Well with only two and half weeks of the term left, how are the energy levels going? It is usually around this time when kids begin the show the tell tail signs of weariness. The homework routine starts to waiver, friendships are tested and resilience and persistence starts to drop. It is not only the students who start to feel the strain of a busy school term, parents do as well. We know the amount of effort which goes into parenting. From the preparedness of each school day and school events to the after school and weekend extra-curricula activities, parents are pushed to the limit.

It is at times like these that everyone especially the significant adults in the lives of children make a concerted effort to keep going. Don’t forget, your child’s teacher is your ally. The continuation of open communication and support is vital for the ongoing emotional health of your children. It is vital that parents and teachers continue to promote persistence by encouraging children to keep going and not give in at the slightest hurdle or difficulty.

The ability to persist at a task and see it through to the end is one of the most import success attributes that you can develop in a child. There are numerous times in the school year where children must persist rather than give in. A young child learning to tie their shoelace must persist. Students need determination to complete set tasks.

Children need to be able to persist when work gets tough, life seems hard or relationships are not so positive. It is vital that they learn to work through difficulties and hang in their when things don’t go their way. Some children are naturally more predisposed to persist than others. They have a determined, even competitive streak in their temperament that does not allow them to give in.

Research has shown that persistence is one temperamental factor that can be improved over time. Parents and teachers can develop persistence in children and impede its development by making life too easy for children so that they don’t have opportunities to persist or hang in there.

Parents can be sounding boards for their children’s gripes but they should show confidence in their ability to cope and get through periods of difficulty. “You Can Do It” is far more powerful in terms of promoting an attitude or persistence than “if it’s a little too hard, then try something else.”

Let children know that there is a direct link between effort and success. In fact, they need to learn that by giving effort they will more than likely experience more success. The ability to persist in the face of difficulties maybe an old fashioned quality but it is one of the best success attributes that children will ever develop.

If you detect a drop in persistence, try these practical strategies to rejuvenate effort levels: -

Use and display a vocabulary for persistence. For example, “Hang Tough”, “Work Hard”, “Hang in There”.

Catch them out when they stick at a task. Similar to the effectiveness in catching them out and acknowledging when they make good choices in behaviour. Let them know when they have been persistent and remind them their efforts will pay off.

Remind children when they experienced success by hanging in there. Let them know if that their persistence has paid off before and it will happen again.

Talk about hard work with your children. Tell them about family members who work hard. They need to understand that to be successful they need to do things that are not always fun and easy. While it would be good for all work and learning was fun, but in reality, this is not always the case.

Good luck and hang in there…not long to go now!

Swimming:

A reminder that school swimming lessons for Grades 4-6 commence next Monday. An online consent form was sent home some weeks ago. It is most important that this consent form is completed for every child. No consent form, no swim. These lessons are conducted each day next week at the Glennie Pool. Classes are bused to and from the pool for their lessons. Please ensure your child has everything they need for swimming packed each day in a separate bag and clearly name all belongings.

Cross Country Carnival:

I am certainly looking forward to our upcoming Cross Country Carnival which will be held at Newtown Park on Monday 27^th March. Please refer to the P.E. News in the newsletter for all the details. A reminder for the students to wear their new sporting house polo shirts. The shirts look great, and provide for a great spectacle on the day. The shirts can be purchased from the school via Flexischools for $25. 

School Fees:

A thank you to all families who have already paid this term’s school fees or who have set up a regular payment scheme. Your prompt payment allows the school to meet its financial commitments, so I really do appreciate your support. It would be great to have all families up to date with school fee payments or committed to direct debits etc., by the end of the term. Delaying payment of school fees only compounds the debt owed to the school as the year goes on. 

Thanks for reading…. 

Chris

Mr Chris Golightly
Principal

When developing the traits of a learner, we are promoting positive dispositions (the habits of thinking and doing). A student’s disposition to learning affects the attitude with which they learn. A positive disposition supports positive learning outcomes. These dispositions can help students to ‘look’ like a learner. 

This week, we move on to the third trait of our Teaching & Learning motto, ‘Lourdes Learners are CALLed to Think as both a Learner and Global Citizen.’            

Look as a Learner

For tracking progress, providing feedback, and assessing achievement, we encourage our students to look for learning intentions and success criteria so they can self-assess where they are at with their learning. Using the 6Bs (their brain, board, book, buddy, boss, or browser), students are urged to help their own learning by looking for prior learning, vocabulary, or examples of what success looks like. Looking for ways to support peers and consolidate their understanding, students are asked to share their learning. This is what it means to Look like a Lourdes Learner.

Look as a Global Citizen

When we consider how we Look like a Global Citizen, we are emphasising the value of looking beyond our own interests. Acknowledging that all humans are shaped by different circumstances and cultures, we can endeavour to see things from different perspectives and respect one another. What we do locally, affects us globally, and seeing and recognising this helps us to act. At Lourdes, we want to encourage our students to look at the world critically so that they can make a difference for the better, not only for themselves but for those around them and ultimately for the good of all humanity.

Parent Teacher Interviews

By now you would have received instructions on how to book an interview time and hopefully, you have already booked a time to meet with your child’s teacher. The registration window in the Parent Portal closes at 5pm on Friday 16th March.

No doubt parents and carers will be impressed with the level of preparation and dedication that our teachers put in to prepare for the interviews. These interviews provide an opportunity to discuss your child’s learning progress, goals, behaviour, study habits, and/ or learning support plans, along with the traits of a Lourdes Learner.

Not only is it an opportunity for parents to gain an insight into their child’s day at school, but it is also a wonderful opportunity for teachers to learn more about their students from their parents or carers. Collaborative discussions with a focus on positive ways forward for continual improvement and growth will be most beneficial for teachers, parents, and ultimately our students.

NAPLAN

NAPLAN testing for our Year 3 and 5 students will take place this week on the 15- 17 March. There will be an opportunity to do catch-up tests in Week 9, however, Year 3 Writing test must be completed by Monday 20 March. A timetable with extra information and tips was emailed to the Year 3 and 5 parents last week.

Thanks for reading

Miranda

Miranda Murray
Assistant Principal

It’s St Patrick’s Day on tomorrow, Friday 17^th March – St Patrick is the patron Saint of Ireland – Many of the early settlers, catholic priests, nuns and brothers who came to Australia were from Ireland. These priests, nuns and brothers were the teachers who taught the Catholic Faith in the early catholic schools around Australia. We honour St Patrick by remembering his special day. St Patrick taught the people of Ireland about the Trinity – the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit by using a clover leaf – 3 leaves on the one stem. Just like we believe the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit are one.

Please wear your weird and wonderful sun safe green outfits and bring a gold coin donation to celebrate St Patrick’s Day on Friday. (Year 5 and 6 -  you will need to bring your sports clothes for Friday Sport.) We will raise some more money for the Caritas Lenten Appeal. Our Pancake Day on Shrove Tuesday raised $375.50 which was a great start to our Caritas Appeal.  Each Friday is “50c Friday” for Lent – every little bit helps those in need.

We thank the Year 4 classes for their thoughtful assemblies about kindness and friendship. Today's assembly will be led by Year 2D. Please note there is no Assembly in Week 9 due to the 4-6 swimming commitments.

The next preparation meeting for our Confirmation and First Eucharist participants is on Sunday 26^th March at 10:30 pm in the OLOL Church. If you have any questions, queries please direct them to the Parish Office – Office hours are 9am – 1 pm weekdays, email: oloparish@bigpond.com  phone contact: 46 34 1453.

We have our whole school Holy Week Stations of the Cross Prayer at 11 am on Thursday 30^th March in the OLOL hall. Please come along to pray with us.

Calling for photos of Mothers and their Children for our Mother’s Day Mass (Friday 12^th  May 10am) next term – Take One photo per family over the Easter Holidays ready for next term!  Email to Janice.Moore@twb.catholic.edu.au   Please ensure photos are at school no later than Friday 5^th May.

Diary Dates:

Term 1

Thursday 30^th March – Whole School Holy Week Stations of the Cross Prayer- 11 am OLOL School Hall

Term 2

Monday 17^th April – Pupil Free Day

Tuesday 18^th April – Term 2 begins 

Sunday  23^rd April – 3rd Confirmation/First Eucharist Preparation Meeting at 10:30 am in OLOL Church

Monday 24^th April – OLOL Anzac Day Reflection 2:00 pm – OLOL Hall – Lead by Year 5      

Sunday 7^th May   - 4^th Confirmation/First Eucharist Preparation Meeting at 10:30 am in OLOL Church         

Friday  12^th May – OLOL Mother’s Day Mass 10 am and Morning tea – Mother's Day Photos sent to Mrs Moore by 5/5/2023

Monday 15^th May – Practise for Confirmation Sacrament 3:30 pm in OLOL Church

Tuesday 16th May- Sacrament of Confirmation 7 pm OLOL Church

Thursday 18^th May – Practise for First Eucharist Sacrament 3:30 pm in the OLOL Church

Sunday 21^st May –Sacrament for First Eucharist – 11 am OLOL Church

Have a blessed week!

Janice

Janice Moore
Assistant Principal Religious Education (APRE)

Prep

The season of Lent is progressing nicely in Prep. We are becoming more aware of how to treat others, start our day with a smile and be on the look out for anyone who needs a helping hand. Well Done, Preppies!

The Prep children will lead the school in the Holy Week Assembly on the 30^th March in the hall. We will sing and dramatize Palm Sunday. Parents are welcome to attend - the performance begins at 11am.

We have completed the animal section of our Science unit by having a visit from a local pet shop and a farm visit. We now know the features of mammals, reptiles and birds and move on to the difference between fruit and vegetables.

Our Family unit in History has been very interesting - thank you parents for completing your homework. This week we will graph our results ( linking to Maths) to compare the numbers in each family.

We continue to practise for cross country on the 27^th March at Newtown Park. Parents are welcome to come along and cheer us on.

Nearly at the end of our first term together - let’s finish strong!

We look forward to chatting with you at our Term 1 Interviews - please sign up if you haven’t already done so.

Thanks,

Melita, Liz and Loretta

Year 1

Welcome to week 8! Our year one learners continue developing routines and thinking strategies to help them become better Lourdes Learners.

In Maths, the children have explored doubles as a strategy to use to solve addition problems in their head. Most of the children know their doubles to 10. Could you please help your child practice the doubles facts from 10 to 20. If you require a doubles poster to display in your home, please ask your child’s teacher.

In Maths, the children will now revise all term one work. One focus will be two-digit numbers and consolidating understandings of tens and ones.

The children enjoyed imagining they were living in the time of Jesus and participated in sharing a meal together, just like Jesus would have done with His followers. During the meal, the children discussed times when others had been kind to them.

Thank you for working with your child to complete their homework each week. The spelling words will now start getting harder, so more time may be needed to practice these words.

We are looking forward to catching up with you during our parent-teacher interviews. Thank you to those who have already signed up for an interview.

Have a great week.

Jen, Dennielle and Laura

Year 2

Welcome to Week 8! This week, we are continuing to develop our literary retell skills and next week will be writing our own retell of the story Lucy Goosey. We were excited to welcome some year 2 children as independent readers – Mrs. Leathart and Mrs. Monte were very proud.  In Maths, we are exploring data and how it can be collected and displayed, using tallies, tables and graphs.

Tomorrow, we will celebrate St Patrick’s Day - remember to come dressed in your sun safe green outfit and bring a gold coin for our Caritas Project Compassion Appeal

Next Thursday morning, the Year 2 classes will walk to Newtown Park to participate in a prayer retreat led by Mrs Moore. Students are asked to bring along a towel to sit on at the park and to ensure they bring their water bottle.  

On the last day of term, Thursday 30^th March, each class will be presenting part of the Holy Week story at our whole-school reflection. Families are welcome to join us at 11am in the school hall.

Have a great week

Sarah, Ange B and Ange G

Year 3

Wow, Week 8 already! It’s crazy how quickly this term has gone.

Our focus in Mathematics this week is on money. Students will be learning to identify, order, count, and use Australian coins and notes. This can be a challenging concept, due to the limited use of cash these days (particularly since COVID-19), so if you would like any tips, tricks, or activities to reinforce the concept at home, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. Exercises such as counting loose change in the car/your wallet, paying for items at the shops with cash, and role-playing shopping/giving change, go a long way in supporting students’ understanding of money.

In English, students are practicing writing narrative texts using engaging elements such as noun groups, descriptive language, and different sentence styles (Adverb start, Preposition start, W start, and Red, White, and Blue). They are continuing to locate clues to answer different styles of questions in reading and annotating a range of texts. In HASS, students are consolidating their knowledge of Australia in preparation for their assessment in the coming weeks. Students will also be working towards their assessment in Health and Science.

This week, students are participating in NAPLAN testing. We are so proud of students’ positive mindsets towards NAPLAN testing and their motivation to do their best. The timeline for NAPLAN is as follows:

Wednesday:

Writing (40 minutes): 8:40am - 9:20am

Thursday:

Reading (45 minutes): 8:40am - 9:25am

Conventions of Language (45 minutes): 11:15am - 12:00am

Friday:

Numeracy (45 minutes): 8:40am - 9:35am

There will be an opportunity to do catch-up tests in Week 9, however Year 3 Writing test must    be completed by Monday 20 March.

A reminder that:

• NAPLAN is about making sure your child is on track in the important areas of literacy and numeracy.
• NAPLAN helps you see your child's growth and achievements.
• NAPLAN isn't high stakes testing and it amounts to less than 16 hours over 7 years of schooling.

Due to NAPLAN testing this week, we will not be sending any new homework home. This is to allow students to 'reset' and rest at home, after a big week.

Well done to all students for their fantastic participation, sportsmanship, and efforts at Gala Day last week. It was a wonderful opportunity for students to work as a team with a range of other local schools and enjoy Rugby League Tag. We are thankful to Mr Golightly and Mrs Wann for organising the Gala day for Year 3.

We have been very pleased with student behaviours and attitude towards learning, especially at this point in the term, when students' exhaustion is at its peak. We thank you for your efforts in ensuring your children get a good sleep each night and start each day with a good breakfast.

We look forward to sharing students’ work, progress, and goals at Parent Teacher Interviews next week. If you have not yet booked an interview, there are still available timeslots, so please contact your child’s classroom teacher. It is a great opportunity to check in and view your child’s hard work this term!

Have a great weekend and please email through any questions.

Demi, Toni and Garry

Year 4

Welcome to Week 8!  Can you believe that there are just over two weeks left in this Term?  Firstly, we would like to encourage all parents to be checking their emails for permission slips for swimming which is next week, and Gala Day which is Tuesday of Week 10. We will also be celebrating Holy Week on Thursday of Week 10.

Regarding swimming next week, we would encourage all students to wear their sports uniform every day, as it makes it easier for the children to change.  Don’t forget towel, thongs, goggles, and underwear.  We have found in the past that the children are usually extra hungry in swimming week, so perhaps extra food needs to be packed.  For Gala Day, all students need to be at school on time so that we can catch the buses to Kearney Springs.  Students will wear their sports uniform, bring a packed morning tea (there is no canteen) and we will be back at school at lunchtime.  Parents are welcome to come and watch, but they are not to sit with their children.

Tomorrow is St Patrick’s Day – it is our first Free Dress Day of the year. To fit with the theme of the day, children are encouraged to wear green or orange and bring a gold coin as a donation to Caritas. Well done to those students who have been training for Cross Country before school – we look forward to seeing you compete on the Monday of Week 10.  All other students will be encouraged to participate in the Fun Run to gain points for your house.  May the best team win!

All classes are working hard to fit in all the learning and assessment in the short available time, so we would encourage all students to attend if possible.

Suzanne, Aleisha, Jessica and Danielle

Year 5

Curriculum and Assessment:

As we enter the last weeks of Term 1, our students are in the final assessment phase of the Term. This will include:

• English - Completing their descriptive writing where students are creating a short narrative on a disaster event. The focus is on descriptive writing using figurative language (simile, metaphor, personification) and noun groups. Students are expected to be able to identify these language features in their own, and others writing.
• Religion – Students are creating an informative poster to demonstrate their understanding of how the Holy Spirit can be represented and what it looks like in action in our local community.
• Maths – Completion of our chance impact cycle and moving into place value/decimal revision ready for Term 2.
• HASS – finishing of their Bushfire/Flood brochure which outlines what they are, map of risk, impacts, preparation, and survival.
• Science - Students are completing an information booklet that details their knowledge and understanding of the processes that change the Earth's surface (weathering, erosion, transportation and deposition) and asks students to include thoughtful ways to prevent further damage to the Earth's surface from weathering and erosion.

NAPLAN: This week is NAPLAN week for our Year 5 students. Our focus during this time will be on maintaining positive mindsets and displaying the Lourdes Learner mentality. The timeline for NAPLAN was emailed out to families last week. A reminder that:

• NAPLAN is about making sure your child is on track in the important areas of literacy and numeracy.
• NAPLAN helps you see your child's growth and achievements.
• NAPLAN isn't high stakes testing and it amounts to less than 16 hours over 7 years of schooling.

What you can do at home:

• Arrive to school on time on the day of NAPLAN testing.
• Ensure students have a good sleep and a full breakfast before the test.
• Remind students that it is a one point in time assessment and that all they need to do is their best.
• Maintain a positive attitude and mindset.
• Check with your children they have their headphones at school in preparation for NAPLAN.

Homework:

Due to NAPLAN, swimming in week 9 and the other assessment taking place; there will be no set homework for year 5 for the remainder of the term. Students are encouraged to continue reading, and practising areas that they know need continued consolidation (eg. Maths – factors, multiples, multiplication strategies; English – sentence types and writing descriptively).

Swimming is in week 9:

Thanks to all those who have given permission via parent portal, if you have not given permission, please complete at your earliest convenience. Sports uniform can be worn each day in week 9 as it is easier for students to change. As we swim in the middle session, students will change at school.  Remember girls to wear one piece please. Please ensure they have thongs, sandals or slides for walking to and from the pool. Our camp activities in Term 4 are heavily water based, so students are expected to participate in swimming lessons.  

Jess, Emily and Amy

Year 6

Last week, we finished our class novel “Home to Mother”, the children’s version of “Rabbit Proof Fence”. We are currently working on personal reflections of the message from this powerful novel. We also read “Sorry Day” to assist in our understanding of what we have read. Students’ daily writes, summaries of chapters and reflections on characters and settings, have shown great improvement throughout the term. We’re looking forward to students’ personal reflections on the messages contained within the story, due Monday 20^th March.

Reading rotations have progressed well this term too. We have been focussing on inferential skills – thinking about what the author is trying to tell me and what I already know and making connections. We’ve also been learning how to use our own ideas and experiences, give personal opinion to texts and talking about how texts impact thinking.

We’re currently working on using familiar fractions, decimals and percentages to approximate calculations, such as, 0.3 of 180 is about a 1/3 of 180 or 52% is about a ½ in Mathematics. Any extra work that can be done on learning this concept at home will be most beneficial. This cycle will continue for one week and then we’ll begin our final concept for this term: cross sections of 3D shapes. We’ll be working with play doh – if any families are adept at making play doh and would like to donate, please send these into class teachers by Friday 17^th March.

In Religion, students presented a PowerPoint on a great Australian Catholic. Students worked with a partner and analysed how the great Australian’s faith had played an important role in how they lived their lives and gave back to society. We also completed two assessments last week showing our knowledge of the corporal and spiritual works of mercy and how we can live these in our daily lives.

We’re pleased to report that our students’ executive functioning skills, in particular organisation, are improving! Students are remembering their own passwords, submitting work in a timely manner and remembering what to take to each class.  These are no easy feats, but we believe, achievable for all Year Six students.

Finally, we’ve had a couple of supply teachers visit the Year 6 classrooms over the past week or so. Three of them have taken the time to complement us on the exceptional behaviour, leadership and focus of this year’s Year 6 students – well done 2023 leaders!

Communication with teachers when ill, absent:

It would be appreciated if parents could communicate with class teachers when students are ill and how long their length of absence is expected to be.  A reminder that most class work will be uploaded to Canvas for students to complete at home, if well enough.

Parent Teacher Interviews:

Interviews will be held during weeks 9 and 10 of this term.

Assembly:

6C will lead their final assembly for this term today. No assembly during Week Nine due to swimming. We’ll complete the term with a Holy Week assembly, in the hall, at 11:00am on Thursday 30th March. After the holidays, 6F will perform the resurrection as the culminating performance to the Holy Week assembly. This performance will be on Wednesday 19^th April at 2:00pm. 

Darling Downs Swimming:

Congratulations to Skye who gained selection in the Darling Downs Swimming Team. Skye will compete at the State Championships in Brisbane during the last week of term.

Darling Downs Touch Football:

Congratulations to Izzy who has been selected in the Darling Downs Touch Football Team, which will compete at the State Championships in Cairns in May.

Assessment:

We’re pleased families are appreciating assessment that has been forwarded home.  This is proving to be a fantastic way to keep parents in the loop about what we’ve been doing in class and to share how students are progressing. 

Final week of Friday Sport:

Tomorrow will be the final week of Friday sport for Term 1. We won’t participate in competitive Friday sport during Term 2. Students will instead, begin preparations for the athletics season.

Swimming:

A reminder that swimming lessons at Glennie take place during Week 9. Emails have been sent home with what to bring, costs and times of lessons. All students are encouraged and expected to attend unless they have a medical exclusion.

On the Assessment Calendar:

27th March – Hass – Short Answer Quiz

28th March – Saints Report

28th March – Science Forms Quiz

Kind regards

Kylie, Shauna and Tim

Visual Arts

Prep

The Preps have created a nest picture for the letter “n”, using pastel and water colours. This week they will experience making patterns with marbles for their, marbled mouse picture.

Year 1

The year 1’s have moved on to the story “Wombat Stew”. Last week they started  drawing their wombat and created texture using zig zag lines and a variety of shades of brown for his fur. This week we hope to complete our wombat with pictures of all the ingredients the animals added to the stew.

Year 2

The Year 2’s have explored symmetry  to create a lucky four leaf clover. They had to use a ruler to measure the size of their shamrock, to ensure each section was exactly a quarter. To decorate we are continuing to draw inspiration from famous POP artists such Romero Britto.

Romero Britto (born October 6, 1963 ) is a Brazilian artist, painter, serigrapher, and sculptor. He combines elements of cubism, pop art, and graffiti painting in his work, using vibrant colors and bold patterns as a visual expression of hope, dreams, and happiness.

Year 5

The year 5’s are continuing to work on their abstract cows. They are looking incredible, very bright and a lot of fun. I am sure they will brighten any room you choose to hang it in.

Year 6

The year 6’s are about half way through their sunset picture. So far, they have blended colours to create a subtle sunset using the colours purple, pink, white and blue. They have then added the mountains and sun. This week we will paint in the final features. Did you know that in Italian the word for sunset is “tramonto”, which literally translates to through the mountains.

Italian

The animal books for our buddies were a great hit, the year1’s and Preps were very impressed! We are moving onto our families this week and describing how many people we have in our families.

Signora Simmons

Our Lady of Lourdes Choir 2023

We would like to invite students from grades 3 - 6 to join!

To have a successful school choir it is important that students recognise the importance of attending rehearsals and performances. Weekly rehearsals are held in the church each Monday during morning tea time.  
Parents, I would ask you to encourage your child to honour their commitment to choir for the duration that it is running in 2023. From time to time, our choir may be invited to perform for special events off campus. Permission notes for such events will be sent to families as they arise. 

Permission to join the choir was forwarded home to parents via the Parent Portal however the closing date has now past.  If your child would like to join the choir please contact Mrs. Rosier via email Ebony.Rosier@twb.catholic.edu.au

Upcoming Dates

• Please note the updated date for DD swimming. It was incorrectly recorded in the school calendar.

Cross Country Training – Updated Days/Dates

The Our Lady of Lourdes Cross Country Carnival will be held on Monday 27^th of March at Newtown Park.  In preparation for this event, we will be running a cross country training program, as below:

• PLEASE NOTE – STUDENTS ARE TO BE DROPPED OFF AT THE PARK AT 7:30AM.
• PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU WALK YOUR CHILDREN TO THE MEETING PLACE AND CHECK THEM IN WITH THE STAFF MEMBER PRESENT.
• FOLLOWING TRAINING WE WILL WALK BACK TO SCHOOL AS A GROUP.
• IMPORTANT: As part of the risk assessment process for Cross Country Running, all students that run the competitive track must be of sound fitness. ALL STUDENTS wishing to run the competitive track must also have a SIGNED CONSENT form. See below for further details.

OLOL Cross Country Carnival - Monday 27th March 2023 – 8:30-1:00pm – Newtown Park

Prep- Grade 2 Fun Run

• Approximate run time 9:00 – 10:00am
• Students will walk to Newtown Park in Class Groups.
• Prep, Grade 1 and 2 students will run an extended lap of the oval (approximately 600m).
• The following ribbons and house points will be presented to students in Prep – Grade 2:

• Race Order: Grade 2 boys, Grade 2 Girls, Grade 1 Boys, Grade 1 Girls, Prep Boys & Prep Girls.
• After these races, the P-2 students will return to school.

Grade 3-6 Competitive Cross-Country Event

• Approximate starting time – 10:00am
• Students will walk to Newtown Park in class groups.
• Following the P-2 Fun Run, Grade 3-6 students will participate in a competitive cross-country race.
• Students will need to nominate for this event. Only students that have completed the consent form will be allowed to run in the competitive event for their age group. Please click on the link below to give your consent.

CLICK HERE TO GIVE YOUR CONSENT FOR THE 2023 COMPETITIVE CROSS COUNTRY EVENT

These times are approximate and subject to change. 

The following ribbons/medallions and house/individual points will be presented to students in 9-12 years:

• As with Athletics and swimming, all students in grade 3 who are born in 2015 (8 years), have attended training and wish to run the competitive event, will participate in the 2014/ 9 year’s category. However, as they are not of appropriate age, they will not be eligible for age championship points, nor will they be eligible to continue to the West Zone Carnival. These students will be awarded a place ribbon and 4 participation points, regardless of finishing place. Please see me if you require further clarification on this.
• The first 6 place getters, in the 10/11/12 Years age categories, will be offered the opportunity to represent the school at the West Zone Cross Country Carnival. There are qualification times in place for this event which students must run to be eligible.  These times will be adhered to regardless of whether students finished in the top 6 at our school carnival. 

9-year-olds are not eligible to compete at West Zone.

• The course will be marked with markers and marshals will be stationed around the course.
• After the races, we will have presentations and return to school by 1:00pm. This is subject to change.

Grade 3-6 Fun Run

• This event is open to ALL grade 3-6 students, regardless of whether they have already run the Competitive Cross-Country Race.
• The event will be 1 lap around the competitive cross-country course.
• All students will be encouraged to at least walk the track.
• All students who participate will receive one (1) point for their house.

In the Morning before coming to School

• Please apply sunscreen before coming to school and remind the children to apply more throughout the morning.
• Students are also required to bring their morning tea and lunch with them. Depending on time, we will eat morning tea and possibly lunch at the park. 
• It is crucial that the children drink lots of water, so please make sure they have a water bottle.
• PUFFERS and EPI-PENS – please make sure your child has their own with them if required.
• Please make sure students have been to the toilet prior to arriving at school. While there are toilets available at the park, we would rather avoid using them where possible.
• Students will walk to Newtown Park in Class Groups.

Spectators

Spectators are welcome to attend.

Volunteers

If you are available to help set up in the morning, we will be down at the park from 7:30am.  Grade 6 students are also asked to arrive at 7:30am to assist with setting up.

Term 1 Swimming Lessons – Grade 4-6

Lesson Times:

Just as with any other classes, swimming is part of the curriculum and children are expected to participate unless a note of explanation is provided.  Participation in this program is highly recommended, for the students in grades 5 & 6, as many of the activities on camp are water-based.

We respectfully ask parents and other spectators to refrain from attending swimming lessons. It is important that the children are focused on their instructor and what they need to do in the pool. We appreciate your support.

It is a mandatory requirement that permission be sought from parents and guardians prior to the commencement of lessons. Please click on the link below to give your consent:

CLICK HERE TO GIVE YOUR CONSENT FOR GRADES 4-6 SWIMMING LESSONS

Please complete a separate form for each child.

PLEASE RESPOND BY FRIDAY 10th MARCH 2023

Grade 4 T-Ball Gala Day

During Week 10 of this term the Year 4 students will attend the Catholic Schools T-Ball Gala Day. This is a social carnival aimed at providing students with further opportunity to participate in team sport.

Please make sure your child is at school no later than 8:20am

Prep – Grade 1 Gymnastics Excursions

The Prep – Grade 1 students will participate in a gymnastics lesson each term this year. Please see the details below.  If any updated information becomes available, it will be posted in the school newsletter or sent via email.

The lessons will be age and developmentally appropriate and fully supervised by qualified coaches. 

Calendar Update

Please make note of the following changes to this year’s sporting calendar:

• Darling Downs 10-12 years Regional Track & Field Trials:

Monday 14^th August (1500m after school at Glennie) and Tuesday 15^th August (Full day at Harristown SHS).

Representative Sport—Toowoomba & Darling Downs Teams

Throughout the course of the year Toowoomba Primary School Sport and Darling Downs School Sport offer trials to eligible students for a variety of team and individual sports.  To be eligible for selection, students need to be born in 2013, 2012 or 2011. Strict nomination requirements apply, and it is at the sole discretion of the school to decide whether to nominate individual students. 

In order to gain interest levels and an idea of previous experience, an electronic representative Sport Nomination Form has been sent out.  This form outlines all relevant information regarding the trials for the whole of 2023.  Please thoroughly read all information. If your child is of a high standard in their chosen sport/s and would like to be considered for nomination, please complete the nomination form.  No student will be nominated for a trial without a completed form.

Here is the LINK to nominate a student. Please submit a new response for each individual child.

Please see below for upcoming trial dates. Please ensure that you confirm these details when the trial notice is released.

Congratulations to the following students on their selection:

Our Lady of Lourdes Sportsperson of the Year update

This is an award to recognise the most outstanding male and female sportsperson of the year. Contribution to the sporting life of the school, by way of school carnival and Friday sport participation, and selection in representative teams, would make a student a worthy nominee of this award.  Emphasis will also be placed on attitude and approach to the sporting life of Lourdes.  Only students who turn 10, 11 or 12 in the current school year will be eligible.  Only school sport results will be considered, not club sports results.  Below is an overview of the updated points’ structure.  Please note that this will be used as a guide only.  The final decision will be at the sole discretion of the school administration. 

Rachel.Wigan@twb.catholic.edu.au

Rugby League Tag

On Monday 6th March, the Year 3 students participated in the Rugby League Tag Gala Day. It was an extremely hot day and all teams played around 4 games each. Thank you to Toni, Garry, Demi and Jasmine for all your help and support on the day, the students thoroughly enjoyed the games and developed their skills whilst mixing with children from other schools. We were lucky enough to have Shenae Ciesiolka and Jada Ferguson who play for the Brisbane Broncos and are also Australian Rugby League Footballers, at the event, to referee and give tips to the children throughout the day. The students demonstrated great sportsmanship and represented Our Lady of Lourdes with pride. Thank you to Mal Sweeney, the NRL Development Officer in the Darling Downs for inviting our school to be a part of this exciting sporting experience.

Basketball

On Tuesday 7^th and Wednesday 8^th March the students in Year 3, 4, 5 and 6 were fortunate to have a former NBL Basketball player come to Our Lady of Lourdes to run basketball clinics. Daniel Sims is now a coach for the Toowoomba Mountaineers and attends schools in Toowoomba teaching basketball skills to students. The students thoroughly enjoyed learning from Daniel and participated with enthusiasm throughout the sessions. The highlight for the students was when Daniel showed them his slam dunk skills. Daniel is a slam dunk champion, winning 3 slam dunk competitions around the world. Thank you to Daniel for sharing his wealth of knowledge and skills of basketball to the students at Our Lady of Lourdes.

Kara

Kara Wann

PE Teacher

Library Reminders 

Please remember to send in Library Bags on your child/ren’s library day each week. We spend time each week helping students pick out books to enjoy both in the classroom and at home. We use iPick to help students think about their book choices. We are  available at Lunch Breaks and before school (from 8am) to help student do a quick swap if they are away on their library day or if they forget their books. Don’t forget, parents can visit and borrow an additional 10 items anytime.  

Monday – 1M / 4V 

Tuesday – 2G / 2D / 1T / 1B / 4T 

Wednesday – Prep W / Prep H / 2B / 3GB / 3L / 3G 

Thursday – 5C / 5P / 5M / 6F / 6M / 6C 

Friday - 4L 

Library Website - ACCESSIT 

For all you bookish needs head to the library catalogue -- Lourdes Library - AccessIt   

Sunshine Online 

Finished all the books you have borrowed? Try reading a digital book together…  https://library.sunshineonline.com.au/login/student  Username: lourdes2 Password: lourdes123 

Typing Tournament 

Typing for 30 minutes each week at home in a great way to develop keyboard familiarisation and touch typing. Add it to your Homework routine or include it as a screen time activity each week . This is a paid subscription and students will need logon details. Contact their class teacher or Danielle.Leathart@twb.catholic.edu.au if there are any password issues. A link for Typing Tournament can be found at: Lourdes Library - AccessIt   

Why is the library a great place to be?  

Because we LOVE TO READ! This week our reading display is full of books that encourage us to think as Global Citizens and care (be stewards) for our planet.  

And we love to celebrate special days throughout the year. There has been lots of themed colouring completed this week at lunch breaks. Wishing you all a very HAPPY and GREEN St Patrick’s Day. We are looking forward to seeing everyone dressed up on Friday 17th March.               

Chess Lessons 

Our Chess group have been coming along each week and are combining game play and lessons to increase their game. Please be aware that Chess concludes in Week 9 for Term 1. There will be no lessons in Week 10 of Term 1 or Week 1 of Term 2.  Keep an eye out in the Portal for Term 2 Permission notes early next term. If you have any questions about Chess please see Mrs Leathart or email: Danielle.Leathart@twb.catholic.edu.au  

Book Club 

Issue 2 Orders to be placed by Friday 17th March by 3pm. For any issues with Book Club please contact Danielle.Leathart@twb.catholic.edu.au.  To order Book Club please download the LOOP App. Instructions below. We are unable to accept CASH orders for Book Club. All orders must be placed using the online LOOP Platform. 

Thank-you and keep reading.  

Enjoy your books – Mrs Monte and Mrs Leathart ? 

Mrs Leathart & Mrs Monte

Teagan

Teagan Harch
Tuckshop Convenor