Important Dates
Mr Shaw's News
WELCOME TO OLSOTS!
We welcome Emmy in Pre-Kindergarten and her family to our school community.
BOOK FAIR & BOOK WEEK PARADE
A big thank you to Rosey Ryan and Cat Moir for preparing our annual Book Fair. Thank you to all parents who supported the Book Fair this year, with every purchase raising funds for our school. We finished Book Week with our annual parade on Friday 22 August. Students from Pre-Primary to Year Six shared their creative costumes, with our Kindergarten students doing so the day prior.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAY
Our Teachers and Education Assistants gathered for a Professional Development Day on Tuesday 26 August, facilitated by Mistelle Moore (CEWA Numeracy Coordinator). This day, our third PD Day led my Mistelle over the last 12 months, reflects our School Improvement Plan (SIP) goal “continue to reflect on current Mathematics teaching practices, considering student data and evidence based-approaches, in line with CEWA’s Numeracy Position Statement.” Our staff enjoyed a day of learning, as we continue to refine our pedagogical practices in this space.
PARENT WORKSHOPS – EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST FORM CLOSING DATE EXTENDED
As advised in our last newsletter, as part of our ongoing commitment to strengthening our partnership with families, we are considering the introduction of parent workshops facilitated by members of our Extended Leadership Team.
To guide our planning, we would first like to gauge the level of interest among our parent community. These workshops, held outside of school hours, will run for approximately one hour and focus on topics such as literacy practices and/or student wellbeing.
At this point in time, we have had a very small number of responses to this survey. We invite you to complete a short survey to register your interest by Friday 12 September.
CULTURAL & LANGUAGE BACKGROUND SURVEY
Laura Connolly, our Literacy Leader, recently shared a survey with parents to gather information regarding the cultural and language background of our families. The information gathered from this survey will help the school develop a multicultural space within our school library. At this stage, we have had approximately 25% of our families complete this survey. I ask you to take the time to complete this short survey, by Friday 12 September.
FATHER’S DAY BREAKFAST
Our annual Father’s Day Breakfast will take place on Friday 5 September. Fathers and father-figures are welcome to join us for croissants from 7:30-8:30am. A coffee van will also be on site, for those who wish to purchase a coffee. Please register your attendance using the link shared through Seesaw by Tuesday 2 September, if you have not done so already.
EDUCATION ASSISTANT APPRECIATION DAY
Education Assistant Appreciation Day takes place on Thursday 4 September. We are fortunate to have a team of dedicated Education Assistants who work in partnership with teachers to support student learning
SENIOR SWIMMING CARNIVAL (YEARS 3-6)
We are looking forward to our upcoming Senior Swimming Carnival, taking place on Friday 19 September. Our Year 3-6 students will have the chance to showcase their skills, enjoy friendly competition, and demonstrate our CORE Values of Courage, Optimism, Respect and Excellence. Please look out for more information regarding this event via Seesaw. I hope to see you there!
OPEN AFTERNOON
Our Open Afternoon will take place on Tuesday 23 September, beginning with our Dance Showcase (Pre-Primary – Year Six) at 1:30pm. Classrooms will be open for students to celebrate their learning with their parents from 2:00 – 3:30pm. This is always a great event within our school community.
P&F FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT
Our P&F Committee, together with some parent helpers, are currently organising a Family Movie Night to finish Term Three. This exciting event will take place at the Fenwick Cinema on Thursday 25 September. Please see the information from Tash McCarthy (P&F Chair) within this newsletter for more information regarding this exciting fundraising event!
EXCITING NEWS FOR MS AURICHT & MRS BERG!
Kara Auricht, our wonderful Playgroup Facilitator and Pre-Kindy Teacher, recently applied for Catholic Education Western Australia (CEWA) sponsorship to attend the Early Childhood Australia (ECA) National Conference, held in Perth during the October school holidays. I was delighted to be informed that Kara’s application has been successful. Pre-Kindy and Kindergarten teachers from across CEWA were invited to apply, with just 20 applicants awarded sponsorship. Following the announcement of Kara’s successful application for sponsorship, I was then offered the same sponsorship for Gayle Berg (Pre-Kindy & Kindergarten Education Assistant) to attend with Kara. This is a great celebration for Kara, Gayle, and our school.
WELL DONE, MISS STARCEVICH!
More good news! Hannah Starcevich (Year Four Teacher) has been accepted into the Apple Learning Coach program. The Apple Learning Coach program is a professional learning initiative designed to train and support instructional coaches and other educators who want to help teachers effectively integrate Apple technology into their classrooms. The program includes self-paced online modules, virtual workshops with Apple Professional Learning Specialists, and peer-to-peer learning to develop coaching skills and create a coaching portfolio. Participants learn to guide coaching cycles, share their expertise, and build sustainable communities of learning with Apple technology. I congratulate Hannah on her successful application for this program, which will complement her role as our Digital Learning lead teacher.
CONGRATULATIONS, MISS HAYES
We congratulate Melissa Hayes (Year One Teacher), who will be welcoming her first child into the world early next year. We are currently advertising for a teacher to replace Miss Hayes during her parental leave period.
Mrs Russell's News
2025 Sacramental Dates
- Tuesday 16 September – Sacramental Workshop with Mildred Rego
- Holy Communion
- Confirmation
- Saturday 20 September at 2pm – Sacrament of Reconciliation
- Sunday 26 October – First Holy Communion at 9am
- Sunday 23 November – Confirmation at 9am
The sacramental workshop for First Holy Communion and Confirmation will be held on Tuesday 16 September in the Parish overflow area. These workshops must be attended by the children and families of the children receiving one of these Sacraments this year. Please talk to your class teacher if you have any questions regarding these workshops.
Holy Communion & Confirmation Family Workshops – (Mildred Rego CEWA Catechist Service)
Holy Communion 2:30 -3:30
Confirmation workshop 3:45-4:30
Silly Socks Day – Supporting Zambia!
This year, our Making Jesus Real (MJR) Ministry group is raising awareness and funds to support communities in Zambia, helping ensure children have access to food and education—giving them the chance to build a brighter future.
To support this cause, we’re holding a Silly Socks Day on Friday, 26 September (Week 10)! Students are invited to wear their silliest socks with their sports uniform and bring a gold coin donation. We’ll wrap up the day with a fun-filled Tabloid Sports afternoon! Let’s come together, have some fun, and make a difference. 💛
Watch this short video to learn more about the cause
Dance Showcase and Open Afternoon: Our Dance Showcase and Open Afternoon will be held on Tuesday 23 September, Week 10. This is an opportunity for families to view the wonderful work the children have been doing in class.
WHEN: Tuesday September 23.
TIME: 1:30 Dance Showcase – 2:00 – 3: 30 PM Open Classrooms.
WHERE: All classrooms are open throughout the school.
WHO: Family and friends.
WHY: To share and celebrate the children’s learning this term.
Book Fair
OLSOTS Book Fair 2025
A big thank you to all families who have supported our Book Fair this Term.
We are thrilled to announce we are opening a second Book Fair in Term 4. Double the Fun, we are offering with every purchase a second book of equal or lesser valve for FREE! More details to follow in Term 4.
Save the Date:
Monday 3rd – Friday 7th November
Book Week Parade
This year’s theme for Book Week 2025 was
“Book an Adventure”
Students from Kindy to Year 6 have dressed up in their favourite book character and paraded class by class across the stage to showcase their characters. All staff and students looked amazing with their creativity of costumes, everybody made this book week one to remember! Well done everyone.
Pre-Primary
In Pre-Primary we have been learning all about the importance of our families during Religion. We discussed who is in our families, what we like to do with our families and how our families help us learn and grow. We also learnt all about Jesus’ family, the Holy Family and how Mary, Joseph and Jesus spent time together. Earlier in the term we celebrated the feast day of Mary MacKillop. After exploring images of Mary and the school she developed, we made our own artworks and used these to teach the school about Mary MacKillop at assembly.
Dance
Students have been working hard in Term Three learning choreography for the Dance Showcase in Week Ten. Classes from Pre-Primary to Year Six are developing their movement skills and co-ordination as they add new steps to their dances each week. Students are incorporating choreographic devices including canon, unison and repetition in their dances, and will soon be focusing on their performance skills so that they can wow the audience at the Showcase. Additionally, some students in Years Two to Six have been giving up their Tuesday lunchtimes to join Dance Club and learn an additional dance for the performance.
A reminder that students in Pre-Primary to Year Three require a plain white t-shirt and students in Year Four to Six require a plain black t-shirt for the Showcase performance. Shirts should have been brought to school by now for decorating. Thank you to those families who have already provided their shirts. We look forward to seeing an excited audience at the performance on Tuesday September 23.
Science
This term our students are learning about Chemical Science. We have been exploring the properties of natural and processed materials and how this affects their use. Our senior students have been learning the difference between physical and chemical changes by making paper stretch, skittles dissolve and turning rubber bands into works of art. Happy investigating everyone!
School Notices
Life Education Visit – Parent Information Session
Tuesday 9th September, 8:30-9:00
Life Education will be visiting our school on Monday and Tuesday of week 8 to deliver incursions to all students from Kindy – Year Six. As part of the visit, they are offering a Parent/Carers Information Session on Tuesday 9th September from 8:30-9:00. This is an opportunity for you to find out about the topics your children will be covering during their LifeEd incursions, and to meet the Educator for an informal chat. If you are free, you are welcome to come by the Art Room to visit and say hello to Gina (the Educator) to gain some more insight into this valuable resource.
If you are interested in attending the Parent Information Session, please fill in the short Form
P & F News
Exciting Events Ahead!
Our dynamic P&F team have been busy planning some fantastic activities for Semester 2.
🎬 Movie Night @ Fenwick Cinemas
Join us on the evening of Thursday 25th September for a special screening of the brand-new Aussie film Kangaroo! Ticketing information will be shared via SeeSaw next week – in the meantime, you can check out the trailer here:
🌈 Colour & Slime Run – Term 4
Get ready for an afternoon of colour, slime, mess and mayhem! Students will also have the chance to earn some amazing prizes through their fundraising efforts. Your child’s personalised fundraising link will be shared in the coming weeks – stay tuned!
URSTRONG
URSTRONG MONTHLY THEME: Respect
This month, we’re exploring the importance of RESPECT in friendships, which we define as: “Honouring and accepting your friend for who they are – their thoughts, feelings, and opinions.”
Friendship Fact #3 reminds us that trust & respect are the two most important qualities in a friendship. They are the foundation of a healthy, feel-good friendship that sits in the Green-Zone of the Friend-o-Meter. When disrespect enters a friendship, a Friendship Fire® ignites and the friendship feels in the Red-Zone.
Whether you are a teacher or a parent, enjoy our RESPECT Freebie – a fun colouring-in sheet that features the quote: “The only way to have a friend is to be one.” This invites a powerful conversation with children on the reciprocal nature of respect in a friendship; the idea that we give respect to get respect. Explore some examples of respect in-action, such as:
- You listen when your friend is talking (and they do the same for you).
- You don’t make fun of your friend if they like something different (and they do the same for you).
- If they don’t like hugs, you give them a high-five instead (and they do the same for you).
- When doing a group project, you consider your friend’s ideas (and they do the same for you).
Community Notices
The Raising Healthy Minds app is a free, personalised, pocket resource to help parents and carers raise confident, resilient children. Co-designed with parents and experts and funded by the Australian Government, Raising Healthy Minds aims to support children’s social and emotional wellbeing with evidence-based information.
You’ll find information on topics like dealing with worries and making friends, as well as ideas for day-to-day life, like creating family routines, looking after yourself as a parent, and building strong relationships.
The app offers a mix of quick-read articles, videos and animations aimed at parents and carers of children aged 0-12 years. You can tailor information to the age of your child and opt-in to receive helpful tips.
Raising Healthy Minds provides simple-to-use information at your fingertips with clear actions you can start today.
Download from Google Play or the App Store or go to raisingchildren.net.au/rhm to learn more and raise a healthy mind 🧠
