Newsletter June 12, 2025
From the Principal
Dear Parents, Staff, Students and Friends of the Our Lady of the Way Community,
Last Sunday we celebrated the feast of Pentecost, known as the Birthday of the Church. This is a time when the Holy Spirit came upon the Disciples as they began their life of living as Jesus instructed them to live. A life of love for one another and to be of service to others.
From the Acts of the Apostles, we learn that where the Spirit of God is active all sorts of gifts are present:
boldness to stand up for what we believe;
the ability to hear and listen;
an end to fear that locks us in on ourselves;
confidence in the salvation won for us in Christ;
fidelity to Jesus' commandment to love;
clarity about what's true; and
an ‘at homeness' with God.
It is a timely reminder that, as Christians filled with the Holy Spirit, we are challenged to ensure the needs of others at the forefront of our minds. Thinking of others is only part of the challenge however, we also are reminded of the need for us to do something about it.
St Mary of the Cross Mackillop said “never see a need without doing something about it” which reminds us of our duty as ‘Pentecost People’. The smallest assistance to another person can make an enormous difference to them. Looking out for others and being of service to them is an action of love, because when you love someone, you serve them.
Best wishes,
Terry
Principal
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.
FOOD ALLERGIES
A reminder to all families that we have students in the school with Anaphylaxis. To help keep all students safe, please avoid sending any nut products in your child’s lunchbox.
We appreciate your support and understanding.
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.
SMART WATCH REMINDER
Please ensure that any student who wears a smart watch to school has it set to School Mode. This means the device must not be used during school hours.
Thank you for your cooperation.
CHANGES OF CLOTHES
With the recent rain, there are some muddy patches throughout the yard, and several students have unfortunately slipped or fallen in these areas, requiring a change of clothes.
To help us manage this more smoothly, we kindly ask that you consider packing a spare pair of pants in your child’s school bag, just in case they need a change during the day. While we do have some spare uniform items available, we may not always have the correct size for your child.
Should we be able to supply a change of clothes for your child, we kindly ask that these items be washed and returned at your earliest convenience. If underwear is provided, please note that it is brand new and does not need to be returned, as it cannot be reused.
Thank you for your support.
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!
UNIFORM
A reminder to all girls that leggings are not part of the school uniform. The winter uniform is either a kilt or long navy pants. Leggings are not to be worn.
Images of the winter uniform are below. This image does not have the school woollen jumper or the soft cell jacket which are also part of our Winter Uniform. Please ensure that the uniform your child is wearing adheres to our uniform policy. This includes school shoes. Shoes need to be all black and I emphasise the all. No other colour should be visible. On sport days your child can wear any colour runners.
We have also introduced a scarf to our uniform to help battle the cold Wallan winter. It matches the navy beanie and is available from PSW, our uniform suppliers. Please note that this school beanie is the only beanie the students should be wearing at school.
Thank you for your continued support with this matter.
Winter Uniform
Religious Education-Pilgrims of Hope
Fr. Andrew will be on annual leave from 17 June to 27 June. During this time, some weekday Masses will be cancelled. Please note that Saturday Vigil and Sunday Masses will continue as usual. Regular Mass schedule will resume from Saturday, 28 June.
Please see the adjusted Mass timetable below for upcoming weeks:Sun, 15 June
8.45 am Mass at Wallan - 1st Eucharist group 2
10.45 am Mass at Kilmore
• Tue, 17 June: 9 am Mass at Kilmore
• Wed, 18 June: No Mass at Wallan• Thu, 19 June: 9 am Mass at Kilmore
• Fri, 20 June: 9 am Mass at Kilmore
Sat, 21 June
9 am; No Mass at Kilmore
5 pm Mass at Broadford (Visiting Priest)
6.30 pm Mass at Kilmore (visiting Priest)
Sun, 22 June
8.45 am Mass at Wallan - 1st Eucharist group 3 (visiting Priest)
10.45 am Mass at Kilmore (visiting Priest)
• Tue, 24 June: 9 am Mass at Kilmore
• Wed, 25 June: No Mass at Wallan • Thu, 26 June: No Mass at Kilmore
• Fri, 27 June: No Mass at Kilmore
Regular Mass times ResumeSat, 28 June
9 am Mass at Kilmore
5 pm Mass at Broadford
6.30 pm Mass at Kilmore
Sun, 29 June
8.45 am Mass at Wallan - 1st Eucharist group 4
10.45 am Mass at Kilmore
Wellbeing
For the remainder of the term we will be focussing on the values of Resilience; highlighting the expectations
“ I give everything a go!” and “ I learn from my mistakes.”
We can do this by:
Taking manageable risks in our learning
Being brave and trying something new on the playground
Being brave and trying to make new friends
Understanding that it’s ok if we don’t get everything right the first time
Asking for help when we need it
Talking with someone when we make a mistake to understand how it went wrong
When we show these skills we are demonstrating:
Persisting
Listening with understanding and empathy
Creating, imagining, innovating
Thinking flexibly
Thinking about your thinking (metacognition)
Taking responsible risks
Questioning and posing problems
Thinking interdependently
This classroom routine identifies that we are using the value of Resilience and when used in all learning spaces; we are actively becoming the best versions of ourselves.
Team Teach Professional Learning
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
Staff had an opportunity to discuss processes, strategies and implement movement activities based on safety and de-escalation. The Professional Development day aligned with our MACS supported Safety and De-Escalation plans.
Teaching and Learning
Parent Teacher Interviews
Wednesday, July 30th Students finish at 1.35pm Interviews from 2.00pm-6.00pm
Tuesday, August 5th - Interviews from 3.30pm-7.00pm
Families will be notified via email when bookings become available
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!
Foundation Students Enjoy CFA visit
The Foundation students thoroughly enjoyed the recent visit from the CFA. They learnt all about the important work the CFA does within the community and were especially excited to watch the demonstrations. A highlight for many was having a turn using the firefighter’s hose!
World Music Day-Friday, June 20!
French Words
Year 6 Interschool Sports
Netball
On the 30th of May all our year 6’s competed at Assumption College for their Winter Inter-School sports competition. Our two Netball teams competed with great spirit and sportsmanship. They all showed terrific resilience and courage. Although our first team was not able to grab any wins, our second team failed to make finals after losing to St. Pat’s in their final game. We show our appreciation for Mr. Stella, who organised this memorable day, Mrs Matthews, who trained our wonderful teams, and Mikaela and Sandeep who encouraged and supported all of our awesome girls. Last but not least an amazing thanks to Assumption College for letting us play on their grounds.
Soccer
On Friday the 30th of May we went on a bus and went to St Patricks in Kilmore to do interschool sports; when we got there, we had to warm up to get ready for our game. Sadly we lost our first game 3-0 and our second game we won it was 4-2 and for our third game we won it was 5-1 and for our last game we won it was 5-0. We had a wonderful day competing against the other schools in our district. Special thanks to everyone who made this day possible especially our coach Mr van Zyl.
Well done 2025 Soccer team.
T-Ball
Logan's Experience
Tee-ball was an amazing experience, as my teammates and I came in with courage and ended with passion. Although we didn’t win, we weren’t annoyed like most would be, we still enjoyed it. It was VERY stressful batting first. I personally enjoyed fielding but the entire experience was amazing. It was a very exciting experience for everyone and overall, we thoroughly enjoyed it.
Romans Experience
Tee-ball was a very interesting experience. When the team got there we basically had to get on the field immediately because our first game was at 10:00. At the start of our first game I was on first base for the whole first game and we tied the first game against Beveridge Primary. Our second game was at 12:00 so with all that time we practiced. When it came time to play I was on first base for the whole game again but sadly we didn’t win and didn’t make it to the finals but everyone had fun and enjoyed it.
The Whole Day
When we got to the playing field I saw all the other tee-ball teams ready to play their first match of the day. We all put our bags down by a tree and got all the supplies we needed. After that Mr Stella got all the teams together and told everyone where all the diamond shaped bases were. After his speech all the teams went to their bases ready to play the first match. We were playing against Beveridge Primary in the first match, however we still managed to hang and tie. We took a little break and started practice for our next game. For our second game we were going up against Pyalong Primary, a tough opponent but we lost, although it was a close battle. Then we were finding out if we made it to finals. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it. We would like to thank all of the many teachers who trained us and our coach on the day.
Miss Forrest.
Music Lessons
Before and After School Care
Community Events
The Scout School Holiday Program offers a range of engaging activities that help develop confidence, teamwork, problem-solving skills, and resilience—all while having a fantastic time. We believe this program can be of great benefit to your students, providing them with an enriching experience during the school holidays.
