Rylan, Kenneth, Zac and Nicholas dressed up as convicts for our Colonial Day.
What a start to the term! On our third day back and we hosted Colonial Day.
The purpose of Colonial Day is to come to school dressed up as a convict or colonial person so we could have the experience 'being in their shoes'. You won’t believe what day we had! It was great and everyone had fun.
In the words of of the students:
It was time to discover who we were for the day, so we had to write about when our convict person identifying where they were born, about their job, death and other things as well. After we had written that, we published it onto a piece of paper then we completed our ticket of leave and an envelope. With the ticket, we were sent to a class where the teacher would sign our ticket of leave if they believed we were sorry for our crimes.
I think that we all had a blast and everyone enjoyed it. I think that was one of many memorable moments to come in Year five.
Felicity and Gemma playing quoits.
To end the day, we went outside and did sport. In sports, we played simple school games from those days to see how they entertained themselves. We could play marbles where you had to flick marble see if you could get it to the nearest marble in the middle. There were quoits, hula hoops, sack races, skipping and hopscotch.
Students were blindfolded and cramped into a small room to experience the conditions on the ship.
We started off when we all had to be squashed together and had to experience how hot it would have been at that time. We had to then move into a cramped-up space and shut our eyes and think what it would have been like on the ship. We all listened to these different sounds, in one voice it sounded like a baby crying maybe from starvation, there was another sound that like a person softly screaming the last voice sounded like some person laughing.
We also got sprayed by water that felt like we were getting splashed by the waves. We had a good experience on that activity. As we left the room, we were given different names for the day received a bottle of water for the day and four biscuits each. The bottle of water and the four biscuits were supposed to last the whole day.
Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
www.parra.catholic.edu.au
-
19 Aug 2026
From Facebook
We’re looking forward to welcoming Sue Whiting, an Australian children’s author, to OLA this Friday for a special Book Week experience with our K-2 students. Sue will share her stories, writing process, and the inspiration behind her books, giving students a wonderful chance to learn from a real author and spark their own love of reading and storytelling. This will be a perfect way to build Book Week excitement across our Infants classes!
19 Aug 2026
From Facebook
Our primary students had an amazing session yesterday with illustrator Marcelo Baez. They loved learning how characters are created, how illustrators bring stories to life, and how creativity starts with simple ideas and lots of imagination. Many students walked away feeling inspired to become illustrators themselves, proudly sharing their sketches and new techniques. It was a fantastic way to spark excitement and get everyone ready for Book Week next week! A huge thank you to Marcelo for such an engaging and motivating visit!
Latest News More news
20 Aug 2026
Six Habits That Help Children Develop a Love of Reading
Book Week is a celebration of stories, imagination and creativity, but helping children love reading isn't just something that happens during one week of the year. The good news? It doesn't take expensive resources or hours of extra time. Often, it's the small, everyday habits that make the biggest difference.
19 Aug 2026
From Facebook
We’re looking forward to welcoming Sue Whiting, an Australian children’s author, to OLA this Friday for a special Book Week experience with our K-2 students. Sue will share her stories, writing process, and the inspiration behind her books, giving students a wonderful chance to learn from a real author and spark their own love of reading and storytelling. This will be a perfect way to build Book Week excitement across our Infants classes!
19 Aug 2026
From Facebook
Our primary students had an amazing session yesterday with illustrator Marcelo Baez. They loved learning how characters are created, how illustrators bring stories to life, and how creativity starts with simple ideas and lots of imagination. Many students walked away feeling inspired to become illustrators themselves, proudly sharing their sketches and new techniques. It was a fantastic way to spark excitement and get everyone ready for Book Week next week! A huge thank you to Marcelo for such an engaging and motivating visit!
18 Aug 2026
From Facebook
Today we celebrate and appreciate Mr Calabria on Principal's Day- a leader who brings warmth, care and joy to our OLA community every single day. He ensures our school is a place where everyone feels safe, happy and supported, and where each day is filled with faith, fun and learning. At our assembly, the students shared a beautiful acrostic poem they had written to show just how thankful they are for him. Their words reflected the positivity he brings to our school. Mr Calabria knows our students, supports our teachers, welcomes our families, and helps make OLA a place where everyone belongs. On behalf of our students, teachers, parents, and the whole OLA community, we thank him for who he is and for all he does. We are truly grateful!
17 Aug 2026
From Facebook
Recently we had 1 girls' team and 2 boys' teams participate in the Stage 3 Soccer Gala Day at Jamison Park, Penrith. It was a very successful day for all 3 teams, who all finished 2nd in their pool. All 3 teams played exceptional soccer and had lots of fun scoring awesome goals along the way. A very big thank you to the parents who volunteered as coaches- Mr McKee, Mr and Mrs Shnoudi, and Mr and Mrs Newman. Thank you also to the many parents who supported our teams during the day, and to Mr Cauchi and Mrs Boatfield for being there to support our teams!
16 Aug 2026
From Facebook
Our Year 2 students enjoyed a wonderful incursion last week with Koori Konnections, deepening their understanding of Aboriginal cultures, history and connection to Country. Through fun, hands‑on and interactive activities, students learned about: - Aboriginal ways of caring for the natural environment - Traditional knowledge and sustainability - Stories, culture and history shared by First Nations people It was a rich and engaging experience that helped bring their HSIE learning to life and strengthened their appreciation for Australia’s First Peoples!
16 Aug 2026
From Facebook
Our Year 4 students had a fantastic day at the Australian National Maritime Museum on Friday as part of their HSIE learning. They explored real vessels, interactive exhibits and hands‑on displays that helped them understand how people have travelled, traded and connected across oceans throughout history. Students loved stepping aboard historic ships, discovering stories of explorers and migrants, and learning how maritime technology has changed over time. It was a wonderful opportunity to bring their HSIE unit to life and deepen their understanding of Australia’s past. A big thank you to our teachers for organising this, and to our parent helpers for supporting such a memorable learning experience!
16 Aug 2026
From Facebook
15 Aug 2026
From Facebook
Congratulations to all the Voice of Youth finalists who presented their speeches this week at the grade final. Your hard work and dedication were on display for all to appreciate. Thank you to the parents and family members of the finalists who attended to support their children, and to the Year 6 teachers for your organisation and preparation of the children. The quality of the speeches was incredibly high, and the variety of topics was very interesting to listen to. From the fifteen finalists, two students have been selected to represent Our Lady of the Angels at the Cluster Final, which will be at St John XXIII, Stanhope Gardens on Tuesday 18th August. Well done to Lucy and Akira who have been chosen to represent OLA at the Cluster Final!
15 Aug 2026
From Facebook
Congratulations to our Outstanding Achievement and St Francis award recipients for Week 4!
15 Aug 2026
From Facebook
We are so excited to welcome Marcelo Baez, a celebrated Australian illustrator and comic artist, to OLA this Tuesday for our Years 3–6 Book Week workshops. Marcelo has created artwork for Marvel, Apple, National Geographic, Scholastic, and many well‑known Australian publishers. He is also the illustrator behind popular children’s series including Rise of the Mythix and E‑Boy, by Ahn Do.