Term 4 Week 7, 2023

Class Structures 2024

I would like to announce the class structures and staffing for 2024.  Class placements will go home with students on Monday 11th December.  On Monday 11 Dec (Week 9) all students will take part in a whole school transition where they will get to meet and become familiar with the other students in their class, as well as their 2024 class teacher.  This is always an exciting, but nervous time for students, so please continue to be positive and reassure them.

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 will high levels of learning opportunities.

Kirstin Gerace            Kirstin is a passionate educator who is known to the students working in 
                                   most classes this term.
Nicole Jones              Nicole is an experienced class teacher, where she is a skilled literacy
                                   teacher.
Evie Kanakaris           Evie will join the Preschool team, Evie has had experiences in several
                                   ELC’s & Preschools.
Vanessa Fedele         Vanessa is well known to our students working in OSHC.  Vanessa will
                                   be our LOTE (Italian) teacher for 2024.

Please join with me to welcome our new staff members for 2024.

End of Year Reports – SEQTA Engage

Students End of Year Reports will be released on Monday 11 December.  Student Reports will be available to parents and caregivers through SEQTA Engage. The school will no longer print and issue reports at the end of each Semester. Instead, Student Reports will be uploaded to SEQTA, and a notification will be sent when the report is available for viewing.

Information has been sent to all families & this has been followed up with a reminder email to those who have not downloaded the app.  If you need assistance, please see Tracy who will assist you.

School Fees 2024

The School Board, in conjunction with Catholic Education SA has decided to freeze our School Fees for 2024 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.  A 2024 School Fee Schedule has been emailed with this Newsletter.  As always, if parents are having financial difficulties, please make a time to discuss a payment plan with me.

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 have been sent home. Our school policy is that parents will receive an invoice for 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 22 December 11.30 – 12.30 in the church.

Please contact Our Lady of the Visitation School (84409700) or info@olv.catholic.edu.au if you're interested, we hope to see you there!

Catholic Identity

ADVENT

This coming Sunday 3 December, we will welcome the first Sunday of Advent. We also begin our Year B Liturgical Year, where we will focus on the Gospel of Mark and John. Below is the Gospel reading for the beginning of Advent. In this Gospel we are reminded that Jesus is asking us to look out and keep our eyes open for what is happening around us, so that we are ready for when he comes.

Gospel: Mark 13:33-37

Jesus said, “Be on watch, be alert, for you do not know when the time will come. It will be like a man who goes away from home on a journey and leaves his servants in charge, after giving to each one his own work to do and after telling the doorkeeper to keep watch. Be on guard, then, because you do not know when the master of the house is coming — it might be in the evening or at midnight or before dawn or at sunrise. If he comes suddenly, he must not find you asleep. What I say to you, then, I say to all: watch!”

(Gospel passage taken from Good News Translation® and used with permission, see details below*)

The word Advent means ‘coming’. As a school, we will begin waiting in anticipation and preparation with open hearts and minds for the coming of Jesus Christ. While we wait, we will reflect and give thanks for all the graces God has given us.

Our Reception students will be leading our Advent Liturgies next week. They will lead us in a prayerful reflection on the Advent themes of HOPE, LOVE, JOY and PEACE by lighting the Advent candles. All families are welcome to join us. All liturgies will be held in the Veritas centre.

RCJ - HOPE: 5 December at 2pm
RJM - LOVE: 6 December at 2pm
RBS/RBB - JOY: 7 December at 2pm
RMJ - PEACE: 11 December at 12:30pm

End of Year Mass led by our SRC’s:
Tuesday 12 December at 9:30am at the Church.

All Welcome

This year our End of Year Mass will celebrate and acknowledge our ecological achievements led by Ms Kyriacou. As a Catholic school we are called to ecological conversion and action. Pope Francis wrote an open letter to all of us called Laudato Si’. This letter tells us about environmental issues, such as pollution and climate change. He calls us to work together to create a better and more sustainable future for the next generation.

St Vinnies Christmas Appeal: Friday 8 December

This year our SRC’s leaders are leading the St Vinnies Christmas Appeal. Our school will be giving financially. The SRC’s are inviting students and staff to come dressed in Summer Clothes with a gold cold donation.

 Financial donations will allow the volunteers at St Vincent de Paul the flexibility to direct funds where they are most needed. It also gives those they assist the sense of dignity and joy of choosing their own items.

Giving Tree

The Giving Tree reflects our Catholic Social Teaching principles, where we are called to work together to support the most vulnerable people in our society.

2/3LB together with Lefevre Catholic Community have set up the Giving Tree in the church. Its ornaments are precious tags that symbolises a human person, their identity and age. The parishioners and our families are welcome to take a tag and buy a gift and place it under the Christmas Tree. The church is opened from 9:20am every Tuesday and Thursday for the 9:30am Parish Mass.

Alternatively, we have also placed a smaller Christmas tree in the front office with the same giving tags. Gifts can be left in the front office.

Thanking you for your generosity.

2024 Sacramental Program: The Sacraments of Confirmation & First Holy Communion and Reconciliation

The next cycle of the Sacramental Program will commence in February next year, with a Family Information Session scheduled for Tuesday 20 February at 7pm. This cycle will be running the calendar year with students making all 3 Sacraments in one year. We work in partnership with the Lefevre Catholic Community in delivering the program and our partner school Dominican, Semaphore.

Dates

Term 2

Week 6 – (8th June) - Lesson One Confirmation
Week 7 – (11th June) – Lesson Two Confirmation
Week 8 – (22th June) – Lesson Three Confirmation
Week 9 – (25th June) – Catch - up for absentees

Term 3

Week 3 – (6th August) – Lesson One Communion
Week 4 – (17th August) – Lesson Two Communion
Week 5 – (20th August) – Lesson Three Communion
Week 6 – (31st August) – Catch-up for absentees

Workshop 7th September (Confirmation and First Communion)
Practice with Sponsors - Monday 9th September
Confirmation Ceremony - 11th September
First Communion – Sunday 15th September

Please note some dates may change in Term 3 if the Confirmation is held on 18th September

For further information please contact:

Bernadette Smith
Coordinator of Family Faith Formation
Lefevre Catholic Community
Phone: 8449 6378
Office hours Tuesday – Thursday
Email: familyfaith@catholicparishes.com.au

or 

Jhovana Fenu on jfenu@olv.catholic.edu.au
Please note my email will be open until Monday 11 December.

The Southern Cross

To access the current edition of our Catholic newspaper, published by the Archdiocese of Adelaide, please click on the link below:

The Southern Cross

LEARNWELL

Our Foundations for Learning through Wellbeing

Transitions

It is that time of the year where our children and ourselves are experiencing transitions. Transitions at any age can be hard, however they can also be empowering as they offer an opportunity for self growth and resilience.

Our friend, Madhavi Nawana Parker, from Positive Minds Australia offers some helpful advice on how to support our children adapt to new classroom placements.

Please click: Class Placements- Helpful advice from Madhavi Nawana Parker

LearnWell Team
Frank Detullio, Jhovana Fenu, Amelia Maddern, Alex Tuffin and Julie Taylor
Jhovana Fenu (Acting APRIM)
jfenu@olv.catholic.edu.au

School fees 2024

2024 School Fee Information will be emailed to families with this newsletter.  We strongly advise families to establish a regular payment plan to keep fees manageable.  Please complete and return your payment plan agreement by FRIDAY 8 DECEMBER 2023.

School & Preschool Fees 2023

Statements were sent home recently.  Fee balances are now due, please ensure your account is finalised promptly if you have not already arranged    If fees have not already been paid in full, entered into a regular payment plan that will clear fees by the end of Term 4, or contacted the school to extend your time to pay, please contact Micaela to discuss on 84409700 or accounts@olv.catholic.edu.au.

School Card

School Card applications for 2023 have closed.  Families who believe they will be eligible for School Card in 2024 can apply online next year from February by using the following link:

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

Fee Remission Assistance

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 DeTullio (Principal) on 84409700. 

If you have any questions regarding school or preschool fees, school card, or to set up a payment plan, please contact the front office on 84409700 or email accounts@olv.catholic.edu.au

Festival Choir 2024

OLV will once again be preparing a choir to participate in next year’s Catholic Schools’ Music Festival. Expressions of interest from students who will be in year 5 and 6 next year are currently being collected, with thanks to those families who have already sent in their return notice. For more information, or to reply via email instead of filling out a notice, please email me directly at lrobson@olv.catholic.edu.au

Students who participated in this year’s festival who will be in year 6 next year are encouraged to participate again.

Lisa Robson.

Music Instrumental lessons 2024

Piano/keyboard, flute vocal and saxophone lessons are offered though George & Angela (music tutors who visit the school).  These are private lessons primarily given during school hours (fees apply)

Both tutors are highly experienced, qualified and approved to teach. They are eager to receive inquiries from parents for Term 1 2024.

Instrumental Music Lesson forms are available from the front office.