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Dearest Our Lady of Lourdes Families,
As we enter into the middle of Term 2, I want to take a moment to thank you all for your continued support and involvement in the life of our school.
Learning Conferences – Thank You
Thank you to all the families who have participated in our Semester 1 Learning Conferences this week. These Parent-Teacher interviews are a valuable opportunity to strengthen the partnership between home and school. Your engagement supports your child’s learning journey and reinforces the message that we are all working together to help them thrive. A big thank you to our teachers for the time and effort they put into preparing for these interviews.
Attendance Matters
At Our Lady of Lourdes, we are committed to helping every student reach their full potential—and that starts with being at school every day. Regular attendance is one of the most important factors in a child’s academic success, as it allows them to stay connected to learning, develop strong relationships with peers and teachers, and build positive routines.
Even occasional absences can add up. Missing just one day a fortnight equates to four full weeks of missed learning across the year. Over time, this can make it harder for students to keep up, both academically and socially.
We understand that sometimes absences are unavoidable due to illness or emergencies, and we appreciate your efforts to keep us informed when this happens. However, we ask families to avoid taking holidays during the school term whenever possible, and to make every effort to schedule appointments outside school hours.
Here’s how you can support your child’s attendance:
- Establish consistent morning routines to ensure a calm start to the day.
- Make sure your child gets enough sleep and is prepared for the next school day.
- Communicate with us early if your child is facing any challenges with attending school.
If you ever have concerns or need support regarding your child’s attendance, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re here to help and work with you.
Together, let’s make every school day count!
Changes to Reporting
As you may be aware, in 2024, Townsville Catholic Education conducted surveys regarding reporting with staff and parents. The survey responses have informed the review of the Reporting Guidelines for Prep to Year 10, which have now been updated. The changes to your child’s report from this semester are outlined below.
- The Learning Areas Comments have been removed. Instead, report cards will contain a Learning Area Statement outlining the key learning undertaken for the semester.
- Application to Learning refers to the students' effort in learning and completing tasks to the best of their ability. It reflects how the student responds to the feedback and demonstrates interest in their learning. This is reported on a 4-point scale: Needs Attention, Satisfactory, Very Good, Excellent.
- A statement indicates that the Working With or C achievement level is the expected end-of-year achievement standard. This level of achievement is highlighted in the explanation.
- In Prep, students are assessed and reported against the English, Mathematics, Health and Physical Education, and Religion achievement standards. The other learning areas are taught; however, they are not reported on.
- One general comment personalised by the classroom teacher is included at the end of the report.
If you have any questions about the updates to our reporting templates, please contact the School to make a time for discussion with either Sarah Sheahan or myself.
School Board Executive
Following our Annual General Meeting held on Wednesday 14th May, we are pleased to announce the newly elected members of our 2025 School Board Executive. We warmly welcome Andrew Pollock as Board Chair, Sarah Sheahan as Board Secretary, and Damian Briggs as our Finance Representative. We look forward to their leadership and collaboration as we continue to work together to support the growth and mission of our school.
A heartfelt thank you to our outgoing Chair, Moris Gori, for your dedicated service and strong leadership over the past few years. Your commitment to our school community has been greatly appreciated.
Warm regards,Jo Desailly
Principal
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School
Dear Families,
Year of Jubilee
2025 is a Jubilee Year in the Catholic Church.
The Universal Church traditionally proclaims a Jubilee Year every 25 years. It is a year set aside to encourage the faithful to embark on pilgrimages, repent of their sins and forgive the sins of others, and renew their focus on spiritual life.
The theme is Pilgrims of Hope. Catholics have been invited to renew our hope and discover a vision that can "restore access to the fruits of the earth to everyone". We are also invited to rediscover a spirituality of God's creation in which we understand ourselves as "pilgrims on the earth" rather than masters of the world.
You will see this logo often this year…
The logo symbolises unity and fraternity among all of humanity, with four stylised figures from different corners of the earth embracing each other. The leading figure holds a cross, representing faith and hope. The rough waves beneath the figures symbolise life's challenges, emphasising the need for hope in difficult times. The elongated lower part of the cross forms an anchor, a well-known symbol of hope. This image depicts the pilgrimage as a communal journey towards the cross, which reaches out dynamically to offer presence and hope.
To learn about the meaning of the logo for the 2025 Jubilee, click here.
Jubilee 2025 - Pilgrims of Hope (Youtube)
Sacramental Program
The Solemnity of Mary Help of Christians
As a school community, we come together to celebrate the feast of Mary Help of Christians, the official patroness of Australia since 1844. Her feast day is May 24. On Friday, May 23, all our students and staff will gather for a whole-school meditation, a moment of unity and celebration of our shared faith.
Almighty God, deepen in our hearts our love of Mary Help of Christians.
Through her prayers and under her protection, may the light of Christ shine over our land.
May Australia be granted harmony, justice and peace.
Grant wisdom to our leaders and integrity to our citizens.
Bless especially the men and women of the Australian Defence Force and their families.
We ask this through Christ Our Lord.
Amen.
Mary Help of Christians, pray for us.
God Bless!
Moris Gori
Healthy Harold Visits Our School
This week, our students had the wonderful opportunity to engage in special Life Education sessions with Miss Rhiannon and Healthy Harold!
Each year level explored a unique topic tailored to their developmental stage, helping them build important life skills and understandings. These sessions link into the Health and Physical Education Curriculum standards of the Australian Curriculum.
- Kindergarten: Harold’s Big Feelings – exploring emotions and how to express them in healthy ways
- Prep: My Body Matters – learning about healthy habits and personal hygiene
- Year 1: Ready, Set, Go! – understanding choices and how they affect our health
- Year 2: Growing Good Friends – building respectful relationships and friendships
- Year 3: bCyberwise – staying safe online and being a responsible digital citizen
- Year 4: The Inside Story – learning about body systems and how to care for them
- Year 5: Take a Breath –investigate the issues around vaping and smoking and are encouraged to stop and “take a breath”, ask questions, seek answers and exercise critical thinking skills before making a decision.
- Year 6: Relate, Respect and Connect –explore how the physical and personal changes at this stage of life impact their behaviour, emotions and relationships. They also learnt how to recognise, react to, and report disrespectful, unsafe and potentially predatory behaviour online.
Students enjoyed learning alongside Healthy Harold, who used examples from his life to make the lessons fun and meaningful.
Life Education online hub also offers a range of parent resources, including podcasts and information flyers aligned with each module. These are a great way to continue the conversation at home. Please follow the link attached to this great resource for families- Life Education Parenting Guidelines.
Strengthening How We Teach Reading at Our Lady of Lourdes
At Our Lady of Lourdes, we are deeply committed to ensuring that every child becomes a confident and capable reader. As part of this commitment, our teachers recently participated in a Professional Development Day focused on improving how we teach reading across all year levels.
The day was centred on the updated Version 9 Australian Curriculum: English, specifically the Reading and Viewing components. Teachers worked together in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) to explore the current research around how children learn to read, often referred to as the Science of Reading.
Throughout the day, teachers:
- Built a stronger understanding of ‘The Big 6’ and deepening our understanding of how reading develops, from learning sounds and decoding words to building vocabulary and comprehension
- Reviewed the curriculum standards for reading in each year level to ensure clear, consistent expectations
- Created shared goals for teaching and assessing reading to track student progress more effectively
- Worked across year levels to build a united approach to reading instruction throughout the school
This work helps us ensure that all children receive high-quality reading instruction, no matter which class they are in. It also means we are better equipped to identify when students need support and how to help them succeed.
As we continue this journey in our PLCs throughout the year, we’re excited about the positive impact it will have on student learning and literacy growth.
If you’d like to learn more about Unpacking the Science of Reading Research, we encourage you to explore the Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) website, which has helpful information for families and educators alike.
Together, we’re building strong foundations for a love of reading—and a love of learning—for every child at Our Lady of Lourdes.
Year 6 Community Service at Palms Nursing Home
Nick Dametto MP Visit
Thank you Nick Dametto MP for visiting our Year 6 classes today and helping deepen their understanding of Local, State and Federal government. They also enjoyed learning about your role as our local MP.
What's Happening in Year 2
What's Happening in Year 4
Exciting news
New Playground Equipment
Another exciting day for us … this time we got to finally use our new playground!! It has been a great week of play for us at OLOL! 
Cross Country
Congratulations, Lourdes, on your tremendous efforts in the district cross country. All the students did a fantastic job and should be very proud of their efforts. Lourdes won the shield for the school with the most points. A big thank you to all the staff and parents who helped out in any way. Well done to the children invited to attend the North Queensland trials on Tuesday, 26 May.
|
Scout Murray |
Paysen Seri |
Tilly Poppi |
Isla Neitz |
Romeo Reitano |
|
Chase Bartolini |
Elliott Cohen |
Isla Vardanega |
Dallas Jayasuria |
Kadence Torrisi |
|
Hugo Guandalini |
Max Quabba |
Georgia Myles |
Boston Davis |
Matisse Scovazzi |
|
Daley Holland |
Lindsy Erkkila |
Layce Crisp |
Jethro Accendre |
Imogen Accornero |
|
Alexis Catasti |
Jewel Crisp |
Kadee Roveda |
Cianne Lyons |
Ruby Gori |
|
Maddie Currington |
Herbert River Football
Congratulations to the students selected for the Herbert River football team. These children will travel to Burdekin on May 24th and 25th to participate in the North Queensland trials. All the best!
|
Phoebe Hansen-Plozin |
Kyla Torrisi |
Maddie Currington |
Ruby Gori |
Kadee Roveda |
Cianne Lyons |
|
Bridgette Vecchio |
Tilly Poppi |
Kadence Torrisi |
Romeo Reitano |
Finn Gusmeroli |
Herbert River Touch Football
Congratulations to the students selected for the Herbert River touch football team. These children will travel to the Whitsundays on June 1 and 2 to participate in the North Queensland trials. All the best!
|
Cianne Lyons |
Ruby Gori |
Maddie Currington |
Phoebe Hansen-Polzin |
Jewel Crisp |
Georgia Myles |
Parker Sheahan |
|
Logan Schifilliti |
Scout Murray |
Dallas Jayasuria |
Imogen Accornero |
Boston Davis |
Coen Guerra |
Chad Lyons |
|
Paysen Seri |
Dear Parents and Carers,
We’re pleased to share the schedule for catch-up swimming lessons taking place during Week 5. These lessons are for classes that missed a session or session/s during Term One.
Please see the details below for your child’s class:
Tuesday 20th of May- Normal P.E. Time
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Year 3A
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Year 3B
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Year 2A
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Year 2B
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Year 6
Thursday 22nd of May- Normal P.E Time
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Year 5B
Friday 23rd May – Additional Make-Up Day
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8:45 AM – Year 2A
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9:45 AM – Year 2B
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11:30 AM – Year 3A
Please ensure your child brings their swimming gear, including swimmers, towel, hat, thongs and goggles.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact the school office or your child’s teacher.
Thank you for your continued support.
Week 4
| Prep A | Milo Fighera, Mickiah Beccaris |
| Prep B | Brielle Ranaweera, Ethan Thomson |
| 1A | Via Rist, Flynn Hallam |
| 1B | Flynn Devietti, Ryatt Blanco |
| 2B | Alexis Torrisi, Ayla Barra |
| 3A | Hunter Devietti, Luca Bonaldo |
| 3B | Matilda Craig, Ashton Hall |
| 4A | Brax Crozzoletto, Rylan Tomba |
| 4B | Albin Alappatt Daijo, Mia Carr |
| 5A | Scout Murray, Lotti Duffy |
| 5B | Chad Lyons, Arcadia Knuth |
Family BBQ & Movie Night
We're excited to invite all families to our upcoming Family BBQ and Movie Night on Thursday, 19th June at 5:30pm. This event is a wonderful opportunity to relax, connect with other families, and enjoy some fun together as a school community. Bring a picnic rug or chairs, and come enjoy a sausage sizzle followed by a movie under the stars!
We look forward to seeing many of you there as we continue to strengthen the sense of belonging and connection that makes our school such a special place.
Mother’s Day Raffle
We would also like to remind families about returning our Mother’s Day raffle tickets to the office. We will be drawing the raffle on Monday 26th May. There are many great prizes which have been donated by our generous business houses. If you need more tickets, please see the ladies in the office for another book. All monies raised from the raffle will go towards buying resources for our school.
Month of May - Mother’s Day Raffle – Tickets Out Now!
We’re celebrating our amazing mums with a special Mother’s Day Raffle!
Prizes include:
Yeti Beach Pack
WholeLife Pamper Pack
Mitre 10 Homewares Pack
Plus two $50 Coles Myer Vouchers!
Link2Country Raffle
We will be holding a raffle next Saturday at the Link2Country event. Our stall will be in the NQ Makers Market section and will run from 8:30am - 4:30pm. If you are able to assist will selling tickets for 1 hr next Saturday, could you please add your name to the appropriate timeslot on the roster attached.
Jo will meet you at the Show Grounds at 8:30am and will set up. We will also provide you with entry into the venue.
If you would like further information, please do not hesitate to contact me
Any help will be greatly appreciated.
We would like to inform you that we have recently seen an increase in cases of certain illnesses within our school community, including school sores (impetigo), RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), and head lice.
To help prevent further spread and to keep our students and staff healthy, we kindly ask all families to monitor their children for any signs or symptoms of illness and follow the recommended guidelines for exclusion from school.
We encourage you to refer to the Queensland Health “Time Out” poster, which outlines the required exclusion periods for various illnesses. The poster is available at the following link:
Queensland Health Time Out Poster
Here is a quick summary of relevant guidelines:
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School sores (Impetigo): Exclude from school until 24 hours after antibiotic treatment has started. Sores must be covered.
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RSV: Children should remain at home while showing respiratory symptoms and until they are feeling well again.
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Head lice: Exclusion is not generally required, but treatment should begin before returning to school.
We appreciate your support in keeping our school community healthy. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the school office.
URStrong
Friendships for Highly Sensitive Children
Raise your hand if you or your child is an HSP, like me? ?♀️
It wasn’t until I was an adult that I stumbled on the book, The Highly Sensitive Person, by Dr Elaine Aron. I felt like I was reading an autobiography. She perfectly described what I’ve felt and experienced my whole life.
In her research, she’s identified that 15-20% of the population qualify as highly sensitive, having what’s called: “Sensory-Processing Sensitivity”. These people (adults and children):
Feel things deeply. This means, the highs are high and the lows are low.
Are sensitive to loud sounds, bright lights, tags on clothing, strong smells. Each of the senses are heightened, so they can feel overwhelmed easily. This also means they are deeply moved when they hear music they love, or smell fresh flowers, or are wrapped up in a hug from a loved one.
?Are very tuned in to others. They are highly affected by the energy & moods of others, notice subtleties in body language & tone, and are extremely empathetic. HSPs are Empaths.
Think deeply and spend a lot of time reflecting. As Dr Aron says, “they have a rich, complex inner life” and tend to get absorbed in thoughts.
Are conscientious. They show up on time, follow the rules, and are tuned in to the finer details.
Avoid violent, disturbing, or scary experiences. Things that feel upsetting can simply be ‘too much’ for HSPs.
Within friendship, highly sensitive children are amazing friends – they’re super caring and thoughtful. However, little Friendship Fires feel like giant BONFIRES to them. [Try this activity: Sorting Friendship Fires] They can also struggle with friends who don’t follow the rules, or friends who are loud & aggressive.
For children who are highly sensitive, it’s important the adults around them are aware of their heightened nervous system. Parents & teachers can support and empower HSCs by giving them strategies to feel a little more in control and less helpless to their emotions. Start by going through each of the 5 senses with them, providing tips for what they can do when that sense is overwhelmed. [Try this activity: Big Emotions Snowglobe]
In our Friendology friendship skills curriculum for schools, our kid-friendly tool to help students understand this concept is called: The Sensitivity Spectrum. This came out of our research, interviewing hundreds of students, during one of our many updates to Friendology. We discovered that, above all other factors (like gender, race, socioeconomic, interests, parenting styles, etc.), the level of a child’s sensitivity is a better predictor of behavior in friendships. For example, a child who is highly sensitive & gentle is more likely to have Friendship Fires with a child who is less sensitive & rambunctious. We also identified that children who rate themselves near the same point along The Sensitivity Spectrum tend to have more in common and feel quite “different” from students who rate themselves on the opposite side of the spectrum.
At URSTRONG Schools, we guide our students to understand that each one of us is unique, especially in terms of our sensitivity levels. ? Some friends may feel super sensitive about certain topics, while others may feel unaffected. Students discover that they can be more or less sensitive about various things, depending on the situation, and that our sensitivities can change over time. ??
We encourage our students to ponder, “When do we feel most sensitive?” They explore how factors like being tired, hungry, upset, or worried can heighten their sensitivity levels. ??
Understanding the Sensitivity Spectrum is key in navigating friendships and becoming more self-aware. By recognizing where our friends fall on this spectrum, we can better support them. Identifying if our friends are having a rough day or feeling uneasy enables more effective communication and deeper connections. And, recognizing our own sensitivity levels each day allows us to make decisions with self-compassion.
Being highly sensitive is a gift and a superpower in lots of ways, so children need to understand there’s nothing ‘wrong’ with them. It’s a strength that requires “special handling”, as Dr Aron describes. ?
Pop over to her website for a quiz you can take to discover if you or your child are part of the HSP club: hsperson.com
Written by: Dana Kerford
Founder & Friendship Expert
