Orana Catholic Primary School
Term 4 Week 4, 2022
Excellence
Our community values an attitude of enthusiastically applying energy and effort to become better learners. Excellence is evident when:
• we do our best to develop our talents and share them with others
• we have high expectations of what we can achieve
• we take risks and experiment with the way we learn
• we work hard to do our best work
• we celebrate our achievements
Prayer for All Saints Day
Thank you for the example of the Saints. I desire to join in their company, worshiping you forever in Heaven. Please help me follow their footsteps, and yours, Jesus Christ. Please help me to conform myself to Your image, seeking Your will in all things, as the Saints did.
Amen
Dear Parents and Carers,
All Saints Day was celebrated this week; a significant day in our Catholic calendar. This day is an opportunity for students to focus on a saint that they may be named after at their Baptism or Confirmation and to reflect on the values that this saint portrayed. Students may also reflect on the charism of the Saints and significant Catholics that our Houses are named after. Our Year 5 students have been involved in an inquiry-based research project on our Houses, under the guidance of our Pastoral Care Coordinator Sue Tormay and the Year 5 teaching staff, Judy Green, Melissa Vinci, Lisa Gauci, Tayla Dennett and Britney Lilly. Please look out for more information on the houses project; we have exciting plans for 2023.
Congratulations to the following staff members that will be embarking on new journeys at the end of this year. Dayana Lombado has resigned in order to continue studying. We thank her for her contribution to many classes of students and the staff over the last 14 years. We wish her well in her future endeavours. Amy Dreyer will also be leaving at the end of this year. Amy has worked at Orana for six years and has always put her students first. She is a member of the leadership hub and consistently contributes beyond her classroom. Amy will be travelling next year and wish her all the best for this exciting venture.
With Carmen Ricci informing the school that she will not be working at Orana next year, this has opened an opportunity for the staff to discuss our options regarding the Language Other Than English subject area. After researching local primary and high schools; current best practice and considering our context, a decision has been made and supported by the Advisory Council to introduce Australian Sign Language (Auslan). Auslan is an inclusive and progressive language that respects the deaf community. There are three other primary schools in the south metropolitan region that are successfully teaching the WA Auslan Curriculum. I also know of another Catholic school that is commencing the program in 2023. We are excited about this initiative and will be networking with the relevant schools and organisations to ensure a successful transition for our students.
We are also in the process of reviewing our OSHC opening hours for 2023. We are specifically looking at the start time to Before School Care and Vacation Care, based on feedback from parents. Current OSHC families and other Orana families that may choose to use the OSHC service are invited to complete the survey via this link.
Congratulation to the students who attended the Inter-school carnival earlier this week. Students had a fabulous time and successfully placed third. Our competitors exhibited our values of Generosity, Respect and Excellence. Thank-you to Miss Dennett for all the preparation and the team of staff who went along to assist on the day.
Thank-you to all the parents and staff that attended the Highway Heroes Bullying and Teasing Education Session on Tuesday evening. Claire Orange, child and mental health author, advocate and speaker, gave all that attending a wealth of information and strategies, in an engaging and entertaining format. There were so many key takeaways that can be used for parenting and life in general. Please see below for some of the participant feedback. If you would like more information, please contact Hallie Purio, our Curriculum Coordinator.
Year 5 students have continued to participate in the Bike Education program. It is terrific to see the students gaining confidence and skills in the safe use of bicycles. Thank-you to Miss Dennett for coordinating and the Year 5 staff and parents for their support.
We are experiencing a rise in Covid-19 cases. Please continue to be vigilant with Covid safe hygiene practices, test if you have any symptoms and stay home until symptoms are resolved. Please report positive results to WA Health and the CEWA Self-reporting Portal. Links are available on our website.
In recent newsletters, requests for Class Lists for 2023 have been mentioned. Class list requests are now closed. We acknowledge that change is a challenging time for students and their parents. We ask that families trust the professionalism of our committed staff to make the best possible allocations for the students in our care. The process of constructing class lists includes significant professional discussion and planning between staff members to create and determine class lists that have a balance of academic ability, are close to even in number, consider gender balance, social, emotional and behavioural needs of students, which students work well with particular students and which don’t work well together. Please accept that the class list placement may not be your personal preference, but the complex decision has been made by staff with a collective student focus.
The Annual Community Meeting (ACM) and Sundowner is scheduled for Thursday 17th November at 5.30pm. Please join us for the sundowner to acknowledge and thank all parent volunteers for their contribution to our school community. The ACM is an opportunity to hear reports on the progress of the school in the past twelve months and to spend time together celebrating a successful school year and strong, trusting and collaborative partnerships. All parents, carers and friends are invited and welcome to attend.
Advisory Council and P and F Annual Community Meeting
Our school Annual Community Meeting (ACM) is fast approaching. The meeting will be held on Thursday 17th November at 6pm in the library. This is an opportunity to hear reports on the progress of the school in the past twelve months and includes an Advisory Council Report, P&F Report, Principal’s Report, election of Advisory Council Members for 2023, election of P&F Executive for 2023 and announcing the staffing for 2023. It is also an opportunity to demonstrate support for the community and the entities that work to provide the best educational environment for your child. There is one position open on the School Advisory Council and 2 positions on the P&F Executive (Secretary and Class Representative Coordinator).
The Catholic School Advisory Council Terms of Reference were updated at the beginning of 2022.
Function of the Advisory Council
The Advisory Council is established to support the Principal to fulfil their responsibilities
in leading the Catholic Identity, Education, Community and Stewardship functions of the
Catholic School in pursuit of CEWA’s vision to be Christ-centred and child-focused.
The Advisory Council is made up of the Principal (Ex-Officio); the Parish Priest (Ex-Officio), four to six persons. Additionally, a person nominated by the P&F and an additional member nominated by the Parish are invited to meetings. Membership of the Advisory Council is for a period of three years.
Advisory Council membership conditions are:
(a) a commitment and desire to promote Catholic education and give service to the Catholic School Community;
(b) a commitment to the safety, wellbeing and pastoral care of all students and staff;
(c) an ability to work cooperatively and constructively with the Principal, school leadership team and all other members of the Advisory Council;
(d) the possession of skills, competencies and experience that are reflective of, relevant and beneficial to the Catholic School Community; and
(e) a sufficiency of time to devote to Advisory Council duties.
New Catholic School Parents and Friends Group Terms of Reference will come into operation at the beginning of 2023.
Function of the P and F
The P&F is established to support the Principal to fulfil their responsibilities in leading the
Catholic Identity, Education, Community and Stewardship functions of the Catholic school
in pursuit of CEWA’s vision to be Christ-centred and child-focused. Catholic Education partners with and supports parents and caregivers as the first educators of
their children.
The P&F is led by a volunteer group of parents, each of whom are elected to office bearer positions. These people are identified as P&F Committee members. The P&F Committee should be comprised of four to six persons plus the Principal or their delegate.
P&F Committee must consist of the following office bearers:
(a) Chair;
(b) Deputy Chair;
(c) Secretary; and
(d) Treasurer.
P&F Committee membership is reviewed annually at the Annual Community Meeting (ACM). P&F Committee members are appointed to the role for two years. P&F Committee members can serve no more than six consecutive years (three terms) in that role.
The P&F Committee membership conditions are:
(a) a commitment and desire to promote Catholic education;
(b) a commitment and desire to give service to the school;
(c) a commitment to the safety, well-being and pastoral care of all students and staff;
(d) an ability to work cooperatively and constructively with the Principal, school
leadership team, the School Advisory Council and other members of the P&F; and
(e) a sufficiency of time to devote to P&F duties.
If you would like to nominate yourself or another person for a position on the School Advisory Council or P&F Executive for 2022, please complete the information on the relevant form below and email it to the office at admin@orana.wa.edu.au with the subject line ACM Nomination.
If nominating someone else, please ensure that they are aware of the nomination. All nominations need to be received by Monday 14th November.
Advisory Council Member Nomination Form
Name of person you would like to nominate:
Nominator (if different from above):
Contact Phone Number of Nominee:
P&F Nomination Form
Name of person you would like to nominate:
Nominator (if different from above):
Contact Phone Number of Nominee:
Position Nominated for (Secretary or Class Representative Coordinator):
Kindergarten and Pre-Kindergarten interviews for 2023 are continuing. Places are filling, so if you or a friend or family member have a child turning 3 or 4 years old next year, please contact admin@orana.wa.edu.au
God bless and take care.
Dee Johnston
Principal
FAITH IN ACTION
SPORTS NEWS
CAPSS Inter School Athletics Carnival 2022
What a day! Selected students from Years 3 – 6 journeyed down to Len Shearer Reserve on Tuesday 1st of November to compete at the CAPSS Inter School Athletics Carnival for 2022. We were blessed with beautiful weather and all our students had a ball. Students competed in an assortment of events including various distance races, Long Jump, Shot Put, Turbo Jav and team games.
Our students represented Orana at a high standard displaying amazing encouragement, support and team spirit throughout the day. It was terrific to see the determination of our students striving to do their best for their school. We had so many of our students place in the top four of their events and earn points for our school.
A big special thank you to our parent helpers; Amanda Mouttet, Tanya Cowman, Marie Fuller and Stephen Jaeger and our teachers Miss Dreyer and Mrs Hardingham for assisting on the day. We couldn’t have done it without your assistance.
Well done to our four individual medallists; Lincoln D (Year 3 Runner Up), Sienna P (Year 5 Runner Up), Roman D (Year 5 Champion) and Evan C (Year 6 Runner Up) and to all our competitors on the day. We are very proud of all your efforts.
At the end of the presentations, it was announced that Orana had finished in 2nd place! We were thrilled with this result. However, due to some points disappearing throughout the day, we ended up coming in 3rd place! This is still an amazing result as it is our best placing at an Inter School Athletics Carnival! Go Orana!!
Warm Regards,
Tayla Dennett
Physical Education Specialist
NAPLAN 2022
P&F News
CANTEEN LUNCH DAY
We have our Dads Canteen lunch day next Friday the 11th of November.
Our BBQ Wizard Dads will be cooking up a great lunch for the students.
Our online shop is open. Visit: https://orana-catholic-primary-school-parents-and-friends-association.square.site/
WE WANT YOU?
We are looking for two new members to join the P&F committee for next year. One for the Secretary position and one for Class Representative Coordinator.
If you are interested please send us an email for more information at oranapandf@gmail.com
Thank you for all your continued support.
The P&F
Covid-19 Update
The WA Health guidelines state that if a positive result is returned, students and staff stay home until symptoms have resolved. Positive RAT results should be reported to WA Health and to the CEWA Covid-19 Reporting Portal.
Isolation for close contacts is no longer mandated; close contacts are encouraged to test daily for 5 days and only attend school following a negative RAT result. Close contacts may choose to wear a mask.
High standards of personal hygiene should be encouraged. High contact surfaces will be regularly cleaned.
The school has a large supply of RATs awaiting families to collect. Please collect from the office between 8am and 4pm.
The school will continue to be proactive in promoting a healthy learning environment. Please keep your children at home if they are unwell, to reduce the risk of spreading illnesses of any type.
Dates to Remember
Please check the website: https://www.orana.wa.edu.au/calendar/
Monday 7th November - Young Engineers' Club 3.15pm
Tuesday 8th November - Year 5 Bike Education
Wednesday 9th November - Yr 6 Transition Program
Wednesday 9th November - Instrumental Music Program Information Evening 6.00pm
Thursday 10th November - Talk Money Incursion - Year 5 & 6
Thursday 10th November - Sacrament of Penance 6.00pm
Friday 11th November - P&F Canteen Day - Run by Dads - Sausage Sizzle
Friday 11th November - Yr 6 Priest Visit
Friday 11th November - Remembrance Day Service 10.40am
Saturday 12th November - Sacrament of Penance - Certificates and Cake 5.30pm
Sunday 13th November - Sacrament of Penance - Certificates and Cake - 10.30am
Saints John and Paul Parish
You are invited to hear Dr Peter Christofides of Notre Dame University speak on:
The Value of the Scriptures for Family and Life
Thursday, 17th November at 7.30pm OR Saturday, 19th November at 10.30am
SOCIAL WORKER NEWS
9 Secrets of Confident Kids
Of course, young kids need plenty of encouragement, whether they're learning to crawl, throw a ball, or draw a circle. But your child can get so accustomed to hearing "Good job!" that he may have a hard time realizing when his accomplishments are really worth celebrating. He'll also sense when you're exaggerating ("That's the best block tower I have ever seen!") and may start ignoring your compliments. Don't praise your child if he does something that he's supposed to do. When he brushes his teeth or throws his shirt into the hamper, for example, a simple "thank you" is sufficient. Try to offer specific feedback: Instead of saying that your child's drawing is gorgeous, you might point out his nice use of purple.
Regards,
Kath Warburton
Social Worker
OSHC NEWS
We are currently reviewing our operational hours, specifically the start time to Before School and Vacation Care.
Please complete the attached survey link, all feedback is greatly appreciated to ensure considerations can be made to further support the working families of Orana OSHC.
https://forms.office.com/r/L04D1Wnegt
We would appreciate passing this link on to Non-OSHC Families, who may wish to use the service if the operational hours were amended. This link will be shared in today's school newsletter to ensure the greater school community has an opportunity to provide feedback.
Thank you.
The OSHC Team.