I’m sure you share with us the concern about a second wave and whilst we are very fortunate so far in South Australia, our fear is that any complacency will lead to an outbreak that we can ill afford.  So we are maintaining restrictions here and implementing extra procedures. Below is information that will be placed at our entrances. I have arranged an extra sanitise of the whole school this weekend and we will ensure hand washing practices continue.

Please do not enter the school grounds if you have:

• Returned from NSW, ACT or VIC within the past 14 days and are required to quarantine.
• Been in close contact with a person who has returned from NSW, ACT or VIC within the past 14 days.
• Been in close contact with a person who has tested positive for COVID-19 within the past 14 days.
• Are currently unwell and experiencing any of the following symptoms:

           Fever              Cough            Sore Throat               Shortness of Breath

          Body aches     Chills              Runny nose               Fatigue

School Events

Unfortunately we have decided to cancel our annual Grandparents Day.  Given the COVID restrictions and as our Grandparents can be vulnerable to infection, it is best to cancel this event for 2020.

Sports Day: we are continuing to plan for our Sports Day which will be held later this term.  Given that this is an outdoor event, we will be able to manage “social distancing” a lot easier.

Thank you for helping us to protect the health and safety of our school community. 

We are currently participating in the (CESA)/ NSI Partnerships - Enhancing the use of Data for School Improvement Program Outline 2020 and 2021.  The funding for this program is provided by the Australian Government Reform Support and is conducted through Curtain University.  Tina Ida & I began this program in Term 1, but COVID-19 caused the program to be suspended.  It is now continuing on a revised timeline.

The aim of this project is to see how we can become a better school.  What better way than to get feedback from the major stakeholders.  It will involve receiving feedback from parents, students and staff.  This will involve three surveys to assess:

• Student voice, What’s Happening in This School? (WHITS) survey

• Staff voice, School Organisational Climate Survey (SOCS)

• Parent and caregiver voice, Parent and Caregiver Survey (PaCS)

Survey dates:

SOCS             Teaching & Support Staff (School & Preschool)      Wednesday 19 August

WHITS            (Rec – Year 6)                                                          Monday 24 August

PaCS (Parents school & preschool)                                               Term 3  Weeks 6 – 8

I will send home information regarding the parent survey and the link.

Each year our school is required to provide the Australian Government with information regarding the profile of our school.  Please click 'read more' for the Australian Govt. 2020 Census Privacy Notice. 

Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop

On Monday , we celebrated the Feast of Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop with a school prayer service. Mr Fitzgerald prepared a beautiful liturgy and explained a lot of interesting facts about Australia’s first saint.

The Assumption

This Saturday is the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Catholics believe that Mary was assumed, body and soul, into heaven and call this day a ‘holy day of obligation’. We will be celebrating the Assumption with our students on Tuesday with the following classes attending mass …

Feast of the Assumption Tuesday August 18 classes attending - 4/5 Blue,  R/1 Yellow, 2 Red & Rec Blue + parishioners

Attendance at Assembly:  at this stage parents attending will be limited to 45 (given the dimensions of the Veritas Centre).  This will be by invitation only.  In the week preceding the Assembly I will discuss with the leader of the Assembly who will be invited.  There will be a sign in sheet for parents who attend. 

Parents attending please ensure you follow the COVID protocols outlined in this Newsletter.

Congratulations to all of the students from OLV who competed in the SACPSSA Cross Country Carnival last Thursday. Some 43 students from O.L.V. completed the distance. Well done!  With the weather, the track was wet and slippery. Students raced in their year level groups and against students from Catholic Schools across Adelaide with approximately 150-200 students in each race.

The teachers were most impressed with our student’s behaviour and encouragement.  They were all outstanding, well done.

A special thank you to Shey Angove, Tina Ida, Michael Long and Michelle Edwards for helping with supervising, first aid and marshalling the children.  The following are some of the children’s performances.

3^rd Ajok Kuir                                                                      8^th Mayah Edwards

11^th Aaron Van Der Ploeg                                                15^th Rylan Barry

15^th Jacob Leonard                                                          21^st Jordan Smith

24^th Chloe Barrow                                                            25^th Alysia Baldacchino

27^th Jarryd Raper                                                             28^th Tara Coggins

32^nd Violet McGlade                                                         32^nd Lucas Kalaitzis

33^rd Ashton Jackson                                                         33^rd Eli Clarke

35^th Achol Kuir                                                                  38^th Alex Jackson

38^th Anyieth Akuei                                                             38^th Caitlyn Feuerherdt

41^st Jack Page                                                                  41^st Calleigh Ruth

41^st Anneka Cleaver                                                         42^nd Mark Coggins 

43^rd Mackenzie Howie                                                      46^th Tana Taiapa 

47^th Josipa Svilicic                                                            47^th Maxim Burchell

47^th Ella Gustard                                                              48^th Libby Zanoni

48^th Blake Wadrop                                                           50^th Ziva Grimm

51^st Jake Atkinson                                                           52^nd Thomas Page

55^th Monica Jones                                                           57^th Liam Atkinson 

58^th Jaydan Poulton                                                        65^th Israel Strecker                   

66^th Ty Stead                                                                   67^th Gavin Bosworth 

67^th Jayden Gustard                                                        69^th Leonardo Ziernicki 

70^th Jonathon McGlade                                                   80^th Vinay Sarkar

Our next Carnival is a Port SAPSASA Cross Country Carnival on Tuesday 15^th September at Semaphore Surf Life Saving Club.

My name is Patrick Fitzgerald and I am thrilled to be working at Our Lady of the Visitation Catholic School for the coming twelve months. I have been teaching at Whitefriars Catholic School for quite a few years, and I am also in an Acting APRIM role at Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic School in Albert Park.

Family Faith Formation

Fr Roderick and the APRIMs for our two parish schools met to plan the restarting of our Sacramental Program. We had a very productive discussion and have plotted the path towards the successful completion of the Family Faith Formation program. Being in unfamiliar territory had led to the need for flexibility. We hope and pray that our planning comes to fruition.

Celebrations

Our children display their many gifts and talents with their community each day at our school. I was fortunate enough to sit in with some of our older students during their band rehearsal recently. Not only did they display their individual talents, they were able to collaborate and work as a team.

Celebrations - Masses and Liturgies

We are getting back to normal with our liturgical celebrations at school. Last week, 4 of the classes celebrated St Dominic’s Feast Day and on Monday our whole school gathered to acknowledge the Feast of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop. Next Tuesday, some of the classes will attend mass in our church to celebrate The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Finally I would like to say thank you very much to all of you for making me feel welcomed into the Our Lady of the Visitation Catholic community. The children have been so friendly towards me and I look forward to many amazing experiences throughout my time here.

God bless you and take care,

Patrick

On Thursday 30^th July, OLV School were involved in a Catholic Schools Netball Carnival at Priceline Stadium Mile End. OLV entered a Year 5 and a Year 6 girls’ team.

Year 5 Girls

OLV 1  Elizabeth 2         OLV 0  St Bernadette’s 1

OLV 6  Kingswood 10   OLV 4  Sheidow Park 3

OLV 3  Plympton 2        OLV 5  Kingwood 8

Year 6 Girls

OLV 16  Payneham 1    OLV 19  Evanston 2

OLV 26  St Aloysius 0    OLV 14  Tranmere 2

OLV 13  Croydon 0        OLV 16  Sheidow Park 6

The OLV students would like to say thank you to Karen Moffatt and Greg Howie for coaching us.

Also thank you to Shey Angove and Mr Merrett for helping umpire our games.

Written by Monica & Achol

The students in 2 Red and 3 Blue participated in the RAA Street Smart programme for primary schools.