Dear Parents and Carers 

What a massive year we’ve had with many significant changes! OLOL's beloved Principal, Chris Golightly, took up the opportunity to be Senior Education Leader at Toowoomba Catholic Schools, so he was promptly bid farewell in Term 2. A restructuring of leadership and teaching staff had to quickly occur. New staff and families also joined us throughout the year. 

Additionally, after being displaced due to the building project, teachers and students made a big move into brand new or refurbished classrooms. Packing, moving, and a change of start times, drop-off, and pick-up routines. Yet with all the changes, we’ve finished the year strong. I thank everyone for their support and resilience in adapting to all new routines, new ways of working, new buildings, and new members of staff. 

Of course, there are changes next year with a new Principal, more new teaching staff, new students and a new bunch of cute Preppies! Which also means we sadly say farewell and best wishes to our Year 6 students and other students and families that are moving away from Lourdes. We also sadly say farewell to some beloved teachers.

Mrs Liz Wagner is retiring at the end of this year after thirty-six years of service to Our Lady of Lourdes. Mrs Wagner will be sorely missed not only as a teacher who has made a huge impact on children's learning in Prep, but also for being our magical fairy who has decorated our staffroom and hall for events or professional learning days, purchased amazing gifts, written special messages on Quinlan building for all to read as we walk past, and provided wonderful resources for the school. I have a sneaky suspicion we will see her around the new Prep classrooms next year! 

Mrs Kara Wann will be leaving Lourdes as an official staff member of our school at the end of the year.  Mrs Wann has thoroughly enjoyed her time teaching PE this year, however with the role changing to four days and added sports coordination, Kara is unable to continue. Mrs Wann will teach part-time at Mater Dei next year. I’m sure we will still see Mrs Wann around the school as a supply teacher next year. 

Mrs Sarah Goldthorpe has taken up an exciting opportunity to move to the Sunshine Coast and will join the teaching staff at Good Samaritan Catholic College. We wish Sarah and Luke as well as their three girls all the very best with the move. Sarah will be missed at Lourdes and we thank her for her contribution to our school.  

Another staff member leaving is Mr Tim Franzmann. Tim has accepted the position of Operations Manager: OSHC Toowoomba Catholic Kindergartens and Care (TCKC). As Acting Assistant Principal this year, Tim has had a positive influence around the school, and I thank him for his support in the leadership team. No doubt we will see more of Tim in future because Lourdes will be one of the nine OSHC centres he will be managing, so I’m sure he will visit us often just to see us all.  

An opportunity to acknowledge these staff will be at the final Mass on the last day of school.  

A full list of staff for 2024 will be sent home over the coming week once all new staffing positions have been finalised. 

Final Assembly, Graduation Mass, and End of Year Mass 

Tomorrow at our final assembly, Thursday 23 November, we will celebrate our time with Year 6 who have been fabulous leaders this year at OLOL. We will also take the opportunity to congratulate the Year 5 & 6 students who will be presented with Sports Awards, Arts Awards, and Academic Awards. Congratulations to these students. 

We have another opportunity to recognise our Year 6 students at next week’s Graduation Mass on Tuesday 28 November at 6:30pm. Traditionally a very special occasion, this will officially mark the end of their primary schooling.  

On the final day of the term, we will celebrate the end of 2023 with a whole school Mass , Friday 1 December 2023 at 12 noon. All welcome. 

End of Year Disco 

Don’t forget to come along to our final social event of the year for our community – the End of Year Christmas Disco this Friday 24 November, 5:30 – 8:00 pm.

Thank You

A big thank you to our specialist teachers for organizing and preparing end of year events, including Mrs. Rachel Wigan and Mrs. Kara Wann for the upcoming Swimming Carnival, next Wednesday 29 November. Please read all communication on the Parent Portal and the PE section of the newsletter for information. Also, to Mrs. Ebony Rosier and Mrs. Amanda Holzheimer for the Christmas Concerts, and to Mrs. Loretta Simmons for her Arty backdrop.  What joyful events for students, staff, and parents who can attend. 

Thank you to Fr. Quinlan for your support of me as Acting Principal this year. Your devotion to our community and partnership with the school is highly regarded. Also, to staff and students for their respect and diligence to the learning and a commitment to work together for the common good. Finally, to parents and especially members of the P&F and Board who have been very supportive of me this year as Acting Principal, and always contribute to the success of our school. 

I hope everyone has a safe, relaxing, and joyous holiday.  

Merry Christmas. 

Miranda

Ms Miranda Murray
Acting Principal

Upcoming Events

School Office Holiday Closure

Please note that the School Office will be closed from 3:30 pm on Friday, December 1st, and will reopen at 9:00 am on Monday, December 18th, until Friday, December 22nd.

After that, the office will be closed for the Christmas and New Year week and will reopen on Tuesday, January 2nd, at 9:00 am.

It’s hard to believe we are nearly at the end of 2023.

Now wasn’t that Year 3-6 Christmas Concert a sight to behold on Monday.

Congratulations and thank you to our specialist teachers Mrs. Holzheimer and Mrs Rosier for leading the Year 3- 6 children in the performance. We also thank Mrs Simmons and her merry band of budding artists for their delightful backdrop. Our teachers supported this performance with their behind-the-scenes practising throughout the term. Finally, we thank you the audience for turning up on a very wet day – we filled the hall to the brim! – Another example of the OLOL Team effort!

We now look forward to the Prep – 2 Christmas Concert on Monday 27th December at 2:00pm in the school hall! Please read past newsletters if you need to know the colour of the t-shirt your child’s class needs to wear. Children can wear their coloured shirts with their sports shorts, skorts, navy socks, and black shoes to school for the performance on Monday.

Our Year Five students delivered their leadership speeches yesterday in preparation for the upcoming School Captains and Sports Captains elections for 2024. Each student's speech was well-prepared and delivered with impressive confidence. Congratulations to the Year Five students for a job well done! The Captains for 2024 will be announced during our End of Year Mass on Friday, December 1st at 12 noon.

Tomorrow, (Thursday 23rd November) at 12:00 noon in our school hall, our Year Six students will share their thoughts and memories about their time at OLOL.

Presentations will be made to academic award winners from Years 5 and 6 at this assembly – all are welcome.

Year 4 will be sharing their retreat at Newtown Park on Thursday afternoon – weather permitting.

Children will need to bring a towel for sitting on, lunch, a water bottle, and a hat.

The Year 6 Graduation Mass is on Tuesday, 28th November in the OLOL Church starting at 6:30pm. Children wear their smart formal summer uniform with black shoes for this occasion. For more information about arrival and organisation, kindly check with the Year Six teachers.

Please continue to send in non-perishable items and gift cards for our St Vincent De Paul Christmas Collection. We will give these to our St Vincent De Paul Chapter at our End of Year Mass. Our St Vincent De Paul Chapter will distribute our donations amongst the less fortunate in our parish community.  A big thank you to those who have already thoughtfully donated.  

Our classes will be holding End of Year prayer celebrations – Please keep an eye out for classroom information on dates and times over this next week.   

Our OLOL End of Year Mass is on Friday 1st of December at 12:00 noon in our school hall. All are welcome to join us for this Mass. We will farewell our leaving teachers and announce our School Captains and Sports Captains for 2024 at this Mass. 

You are welcome to take your child home after Mass on Friday 1st December - please let your classroom teacher know if this is your plan.

Thank you for your support and attendance at all our Religious Celebrations during 2023.  

We wish you all a happy and holy Christmas and we look forward to the renewal of 2024.   

Have a great week!   

Prep

The time has come .... our final newsletter item!

The last two weeks have been very rewarding as we have assessed the cognitive growth of each child and celebrated their success - it’s very exciting to become a reader, a writer, a mathematician, a kind, thoughtful person and we are only five or six years old!! Well done everyone.

In the last two weeks, we have revised and consolidated to ensure that all our learning is solidly in our long-term memory banks.

Our Prep - Grade two concert is on Monday, 27^th November at 2:00pm in the Hall. All families are invited.

We will go to Newtown Park on Thursday, 30^th November for our end-of-year retreat with Mrs Moore. Each child will need a towel to sit on. We also will attend our final Gymnastics lesson. Parent permission is required for our Gymnastics excursion.  If parents could please give permission via the Parent Portal.

Many thanks to all families for their support throughout the year. A strong relationship between home and school is vital for the growth of your child.

Lots of Christmas blessings and prayers we send to you.

Cheers,

Melita, Liz, and Loretta   

Year 1

Welcome to the last newsletter of the year!

What a fantastic year we have had in Grade One. The children have enjoyed their year as they embraced many new experiences and acquired lots of new learning. It has been a great pleasure to observe not only the growth in academic skills but their growth in maturity and confidence as well.

We are looking forward to our Prep-Grade Two concert on Monday, 27^th November. It will take place in the Hall starting at 2.00pm.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our Year One families for their continued support this year. Remember to keep reading and practicing rainbow facts over the holidays.

Have a wonderful Christmas with family and friends.

Laura, Jenny, and Dennielle       

Year 2

Wow – what a fabulous year we have had in Year 2! As we count down to the holidays, we have a few important things happening. The Prep-Year 2 Christmas Concert will be held next Monday afternoon, starting at 2:00pm. Students have been practicing well for their songs and it promises to be a great show. A reminder that students are to wear the following coloured shirt, with their sports shorts and sports shoes:

2B – Blue

2D – Green

2G – White

Next Wednesday, we will be going to the movies for our end-of-year excursion. Please ensure that all permission forms have been submitted as soon as possible.

The End-of-Year Mass will be held next Friday, 1^st December, at 12:00 noon. All welcome! If you are taking your child home after the Mass, please let their teacher know.

Don’t forget about Secret Santa gifts, if you have not yet brought one in. 

We are still collecting items for the St Vincent de Paul hampers.

Thank you to all families for your wonderful support this year and we wish you all a very happy and safe Christmas and New Year!

Sarah, Ange B, and Ange G      

Year 3

We have made it to the final stretch of the 2023 school year! What an amazing year of growth for children both academically and socially. We are so proud of all they have accomplished and their positive have-a-go mindsets and genuine love for learning. We thank you all for your support through the year and involvement in their ongoing learning journey. We wish you all a very safe and merry Christmas break and look forward to seeing you around Our Lady of Lourdes in 2024.

What’s on in Year 3…

• Christmas Concert: What a spectacular show from Year 3 – 6s on Monday! We are incredibly proud of their performance, transitions, and audience manners. Students especially loved their surprise visit from Santa! Please see attached photos.
• Library borrowing: There are still a number of unreturned library books, so please support your children in doing a thorough check at home to get them returned asap. It will make Mrs Leathart and Mrs Monte’s day to have them all returned safely.
• Secret Santa: Our pile of presents underneath the Christmas tree is growing! We almost have all Secret Santa presents brought in. Thank you for your organisation in this. We aim to give out Secret Santa presents next Tuesday (28^th), so please ensure all presents are brought in by then. If your child will be absent on this day, please let your student’s classroom teacher know so they can arrange another time for them to open their present.
• Swimming Carnival: OLOL Swimming Carnival is next Wednesday 29^th of December at the Glennie Swimming Pool. Please see information that has been sent home previously.
• End of Year Mass: All are welcome to attend our End of Year Mass on 1^st December at 12:00 noon in the Hall. Students are welcome to be collected and taken home after our Mass. If you plan on taking your child home early, please let your student’s classroom teacher know so they are able to sign them out.

Thanks for reading!

Sarah, Demi, Lisa, Megan, and Garry

Year 4

What an awesome year it has been! The Year 4s have grown in so many ways and we have enjoyed seeing their progress as learners and watching them grow in confidence and maturity. Thanks to beautiful Mrs Simmons who tantalised our taste buds last Thursday with an Italian Feast. There was so much variety and we all thoroughly enjoyed sampling the delicious Italian cuisine.

We are all looking forward to the activities next week. We will go along to the Swimming Carnival on Wednesday and celebrate Christmas with our Secret Santa and a shared lunch on Thursday. (please bring a plate) Please continue to send in gifts and donations for the St Vincent’s Christmas Hamper.   

Don’t forget the end of year Mass will be held in the school hall at 12:00 noon on the last Friday. Children may wish to go home after the Mass. 

Finally, thank you all for your ongoing amazing support throughout the year! We wish you all a safe and holy Christmas. 

Suzanne, Aleisha, Jessica, and Danielle  

Year 5

Well, it is week 8 and we are almost at the end of 2023, and what a year it has been! The children have been able to list many highlights and are certainly looking forward to stepping up to be the leaders of the school in 2024.

Leadership Shirts: Mr Franzmann sent a link out last week for 2024 Senior shirts. Please allow for growth over the course of the year. The link must be completed by Monday 27^th November, to get orders finalised and sent off by the end of term. Shirts will be $36 and this will be added to your school fees. This shirt takes the place of the school sports shirt for Year 6 students.

Leadership speeches were on Tuesday, and we can honestly say that we were so proud of every one of them. As we know there are only 10 positions, and each student should not forget the significant role they play in the life of our school.

Final Assembly 23^rd November 12:00 pm: On Thursday, we will have our final assembly for the year beginning at 12:00 pm. At this assembly, we will say farewell to our Year 6 students, and Academic awards will be presented. Selecting recipients has been a difficult process, as there are many deserving students. We are, however, limited to the number of awards we can allocate. As mentioned above, each student should not forget the significance of striving to be a Lourdes Learner, and there is another opportunity in 2024.

St Vincent De Paul Donations: Thank you to those families that have donated something for our Christmas hamper; each class has their own basket which will be donated to St Vincent De Paul to spread Christmas joy to those less fortunate.  Your generosity is overwhelming, so thank you.

Date Reminders:

• Friday 24^th November- Secret Santa Gifts due.
• Friday 24^th November- Year 5 Liturgy @ 12:30pm,  OLOL Church 
• Tuesday 28^th November- Year 5 Go Bowling!
• Wednesday 29^th November- OLOL Swimming Carnival @ Glennie Swimming Pool.
• Friday 1^st December- Final School Mass at 12:00 noon

Many thanks for all your support this year. We are sure that all students are ready to take on the many adventures of Year 6. We wish you all a safe holiday and a blessed Christmas and we will see you in 2024.

God Bless,

Jess, Emily, and Amy

Year 6

We’ve almost made it to the end! Our final assessment – Slam Poetry has been completed this week – spectacular, a great effort by all students. A wonderful way to finish our school learning.

Final Assembly: Thursday 23rd November – 12 noon, school hall. Formal summer uniform to be worn. A plain white shirt (no logos please) will be required for this assembly. (Students will practise for their final Mass in the afternoon so are therefore asked to remain at school after the assembly.) End-of-Year awards – Academic Excellence, Academic Diligence, Enhancement of Learning, Sports Awards, and Arts Awards are also presented at this assembly. We have emailed families RE: VIP seating for this event. A reminder that only parents are allowed to sit in this specially designated area.

Upcoming events include:

Pool Party: Milne Bay followed by pizza at Newtown Park on Monday 27^th November.

Graduation Mass: Tuesday 28th November 6.30pm in the Church

Swimming Carnival: Wednesday 29th December, The Glennie Pool.

Secret Santa: Thursday 30^th November. Gifts up to $10

Last Day of School: Friday 1st December – students may depart after the End of Year Mass which will take place in the hall at 12 noon.

The next couple of weeks are a busy time for all with lots of graduation practices and lots of fun activities. 2023 has been a wonderful year for us all and we appreciate your support for both your children and us, the teachers. We wish all the Year 6 students every success as they continue their educational journey into high school. Whilst it is an anxious time, the lessons you have learnt at Lourdes will hold you in good stead. Enjoy your holidays and good luck next year.

Kylie, Shauna, and Steve

Italian

Last week we participated in an Italian tasting experience. Students tasted a variety of different foods, many of which were unfamiliar to them. They were invited as food critics, they gave each food a star rating and then wrote in Italian if they liked it or not. While not everyone liked all they tasted it was a great experience to taste foods from a different culture. Many thanks, to Andrew’s butchery from Grand Central who gave us the Italian sausages free of charge. The sausages received 5 stars from most of the students so they may be worth a try on the holidays.

Boun Natale

Signora Simmons

Upcoming Dates

2023 OLOL Swimming Carnival

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO SWIM?

The Carnival is for children in Grades 3-6 ONLY.

All students in grade 3 who are born in 2015 will be eligible to swim, however, as they are not of appropriate age, they will not be eligible for age championship points.  As with Cross Country and Track & Field, there will not be an age championship for these students, nor will records be kept.  They will simply be participating in this carnival to provide them with a valuable experience and to gain participation house points.

POINTS ALLOCATION & AGE CHAMPIONSHIPS

25m Events

1 point will be awarded to respective houses for each 25m swim completed.  Results from 25m events will not contribute to Age Championship points. 

50m, 100m and Individual Medley Events

The following points will be awarded to respective houses and individual age championship tallies following all 50m, 100m and Individual Medley Events:

1^st Place – 10 Points (Blue Ribbon), 2^nd Place – 6 points (Red Ribbon), 3^rd Place – 4 Points (Green Ribbon), 4^th Place – 2 Points (Yellow Ribbon) and 5^th – 10^th Place – 2 Points

Where there is more than one heat, points and ribbons will be awarded to the fastest swimmers overall. Students who are hoping to be considered for their respective age championship should swim as many 50/100m events as possible.

CARNIVAL TIMELINE

Please note: These times are approximate and may vary depending on the number of nominations in each event.

LEGAL STROKE ACTIONS & DISQUALIFICATIONS

• In 50m and 100m events, except for the 8-year category, students will be judged and disqualified if their stroke does not meet the appropriate standard. As points gained from these events go towards age championship tallies, it is important that only legal stroke actions are awarded. 
• 8 years events and all 25m events will not be judged in this way.

For further information please refer to the following website:

https://www.swimming.org.au/Assets/Rules/Swimming-Australia-Swimming-Rules.aspx

SPECTATORS

Spectators are welcome to attend the carnival. We will also be looking for a few helpers to run the stopwatches.

DONATION OF AGE CHAMPIONSHIP MEDALLIONS

Thank you to the Twidale Family for their generous donation of the Track & Field and Swimming carnival medallions for 2023.  Please support our local family businesses.

Your support is greatly appreciated.

In Week 2 of Term 1, 2024 (TBC), we will conduct swimming trials at the Glennie Pool to select a team to represent the school at the Catholic Swimming Carnival and West Zone Swimming Carnival.

More information regarding the school swim team will be made available later.

Gymnastics – Prep & Grade 1

During Week 9 of this term, the Prep & Grade 1 students will attend Allstar Gymnastics Academy.

Permission messages have been sent out – please make sure you have given permission via the parent portal.

Who: Prep & Grade 1

When: Thursday 30^th November 2023

Time: Grade 1 – 12:00 pm & Prep – 1:00 pm

Where: Allstar Gymnastics Academy

Cost: $15 to be charged to your school account.

What to Wear: OLOL Sports Uniform. Bike pants underneath skirts.

What to Bring: Drink Bottle – VERY IMPORTANT!

Transport: students will travel to and from the venue by bus.

Rachel Wigan

Rachel.Wigan@twb.catholic.edu.au

Olympics Unleashed Program

On Thursday 9^th November all students in Year 4-6 were lucky enough to be selected to be a part of the Olympics Unleashed Program. We would like to thank Jacob Templeton, a Paralympic Swimmer who attended OLOL for this amazing sporting opportunity. He spoke to the Year 4-6 students and teachers about his determination and courage to become a Paralympian. Jacob’s story of hard work and dedication to achieve his dream was extremely inspiring and I’m sure it had a positive impact on the students at OLOL. He spoke about setting goals in all areas of life and made time for questions with our students afterward. It was great to listen to Jacob’s journey and to point out to the students the key messages of resilience and always trying their best in everything they do.

Thank you to all students at OLOL for their exceptional participation in Sport in 2023.  The students demonstrated a positive attitude towards sport every week and it has been wonderful to see everyone always ‘having a go’ in sport lessons. 

Kara 

Kara Wann
PE Teacher

Thank you for the most wonderful year. We love to see the growth of our Lourdes Learners each year, to follow what they are reading and support them as they find texts to challenge themselves. We also love to share in the excitement of newly our independent readers and the enthusiasm of our borrowers for a range of literature. We appreciate the way you support and encourage your children to read for pleasure. It is such an amazing way to help your child grow to their full academic potential.  

Overdue Books 

Despite a lot of time, effort and regular reminders, there are still over 40 outstanding student loans. If an item has been lost, misplaced or damaged, please drop by the Library on a Tuesday / Wednesday or Thursday to see Mrs Leathart or Email: Danielle.Leathart@twb.catholice.edu.au. All loans were due back by Friday November 10th  2023. ALL OUTSTANDING LOANS have NOW been charged to your school fees.  

Congratulations to PREP W 

This class was the first group to return all their student loans for 2023. Congratulations and well-done Prep W.

Holiday Reading 

Please check out the Lourdes Library Online Library & Information Service (accessit.online) Play a game. Follow the links to Reading Eggs, Britannica Online, Typing Tournament or perhaps try a Wheelers eBook? 

Sign into Sunshine Online for a wide variety of levelled fiction or non-fiction reads.  

Username: Lourdes2 Password: Lourdes123 

Please check out the Town Library Libraries (tr.qld.gov.au) Be sure to book into their School Holiday programs early to avoid disappointment.  

Visit our local book stores The Book Tree Toowoomba :: The Book Tree Toowoomba Toowoomba | QBD Books - Australia's premier bookshop. Buy books online or in store. or Dymocks - Dymocks Toowoomba bookstore in Queensland (QLD)  

And be sure to place a book or two under the Christmas Tree this year!  

Remember, that your child/ren have worked hard to make fabulous progress in reading in 2023. Keeping up with 20 minutes each day over the holidays will help them maintain these skills. 

Book Club 

Issue 8 Orders were due on NOVEMBER 15TH  2023. We expect delivery sometime in the last week of term. Thank you so much for your support of Book Club in 2023. The books you purchase earn us points that we use to buy readers, class novel sets and supplies for your children.  

Wishing you all a relaxing and safe holiday break and a very Merry Christmas. See you in 2024. 

Mrs Leathart & Mrs Monte

Christmas Mass Times

Nativity Play