What a great Term 3 we have had at OLOR this year! The school has been a hive of activity and there have been so many opportunities and celebrations for students throughout the term. From camps and excursions, to our Sports Day and SAPSASA events, as well as Wakakirri, the Riverland Music Festival choir and Andrew Chinn concert, the school has been a constant place of opportunities for students to broaden their experiences and take on a challenge. I want to thank all of the staff who have made all of these events possible and gone above and beyond with their care, planning and support of all students.  

Our Sports Day yesterday was a great event to finish off the term. The students all enjoyed the competitive nature and I want to congratulate them on the way they show good sportsmanship, encouraged each other and gave it their all. Being our first Sports Day at St Francis of Assisi College, we were very pleased with how the day ran, and thank those families who were able to join us there. Well done to the Sport Shield winning team St Patrick's and the Spirit Cup Shield winning team St Mary's but also to the other teams who put in great efforts and tried their best. A big thankyou to Mr Canavan for his organisation, as well as all of the teachers and ESOs for their efforts in preparing the students and running the events on the day. Also, a big thank you to St Francis of Assisi College for hosting the day. Days like Sports Days are great learning experiences for all students and a fun way to celebrate athletic achievement. 

This morning we held a Kindness Day. Mrs Schilling organised the Year 5/6 students to lead different activities and students got to take part in things like making Kindness Rocks, Chatterboxes, a combined Art activity and Yoga. This was a culmination of the last few weeks where we have had a Kindness Challenge, where students were asked to do something different each day that was kind (they did things like compliment others, offer to clean up for someone else, help someone out, use manners etc). At OLOR we are all about teaching students that kindness and positive relationships are the best way of not only caring for others, but also ourselves. If we treat others how we would like to be treated, we are much more likely to develop positive relationships and be able to cope better when issues arise. I thank Mrs Schilling for this great initiative. 

Next term we have many events planned, from the Year 6 camp, to Foundation excursion, swimming lessons, a Movie night, Graduation and our end of year performance The Lorax. It promises to be another fun-filled term and no doubt will go very quickly.  

On the last day of the holidays, Sunday 15th October, we would love families to come and support us at our Working Bee. This will involve simple jobs like trimming bushes and trees, moving new soft-fall for the playgrounds, sweeping paths and helping with a general tidy up. We hope to see lots of helpers to help make the day a quick one as many hands make light work. If we all help to keep the school in the best condition, it means that we can all help all of our students be proud of the school they come to every day. 

I hope all families get time to spend extra time with their children and have a safe and fun-filled holiday. We start Term 4 on Monday 16th October, and look forward to seeing you all again then. 

Take care.          

Mr Michael Slagter
Principal