There has been a flurry of activities around OLOR over the past few weeks. There has been plenty going on both inside classrooms and also in many other areas. We have celebrated Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday, marking the beginning of the Lenten season, which is a time to reflect and readjust to what is important. We have had our school photos, which is a reminder of how we are all part of the OLOR community, and also a reminder of how quickly students grow up! We have also had our Wakakirri and Choir groups starting rehearsals for their performances later this year.  

Last week our Year 3 and Year 5 students began their NAPLAN testing for 2025, and this has continued this week. This is a series of four tests designed to assess them in the areas of writing, reading, spelling and grammar, and numeracy. We commend the students on the effort that they have put in and look forward to receiving the results later in the year. NAPLAN tests are just one part of the assessment schedule we have at OLOR, where we use data to inform our planning and decision making.  

Our School Board AGM and first meeting of our new Board was also held last week. I would like to welcome new members Teresa Howie, Thalia Boatswain and Kyle Woolston, who join Emma Vallelonga and George Dalamagas, as the parent representatives on the School Board, as well as Fiona Moll-Short who is the staff representative. They will support myself and Fr Hau to make decisions and guide the school over the next year. I value the input of all parents and look forward to many new ideas coming in the future. I would also like to thank Mark Howie, Kanwaldeep Kaur, Priscilla Renfrey, Keisha Barber and Melanie Steele for their contributions to the School Board last year.  

In Week 10 we look forward to Parent Teacher interviews. These are an opportunity for parents and teachers to discuss the learning, behaviour and wellbeing of their children. Working together with families, we want to create an environment where all students are able to achieve their best with the support at school and home to help this happen. As always, we invite families to share any concerns they have about how their children are going and their feelings about school. Parent Teacher interviews are just one part of the reporting process, and we encourage families to continue these conversations with teachers throughout the year. 

During few weeks we will be preparing for the moving of our transportable classrooms to the bottom of the oval, to enable our new buildings to begin construction. We are looking at how to minimise the disruption this will cause to the learning and play times of students, as well as planning out what this looks like once the buildings are moved during the school holidays. We look forward to the beginning of the building program and the opportunities that the additions to the school will bring.