Dear Parents and Carers,

It was fabulous to welcome back our families on Wednesday morning; there were many smiles and happy holiday recollections to share. I trust that you all had a lovely Christmas period and opportunities to relax as a family. We welcome back all existing families and especially welcome our new Pre-Kindy families, Kindy families, and all of the new families that are joining the Orana community this year. This year we also welcome back Bonnie Lynch and welcome our new staff Victoria Salem (Year 1W), Sophie Rich (Year 3W), Nicholas Patat (Year 4B), Denielle Borcich (Year 5B), Emily Stock (Year 5W) Nicholas Brooke (Year 6B) and Britney Lily (L.O.T.E.). The strength of a community can often be determined by the way new members are welcomed and made to feel comfortable. I know that at Orana Catholic Primary School, everyone will make the transition for our new members a positive one. I would also like to thank the Orana staff for their time during the holidays that was spent planning and setting up for the school year so students have the best possible experiences to start their academic journey for 2023.

As we begin the year, there are two ways to ensure that our children have the greatest opportunity of experiencing success. One of these is a strong partnership between home and school. If each child understands and witnesses that the home and school are on the same team and are committed to their growth and development, they will be more positive about their learning and more likely to succeed. Secondly, if we each have high expectations of our children, they are more accountable to their families and school and they raise their standards to meet what is being asked of them. This applies to attention to learning tasks, homework, uniform and presentation, respect towards others and the way they represent themselves, their families and their school.

National History Makers Award

We were informed after school finished last term that our Year 2 classes of 2022 were awarded a National History Makers Award and the winning prize of $2000 for using IT (Information Technology) to creatively show their learning in the video “A Brief History of Canning.” Please view the videos below that showcase the students’ work and the prize giving announcement. This is a wonderful example of technology being used to enhance learning in other areas of the curriculum. Congratulations to the current Year 3 students and the Year 2 staff on this achievement.

Staff Professional Development

The staff spent Monday and Tuesday this week involved in professional development including a Staff Faith Formation Session led by Father CJ from our parish. We thank Father CJ for his spiritual leadership on the topic of Kerygma – proclaiming the good news of Jesus, in a lived way. The staff also participated in a professional development session that explored effective ways of being informed by data to target teaching.

Capital Projects and Maintenance

During the holiday break, thanks to the hard work of our Advisory Council, P&F and staff, various capital projects took place including the installation of new flooring in Kindy Blue, furnishing the Year 1 rooms with 21st Century flexible furniture, and other maintenance projects including painting and holiday cleaning. The restoration of the Year 6 classrooms after the damage from a burst water pipe is continuing and is well ahead of schedule. At this stage, carpets, gyprock walls, built in furniture, cupboards and skirting boards have all been replaced. Painting is underway, with electrical work and re-installing fittings to follow. Thank-you to the Year 6 and music staff for their flexibility.

New in 2023 – Auslan and Health

The introduction of two new specialist areas, Health and Auslan, have caused much excitement throughout the school. Student engagement after just one lesson of Auslan has been evident in and out of the classroom. Students are enthusiastically sharing signs they have learnt to communicate to their teachers and OSHC educators. Parents have also shared anecdotes of their children teaching them signs at home. Research shows that learning Auslan reinforces the development of neural pathways and cognitive processes in ways that are unique to visual language. It is proven to strengthen the memory and brain function of children which can assist across other learning areas. Health lessons have also commenced this week. Good health supports lifelong learning, living and wellbeing and education in this learning area is vital for setting students up for a healthy future. At Orana, we view health holistically, addressing the physical, social, cultural, mental, intellectual and spiritual dimensions which is now enhanced by having a health specialist deliver the curriculum.

Parent Information Evening

Next Tuesday evening, we invite you to attend the Pre-Primary - Year 6 Information Evening. There will be two sessions (5.30pm - 6pm and 6.15pm - 6.45pm) After being unable to host these sessions face to face for the last 2 years, we have redesigned the format. The focus for the sessions is as an educational parent session that is aimed to enhance understanding and engage you in what learning will look like in that year level. The slideshow presentation of year level information will be sent to you before the sessions so you can preview and then ask any questions that you may have on the night. If you have more than 2 children and are not able to attend a year level session, please contact the class teacher if you have any queries after reading through the slideshow presentation. Attending a session demonstrates to your child that you value the importance of education.

Website Links

A Term 1 Planner is available on the website under News and Events – Calendars or via the following link: https://www.orana.wa.edu.au/calendar This includes sacramental and key dates for the year. Please regularly check the Dates to Remember section of the newsletter for updates. Catholic Education WA’s Executive Directive (Policy statements) and various school-based guidelines are also available on the school website, including our Code of Conduct and School Behaviour Support Guidelines. Please take a few minutes to review these documents. https://www.orana.wa.edu.au/policies/

Leadership Badge Assembly

On Friday the 10th February, we will host the Leadership Badge Assembly in the hall at 2.30pm. Please join us to acknowledge and induct our 2023 Year 6 leaders.

Best wishes and God bless

Dee Johnston

PRINCIPAL

Save the Date!

We will celebrate our first Community Mass on Saturday, 11th February at 5.30pm at our Parish of Saints John and Paul. Our senior students will be leading us in prayer.

At this celebration, we will also have the blessing of our Advisory Council, P & F Committee and staff of Orana to begin our school year.

Altar Serving at Orana and at our Parish

Once children have celebrated their First Holy Communion, they are eligible to be trained as an altar server where they can serve at the Parish or at Masses at school. The next training afternoons are on ….. If your child is interested in training, please click here https://forms.office.com/r/yPejV5K87d to register their interest and more information will be sent to you.

Wednesday - 8 February 2023 - Year 4-6 Swimming Trials - 9.00am

Thursday - 9 February 2023 - Make A Move

Friday - 10 February 2023 - Leadership Badge Assembly - 2.30pm

Saturday - 11 February 2023 - Senior Community & Commissioning Mass - 5.30pm

The Week that Was will be available as of week 2 due to photo permissions.