2023 eNewsletter No. 02

Finance Report

School Fees are due to be paid by 13/4/2023.

Thank you to all our wonderful families who have already paid in full, applied for School card or organised payment plans.  The finance team greatly appreciated your support of the school.

School Card

Please complete a new School Card Application each calendar year either at the school or online at:

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

If you have not applied for school card this year, please contact the Finance Manager to have an application lodged for the 2023 school year.  School Card applications will need to be lodged by 24^th November 2023.

Payment plans

Payment plans are available for families to make regular payments for school fees, laptops and subject fees. The school can organise for a payment plan to suit your needs please contact the Finance Manager for details.

Please let us know if you are unable to meet your financial obligations and we can work on an alternative plan.

Regards,

Heather Long

Finance Manager

Harmony Week

The Primary Years recognised Harmony Week on the Friday the 24^th of March by wearing orange or cultural dress and coming together for a sushi picnic on the oval. Mr J’s students were lucky enough to make sushi in class, while others ordered from the canteen or brought lunch from home. By sharing a picnic, we recognised the many diverse cultures of Ocean View College, showed our respect for one another, and celebrated our differences as a part of what makes us special. Our students have also created some beautiful classroom displays which represent our students as unique and valued members of the Ocean View community.

Kind regards,

Shelley Scott

Head of Primary Years (R-6)

What a fantastic first term our Middle Years students have had. We have been incredibly proud of the resilience our new students have shown in their transition to High School and the majority of our Year 8 and 9 students have also shown excellent determination and commitment to their learning early in the year.

Mentor Group

In the first term our Mentoring program focused on developing a strong connection to the school and for our new students helping them to navigate the many changes that come with being at a new school. This has included induction to the many ICT Systems that are required to access the learning at OVC and our whole school wellbeing program called Open Parachute

Attendance  

Without the disruptions of COVID- 19 we have been really pleased to see that the vast majority of our students are regular attenders at school!

• In year 7- 44% of our students have had school attendance above 90%
• In Year 8- 32% of our students have had school attendance above 90%
• In Year 9- 37% of our students have had school attendance above 90%

This term we are having a Pizza Party for the best attending mentor group in each year level. At this stage it is too close to tell who will take out the prize in Term 1.

In addition to improved attendance, we have a record low number of unexplained absences across our Middle Years. This is due to the fantastic work of parents in keeping us informed when their child is going to be absent from school. Regular and timely communication has also assisted us in supporting students that are struggling to attend early on and before it becomes a bigger issue. The image below highlights the impact missing a day here or there can have on a young person’s schooling over an extended period. If you require any assistance regarding school attendance, please contact your child’s Mentor Teacher in the first instance.

Achievement

We are privileged to work with a dedicated team of teachers and support staff that work hard to meet the diverse learning needs of our students. Pleasingly academic achievement in the first term appears to be very positive lots green traffic lights in our Mid Term Check Point reports. For students that are struggling to be successful with their learning we have implemented a range of interventions to assist including, literacy support through Multilit and SPARKS (reading conventions), Quicksmart Maths, Maths Homework Club run by our STEM Team and our Learning Club run by the Smith Family. In addition to this our Mentor Teachers also assist students to set goals and work in collaboration with students and families to monitor the progress of these goals throughout each learning cycle. In Week 11 we will be having our Parent Teacher Interviews where I strongly encourage families to attend and engage in conversations with their child’s teachers around how they can reach their full potential.

Social Emotional Learning

Social emotional learning is paramount for young people’s growth and development and we are lucky to have a number of programs running to support our students with their wellbeing and personal development. Some of the programs we are running this term are;

• Blueprint for a man – boys group to promote pro-social skills
• Mind Your Amygdala- small group sessions led by our Mental Health Practitioner for students with anxiety
• Tutoring- for students that require additional learning support
• Craft Club- Supervised craft activities to promote friendship and belonging
• Games Club- To promote social skills
• Girls Group- to promote connections and the wellbeing of our Middle Years girls

Uniform

As the weather cools down we have observed a number of students wearing non-school uniform items. The wearing of school or sports uniform is compulsory for students from Reception to Year 12. The wearing of school uniform promotes:

• Student safety as strangers stand out from the crowd
• A common symbol of unity and equity
• Pride and a sense of belonging to Ocean View College

Students who come to school out of school uniform will be expected to change into uniforms supplied by the Sub-School. These clothes will need to be washed, dried and returned to school the following day. Any students losing or damaging the loaned uniforms will be issued with an invoice to replace the clothing. Attached is a copy of our Uniform Policy and price list and also a list of preferred suppliers for plain navy bottoms and plain black shoes. If you are facing any difficulties in accessing the school uniform please get in touch with your child’s Mentor Teacher so we can help you.

Uniform Suggestions for Families Reduce

As always if there is anything I can do to assist you and your children to be successful at school please don’t hesitate to reach out via email or phoning the school. Rachel.seager380@schools.sa.edu.au

Kind regards,

Rachel Seager

Head of Middle School (Years 7 – 9)

Well this term has run past very quickly. It has been exciting to meet and work with the Senior School Students thus far as they start or finish their Senior School Journey. The focus for the year is to provide High Support and High Challenge to maximise outcomes for students. A large percentage of our students have embraced this and accepted the challenge which has been pleasing to see. The data shows this with 75% of the Senior School Students achieving all Green in the interim reports.

A few areas of challenge that has been presented to the Senior Team are:

• Working through issues that arise in a respectful and resilient manner.
• Taking responsibility in connecting with learning in regard to attendance, punctuality and more importantly a consistent attitude to improve learning

This will be worked through with students in extended mentor with a targeted approach to building life long skills. The Senior Challenge Cup has started in mentor as well with different classes already winning some different challenges. The Year 12’s towards the end of Term 1 and the start of Term 2 are each planning some fun sessions to run with younger Year Levels. Thanks to Declan and Lana our 2023 school captains for leading this initiative. Our Year 12’s have also taken to Study lessons in a responsible and diligent manner.

The Senior Staff are looking forward to seeing as many parents/caregivers on Parent/Teacher night Week 11 Tue 11th April 3:00pm – 7:00pm to engage with their young person’s learning. This is an important night to build a connection with staff and set key strategies goals for the rest of the year.

Kind regards,

Damien Kelly

Head of Senior School (Years 10 – 12)

Drama Performance

Drama students at OVC are offered the opportunity to see and experience a variety of contemporary and classic performance pieces, we are incredibly fortunate that South Australia has a wonderful incentive that offers students the chance to see professional theatre.

At the end of February our SACE Drama students were lucky enough to see Edward Albee’s The Goat or Who is Sylvia starring Claudia Cavan and Nathan Page.

Edward Albee is considered by many to be the greatest American playwright of his generation and is the genius behind Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. Here, he combines acerbic comedy, his feather-ruffling taste for the profane, and his signature sense for all our petty foibles in this explosive performance.

Our students loved the intricacies of the performance and thoroughly enjoyed the overall production from a design perspective.

Next we are off to see State Theatre Company’s production of Every Brilliant Thing. Lucky us.

Photo taken by State Theatre Company of South Australia.

Jaye Gordon

Arts and Technology Coordinator

Year 10 Mentor

Speech Pathology at OVC

Our school has always had access to a speech pathology service through the Department for Education, but this year marks the beginning of a new support for the school. Ocean View College now has a “School-based Senior Speech Pathologist” working on site 4 days a week (Tuesday to Friday).

My job is to act as a specialist support to teachers and SSOs, to develop the communication and literacy skills amongst our students. This looks different across the school, depending on the ages and the needs of the students involved.

Some work I am currently completing within the school includes: screening the skills of Reception students, setting up groups for reading accuracy and working with teachers to develop students’ vocabulary for academic writing. This work happens in addition to the assessment and reporting of students referred for speech and language difficulties, who may be struggling to understand or express themselves clearly in lessons.

A little bit about me. I work full time for the Department for Education. This year is my 29^th year working as a speech pathologist. Over my career I have worked in early childhood settings, primary and high schools.  I have worked in city and country locations, in specialist programs and with mainstream students.

I love being a part of the OVC team and I look forward to a busy and productive year!

Sue Bryson

School-based Senior Speech Pathologist for OVC

Power Aboriginal Workshop

In week 7, representatives from Port Adelaide Football Club and Flinders University visited Ocean View College for the annual Power Aboriginal Workshop. The session provides students with the opportunity to learn more about their culture and develop football skills in preparation for the Aboriginal Power Cup. Our students enjoyed the workshop and look forward to putting their AFL skills to the test early next term.

Cultural Presentation 

Scott Rathman, the owner of Rusted Tin – Aboriginal Contemporary Arts, came in to talk to the students about Aboriginal art mediums and employment opportunities in the Art industry. He also spent time helping the students create their polo designs for the Aboriginal Power Cup.

The Young Aboriginal STEM Thinkers of Adelaide

This year, a selected group of Ocean View College students are presenting a science-based workshop at the 2023 STEM Aboriginal Learner Congress. Students spent Friday of week 7 learning about the event and brainstorming potential session ideas.

Minya Ones Program

Minya Ones is an in-school program led by Uniting SA Aboriginal Family Workers. The program helps Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander students develop a positive sense of Identity, connection to culture, and respect for culture through storytelling & group discussion, arts & crafts activities and celebration of cultural events.

FOODBANK FUNDRAISER

During the last seven weeks, our Middle Inclusive Education Geography class have been collecting for the South Australian victims of the Murray River floods. We had a fantastic response and wish to thank everyone for your kind donations, we are proud of your contributions.

Our class have also been researching the towns along the Murray-Darling River, the industry and employment they rely on, the river ecosystems, and how natural disasters affect the environment and the communities. We tasted fruit from the region and investigated how Aboriginal knowledge and practise sustains the river environments.

Once again, thank you everyone for your support.

Natalie Reppenhagen and the Middle Inclusive Education Geography students.

Ocean View College’s inclusive educational PE staff organized bowling carnival for the students, where they could engage in a fun and social activity. The event was attended by students of all abilities, who were excited to participate and showcase their skills.

At the carnival, the students were divided into teams and competed against each other in a friendly competition. They cheered each other on and offered words of encouragement, creating a supportive and inclusive environment that demonstrated their respect for their peers.

The students also demonstrated responsibility by taking ownership of their behaviour and adhering to the rules of the game and the expectations set by their teachers. They were mindful of their actions and took care of the equipment, showing that they recognized the importance of responsible behaviour.

Despite some students finding it challenging to bowl, they did not give up. Instead, they continued to practice and seek guidance from their peers and teachers, demonstrating resilience and a willingness to learn and grow.

Many of the students performed exceptionally well, demonstrating their bowling skills and good sportsmanship. Those who struggled were not left behind and were provided with the necessary support and assistance to help them improve, which further demonstrated the students’ respect for their peers and their teachers.

The positive attitudes and behaviours of the students did not go unnoticed. Others at the carnival praised the students for their good behaviour, teamwork, and representation of the school. The students’ ability to demonstrate respect, responsibility, and resilience during the inclusive ed school excursion to the bowling carnival is a testament to the value of inclusive education and the character of the students.

Mr James Ashby

PE Teacher

Guide Dogs SA/NT

Over the past 15 years the primary special options class has been collecting the schools recycling and donated over $3000 to Guide Dogs SA/NT and other charities.

In week 9 we had the privilege of going to the graduation of the latest litter of puppies, whom we were introduced to at the graduation 2 years ago.

It was inspiring to see where our donations went, and we met the mother of an autistic child who has recently been placed with an assistance dog. She was very grateful for our donations as it meant that her family could experience life outside the home without the safety worries they had had before. Our class members really related to this family, and were very proud of all they have done to help.

Attending the graduation showed the students that all of their hard work collecting recycling had paid off.

Denim Withnell

Inclusive Education – Primary

Belonging, Being and Becoming is our Early Years Learning Framework for Australia.
Its aim is to support early childhood providers, teachers and educators to extend and enrich children’s learning from birth to 5 years and through the transition to school.

In our first term at preschool, we focus on embedding a sense of Belonging for all children and their families. Belonging to our preschool group assists children to feel safe, secure and supported. The theme for Harmony Week this year is ‘WE BELONG’. Together we explored what it means to belong to our preschool and our family. We decorated our front fence with orange ribbon and made models ourselves.

Kind regards,

Kelly Squires

Director Ocean View Children’s Centre

Rorys 2023 Canteen Menu

Beeing a Friend Holiday Activity Ocean View CC APRIL 2023

Living lefevre local survey_21Mar23

VSA SCHOOL HOLIDAY CLINICS (A4 poster)

PPEP Talk SA Flyer

2023 Juniors Full A4 Flyer