Lord,

Hear our prayer for the Orana volunteers. We pray that God will continue to bless them with their many gifts and talents, and that our school community will look to them with gratitude for the selfless work they do to enrich the lives of staff and students.

We pray to the Lord.

Dear Parents and Carers,

The school year is quickly drawing to a close. As we approach the last two weeks of school, we know students are getting tired, particularly with this week’s hot conditions. Some children also begin to demonstrate behaviours that may be caused by anxiety about the pending changes that the end of a school year brings. We must continue to work together to ensure students come to school ready to learn up to the last day of term. Readiness for learning is a significant influence on future success. The Australian Primary Principal Association encourages parents to focus on five key ways that give children an excellent opportunity to do well in learning. Please see flyer below. Now is a great time to try these strategies in preparation to commit to them for the beginning of the 2024 school year.

Volunteers Sundowner and Annual Community Meeting

Our community gathered last night to come together to thank our parent volunteers and celebrate the achievements of the 2023 school year. The formal annual reports and year-level staffing announcements for 2024 were presented. Attendees also had the opportunity to meet the new staff for 2024. This is a significant meeting in our annual calendar and I wish to thank the Orana staff and the small group of parents that attended. The Principal Report is available via this link - https://shorturl.at/arxNY

Please Help

We are still needing nominations for the 2024 Advisory Council. Craig Petta, outgoing Advisory Council Chair, who has served the school for 7 years, shared the following last night, “If you are considering a position on the council, I would thoroughly recommend it. It is very rewarding and an insight into where your children spend their days and the people they spend those days with. The reward is larger than the commitment.” If you are considering volunteering, please reach out for a chat about the role.

The P and F Committee also needs at least 2 more committee members. We have two very competent committee members who will gladly support new volunteers. The P and F annual events are so important for our community and would be a burden for only 2 committee members to coordinate. If you are considering assisting or have any questions, please contact the P and F to discuss.

Staffing News

We wish to congratulate Beth Keegan who will teach Junior Music next year. Sarah Draper will teach class music for Year 3 – 6 and coordinate the instrumental program, the band and the choir.

Guitar and Flute Concert: Our parents were entertained by the talented guitar and flute students earlier this week. Thank-you to our music tutors and Sarah Draper for coordinating the evening.

Night of the Notables: The Year 5 and 6 Quest students presented their research of a notable person to a proud audience. They showcased the culmination of their work, provided a related snack and answered audience questions. It was a wonderful evening of high-quality public speaking. These students have worked very hard. Well done to them all and to Tammy Jenner for coordinating the evening.

Kindy Meet and Greet: Our kindergarten students for 2024 came for a visit last week. They sampled kindy life at Orana whilst their parents shared morning tea and mingled with each other. Thank-you to the P and F for your support of this function.

Sacrament of Reconciliation: Congratulations to our Year 3 students who received the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time last week. Thank-you to Father CJ, Magdalene and Luanna from the parish and the Year 3 staff.

High School Transition Program: Thank-you to Kathryn Warburton for her support of our Year 6 students. Kath is continuing to present weekly session to assist the transition to high school. Our graduating class are attending transition days at the various destination high schools at the moment. We wish them well and hope they enjoy the experience.

We look forward to seeing you at the Christmas Concert on Tuesday. We also invite you to join us at the Thanksgiving Mass next Friday at 9.30am in the hall.

God bless and take care.

Dee Johnston

Principal

Advent Begins Sunday 3rd December

Advent comes from the Latin word meaning "coming." Jesus is coming, and Advent is intended to be a season of preparation for His arrival. While we typically regard Advent as a joyous season, it is also intended to be a period of preparation, much like Lent. Prayer, penance and fasting are appropriate during this season.

Advent is not as strict as Lent, and there are no rules for fasting, but it is meant to be a period of self-preparation. The purple colour associated with Advent is also the colour of penance. The faithful should receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

At Mass on Sunday, the second Advent candle will be lit. The second candle, also purple, represents faith. It is called the “Bethlehem Candle” as a reminder of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem. The colour of the second Advent candle is associated with royalty and reminds us that Christ is the "King of Kings." We await the coming of a new king from Bethlehem.

Sacrament of Penance

Please view the photos of our Year 3 children celebrating Reconciliation for the first time. Thank you to class teachers - Sophie Rich, Heidi Ballem and Shelley Hardingham for their dedication in preparing the children. If you haven't picked up your certificate last weekend, please pop in to Father at any Mass to collect it from the Sacristy.

THANK YOU!

Thank you for the lovely cold icy treat to end our week. Parents popped in to freeze and distribute icy poles to our students to finish off on a cooler note. Thank you again!

P&F EXEC COMMITTEE - 2024

At the Annual Community Meeting last night, we were most grateful for the following people to remain on our P & F for the 2024 school year.

Priya Narsing - Treasurer

Elyse Byers - Secretary

Our school P & F still require the following positions to be filled:

P & F Chair

Coordinator of classroom reps

Please consider how you can assist your child's school through the P & F. It is by filling these positions, that community events can take place. You can also join the committee as a general member. If you have any queries, please contact the P & F - oranapandf@gmail.com

CANTEEN ORDERS

Lunch orders have started this term with lots of delicious lunches being handed out every Monday and Wednesday. We do need volunteers for November and December. Helpers are only required for 35 minutes (12.10pm – 12.45pm) to cross check orders and sort into classroom tubs.

To volunteer, simply put your name down on the signup sheet https://signup.com/client/invitation2/secure/151727938032/true#/invitation . A big thank you to everyone who has already volunteered and ensured a smooth start to this new service.

Term 4 Week 8-9

• Monday 27th November - Young Engineers Club - 3.30pm
• Tuesday 28th November - Christmas Concert - Food Trucks from 4.30pm
• Wednesday 29th November - Theatre Sports - Year 5
• Wednesday 29th November - Cricket WA Year 1-6
• Thursday 30th November - AC & P&F Thank you dinner - 6pm
• Friday 1st December - Thanksgiving/ Ward Mass - Whole School - 9.30am
• Friday 1st December - Pre-Kindy - Christmas Songs for Parents
• Monday 4th December - Young Engineers Club - 3.30pm
• Tuesday 5th December - Students visit to classes for 2024
• Tuesday 5th December - Reports sent home
• Wednesday 6th December - Drippy the Dragon Show - Kindy B & W - 9.30am on the oval
• Thursday 7th December - Year 6 Graduation
• Thursday 7th December - Year 6 Graduation Mass/ Presentation 9.30 (School Hall)
• Thursday 7th December - Graduation Evening - 6.30pm - 8.00pm
• Friday 8th December - Year 6 End of Year Excursion Day
• Friday 8th December - Year 6 Farewell - 2.50pm
• Friday 8th December - Last Day for Students

5 Secrets to Surviving Term 4

We’re almost there everyone……just hang in a little longer. As any parent knows, the last weeks of school can often be the most challenging. There’s the mixture of excitement for the summer holidays and exhaustion from a school year. To help you get through the school term, we’ve compiled some top survival tips.

https://shorturl.at/mOP47

Regards

Kath Warburton

Social Worker

Click on the image to go to the Parish website.