To view our important dates, please click the button below.

FAREWELL, FR PAUL 

Over the weekend, Fr Paul advised the parish community that he has been appointed to St Patrick’s Catholic Parish in Gosford, New South Wales from next year. Fr Paul will leave Esperance mid-January. Further information regarding the new Priest for our parish will be shared in due course. Fr Paul has been wonderful for our Parish and school community over the last four years and, while he will be missed here, I know he will be a great addition to the St Patrick’s community. Please keep Fr Paul and our parish in your prayers during this transition period.  

SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION 

Congratulations to Pippa, Nate, Mitchell, and Eli, who received the Sacrament of Confirmation on Sunday 23 November. I thank Bishop George for leading this celebration, as well as Fr Paul, Erin Tyrrell and Lorna Russell for preparing our students and the Mass. 

ANNUAL COMMUNITY MEETING 

Our Annual General Meeting (ACM) was held on Monday 1 December. After enjoying snacks and drinks, we heard a report from our School Advisory Council, Parents & Friends Committee, as well as my Principal’s Report. Our School Advisory Council and P&F Committee for 2026 were announced. I thank these parents for volunteering their time and expertise.  

School Advisory Council 2026 

Elected Members: Anna Holt, Brittany Norton, Genevieve Hull, Nicolene Vallentgoed and Shannan Dixon. 

Ex-Officio Members: TBC (Parish Priest), Tony Curry (Principal – Term One) & Lorna Russell (Assistant Principal) 

I thank Simone Bennie and Hilton Hardman, who have stepped down from their positions. 

Parents & Friends Committee 2026 

Elected Members: Aimee Dixon, Brooke Bone, Faye Rollond, Laura Henderer, Sarah McLean and Tash McCarthy. 

YEAR SIX GRADUATES 

We gathered as a school community on Thursday for our Graduation and Thanksgiving Mass. During this mass, we celebrated our achievements as a school community and said farewell to our Year Six students. I thank Erin Tyrrell for her organisation of this important occasion and Fr Paul for leading Mass. With our Year Six students leaving on Friday, we also say farewell to a number of OLSOTS families. To the Bennie, Butler, Krishna, Raj, Raynes, Rollond, and Stevens families, thank you for being a part of our school community.  

CONGRATULATIONS, MS AURICHT!

I congratulate Ms Kara Auricht, our Pre-Kindy and Playgroup Teacher, on her acceptance in Catholic Education Western Australia’s Emerging Leaders Program for 2026. This will see Kara engage in six professional development days throughout next year, with other emerging leaders in our system. The Emerging Leaders Program serves to support experienced educators and office staff in the formation of an authentic, Christ-centred leadership identity. Underpinned by the four pillars of Quality Catholic Education and informed by evidence-based leadership research, the program equips participants with the essential knowledge, skills and understanding to effectively lead Catholic communities with integrity and a spirit of service.

Kara will take on leadership responsibilities in our Early Childhood space next year and in this program will complement her leadership role. This completes a great year for Kara, who also received CEWA sponsorship to attend the Early Childhood Australia conference in Perth earlier this year. Congratulations, Kara! This is great news as we finish the school year, with Kara being the fourth teacher to be accepted in a highly competitive system leadership program over the last four years.

MOVE-UP MORNING & STAFFING 2026 

Our students engaged in Move-Up Morning on Friday 5 December 2026. This provided a fantastic opportunity for students to become familiar with their 2026 teacher/s, in their 2026 classrooms. This is an important part of our end of year transition process and is always a highlight on the school calendar.  

I present our full staff list for 2026. Parents were advised of class teachers and education assistants after our recent move-up morning. 

Teaching Staff 

Education Assistants 

 Administration & Support Staff 

 Extended Leadership Team 

Farewell 

Mrs Cat Moir has been a member of staff since 2002 and was a parent volunteer before this.  Over the years, Cat has worked quietly and diligently in our school library. Cat ensures that our library is neat, tidy, and welcoming. Our students always enjoy saying hello to Mrs Moir when they visit the library, as do our staff. I thank Cat for her great contribution to our school community and wish her all the very best in retirement. Thank you, Cat. 

Mrs Carmel Halls joined our school in 2006. During this time, Carmel has worked as an Education Assistant in a range of roles across the school and in the library. Most recently, Carmel has facilitated our MiniLit and MacqLit groups, and I have enjoyed seeing Carmel excel in this role. Carmel’s flexibility, child-first approach, and willingness to lend a hand have been greatly appreciated. While we say farewell to Carmel, we don’t lose her from our system, with Carmel joining the staff of Infant Jesus School in Morley from 2026. Thank you, Carmel. 

Mrs Ashleigh Shaw joined our staff in 2023, initially as the Enrichment teacher before moving into the role of Dance teacher in 2024. Ashleigh has shared her love of Dance with our students, developing an engaging and educational program that has added to our specialist learning area offerings and become a point of difference in our community. Thank you, Ash. 

Miss Anna Swan joined our staff in 2024, taking on the roles of Physical Education and Visual Arts teacher. Anna has brought new ideas to both roles and our students have enjoyed their learning with Anna over the last two years. Anna steps away from her role to focus on her growing business, and I wish her all the very best for the future. Thank you, Anna. 

Mrs Jess Rozynski joined our staff this year and has brought great enthusiasm to her role. Our students have enjoyed working with Jess, appreciating her kindness, gentleness and friendly disposition. It was wonderful to have Jess complete her study during her time here, and I congratulate Jess on this achievement. I wish Jess all the very best for the future. Thank you, Jess. 

Welcome 

We welcome the following staff to our school in 2026: 

• Dr Tony Curry – Principal (Term One)  
• David Colace – Year 5/6 Teacher 
• Holly Panizza – Physical Education Teacher 

STUDENT LEADERS FOR 2026 

Our Year Five students recently presented their speeches for School Captain and/or Faction Captain roles in 2026. I congratulate our successful candidates, as well as all who spoke on the day. It is with great excitement that I share our student leadership structure for 2026 with you. 

School Captains: Elliott McCarthy & Eva Hoffrichter 

MacKillop Faction Captain: Harper Bertola 

Xavier Faction Captain: Charlie Aarts 

Salvator Faction Captain: Hamish Connolly 

Our remaining Year Six students, as well as our Year Five students, will have the opportunity to be involved in our Student Ministry groups next year – our MJR Ministry and Environmental Ministry.  

CHRISTMAS CONCERT & CORE AWARDS PRESENTATION 

We gathered as a school community on Wednesday evening for our Christmas Concert and CORE Awards Presentation – and what a night it was! A huge thank you to all involved in preparing for this event – I have already received a few positive comments regarding the event. To our class teachers, thank you for preparing our students. All students presented with confidence, joy and enthusiasm. A big thank you to Mrs Lorna Russell, Mrs Pippa Crane, Miss Rosey Ryan, and Mrs Tammie Florisson for completing all the important behind the scenes work.  

As well as presenting our Christmas item, the presentation of our annual CORE Awards also took place. Classroom teachers are responsible for selecting one CORE Award recipient, from each year level. These recipients have shown our CORE Values – Courage, Optimism, Respect and Excellence – consistently throughout the school year. In addition to our class awards, our Specialist Teachers chose two students, one from junior primary and another from middle/upper primary, who has displayed CORE Values throughout the year. I congratulate our CORE Award recipients for 2025, listed below  

Pre-Primary: Cohen Piggott

Year One: Liam Vallentgoed

Year Two: Sidney Gilmour

Year Three: Hudson Bertola

Year Four: Lexi Hewitt Guy

Year Five: Hamish Connolly

Year Six: Vivaan Raj

Physical Education: Ali Dellahide & Henry Dixon

Visual Arts: Eleanor Mutema & Ned McCarthy

Science: Liam Vallentgoed & Sascha Francis 

Dance: Meave Bertola & Caitlin Rollond

Auslan: Nina Bailey & Elliott McCarthy

I also acknowledge, Jaxon Bone, from Year Three, who was presented with the Esperance Library Friends (ELF) award.  

END OF YEAR REPORTS 

End of Year Reports will be available via SEQTA Engage on Friday 12 December. Please take the time to download and read your child’s report, celebrating their achievements and acknowledging areas for growth. I thank our teachers for preparing End of Year Reports. I enjoyed reading each child’s report. If you are leaving our school, please remember to download your reports from SEQTA Engage before the end of the school year. 

SEESAW

Seesaw classes for 2026 will soon be organised. You may wish to download your child’s Seesaw portfolio as the school year ends, before the rollover process for 2026 takes place.

SCHOOL FEES 

As advised at our ACM, we have needed to increase our school fees by 3% for 2026 following Catholic Education Western Australia’s recommendation of a 3-4.5% fee increase. This follows a 5.5% increase in 2025, 0% increase in 2024, a 5% decrease in 2023 and a 0% increase in 2022. 

Our school fee structure for 2026 was shared with our school community at our ACM and is now available on our website at School Fees. 

CHANGE OF DETAILS 

As we are preparing for 2026, please ensure the school is provided with any updated details e.g., change of address, email address, medical information, Baptism information. This information can be emailed to admin@olsots.wa.edu.au 

TERM DATES 2026 

Term Dates for 2026 are now listed on our website . Should these need to be changed, parents will be notified accordingly. 

THANK YOU & FAREWELL  

I thank each member of our school community for their contributions during 2025. The past five years have been an incredible journey, and I feel so blessed to have shared it with such a caring and vibrant community.  To our amazing families – thank you for trusting us with your children and for the ways you’ve supported our school, working in partnership. To our dedicated staff – your passion and commitment have inspired me every single day. Thank you. 

As I reflect on my time as Principal, we’ve grown as professionals together, celebrated great achievements, overcome challenges, and created memories that I will carry with me always. This school has been more than a workplace – and leaving is truly bittersweet. 

I wish Our Lady Star of the Sea every success and blessing in the years ahead. Keep looking after one another and continue to make this a place where every child is encouraged to be the best they can be. 

Enjoy the Christmas holiday break! 

Advent is an excellent way to prepare your mind and heart for Christmas.   

The Advent candles remind us of the light of Christ.  

The 1st Sunday of Advent symbolises Hope with the “Prophet’s Candle” reminding us that Jesus is coming. 

The 2nd Sunday of Advent symbolises Faith with the “Bethlehem Candle” reminding us of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem. 

The 3rd Sunday of Advent symbolises Joy with the “Shepherd’s Candle” reminding us of the Joy the world experienced at the coming birth of Jesus. 

The 4th Sunday of Advent symbolises Peace with the “Angel’s Candle” reminding us of the message of the angels: “Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward Men.” 

 Parish and School Christmas Tree Appeal 

A big thank you to everyone who has supported this year’s school and parish Christmas appeal. We have collected many food items that will be distributed to the local charity Esperance Care Services.  Thank you for helping to Make Jesus Real in our school community. 

SCHOOL REPORTS

On Friday 12 December, your child’s report will be available through SEQTA Engage the same as last Semester. Please take the time to download and look through the report with your child and praise their wonderful achievements and effort over the course of the year. We always encourage all students to apply their best effort, regardless of the outcome. Not everyone can be a talented academic, gifted artist or super athlete; however, every student should aim to give his/her best effort. 

END OF YEAR REPORT  

This report provides parents with an overview of how their child has progressed, across the entire year, in relation to the end of year Achievement Standard for each learning area for their year level. The grade provided is based on the curriculum which has been taught and assessed across the entire year, not just Semester Two.  

Understanding the Grading System – Pre-Primary 

 ACHIEVEMENT DESCRIPTORS  

The student demonstrates excellent achievement of what is expected for this year level.  

The student demonstrates high achievement of what is expected for this year level. 

 The student demonstrates satisfactory achievement of what is expected for this year level. 

The student demonstrates limited achievement of what is expected for this year level. 

The student demonstrates very low achievement of what is expected for this year level.  

The descriptors summarise the standard (or quality) of achievement associated with each level. The scale describes the depth of knowledge and understanding and the range of skills that students typically show.  

Maintaining a level in a learning area from one semester to the next is an indication of positive achievement and expected development. 

 A child who is on an Individual Education Plan will have progress reported against learning outcomes outlined in the Individual Education Plan. 

Understanding the Grading System – Years 1 – 6 

GRADE DESCRIPTION  

A The student demonstrates excellent achievement of what is expected for this year level. 

B The student demonstrates high achievement of what is expected for this year level. 

C The student demonstrates satisfactory achievement of what is expected for this year level. 

D The student demonstrates limited achievement of what is expected for this year level.  

E The student demonstrates very low achievement of what is expected for this year level.  

The A – E grade scale summarises the standard of achievement associated with each learning area. The scale describes the depth of knowledge, understandings and skills that children working at that standard typically show. If your child receives a ‘C’ grade, they are achieving at the required level for their year. 

Maintaining a grade in a learning area from one semester to the next is an indication of positive achievement and expected development.  

A child who is on an Individual Education Plan will have progress reported against learning outcomes outlined in the Individual Education Plan – not using A-E grades. 

Is a ‘C’ grade good? 

Yes, you should celebrate C grades as this indicates that your child has progressed to the desired level of understanding for his/her year level. 

 Is a ‘C’ grade just a pass like when I was at school 

No, a C grade today, is the expected Achievement Standard for each year level and each learning area.  

Does an ‘A’ or ‘B’ grade mean my child is working a year or two above their current grade? 

No, an ‘A’ or ‘B’ grade means that your child is responding to the content taught to a deeper level. They may be thinking more critically about the content, which is a wonderful skill to demonstrate.  

How are final grades determined?  

Teachers collect numerous samples of work and assessments to determine the final grade. The grade is determined with the use of the School Curriculum and Standards Authority’s (SCSA) Judging Standards. For more information on this go to https://parent.scsa.wa.edu.au/how-will-my-child-be-assessed 

SEQTA Engage Reports: 

Parents new to our school should have received a welcome email inviting you to create a login to SEQTA Engage, please check your junk/spam mail.  Once you have created your login and password you will have access to SEQTA Engage to download the report. Please ensure you have followed the steps to login to your SEQTA account, or you will be unable to view your child’s report. Follow https://olsots.wa.edu.au/our-community/seqta-engage/ for more information. 

I wish all our families a Holy festive season. May each and everyone be safe, healthy and happy as I look forward to seeing you all well rested in 2026. God Bless.

Please note that changes to dates may occur, always check the school calendar for live up-to-date information.

✨ Back to School Uniforms – Get Ready for 2026!

It’s time to get organised for the new school year! Our preferred method for ordering uniforms is simple, complete the Uniform Order Form on our school website and either:

✅ Email it to admin@olsots.wa.edu.au, OR
✅ Drop it into the front office before the end of term

This helps our “uniform fairies” pick and pack your items so they’re ready for you to pay and collect on:

📅 Thursday, 29 January
🕗 Uniform Shop Open: 8:30am – 2:00pm
Perfect for your back-to-school shopping!

Extra Request:
If you have any spare paper shopping bags that can be repurposed, please donate them to the Uniform Shop before the end of term.

Need more info?
Uniform expectations, order forms, and opening hours can be found on our school website, at Uniforms.

This week our Pre-Kindy classes finished up a wonderful year of learning with a special Christmas celebration with their families. Together we created special ornaments ready for our Christmas trees, made delicious biscuit houses and shared a picnic morning tea in the sunshine. It was the perfect way to finish a fantastic year of fun and learning in Pre-Kindy.

We have had an amazing time this term, with one of the highlights being a visit from the fire brigade as part of our Keeping Safe program. The children loved hearing the siren and each having a turn at holding the fire hose.

Our Year One students have been exploring the theme of belonging in Religion, recognising that families are a special gift from God. As part of our Advent learning, the children created family portraits to celebrate the love and connection they share at home. Just as Jesus was born into a family, these portraits remind us that we too belong to God’s family and are called to share His love with others during this season of preparation and hope.