Oakland Avenue,

Baulkham Hills South

Telephone:9639 4172 Facsimile 9639 0819

www.ololbhills.parra.catholic.edu.au

Term 4 Week 8 8th December, 2011

The leadership shown by each of the parent

committees is very much appreciated. It is important

that in 2012 we continue to maintain the strong

relationship we have between home, school and

parish.

Sincere thanks to Joy Short and her colleagues from

the Catholic Education Office for their support of

Our Lady of Lourdes.

I extend my congratulations to all the students - they

have successfully completed their academic studies.

May they enjoy a time of rest and relaxation in the

coming weeks.

Retirement

It is with sadness that we

farewell Mrs Griscti and Mrs

Bryson. Barbara is a long

standing member of staff who

has worked so diligently with

our students. Helen has taught

kindergarten for many years

always displaying great patience with our younger

ones.

On behalf of the school community, I extend my

thanks to these outstanding teachers for their

dedication, commitment and enthusiasm. Though we

will miss them, we know they have earned their

retirement. May their days be filled with happiness,

contentment and peace.

Morning Tea

Our parent group

invites all parents to

a morning tea for

Mrs Griscti, Mrs

Bryson and Mr

O‟Brien. This will be held immediately after the

9.30am Liturgy on Tuesday, 13th December.

Welcome

On behalf of the school

community I extend a

warm welcome to Fr

Chris Dixon, our new

Parish Administrator.

We look forward to

working with Fr Chris

in 2012.

OLOL

SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

Fr Kelly Award

At our recent Year 6 graduation,

our school paid tribute to the

outstanding work of Father John

Kelly. In 1969, Our Lady of

Lourdes became a separate parish

from North Parramatta. Father

Kelly was appointed Parish Priest

and was responsible for the

building of our church and school. There is a cross in

the piazza dedicated to his memory.

Our school has undergone significant growth in the

past 14 years. Our enrolment has increased by 150

and is, currently, the highest since 1996. In this year

of amazing growth, we have initiated the Father John

Kelly Award which was presented to our Year 6

students Emily Whittaker and Chanel Wardini.

Thank you!

This is the last formal newsletter

for 2011. On behalf of the staff, I

wish you and your family, peace

and joy at Christmas.

As the year draws to a close I

take this opportunity to thank the

many people who have

contributed so much to our

school.

Fr Paul and the parish for their ongoing support and

encouragement. Our use of the hall, the piazza and

other parish facilities during the course of the year is

very much appreciated.

The members of the Executive have made a

significant contribution to curriculum development

and the organization of the school. The teachers and

aides have shown commitment to the individual

needs of our children and worked to enable them to

reach their full potential.

The office staff have performed many administrative

and financial tasks so that OLOL could operate

smoothly.

Our school captains, colour captains, leaders and

members of the SRC are to be commended for

giving witness to our school mission statement. The

members of the OLOL Parent Executive, the co-

ordinators, committee members and parent

volunteers have worked tirelessly to assist the

school.

Christmas Concert -

Friday, 9th December

Come and join the

celebration. On Friday, 9th

December, we will gather

to celebrate Christmas

2011 at OLOL. The concert

will commence at 7.00pm

in the piazza.

All students must be at school by 6.45pm and are

to meet their teachers in their allocated area.

Families are asked to bring rugs and fold up chairs

on which to sit throughout the night. Families on

blankets please sit towards the front. Those with fold

up chairs are asked to sit at the back.

Please dress your child in Christmas colours - white,

red, green and gold.

CHILDREN ARE NOT PERMITTED TO

WEAR TINSEL OR GLITTER!

IF IT RAINS THE CONCERT WILL BE HELD

IN THE CHURCH

Peter Kearney CDs will be available for purchase at

the conclusion of the concert.

The Fundraising Committee will be running a

sausage sizzle on the night of the concert. It will

start from approximately 6.00pm.

If your child is unable to attend on Friday, 9th

December, inform the teacher as soon as possible.

Christmas Carols

Br Peter Higgins, a Patrician Brother who undertakes

pastoral care work in our parish, requires funds for

the Delany Foundation to support the following

projects in Kenya, Papua New Guinea and Ghana:

Health care centre and clinic

Schools

Kindergarten, mobile clinics and sports

facilities

Fresh, hot cooked food twice a day

Electricity supply

Bore holes to give clean drinking water to the

school population and surrounding areas.

All donations go directly to the Patrician Brothers‟

missionary work. At our Christmas evening on

Friday, 9th December, parents may wish to

contribute to the work of the Patrician Brothers.

Congratulations

Congratulations to Sarah and

Malcolm Little on the birth of

their first child. Sarah and Tyler

are both well.

Year 6 Graduation

Thank you to all the Year 5 parents

for your donations of food for the

Year 6 graduation. Special thanks

to Mrs Everton for co-ordinating

the supper and all the parents who

did such a great job on the night assisting. Your

support is very much appreciated.

We are also grateful to Mrs Asimus for organizing

the hot food for the evening.

End of Year Rollovers

The finance and administration rollover will occur

on Tuesday, 13th December. It would be appreciated

if you only call the office in an emergency situation.

Students returning late Term 1, 2012

Children in Years 1-6 commence school on Monday,

30th January, 2012.

Kindergarten students will attend on Tuesday, 31st

January from 8.55am till 12.00 noon.

If you are aware that your child will be returning to

school on a different date, please ensure a written

note or email is forwarded to the office as soon as

possible.

OLOL Parent Body Association

A reminder that, as previously advised in our email

of 30th November, the Annual General Meeting will

be held on Wednesday, 14th December at 7.00pm.

High School Day

On Tuesday, 6th December, Year 6 were lucky

enough to participate in High School day. Teachers

from Gilroy Catholic College came to Our Lady of

Lourdes and gave us a taste of what high school

would be like.

We began the day with Period 1 which was Drama.

This enabled us to “let go”, which meant we could

play games such as bang, clumps, heads up hands

and what are you doing.

One of our favourites was Ancient History where we

were taken back to the period of Ancient Rome. We

learnt about Pompeii and the ash clouds, the

Emperor of Quin and of course about the Egyptians.

Year 6 really enjoyed the day and we would like to

thank Gilroy College for making the day possible.

Year 6 Students

Social Justice

Thank you to Ms DeLean and

the Social Justice Group for

organizing stalls and the talent

quest. Over $1,000 was raised

for the Cana Community to

provide gifts and Christmas food for the homeless.

Naplan

In May, Year 3 and Year 5 students took part in

NAPLAN - National Assessment Program - Literacy

and Numeracy, a national testing program to assess

the literacy and numeracy learning of students in all

Australian Schools. We are proud of our students‟

results and congratulate them on their efforts and

hard work.

Year 3 % in top 3 bands

Year 5 % in top 3 bands

Canteen

Thank you to all who have made our canteen a

success this year. I hope you enjoyed your time and I

greatly appreciate your help and friendship.

LAST DAY FOR CANTEEN IS

Monday, 16th December 2011

Canteen will reopen in 2012 on

Monday, 6th February

(Menu and prices attached to this newsletter)

We need volunteers for Term 1! Please contact me as

soon as possible with your availability for Term 1,

2012 on 0414 580 984 (call or sms).

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.

Thank you

Carol Asimus

SCHOOL EVENTS

December

Fri 9th

Christmas Concert 7.00pm

(Peter Kearney)

Sun 11th Third Sunday of Advent

Tues 13th End of Year Liturgy

Principal/Citizenship Awards 9.30am

Wed 14th P&F AGM 7.00pm

Fri 16th School year finishes

Oakhill College Enrolments 2013

Applications for enrolment into Year 7, 2013 will

close on Friday, 2nd March, 2012. Parents who wish

to apply for enrolment of their sons at Oakhill

College in Year 7 2013, and who have not yet

submitted an application form, are requested to

contact the Registrar before Friday, 2nd March,

2012.

Contact: Mrs Maryanne Cordina-Maree (Registrar)

on 9634 0802 or registrar@oakhill.nsw.edu.au.

Parish News

2nd Rite of Reconciliation

Christ the King - 7.00pm, Tuesday, 20th December.

OLOL - 7.00pm, Wednesday, 21st December.

Christmas Masses

Christmas Eve 24th December

5.30pm (Children‟s Mass)

8.00pm

Christmas Day 25th December

7.30am and 9.30am

State School

Reading 68% 83%

Writing 82% 98%

Spelling 72% 93%

Grammar and Punctuation 74% 95%

Numeracy 66% 88%

Data, Measurement,

Space and Geometry 61% 77%

Number, Patterns

and Algebra 65% 79%

State School

Reading 56% 68%

Writing 57% 77%

Spelling 62% 94%

Grammar and Punctuation 64% 96%

Numeracy 58% 81%

Data, Measurement,

Space and Geometry 61% 79%

Number, Patterns

and Algebra 61% 81%

SCHOOL TERMS FOR 2012

Please note all dates are inclusive

TERM COMMENCES CONCLUDES

Term 1 Friday, 27th January 2012 (Staff only)

Monday, 30th January, 2012 (Years 1-6)

Tuesday, 31st January, 2012 (Kinder ½ day)

Thursday, 5th April, 2012

Term 2 Monday, 23rd April, 2012 Friday, 29th June, 2012

Term 3 Monday, 16th July, 2012 Friday, 21st September, 2012

Term 4 Monday, 8th October, 2012 Friday, 21st December, 2012

School Band News

It‟s great to see so many Years 2-5 students returning their gold Expression of Interest notes. If your form was

returned, your child would have been able to try out some band instruments and decide which one suits best.

They would have been given an Enrolment Pack at this time which must be posted to us before December

16th, 2011. It is important to return packs by this date so students can start at the same time in 2012.

If your form was late or your child missed out on Testing, you can still download an Enrolment Pack at

www.duralmusic.com.au or email us and we will reply with the forms attached. Late enrolments may miss out

on instrument testing, however the sooner the gold form is returned the better the chances of getting tested.

For further information, please email your requests to info@teachingservices.com.au

Letter of Complaint

Our school has received a letter of complaint from a

Strata Management company acting on behalf of the

units opposite the school. Please be aware of the

following points:

1. Parents of your school park on the lawn, in visitors

car spaces and block access to our driveway at 2-4

Canyon Road

2. On numerous occasions when parents are kindly

asked to move their cars by our residents to allow

them to go out, they reply not so politely

3. We kindly ask that you request parents not park on

the grass or in visitors cars paces located within this

complex.

4. It was also noted that children have been playing

around the complex after school.

Theology on Tap: 12 December

Join Bishop Anthony Fisher OP at TOT where the

speakers will be four Sisters of Life, on tour from the

US. Topic: „Without Fear, Without Limits: Daring to

Live in the Love of Christ‟.

Venue: Commercial Hotel, 2 Hassall St, Parramatta.

Time: 6.30pm. No charge.

Details: www.TheologyOnTap.com.au

School Fees 2012

The Catholic Education Office is pleased to offer

families at our school the Flexible Payment Plan

(standard plan). Details of this plan will be attached

to your Term 1 School Fee Invoice in 2012.

The preferred method of payment for FPP is Direct

Debit, however the form will need to be completed

and lodged with Diocesan Development Fund by

23rd February, 2012.

Alternatively, families may elect to use BPAY but

would need to set this up by 8th March, 2012

directly in BPAY or with your bank so that the first

scheduled payment occurs.

Carols at Mt Schoenstatt: December 28 and 29

Come and enjoy the Christmas season with carol

singing at Mt Schoenstatt on December 28 and 29

from 7.00pm-8.00pm.

Children are invited to come dressed as angels,

shepherds, sheep and kings.

Venue: 230 Fairlight Rd, Mulgoa.

Details: Sr M Luka Junemann (02) 4773 8338

0439 537 843.