OUR LADY OF HOPE NEWSLETTER - Term 1 Week 3 2025

A Word from the Principal

Dear Families

2025 has started smoothly and the first three weeks have been terrific! There has been a wonderful tone around the school and our community has handled the hot weather and Yr 3 - Yr 6 Swimming Program with an optimistic and calm approach. It has been enjoyable catching up with families and sharing stories about Christmas, the New Year and the holiday break. I express my thanks to families for assisting their children with a growth mindset as a new school year commences. You should feel justifiably proud of the way in which your child has settled into the routines of a new classroom, new peers and new teachers. 

So what lies ahead of us?

Every 25 years the Catholic Church celebrates a focus on the concept of jubilee - time to focus on the grace that God has provided us. Pope Francis has named this year with the theme 'Pilgrims of Hope'. What a year to be associated with Our Lady of Hope School! It has been powerful witnessing our children, staff and families starting to articulate their hopes for this academic year. I invite you to stop for a moment, clear your thoughts and take a few minutes considering what you hope for in 2025.  

We continue to seek the destinations that we set ourselves in 2023 as part of Our Lady of Hope Strategic Direction:

1 To faithfully witness our Catholic identity across our liturgical celebrations, curriculum, environment, relationships. rituals and symbols 

2 To joyfully release the responsibility for our children to build their capacity to be life long learners and agents of their learning

3 To establish a wellbeing culture at our school that is trauma responsive and enables the growth of every person within our community

4 To implement our Master Plan and transform our existing site to facilitate contemporary learning spaces which enable our Catholic identity, wellbeing, learning and community connections to flourish 

Further in the Newsletter we will identify in greater detail the milestones that we are reaching. I reinforce that our progress is a team effort: student, home and school. What a powerful combination. 

I take this moment to welcome new members of our school family to Our Lady of Hope School. I trust that you find a setting which is respectful, values relationships, promotes responsibility and builds resilience. This is the OLOH Way and we look forward to your contribution in attaining the excellence we seek together.

May God be within us and amongst us.

Paul 

Paul Bennett

PRINCIPAL 

Deputy Reflections

Dear Families 

I wish to extend my heartfelt thanks for the way in which I have been made to feel incredibly welcome at Our Lady of Hope School. In such a short space of time I have witnessed the wonderful care that our staff have for each other, our learners and their families. This significant commitment to relationships resonates deeply with my personal belief as an educator and leader. I look forward to consolidating the connections that I have started to create with members of our school family.

My core responsibilities include:

Religious Leader: Demonstrating my personal commitment to my faith, supporting staff with the implementation of the Crossways Curriculum, promoting social justice outreach projects, assisting with liturgies and rituals and ensuring our pastoral care is provided to members of our community in a genuine and timely manner.

Learning Leader: Ensuring ALL learners are able to access the curriculum as the Diversity and Inclusion coordinator. I have the specific responsibility to work with staff and families to monitor the specific academic and social/emotional requirements of children who may have a diagnosis and require regular documentation and accommodations to make the learning program accessible. I am currently liaising with Allied Health professionals and monitoring their access to our children so as to balance the children's learning and avoiding disruptions to classroom teaching activities. If you have questions about your child's development as a learner please feel welcome to contact me so that we can make a mutually convenient time to meet and work in partnership to assist your child. (ciara.james@oloh.catholic.edu.au)

Administrative Leader: My key role as a Deputy is to ensure the smooth operation of the school day. This includes the provision of Relief Teachers when required, formation of ESO schedules and dealing with the day to day matters which arise in the life of a school. I work closely with our Administration Team to ensure school functions run efficiently and I support Paul with policy and procedural documentation. 

Community Leader: At the heart of our work together is the importance of spending time to enjoy the educational journey. I love Book Week parades, attending community events (Mother's Day/Father's Day breakfasts) and enjoying a chat whilst on morning and afternoon yard duties. Please introduce yourself and help me to know our community more intimately.

Your support will be gratefully received as I encounter the varied experiences that made me apply to be a part of this beautiful community. 

God bless, 

Ciara

Ciara James

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL 

We welcome the following children and their families to Our Lady of Hope School: 

• Macy
• Isaac
• Lani
• Sadie
• Oliver
• Aliyah
• Joseph
• Lucy
• Dominic
• Savannah
• Isla
• Olivia
• Poppy
• Zaynab
• Dylan
• Mackenzie
• Ezra
• Ava
• Zayn
• Charlie
• Oakley
• Grace
• Hudson
• Oscar
• Armaan
• Sienna
• Edward

Likewise, we welcome the following staff to Our Lady of Hope School:

• Ciara James: Ciara has been appointed as our Deputy Principal. She brings to OLOH a deep commitment to her faith and her desire to build trusting relationships with all members of our school community. In particular, Ciara has a joyful approach to ensuring learning is accessible for all children and values working in partnership with staff and families to achieve wonderful educational outcomes. 
• Eliza Durdin: Eliza has been appointed as our Student Counsellor and has been employed to work 5 days a week for the school year to support our learners with individual or group sessions and to run social/emotional programs to build their capacity in successfully handling tricky life situations. Already Eliza is making herself known to our students and building a wonderful rapport.
• Donna King: Donna has been appointed to work 2 days a week in C17. Donna is familiar with our Greenwith Campus as she undertook her teaching practice at Greenwith Primary School during her studies. Donna has quickly endeared herself to her students and provides a calm and focussed learning environment.
• Nataly Andruzsko: Nataly has been appointed as an Education Support Officer- Curriculum. She has a beautiful ability to quickly gain the trust of the children she works with and support teaching staff with individual and group activities. 

I am confident that the OLOH Family will welcome our new members of staff and ensure that they experience the genuine care and kindness that epitomises our school.  

Religious Dimension

Dear Families

Every 25 years the Catholic Church celebrates a jubilee year. This year Pope Francis has declared the focus 'Pilgrims of Hope'. In the first week we invited children, staff and families to write their hopes for 2025 on large sheets of paper in the courtyard. It was heartening to witness the empathy and kindness that were shared in the comments. As a Catholic community we value the concept of 'Hope' and the joy that it enables us to share optimistically with others. When confronted with challenges we view them as opportunities to think creatively and to seek outcomes which benefit our humanity. I wish you a year filled with hope and the courage to live an inspired life that makes a positive difference for you, your family and friends. 

As we return to a new school year there are a number of key religious dimension events which we encounter in the first part of Term One:

- Start of School Year Mass: Friday 21st February 9:15am

- Parish Commissioning Mass (Staff): Sunday 23rd February 9am

- Shrove Tuesday: Tuesday 4th March (Pancakes provided to students)

- Ash Wednesday: Wednesday 5th March (School Liturgy (Rec - Yr 4 9:15am)  

Each week we gather as a school family to engage in our Weekly Community Prayer. If you pick up your children in the afternoon we warmly invite you to join us on a Monday at 2:40pm in the Parish Centre to focus on one of The OLOH Way values. Our Student Leaders lead us in prayer and walk us through a mindfulness activity, guide us in a deeper understanding of our school values, read scripture, recite a community prayer and encourage us to join in song. We would love to see our families increase their engagement in this important weekly event in our school calendar. 

Finally, during week 0 our staff joined with colleagues from St Francis Xavier & St David's to work with the RE Curriculum Leaders from Catholic Education SA. Our teachers worked solidly on establishing units of work utilising the Crossways Framework. I applaud the efforts of our staff to create RE lessons which are relevant and engaging and enable our children to gain a deeper understanding of our Catholic traditions and their relevance today.

I look forward to your ongoing support of liturgical activities and our community outreach projects. We are grateful for the empathy that you model to your children and your generous support when we seek donations to assist those less fortunate than ourselves. You are most welcome to join us in the Parish Centre to pray, sing and worship together during the year.

God bless

Suzie

Suzie Subotkiewicz

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL: RELIGIOUS IDENTITY & MISSION

Hope Grows News

I am excited to share that our Hope Grows Garden is open during lunchtime on Fridays! Last week, the children had the delightful experience of harvesting tomatoes, and to their surprise, they also unearthed some potatoes.

This initiative gives our students a wonderful opportunity to engage with nature by taking part in activities like watering, planting, and tidying up the garden. It’s a fantastic way for them to learn about responsibility and teamwork while enjoying the fruits of their labour.

We encourage all students to join in and help care for our garden!

Learning Dimension

Dear Families

I look forward to engaging with you in the amazing role that you undertake as parents and/or caregivers of our learners. My role ensures that OLOH maintains a strong focus on enabling every learner to demonstrate agency with their learning and that they can achieve a level of excellence commensurate with their abilities. We continue our association with Lee Crockett in building a learning model which enables this destination to be reached. I also work with our teaching staff to plan, implement and assess a curriculum that is relevant and engaging for our students. This involves working in partnership with a CESA Learning Coach and consolidating our connections with the Life Buoyancy Institute and RYPPLE, two partners that are supporting our staff with intentionally promoting positive student behaviour and building effective social/emotional competencies.

Much of our work last year focussed on The OLOH Way, explicitly teaching appropriate behaviours, developing a Literacy & Numeracy Shared Agreement and Assessment schedule and ensuring that our documentation supported a range of accommodations that are required by the diverse range of learners at our school. 

This year we are consolidating our efforts in embedding these practices and increasing our skills in adopting high intensity instruction as one tool in building the autonomy of our learners. 

To maximise the learning time available in a busy school schedule, we have  established C.O.M.P.A.S.S. Time so that teachers can timetable when their students will be accessing vital social/emotional programs without impacting upon their academic learning. I am grateful to our staff for their creativity and willingness to find a solution that will consolidate teaching time and enhance student learning. 

Please feel welcome to make contact should you wish to discuss any element of our Learning Dimension at OLOH, including our social/emotional structures. 

Kind regards

Sarah

Sarah Alford

LEADER OF LEARNING & WELLBEING

ICT - Cybersafety

As our children receive their devices for 2025 and ICT Agreements and Laptop Agreements are signed, it is an opportune time to remind families about the importance of being VIGILANT with your children and ensuring that they utilise their devices responsibly. A key element to monitor is checking that they are using their technology in a public location eg Lounge room, kitchen etc. The aim is not to leave them alone in private spaces such as bedrooms etc with access to the world wide web. We ask families to closely regulate their child's access to particular social media apps and ensure that the age compliance is being met and filters etc ensure that parents are looped into chat groups and can monitor what children are sending and receiving. It is our intention to offer a parent cybersafety workshop over the next few months. The digital superhighway continues to travel at excessive speeds and it is challenging maintaining a current understanding of current threats to our children's safety when they are utilising technology. It is crucial that we support each other with this commitment and we trust that you will avail yourself of the cybersafety workshop when the date is confirmed. 

Independence Focus at OLOH

Whilst many of us have terrible memories about the Covid 19 years, one of the positives that occurred during this period of time was the level of independence that our children demonstrated when they kissed a family member good bye at the gates and strolled confidently to their classroom! Fortunately, these days are a distant memory, however, we are witnessing a reduction in the independence that our children display. This is reflected in children getting family members to carry their school bag and families unpacking their child's school bag at the classroom. The OLOH Way reinforces the value of 'RESILIENCE' and encourages our children to be brave and courageous. Many of our classrooms are promoting an 'INDEPENDENCE DAY' where the children demonstrate their ability to be 'Responsible' for their belongings and have the ability to be organised in the morning to ensure a productive day ahead. Please work with your child's class teacher to build and sustain your child's independence - it is a critical lifelong skill, one which you will value when they enter the teenage years!

Children's University 

This Yr 3 - Yr 6 OLOH children have the opportunity to participate in the Children's University. Last year we had 12 students complete the necessary number of 'learning' hours in their CU Passport which enabled them to graduate in Bonython Hall on North Terrace in November. If your child would like to engage in this program please read the information on SZapp 'Children's University 2025' and register via the links provided. The program aims to honour the learning that children acquire outside of the traditional classroom and takes into account hobbies, sporting, musical and dance activities. Payment can be made via QKR - '2025 Children's University' - you will need to tick 'Yes'  that you have registered on SZapp even though you registered via the CU Portal. If you would like to discuss the program in greater detail please contact Paul or Sarah at school (Phone: 8289 8344).

Administrative Dimension

OLOH Playground

After School: It is heart warming to witness our community gather at the OLOH Playground after school to enable the children to enjoy a final play each school day with their peers and for families to socialise. We remind families that it is an expectation that they are responsible for directly supervising their child/ren at this time. 

Before School: It is difficult to supervise children at the OLOH Playground in the morning and therefore, we ask that families refrain from accessing the playground before school. Unfortunately, when little people see other children on the playground they don't consider supervision and will often make their way to this equipment unaware that there is nobody present to monitor their safe play. Our staff member on morning duty is assigned to the OLOH Court Yard and is required to be vigilant in this location. We have a strong commitment for the welfare of our children and seek your support with this expectation. 

Break Times

We have been pleased with how our children and staff have responded to the new structure of designated eating times and 2 x thirty minute break times. 

We are appreciative of a number of our Yr 5/6 children who have elected to be Sports Monitors and assume the responsibility of assisting our Leadership Team to set up 6 soccer fields with portable goals and cones during eating time. Greenwith Primary student monitors pack the goals up at the end of their afternoon recess break. 

These two initiatives have certainly assisted in making our break times more productive and positive for our students.  

Right To Disconnect

Our staff value the partnership that we share with families and the importance of timely and productive communication. Currently we incorporate the following modes of communication at OLOH:

• Face To Face Conversations
• Seesaw
• SZApp
  
• Telephone/ Online Team meetings
• Three Way Learning Conversations
• Before/After School Meetings
• Education Support Review Meetings
  

It is our aim to find a reasonable balance that will allow this communication to occur for the benefit of our whole school community. 

In 2024, Federal Legislation was introduced to better support employees to maintain healthy boundaries between work and personal life, providing them with improved rest and recovery time outside of working hours. Consequently, Our Lady of Hope staff are not expected to check or respond to communication outside of regular working hours (8am - 5pm) nor on weekends.

​We will always endeavour to make every effort to respond to a communique from families within two working days. Thank you for your anticipated understanding with this protocol. 

Master Plan

We are continuing to work with Catholic Education SA to finalise our Master Plan and apply for Capital Grant funding to enable Our Lady of Hope to undertake significant capital works in the next few years. Stage One of our building program would see a Reception to Year 2 Learning Hub containing 8 classrooms constructed adjacent the Parish Centre/Playground and existing Yr 1/2 Classrooms. C1 - C4 would be removed and this would start to open up the 'HEART' of the school and provide a softer and student focused play space. Stage Two would result in a Wellbeing Suite and OSHC/Playgroup building. 

Each phase of the process is dependent upon existing and future system initiatives and the ability of our community to service a building loan. We will keep our community updated as we move into the next stage of this process. 

Child Protection at OLOH (Child Safeguarding)

At the heart of our work is our deep commitment to providing our children with a safe, happy and successful education. As a diocesan school, Our Lady of Hope is responsible for implementing the following policies and curriculum:

• Safeguarding Children and Young People Policy:

           Link: Catholic_Archdiocese_of_Adelaide_Safeguarding_Children_and_Young_People_Policy.pdf 

• Keeping Safe: Child Protection Curriculum Information for Parents & Carers:

             Link: Homepage - KSCPC

The Keeping Safe Child Protection Curriculum provides the framework to teach children and young people from age 3 to Year 12, in an age appropriate way, to recognise abuse, talk to trusted adults and understand ways to keep themselves safe.

Keeping Safe Child Protection Curriculum is mandated in all Catholic schools in South Australia. Our teachers            undertake professional learning to implement this important area of curriculum.

These documents require us to ensure our practices monitor the people who work and engage with our children. This could include and is not limited to teachers, ESO's, contractors, swimming instructors, allied health professionals, OSHC educators, coaches, camp supervisors etc. Consequently, you would be aware of the stringent process for volunteering at OLOH and our procedures for determining who is on our school site and potentially associating with our children. 

Please feel welcome to contact your child's teacher or a member of Leadership should you have any questions about our safeguarding procedures.  

Finance News

School Fee Invoices Term 1 2025

Dear Families

Please be advised that invoices for 2025 have been mailed to families.

If you do not receive and invoice by the end of week 3, please let us know and we will arrange to resend.

Accompanying your invoice is information about school card applications, how to pay and payment due dates.  Please ensure that you set payments plans in place to ensure that you meet the term deadlines as outlined in the letter.  If require any assistance with setting up these payments, please feel free to contact me. Please also remember to complete and return the payment plan nomination.

If you have any questions or are having difficulty paying your fees please contact me for a confidential discussion about your situation.

Charmaine Gillard (Business Manager)

New Volunteer Induction Session

If you have any queries about your current volunteer status or would like to start the process of becoming a volunteer at OLOH please contact the Front Office staff on 8289 8344 or email mmcgrath@oloh.catholic.edu.au

Marion McGrath, Principal’s Assistant & Events Coordinator

Enrolments at OLOH

To all current families; if you have a young child due to start school during 2025 or 2026, please ensure that you have lodged an Enrolment Application (you would have received correspondence from the school if you have lodged paperwork).  Places are filling fast!  Enrolment applications can be obtained from the front office or via our school website:- OLOH Enrolments.  If you are not sure please email us at enrolments@oloh.catholic.edu.au  and we will check our enrolment records.

School Absentee Notification

Since the impact of COVID 19 our attendance data has dropped below 90%. I am setting our community a challenge to increase our student data attendance above 92%! Not being at school hinders learning and disrupts the important routines that children require to consolidate their learning and social/emotional connections. However, we also recognise that if your child is unwell they need to heal and minimise the impact upon staff and peers. If your child or children are going to be away for any reason (i.e. illness, family/social, medical/dental appointment, car trouble, running late etc.) we ask that parents please contact the Front Office via the SZapp absences form or if this is not possible by phone on 8289 8344.  If your child arrives at school after 8.50 am, please sign them in at the Front Office.

Uniform News

New Uniform: It has been exciting witnessing our families attending holiday fittings for the new uniform items which will start being worn in Term 3 this year. 

In summary:

- Our Term 3 Reception children are encouraged to wear the new uniform at the start of T 3 2025. However, it is not compulsory which will enable existing families to utilise 'hand me down' options to assist with minimising the financial impost of a school uniform.

- Other year levels have the option to continue wearing our existing uniform or to commence wearing the new uniform at the start of Term 3 (if pre-ordered).   

- In any uniform changeover there will be some flexibility in ensuring our children continue to wear their uniform proudly. There will be a period where both uniforms will be visible on our school site. By the start of 2027 it is expected that ALL children will be wearing the new uniform.

Jewellery & Hair Policy: I remind families that our existing School Uniform Policy states the following: 

JEWELLERY and MAKEUP 

For safety reasons, the children are permitted to only wear minimal amount of jewellery. This may include: 

1. one signet ring 

1. watch 

1. plain gold or silver, sleepers or studs as earrings, maximum of one per ear lobe 

1. apart from sleepers or studs in earlobes, no other visible body piercing is permitted 

1. no necklace of any description (First Communion crucifix or medal an exception) 

1. no makeup or nail polish is to be worn at school 

 HAIR 

Hair should be neat and tidy at all times and should not hang down across the eyes or in front of the shoulders when leaning forward. Shoulder length hair or longer is to be tied back at all times. A small range of approved hair accessories are available from the Uniform Shop. A plain ribbon or solid headband may be worn (maximum width 3 cm in solid colours found in the school emblem, i.e. green, blue or gold). Extreme hair styles such as spiking, patterns, severe cutting (less than a number two clipper cut), or artificially coloured hair in extreme or unnatural colours is not permitted. A small amount of gel which enhances neatness is acceptable. 

This policy applies to both girls and boys. The purpose of restraint upon hair style is not to stifle individuality but to channel it within limits that emphasise cooperation and identification with the whole school community. 

With the introduction of a new Uniform at the start of Term 3 our Uniform Policy is undergoing a review and the committee will be seeking feedback from our community so that we are aligned on the purpose of a Uniform Policy and have the support of families in enforcing this with their children. 

Uniform Shop: Our onsite Uniform Shop is open on Tuesday morning between 8:30-9:30 am and Thursday afternoon between 2:30-3:30 pm.  Any further changes to opening times will be notified via the newsletter and SZapp in due course. 

The Uniform Shop order form can be found on the OLOH website:  https://www.oloh.catholic.edu.au/uniform-price-list or alternatively hard copies of the form are available in the Uniform Shop as well as the Front Office. 

Community Dimension

Our Lady of Hope Principal Tours

Maggie Moo Music

School Calendar

Families are able to access a ‘live’ calendar at the following locations:

• Szapp tiles
• OLOH Website ‘News & Events’ tab – School Calendar
• OLOH online newsletter

A paper copy is static and doesn’t allow us to make alterations should circumstances change. Whilst it is our intention to eliminate date changes, should they be necessary, we will communicate these to families via Szapp/Seesaw.

OLOH Playgroup

We take this opportunity to express our heartfelt appreciation to Bernadette for her commitment over many years to our OLOH Playgroup. Her dedication to the families and their little people has been inspiring and reflects a deep love for the joy and innocence of childhood. Many of our structures and routines have been established by Bernadette, who has been ably supported by Ali for a long period and also Grace during 2024. As Bernadette and Grace undertake other responsibilities as ESO's at OLOH, we welcome Lee-Anne Francese and Janelle Lawson as our Playgroup facilitators. Lee-Anne is known to many families in her role as our STARS Educator and we look forward to consolidating the strong partnership between the Playgroup & STARS program. 

Noticeboard

The services and events contained in this bulletin are in no way connected or endorsed by the school and are included in this newsletter for your information only.  Parents and caregivers need to make their own enquiries and assessments about the suitability of these events and services for the needs and those of their children.

Kildare College - Tours Term 1 2025

Golden Grove High School - School Tours & Open Day

Golden Grove Cricket Club - Cricket Blast

Ridgehaven Calisthenics Club - Come & Try

The Smith Family - Saver Plus