Dear Parents and Carers,
We have now passed halfway through Term 4, and students have had a great year. It is important that we complete the year to the same high standard set so far regarding living our school values, using our manners, wearing uniforms correctly and finishing work with care and effort.
Catholic Identity Pillar
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day is not specifically a Catholic holy day; however, it certainly goes hand in hand with our life of faith. Spiritually speaking, we all know that gratitude is central to the Gospel message. Thanksgiving presents us with the perfect opportunity to look at this particular aspect of our faith. We are called to be eternally and deeply grateful. It is a chance to reflect on the many ways we've been supported and to honour those who have been part of our journey. Take a moment to reflect, express thanks and show others they are loved.
https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/
Education Pillar
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.
2025 Kindy Meet and Greet
Our kindergarten students for 2025 came for a visit this week. They sampled kindy life at Orana whilst their parents shared morning tea. Thank-you to the P and F for your support of this function.
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 members are currently attending transition days at the various destination high schools. We wish them well and hope they enjoy the experience.
Community Pillar
Volunteers Sundowner and Annual Community Meeting
Our community gathered last week to come together to thank our parent volunteers and celebrate the achievements of the 2024 school year. The formal annual reports and year-level staffing announcements for 2025 were presented. Attendees also had the opportunity to meet the new staff for 2025. This is a significant meeting in our annual calendar and I wish to thank the Orana staff and the parents that attended. Congratulations to the door prize winners. The Principal Report is available via this link: 2024 ACM Principal Report Final 141124.pdf.
Advisory Council News
A special thanks to our Advisory Council Chairperson, Barbara Cook, for her leadership of the School Advisory Council. Barbara steps down and leaves Orana this year. Her service to the council and employment panels has been greatly appreciated. Barbara has been an outstanding contributor on the Board/Advisory Council, she has been supportive and generous in her time over the last 4 years, including 3 years as Secretary and 1 year as Chairperson. I would also like to thank Carmelle Wilkinson, Deputy Chair; Cesar Villar, treasurer; Mathew Maiolo, secretary; and our current standing members (below). I wish to sincerely thank these parents for their leadership and contributions.
P and F News
Many thanks to Priya Narsing for contribution to the P & F. Priya has been an active member of the P and F over the last 4 years, including the role of treasurer for the last 2 years. Priya has been instrumental in the planning and coordinating the community events throughout the year. Priya steps down as treasurer and will remain a member of the committee. We also farewell Shehan Goonetilleke. Shehan has contributed to the P and F Executive for three years, including taking on the president position for 2 of those years. We appreciate the leadership and energy Shehan puts into building our community spirit.
2025 Advisory Council
Shannon Foster (new)
Brenda Guyon
Mathew Maiolo
Emma Monaco
Carmelle Wilkinson
Cesar Villar
Fr John
Fr CJ
Andy DiCarlantonio
Kathryn Alp
Dee Johnston
2025 P & F Executive
President – Stephanie Chu (new)
Vice President – Pamela Cooper
Treasurer – Sylvia Sze (new)
Secretary – Shannon Foster
Canteen Coordinator – Bec McKinnon (new)
Class Representative Coordinator – Viktoria Saar (new)
I wholeheartedly thank the new members of the parent leadership groups and look forward to working with them in 2025.
Stewardship Pillar
Staffing News
Nicole Chamberlain will join our staff next year. Nicole will be teaching Junior Sport (Pre-primary to Year 2); sharing the role with Tayla Lake (Year 3 to 6). Nicole is an experienced Early Childhood teacher; we welcome her to Orana.
2025 Class Move-Up Session
On Tuesday 3rd December, students will visit their classes for 2025. Parents will then be informed of the class allocations. Thank you for trusting that our staff are student-focused and always strive to create the best possible class allocations. Our new staff will be joining us. 2025 Staffing allocations are available on our website.
Bulk Ordering K-Year 6 from 2025
Kindy to Year 1 has been trialling bulk ordering rather than individual booklists for the last three years. This strategy has proven to be cost-effective and time-saving for families. This approach to stocking consumables is more sustainable and fits with our Earth Care mission. Packing waste is reduced, and transport costs are avoided. We will now roll this out across the school. There will be a levy charged per student on the school fee account. The 2025 Fee Schedule is available on the school website.
Term Dates
A term calendar detailing the events for this term has been updated and is on our website. It can also be accessed on the following link www.orana.wa.edu.au/calendar
Further updates and any changes will be uploaded to our online calendar also on the website. Knowing what is coming up in the term and planning ahead reduces anxiety for all community members and ultimately for our children.
Up to Date Contact Details
Please ensure you provide the office and OSHC (if you use this service) with your up-to-date contact details. It is vital that we have the correct phone numbers for parents and emergency contacts.
Kindy Enrolments for 2025 and 2026
Places are filling fast for Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten in 2025. We are also taking enrolments for 2026 and 2027. If you have a child or have friends with children approaching kindergarten age, please refer them to our website or ask them to contact the office.
God bless and take care.
Kind regards,
Dee Johnston
