Term 4 Week 3 2023 Newsletter

Download any of the following documents by clicking on the link.

Playgroup & Occasional Care

• Occasional Care flyer
• Playgroup flyer
• Playgroup Term 4 outline

Parents & Friends Committee

• Email: PNF@olpq.catholic.edu.au

Second-hand Uniform Shop

• Second-hand uniform consignment form

Enrolments

• Application for Enrolment form

Canteen

• Canteen menu and price list November 2023

A principal’s appointment to a Catholic school is a 12 year contract, split into 3 tenure points: 2 years, then 5 years, then 5 years. At each of these tenure points, there is an appraisal that occurs before a principal can progress to the next tenure point.

As I am approaching the end of my second year as Principal of Our Lady Queen of Peace School, I am currently engaging in this process; a journey that can be nerve-racking and consumed with doubt. I have focussed on what we have achieved over the last 22 months. This process has forced me to reflect on my journey at Our Lady Queen of Peace School, and take the time to celebrate and acknowledge everything we have achieved as a community. There was so much I had forgotten about. Our school has moved from strength to strength over the last 22 months, and provides a safe, caring and loving environment which is balanced with excellent teaching and learning opportunities for our children to experience success and growth!

Enrolments

Coming to Our Lady Queen of Peace School, I was told that one of the challenges the school faced was that "people do not know that the school actually exists". We have used a variety of approaches to make people aware of our school – the two most successful approaches have including social media exposure and word of mouth. 

At the end of 2021, we had 222 followers on our Facebook page - Today we have 533 followers. We keep a close eye on our new followers to ensure that they have links to our school. I am amazed that there are even other schools that follow us.

In 2019 our school transitioned from an R-7 to a R-6 school. The loss of our Year 7 student cohort resulted in the school's enrolment to fall to below 200 students. Since that time, we have not been able to return to over 200 students. The universe has teased me this year as our current enrolment is 199 students. It appears that we will start with just over 200 students in January 2024. A large percentage of this growth is the result of the positive word of mouth about our school in the community. I thank you for speaking highly of our school and recommending it to other families. 

2024 Reception Transition

Last week we welcomed 25 children to our 2024 Reception transition program, "Little Peacemakers" I was amazed to discover that these 25 students have come from 16 different early learning settings. 

The first transition visit was a huge success and I foresee this only continuing. These children will pariticpate in four half-day visits and three whole day visits. 

Combined with our 2023 mid year intake Reception students, they will make up our two 2024 Reception classes.

Moving to 10 classes

As indicated in the last newsletter, we are moving to 10 classes in 2024. All classroom teacher and specialist teacher appointments have been made. A significant number of our staff are now permanently employed by the school. We are also moving to a new leadership structure. All of these elements focus on securing excellent staff and building stability in the school. 

We welcome Diem Savy. Diem is a highly passionate early years teacher and has taught Reception students for many years. Her experience, knowledge and skills will be assets to our school. 

We also welcome Michael Mastrangelo. Michael is an experienced upper primary teacher. He comes highly recommended to the school and will partner Olivia Mammone in the Year 3/4 team. Looking across the school, all year level teams will be strong. It will be an exciting time for Our Lady Queen of Peace School in 2024, especially as the school moves into its 75th anniversary.

There will be opportunities for Diem and Michael to visit our school later this term. 

2024

Planning for 2024 is well on its way, and we will be working on classroom placements shortly. If there is anything you would like the school to know about your child in 2024, please email me (lee.abela@olqp.catholic.edu.au) so that we can try our best to take your thoughts into account in our planning. Classroom placements are a huge undertaking, with many factors taken into account. 

Quiz Night

"Thank you and well done" to the P & F Committee on the success of the Quiz Night. It has been a while since the school has run an event like this. I was pleased to see a cross section of families in attendance. If you have any ideas that you would like to see the school be involved in, please feel welcome to contact the either the P & F or myself. We are continuing to build an inclusive community and all voices are welcome.

Referendum BBQ

Finally, I would like to say thank you to those that were able to help with the Referendum BBQ. It was a highly successful day. I would like to especially thank Thomas Foods and the Argent Family who kindly supplied the BBQ sausages. Though this was a good fundraiser for the school, its greater purpose was achieved – for people to discover that there is a school in Albert Park. I smiled every time I heard, “I didn’t know there was a school here!”.

Student free day

Term 4 will move quickly and we are providing information as quickly as possible but without being overwhelming. Note we have a student free day on Monday 20 November 2023 – our OSHC will be available but with limited spaces. Please contact Jo Fahey, OSHC Director, 0417 840 700 to secure a place for your child.

Lee Abela
Principal

All Saints Day

This week we observed All Saints Day on Wednesday 1 November. All Saints Day is dedicated to the saints of the Church, all those who have attained heaven. All Saints' Day observances tend to focus on known saints - that is, those recognised in the canon of the saints by the Catholic Church. Generally, All Saints' Day is a Catholic Holy Day of Obligation and as a school community, we celebrated with a Liturgy hosted by 3/4M.

St Mary MacKillop of the Cross

St Mary MacKillop is an Australian saint that we can all celebrate and pray with. St Mary was born in Melbourne but is also well known for her work in South Australia where she established Australia’s first order of nuns, the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart. She also established St Joseph’s School in a converted stable in Penola, providing a free education to children from the area.

St Mary MacKillop’s legacy encourages us to be courageous, show forgiveness and be compassionate. One of my favourite St Mary MacKillop quotes is, “Never see a need without doing something about it” – may we all find inspiration in these words as we go about our daily lives.

Mercy Day

Finally, we always appreciate the kindness and hospitality shown by our community. Mercy Day 2023 was extremely successful, and we have now made donations to the following charities:

• Catherine House
• Catholic Charities
• Socktober

Marissa Redden
APRIM

Mindfulness

Mindfulness helps children pay attention, regulate behaviour, plan, and organise.

Your child is learning about mindfulness in a variety of forms in class, and it is a focus here in the wellbeing space as additional support for children who need it.  As adults we think of mindfulness as things like meditation, but here in the wellbeing space, mindfulness can look like fun!  Kinetic sand is a favourite, as is Lego, Hama beads, colouring-in and drawing.  All activities on offer create a moment in time where a child can focus and be present in the activity.  The benefits of these activities are plentiful:

• Mindful activities help shift attention away from negative thoughts or emotions, to what they are doing and feeling in that ‘mindful’ moment.
• Mindfulness eases stress and anxiety.
• Supports positive wellbeing and successful return to classroom learning.

Please get in touch if you would like more information on how you could use mindfulness at home.

Tina Napier
Wellbeing Leader

As part of our English unit, the Reception S class explored the light blue Key Capability: Literate, Numerate and Effective Communicators.

We have been learning about information reports in Genre Studies. Students explored different types of non-fiction books, and then compared and identified fiction and non-fiction texts to understand the differences. Students also looked at the structure of an information report.

Throughout the topic, we thought about:

• What makes a book non-fiction?
• How is non-fiction different to fiction?

In this activity, students sorted two different texts about sharks. One text was fiction, and one text was non-fiction. Students were engaged and really thought about the true facts about sharks. For example, can sharks fly?...definitely not! Sharks, in fact, swim in the ocean because that is their habitat.

Well done Reception S!

Katerina Skoumbros
Reception S teacher

In the exciting world of creativity, 3/4 M have transformed into authors, passionately delving into the art of bookmaking.

With boundless enthusiasm, they have explored various aspects such as genres, book layout and interesting ways to captivate their readers.

Many children have transferred their knowledge on Fiction and Non-Fiction techniques.

• Children who have created fiction texts have included ‘Sizzling Starts’ and ‘Dialogue’.
• Other children who wrote non-fiction books have included facts, interesting information, and carefully thought about the layout of a non-fiction text.

In the coming weeks, these young authors will have the opportunity to read their books with younger children. Through heartfelt readings, they will not only showcase their wonderful work but also inspire the joy of reading among their junior peers.

Stay tuned for the enchanting stories!

Olivia Mammone
3/4 M teacher

¡Hola a todos, estudiantes y familias!

Every Tuesday, the students of Our Lady Queen of Peace School dedicate 40 minutes to studying Spanish. In each lesson, they expand their vocabulary, explore games commonly played in Spain, and learn cultural aspects from the 21 Spanish-speaking countries.

Recently, students in Years 3, 4, 5, and 6 have been working on presentations about different Spanish-speaking countries. They conducted their own research and then presented their findings to the rest of the class.

For our younger students in Years 1 and 2, we have engaged in fun Spanish games such as "the English hide and seek" and danced flamenco. They absolutely enjoyed it!

Studying Spanish provides them with an opportunity to broaden their horizons and explore a larger, more interconnected world where they can learn about different cultures.

Gema Sanchez
Specialist Spanish teacher

Calling All library enthusiasts! Volunteer with us!

We hope you are as excited about the world of books and knowledge as we are. At Our Lady Queen of Peace School, we believe that library is a hub of learning and community engagement.

We are excited to invite all passionate individuals to join our mission and become a part of our dedicated team of library volunteers.

Why volunteer?

• Connect with our community: Volunteers are at the heart of our library's community engagement. You will get to interact with people of all ages and backgrounds.
• Give back: By volunteering, you'll be contributing to the enrichment of your community and helping us provide invaluable resources to all.
• Commitment and flexibility: We understand that everyone's schedule is different. That is why we offer flexible volunteering hours to accommodate your availability. Whether you have a few hours a week or a few hours a month, every bit of your time is valuable.

How to Get Involved?

Interested in joining our dedicated team of library volunteers? Please email info@olqp.catholic.edu.au.

Please note, that all volunteers are required to have a current Catholic clearance and current RRHAN-EC certificate of completion before commencing. Front office staff can assist you with these processes.

Join us in promoting literacy, knowledge, and the joy of reading. Together, we can create a more vibrant and informed community.

Thank you for considering volunteering at Our Lady Queen of Peace School.

Come and join the fun!

• Playgroup is on Wednesdays 9-10.30am.
• Occasional Care is on Tuesdays 9-12pm for children 3-5yrs.

For more information, please access the flyers regarding Playgroup and Occasional Care from the Useful Links section at the beginning of this newsletter.

More questions?

• Phone: 8279 8800
• Email: Alison.Ferguson@olqp.catholic.edu.au

Alison Ferguson
Occasional Care and Playgroup Faciliator

Current opening times:

MONDAY

• 8.40am – 9am
• 2.45pm – 3.10pm

The second-hand uniform shop service, facilitated by a dedicated group of parents, supports the community to access quality and affordable second-hand uniforms for their children.

Location:

Now located in the P & F Room (near the girls' toilets, adjacent the basketball courts).

Call 8279 8800 if you require more information, or alternatively, you can email the P & F Committee using this email: PNF@olqp.catholic.edu.au.

Louisa Scopacasa
Second-hand Uniform Shop Coordinator
P & F Committee

New families and permanent bookings:

All new family bookings and permanent bookings need to be made through the OSHC office.

Please contact Jo on 0417 840 700, or pop into either the OSHC office or front office for an information pack.

Jo Fahey
OSHC Director

Cricket Blast is an energetic and fun program for kids up to the age of 10 to develop new skills, expand existing skills and play cricket in a team environment.

Port Adelaide Cricket Club is offer the Cricket Blast program on Fridays.

The SA government's $100 sports voucher may be used for this program.

Click on the image for more information, including a QR code to easily access the registration process.

Click on the image to access more information.

St Clair Community Auskick Centre

• Dates: 14 November - 5 December 2023
• Time: 4pm-4.45pm Tuesday afternoons
• Where: St Clair Oval, St Clair

Click on the image of the flyer to access more information, including a QR code to register.