English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EAL/D)

According to 2021 data, 15% of CEWA students speak a language or dialect other than standard Australian English (SAE) at home and an additional 9% of students speak English at home but have at least one parent speaking a language or dialect other than SAE. This data reflects our school population as we sit within the top 10 CEWA schools with enrolments with English as an additional language or dialect (EAL/D). We have worked closely with Marisa Schiavi (EAL/D Consultant) from CEWA in this space, focusing on what we can do to assist EAL/D families entering our school. This year saw our first use of interpreters at parent/teacher interviews and at family workshops and the collection of language data that we hope to use as evidence to gain funding in 2022. Our message is that we value our diversity at OLOL and encourage families to continue to speak their native language as it essential in the development of their child’s literacy skills and identity. We look forward to continuing our EAL/D journey in 2022.

As we strive to enhance student engagement and best prepare our students to live and work in a digital age, equipping the students and staff with the best possible tools is essential. With the assistance of Louise Baldock, our teachers started to integrate aspects of their teaching and learning program with the digital technology specialist area with wonderful results. We continue to utilise the SeeSaw application and from next year, all classes will use this platform as their ‘one stop shop’ for communication between home and school. From next year also, Year 3-6 will have access to their own ‘one to one’ Ipad and junior years ‘one to two’ with these devices leased by the school.