VISION

Nurturing lifelong learners who live out Jesus' message of love and peace.

MISSION

At Our Lady of Fatima School, we:

Provide a holistic Catholic education where the teachings of Christ are lived, valued and promoted

Strive for excellence and through contemporary pedagogies, support the resilience, curiosity, creativity and social and emotional wellbeing of each child.

Foster a sense of community through meaningful relationships with students, staff, parents, parish and wider community.

Maintain an innovative learning environment, embracing sustainable practices.

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

We have continued to enjoy a very smooth start to our school year. We enjoyed seeing parents and carers at our Parent Information Evening in Week 2. Strong family/school partnerships are vital for student learning and wellbeing, and we are so grateful for the amazing support we receive as a school.

I have loved walking around the school to see our students’ learning in the first few weeks of the year. In Year 2, our students have been sharing ideas for how God spreads sunshine.

In Art, our Year 1 students have been learning about primary colours, by examining the artwork of Piet Mondrian:

Congratulations to Miss Kiera More, who has been awarded a scholarship to be involved in a Professional Certificate in Wellbeing and Pastoral Care in Education, a joint initiative from Catholic Education WA and the University of Notre Dame.

Next week is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the 40 days of Lent. During Lent, Christians show love, forgiveness, and compassion. The season of Lent enables people to deepen their relationship with God and with one another, often through prayer, self-denial/fasting and almsgiving. Please read some information below about how we can support Project Compassion during Lent.

Have a terrific weekend,

Jacinta Petersen

Principal

In the Gospel reading for this week, we are reminded about how love, not anger, should drive our morality:

(Matthew 5: 38-48)

In the Gospel reading for this week, we are reminded about how love, not anger, should drive our morality: (Matthew 5: 38-48) “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

• Term 1 Wednesday 1 February - Thursday 6 April (Friday 7 April is Good Friday).

• Term 2 Wednesday 26 April (Monday 24 April is a pupil free day) - Friday 30 June. Please note that Tuesday 6 June is Catholic Day for Our Lady of Fatima School.

• Term 3 Tuesday 18 July (Monday 17 July is a pupil free day) - Thursday 21 September (Friday 22 September is a pupil free day).

• Term 4 Tuesday 10 October (Monday 9 October is a pupil free day) - Friday 8 December 2023.

Public holidays during the school year (schools are closed):

• Labour Day – Monday 7 March.

• Easter (Good Friday to Easter Monday inclusive) – Friday 7 April to Monday 10 April (end of Term 1 school holidays).

• ANZAC Day – Tuesday 25 April.

• Western Australia Day – Monday 5 June.

• Wednesday 22 February- Ash Wednesday. Years 3 to 6 will be joining the parish Mass at 9am and students in Pre-Primary to Year 2 will be having a liturgy at 10am. Mrs Petersen and Mrs Romagnolo will bring the ashes to the Kindergarten class.
• Thursday 23 February- Years 4 to 6 Swimming Trials.
• Wednesday 1 March- Years 4 to 6 Swimming Carnival at Corpus Christi College.
• Monday 6 March- Labour Day Public Holiday.
• Thursday 9 March- ASCS Interschool Swimming Carnival.

Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten enrolments are now open for 2024. Interviews will be taking place In Term 1. If you have not submitted your entry/ enrolment form, please do so as places are limited.

• 3 Year Old Entry Form: https://olof.wa.edu.au/assets/files/entry-form3yearold20221.pdf

• Kindergarten Enrolment Form: https://olof.wa.edu.au/assets/files/enrolment-applicationform2022.pdf

Please note the priorities for enrolment in a Catholic school:

• Catholic students from the parish with a Parish Priest reference
• Catholic students from outside the parish with a Parish Priest reference
• Other Catholic students
• Siblings of non-Catholic students
• Non-Catholic students from other Christian denominations
• Other non-Catholic students

Please contact Gaynor at admin@olof.wa.edu.au if you require a hard copy entry/ enrolment applicant form or if have any questions.

Find out what is happening in the parish here: Parish News Feb 2023.pdf

At Our Lady of Fatima School, we value the feedback of students, parents, carers, staff and community members.

Our Lady of Fatima School is committed to handling complaints effectively and efficiently. Our school supports the rights of parents/carers, students and staff to have their complaints taken seriously, and responded to promptly and thoroughly. Our school welcomes suggestions and comments from parents and takes all concerns, disputes and complaints seriously. A concern will be treated as a less serious matter that may be resolved with a more informal approach. We encourage all members of our school community to first treat their issue as a concern when approaching the school, and then lodge a formal complaint if this is not handled to their satisfaction. However, in unique circumstances or where a matter involves an immediate risk to the health, safety or wellbeing of a student, the matter should be referred directly to the Principal.

A student, parent/carer or community member can make a complaint in the following ways:

• Lodging a complaint via the school’s website: https://olof.wa.edu.au or https://forms.office.com/r/D65GU0M8Kh.
• Telephoning the school administration on (08) 9333 7900 and requesting to speak to the Complaints Officer (Alison Romagnolo).
• Emailing the Complaints Officer: feedback@olof.wa.edu.au.
• Write a letter to the Principal: principal@olof.wa.edu.au/ 3 Harris Street, Palmyra WA 6157.

More information can be found in the disputes and complaints procedures available on the school website- https://olof.wa.edu.au/parent-information.html.

Next week, the season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, which also marks the beginning of the annual Caritas Australia Project Compassion Appeal. Donations to Project Compassion allow Caritas Australia, the Catholic Agency for International Aid and Development, to work with local communities around the world to end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity.

The theme of Project Compassion 2023 is ‘For All Future Generations’ and reminds us that the good we do today extends to impact the lives of generations to come. It invites us to make the world a better place by working together now and finding long-term solutions to global issues. We encourage you to put your compassion into action this Lent through prayer, fasting and almsgiving in support of Project Compassion. Each family will receive a Project Compassion box for their donations or you can donate online via the Caritas Australia website at: www.caritas.org.au/project-compassion

We begin our annual Lenten Project Compassion journey by learning about Laxmi, a 16-year-old girl living in Jajarkot, a remote district in Nepal where almost half of the population live below the poverty line. Tragedy struck when Laxmi was 10 years old and her father passed away. Her father worked hard to pay for his children's education and, after losing him, Laxmi was at risk of falling further into extreme poverty.

With the support of our partner Caritas Nepal, Laxmi joined a child's club at her school where she was encouraged to resume her education. Through the child’s club, Laxmi developed the skills and confidence to become a leader, advocating for clean water taps at her school.

Laxmi is now excelling in her studies and working towards her dream of becoming a civil engineer. She continues to be involved in the child's club, serving as an advisor and mentoring the next generation of young leaders at her old school.

Watch a short film about Laxmi’s story here.

"From bush block to 100 years later - A Social History of Palmyra Parish & School" is a centenary talk by Fr. Ted Miller on Monday 20th February at 7:00pm at Miller Bakehouse Museum, cnr Baal & Elvira Sts. Palmyra. Palmyra parish extended initially from East Fremantle to Canning Bridge and from The Swan River to Jandakot. Free entry. Supper to follow. rsvp melvillehistory@gmail.com OR by text or voice: 0466 333 849.

Dear Parents, Welcome back to the 2023 school year. This section of the newsletter is dedicated to our early years classrooms from Pre-Kindy to Year 2. Each fortnight, I will attempt to highlight either a learning focus from a particular year level or information relating to the early years. In 2022 the Early Years Team worked on writing the Early Years Philosophy of OLOF. This is the first paragraph.

“At Our Lady Of Fatima Catholic Primary School we believe each child is unique and a precious gift from God. We are committed to providing an environment in which children feel safe and secure. We nurture the holistic development of each child’s spiritual, social, emotional, physical and cognitive growth.

“ Here are some photos of this statement in action.

Welcome to the new school year. My name is Anne Kennedy and I am the Community Health Nurse who visits your school. Community Health Nurses work in schools to promote healthy development and wellbeing so students may reach their full potential. A major part of my work is focused on early intervention and the School Entry Health Assessment program. Community Health Nurses serve as a health contact point for children and their families, providing information, assessment, health counselling and referral. The services provided are free and confidential. If you have a concern about your child’s health or development, please contact me via your school office or at my Community Health Base on 9314 0100.

Please see below link for OLOF organised by parents

https://m.facebook.com/groups/360204399651508/

Il Sorriso offers 3 days of lunch delivery on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays using the School Lunch Online platform.

A few gentle reminders with lunch ordering:

• Please ensure that your child’s year level and details are up-to-date. Mrs Cook spends a bit of time sorting the lunches and it would greatly assist her if the details are correct.
• If you do not place your order on time, please DO NOT contact Il Sorriso directly. Instead, contact School Lunch Online on 1300 787 939 or https://www.schoollunchonline.com.au/contact.html.

Keyed Up Music will be providing tuition in the following instruments at Our Lady of Fatima in 2023;

• Piano
• Guitar
• Drums
• Voice

Starting from $24.75 for 20min individual lessons. If you are interested in your son / daughter learning an instrument, ring Savanna on 0479 171 424 or enrol at www.keyedupmusic.com.au/enrolment-form

Gilbert's Support Our School Program donates 1% of the money spent by you to your nominated school every time you shop with us! Sign up for free at the checkout and scan each time you shop.

As at 16/06/2020 the Gilbert’s Fresh, Hilton SOS Program has 31 schools, and 2,236 customers signed up, plus, Gilbert’s has donated $40,945.00 to local schools since the program commenced in October 2017.

The Foodies Basket, Attadale donates a $1 for every 100 points accumulated. Just give our School name or show your card each time you purchase.