Orana Catholic Primary School
Term 3 Week 9 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 Queen Elizabeth II
Almighty God, ruler of every nation,
we give you thanks for the life of your servant,
Queen Elizabeth the Second,
whose faithful obedience to her calling
and whose leadership marked by sacrificial service
have inspired generations of her people.
May the heavenly grace which sustained her
comfort all who mourn her death.
Inspire, we pray, by her example,
the leaders and people of the United Kingdom,
the Commonwealth, and this nation of Australia
to work together with renewed passion for justice and peace.
As you have received her into her eternal rest,
renew our trust that nothing can separate us from your love,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Dear Parents and Carers,
The death of Queen Elizabeth II late last week was sad news that marked the end of an era. The Queen Elizabeth II has reigned with grace and dignity. She was ahead of her time in many ways; particularly as a determined women in leadership. Her continued endeavours to support the dignity of the vulnerable and the common good of all is admirable. Her legacy will live on and she will be remembered fondly by several generations. Australia will honour her with a national day of mourning next Thursday 22nd September. This is a public holiday and school will be closed.
Mrs Kirsty Byrne, our Assistant Principal who is currently on maternity leave, has informed me that she will be resigning from her position at Orana. We wish Kirsty and her family all the best in their future endeavours.
Last weekend, our Year 6 students received the Sacrament of Confirmation, the final sacrament of initiation. We pray that these students will be strengthened by the gifts of the holy spirit and they will develop the fruits of the spirit as they continue their faith journey. Many thanks to Father Thai, Father CJ, Magdalene the parish sacramental coordinator, Kathryn Alp, the Year 6 staff and all those who contributed to the weekend Masses. The students are invited to attend the same Mass this weekend to receive their certificates and to celebrate with a cake after Mass.
The Catholic Performing Arts Festival concluded this week, marked by the final concert on Monday night at the Riverside Theatre. Orana had 94 entries for the 2022 Performing Arts Festival. On Monday night, Orana was awarded the following awards:
- Catholic Schools Parents WA Award: Primary Concert Band Shield
- Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart Award: Primary Instrumental Ensemble Shield - Won by the Orana Trumpet Quartet
- The Zenith Commendation Award for Sustained Improvement
We are so proud of our music students for their effort, determination and dedication. Congratulations to these students and heartfelt thanks to Ms Sarah Draper for her excellent leadership of the extensive music program at Orana.
Thank-you to Clarissa Van der Heijden and the team of P and F volunteers for providing the Canteen Lunch yesterday. Students enjoyed a muffin for morning tea and pizza for lunch, whilst parents had a day of relief from lunch making duties. The students love these canteen days and I am sure the parents enjoy them, too.
As we approach the final week of Term 3, it is important that we recognise that students’ energy levels are plateauing. High expectations remain in place through to the conclusion of term in regard to behaviour and presentation. Please ensure uniforms continue to be worn correctly and with pride.
Next week, I will be attending the Catholic Primary Principal Association Conference. Thank-you to Kathryn Alp who will lead the school in my absence.
God bless and take care.
Dee Johnston
Principal
Dates to Remember
Please check the website: https://www.orana.wa.edu.au/calendar/
- 17th September - Confirmation - Certificate and Cake Celebration 5.30pm
- 18th September - Confirmation - Certificate and Cake Celebration 10.30am
- 19th September - Spelling Bee Presentation at Monday Morning Assembly 8.50am
- 19th September - 23rd September - Wellness Week
- 20th September - 400m & Field Event Finals 9.00am
- 21st September - Orana Athletics Carnival (K-6)
- 22nd September - Public Holiday
- 23rd September - Pre Kindy and Pre-Primary Class Visit
Faith in Action
Confirmation Celebration this Weekend
Our Year Six Confirmation candidates are asked to attend Mass at either of the following times to celebrate this sacrament with cake and receive their certificate. If your child cannot attend this Mass, please attend any other Mass and they can collect their Confirmation certificate from the sacristy (room at the back of the church where priests and acolytes prepare for Mass).
- Saturday celebration 10th September, 5.30pm
- Sunday celebration 11th September, 10.30am
P&F News
CANTEEN LUNCH DAY
We had a fabulous morning tea and lunch for the the children yesterday.
We would like to thank our Parent volunteers who helped us in no small measure. Thank you Claire Murray, Tara Goode, Karen Lan, Deanne Lee, Louise Palumbo, Simone Agar, Caroline Rudgee, Claire Murray, Mahesha De Silva, Clarissa Van Der Heijden, Janet Kearney, Joanne Cronin & Shehan Goonetilleke.
Have a lovely weekend all.
Orana P & F
From our Parish of Saints John & Paul
Please have your say:
We welcome everyone to complete the following survey via the QR code below to have your say regarding our Parish of Saints John and Paul. The survey closes on the 19th September.
SOCIAL WORKER NEWS
Growth Mindset
When it came to maths at school I couldn’t help but compare myself to my older brother who was genius with all things numbers.
The story I told myself was that I didn’t have a ‘maths brain’ and despite completing a major in Chemistry at university and spending 5 years researching, gathering, generating, analysing and interpreting data or my Honours and PhD theses, I still don’t see myself as a ‘maths person’. I realise now that this is just another one of the stories I tell myself. We all have them. Among other things, the stories we tell ourselves have a way of influencing what we choose to learn, how much we enjoy it and not surprisingly, how well we do.
Regards,
Kath Warburton
Social Worker
COVID-19 Update
Mask wearing is strongly recommended by WA Health and Catholic Education WA to help reduce the spread of Covid-19. Please wear a mask when indoors and where physical distancing may not be possible (e.g. assemblies, Masses, in classrooms at busy times such as drop off and pick up). Please encourage your children to wear masks where practical.
WA Health provides information directly to the Covid-19 positive person / caregiver following their registration of a Covid-19 positive test result with WA Health via this Link.
Parents and carers are requested to continue their reporting of close contact or Covid-19 positive status to schools through the Covid-19 self-reporting portal via this link. As case numbers are now very low, they we not be reported each week in the newsletter to maintain anonymity.
2022 Professional Development Days Reminder
The following dates are pupil-free days for 2022. For your future planning, OSHC will offer a full-day program on these dates.
10th October - Staff Professional Development