Teaching and Learning at Lourdes
Welcome back to another exciting school year. It is a joy to walk into school seeing warm welcoming smiles from staff, parents and students. Whist I enjoyed spending three terms last year on secondment at Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office, it is great to be back at Lourdes. I am thrilled to start the year with you all.

This year we will continue to embed high expectations for learning and engagement. Our committed staff began the year with a week of professional development and learning. They spent time and effort preparing organised and vibrant learning spaces and our teachers have been working hard to create engaging and challenging units for our learners.

It is a wonderful feeling to walk around our welcoming environment with dedicated staff who aim to ensure our students feel they belong, are valued and can learn at Lourdes.

Our Why
If you joined us for our Parent Information evening this week, you would have heard us talking about our Why (our purpose), How (how we enact our purpose) and our What (our mission statement). At Lourdes, we firmly believe that education is a powerful influence on students; not only on their learning but also on how they see and act in the world.

The Lourdes Way
We enact our purpose through ‘Living the Lourdes Way’ which encapsulates our Charism Values and our Teaching & Learning Motto – We are CALLed to Think as a Learner and a Global Citizen. Our Charism Values are being introduced each term this year beginning with ‘We are a Community’, followed by ‘We are Courageous,’ ‘We are Kind’ and ‘We Serve.’

Lourdes Learner
Our Teaching & Learning motto is ‘We are CALLed to Think’ which is an acronym for how we Communicate, Act, Look, Listen and Think as both a learner and global citizen.

• Communicate: Effective communication is crucial for learning and life. We teach our learners to develop self-regulation skills and take responsibility for their learning by sharing their progress, discussing strategies, and asking questions. Students learn to express ideas to diverse audiences to communicate confidently and appropriately as global citizens. 

• Act: We encourage students to actively participate in their learning by engaging and persisting through challenges. Teachers provide opportunities for students to set goals, self-assess, and seek feedback. Additionally, we instil values, skills, and attitudes necessary for students to act as global citizens, advocating for social justice reflecting the Gospel message. 

• Look: Students are encouraged to track their progress and self-assess by looking for learning intentions and success criteria. As global citizens, we emphasize looking beyond personal interests to understand different perspectives and respect diverse cultures. 

• Listen: Our learners develop effective listening skills by paying attention to instructions, understanding others’ ideas, and valuing feedback. This helps build essential communication and language skills, crucial for literacy and learning. As global citizens, we emphasize listening to diverse viewpoints with compassion and empathy. 
     
• Think: Lourdes learners are encouraged to reflect on their learning, solve problems, and apply their knowledge to new contexts. We promote evaluating ideas, considering different perspectives, and making informed decisions by thinking globally and acting locally.                             

We are committed to providing an engaging and enriching environment where every student can thrive and develop a love of learning. Through the Lourdes Way and our focus on the Lourdes Learner, we aim to empower our students to become resilient and respectful critical thinkers who are confident learners for life.

Thank you for being a part of our community.  I encourage everyone to embrace the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. Together, we can make 2025 a year of remarkable achievements and memorable experiences.

Thanks for reading

Miranda

Miranda Murray
Assistant Principal