Newsletter May 29, 2025

From the Principal

Dear Parents, Staff, Students and Friends of the Our Lady of the Way Community,

This coming Sunday we celebrate the Ascension of the Lord. The Ascension celebrates Jesus returning to God and his glorification at God’s right hand. After his death and resurrection Jesus has left his disciples, but he is not abandoning them. Jesus does ascend to Heaven, but he does not leave them alone, Jesus announces to the disciples that he will send them the gift of the Spirit.
As Christians there is always the comfort in the knowledge that we are not alone. In sending the Spirit, at Pentecost, Jesus ensures that he remains present with his disciples, and with us, in a new way. Pope Francis explained this by saying, ‘There is now a presence that does not want to limit our freedom. Jesus leaves room for us to make our own way, through our lives, accompanied by the Spirit.’ We are now Jesus’ witnesses in the world. By blessing us with the gift of the Holy Spirit, Jesus now needs us to continue to bring the messages of the Gospel to others. We are encouraged to reflect on how truly we embrace our call ‘to be witnesses to the Gospel.’

A wonderful segway from this is the fact that we have a number of our children preparing to receive the Sacrament of Eucharist for the first time. Eucharist is the sacrament that is at the heart of our faith and gives us our Christian identity. It is the sacrament that nourishes and strengthens the whole community and indeed makes us  "Church and Body of Christ for the world."
On Sunday at the 8:45am our first group of children will make their First Holy Communion and at each following Sunday Parish Mass in June we will celebrate more of our children’s First Eucharist. As witnesses to the Gospel, we can support these members of our Catholic Parish Community by praying for them and praying with them as they receive this
sacrament for the first time.
My wish for them all is that this life-giving Bread, they are about to receive, always feeds their soul and nourishes their spirit… Amen

Best wishes,
Terry

SAFE PRACTICES IN AND AROUND CAR PARKS
It is time again for a gentle reminder about the need for safety in and around the school during pick up and drop off times. Firstly, thank you to the large number of parents and carers who are following the safety procedures during before school drop off and after school pick up.
A reminder that when you are dropping your child off in the morning you can:
 park in the streets surrounding the school and allow your child to safely enter the school via one of the entrance gates, making sure they are walking along the pathways
 park in the Church Car Park and walk your child into the school

 drop your child off at the crossing next to the portico of the church where a staff member will ensure they walk safely along the pathways into the school

At pick up time, it is not safe practice to stop on the road, namely Mackinac Ave, and call to your child to come to the car. This is dangerous and should never occur. It is also disrespectful to other drivers who wish to drive along the road but are blocked because you are essentially double parked. Please be considerate of others during pick up and drop off time as well as teaching your children appropriate road safety practices.
On another point it is not appropriate to turn right onto Alcantara Blvd when exiting the school. The road sign clearly states that it is a No Entry point, however I have witnessed some parents leaving the school and ignoring this Road Sign. Once again, I ask that you adhere to safe practices in and around the school.
Thank you for your support in these areas, the safety of our community members is our number one priority.

2026 ENROLMENTS
Enrolments for Foundation 2026 are now closed. We have had 157 applications for Foundation in 2026 and we are able to offer 100 places. This means that a significant number of families will unfortunately not be offered a place. We are meeting with families as part of the enrolment process over the next three weeks and plan to send out offers in July.
Applications are open for Years 1 to 6, 2026. Please be aware that there are limited places available in some year levels. If you know of anyone that is thinking about applying for a position can you please encourage them to get their application in. Applications are available on the school website www.ourladywallan.catholic.edu.au

SUPERVISION TIMES
A reminder to all parents and carers that supervision of children by Our Lady of the Way staff begins from 8:30 each morning. If you need to drop your child off before this time you will need to use the services offered by the OSHC. This also applies for after school supervision which concludes at 3:30pm.

LUNCH ORDERS!

All cancellations should come via the office. No contact should be made with the Cafe directly.

Students need a fruit snack and morning tea on days that lunch orders are placed. 

LABELLING UNIFORMS

Please ensure all uniform items are clearly labelled with your child’s name. We’ve been receiving uniforms in the office daily without any identifying labels, and unfortunately, these items cannot be returned to the students without proper identification. Please also check to see if your child has come home with another child's uniform item, and return it to the office if this is the case.

Thank you for your cooperation in helping us keep track of all belongings!

SCHOOL PHOTOS

Photos can be ordered online with the details below. 

MAKE UP PHOTO DAY: Monday, June 2nd. Any students who were absent on photo days will have their photos taken. Please ensure your child wears their Winter uniform (if it is your child's sport day, please send their runners along with them.)

Religious Education-Pilgrims of Hope

Our Lady of the Way Feast Day 2025

The Feast of Our Lady Help of Christians/ Our Lady of the Way took place last Friday May 23, 2025. 

The students spent the day engaging with activities to deepen their understanding and reflect on our patron Mary. Connecting to our jubilee theme for 2025, “With Mary as our guide, We are Pilgrims of Hope”, students explored how Mary is a sign of hope and how we can be inspired to be hope in our world. 

Mary can be described as a ‘Pilgrim of Hope” because her life exemplified trust in God and a willingness to embrace the unknown, mirroring the journey of faith that all believers embark on. The students completed a number of activities, inspired by the gifts and qualities of  Mary.  They engaged in Scriptural investigations and unpacked the characteristics of Mary, creatively expressing their understanding in various ways.

We gathered as a school and parish community for a liturgy at 12.00, led by our principal Terry Cooney. Following the liturgy we presented our Heart of Mary Feast Day Awards.  This award was given to one member of each class who exemplifies our jubilee theme being a “Pilgrim of Hope.”  They are students who consistently acts in ways consistent to the Gospel teachings and demonstrating the qualities of Mary. They are a model of hope in our school community and, throughout their own journey, have shown the values and inspired others, to build a hopeful and more compassionate world. 

These students (listed below) were presented with a certificate and an Our Lady of the Way pin.  They will be attending a special excursion to Melbourne for a Pilgrimage activity and to attend Mass at St Patrick's Cathedral.  More information will be sent home to the recipients’ families in regards to this.

After our liturgy, parishioners, families and award recipients gathered in the foyer for a light afternoon tea.  It was a great reflection of the growing bond between our parish, school staff, families and students.

Many thanks to all of our staff for making this Feast Day an enjoyable day for the students.

The 2025 Heart of Mary Award Recipients  

Celebrating our feast day

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Sacrament of Eucharist Retreat Day

Over the month of June, Our Lady of the Way recognises 50 students who have been preparing to receive the Sacrament of First Eucharist. The Year 4 teachers and students have been busily preparing for this sacrament, learning how they can take, eat, and live out the Eucharist in their daily lives

Students in yr 4 participated in a retreat day on May 28, as part of the preparation for students participating in the Sacrament of First Eucharist.

Our day was centred around recognising Jesus, ourselves and others in the Eucharist. We began as a year level in the Church, discussing the traditions and rituals of receiving the Body of Christ. Students then returned to their classrooms and participated in 4 activities within their house groups. 

The retreat day finished with the online Family Faith night, facilitated by Beth Walsh, RE Learning consultant from Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools. Families with a child preparing for the Sacrament engaged in an online workshop, to develop a shared understanding of the Sacrament, with opportunity to discuss and explore the significance of the Eucharist all while strengthening school, parish and family connections.

Our students will celebrate the blessed Sacrament across 4 weeks, taking the next step of initiation into our faith community. They will be receiving communion at our parish mass in Our Lady of the Way church at 8.45am on Sunday 1 June, 15 June, 22 June and 29 June 2025.    

Wellbeing

TEAM TEACH 6TH JUNE - SCHOOL CLOSURE DAY
Staff will be participating in a pilot program for MACS schools as part of our PBL in Practice Framework. Team Teach is an accredited training framework designed to enhance staff capabilities in behaviour support and to promote a safe, inclusive, and cohesive school environment.
It centres on practical, preventative strategies and offers a structured, respectful response to incidents. Training equips staff with:
• Practical strategies for supporting positive student behaviour
• De-escalation and risk reduction techniques
• Restorative processes following incidents
• Clarity around relevant legislation and MACS policy expectations
We are looking forward to participating in theory, scenarios and group centred discussions to build upon our collaborative approach to behaviour support.

Wellbeing Wonderings

Parent Self-Care

As our year gets slowly colder, we as parents, often find that we are getting busier. Football or other sports to play, extra clothes washing and drying in shorter time frames of daylight, preparation of heartier meals, dealing with seasonal health issues such as colds and flu (even “Man Flu,” yes it is a thing…)

How often do we, as parents and carers, take time for ourselves and what might this even look like? Below is a link to a great poster from UNICEF with a A-Z of self-care ideas for parents to consider to maintain your own personal wellbeing.

The ABC's of Self Care for Parents and Caregivers .pdf - Unicef

Wellbeing quote of the week: “It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.” (Mahatma Gandhi);

Have a great week,

Daniel Phelan

Mental Health Wellbeing Leader.

Teaching and Learning

This year, Our Lady of the Way has implemented the Mathematics Curriculum 2.0. This exciting update is to be implemented across all Victorian schools by the end of 2025, as directed by the Victorian Curriculum Assessment Authority (VCAA). The
updated curriculum is designed to make learning maths more engaging and effective for our students.
 
Why the Change?
The Mathematics Version 2.0 Curriculum is based on findings and recommendations from some of Victoria’s educational leaders and experts, mathematics specialists, and teachers. It also reflects feedback from the VCAA’s formal monitoring
conducted over the past five years.  Teachers will find that the revised Mathematics curriculum streamlines teaching,
learning, assessment, and reporting processes with content descriptions that are clearer and easier to understand and sequence. The achievement standards have also been refined and clarified to help teachers assess student learning more
effectively. The revised curriculum puts a greater emphasis on students developing skills through a focus on the mathematical processes.
Revisions to the Curriculum
Here are some of the changes you can expect:
High level overview of Levels F–10 revisions
 Six strands: Content is now organised under six strands—number, Algebra, Measurement, Space (formerly Geometry), Statistics, and Probability—with no sub-strands.
 Connections: There are clearer connections between the content descriptions and the achievement standards.
 Proficiencies: The four proficiencies of Understanding, Fluency, Reasoning and Problem-solving have been embedded into the content descriptions and achievement standards, which now more clearly articulate the proficiencies.
Levels F–6 revisions
 Mathematical Modelling: There is a greater emphasis on the processes of mathematical modelling and, from Level 3, statistical investigation and conducting repeated chance experiments.
 Resequencing of content: The content has been sequenced to provide students with more opportunities to consolidate and master key skills.
 Play based: Play- and exploration-based content is included across Foundation to Level 2.
 Computational thinking: There is a continued focus on computational and algorithmic thinking.
 Probability: The Probability strand commences at Level 3.
What Does This Mean for Reporting?
Further to implementing the new Mathematics curriculum, there will be changes to how Mathematics is reported in 2025 and beyond. In your child’s previous report, the teacher reported against the three strands of the achievement standard for
Mathematics (Number and Algebra, Measurement and Geometry, and Statistics and Probability). Under the Mathematics Curriculum 2.0, your child’s teacher will report against the achievement standard as a whole, providing a single, aggregated
score.
As the achievement standards reported on have changed, the first time you receive a report under the mathematics 2.0 curriculum, it will only show achievement and not progress. For all reports after this, progress will be shown against the single
achievement standard. The VCAA indicates that these changes were made to help teachers plan their teaching and learning programs in mathematics, giving them more flexibility to support students in linking ideas within mathematics and with
other curriculum areas.
 
What This Means for You
There’s no need to worry about complicated changes at home. Our dedicated teachers will continue to guide your child on their mathematical learning journey. We’ll keep you informed throughout the year, and you’re always welcome to reach
out with any questions. Mathematics 2.0 is a positive step forward, equipping our students with the skills and confidence to succeed in a world that increasingly relies on maths.
We understand that change can be confusing, so please don’t hesitate to contact your child’s teacher or Mrs Brea Davis (Leader of Mathematics) if you have any questions.

BOOK WEEK INFORMATION:

The 2025 theme is Book an Adventure! The feature artist for the year, Jess McGeachin, has brilliantly captured this adventurous spirit in his artwork, which features a whimsical map filled with imaginary characters.

Our Book Week dress up day and parade will be on Monday, August 18!

Our Book Week incursion will be on Friday, August 29th. 

Year 5 Swimming Program

Congratulations to our Year 5 students who have successfully completed their swimming program this term! Over the course of several weeks, students worked hard to build their confidence and skills in the water. The program culminated in the final two sessions focused on lifesaving, where students learned essential safety techniques such as rescue strategies, floating, and responding to emergency situations. It was fantastic to see their progress and enthusiasm throughout the program. Well done, Year 5!

Year 5 Swimming

Congratulations to our Year 5 students who have successfully completed their swimming program this term! Over the course of several weeks, students worked hard to build their confidence and skills in the water. The program culminated in the final two sessions focused on lifesaving, where students learned essential safety techniques such as rescue strategies, floating, and responding to emergency situations. It was fantastic to see their progress and enthusiasm throughout the program. Well done, Year 5!

French Words

Music Lessons

Before and After School Care

Community Events