Dear Parents and Carers,
Catholic Identity Pillar
Blessings
As the school year draws to a close, we pause to thank God for the many blessings and ask for his blessings on us during the Christmas and holidays. Christmas is a time of hope and joy for many. We also pause to pray for those who experience a Christmas that is not as joyful or plentiful.
Farewell Prayers
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank and say farewell to those families that will leave Orana at the end of this year. We have many families whose youngest child graduated yesterday and others relocating. We pray for each of these families and wish them well in their next chapter of life's journey.
Education Pillar
Year 5 Leadership Preparation
Last week, our Year 5 students participated in an engaging leadership preparation day. The sessions, run by 24/7 Youth Ministry, linked leadership qualities to the fruits of the Holy Spirit. During the Graduation Mass, ‘The Light of Leadership’ was passed from our Year 6 leaders to our Year 5 students. As with the student leaders this year, these new leaders are committed to leaving their role in a better position than when they received it; to respect what the leader before them has done and then develop and improve this role for the next leader.
Reports were made available to parents earlier this week. When discussing and sharing these with your child, we suggest to celebrate some strengths and growth and identify an area of focus for 2025. The effort your child has put into each area, and the Personal and Social Management attributes section is important to focus on, rather than simply the grade.
Transition Class Visit Class
Students visited their class for 2025 earlier this week. This opportunity is provided to ease the anxiety of the return to school. Teachers focussed on starting to build relationships with their students and the students completed an activity.
2025 Class Allocations
The class allocation process for 2025 is finalised. We consider many factors when creating the class lists, and while we strive to accommodate all needs, our context of a double stream school makes it challenging to keep the same students separated or together. We are fortunate that there is two classes, so children have opportunities for change each year. We have considered factors such as academic balance, social emotional needs and student combinations, that will allow students to grow academically and socially. Whilst we have attempted to satisfy parent/carer requests, it is impossible to accommodate all of them. At times, parent requests can be conflicting with one parent requesting a child is placed together and the other requesting separation, for example. Separation due to past social issues is sometimes the best course of action in the short term; however, for students to develop their social skills and their ability to work with all people, as would be expected in high school, students must develop people skills, in the supportive primary school environment. It is vital that you are positive about your child’s class placement to give your child the best opportunity to feel confident on the first day. I thank our staff for their effort and considerable time in creating balanced classes and placing children in the class they believe is the best possible combination professionally.
Community Pillar
Graduation Mass and Celebration
Congratulations to our Year 6 students on their Graduation yesterday. The occasion was marked with a Mass, led by Father CJ, followed by recognising our award winners and the graduation class of 2024. Dr Jags Krishnan, member for Riverton, joined us for Graduation. Last night the students and their parents celebrated the end of their chapter at primary school. The class of 2024 have proven to be a great group of young people; a group that we are so blessed to have had in our school community, over the last 8 years. We wish the class of 2024 all the very best as they look ahead to the opportunities that high school and the years beyond have to offer. Today the students enjoyed their last primary school excursion and were welcomed back to school with a guard of honour for their final farewell. "Every end is a new beginning!"
Stewardship Pillar
Staffing News
Congratulations to Ninik Ariani who will join our early years staff next year. Ninik is an Education Assistant; she has been relieving at Orana over the last 2 years. We welcome her to our staff team.
'The Year That Was'
When reflecting on ‘The Year That Was’, there is certainly so much to celebrate and to be grateful for. I would like to wholeheartedly thank our staff for their passion for the students in our care. Our staff work tirelessly week after week for our students and school community. Next week, staff will begin planning for next year through various professional learning sessions. A thorough handover process will also be conducted to ensure the next year level staff are informed and able to plan for the start of the next school year.
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.
2025 Calendar
The calendar for next term and the draft calendars for the remainder of 2025 will be uploaded onto the website next week. Knowing what is coming up in the term and planning ahead reduces anxiety for all community members and ultimately for our children.
Please note that the pupil-free days and the sacramental dates for 2024 will be highlighted on the calendar. In 2025, school starts for students on Wednesday 5th February and students will need to be in full summer uniform. When preparing for the start of the year by purchasing shoes, uniforms or getting haircuts, please refer to the uniform and dress guidelines.
Uniform Shop Holiday Dates
The uniform shop will be open for your convenience on the 28th and 30th of January; 9am-3pm.
Christmas Wishes
I would like to take this opportunity to thank our parish, parents, carers, staff, the broader community and our students for a very successful school year. I wish you all a happy and holy Christmas and an enjoyable holiday break with family and friends. I look forward to working with you next year.
God bless and take care.
Kind regards,
Dee Johnston
