OLOG eNewsletter Term 1 Week 4

Dear Parents and Caregivers, 

As we enter Week 4, we mark the first month of the 2025 school year. Our students have settled into their learning routines, and engagement in both learning and classroom expectations is strong.

Our dedicated staff carefully plan lessons to challenge and extend students’ learning. With clear goals in place, we aim to foster growth, achievement, and a love for learning.

To support your child’s learning journey, consider asking them these reflective questions:

• What are you learning?
• How are you doing?
• How do you know?
• How can you improve?
• Where do you go for help?

Each day, our classrooms engage in structured literacy blocks focusing on spelling, grammar, writing, reading, oral language, fluency, and comprehension. We encourage you to connect with your child’s teacher to learn more about their progress in literacy and explore ways to support their learning at home.

Staff value your ongoing support in fostering a strong learning environment for our students.

Literacy Learning at OLOG

With first term well under way, teachers and education support officers have worked tirelessly to assess students' knowledge and to work collectively to plan how to best meet the literacy needs of our students. Each morning, across the school, you can walk into any classroom and observe explicit direct instruction of spelling conventions by both classroom teachers and education support officers, followed by targeted writing and syntax instruction. Students are also engaging in learning reading comprehension strategies and developing their reading fluency. If you have a Catholic volunteer clearance and have some time available to listen to our students read one morning, please reach out to your child's teacher. We welcome your support.

Celebrating a Successful Parent & Staff Welcome Evening

What a wonderful evening we shared at the OLOG Parent & Staff Welcome Event! With perfect weather and a fantastic atmosphere, it was a special opportunity for our OLOG community to come together, connect, and celebrate the start of the school year.

At OLOG, we deeply value the chance to welcome both new and returning families, and this event truly reflected the warmth and spirit of our school. The night was filled with music, delicious canapés, and meaningful conversations—all of which make OLOG such a vibrant and welcoming place.

We were also privileged to host several special guests and generous sponsors whose contributions played a vital role in the success of the evening. A heartfelt thank you to:

• Horizon’s Building Group
• Swanberry Architects
• Camp Australia
• M&M Cleaning Services
• CESA Monica Moore – Project Officer
• Sidewood Wines

A special acknowledgment goes to our Parents & Friends (P&F) Committee and Sara Cox (Enrolment and Community Liaison Coordinator) for their dedication and efforts in making this event such a success. We deeply appreciate their commitment and look forward to welcoming more parents to join and support the P&F.

Finally, a huge thank you to our incredible staff for their ongoing dedication and partnership in strengthening the OLOG community. Your time and effort truly make a difference.

We are grateful to all who attended and contributed to such a wonderful evening, and we look forward to many more opportunities to connect as a community.

Peace and Blessings
Josette Charles
Principal

Creating Safe Environments for Every Student

Our Commitment to Child Protection

At Catholic Education South Australia (CESA) and Our Lady of Grace (OLOG), the safety and wellbeing of every child is our highest priority. We are committed to fostering a child-safe environment where every student feels secure, supported, and protected from all forms of harm, including abuse, bullying, harassment, and neglect.

As a mandated child-safe school, we adhere to strict legal policies and procedures that guide all staff, volunteers, and contractors in maintaining a protective environment for students. Every child has the right to learn and grow in a school where they feel valued, respected, and safe.

Empowering Students Through Child Protection Education

To equip students with the knowledge and skills to recognize and respond to unsafe situations, we deliver the Keeping Safe: Child Protection Curriculum (KS:CPC). This curriculum is taught in an age-appropriate manner and reinforces children’s rights to safety and respect, helping them develop the confidence to seek help when needed.

Our Commitment in Action

At OLOG, we actively implement robust child safety policies and practices, ensuring that:

• All staff, volunteers, and contractors undergo a current Working With Children Check (WWCC) before engaging in school activities.
• All staff and volunteers understand their legal and ethical obligations to report suspected child abuse or neglect.
• Reporting concerns is accessible and encouraged through the Department for Child Protection. Child protection is everyone’s responsibility, and timely reporting can make a crucial difference in a child’s life.

Partnering with Families for a Safer Community

We encourage families to explore the CESA website for Child Safeguarding  policies, guidelines, and resources that reinforce our commitment to child safety. By working together, we can create a secure and nurturing school environment where every child thrives.

For more information on child protection and reporting processes, please visit:
🔗 Department for Child Protection – Reporting Child Abuse
🔗 CESA Child Protection Policies

Child protection is everybody’s business. Together, we can ensure the safety and wellbeing of all students.

Please visit CESA website: https://www.cesa.catholic.edu.au/our-schools/safe-environments-for-all

Congratulations to Our 2025 Student Voice Leaders!

We are proud to announce and celebrate our 2025 Student Voice Leaders, who have been recognised for their outstanding leadership within OLOG. These students have demonstrated a strong commitment to representing their peers, fostering a positive school environment, and contributing to the wellbeing of our community.

As leaders, they will continue to work closely with students, staff, and families to ensure that every voice is heard and valued. We look forward to seeing them grow in their leadership journey and make a meaningful impact throughout the year.

Congratulations to our Student Voice Leaders:
Mikayla, Isabella, Ivy, Dulcie, Thomas, Lucy R, Tabatha, Mackenzie, Maddie, Teresa, Saoirse, Owen and Billie. 

We are excited for the incredible work you will do in 2025!

We advise the Annual School Board AGM will be held on Tuesday 18th March 2025 at 7:00pm in the Resource Centre (Library). 

Term 1 Masses/Liturgies

5^th February @9:15am- Beginning of Year Mass
5^th March @ 9.00am- Ash Wednesday Liturgy (Reception-Year 2)
5th March @ 11.10am- Ash Wednesday Mass (Years 3-6)

Parents are most welcome to attend.

Visible Wellbeing

The Year 2’s have learnt about Strengths.

They have drawn a picture of themselves and labelled their picture with their top 3 strengths.

Staff have also completed the VIA Character Strength Survey and we are creating a display in the Staffroom to display their top 3 Strengths.

The Year 1’s have created a beautiful Garden of Gratitude, naming in the petals the things that they are grateful for. Practicing gratitude can have many benefits, including improved mood, reduced stress and better sleep. It can also help you build stronger relationships and feel more content. 

Social Justice Leaders

This year students from Year 5 and 6 will have the opportunity to be part of a Social Justice Group.

We have one Year 6 Social Justice Leader so far: Tonti Ifediora. 

We are looking for more students to join our group.

Responsibilities for the Social Justice Leaders will be;

• Lead and participate in social justice initiatives that support local and global communities in need, promoting a culture of service and compassion.
• Organise and facilitate fundraising activities, such as charity drives or awareness campaigns.
• Encourage peers to engage in acts of kindness and service, helping to cultivate an atmosphere of empathy and generosity within our community.
• Represent the school in external community outreach initiatives.

We are excited to see what we can achieve as a group to help those in our communities.

Shrove Tuesday

As per tradition Our Lady of Grace School will provide students pancakes on Shrove Tuesday (the day before Ash Wednesday)

The cost of the pancake will be $1.00 with money raised being donated towards Project Compassion, our Term 1 Social Justice initiative.

Orders for pancakes will be through QKR which will open tomorrow (Friday 21/02 @ (9:00am)

The school will provide the following choice of toppings;

• Lemon and Sugar
• Strawberry Jam
• Maple Syrup

We will provide gluten free pancakes for those who will need them.

If your child has any other dietary requirements, could you please email me on dscuteri@olog.catholic.edu.au in order for us to try and provide an alternative.

We are also seeking some parent volunteers to help cook the pancakes. We will need the volunteers from 9.00-11.00am. This includes cooking and serving time.

Thank-you in advance.

Joy and Blessings
Debbie Scuteri
APRIM/Inclusive Education Coordinator

Capital Works Update

Stage 1A

Our year 5s & 6s have been enjoying their new classroom and breakout space upstairs since the start of term. Builders Horizons worked tirelessly over the summer break to complete works on time and are now just adding some finishing touches to windows and pinboards. Our new classroom spaces upstairs means that OSHC are now permanently housed downstairs in our Library space (and loving it).

No sooner had our upstairs classes been handed over, works have immediately swung back into action with our ground floor space. This week we saw steel work completed, framing, glazing and first fix electrical & plumbing works. We cant wait to see this new space transformed. Once complete OLOG will have 11 classroom spaces with an additional breakout/mini learning space supporting our growing learning needs.

Stage 1B

Planning and investigation works commenced late last year with architects Swanbury Penglase for our proposed development on 3 Joan Ave. This development will connect with the rear of the current school site and will enable the delivery of 6 additional classroom spaces. OLOG is a small, tight and complex site and the stage 1B development is the largest single development the school has engaged with since the 1990’s. We are very excited to see this planning evolve, supporting OLOG’s growth and delivery of additional quality learning spaces and resources for our students and staff. OLOG is supported in this project by a State Government Capital Grant.

Court Resurface

We are planning a complete resurface of our synthetic court in April – (over the term break weather permitting) Our old court has seen many netball and basketball games and we hope to support many more with a brand new synthetic court.

Community Portal - Are you Connected?

We now have over 240 registered users of the Community Portal and invitations have been issued again to connect caregivers not yet activated. The Portal is your secure point of contact for fees statements, transactional account information and ad hoc fees payments. Student academic reports are also published to the portal each semester. Over time we will see improvements and enhancements to the Portal, including the ability to securely update student and caregiver data, medical plan information, permissions and consents. OLOG is a CESA Pilot site for the Community Portal so we thank you for your willingness to try this developing offering and your valuable feedback.

Please note that your feedback regarding the calendar in the portal has been acknowledged and OLOG will continue to provide access to alternate calendar via this newsletter until enhancements become activated.

2025 Payment Plans

OLOG fees are billed in full at the start of the year and the 2025 Fee Statements have been published to the Community Portal  https://cesa-portal.civicaed.com.au/

2025 payment plans should be established at this time.

Please contact the Finance Manager Kerri Rowell finance@olog.catholic.edu.au  if you have not yet established your payment plan or wish to discuss your account.

Payment plan options include:

Annual up front - 4% discount applies on the annual net 2025 tuition fee for accounts paid in full by 31st March 2025.

Monthly - 10 payments payable on the 15th day Feb-Nov 2025
Fortnightly - 22 payments commencing from the 1st Feb 2025
Weekly - 42 payments commencing from the 1st Feb 2025

All accounts are to be paid in full by the 15th November in the year incurred.

Co-curricular sports are now in full swing, and we’re excited to see our students engaging in a variety of activities! This week, we aim to finalize team lists and draft schedules for all sports this term. Please also reach out to us if you can assist in being a coach or team manager as we have two teams currently requiring a coach and a few requiring managers. All roles are vitally important as we have the belief that if we fill both roles in every team, a coach can actually do more coaching and in turn hopefully build greater skill development in all our children.

We’re also thrilled to share that our tennis sessions at Somerton Park Tennis Club were a great success. We hope to continue building strong partnerships with local sporting clubs to create more opportunities for our students. In line with this, we’re excited to offer our Year 3, 4, 5, and 6 students the chance to participate in a mini Gather Round AFL competition. We hope to form a team and establish a new connection with Glenelg and the SANFL. Please look out for this information through Audiri.

A reminder that Swimming Week for our Reception to Year 3 students takes place from Wednesday to Friday this week. Next week, our Year 4 and 5 students will head to Port Noarlunga for their aquatics program, while our Year 6 students will travel to West Lakes for their own aquatics experience.

Thank you for your continued support, and we look forward to a fantastic term of sport and physical activity!

Best regards,

See you on the Court or at the Ground!
Mr M

Please read the latest Newsletter from Camp Australia.

Do you require OSHC on the Pupil Free Days? Please refer to the attached flyers for information about booking a place on our Pupil Free Day Friday 7th March and / or Friday 11th March.

OSHC Pupil Free Day:  7th March

OSHC Pupil Free Day:  11th April 

Parents are invited to an on-line seminar offering practical, common-sense ideas and strategies in dealing with parenting in today's chaotic world. 

Please use the above QR Code to register your interest. 

Welcome back! This year we have some very exciting things coming. Some dates to remember and write in your calendars: 

Wednesday 21st of May – National Simultaneous Storytime. 

We’re excited to announce that our school will be participating in National Simultaneous Storytime again this year! This special event, where schools across Australia read the same book at the same time, celebrates the joy of reading and promotes literacy. This year’s book has been announced, and it’s Truck Cat by Deborah Frenkel and Danny Snell! A copy will soon be available in the library, so feel free to stop by and read it with your child in the morning. Stay tuned for more details. 

Week 5, Term 3 (16th- 23rd August) - Book Week 2025  

Book Week will be held in Term 3, Week 5, and this year’s theme is Book an Adventure! This week celebrates the best in Australian children's literature, with a special focus on the CBCA Award shortlisted books. Students will explore exciting stories and take part in creative activities. We can’t wait to share all the fun and adventures with you soon! 

Premiers’ Reading Challenge 

The Premiers’ Reading Challenge is now underway and will run until 7th September. Forms will be given out by your child’s class teacher to help track reading progress at home. This is a great opportunity to encourage reading and celebrate the love of books as a family! 

Scholastic Book Club 

OLOG is participating in Scholastic Book Club again in 2025! It’s a great way to inspire a love of reading while supporting our school. Two catalogues will be sent home each term, and you can also access them online via LOOP. Purchases can be made through the LOOP app, available on the App Store or Google Play. If you have any questions, feel free to email me or catch me in the library before school! 

Library Open Hours and Borrowing Times 

Our OLOG library is open for families to read, return, or borrow books from 8:30am every morning. It’s also open for fun activities during Monday and Tuesday lunchtimes. Class borrowing times are posted on the library door for your convenience. Please remind your child to bring their library bag - no bag, no borrowing! 

Welcome to 2025 School Year

The Parents and Friends Committee is a dedicated group of parents, caregivers, and school staff working together to create a positive and supportive school community. Our role is to foster a strong relationship between the school and families through various events, fundraising initiatives, and community-building activities.

Our Mission:

To support the school by organizing events and activities that enhance the school experience for students and families.
To raise funds for additional resources and opportunities that benefit the school community.
To provide a platform for parents and caregivers to engage with the school in a meaningful way.

How Can You Get Involved?

Attend our meetings and share your ideas
Volunteer at our events
Help with fundraising activities
Support other parents and families by being part of a welcoming community

We always welcome new members to join and contribute in any way they can. Every parent’s involvement, no matter how big or small, makes a significant difference!

Meetings:
Please check the school’s newsletter or our P&F social media for the upcoming dates (To be advised in our following newsletter). 

How to Join: If you're interested in being a part of the committee or would like more information, please contact us via scox@olog.catholic.edu.au. We would love to have you involved!

Informing the school of absences

If your child is not going to be at school due to illness, or will be late due to an appointment, it is imperative that you inform the school by:

• Phoning the 24 hour student absentee phone number: 8177 9191 before 8.55am; or
• Completing the absentee form in the Audiri app; or
• By emailing the class teacher or olog@olog.catholic.edu.au

Advance Notice of Absence / absence of more than five (5) days

For advance notice of your child’s absence, please complete the Application for Exemption from School Enrolment/Attendance Form, which is available from the Front Office.

Unexplained absence

If a child is not present and the school has not received an absentee call or email by 9:30am, the office will contact parents (generally via text) to ascertain the student’s whereabouts.

If your child is late

If your child arrives after 8:55am, they will need to enter through the Front Office and be signed in manually by a parents/caregiver via the IPAD (Passtab), then go to the classroom. If this process is not followed and the student has been marked as absent, an automated text message will be generated.

Early Departure

Should any child need to leave the school grounds during school hours e.g. dental/doctor appointment, parental permission must be given. All students must be signed out at the Front Office by their parent/caregiver before leaving the school.