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Ms Angela Gilbert / Mrs Sarah Jackman
Mr Garry Birch / Mr Chris Golightly
Dear Parents & Carers
Well…that was one extremely busy and challenging term. Your kids have been amazing despite the disruptions caused by the building project, illness, tiredness and the everyday challenges of school life. The staff too have been a wonderful source of constant support and encouragement and we would not be able to do our jobs without your ongoing help in this vital partnership of raising and educating your wonderful children. On behalf of the staff and students I thank you for your engagement, co-operation and valued partnership.
The upcoming September holidays will hopefully provide some down time to recharge and realign mindsets to prepare for one final school term for the year. I am looking forward to spending quality time with our fabulous year 6 students as they embark on their final leg of their primary school journey. They have a lot to look forward to next term and I wish them all the best for a very enjoyable and memorable last few months of their time here at OLOL.
While school holidays are necessary for children to take a break from the various pressures and workload associated with school, unsupervised down time can at times lead to hidden pitfalls. Every generation, pre-teens and teenagers have always found a way to create problems for their parents and teachers. In the 50’s it was rock n roll, 60’s hippie culture, 70’s fashion blow outs, etc. This age group of course has and will always involve rebellious behaviour at some stage…it’s all part of growing up. I suppose each generation has had to deal with common issues such as drugs, alcohol consumption, body image, self-esteem, peer pressure, etc. However, with this generation it is the misuse of social media that has a real potential to cause problems with all involved.
I have been to many a conference and read numerous articles on the pitfalls of the misuse of social media and the associated complications it has for this age group to function as a normal member of society. Strong parenting is a common message but I believe it is too broad a statement for as every teenager is different so is every parent. We all have our own idea of what strong parenting is.
The best definition of what a strong parent is one that does not give in. The rule in our house when there were three teenage girls was… no mobile phone until Year 11 and no social media until you get home safely from schoolies!! Some people may think that this was harsh, but last time I looked they are all very happy and survived what they thought was concentration camp like conditions. Yes, they tried every trick in the book to convinced us of why they need a smart phone in Grade 7 and of course when they did get a phone downloaded snapchat, Facebook etc. without us knowing. But as I told them numerous times over the years, like me they had in the misfortune of having teachers as parents which means we have a lot of informants at our disposal so…no matter what…we will always find out!!
The following article provides wonderful advice and I urge every parent, no matter what age your children are, to take the time to read it. Do not fall for the trap in believing it won’t happen with my child and don’t wait till a problem arises. Be proactive and start now to instil correct and proper behaviour whilst using social media.
“It’s important to start conversations with children about using social media at a young age to prepare them to be savvy users when we’re not around.
“If a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well.”
This mantra always pops into mind whenever I am about to cut some corners or do a rushed job in any endeavour. As a result, I double-check every article I write for mistakes. I over prepare every talk I give. And I continually edit and re-edit my books. This message keeps me at the top of my game. I can thank, or blame, my mother for inserting this mantra in my mind as she repeated it whenever I did a rushed job as a youngster making my bed, doing homework or cleaning up my bathroom mess.
Parents of every generation have always found ways to frame messages of safety and success for their children to remember. Parents of past generations who only had to contend with the offline or real world intuitively knew that they needed to teach child important lessons about safety and manners rather than assume they will be understood.
The same maxim holds true for the world of social media that children now inhabit from an increasingly young age. Even though our children are growing up with technology as a part of their everyday lives, they will still make plenty of mistakes while using it. This means we need to have direct conversations with our kids about the comments and posts that are okay to make using social media of all forms.
As parents we teach our kids to talk politely and clearly so that they know how to speak to others when we are not around. In effect, we give our kids social scripts to fall back on when they talk to friends, teachers and relatives. There is no guarantee they’ll look an adult in the eye when they speak to them, but our discussions, reminders and lessons about manners will hopefully hold up when we’re not around. The same applies to social media. Our conversations and lessons will prepare them to be savvy users when we are not around. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- “Is this worth posting?” The relatively impersonal nature of social media means that we can post information and pictures with relative immunity. Also, its immediacy means that we can do so without much thought. This means that kids need to be very critical about what they see online. ‘Is this accurate?’ and ‘Is this worth posting?’ are two valid questions children can ask when they read posts placed by others.
- “Have you taken a big breath?” A child who blurts out everything that comes into his mind without thinking is sure to put plenty of people offside. ‘Think before you speak’ is the type of message that every child should have in mind. The same applies to social media. Just because they think something, does not mean they post it. ‘Take a big breath’ may just about be the most important message to give your kids about social media.
- “Do you want the Principal to see this?!” Inappropriate language, images or threats posted online cannot be withdrawn and even if deleted can be recovered by authorities if deemed necessary! The viral nature of social media means that kids should only post messages and photos that they want to be spread and read by a large audience.
- “How does this post make you feel?” We need to teach kids that not every post needs to be commented upon and not every thought needs to be shared, particularly when they are angry. Teaching them to walk away and then to step back in when they have calmed down is perhaps the most important communication lesson of all. It is very relevant to social media as emotions are often the last thing on many people’s minds when they haphazardly post a message.
- “How will you fix this?” Social media just like any social space requires kids to behave ethically and with kindness. When kids overstep the mark and post hurtful things then it’s fair that they fix their mistakes and apologise. It is reasonable that we teach our children to act with tolerance and with empathy online, and if mean things are posted then they should be expected to try to repair relationships through social media, just as they should offline. [Michael Grose]
“Parents should have conversations with children around social media before they reach the teenage years. Starting these conversations when they are younger means that they are more open to our parenting opinions, as well as being a little more amenable to the messages of tolerance, kindness and empathy that we need to encourage.”
[Galit Breen “Kindness Wins”]
Lourdes on the Lawn
Our major community building and school fundraising function for the year is our annual Lourdes on the Lawn event which will be held on Saturday 8th October 12:00 – 5:30 p.m. Fingers crossed for some glorious spring weather so we can all enjoy a fun afternoon with rides & disco for the kids and various live entertainment under the big marquee for the adults. Please refer to the attached flyer & trybooking link for further information.
2023 Intentions
We are currently in the process of planning staffing levels and drafting the 2023 school year budget. As a school’s overall enrolment level is the major influence on the budget and staffing levels, it is vitally important that we have accurate knowledge of class enrolment levels for 2023. If you are planning a move from Toowoomba or relocation to another school, we would greatly appreciate if you could let us know by the end of October.
Summer Uniform
A reminder that the changeover from the winter uniform to summer occurred at the beginning of last week. Consequently, all students should now be wearing the correct summer uniform. Please note, that the only days children wear their sports uniform are every Friday and the day they have PE lessons. The upcoming holidays would be a good time to ensure you children have all the necessary and correct summer uniform requirements. A detailed list can be found in our Parent Handbook via the school website.
Crazy Sock Day
Students are encouraged to support crazy sock day tomorrow with a gold coin donation. All funds raised will go directly to St. Vincent de Paul Society. A reminder that it is a free dress day…not just crazy socks. Don't forget, donations of new socks for the Base Soup Kitchen would also be appreciated.
Stop, Drop & Go
Thank you for your ongoing patience with our temporary stop, drop and go procedures. Naturally some days are better than others but generally it is working ok. Ensuring that your children know which time they will be picked up at and communicating this with your child’s teacher, helps with a more efficient operation. Delaying a 3:00p.m. pick up until 3:10 p.m. also helps, as it allows the kids time to walk to the zone and be ready to hop in the car.
We just require your co-operation and patience for another term and possibly a few weeks at the beginning of next year when we will return to normal school hours – 8:25 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. for all year levels following the completion of the building project. We will also return to the convenience of having two Stop, Drop and Go zones.
School Fees
Are you up to date with your school fees? Please don’t leave it too late in the year to check. Now is a good time to address any overdue invoices rather than leave it to the end of next term when any amount owed will be even higher. Thank you to all families who continue to meet their financial commitment to our school. This support allows us to continue to provide the best possible classroom resources, maintain facilities and assist in providing much needed support staff for the students and teachers.
End of Term Assembly
Our last school event for the term will be our end of term assembly this Friday at 12:00 p.m. Year 1 will be our hosts and all parents and friends are more than welcome to attend. Students are more than welcome to go home with their parents following the conclusion of the assembly at approximately 1:00 p.m.
Carnival of Flowers
Congratulations to our wonderful Gardner, Jo as well as the Gardening Club for taking out this years Best Students Garden and Best School Garden. This is the second year in a row we have won the Best School Garden award in the Carnvial of Flowers Competition.
New Staff Member 2023
I am very pleased to announce that Mr Michael Cash will be joining the Lourdes team in 2023 as our full time Learning Support Teacher. As some of you may know, Michael has been the Principal of St. Thomas More's School for the past 12 years. Michael is no stranger to OLOL, as he spent many years here as a teacher prior to his move into school leadership. Michael's involvement and leadership in the area of learning support has been a long term passion and he is very excited about taking on this new position here at OLOL in 2023. His experience, leadership capabilities and connection with the school and parish will prove most beneficial to the students, staff and families of OLOL. On behalf of the school community, I acknowledge and congratulate Michael on his highly successful tenure as Principal and I extend a warm welcome back to our wonderful school.
Admin Office
The School Office will be closed during the September school holidays. The office will reopen on Tuesday 4th October.
Thank you all again for your ongoing support and understanding of the challenges faced with temporary changes to routine this year.
Wishing everyone a safe and enjoyable break.
Chris
Mr Chris Golightly
Principal
Faith & Religious Education News
St Patrick's Cathedral
Last Thursday 1st September, the OLOL Captains and Sports Captains went to St Patrick's Cathedral to represent Our Lady of Lourdes at the Diocesan Mass celebration for Our Lady of the Southern Cross. Bishop Robert celebrated the Mass and reminded us that Our Lady - Mary the Mother of Jesus is our Patron Saint. The Painting of Our Lady is one that was completed by local artist - Jan Williamson. It represents the connection of how Our Lady watches over the people of the Darling Downs.
Janice
Janice Moore
Assistant Principal Religious Education (APRE)
Overdue Notices
Overdue notices were sent last week. Please look for items (desks, cars, under bags or behind cupboards are good places to start) and return them to us as soon as possible to avoid lost book fees. If you are having trouble finding books please pop in on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday to discuss with Mrs Leathart or Email: Danielle.Leathart@twb.catholic.edu.au
IntegratedSTEM
IntegratedSTEM lessons wrap up this Thursday for the year. Thanks to all those children who have participated in 2022. We cannot wait to see what is on offer in 2023.
Chess
On Tuesday September 6th Emilyn, Jake, Oscar, Walter and Samvit attended the Toowoomba Chess Tournament Teams Competition in Highfields. We would like to extend our congratulations to the team for their participation and behaviour on the day. They played admirably and we cannot wait to participate again next year. Thank you to Mr Lord for teaching the children at Lourdes how to play Chess. We look forward to Chess recommencing in 2023.
Book Club
Thank you for your support this term. Book Club Issue 6 Orders have been delivered and Book Club will return in Term 4.
Enjoy your books,
Mrs Leathart & Mrs Monte.