Dear Parents

As the busyness of Term 4 can at times tend to consume our thoughts, it is important that we take some quality time to reflect on the year that has been, celebrate achievements and offer gratitude for what we have and for what others have done for us.

With this being the second last newsletter of the year, I will take this opportunity to recognise the wonderful contribution our Year 6 cohort has made to Our Lady of Lourdes. I, along with their teachers, have only but admiration of their growth, achievements, and positive attitude towards school life. The end of each year brings a sense of excitement in the lead up to Christmas, but it is a time where we must sadly say goodbye to our Year 6 students. I have had the absolute privilege to have been able to witness their journey since their first day of Prep.

On Monday night, OLOL hosted a Mass and Dinner for the Principals and executive leadership team members of the Toowoomba Catholic Education Office. Our school captains and sports captains played leading roles in welcoming the guests to our school community. Their roles in the Mass and their amazing service at the dinner were well received and were widely commended on their confidence, maturity, and genuine character by the visiting principals. I was a very proud Principal…well done!

On behalf of the school community, I wish each and every one of our departing Year 6 students all the very best for your transition into secondary school. I trust you will thoroughly enjoy your remaining school days here at OLOL. Farewell and God bless.

2021 Staffing & Classes

We are currently working through the proposed class lists for 2020. All going well, these should be finalised by the end of next week. Families will be notified by 1^st December. Continuing our efforts to reduce class sizes, we are able to offer an additional class in Year 2 next year. As a result, our class structure for 2021 will be:

• 2 x Prep classes
• 2 x Year 1 classes
• 3 x Year 2 classes
• 3 x Year 3 classes
• 3 x Year 4 classes
• 3 x Year 5 classes
• 3 x Year 6 classes

Therefore there will be some change as to where the classes will be situated around the school. I will include a site map in the next newsletter indicating where the classes will be in 2021.

Class Placements 2021

We are fast approaching the time where classes for 2021 will be finalised. Teachers are currently working on class placements for the 2021 school year. This will be done in close consultation with the Learning Support Teachers and school Admin team to ensure a correct balance is created for all year levels, in regards to boys/girls, support needs, peer relationships and matching teaching and learning styles as much as possible. If required, I ask parents to email me directly by Wednesday 18^th November with any information that may assist us in the formation of the classes. Usually, most requests have already been taken into consideration by the class teachers. Following the consultation process with teachers and learning support staff, the final decision on placement is the decision of the Principal. Fortunately, we have the privilege of experienced, passionate, and dedicated teachers in every class. Our results speak volumes to the talents of our teachers. It is very much a collaborative team approach to achieving the best possible outcomes for every student.

Book Lists

Once all class placements have been finalised, 2021 book lists will be forwarded home. Once again, all required book list items will be available from Browns Bookstore. I certainly urge all families to utilise the service Browns offers. This not only takes the pressure off families having to shop around for various book list requirements but also ensure that all students commence the school year fully prepared from day one.

Step Up Day & Prep Orientation

All our incoming Preppies for 2021 were posted invitations last week, welcoming them to our wonderful school and inviting them and their parents to attend an Orientation Morning on Tuesday 24^th November from 9:00 – 10:00am. A meet and greet for all 2021 preppie parents will be held in the hall during this time. All other classes will spend the morning experiencing what school life is like in the grade above. This Step-Up session will run from 9:00am to 10:30am. Please be aware that the class they visit during this session may not necessarily be the class or the teacher they will have in 2021. It is just designed to provide a taster of what to look forward to in the new year.

Reminder…. Traffic Management System

To alleviate the traffic congestion during the morning drop off and afternoon pick up times, a traffic management system has been created. Yesterday, all families should have received a hard copy of the written instructions and a site map of the school precinct with the direction of travel highlighted. Remember…. left in, left out for both car parks. For your convenience, these documents are also attached to this newsletter.

The main issue I wish to reiterate, is our genuine request for parents utilising either Stop, Drop and Go zone, to delay your afternoon pick up time until after 3:00pm. The children are supervised every afternoon until 3:30pm. There is no need for parents to arrive at the Stop, Drop & Go zones prior to 3:00pm. This practice is the major contributing factor to traffic congestion in the afternoons.

As mentioned in my letter, we will closely monitor the flow of traffic over the next week. We really would appreciate that all parents and carers closely follow the new direction of travel when utilising either the Church or main carparks. I would also greatly appreciate it if you could pass these instructions to grandparents or other people who may collect your children from school.

Not only will this system help create a more efficient traffic flow but most importantly a much safer environment for all members of the School and Parish community. I thank you in advance for your ongoing co-operation and patience.

End of Term Events

Even though we have endeavoured to conduct as many events as possible for the kids which were not able to be held earlier in the year due to the lockdown and COVID 19 restrictions, some of our traditional end of year activities will continue to entail restrictions of some sort. Please take the time to note the following changes. 

• The Final Assembly will be held on Thursday 19^th November at 2:00pm. Attendees for this event are limited to parents of Year 6 students and parents of Year 5 students receiving academic awards only.
• Prep Orientation morning will be held on Tuesday 24^th November from 9:00 to 10:00am. Parents of 2021 Preppies are cordially invited to attend an information session in the hall during this time.
• Due to difficulty to keep the number of people down, we have had to limit the Christmas Concert to our Preppies only. This concert will be held on Monday 30^th November at 2:00pm in the hall. Unfortunately, our Year 1-4’s will not be involved in a Christmas Concert this year. 
• Our annual Yr. 6 Graduation Mass will be held on Monday 1^st December at 6:30pm. Due to the restrictions, this very special event will be held in the hall instead of the Church. Attendees are limited to two adults per Year 6 student.
• The Swimming Carnival will be held on Wednesday 2^nd December at the Glennie Pool. Unfortunately, no spectators are permitted at this event. 
• Our End of Year Thanksgiving Mass will go ahead on the last day of term, Friday 4^th December at 12:00pm. Unfortunately, attendance is restricted to students and staff only. Students can be collected from school following the conclusion of the Mass.

Swimming Carnival

I would like to draw your attention to the information that has been included in the past two newsletters regarding the annual school swimming carnival which will be held at the Glennie Pool on Wednesday 2^nd December. The information is again included in this newsletter for your convenience. Please take the time to carefully read this information so you are fully informed about the carnival. Please note, the carnival only applies to all students in Grades 3-6. May I draw particular attention to the participation of 8 year old students, no spectators at the pool and drop off and pick up arrangements. I strongly urge all students to show their support of their respective sporting house and participate to the best of their ability, whether in the pool or as a supporter.

School Fees

I do ask for your assistance in making sure that all accounts are finalised by the end of November. Last week we forwarded home hard copies of the school fee statements following a few families reporting that they did not see or realise the invoices and statements have been electronically forwarded home each term. Please be aware of these emails as we will be continuing to forward them home electronically in 2021 on a quarterly basis. We have recently placed several large resource orders including new classroom furniture and IT hardware. Payment of these will be made a lot easier if all school fees and levies have been received. A big thank you to all families who have paid these quarterly invoices on a timely basis.

As always, we have endeavoured to keep school fee increases to a minimum. The increasing cost of I.T. software and teaching and learning Apps has meant an introduction of an I.T. levy per student. This amount, is a very minimal addition but will go a long way to assist the school in our ability to continue to provide up-to-date digital resources.

2021 School Fee and Levy schedule is as follows:

Our Lady of Lourdes has one of the lowest school fee schedules amongst the schools in Toowoomba as we are forever conscious of the increasing financial demands placed on families. We certainly punch well above our weight class when it comes to providing a high level of resourcing and a variety of opportunities for all students. Our teaching and support staff are second to none and the continual upgrade of school buildings and grounds will continue into the new year.

In saying this, school fees and levies are not meant to place a burden on any family. Please do not hesitate to come in and see me if you are experiencing any financial difficulty so alternate measures can be discussed.

Thanks for reading…..

Chris