NAPLAN
The Year 3 and 5 students begin the NAPLAN assessments next Wednesday and will continue the following week. This is earlier than in past years which means valuable data will be available earlier to inform teaching and learning programs, and to identify professional development needs. It also means parents will receive results earlier in the year, helping to inform the conversations they have with teachers.
Parent/Teacher Conversations
Parent/Teacher Conversations will be taking place in Week 10 (Week beginning 1 April, Easter Monday), this will result in the conversations being held on Tuesday, Wednesday (late evening) & Thursday. Information regarding these meetings will be sent home next week. Again this year there will be a link for you to book your times online.
In these meetings, teachers will share the goals they have written for each student in the areas of Literacy, Numeracy and Well-being.
These meetings respond to the call of Catholic Education SA’s learning statement:
To every child in a Catholic School,
We are committed to knowing you deeply.
We value you as a capable and competent learner and will support your active engagement in the learning process.
In partnership with you and your family we commit to high expectations for your learning progress, wellbeing and achievement.
You matter to us.
This is an opportunity for you to engage with your child’s teacher in regard to their learning plan for your child. These learning plans are individualised and reflect the data/testing profile we have on each child, which will ensure that their learning needs will be met.
Brooklynne Lock
It is with sadness that I inform you that Brooklynne Lock has tendered her resignation from Our Lady of the Visitation School. Brooklynne has accepted a teaching position at Seymour College. This was a difficult decision for her as her daughter will be starting at a school just 5 minutes away from Seymour College and the decision was based on family life balance. I am sure that you will join with me in wishing Brooklynne all the best as she moves to a new school.
Nicole Simpson has been appointed to the Year 5/6LI Class teaming with Tina for the remainder of the 2024 school year. The days that Nicole will work will be the same as Brooklynne (Wednesday, Thursday & Friday) and will follow the curriculum plans Tina Ida & Brooklynne have put in place.
Nicole is an experienced educator, having Year 5/6 experiences. She has worked at Whitefriars and most recently last year teaching Year 5/6 at Lockleys North PS.
Stage 2 Building Update
I am pleased to advise that the remainder of the slab was poured earlier this week and steel work will begin in the next few weeks. Our aim is to have building completed early Term 3.
Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting of the School Board will be held on Wednesday 20 March. There will be drinks and nibbles from 6.30pm with the formalities beginning at 7pm. This is a great opportunity to hear about the successes of the 2023 year and look forward to the plans for Our Lady of the Visitation School. All families are welcome to attend the AGM.
It is during this meeting that we announce new Board members for the coming year.
The School Board is an advisory committee that provides direction and input for the school in a variety of matters, including financial, community and resource operations. I’m sure that many of you would have the knowledge and expertise to offer your support to the Board. Nomination forms were sent home earlier this week.
Classroom Pulse Check Survey
Each term students complete the Classroom Pulse Check Survey. The purpose of the Classroom Pulse Check In is to find out how students are feeling about their experience of school. Students have participated in the Survey over Weeks 5 and 6 of each term.
Our aim is simply to “check in” with our students and measure how they are feeling.
Your child’s responses will help us to identify any potential social, emotional or learning needs that they may have.
Over the past couple of weeks, I have been teaching in each class. I used the teaching time to get to know the students, and them me, on a more personal level.
We know relational pedagogy goes beyond the traditional teacher-student dynamic. I taught in every class to help develop trust, empathy, and mutual respect, thus providing an additional safe person for our students to turn to when navigating life. Hopefully, they will see me as a person they can open up with and seek support when needed.
The teaching was as follows:
Receptions & Year 1s
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.
- 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.
Thank you.
Our early year students are busy little bees, buzzing around picking up learning concepts as they travel through their school day.
We are continually amazed at the development of our early year students witnessing their energy, drive, and excitement towards their learning, as well as developing those critical friendships. Many of our early year students are meeting daily school challenges with confidence and resilience; traits that will set them up for the rest of their school lives and beyond.
As the Term rolls on we will continue to watch their confidence, learnings and relationships flourish as they investigate the world around them, engaging in further school events.
Receptions
In our Reception classes, students are learning how to create patterns using an array of objects - a repeat sequence AB pattern like red blue red blue. Children who are highly pattern aware can spot this kind of regularity: they can reproduce patterns and predict how they will continue.
One of the most important topics for our Receptions is to identify the order of numbers and correctly arrange them from small to big and big to small. Our Receptions are learning how to recognise and order numbers correctly.
Social