Welcome to the 2021 School Year!

Welcome Back

Greetings to all as we commence the 2021 school year. It has been great being back at school, seeing and hearing from students, parents/carers, friends and staff. I trust the holiday break was a time for rejuvenation and an opportunity for spending time with those whom we cherish most. We are immensely looking forward to this year – learning, developing and maintaining relationships, and of course having some fun along the way!

After the events of 2020, I am hoping for a year full of health, wellbeing and happiness for all and that COVID protocols will not dictate what we can do.  The start of a new school year for the children, new or ‘old’ can be a challenge (even for Principals).  Getting back into routine, commencing in a new class, getting to know their new teacher/s, learning new ways of doing things are all part of the learning curve.  As a parent you can really support this process with a calm approach to the first few weeks, a few positive comments about how great their year will be and a good listening ear for any new challenges or little hiccups they may face in these first few days.

As partners, we share the responsibility for our children’s success and the staff and I will do our very best to carry out our responsibilities. We ask that you guide and support your child’s learning by ensuring that they:

1.         Attend school daily and arrive on time, ready for the day’s learning experience

2.         Read daily to develop a love for reading and to improve literacy skills

3.         Share their school experiences with you so that you are aware of what is happening

4.         Inform you if they need additional support in any area or subject

5.         Know that you expect them to succeed in school

6.         Complete all tasks / assignments given by teachers

Through hard work, effective and creative teaching, and a strong school community partnership, we will reach our goal to provide a quality educational program that meets the needs of all of our students at Our Lady of the Visitation School.

It is my firm belief that all children can learn, but not all children learn in exactly the same way and at the same rate.  As principal of Our Lady of the Visitation School, I am committed to using all the resources available to help your child not only meet the standard, but excel at their highest potential.

I know you will continue to work with us, so your child can grow in confidence, with a love of learning, and a determination to be the best person they can be. 
 

New Students 2021

We welcome our new students and families to the Our Lady of the Visitation School community and we trust that their time with us is full of rich and rewarding experiences. 

Receptions
Lewis Badcock, Teya Behrendt, Vincent Bergineti, Georgia Bladin, Jett Cooper, Zachary Cosby, Aliyah Decristofaro, Austin Dunk, Logan Dyda, Oscar Elsayed, Abigail Hill, Archer Johnstone, Angus Marlow, Reegan McDermott, Kyiah McLeish, Otis Messeiller, Jett Messer-Plant, Armani Moffatt, George Muller, Hunter Oest, Lewis Oliveira, Zofia Pitman, Marley Schell, Brodie Smith, Harper Sniedze, Harrison Stephens, Lillie Thornton, Diana Zhalnin

Year 1
Alayah Adamson, Jacob Kopeikin, Liyana Rahmani

Year 2
Sculley Collins-Eckert, Layla Rahmani

Year 3
Bailey Badcock, Charlotte Nicholas, Artur Scaffidi, Lillian Thurston 

Year 4
Aggie Collins-Eckert, Kobe Fowler, Zamara Turley

Year 5
Lacey Nicholas

COVID Management Plan:

• Only 1 parent per family to attend (to keep numbers in rooms low allowing for social distancing)
• Attendance lists (sign in)
• Hand sanitiser
• Social Distance

If you have concerns re only one parents attending please see me. 

At the “Parent Information Sessions” the Teacher will outline the class structures and routines.  Attendance of these sessions is essential for one member from each family to listen to information of how the class will operate for 2021. 

Information was sent home last Friday.

To keep ourselves and others safe, in line with SA Health and Catholic Education South Australia (CESA), please ensure you:

• physically distance from others in the community;
• don’t stay in the school yard longer than is required (that is a prompt drop-off and pick-up);
• not enter classrooms whilst students are present (unless advised);
• School Events – by invitation to ensure numbers fit in with our COVID Management Plan
• stay home if feeling unwell and keep your child(ren) home when they are showing flu like symptoms, (in such a situation, SA Health are highly recommending that individuals are tested and self-isolated);
• continue to focus on good hygiene and hand washing.

Thanking you for your support.

School drop-off and pick-up times are busy for everyone.  The aim is for this to happen in a safe and courteous manner.  Over the holidays new lines were painted in all the car parks.  Hopefully this will assist the flow and safety in the car parks.  Please demonstrate consideration and patience, as well as travelling slowly in the car parks, (especially in the Church Car Park).

It is important to maintain the safety of all.  Many thanks in anticipation.

The Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA) has updated its information about fruit fly restrictions in South Australia.  This was sent home earlier this week. This might change the types of fruit and vegetables your child can bring to school/preschool.

The current advice is:

If you live in the yellow suspension area
Your child can bring any type of fresh fruit or vegetable to school, preschool or child care.

We have well established “Fruit time” routines, It would be sad to see these not continued.

In discussing this with staff, we are not policing what fruit children are bringing in – I am a COVID Marshall not a Fruit Fly policeman

Being emailed home today is a Term 1 School Calendar of Events.  This is so parents can make plans to attend events which involve their children.  There may be times when changes to this calendar may be made.  These changes will be communicated well in advance.  Please place this calendar in a prominent place.

Each event will have its COVID Management Plan, and information will be sent explaining this.

Last Friday we held a successful Fire Evacuation Drill including the preschool and school.  All students are aware of the different bells and their sounds and what to do.  The Fire Evacuation Bell is a “whoop whoop” sound and the Lock down bell is continuous blasts.  If you are on the school premises and hear the Fire Alarm, please follow the Evacuation plan or follow staff directions.  Our Evacuation point is to the oval, so make your way safely out onto the oval.

It is important to practice our evacuation procedures in the event of an incident.

Hello everyone and welcome back to school for 2021.

I hope that your time away from the hustle and bustle of school life was enjoyable for your whole family.

It was wonderful to arrive at school last Wednesday and see so many happy and eager children, many of whom were willing to share stories of their adventures from their holidays.

Our Faith

Tuesday was the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. As Tara explained to us at mass, this feast acknowledges the time that Mary and Joseph took the infant Jesus to the temple, as was the tradition at that time. It is celebrated forty days after the birth of Jesus.

Our School

Our community has already shared in one school mass – our ‘Beginning of the School Year Mass’, held on Tuesday morning. We were beautifully led by Father Roderick and our senior student leaders. The mass celebrated what makes each of us special, and what our personal gifts are. Tuesday’s scripture passage says that Jesus told his disciples that, “…your light must shine…”. Our skills and talents are a gift from God – we need to share our gifts with those around us, be it at school or at home.

In a fortnight, it will be Ash Wednesday – the first day of Lent. We will be celebrating mass as a whole school in the Veritas Centre and this mass will be led by our Student Representative Council children.

Our Children

Our children were wonderful participants in Tuesday’s whole school mass. Our four Reception/Year One classes provided art work to decorate the Veritas Centre for our mass – each child suggesting a gift that they have. Their colourful work is on display in the windows of the Veritas Centre for all to see.

Our Parish

The leadership teams from both of our parish schools, along with Father Roderick, have been meeting to plan a restart to our Family Faith Formation program. We hope to have some more information for our communities as soon as possible. Thank you for your continued patience.

God bless you and take care,

Patrick.

School Fees 2021

School fee statements have been sent home this week, which include 2021 Tuition and Preschool Fees as listed on our School & Preschool Fee Schedule 2021, sent to families last year, also found online: https://www.olv.catholic.edu.au/enrolment/school-fees

We ask that if you have not already entered into a regular payment plan (e.g. BPAY, Centrepay, or direct debit repayments) that will clear your fees by the end of the 2021 year, or contacted the school to extend your time to pay, that you contact Micaela to discuss payment options available.  Payments made by 26^th of March will attract a 5% discount off the total 2021 School Fees, if no other balances remain outstanding from prior years.

All parent/caregivers are reminded that it is a contractual obligation that forms part of your enrolment at the school that fees are paid within the terms of our fees policy. Please do not hesitate to come in and speak to myself or Mr Frank DeTullio about fees and any assistance you may need.

School Card for 2021

School Card applications are required annually.  2021 School Card application forms are now available online and from the front office.

The School Card scheme is administered by the State Government to provide financial assistance towards the cost of education for full time students of lower income families. Any parent/caregiver who would like more information about the scheme can contact Micaela at the school or the School Card section on 1800 672 758 (free call) to discuss or visit the link below: 

https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/education-and-learning/financial-help-scholarships-and-grants/school-card-scheme 

For eligible families, OLV’s lower income fee will apply once School Card is approved. 

Fee Remission for 2021

Parents/caregivers experiencing financial difficulties are encouraged to apply for fee remission ASAP.  Please email accounts@olv.catholic.edu.au for a fee remission form or collect from the front office if you wish to apply. 

We assure parents/caregivers that all details provided will be kept strictly confidential.  If you are having difficulty with meeting your fee obligations or have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact Micaela Callipari (Bursar) or Frank De Tullio (Principal) on 8248 2480. 

Preschool Fees 2021

Preschool Fees were billed in full - payments can be made in full or periodically, ensuring your first instalment is made no later than 12^th of March, clearing your quarterly or half yearly balance no later than Week 7 of each term.  Lunch Care Fees are billed at the beginning of the term and are due in full by Week 7 of each term.

OSHC Fees

Families accessing our OSHC service are reminded that OSHC Fees are billed on a separate system, with payment details and options listed on the weekly distributed invoice/statements.  Payments made via BPay have a separate BPay reference number to school fee accounts and must be used so payments are allocated to the correct account.  Payments made via EFT must include “child’s name” and “OSHC” as a reference in the payment description.

Thank you,
Micaela Callipari
Bursar

Have you heard about our new payment App?

Our Lady of the Visitation is now using Qkr!, a payment app that has been implemented in schools and businesses across Australia, as a payment option for various financial transactions.  As per the app title, QKR! is “quicker” plus easier & convenient.

The app is available for payments of fees (School & OSHC), Children’s University and other payments as they arise.

In the future,  Qkr! will also be another option where parent authorisations can be done.  Overall, it will allow for quicker and easier payments and authorisations, therefore avoiding excessive paperwork, lost paperwork, phone calls or attending the school unnecessarily.

Small cash events will always remain for students to purchase Mothers/Fathers Day gifts etc., however Qkr! allows for cashless ordering transactions where orders need to be placed and/or parents may prefer their child not handle cash.

Please see the link below for simple instructions to set up the Qkr! app for Our Lady of the Visitation School, and then you will be able to use it when and for what payments you like.

Please feel free to speak to Micaela should you have any queries or need assistance in loading the app, or if you would like more information.

Download the simple Qkr instructions here.

Thank you,
Micaela Callipari
Bursar

To start the school year the students in Year 4/5/6 have been working together to make connections, build relationships and develop a sense of belonging to a learning community, that is our 4/5/6 Learning Team (Senior Unit). Over the first few weeks of this term the students have begun and will continue to participate in a variety of different activities to support the development of skills in this area. Students engage best when provided with meaningful social contexts, that also have a specific learning focus.

The First Weeks - Starting school for the first time or returning to school can be overwhelming for many children (and parents too!) The first few weeks will be important for your child and for the family.

Here are some things you can do to help your child settle in to the first few weeks at school.

Provide Structure and Routine - Many children thrive when they know what is expected of them.

• A consistent and predictable routine helps them to feel more at ease, meaning you are less likely to see negative behaviour.
• Structure, routine and being involved provide a predictable and secure feeling environment for your child to thrive in.

Some ways you can provide structure are:

• Using a weekly family planner, scheduler or pinboard that outlines the day’s structure and events. This is something you can do together with your child. Including them will help them feel more involved and provide a sense of ownership to their daily routine.
• Involve your child in getting organised for the school day, make a list of what needs to go in their bag.
• Help them be organised by being organised - Get uniforms ready the night before, have a spot where they live and are ready for the next day. It is a stressful morning for all when you remember it’s sports day, and nobody can find the sneakers!

You can find some free pintables at the following link - https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/119697302580599995/

Settling into the school year - and adjusting to a new schedule.

• Try not to overload the weekends.  – I know it is easy to say but makes such a big difference if your child has some downtime. After a long break, your child is adjusting to the change in routine as they return to school. Keeping the weekends free from unnecessary activities will give them the time they need to rest and recharge, ready for the week ahead.
• Minimise after school activities; make sure they have time to rest and for free play, they will more than likely be tired from their day.
• They might want to tell you all about their day as soon as they see you. Be available to listen. On the other hand, some children may want to relax first. There is no right or wrong here, all children are different.
• Encourage them to talk about the good things that happened at school. This builds positive and optimistic thinking habits and supports resilience and confidence.
• If it is possible, give them an early dinner, they may be too tired to eat later.
• Bedtime stories are a great way to end the day. It is a healthy habit to be making reading with them part of your daily routine.

Working with the school - Children do their best at school when the parents and the teachers work together as a team.

• As your child begins their educational life, it is important to work in partnership with the school.
• Teachers, school staff and the leadership team all have the same goal, to support each child as they journey through their school years, so they learn and grow to become healthy, successful and happy adults.

It can help if you – Share important information about your child with the school.

• Let your teacher know about any health problems your child may have.
• Let your teacher know if somethings are happening at home that may be impacting on your child.
• Encourage your child to share interests with the teacher.
• Read all school notices as soon as possible.
• Make an appointment to meet with your child’s teacher if you are having any concerns.

How to know if your child is stressed? - Children show signs of being stressed in a variety of ways.

• Not wanting to go to school.
• Experiencing tummy aches or headaches.
• They are tearful.

You could help by:

• Encourage them to talk about what is worrying them.
• Let them know that you are confident they can manage.
• Ask what they think would help them.
• Talk to the teacher if the worries continue, about the best way to help them.

Teachers, School Staff and Leadership Team all want the best possible start to the school year and the most positive educational experience, working in partnership with teachers and staff is the best way to support your child on their educational journey.

Find further information about stress in children at the following link https://parenting.sa.gov.au/easy-guides/coping-skills-resilience-parent-easy-guide

And more information on - 15 Ways to prepare your child for school.
https://www.kidspot.com.au/school/primary/starting-school/15-ways-to-prepare-your-child-for-school/news-story/7816408927844b06720e0d4d1dcf2b01

Wishing you a wonderful week and weekend of wellbeing

Julie Taylor
Student Wellbeing Support