Our Lady of the Cape Primary School
Newsletter - 12th October 2023
A PARENTS’ PRAYER
Thank you, God, for my children.
I know they are a gift from you.
Each day I need your strength
and wisdom to guide them
on the right path.
Give me patience and a joyful heart.
Let me be an example of your love
and forgiveness.
Thank you, God, for the honour
and privilege of being a parent.
Amen
Dear Parents and Community Members,
Thank you to those I have already met for the warm welcome to the beautiful OLC community. I have joined OLC after having spent 8 years as Principal at Our Lady of Lourdes School in Dardanup, and prior to that, 12 years at MacKillop in Busselton as Assistant Principal. So far, I have been impressed with the way the students have been greeting me each day. Walking around the learning spaces, I have seen engaged students, vibrant work displays and dedicated teachers. There are so many wonderful aspects of school life here at OLC, I am so excited to be here!
I hope you enjoyed a lovely holiday break with your families. Looking at the term calendar and all the activities ahead, it is going to be an extremely busy nine weeks. How lucky are we to be able to plan to have these activities for our students. Watching them grow and develop is a joy for all of our staff, and we are so grateful that we are able to share their educational journey. Sometimes it is hard for your children to put into words how their day at school went. You may find you get a one-word answer to the question: ‘How was school?’ Here are some other questions you could ask to start the conversation about school experiences:
Bushfire Awareness
When it comes to bushfire emergencies, Our Lady of the Cape Primary School is considered one of the most high-risk schools in the state. Therefore, to ensure the safety of all, it is essential that we are prepared and hold a bushfire drill each year. This enables us to test our processes, put in place the necessary plans, and also for your children to practise what to do in the event of an emergency. If there was an emergency situation, we need students to be clear about what to do, so they can remain calm and safely evacuate the school, without the experience being unfamiliar and upsetting for them.
You received an email earlier this week informing you that the bushfire drill will be happening in the first two weeks of this term. We understand that this may be inconvenient, however it is really important that we do this each year. Please make sure you have a pre-organised emergency pick-up parent ready for the coming drill, should you be unable to collect your child/ren yourself on the day of the drill. The reason we do this, is that in the event of a real bushfire emergency, there may be a chance that neither parent/guardian would be available or close enough to the school to collect their child.
On the day of evacuation, children may not walk or ride their bikes home, they must be collected by an adult, as notified to the school. To ensure an authentic response, parents will only be notified by SMS at the exact time of the drill. Typically, a drill will occur towards the end of a school day. When the SMS has been sent, parents need to collect their children promptly from the classrooms. Please inform the office immediately by phone 9781 3200 if children are being collected by someone else.
The safety of our students is the highest priority, and we appreciate the cooperation of parents for this annual drill.
School Advisory Council
The next meeting is on Wednesday 25 October at 5.00pm in the Staff Room.
Confirmation
On Tuesday afternoon, Mrs Meyer, together with the Year 6 teachers, Mrs Hurst and Mrs Ricciardone, facilitated a wonderful parent child workshop that greatly enhanced the Sacramental preparation program. It was lovely to witness the special bond between parents (or grandparents) and the students as they discussed the upcoming Sacrament, and their fears and worries for their future, as well as strategies to help. A Commitment Mass for all students who are preparing to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation will be held in the Church this Saturday night 14 October, at 6.00pm, and will be followed by Pizza generously provided by the OLC P&F. Celebration of the Sacrament will occur on Saturday 28 October at 6.00pm in the Church. Please keep the Year 6 students in your prayers as they prepare to take this important step in their faith development.
Uniform
Summer uniform is worn in Terms 1 and 4. Please click on the link for the Uniform Guide:
https://www.ladyofcape.wa.edu.au/pdf/policies_uniformguide.pdf
Our uniform is a form of belonging and identity, and is worn with pride by our students.
For future reference, as of 2024, we will not have a winter pinafore/skirt. Students may wear their summer dress throughout the year, or if they prefer, the shorts/trousers with white shirt.
Kindy 2024
If you have enrolled your child already for KG 2024, don't forget the Parent Information Session next Friday 20th October at 10am. If you haven't as yet RSVP'd, please do so to the email address above. A reminder that this session is for parents only. An Orientation Session for the children will be held on the 11th November - more information to be advised.
Interschool Athletics Carnival
The Interschool Athletics Carnival will be held on Thursday 19 October for selected Year 4-6 students, at the Hay Park Bunbury Athletics track. Best of luck to our competing students.
School Photos
Photos will be taken on Thursday 26 October. Photo information came home with students yesterday. Students from Years 1-6 need to wear their formal school uniforms on photo day. Kindy students may wear their Kindy polo shirt. On Friday 27th October, Kindy Red and Pre Primary classes will have their photos taken.
Arrival times at school
Just a reminder that students classrooms are open at 8.30am. Any students at school before this time need to take their bags to their classrooms and wait in the paved courtyard area.
Pupil Free Day
Please note that Friday 10 November is a Pupil Free Day. There is no school on this day for students.
May God bless you.
Mrs Angela Hegney
Principal
Term 4 Seedlings
We are continuing with our Seedlings program from Weeks 2-8 this term. Please endeavour to check your emails each week prior to our sessions for any reminders or upcoming events.
We will be holding our first session (Book Week dress up morning) when we return on Wednesday of Week 2 (18th October). The children are welcome to dress up and bring in their favourite books on this day. I look forward to seeing you all next Wednesday!
Before School Sports
This term, I will continue to offer Running Club on a Wednesday at 8am and Specialised Coaching Sessions for Years 3 to 6 with the Sporting Schools Program.
Only students in Years 3-6 are eligible to attend.
These sessions will be run on Thursdays and will commence at 8am.
Scholastic Book Club
Issue 7 is now out for the Scholastic Book Club. Catalogues will be sent out by the end of the week. Please note that orders close on 27 October. Orders are by online only via the following link scholastic.com.au/LOOP OR you can download the LOOP app. Sorry, no cash orders are accepted at Our Lady of the Cape. Thank you, Leah Reilly.
NEWS FROM THE P&f
Welcome back to term 4 to all our amazing OLC families. We warmly welcome new Principal Angela and hope she has had an exciting and settled start to her new role leading OLC.
Term 4 is always a busy and exciting term. The P&F have some exciting initiatives and fundraisers to end the year on and we look forward to sharing these with you.
The P&F are pleased to announce that thanks to a generous donation from Zonta Club Dunsborough the P&F has organised 2 free first aid sessions to be held in the OLC School Hall. There are two sessions to choose from, Oct 31st 9am-11am and 13th Nov 1pm-3pm.
This is not an accredited course, however, will be hosted by St John accredited trainer Lorraine. She asks that to facilitate a learning environment small children could please not attend. The course will cover many aspects of first aid specific to young families and we hope it allows you to upskill and keep your family happy and well.
Finally, our fantastic year 1 reps have been busy organising the calendar art fundraiser. Thank you to Kim, Carolyn, Lucy and Kellie for running this fundraiser. It's a beautiful way to celebrate your children's art experience for 2023 and there are many keepsake items featuring their artwork that you can choose from. Please see the attached posters for ordering details.
Please note that if your child was absent when the art was being produced, there will not be an option to order.
We hope term 4 treats you and your family well and we look forward to announcing the remaining fundraisers over the coming weeks.
Many thanks
P&F Committee
COMMUNITY NEWS
More about us
Email: admin@ladyofcape.wa.edu.au
Website: www.ladyofcape.wa.edu.au
Location: 245 Cape Naturaliste Road, Dunsborough WA, Australia
Phone: 9781 3200
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OLCDunsborough/