Select Page

The Prayer of St Patrick

I arise today
Through the strength of heaven;
Light of the sun,
Splendour of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of the wind,
Depth of the sea,
Stability of the earth,
Firmness of the rock.

I arise today
Through God’s strength to pilot me;
God’s might to uphold me,
God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me,
God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me,
God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me,
God’s shield to protect me,
God’s hosts to save me
Afar and near,
Alone or in a multitude.

Christ shield me today
Against wounding
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me.

I arise today
Through the mighty strength
Of the Lord of creation.

Amen

 

Principal’s Message – Issue Four

Coronavirus (COVID-19)

While there may be lots of information being disseminated about the COVID-19, I need to remind you all the information I pass on to you is factual and correct. You may read, see or hear different versions of what I send to all families, but what I disseminate is what is current and accurate. There are a lot of emails and text messages being sent by ‘hackers’ at the moment hence if you don’t receive official correspondence through the school newsletter, documents uploaded to the website, emails from the school’s teachers, then it’s most likely a hoax message. Closure of the school will not be communicated to parents via a text – an official letter, from the school, will be distributed to parents.

Although we may be concerned and worried about having the children at school, rest assured your children are in a safe, clean and controlled environment. Will they contract the COVID-19 Virus at OLA, Dianella Plaza, McDonalds, service stations, at soccer or netball training? No one knows for no one has a crystal ball. What I can state is that we need to remain calm and rational so we do not heighten the anxiety levels in the children.

I would like to reiterate what I have stated previously, I have not been told when schools will close and do not have the authority to close the school, however if I am directed to close the school by the authorities, you will all be advised immediately via an official letter.

A number of parents have asked permission to keep their children at home. I don’t have the authority to advise parents one way or the other, however as a parent, I perfectly understand where parents are coming from in wanting to keep their children at home. Furthermore, I need to bring to your attention the following directive received from CEWA Ltd:

Attendance at school (new information as at 18 March 2020)

Should parents choose to keep their child at home without seeking medical advice, it is not a requirement that schools provide curriculum work and activities. We understand that there may be extenuating circumstances where consideration be given to provide support and resources where possible. The priority for staff is to maintain focus on classroom learning programs. In the event of a temporary school closure, schools are asked to enact their curriculum continuity plan.

The above directive will take effect as of Friday 20 March. If you feel the need to keep your children at home, please advise their classroom teachers. I need to also advise parents if they choose to keep their children at home, for a lengthy period of time, it may affect their Semester One grades, especially if they’re not completing the set curriculum. If your children are unwell, and they have a medical certificate, they will be provided with the set curriculum by the classroom teachers, if requested by parents. As you can appreciate, the demands on teachers have been increased significantly in providing set work for students being kept at home and coordinating/preparing a curriculum continuity plan. We need to get back to some normality, hence I need to also take into consideration the health and wellbeing of my staff.

Further to this, please do not take the above paragraph out of context as I am not encouraging parents to keep their children at home, although I am requesting the following – if your child is unwell, regardless of the symptoms and how minor they are, please keep them at home and advise their classroom teachers. If the children are genuinely sick, we will provide the curriculum content, if requested by the parents.

The OLA COVID-19 Response Team held a lengthy meeting Tuesday afternoon and will commence preparing for any future (if any) confirmed COVID-19 cases at OLA and school closure. If I am directed to close the school, the staff will disseminate the curriculum to families and students. The staff met on Wednesday afternoon to commence planning for the above. This information will be passed on to families if and when I am directed to close the school, and not before. In the meantime, it is business as usual at OLA in educating the children. The OLA Response Plan will be sent out to families in the near the future.

Parking on the Neighbour’s Lawn

We have received a request, from our elderly neighbour, for parents not to park on her lawn. Parents are parking on the lawn and breaking her sprinklers. She then has to organise for her sprinklers to be repaired. Please support our elderly neighbour by parking either on our side of the boundary, at Dianella Plaza or in the parking bays on Chester Ave – Thank you.

Grandparents’ Open Morning and Morning Tea

Due to the ongoing and rapidly changing nature of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), the Grandparents’ Open Morning and Morning Tea that was scheduled for Wednesday 1 April has been postponed until Term 4. We will notify the community of the new date next term, once we have more information on COVID-19.

OLA Community Fete

As you are now aware, the OLA Community Fete that was scheduled for this weekend has been cancelled. We are hoping to postpone the event to the same time next year and the P&F Executive will continue to liaise with the vendors and sponsors to make this event happen.

Words cannot express my gratitude for the hard work and dedication of the P&F Executive and the numerous parent helpers who have dedicated their time to coordinating the event. It was an extremely tough decision that has been made in the best interest of the community’s health and wellbeing.

Canberra and Sydney Trip 2020

Due to the latest Coronavirus (COVID-19) advice, the Year 6 Canberra and Sydney Trip that was scheduled for next term has been cancelled. Again, it is unfortunate that this decision has had to be made but, once again, the children’s wellbeing is my priority.

Cancelled/Postponed Events

Due to decisions made by the Australian Government, and directed by CEWA Ltd, please take note of the following events that have been cancelled, or will be postponed to a later date:

  • Year 6 Nanga Camp;
  • Special Assembly to draw the fete raffle (was scheduled for Friday 20 March – The draw will now take place over the school’s PA system on the same day and there will be a ‘live feed’ to the OLA Facebook page);
  • Year 4G Assembly (was scheduled for Wednesday 25 March);
  • Grandparents’ Morning Tea and Open Morning (was scheduled for Wednesday 1 April);
  • Holy Week Liturgy (was scheduled for Tuesday 7 April);
  • End of Term Mass (was scheduled for Wednesday 8 April);
  • Year 3G Assembly (was scheduled for Wednesday 8 April);
  • Year 6 Canberra and Sydney Trip.

Sacramental Commitment Masses

Thank you to those families who attended the Sacramental Commitment Masses on Saturday 7 March and Sunday 8 March. It was fantastic to see the students make a commitment to the next stage of their faith life. A significant step in the children’s journey is the promise they make to attend Mass in their Parish more regularly.

In the lead up to receiving the Sacraments of Penance, Eucharist and Confirmation it is important that the students fully understand the relationship they are forming with God, by attending Mass they are given the opportunity to do so. I understand that our lives are busy and weekends are full of sporting commitments and family times, however, I strongly encourage all families to make time to participate in Mass so as to enrich the experience that students are preparing to receive.

Harmony Week

Today we celebrated Harmony Week at OLA. Students wore their traditional family dress or orange to represent the significance of Harmony Week in our community. This week is an opportunity to celebrate the diversity in our community and embrace the differences that make us who we are. In class, students participated in a range of Harmony Week activities and related the theme of Harmony Week to our RICE Values. Please see the Enterprise and Innovation page of this newsletter for more information about the event.

Parent Teacher Meetings Dates

At this stage the Parent Teacher Meetings that are scheduled for Week 10 will go ahead. Please take note of the following dates:

  • Monday 6 April: Pre-Primary, Year 1 and Year 2
  • Tuesday 7 April: Year 3 and Year 4
  • Wednesday 8 April: Year 5 and Year 6

We will be using SOBs, the online booking system that has been used for the past few years, to sign up for meeting times with your child’s class teacher. Information about how to book will be provided next week.

Caritas

The Project Compassion “Live Life Simply” event planned for Monday 23 March will continue with classes discussing and then choosing something to do without on that day. The focus is raising awareness that there are many people who do not have all the things we do (e.g. technology, school supplies, air conditioning etc). We will not have the Rice Lunch – it has been postponed, so children will bring their lunch as usual. Donations for Project Compassion and Caritas can be made in your child’s classroom box at any time during Lent.

Junior Water Fun Day

What a fantastic afternoon we had last Tuesday at the Junior Water Fun Day. Students in Pre-Primary to Year 2 were cheered on by their family members as they participated in many water activities. Congratulations especially to our Pre-Primary students who attended the event for the first time. Thank you to Mr Allsop and the staff who coordinated and supported the event, making it the terrific success that it was.

Bubs Play at OLA

Bubs Play at OLA has temporarily ceased due to COVID-19. We will notify you once the sessions commence again.

Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten Enrolments – 2021

Request from families, within the community, to complete enrolment applications for siblings interested in Pre-Kindergarten in 2021 or who are commencing Kindergarten in 2021. We certainly wouldn’t want families to miss out on places.

Collection of Old Uniforms

In Term 2, and as parents purchase new uniforms, we will be having an old uniform drive, which will be donated to children in third world countries. Families will be advised of the collection point and specific date later in the term, please do not drop off uniform items until the date is advised.

Uniform Information

Please be advised that students can wear old and new uniforms during the transition period, for example the old yellow sports top can be worn with the new black shorts. There are many uniform options available to students, therefore, no student should be wearing free dress items. If your child needs to wear a free dress item, parents are requested to put this in writing to their child’s class teacher. Thank you for your support with adhering to our Uniform Policy.

Uniform Stock Update

As mentioned in the text sent out to all families, Nell Gray has sold out of some of the summer uniforms hence we advise you to call Nell Gray to check stock availability prior to going into the store. They’re expecting a shipment to arrive in the next few weeks, including winter uniforms. We will advise all families when the new stock has arrived and is on the floor.

 

On a lighter note, during this very challenging week, the footy is back! If you would like the words to the Collingwood song, so you can sing it with me as they raise the trophy at the end of the season, I can send it to you. I hope your team wins this weekend, as long as they’re not playing the pies.

Enjoy your week

Greg Martin
Principal

Our Lady's Assumption
School Newsletter

Address
43 Chester Avenue, Dianella WA 6059
Phone
(+61 8) 9471 3000
Email
admin@ola.wa.edu.au
Postal Address
PO Box 531, Dianella WA 6059
Find Us on Facebook

The School community seeks to foster a living faith, based on truth, where the potential and dignity of the individual is respected and nurtured in an environment of trust.