OLOG eNewsletter Term 3 Week 2

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Welcome to our Mid Year Reception Students

Learning Conversations

Our Learning Conversations are being held this week. I encourage parents and your child to book into a Learning Conversation. Thank you to all parents who have already made bookings via the online booking system. If you require assistance, please call the Front Office. Here are some suggestions for questions you could ask your child’s teacher:

• What is my child learning?
• How is she or he doing?
• How do you know how he or she is doing?
• How can she or he improve?
• What supports can I provide and can you provide if she or he is struggling? When can we check in again?

(Clarity - What Matters Most in Learning, Teaching, and Leading by Lyn Sharratt, 2019)

Grandparents Day Celebrated at OLOG

Pope Francis proclaimed the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly to be celebrated on the fourth Sunday in July each year – July 28. The Day is marked near the Feast of Sts Joachim and Anne, the grandparents of Jesus. 

OLOG celebrated this special day together with Grandparents.  Our celebrations began with a liturgy led by our Year 1/2 students and following the liturgy, students waited eagerly to involve grandparents in an array of special activities in the classrooms. 

Following the Grandparents activities, a special morning tea was led by our Student Leaders. OLOG was so proud to celebrate this special day with OLOG Grandparents.

Parents and Friends

We welcomed the following parents who attended our Parents and Friends Meeting in the first week of school:  

Mark Willoughby
Maddie Stewart
Kate Peel
Andrew Rusack
Skye Taylor
Chanel Druszcz
Rebecca Thompson

We also thankyou the numerous parents and friends who have joined the committee and put their hand up to offer their assistance:

Megan Carlin
Jane Walsh
Kerry Mansour
Naomi Jack
Sarah Mucciante
Michelle Trott

We are grateful of their generous time to support and lead a number of student and community activities.

Parent Education session on Wednesday 7th August at 7:00pm.  I encourage parents to make the time to come along and hear Mark Le Messurier who has great depth of insights to assist parents in growing child resilience.

Noodle Day on Wednesday 14th August.  Orders are now open via Qkr!

Coffee Morning on Book Week Parade morning: 8:45am-9:15am Wednesday 21 August.

OLOG FEAST DAY- St Dominics Day

Today we celebrated our special day, St Dominics Day. At OLOG, St Dominics Day is one of our most important annual celebrations. We also continued to celebrate OLOG’s 70^th birthday which  began by our Dominican Sisters in 1954 who were inspired by St Dominic.

 St Dominic, as the founder of the order of Dominicans, has provided us with a great example in accepting his mission from God to live out a life goodness. While not always easy, he took on this challenge and as a result we now have schools such as OLOG which continues to live out his mission today. There were a number of activities planned which encompass the OLOG Our feast day celebrations began with a whole school mass, followed by class and buddy activities.

Students also designed portraits of St Dominic which we will share with the school community.

We are celebrating our wonderful Olympians tomorrow with a Green & Gold Day. Students will be able to come to school in sport clothes with a touch of green and gold.

Peace and Blessings

Josette Charles
School Principal

Grandfriend’s Day

Last Friday 26^th July, OLOG celebrated our first Grandfriend’s Day since COVID-19 put a halt on this event. This coincided with the Fourth World Day of Prayer for Grandparents and elderly on Sunday 28^th July.

We began the morning with a beautiful liturgy in the church to honour our grandfriends. The Church was bursting at the seams, with over 100 grandfriends attending.

Following the liturgy, our grandfriends were invited to the classrooms, where they engaged in craft activities and wordsearches. The Reception children also performed a song for the grandfriends. The morning concluded with a lavish morning tea in the Community Space.

It was lovely to see the community spirit and engagement with the children and their grandfriends. We value their wisdom and strength they show us and we especially value their contribution to the life of our families.

St Dominic’s Day

Today we celebrated our Patron Saint, Saint Dominic with a beautiful whole school mass in the Church.

Dominic de Guzman was born in Caleruega, Spain in 1170. He was one of three sons born to Felix de Guzman and Jane of Aza.

Dominic set out to spread the word of God. He helped people when they needed help, smiled when they needed a smile, and he was a good friend to everyone.

Dominic was instrumental in setting up the Order of Preachers (also known as the Dominican’s) firstly to learn the truths of the Catholic Church through study and prayer, then to go about teaching others about these truths.

In the spirit of Dominic and wanting to continue his work, that of teaching, a group of Dominican women 70 years ago, began a school here at Our Lady of Grace School and passed on to us Dominic’s message- care for others, to share what we have with those who don’t have enough and to often talk to God in prayer.

The teachers wore black and white today and the children were treated with a black and white iced donut.

Term 3 Masses and Liturgies

We celebrate the following masses this term;

• St Dominic’s Day; Whole School Mass 1^st August @ 9:15am
• Feast Day of Saint Mary of the Cross Mackillop; Year 5/6AE Mass 9^th August @ 9:15am
• The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary; Year 3/4 Mass 16^th August @ 9:15am
• Father’s Day Whole School Liturgy; 30^th August @ 9:00am
• St Teresa of Calcutta “Mother Teresa”; Year 5/6EB Mass 5^th September @ 9:15am

St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal Can Drive Day

For our social justice initiative this term, OLOG is holding a St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal Can Drive Day on Friday the 9^th August. The children are invited to bring in a can of food on the day and in House Teams make the first letter of their House Name with the cans. The House Team with the biggest letter will be the winner. The cans of food will be donated to St Vincent de Paul.

Sacramental Program Information Session

On 22^nd August OLOG is holding a Sacramental Information Session for parents who would like to find our more information about the Sacramental Program.

The Sacramental Program Information Session will be at 9:00am in the Community Space.

Father John and myself will be present and there will be a morning tea after the information session.

Could you please RSVP your attendance to this session via my email; dscuteri@olog.catholic.edu.au

Joy and Blessings

Debbie Scuteri
APRIM / Inclusive Education Coordinator

Community Portal

Hey everyone! With the Olympic Games in full swing, our school library is catching the excitement and getting into the spirit! 

Swing by to check out our special Olympic-themed display, featuring books on the history of the Games, biographies of your favorite athletes, and more. We’ve also got some fun activities lined up.

Whether you're a sports enthusiast or just curious, there's something for everyone to enjoy. Let’s celebrate the spirit of the Games together!

See you in the library!

We are thrilled to kick off an exhilarating term of Physical Education here at OLOG. From Green and Gold Day this Friday to the much-anticipated House Cup carnival at the end of Term 3, we have a lineup of events and activities that promise to challenge and celebrate our students' physical achievements.

This Friday marks the beginning of our term with Green and Gold Day. It's a time for our students to showcase their team spirit and sportsmanship through friendly competitions and collaborative activities. We encourage all students to wear a touch of Green / Gold or actual Green / Gold colours proudly and participate wholeheartedly in this day of being active and fun. A quick thanks to the Year 5/6 children who will be taking the lead and driving the learning throughout the whole day by mentoring their younger counterparts.

Throughout this term, our focus in Physical Education will be on skill acquisition and dance composition. Students will have the opportunity to develop and refine their skills in various sports and physical activities. Additionally, they will explore the creative process of dance composition, fostering their artistic expression and coordination. We are also dedicated to promoting health and fitness among our students. This term, we will work on increasing levels of fitness through structured exercises and activities tailored to enhance cardiovascular endurance, strength, and flexibility. Moreover, we will continue to emphasize the importance of sportsmanship, encouraging fair play, respect for opponents, and teamwork in all aspects of physical education.

As the term progresses, we look forward to the pinnacle event, the House Cup carnival. This exciting day brings together all our students in a display of athletic prowess, teamwork, and house pride. It's a wonderful opportunity for students to showcase their skills and compete in a friendly and supportive environment.

We are excited about the upcoming term and the opportunities it presents for our students to grow, learn, and thrive in Physical Education. Thank you for your continued support and involvement in your child's education journey.

See you on the court or at the ground!

Mr M

Congratulations to Year 4 Student Lucas Mucciante.  Lucas has been chosen as the "Face of Craniofacial Australia for their 40th celebration year". Not only this, Lucas will also be taking part in this years City-Bay Fun Run as part of the craniowarriors team. 

Informing the school of absences

If your child is not going to be at school due to illness, or will be late due to an appointment, it is imperative that you inform the school by:

• Phoning the 24 hour student absentee phone number: 8177 9191 before 8.55am; or
• Completing the absentee form in the Audiri app; or
• By emailing the class teacher or olog@olog.catholic.edu.au

Advance Notice of Absence / absence of more than five (5) days

For advance notice of your child’s absence, please complete the Application for Exemption from School Enrolment/Attendance Form, which is available from the Front Office.

Unexplained absence

If a child is not present and the school has not received an absentee call or email by 9:30am, the office will contact parents (generally via text) to ascertain the student’s whereabouts.

If your child is late

If your child arrives after 8:55am, they will need to enter through the Front Office and be signed in manually by a parents/caregiver via the IPAD (Passtab), then go to the classroom. If this process is not followed and the student has been marked as absent, an automated text message will be generated.

Early Departure

Should any child need to leave the school grounds during school hours e.g. dental/doctor appointment, parental permission must be given. All students must be signed out at the Front Office by their parent/caregiver before leaving the school.