Principal's News

Outdoor Play Area & Chookpen

Our amazing new play area adjacent to the sandpit is almost complete and now includes an incredible boat for the students to play in. The Chookpen looks sensational and once our new chickens arrive in Spring, I’m sure that they will love their new home. A HUGE thank-you to Old Orchard parents, Wes Vine and Chris Franklin who spent many hours last weekend (and previously) volunteering their time to construct some of the key features of this area. Pip Cariss has also been very instrumental in creating this area. We have a couple of additional elements to be installed before the area is complete but our students are already making great use of this exciting playspace.

C Wing Microwaves

One of the ‘privileges’ of being a Year 6 student is having access to the C Wing microwaves - these microwaves were recently upgraded with the new units donated by parents Alice Pearce, Sandra Goode and May Summerville. We greatly appreciate the generosity of these families in supporting our school and students.

Running Club

The Wednesday morning Running Club, led by Alex Smith and Curtis DeWitt, has been an enormous success. Despite the cold, damp weather, we had in excess of 100 students participating this week, with many other staff and parents assisting or joining in. There is significant research to support the benefits of exercise, both in relation to physical well-being but also in relation to cognitive and academic performance. Congratulations to everyone involved in this fantastic initiative.

Alice in Wonderland

Many of you will be aware that this year’s Senior School Production is Alice in Wonderland. Rehearsals have been underway for some time in preparation for the August shows and I was fortunate this week to have a sneak preview of a couple of scenes. The enthusiasm and energy of the students is amazing and I can’t wait to see the finished product! Ticket details will be released very soon.

Dot Deviny School Readiness Presentation

On Wednesday of this week, Old Orchard hosted a presentation by highly regarded and passionate educator, Dot Deviny. Dot shared her knowledge on school readiness and how physical and sensory development impacts their learning. A number of our staff also attended the session.

Extended Family Holidays

There has been some discussion in the media this week about the merits or otherwise of extended family holidays during school terms. There are very differing views on this, both at an official level and family level. My personal view is that the opportunity to undertake an extended holiday, whether that is travelling throughout Europe or Asia or within Australia is an amazing experience and families fortunate enough to experience such adventures will benefit enormously. Learning about different cultures, environments, languages and eating different foods are just some of the benefits that come to mind. While students may miss some specific elements of the curriculum that are difficult to replicate away from the classroom, the rich experiences they have on their travels will generally more than make up for anything they may miss. (Of course, laying by the pool for four weeks in Bali or Thailand is not quite the same thing!) Keeping up with daily reading, mathematics and writing are all very achievable and the school can always provide you with ideas to support you in this area. Most importantly, please ensure that your child’s teacher is notified well in advance and discuss with them any areas that your child should be focussing on during his / her absence.

Condolences

It has been a sad time at Old Orchard with two of our staff members losing loved ones. Our deepest condolences are extended to Lucy McMillan on the passing of her sister Emma and also to Fiona Kirby on the passing of her sister-in-law, Marion. Our thoughts are with Lucy, Fiona and their extended families.

Warm regards

Duncan