Newsletter Term 4 Week 7, 2022

Class Structures 2023

I would like to announce the class structures and staffing for 2023.  Class placements will go home with students on Thursday 8th December.  There will be a transition session next Thursday 8th December -  11.30 – 12.55 for students to meet their new teachers and orientate themselves with their new rooms, expectations and procedures.

Staff New to OLV

I welcome the following staff to OLV to begin next year.  I am sure they will find our school a great place to be and provide our children with high level of learning opportunities.

• Marni Knolder               Marni is an experienced teacher, who has been teaching
                                       Year 3 at St Margaret Marys.
• Kayla Kersten               Kayla came to school at OLV and more recently has
                                       been teaching in Victoria before moving back to                                                     Adelaide.
• Brooklynne McKenna   Brooklynne is an experienced educator, who has taught                                       at several Catholic Schools and her most recent school                                         has been Pulteney Grammar
• Emma Harvey              Emma is well known to our students, where she has
                                       relieved across the school and more recently completing                                       a contract in Year 1.

Marni, Kayla Brooklynne & Emma will be at school next Thursday to meet the students.  Please join with me to welcome our new staff members for 2023.

School Fees 2023

The School Board, in conjunction with Catholic Education SA has decided to freeze our School Fees for 2023 at this year’s level, where there was a significant reduction.  The School Board over a number of years has reduced our School Fees to ensure it is affordable for parents.  As always, if parents are having financial difficulties, please make a time to discuss a payment plan with me.

School Leaders 2023

Many thanks to Tilley Marlow and Leo Luu and all the House leaders for all their efforts throughout the year.  They have all been outstanding school leaders in 2022

I am delighted to announce that our School Leaders for 2023 are:  Alex Jackson & Jack Page.

House Leaders 2023

I would also like to announce that the House Leaders for 2023 are:

St Anthony                    Zamara Turley & Alysia Baldacchino
St Dominic                    Ajok Kuir & Rylan Barry
St Elizabeth                  Leah Sng & Kobe Fowler
St Mary                         Savannah Butler & Eli Agars

I congratulate the students who were elected House Leaders for 2023 and also thank the other students who participated by being candidates. 

We are still finaliSing our Enviro Club Leaders and next year all classes will elect SRC Reps which will form part of our school leadership structures.

Premiers Reading Challenge

Congratulations to all of the students who received a certificate or medal for the Premier’s reading challenge in 2022. These were presented to students at OLV at a special presentation earlier this week.

It is now SIX consecutive years that we have had 100% of children completing the Reading Challenge.
At OLV we are committed to improving students literacy levels.

Library Books and Readers

We have come to that time of the year where we are asking for all library books and class readers to be returned to school.  This is a necessary process to ensure we take stock of our essential school resources.  The library will be closed for the remainder of this year and class readers will not be sent home in the final week of school.

Overdue notices will be sent home towards the end of next week. Our school policy is that parents will receive an invoice for any lost books.

I ask that all parents look around their house, in the children’s bedrooms for all Our Lady of the Visitation books & readers to be returned to school.  This will allow us to use our budget to purchase new materials, instead of replacing lost books.

Christmas Eve Mass 24 December at 7pm in the OLV Church – If attending you will need to register.

Are you attending the Family Christmas Eve celebration with your family? I encourage all families to attend.  Once again OLV School (Frank & staff) will be coordinating this celebration with the parish.  We need our children to assist with the Liturgy as:

• Readers - (of the Word and Prayers)
• Actors - (enactment of Nativity Story)

A rehearsal will take place on Friday 23 December 11.30 – 12.30 in the church.

Please contact Our Lady of the Visitation School (8248 2480) or info@olv.catholic.edu.au if you're interested.  We hope to see you there!

SRC Colour Door Day

The SRC have organised a 'Colour Door Day" for Thursday 15th December (last day of school).  All students are invited to come to school dressed in their door colour.

To support the St Vinnies Christmas appeal, students are asked to bring a gold coin donation.  Your generosity will provide urgent relief for vulnerable families in our community.

End of Year Activities

In any school the last weeks of the school become even busier places.  Our Lady of The Visitation I am sure will be no different.  I have listed below these events and I ask for parental support in ensuring all events, 

Please make note of the following school events;

Friday 9 December                             School Picnic (Roy Marten Playground & Colour Run -
                                                            details to be sent home on Monday
Monday 12 December                        2.00pm  OLV Educational Award Ceremony
Tuesday 13 December                       9.30am   End of Year Mass
Wednesday 14 December                  7.00pm  Year 6 Graduation Ceremony
                                                           Last Day School for Year 6
Thursday 15 December                     Last Day School for R – Year 5

Catholic Identity

On Sunday 27th November we came to the end of ordinary time into the beginning of Advent.

Advent is Here! This is a very special season in our Church as we begin to prepare for Christmas and be reminded of Jesus’ birth. The time of Advent is a time of preparation, of getting ready and also being excited.

GOSPEL - A reading from the gospel according to Matthew 24:37-44

Jesus said to his disciples: "When the Son of Man appears, things will be just as they were when Noah lived. People were eating, drinking, and getting married right up to the day that the flood came and Noah went into the big boat. They didn't know anything was happening until the flood came and swept them all away. That is how it will be when the Son of Man appears. "Two men will be in the same field, but only one will be taken. The other will be left. Two women will be together grinding grain, but only one will be taken. The other will be left. "So be on your guard! You don't know when your Lord will come. Homeowners never know when a thief is coming, and they are always on guard to keep one from breaking in. Always be ready! You don't know when the Son of Man will come." The gospel of the Lord. R: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

(Gospel text © Lectionary for Masses with Children (1993) Catholic Book Publishing Co. New York)

As a whole school we celebrate Advent by lighting each of the four candles and placing them on our Advent wreath to symbolise the coming of Jesus. Families are welcome to join us in our Advent preparation Liturgies.

The Liturgies will take place in the Veritas Centre at 9:30am.  Please see dates and times and which class is running the Liturgies below.

• Week 8 - Tuesday 6th December - 2.30pm - 1 Blue
• Week 8 - Wednesday 7th December - 9.30am - 1 Green
• Week 8 - Thursday 8th December - Reception Green
• Week 9 - Monday 12th December - Reception Blue

• Week 9 - Tuesday 13th December - 9.15am - End of Year Mass
• Week 9 - Wednesday 14th December - 7pm - Year 6 Graduation
• Christmas Eve - Saturday 24th December - 7pm - Nativity Mass (all welcome

Father Roderick and Josh McDermid visit to our Graduating Students

We had the privilege to have Father Roderick and Josh McDermid visit our graduating students on Tuesday 22nd November. It was a prayerful opportunity for our students to reflect on their Graduation Liturgy which highlights the virtues of kindness, meekness, love and forgiveness.

Our students shared and discussed how they will strengthen these virtues as they enter secondary schooling and beyond. What a wonderful opportunity for our students.

We thank Father Roderick and Josh McDermid for sharing their time, knowledge and wisdom.

A reading from the letter of Paul to the Colossians

As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved,
clothe yourselves with compassion,
kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.
Bear with one another and,
if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other;
just as the Lord has forgiven you,
so you also must forgive.

Above all, clothe yourselves with love,
which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,
to which indeed you were called in the one body.
And be thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly;
teach and admonish one another in all wisdom;
and with gratitude in your hearts
sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.
And whatever you do, in word or deed,
do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through him.

The Word of the Lord

We congratulate Scarlett Reed (4G), Lotus Black (2/3R), Harper Cowan (2/3R) and Zamara Turley (5/6R) for preparing and celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This sacrament is a sign and experience of God’s unconditional forgiveness.

After saying this he breathed on them and said: "Receive the Holy Spirit.  For those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven, for those whose sins you retrain, they are retained."

John 20:22

You may have heard that supermarkets have suspended soft plastics collections from their stores until further notice due to increased pressure.

What you can do in the meantime:

1.   Keep separating your soft plastics

If you usually separate your soft plastics from your other rubbish at home, you should continue to do this so that children can maintain good recycling habits. However, ultimately your soft plastics will need to be placed in your blue lid bin until RedCycle is up and running again.

2.   Choose the plastic free option

Since our soft plastics will be going into landfill for the foreseeable future, please be mindful when shopping for plastic-wrapped products. Choose the plastic free option where possible.

3.   Participate in Nude Food Tuesdays

Continue to pack nude food for your kids. This is the more environmentally friendly option for our school and it raises awareness for the wellbeing of our planet.

On Wednesday the 30th of November OLV held our first Socktober event.  Year 4 Green and Year 3/4 Blue hosted the event with the help of Tony from Catholic Mission. The day began with students and staff dressing up in their favourite sporting teams’ colours. At lunchtime, students had the opportunity to participate in a range of smaller soccer games or challenge themselves against Mr DeTullio and Mr Bentley in a penalty shoot-out. As a school, we managed to raise $362 which will buy 7 goats. We thank you all for your participation and hope you enjoyed the day.