OLOF TIMES
26 June 2020
Our Vision
Our Lady of Fatima Palmyra is a Catholic School that aspires to
provide a respectful, secure and caring learning environment
where our community is committed to following
the teachings of Jesus.
From the Principal
Dear Parents,
It is with a sense of relief that we are able to move into the Phase 4 restrictions regarding the COVID-19 environment our world has been engulfed in. Perth is clearly a great place to live when we compare how some things are progressing in different parts of the world, and even on the eastern side of our own country. West Australians have clearly taken notice of the advice given and been protected by the assertive border closures which has allowed us to enjoy some freedom now with the restrictions being reduced. We are choosing to maintain our processes until the term finishes at the end of next week, but from the start of Term 3, things will move even closer towards what we recall being described as normal. For example, from the start of Term 3:
- We can meet as a whole school which enables us to re-commence our normal Monday morning gatherings, Friday morning assemblies every 2-3 weeks and we will re-commence Liturgical Singing on Monday afternoons
- We are able to reduce the amount of extra cleaning that has been going on in our school e.g. commonly used surfaces, door handles etc
- We are able to reduce the number of times children wash/sanitise their hands from 6 times each day to 3 times each day
A couple of things we have not been able to confirm yet is whole school Masses, I will be catching up with Fr Francis to chat with him about that next week and whether or not parents are allowed to enter classrooms. I am sure CEWA will provide some guidance on this before the end of this term.
School Photos
A reminder to all parents that we have a revised date for School Photos, Monday 3rd August for the children in Kindergarten to Year 6 and Tuesday 4th August for our Pre-Kindy children. Many families have already pre-paid for their photos, the photographer has re-assured us that those payments will be transferred across to the new date/process for school photos.
School Fee Statements
All parents have received their school fee statement updates this week. We have intentionally waited until things had settled in WA in relation to the COVID-19, reducing the potential for families to be unsure about their circumstances. I would ask families again to meet with me if they have any concerns regarding school fees, we are able to provide support for families if necessary.
Semester Reports
We are preparing to distribute our Semester One reports on Wednesday 1st July, teachers and the leadership team are still working through the process required to ensure these formal documents are completed. The recent survey distributed demonstrated a strong preference for parents to receive their Semester Report on-line, with over 70% of parents indicating this was their preference. With that information, we approached the software provider, SEQTA, asking them to enable this to happen. With all the changes to the reporting methods due to the COVID-19, they will need more time to initiate that change, so all families will be receiving hard copy reports as they have previously and we will not go on-line until the Semester Two report, distributed in December.
Each school, for the first time, will be tailoring their own school report to directly reflect what they are able to report on, according to the rate of attendance of students throughout the semester. Attendance across schools this semester seems to have varied enormously. The way the formatting of the reports is looking, we will not be able to avoid splitting specific learning areas across 2 pages which is not ideal, but unavoidable at the moment.
Public Speaking
It has been great to see all the children in our school work through the Public Speaking programme. Our intention has been to wait until the whole school can gather together before setting a date for the selected children to present their oral presentation to the whole school. This will take place on Friday 31st July after lunch. Parents will be welcome to join us in the hall to celebrate the talents of the children.
Sacramental Celebrations
To provide families with an update on our sacramental programmes, we have been able to confirm retreat dates for the sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Communion. The Year 4 children will be spending the first day of Term 3, Tuesday 21st July at the Schoenstatt Shrine as part of the preparation programme for receiving the sacrament of Holy Communion. Our Year 3 children will have their retreat day on Monday 7th September as they prepare to receive the sacrament of Reconciliation in Term 4. We have not been able to confirm dates for the celebrations yet, our Catechist classes only re-commenced last Wednesday afternoon so we are also conscious of ensuring that those candidates are properly prepared before receiving the sacraments. We will ensure we pass on further information regarding the dates as soon as they are confirmed. I was also notified yesterday that the sacrament of Confirmation has been temporarily suspended, until at least Phase 5, so hopefully after July 18th we will be able to develop a plan for the children in our community to receive the sacrament of Confirmation.
Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD)
Please be aware that Our Lady of Fatima School is required to provide information to the Government each year through the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD) regarding students who require curriculum adjustments to access their learning due to a level of learning difficulty. Students who are on medical action plans may also be included in this data collection. As a school we have a range of structures in place to ensure the appropriate level of support and assistance for these children. If you are interested in finding out a little more about this, do not hesitate to drop in for a conversation with myself or Renae King who has taken on the role of coordinating this important process. For further information please see: https://www.nccd.edu.au/
Uniform
After becoming a little concerned about the standard of uniform across the school recently as we transitioned back to school in the COVID-19 times and moved into the winter uniform, our uniform blitz on Monday definitely changed my thinking. I took the opportunity spend time in each classroom on Monday with a focus on our school uniform and across the board, the children looked pretty sharp! We did contact a small number of families just alerting them to uniform breaches, but overall the uniform is back to being worn very well. Thank you to all parents in our community for their support with this.
School Cross Country
Supporting children from Pre-Primary to Year 6 to go for a cross country run was a great way to finish the week. The children have been preparing for the school cross country carnival in their physical education classes for a number of weeks now and today presented an opportunity to compete against their classmates, with the level of competition increasing as the children get older. Congratulations to all the children who challenged themselves and achieved their own goals, the level of sportsmanship and healthy competition was great to see.
Thank you to Oz Celenza for coordinating the carnival and all the parents who were able to join us at Miller’s Park.
Given that this is the final newsletter before the end of term, I would like to thank and acknowledge all families in our school community for their assistance and support as we have navigated our way through what has been a challenging time with the COVID-19. Our approach has always been centred around maintaining routines for the children that are as normal as possible, without compromising their safety and I feel very comfortable that we have been able to achieve this.
Best wishes to everyone for an enjoyable and relaxing break from routines when the school holidays arrive at the end of next week.
Paul Hansen
Principal
Dates to Remember
Monday 29th June
Occupational Therapy meeting for PP parents in the hall at 2pm
Wednesday 1st July
Farmyard on Wheels (PP Incursion) 1pm – 2pm
Friday 3rd July
Last day for students
Monday 20th July
Pupil free day
Tuesday 21st July
First Day of Term 2 for students
Tuesday 21st July
Holy Communion Retreat Day for Year 4 (Schoenstatt Shrine)
Thursday 23rd July
Kindy Parent Information session (speech therapist) at 7pm
Wednesday 29th July
School Board Meeting
Friday 31st July
Public Speaking presentations
Monday 3rd August
School Photo Day (Kindy – Year 6)
Tuesday 4th August
School Photo Day (Pre-Kindy)
St. Peter and St. Paul
‘Online & Technology Safety’ with Mr La Roche
TV entertainment has definitely changed over the last 5 years with the introduction of streaming services. Children have a plethora of options available to them any time they choose. Coming into the school holidays, many children have greater access to watching television and with Netflix, Stan, Disney+, Foxtel and Amazon Prime the movies and programs are endless. This week’s guide gives some helpful information and tips on how to manage your children’s use of Netflix. Many of the tips apply to other streaming services as well. I hope you find it informative and useful.
SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPH INFORMATION
Please read the information below - online ordering expires 10th Aug 2020
Keys found
Tennis coaching is back for Term 3
Tennis coaching before school is back in Term 3 at the new time of 7.15 a.m. to 8 a.m.
Year 3 to 6 play Wednesdays and Years 1 & 2 play Fridays.
See marshallstennis.com.au for enrolment details.
P&F News
Dear Parents, as we tackle the challenges posed by work, family and life we are blessed and lucky to be part of the Our Lady of Fatima community. We have a unique opportunity to support one another and ensure the well-being of our parent body.
The P&F are still looking for anyone who would like to join a well-being P&F sub-committee to strategize and facilitate wellness initiatives in the community. As our lives slowly return to some form of normality, it is evident, now more than ever, that well-being is such an important element of our health. As parents, we are often putting others first and this sub-committee hope to come up with ways we can support ourselves and each other in the Our Lady of Fatima community. If you are interested, please reply to the attached flyer by contacting your child’s class rep.
To Join simply click on the link below
School Lunch orders every Monday and Thursday.
Contact Us
Email: admin@olof.wa.edu.au
Website: www.olof.wa.edu.au
Location: 3 Harris St, Palmyra WA, Australia
Phone: 08 9333 7900