Our Lady of Good Counsel School
Term 3 Week 5 Newsletter
A Prayer of Thanksgiving
Loving God,
We come before you with grateful hearts, thankful for the many gifts and talents you have given to the children of Our Lady of Good Counsel.
Over these past few weeks, we have watched with pride as our students have shone on stage through assemblies, showcases and the Catholic Performing Arts Festival - singing, dancing, acting, and creating with joy and confidence. In every performance, we have seen your light shining through them.
Lord, we thank you for the courage it takes to stand before others and share a gift. We thank you for the teachers who nurture these talents, the families who support and encourage, and the community that gathers to celebrate.
Help our children to always remember that every talent, great or small, is a gift from you, given not to be hidden but to be shared for the good of others and for your glory.
May our students continue to grow in confidence and creativity, using their gifts to bring joy to those around them, just as Mary said yes to the gifts God gave her.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
NAPLAN 2026
We are delighted to share the outstanding NAPLAN results achieved by our students this year. Our school performed above the State mean in all areas, reflecting the commitment, hard work and growth of our students and staff.
These results are particularly pleasing because they are the result of a consistent, whole-school approach to improvement over the past three years. Literacy has been a key focus of our School Improvement Plan, with significant investment in strengthening the teaching of reading and writing across every year level.
As part of this work, we introduced Sounds-Write across the school to provide a consistent, evidence-based approach to phonics and spelling, alongside Talk for Writing, which has strengthened students' oral language, vocabulary, writing and understanding of text. These approaches have become embedded in our daily classroom practice and provide students with a strong foundation for literacy success.
We have also placed an increasing emphasis on numeracy. Since the beginning of 2025, we have had a particular focus on strengthening numeracy teaching and learning in the Early Years, with this focus extending across the whole school in 2026. The results we are seeing demonstrate the positive impact of this deliberate and sustained approach.
What is especially encouraging is that our students' results have bucked broader national trends, demonstrating strong achievement and growth across a range of areas. While NAPLAN is only one measure of student learning, these results provide valuable affirmation that the strategies we have implemented are making a meaningful difference.
We are incredibly proud of our students and grateful to our dedicated teachers for their expertise, collaboration and commitment to continually improving the learning experiences we provide. Most importantly, these results reinforce our belief that when we have a clear whole-school focus, consistent approaches and high expectations for every learner, our students thrive.
UNIFORM SURVEY
Thank you to the families who completed our uniform survey. It was wonderful to gather the community input in helping us make decisions for the future. A summary of some responses are below:
Overall how satisfied are you with the current uniform?
- Very satisfied: 17%
- Satisfied: 46%
- Neutral: 26%
- Dissatisfied: 7%
- Very dissatisfied: 4%
The uniform meets students needs?
- Very satisfied: 18%
- Satisfied: 51%
- Neutral: 17%
- Dissatisfied: 11%
- Very dissatisfied: 2%
The uniform reflects the school positively?
- Very satisfied: 44%
- Satisfied: 45%
- Neutral: 9%
- Dissatisfied: 1%
- Very dissatisfied: 1%
What is your preferred uniform structure?
- Maintain both summer and winter uniforms: 55%
- Summer only with jumper for cooler months: 34%
- No preference: 11%
Based on feedback, some possible changes that may be considered in the future:
- Introducing an over-style shirt that does not need to be tucked into shorts/skirts
- Introducing a winter skirt as an alternative to the pinafore for girls
Agreed changes from 2027
After considerable feedback from parents regarding the practicality of keeping white sports shoes clean, from 2027 students will be able to wear either white or black sports shoes. This transition year will allow families to continue to use the sports shoes they may have purchased this year, to save on additional costs. From 2028, black sports shoes will be the required standard and expectation for all students in PP-Y6.
Pre-Primary AQWA
In Week 1 the Pre Primaries went on their first excursion to AQWA. They were very excited to travel on the bus and explore the aquarium. The children are in the process of writing their own recounts to share their experience.
Year 4 Shipwreck Gallery - Fremantle
On Monday 17 August, Year 4 visited the Shipwreck Gallery and Maritime Museum as part of our Age of Exploration learning. Students discovered fascinating stories about early voyages and explored how Australia was discovered and mapped by European explorers.
The day began with a facilitated presentation, where students learned about life at sea, exploration and some of the shipwrecks that form part of Australia’s history. Students, in groups, then had the opportunity to explore the museum’s exhibits using their Captain’s Log, putting their learning into action as they investigated artefacts and displays throughout the galleries.
There was plenty to discover, with some exhibits fascinating and others a little scary! It was a wonderful opportunity for students to connect their classroom learning with real historical artefacts and experiences.
CEWA STEM Showcase
Pre-Primary
On the 28th of July Pre Primary were officially, 100 Days Brighter! Their day was filled with all things 100. Counting, dropping, hopping, bouncing, building 100 times! They couldn't believe it when they added the last counter to their tens frame.
Year 1
On Tuesday 27th July, our Year 1 students had a fantastic time celebrating 100 Days of School! It was a fun-filled day with lots of exciting activities based around the number 100. Students made their own colourful 100 Days glasses, completed special 100 Days colouring sheets, decorated and enjoyed delicious 100 Days biscuits, and took on an energetic 100 Days exercise challenge. They also had fun exploring and counting with 100 Days object cards.
It was wonderful to celebrate how much our Year 1 students have learnt, grown and achieved during their first 100 days of school. We are so proud of them and can’t wait to see what the rest of the year brings!
It's a BOY!
Congratulations, Ella! 🖤💛
Good In-Tent
On July 18 2026 I slept outside in a tent to raise money for Mission Australia. They provide food packs, temporary and permanent shelter for the homeless, clothing, crisis support and more.
My parents helped me borrow a tent, make a fund-raising page, asking people to sponsor me, and just making the night possible. We called our team ‘Good In-Tent’. We set up a sleep out in our courtyard and my cousins came to join me as well, we had tonnes of fun.
A few days after, we checked the fund raising page and we had raised $1, 975!!!
I'm really passionate about raising awareness for the homeless as I strongly believe that everyone should have a safe place to live and call home. On any given night, more than 122,000 Australians, including over 17,500 children under 12, don't have a safe space to call home.
I know that taking part in a sleep out for one night, doesn't compare to anything people experiencing homelessness goes through. But I would like to thank the people who sponsored and supported me. Including my year 6 classmates, and OLGC community. Because every bit counts, and makes a difference.
How can you raise your voice to help the homeless?
