School Photos

School photos are scheduled to take place next week on Monday 10th March and all students are required to be in their full summer uniform (details on uniform and uniform standards are below).

Syd Owen from Owen Studios, will email families with details for ordering and payment. 

Students who have siblings here at the school will automatically have sibling photos taken and there is no need to specifically request this.

Uniform Standards

• Long hair must be tied up (long hair is deemed to be hair that is at/or longer than shoulder length).
• Hair is to be neat and tidy, and worn off the face.
• Hair accessories must be in school colours and this includes ribbons, headbands, clips or scrunchies.
• Shoes should be in good condition and polished.
• Watches are permitted.
• Small sleepers or studs (gold or silver) may be worn in both ears (one earing in each ear for girls).
• No bracelets, wristbands, bangles, rings, necklaces, anklets, coloured studs, etc are allowed.
• No Necklaces (Christian medals/cross on chain around the neck is permitted to be worn if underneath uniform where it cannot be seen).
• Nail polish is not to be worn

Dear Families,

With the halfway point of Term 1 now behind us, we continue to maintain a strong focus on student learning and engagement. It has been wonderful to see the students settle so quickly into the school year. As we approach this next part of the term, I ask you to support us in ensuring students are arriving to school on time each day and in their correct uniform. When students dress in their uniform correctly, this increases their sense of belonging, pride in our school and sends a strong message to the wider community of the wonderful school we have here at Lourdes. Thank you.

Tropical Cyclone Alfred Weather Event

Please refer to the communication emailed by myself today regarding plans for navigating this weather event. If you have any questions or conderns please don't hesitate to contact our school office.

P&F Executive Committee 2025

I thank the following parents for the commitment to our P&F for 2025.

President:            Tim Connolly 

Vice President:     Pip Sullivan 

Treasurer:           Georgina Harrison 

Vice Treasurer:    Vanessa Pohlner 

Secretary:           Emma McAllister 

Thank you to the outgoing committee members. Ross Haylock (outgoing president) served on the P&F for 9 years. Thank you to Ross, for his commitment to and passion for Lourdes. Thank you also to Emma Phillips (outgoing secretary). We are grateful for your time and commitment.

Lent- Strengthening Our Community
As a Catholic school community, Lent provides us with the opportunity to come together in faith and support one another. Through our shared activities such as our Pancake morning, Ash Wednesday Prayer Assembly and our Caritas Day on March 17, we can strengthen our bonds and grow as a community. It is a time to encourage one another in our journeys and to celebrate our catholic identity. I encourage us all to embrace these opportunities and encourage our children to do the same. When our families are involved in our school, this has a positive impact on our children’s academic and personal growth.

Thank You
I would like to thank the parents who are working behind the scenes for our school race day on March 15. Thank you also to the sponsors of the event. I encourage you to look over the sponsors and support them where possible.

Wishing you all a great fortnight ahead!

Kind regards,

Bridget

Ms Bridget Trenerry
Principal

Upcoming Events

Cybersafety
To ensure all students at Lourdes can learn effectively and feel a sense of belonging, we prioritize the safety of our children, including their online safety. Last week, our Year 4, 5, and 6 students, along with many parents who attended the evening session, had the opportunity to hear from Susan McLean, a cyber safety expert, about the realities of our online world.

Susan reminded the students that rules are with us for life. These rules may form laws. Platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Tic Toc all require users to be 13 years of age. Therefore, none of our primary students should have access to these online apps. Laws are part of being in a community and are an important part of being online.

Susan reminded us that before we write or say anything online, THINK – Is it Thoughtful? Is it Honest? Is it Inspiring? Is it Necessary? Is it Kind? Being online involves being kind, being part of the team, and being brave. There is also no such thing as an online friend. If we do not know them personally; if we would not let them into our home because they are a stranger, then we should not be conversing with them online and sharing any details.

Importantly, we should remember the 3 R’s - Respect, Responsibility and Reputation. Our digital footprint is easy to trace, and our reputation carries online. Try it yourself – ‘google’ your name and see what pops up.

If you ever suspect your child is being cyberbullied, reassure them they have done the right thing to report it to you, take screen shots and keep a copy of the interactions, don’t respond, report to authorities, and after reporting, block and delete the contact.

Working together with our students will help keep them safe.

Booking Parent Teacher Interviews
From Monday next week, Parent Teacher Interviews will be open to register via the Parent Portal.  If you are unsure of how to schedule a time with your child's teacher, please refer to the instruction video via the below link.

Sentral Parents App Parent Teacher Interviews

Naplan
This year, our Year 3 and Year 5 students will begin NAPLAN (National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy) in Week 7 of Term 1. NAPLAN is a point-in-time assessment that provides an opportunity for educators and parents to see how students are progressing in literacy and numeracy against the national standard and compares results with other students across Australia. 

The NAPLAN test window begins on Wednesday 12 March and will be completed in the following sequence: Writing, Reading, Conventions of Language (spelling, grammar, & punctuation) and Numeracy.

Except for the Year 3 writing test, all NAPLAN tests are online and tailored to student responses, providing questions that are more or less difficult depending on their answers.

NAPLAN results are reported using proficiency standards: Exceeding, Strong, Developing and Needs additional support. This report will be sent home later in the year.

Prior to sitting the NAPLAN tests, students will complete practice tests that will have similar questions and format.

This brochure has more parent information about the purpose of NAPLAN, what it assesses, and key points for parents to know.

What you can do at home to prepare for NAPLAN:

• Remind students that it is a one point in time assessment and that all they need to do is their best. It is an opportunity to show what they know but it is okay if some questions challenge them.
• Maintain a positive attitude and engage in positive conversations around NAPLAN.
• Arrive to school on time on the day of NAPLAN testing.
• Ensure students have a good sleep and a full breakfast before the test.
• Check your child has their headphones at school in preparation for NAPLAN.
• This public demonstration site can be used for practice if you wish.

Kind regards

Miranda

Miranda Murray
Assistant Principal

Leadership Assembly  
Thursday, two weeks ago, our Year Six Leaders were formally presented with their Leadership Badges and Year Six t-shirts at a special assembly, followed by afternoon tea with parents and friends in our staff room. The Year Six cohort shared their views on what it means to be a community – setting an example for us to be “All in this together.” It was great to see the Year Six students arrive on Friday wearing their leadership T-shirts and badges so proudly. Ms Trenerry caught a spontaneous moment of the Year Six students clapping each other in to start their Friday.

Confirmation and First Eucharist Preparation
On Sunday 23^rdFebruary, the candidates and their families involved with Confirmation and First Eucharist Preparation for 2025, gathered for their first Preparation Workshop. The children and their parents began working through their preparation booklets.  The next Preparation Workshop is on Sunday 9^th March at 10:45 am.  If you have any questions or queries, please call the Parish office on 07 46341453 or call in between 9 am -1 pm weekdays.

N.B. – Please note the OLOL Parish has new email addresses:
Parish Secretaries (Karlie and Teresa)–   ourladyoflourdesparish@twb.catholic.org.au

Pastoral Coordinator (Jenny) –   olol.pastoralcoordinator@twb.catholic.org.au   

Shrove Tuesday
Yesterday we shared a wonderful community morning for Shrove Tuesday. Shrove Tuesday began as custom to use up all the eggs, milk and butter before the reflective time of Lent. We thank the Year Six and staff of OLOL for cooking and serving the pancakes to our community. We also thank everyone who donated pancake mix, maple syrup, forks, plates and serviettes. These donations allowed our morning to happen, and we started our Caritas Project Compassion Lenten fundraising.

Ash Wednesday
Today we shared an Ash Wednesday prayer to mark the beginning of Lent. Lent is marked by the colour purple in our church seasons. Each person will receive a special cross made by ash on their forehead. Lent is a time of reflection and change, and we can be the change to make our world a better place by remembering to serve others.  It would be great if families could spare 50c each Friday for Lent for “50c Friday”.  This will add to our Pancake Day donation and will help the Caritas organisation as they can continue helping others in need. Each class has been given a Caritas collection box for their prayer table.

Please note there is no assembly tomorrow due to our Ash Wednesday prayer today. 

Caritas Project Compassion Launch
All of our Year Six Leaders will represent Our Lady of Lourdes at the St Patrick’s Cathedral on Sunday for the launch of the 2025 Project Compassion at the 9 am Mass. Our Leaders will wear their smart summer formal uniform for this celebration. Students please meet Ms Trenerry, Ms Murray and Mrs Moore at the front of the Cathedral at 8:40 am.

St Patrick’s Day
St Patrick’s Green Coloured Clothes Day is on  Monday 17^th March – remember to wear your wackiest sun safe green outfit and bring a Gold coin donation. We will be supporting Caritas on this day.   

Mother’s Day Mass Photos
It’s that time of year again – take that snapshot of Mum / Grandma with her children /grandchildren ready for our Mother’s Day Powerpoint which we share during our Mother’s Day Mass.

Please only send one pic per family.  

Our OLOL Mother’s Day Mass is on Thursday 8^th May at 10 am. Mother’s Day Photos will need to be in no later than Friday, 2^nd  May. Please email your pic to Janice.Moore@twb.catholic.edu.au   

 Dates for your Diary:-  

Term 1:  

Please note Thursday Assemblies now start at 2:15pm

Sunday 9^th  March – 2^nd Confirmation First Eucharist Preparation Workshop 10:45am OLOL Church  

Monday 10th March - School Photo Day

Thursday 13^th March – Week 7 Assembly 2 pm – Led by 4L

Saturday 15^th March – OLOL Biannual Race Day - “It’s a Race Day” starting at 4 pm – tickets still available

Monday 17^th March – St Patrick’s Day – wear your sun safe green clothes – Gold coin donation for Caritas Project Compassion

Thursday 20^th March – Week 8 Assembly - Led by 4V 

Sunday 23^rd  March – 3^rd Confirmation First Eucharist Preparation Workshop 10:45 am OLOL Church  

Friday 28^th March – Toowoomba Show Holiday

Friday 4^th April – Holy Week Assembly 11 am – OLOL School Hall  

Term 2: 

Thursday  24^th April – OLOL Anzac Day Ceremony 2 pm – OLOL School Hall - led by Year 5

Wednesday 30^th April – 4^th Confirmation First Eucharist Preparation Workshop 3:30 pm 

Thursday 8^th May – Mother’s Day Mass and Morning Tea  10 am  - OLOL School Hall 

Have a great week!  

Janice

Janice Moore
Assistant Principal Mission and Identity

(APMI)

Upcoming Dates

Cross Country Training

The Our Lady of Lourdes Cross Country Carnival will be held on Wednesday 2 April 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 7:20am.
• Please ensure that you walk your child to the meeting place and check them in with a staff member present.
• Following training, all students we will walk back to school as a group with supervising teachers.
• As part of the risk assessment process for Cross Country, 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.  These will be sent home with interested students later in Term 1.

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, 2014 or 2015. Strict nomination requirements apply, and it is at the sole discretion of the school to decide whether to nominate individual students. OLOL will also host trials for sports which have multiple students seeking to nominate to attend the TPSS or DDSS trials. All trials will be advertised by email to parents, on assembly and in PE lessons, and posted on the Sports Board outside the Hall. Please note that Sport trials highlighted in yellow will be advertised in Week 4

     *Please note that the dates below are subject to change.

Inter School Sport Information

Term 1 Inter School Sport has now started. Draws will be advertised on either the Wednesday or Thursday of each relevant week.

Dates: Friday Weeks 3-8

Approx times:

• 12:00 noon – Lunchtime
• 12:15pm – Bus departure
• 12:50-1.30pm – Round 1
• 1:35-2.15pm – Round
• 2:20pm Bus departure

Sports/Requirements:

• AFL – Mouthguard, OLOL sports uniform shorts, water bottle, broad brimmed OLOL hat (OLOL AFL jersey provided)
• Girls Touch Football - OLOL sports uniform shorts, water bottle, broad brimmed OLOL hat (OLOL Touch Football, shirt provided)
• Red Ball Tennis - OLOL sports uniform polo shirt and shorts, water bottle, broad brimmed OLOL hat (tennis racquet provided if required).
• Softball - OLOL sports uniform polo shirt and shorts, water bottle, broad brimmed OLOL hat (glove and playing equipment provided if required).

Venues:

AFL – Concordia College

Touch Football – Kearney Springs Fields

Tennis – Range Tennis Club, Lindsay St

Softball – Queens Park

Best Wishes

With plenty of carnivals and various school sport trials occurring, we wish all OLOL students the very best in their sporting endeavours. Already 9 netballers, 4 hockey players, 5 basketballers, 1 cricketer, and 25 swimmers have either attended or will soon attend either West Zone or Darling Downs School Sport trials. With AFL and Rugby League trials recently advertised, it is anticipated these numbers will rise.

A special call out to our 7 seven swimmers (Hollie, Ashlee, Millicent, Bronte, Sophie, Charlotte, and Evie) who recently gained West Zone selection and will participate at the DDSS Swimming Carnival on Wednesday Wk6.

Concerns and Questions

If you have any future questions or concerns, always feel free to contact me. I am very keen to ensure the high level of communication previously delivered by Rachel continues and students are given every possible opportunity to play, enjoy, and learn in a friendly, safe, positive, and inclusive environment. Please note that I do not work at OLOL on Mondays except for occasional Sporting School lessons, however I am still available to be contacted to ensure I can support and assist in any way possible.

Library Opening Times

Cyber Safety

Last Tuesday evening I attended the Cyber Safety session with Australian expert Susan McLean. McLean's session emphasised the importance of digital citizenship, online safety, and the prevention of cyberbullying. She shared the following valuable messages for students to help them stay safe online:

1. Digital Reputation: McLean emphasised the importance of maintaining a positive digital reputation. She advised students to think before they post and to remember that anything shared online can be permanent and seen by a wide audience.
2. Cyberbullying: McLean provides guidance on how to handle cyberbullying. She encouraged children to report bullying behavior to a trusted adult and to avoid responding to the bully. She also stressed the importance of being kind and respectful online.
3. Online Privacy: McLean explained to our students about the importance of protecting their personal information. She advised them to use strong passwords, avoid sharing personal details like their address or phone number, and to be cautious about who they interact with online.
4. Safe Online Behavior: McLean encouraged students to be aware of the risks associated with online interactions. She advised them to be cautious when making new friends online and to never meet someone in person without parental permission and supervision.

These messages are part of Ms McLean’s broader efforts to educate and protect young people in the digital world. You can find more of her advice and resources on her Cyber Safety Solutions website. I hope you had the opportunity to chat about all things Cyber Safe at your place when you signed the forms that were sent home. Setting up expectations and rules will go a long way to keeping our children be ‘safer’ online

REMINDER Name our Library Monsters!

We have had some new friends join us in the library this year. Four cute, furry little monsters. They simply appeared, started reading and it seems that they are here to stay! Over the next two weeks we will be inviting students to help us name our new library friends. Winning names will be announced via the next Newsletter. Get creative! The students whose names are chosen will win a book prize. We have has some AMAZING suggestions already. Get your entry in SOON!

AccessIt

AccessIt is our school library hub. Students will find the full library catalogue, Wheelers eBooks, links to Britannica, Typing Tournament, Reading Eggs and lots more at: https://au.accessit.online/ORL13/ Bookmark this page on all your family devices to ensure quick, easy access. It is important that ORL is in capital letters and that you use the URL. Our site is not able to be found via a google search as it is a non-indexed site.

Chess

Chess Lessons with Mr Les Lord are going along well and the intermediate group have begun to learn new moves after revising previous learnings. Please be aware that Mr Lord is unavailable on Tuesday in Week 7 (March 11^th). Mrs Leathart will offer supervised game play from 7:45am for those who wish to join us. You will not be charged for this session. Please remind your children that Chess is a game of strategy and concentration, and thus quiet participation is expected when they attend lessons. Any concerns please contact: Danielle.Leathart@twb.catholic.edu.au

Book Club

bc_2-25_issuu.pdf

Issue 1 Order have now been delivered. Issue 2 Brochures are on their way home – please check school bags.  Issue 2 orders are due on March 18^th, 2025. Please email queries about Book Club to Danielle.Leathart@twb.catholic.edu.au

Happy Reading!

Mrs Leathart, Mrs Monte and Mrs Kemp

Growing up in the Digital World – Susan McLean parent workshop

Thank you to all the parents from across the diocese for attending our cybersafety talk; your presence shows us you value supporting a safe environment for the kids. We thank Catholic School Parents Queensland for generously funding these workshops for our community. Please ask your child in Years 4 to 6 about YES and NO photos. Some great tips from the night! Check out these videos on Susan's website for more tips.

 Keeping Safe in Cyberspace a series of videos - Cyber Safety Solutions

• Be brave; nothing online is so bad you can’t tell a trusted adult.
•  Our community is working together to support our children's safe growth. Take the same approach you would to teaching your child how to drive: check devices every ten days and take an interest in the games and places your children are online. Only friend people online that you know in real life.
• Knowing your kid's usernames and passwords is good parenting, not invading their privacy.

Race Day

Thanks to HMH Plumbing and Gas, we look forward to catching up with you to dance the night away to “Thursdays”, at our Biennial Race Day to raise our shed.

Thanks to our community for your support!

Gold sponsors

• LA & MM Hancock Builders
• K&R Plumbing Supplies
• Brown and Hurley
• Darling Downs Haulage
• Greenridge Connect

Silver sponsors

• Tetramech Engineering
• Webster Cavanagh Marsden
• HBE Maintenance and Joinery
• NRG Services
• Swalling Livestock Transport
• St Ursula’s College
• Top of the Range Builders – Steven Matthews Homes

Dear Parents and Carers,  

Last year researchers from the University of Southern Queensland’s Centre for Health Research invited families to participate in the Healthy Minds Happy Hearts research project. If you haven’t yet signed up to participate there is still time. 

What is Healthy Minds Happy Hearts? This innovative program will help you learn if your child may be experiencing emotional or behavioural difficulties. It provides a screening assessment with measures used by psychologists, personalised feedback reports and recommendations for support, as well as access to a comprehensive information website all about child mental health.  

Healthy Minds Happy Hearts is designed to support all children and families – your child does not need to be experiencing any difficulties to take part.  

As a research project, families will be randomly allocated to one of two groups: 

• Healthy Minds Happy Hearts Group: Access to the full program, including a comprehensive screening assessment, a personalised feedback report, tailored support recommendations, and immediate access to the Healthy Minds Happy Hearts information website. 

• Standard Care Group: A brief screening assessment and a personalised feedback report and then access to the full Healthy Minds Happy Hearts program (as described above) at the end of the trial (after 12 weeks). 

What does participation involve in both groups? 

• A 10-20 minute online mental health screening survey for parents and children. 

• Two follow-up surveys, 6 and 12 weeks later. 

Participating families will also be entered into a raffle to win one of five $50 gift cards. 

To participate in this project or find out more, please visit https://healthymindshappyhearts.unisq.edu.au/  You will need to enter your school’s unique access code to begin the screening assessment. 

Our Lady of Lourdes’ school access code is RMDH 

If you have any questions, please contact the research team at healthymindshappyhearts@unisq.edu.au  

Thank you for supporting this important research!  

Your Healthy Minds Happy Hearts Research Team:  

Dr Kirsty Zieschank, Ms Hannah Matthews, Prof Sonja March, Dr Arlen Rowe & Sarah Jackman 

Sarah Jackman
Guidance Counsellor