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WELCOME TO OLSOTS! 

We welcome Bella, Koah and Lea in Pre-Kindergarten and their families to our school community. 

PARENT WORKSHOPS AT OLSOTS 

As advised in previous newsletters, as part of our ongoing commitment to strengthening our partnership with families, we were considering the introduction of parent workshops. These workshops were to be led by our Extended Leadership Team, with a focus on literacy practices and/or student wellbeing. Unfortunately, we have had less than five parents register their interest for these workshops. Due to the lack of interest, we will revisit this initiative in 2026.

FATHER’S DAY BREAKFAST 

We enjoyed croissants and coffee in the sunshine for our annual Father’s Day Breakfast. Thank you to our fathers and father-figures for coming along. It was a wonderful morning and, I believe, the largest attendance in recent years. A big thank you to our dedicated staff for coming in early and preparing breakfast. 

ASSESSING WELLBEING IN EDUCATION (AWE) SURVEY 

Students and staff recently completed the Assessing Wellbeing in Education (AWE) survey. AWE provides an easy way for schools to measure their wellbeing over time and assess the effectiveness of wellbeing initiatives. Individual and school reports are provided, and alerts are given for students who may need follow-up support. The AWE survey is an important tool for us to drive wellbeing initiatives. I thank Erin Tyrrell (Leader of Wellbeing) for coordinating these surveys. Erin and I will be attending a Strategic Wellbeing Planning Day in Perth early next term, where school priorities can be identified through data analysis and contextual knowledge, with the support of the CEWA wellbeing team.  

RECONCILIATION 

We pray for our Caleb, Hudson, Lani, Maddison and Crystal (Year Three) who are preparing for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, taking place this Saturday 20 September. Thank you to Ella Fish for preparing our students. 

SENIOR SWIMMING CARNIVAL (YEARS 3-6) 

As this newsletter is sent, we would have enjoyed our Senior Swimming Carnival. While we will provide a full summary in our first newsletter for Term Four, I take this opportunity to congratulate our students for their participation in this event. I thank Miss Anna Swan and all involved in preparing the day. 

OPEN AFTERNOON & DANCE SHOWCASE – NEXT WEEK!

Our Open Afternoon & Dance Showcase is just around the corner, taking place on Tuesday 23 September. We will begin with our Dance Showcase (Pre-Primary – Year Six) at 1:30pm, in the hall. Please come along to celebrate the work that has been done in Dance this term. Classrooms will then be open for students to celebrate their learning with their parents from the conclusion of our Dance Showcase, until 3:30pm. This is always a great event within our school community.  

SCHOOL TOUR 

We are offering a school tour for families interested in joining our school community on Tuesday 23 September at 3:30pm, as our Open Afternoon concludes. If you know of anyone interested in an OLSOTS education, please encourage them to come along for this guided tour. There is no need to register to attend this tour. 

P & F FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT 

Our P & F Committee, Tash, Faye and Brooke, together with a team of helpers, have organised an exciting event to finish Term Three. The family movie Kangaroo (PG) will be screening at Fenwick Cinemas, commencing at 6:00pm. Please see the following P & F section in the newsletter for further information, including a link to purchase tickets. I am sure this will be a great night and I thank all who are going along to this fundraiser for supporting our school. 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS 

As this is the last newsletter for Term Three, I take this opportunity to wish our families a happy and safe school holiday break. I look forward to seeing you when school resumes on Monday 13 October. Please remember that we have a Pupil Free Day on Friday 17 October – Esperance Show Day.  

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 below to learn more about the cause.

What an amazing afternoon we had for Father’s Day!

We had some competitive dads, mums, and even grandparents join in the fun—participating in sack races, egg and spoon races, trying their hand at the hula hoop challenge, getting creative with crafts, and receiving trophies inscribed with heartfelt messages from the students.

It was wonderful to see everyone socialising, with beaming faces, cheerful chants, and joyful squeals from our Kindy students. It truly made for a fantastic afternoon!

In Year Five/Six we have been using the text Bindi by Kirli Saunders to write free verse poetry. Last week students used the text as inspiration to write family poems, utilising their understanding of figurative language to create highly visual poems.

This term in Auslan, students have been learning about HOLME, which stands for Handshape, Orientation, Location, Movement and Emotion – the key features that make up every Auslan sign. We have been exploring how to sign different animals and how to describe them. We have also been practicing our finger spelling to build confidence and fluency.

Looking ahead we are very excited to learn about the Deaflympics next term, an international sporting event where Deaf athletes from across the world compete at an elite level. This will be a fantastic chance for our students to deepen their understanding of Deaf culture and celebrate diversity in sport.

In our Friendology curriculum, URSTRONG Schools help students spot strengths in themselves & their friends in our fun, character-building activities!

According to VIA Institute of Character, we all possess 24 Character Strengths in different degrees. Everyone has a different mixture or combination of strengths; some representing our top strengths (often called Signature Strengths).

With our theme of FORGIVENESS this month, we’re getting students to reflect on the concept of “extending an olive branch” (like the little guys are demonstrating in the image). This ties in so well with conversations around reconciliation, along with the idea of peace offerings. So many Teachable Moments!

After a Friendship Fire®, moving from Talk-it-Out to Forgive & Forget on the Friend-o-Cycle can take time. Kids also share that it can “feel awkward” for a while. One easy strategy to speed things up is by “extending an olive branch”. A few examples include:

• “Hey, wanna play hide & seek?”
• “Have you heard that new song by Shawn Mendes? I think you’d love it!”
• “Want a cookie? I made them last night with my dad!”
• “Wow, cool colours on your painting! It’s so vibrant!”

Forgiveness is such a big, layered topic and there’s so much to unpack with students! Parents can reinforce these lessons at home with this activity: What is Forgiveness? We love the ways our URSTRONG Schools & URSTRONG Families are helping kids move forward after Friendship Fires® to get their friendships back in the Green-Zone on the Friend-o-Meter!

The annual Esperance Show is being held on Friday the 17th and Saturday the 18th of October, and this year there are a number of options to buy show tickets. The society has moved to a new electronic QR code ticketing system. All the information is on the show website – Show tickets or via this link Show Tickets.

In addition to this one-day tickets may be purchased on the days of the show at the entry gates. If you require assistance or wish to pay by cash or EFTPOS, please come to the office and our volunteers will be happy to help you out.

Generous sponsorship from the Rotary club of Esperance Bay and Southern Ports allows school aged children free entry each day, however a ticket is required for this purpose.

High school aged children will require ID as proof of age along with the ticket. Please note a ticket must be presented at the gate to allow for entry for anyone aged under 18.

The society welcomes entries for the display for all groups. Information on the many sections are available online at Competitions or in the show schedule which is available at a variety of locations around town. You can also call the office or visit to obtain a copy of the schedule or pay for your entry.

The show office is open every Wednesday from 9am to 12pm and every day from the 30th of September from 9am to 4:30pm until the show is finished.

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 🧠

To registration follow the link below.

https://www.playhq.com/cricket-australia/register/221563