop for coordinating the athletics carnival – it was a huge success and it ran so smoothly! Thank you to all the staff and parents who assisted on the day and to all the wonderful families who donated cakes for the cake stall. Well done to all parents who volunteered for the annual Tug of War competition, the kids thoroughly enjoyed your competitive spirit and congratulations to the trophy winners!

We would like to acknowledge and congratulate all our Runner Up and Champion students for excelling in a range of track and field events:

Year Level	Girls	Boys
Year 3	Runner Up: Aubrey Reid Champion: Layla Evans	Runner Up: Daniel Fantoni Champion: Alessandro Cavallaro
Year 4	Runner Up: Mila Poli Champion: Zoe Casella	Runner Up: Marco Palazzolo Champion: Eamon Wood
Year 5	Runner Up: Cara Swavley Champion: Charlotte Cavallaro	Runner Up: Alaak Ajang Champion: Jayden Nichols
Year 6	Runner Up: Isla Wood Champion: Jahria Griffiths	Runner Up: Isaiah Hoosen Champion: Jacob Griffiths

 

Overall 2022 Faction Scores:

1^ST Place 6180 Points:              O’MARA 

2^ND Place 5027 Points:             DOMINICA 

3^RD Place 4930 Points:             GORETTI

4^TH Place 4319 Points:             VERITAS

 

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Sacrament of Reconciliation

Please keep the Year 3s in your prayers as they prepare to participate in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The students have been learning about the importance of the sacrament and will participate in a student workshop on Tuesday 18 October

A parent child workshop on Wednesday 19 October at 4pm and 5.30pm with the Sacrament on Thursday 27 October at 6pm in the Church.

Pupil Free Day Monday 7 November

The Staff Development Day has been rescheduled from Thursday 22 September to Monday 7 November. OSHC will be open throughout the day.

Class Placement Requests 2023

We have come to the time of year where many parents are beginning to think about what classes their children will be in next year. Teachers spend a large amount of time looking at the myriad of combinations of students, trying to find the optimal combination for the classes, taking into account the social, behavioural and academic variables before settling on the classes for the following year.

If you have a request for your child’s 2023 class placement, please email admin@ola.wa.edu.au with your child’s name and ‘CLASS REQUEST’ in the title, then in the body of the email please note your request and reasons.

Please know that this is a request only and there is no guarantee that your request will be fulfilled in 2023.

Parking and safety on Chester Ave

It has been brought to our attention that the Council Ranger will be monitoring the parking on Chester Ave. To reduce the risk of an infringement, please obey all parking signs. Importantly, for the safety of our students please do not allow your children to walk along Chester Ave on the road or verge grass to your vehicle. We ask that you instruct your children to wait at the school gate until your vehicle reaches them or walk on the foot path. Alternatively, there is parking at the Dianella Plaza car park.

Student Medicare Details

Parents and Caregivers will receive an e-form via the school’s SMS service this week. It is a legal requirement that the school has student Medicare numbers on file. Please note all information received by the school remains confidential. You can also access the link here: https://bit.ly/3S9MSXH

Thank you for your assistance.

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

As we saw on Tuesday, a cold 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.
Greg Martin and Michael Morris
The OLA Leadership Team