Newsletter Term 2 Week 2, 2025

Welcome Back to Term 2!

Welcome back to Term 2! It has been wonderful catching up with so many of our students and hearing about their holiday adventures and Easter celebrations. We extend a warm welcome to any new families joining our community and hope you are already feeling the welcoming culture that is OLV!

Catholic Education Week

Catholic Education Week is an annual event that celebrates the quality teaching and learning across Catholic Education in South Australia. This year, it will be celebrated from May 13th to 19th (Week 3, Term 2). The week will include various activities and the annual Catholic Education Week Awards, recognising outstanding contributions to our educational community.

Mother's Day

A huge thank you to Linda Caldinez (APRIM) and our School and House Leaders for organising the Mother's Day stall held throughout this week.  We also appreciate the support from all the families. The funds raised from the stall will be used by the SRC committee and leaders to develop proposals on how to enhance our school environment. We wish all mothers and significant females in our lives a very happy Mother's Day. Make sure to spend quality time with your loved ones and celebrate all that our mothers do for us.

Farewell

Deidre Jacobi has been a dedicated member of our OSHC Service for around 22 years. During the holidays, she informed us of her decision to retire, with her last working day being Wednesday, May 14. We will be celebrating Deidre's years of service to the OLV community, and we encourage you to drop by OSHC to wish her well on her new adventures.

School Tours

As part of Catholic Education Week, we will be hosting a School Tour on Wednesday, May 14, starting at 9:30 am. If you know any families interested in a Catholic Education or who would like to see the facilities OLV has to offer, please ask them to contact the office.

Car Park Safety

Please note that the kiss and go bays are not for parking. If you need to walk with your child into the school grounds, see a member of staff, or use your phone, please use the church carpark or street parking. This will ensure a safe environment for students accessing the school through the carpark.

Welcome Fr. Josy

During the holidays, the LeFevre Parish welcomed a new priest to our community. Fr. Josy has joined us from the Noarlunga/Seaford Parish in the South of Adelaide. Please make him feel welcome as he becomes part of our community.

New Playground

The new playground officially opened this week, and the students have been enjoying all it has to offer. Thank you in advance for ensuring children are not on the playground before and after school.

We look forward to a productive and enjoyable Term 2. If you have any questions or need further information, please do not hesitate to contact the school office.

New Staff

This term we also welcome new staff members to our community. Please make them feel welcome if you see them around the school. Belinda (Finance Officer), Linh (Education Support), Melissa (Education Support), Nicole (Education Support), Gesica (Italian Teacher), Anna (Year 4 Teacher).

We are privileged to have these dedicated people join our team and look forward to having them in our community!

Welcome Back to Term 2

We are delighted to welcome everyone back for Term 2, a term that already promises to be a busy and enriching one for our school community. We look forward to the many opportunities ahead for learning, growth, and connection.

A special welcome to the new families who have joined us this term. We pray that you quickly feel at home here and experience the warmth, inclusiveness, and spirit of community that makes our school so special. May your time with us be filled with friendship, joy, and a shared journey of faith and learning.

A Prayer for Our School Community: Loving God, Bless our school community as we begin this new term. May our hearts be open to learning and our hands ready to serve. Guide our new families as they join us, that they may feel welcomed and valued. Fill us with kindness, patience, and the spirit of unity. Amen.

We look forward to a wonderful term ahead together.

A Message of Reflection and Prayer

It is with deep sadness receiving the news of the passing of our Holy Father, Pope Francis. A courageous and humble servant, Pope Francis dedicated his life to compassion, inclusivity, and unwavering faith. His gentle leadership and profound humility touched the hearts of millions around the world, and his legacy of love and service will continue to inspire us all.

As a school community, we hold Pope Francis in our prayers, giving thanks for his extraordinary life and example. We also pray for wisdom and guidance for the Cardinals as they discern the next leader of our Church, and for our incoming Pope as they take on the sacred task ahead.

“Well done, good and faithful servant… Enter into the joy of your master.” Matthew 25:23

May we all continue to be inspired by Pope Francis’s message of kindness, peace, and unity.

A Message of Love and Gratitude for the Women in Our Community

As we look ahead to celebrating Mothers’ Day on 11th May, all of us at OLV would like to take a moment to express our deepest love and gratitude to all the remarkable women in our community.

To the mothers, grandmothers, aunties, carers, and mother-figures — thank you for the countless ways you nurture, guide, and inspire those around you. Your kindness, strength, and unwavering love are the heart of our families and the foundation of our community. Whether through big gestures or quiet everyday acts of care, you reflect the beauty of selflessness and compassion.

We pray that you feel celebrated, valued, and deeply appreciated — not just on Mothers’ Day, but every day. May God continue to bless you and fill your hearts with joy and peace.

Her children rise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all. Proverbs 31:28–29

With love and gratitude, from all the staff at Our Lady of the Visitation.

Welcome to Fr. Josy

We are delighted to warmly welcome our new priest, Fr. Josy, who joins us as a permanent member of our parish and school community. Fr. Josy is a vibrant and gifted priest, whose wisdom, energy, and deep faith will surely be a blessing to us all. We are confident that our community will enjoy getting to know him and journeying with him in faith.

We wish Fr. Josy every blessing as he settles into his new home here in the Le Fevre Catholic Community. May he feel the warmth, kindness, and spirit of welcome that make our community so special.

If you see Fr. Josy around, please don’t hesitate to introduce yourself and offer a friendly hello — let’s make him feel right at home!

A Prayer of Welcome: Loving God, We thank You for bringing Fr. Josy into our community. Bless him as he begins this new chapter of ministry among us. May he feel supported, encouraged, and embraced by our friendship. Guide him with Your wisdom and fill him with Your peace. Together, may we grow in faith, hope, and love. Amen.

Keeping Our Sacramental Candidates in Our Prayers

As we journey through Term 2, we invite our school community to keep in your prayers our sacramental candidates who are preparing to learn and receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.

It has been a joy and a privilege to accompany these young people as they deepen their understanding of their faith and open their hearts to the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Alongside our candidates, we have also been blessed to share this journey with their families, whose support and encouragement have enriched the experience for all involved.

We are grateful for the opportunity to walk together in faith and look forward to the special celebration of Confirmation that lies ahead. May the Holy Spirit continue to guide and inspire our candidates and their families as they prepare for this important step in their spiritual lives.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses… Acts 1:8

Week 3 Catholic Education Week

Theme: Shine with Open Hearts

In 2025, we joyfully celebrate 180 years of Catholic education in South Australia, a milestone that coincides with the Jubilee Year – Pilgrims of Hope. This year’s theme, Shine with Open Hearts, beautifully invites us to embrace and reflect the values of kindness, inclusion, service, faith, and hope in our school community.

The late Pope Francis reminds us:

“We must fan the flame of hope that has been given to us and help everyone to gain new strength and certainty by looking to the future with an open spirit, a trusting heart, and farsighted vision.”

Hope is at the very heart of our vocation. It is woven into the phrase ‘open hearts’ — for when our hearts are open, we welcome hope, compassion, love, and joy into our lives and the lives of those around us.

Throughout Catholic Education Week, we look forward to offering a variety of meaningful activities for both students and families. Together, let us celebrate and give thanks for the gift of Catholic education, as we continue to shine brightly with open hearts.

Finally……. Term 2 Dates for your Diary

Week 3 – 

• Catholic Education Week

Week 5 –

• Reconciliation Week
• 29/5 - Year 3s attending Mass
• 30/5 - 1CS Visitation of Mary Liturgy

Week 8 –

• 19/6 - SRCs Refugee Liturgy

Week 9 –

• 26/5 - Year 2s attending Mass

Week 10 –

• NAIDOC Week
• 3/7 - Nunga Group NAIDOC Liturgy

Family Details & Student Information

It is really important to have at all times the correct information for all students.  If you have recently moved address, changed your phone numbers and/or your email address, could you please make sure that the office is made aware of the changes.

Emergency contacts other than Parents

You may like to add one or two more names to your records as an Emergency Contact  (e.g. Grandparent, Aunt/Uncle, older Brother or Sister or even a close friend),  that way if there is ever an issue and we are unable to contact either parent in an emergency then we would have another one or two people to contact.

Medication & Medical Details

Does your child have any medical issues that we are unaware of?  If so please let us know as a matter of urgency so that we can update our records.

If you would like us to administer medication to your child during the day, please make sure that a Medication Authority form is completed.  Medication of any sort needs to be in the original packaging with the Chemist Label showing the child's name, medication dosage, expiry date etc.

We also ask that if your child is to have 1/2 a tablet etc. then the medication needs to be precut before being given to the office.

No medication is to be given to the students to keep in their school bag.  All medication will need to be handed into the office and a Medication Authority signed by a Parent or Caregiver.

Epi Pens & Asthma Puffers & Medical Plans

We are in the process of making sure all medication held onsite is within the expiry date, is in the correct packaging with child's name etc and that all Medical Plans are up to date.  We will contact parents if anything needs updating and would appreciate a prompt response.

Lunch Orders

A few reminders regarding lunch orders:-

• Lunch orders are ordered and paid for via the QkR! app.  This needs to be completed by 9.00am
• Please make sure that your child's correct class has been selected, otherwise the lunch will be sent to the wrong class.
• If ordering for more than one child please make sure that each child has their own order so that it can be delivered to the correct class
• Before submitting the order make sure that you have selected the correct day that the child is to receive it.
• Once you have completed the order, don't forget to press submit.

Student Absences

Please remember to let the school know when your child is or will be absent from school.  You can let us know by phoning 8440 9700 (press 1 for the absence line to leave a message).  Alternatively you can send an email to absent@olv.catholic.edu.au with your childs name and the reason for the absence e.g. illness, family/social or holiday.

The Year 6’s and Slingsby Theatre Production

The Year 6 students were fortunate to experience The Giant's Garden, a captivating performance by Slingsby Theatre. This production is a reimagining of Oscar Wilde's "The Selfish Giant," set in the mid-1700s. It tells the story of a giant whose garden is enveloped in perpetual winter after he excludes playful children by erecting a massive wall. The narrative explores themes of land ownership, the cyclical power of nature, and underscores the significance of play and a child's perspective. ​

Following the performance, Georgia Stanley a member of the Slingsby Theatre, visited Our Lady of the Visitation to engage directly with the Year 6 students.

During her visit the students had to prepare a 3-minute shadow puppet performance. The students had to follow a unique thematic structure, which was: it had to begin with a feeling of loss or solitude, followed by a moment of overwhelming challenge, and concluded with a hopeful sunrise, symbolizing new beginnings. The students were guided by three key principles throughout the process: each participant must listen, each must have a voice, and each must engage in the performance.

The Year 6 students embraced these principles, and their final performances were nothing short of brilliant, showcasing their creativity, teamwork, and the powerful narrative they crafted together. The experience not only fostered their artistic talents but also reinforced the importance of collaboration, self-expression, and resilience. It allowed students to delve deeper into the themes of the play and participate in immersive storytelling activities.​

We are immensely grateful to the Port Adelaide Enfield Council for their generous grant, which made this enriching experience possible. Our heartfelt thanks also go to Slingsby Theatre for their dedication to nurturing young minds and providing such a memorable opportunity for our students.

The Year 6’s

We would like to thank the Slingsby Theatre Company for producing the wonderful performance of The Giant’s Garden that the Year Sixes got to experience. We would also like to thank Georgia from Slingsby for making time to come and share her knowledge of The Arts with us at school. We learnt how to create shadow puppetry storylines and how to put our imagination into what we were creating. We really enjoyed the performance and workshop, thank you.

From the O.L.V. Year Six group.

Holy Week and Easter Activity Book

In reflecting upon Easter, the Year 5 and 6 students worked to create a special Holy Week Easter activity book for their buddies. Filled with engaging content such as word finds, colouring pages, puzzles, and fun activities, these books were designed to help younger children learn about the meaning of Holy Week and the joy of Easter in an age appropriate and interactive way. Once completed, the older students had the opportunity to share their books with their buddies, guiding them through the activities and sharing in the excitement. It was a wonderful experience of faith, creativity, and community spirit!