Newsletter Term 1 Week 8, 2024

Easter Celebrations

As we embark on the Easter journey - a time of renewal and hope - let us think about how we can make changes in our own lives that will enable us to bring the joy and mercy of Christ's message to the world that surrounds us today.

At this me of year it is easy to get lost in chocolate, please keep the journey of Jesus as the central focus of this Holy time.

Parent/Teacher Conversations Week 10

Parent/Teacher Conversations will be taking place in the week after Easter. Information on how to book a time was sent earlier this week. In these meetings, teachers will share the goals they have written for each student in the areas of Literacy, Numeracy and Well-being. After reflecting on the experiences from these meetings held last year, the staff and I have decided that due to the different maturation levels of the students and their different capacity to participate in a meaningful way, that the following will apply:-

Reception/Year 1 Students do not attend
Year 2/3 Optional for students to attend
Year 4 – 6 Highly recommended that students attend

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.

School Board AGM

The Annual General Meeting of the School Board for Our lady of the Visitation School was held recently. At this meeting the outcomes of the 2023 school year were reported. We also elected our School Board members for the 2024 / 2025 school years. I thank and congratulate the following people on their commitment to serving Our Lady of the Visitation School:

Renee Bennett
Catherine Blackmore
Hannah Hill
Olivia Rowlandson
Beth Schell
Tanya Smith
Julie Reed (2024 only)

I am both appreciative and grateful to have such a positive and supportive group who always want the best for our children and our school. There is a lot to look forward to and exciting plans to share in the coming months.

The School Board will meet early next term to elect Office Bearers for 2024.

Parent Role in Student Conflicts

A reminder to all parents, that we strongly encourage you to speak to class teachers when an issue or concern arises that relates directly to something that has happened in the classroom/playground. Parents must never address the issue with another child, nor approach the parents of the other child/ren. The matter must be dealt with in the first instance, through the class teacher.

Sometimes, what has happened or been said in the classroom/playground is taken out of context or is exaggerated; or both sides of the issue are not presented. When such matters are discussed widely, when passing information from one party to another, the facts can often be distorted and inaccurate. If an incident occurs at school and has been dealt with at school, it should be left as a school issue and should not be discussed outside of the group of people it directly involves.

Parents are welcome to discuss an incident with the class teacher who has dealt with it, for further information or clarification. However, I reiterate, due to confidentiality, the matter should not be discussed with other parents in the school community. Parents may sometimes not agree with the way a staff member deals with a classroom/playground incident between two or more children. Just like, two different sets of parents may approach the same inappropriate behaviour differently — one may choose to ignore the incident, the other may choose to reprimand with some form of consequence — each teacher deals with inappropriate behaviour differently too; often based on the best information they have possession of at the time.

I encourage communication and a great deal of patience and understanding. I can’t emphasise enough the importance of good parent-teacher communication — it is much easier to solve problems, to feel reassured and to be confident in what is happening in the classroom when there are open channels of communication between home and school.

Winter Uniform

The beginning of Term 2 is the designated change over to the Winter School Uniform. As the weather at the beginning of Term 2 is often still warm, there will be a two week change over period. Our school uniform policy has been inserted below for your information.

WINTER UNIFORM (WORN IN TERMS 2 & 3)

Girls Winter Uniform	Boys Winter Uniform
Pinafore or skirt (Rec - 6)	Navy blue trousers (no side pockets on legs)
Navy Blue Trousers	monogrammed long sleeve shirt
Monogrammed long sleeve shirt	Navy blue socks
Navy blue socks or Navy blue tights	Black school shoes
Black school shoes (no heels)	Jumper
Black/blue bike shorts above the knee (optional under dress)	Tie
Tie

To purchase uniforms please follow the link :
https://campusschoolwear.com.au/collections/our-lady-of-the-visitation

School & Preschool Fees 2024

Need to set up a payment plan?
A reminder to all families that school and preschool fees are due 5 April 2024, unless you have an existing payment arrangement. Quarterly fee balances are expected by week 6 of each term, with payment in full by 22 November 2024. If you have not already made your first instalment or entered a regular payment arrangement with us this year to pay weekly, fortnightly, monthly, or termly, please contact me to discuss your payment option by no later than Tuesday, 2nd of April.

Are you eligible for School Card in 2024?
The School Card Scheme is administered by the State Government and assists families who are low income, experiencing hardship, self-employed or had a change of circumstances.

The tables below list the income limits for applications lodged in 2024 – based on your family's gross income in 2022/2023.

To qualify for School Card, your family's gross income must be below a certain limit. The limit depends on how many dependent children you have.

You will need to provide proof of income – such as pay slips or Centrelink information.

Eligibility income limits for school card:

No of dependent children Combined gross family Gross weekly school card income for 22/2023 income limit financial year

1 child $70,994 $1,365
2 children $72,262 $1,390
3 children $73,530 $1,414
4 children $74,798 $1,439
5 children $76,066 $1,463
Each additional child $1,268 $25

Families who are eligible for School Card or believe they may be eligible are asked to apply online by using the following link:

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

Please note, an application must be completed each year and applies to school fees only.

If you have any questions regarding school or preschool fees, school card, or to set up a payment plan, please contact the office on 8440 9700 or email accounts@olv.catholic.edu.au

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.

Qkr Users

The Android Phone issue has now been resolved, parents/users can now download the App from the Google Play Store.

Apologies for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience.

Regards
The Qkr Team

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