Principal's Report
School Council
The October Meeting of School Council will take place at 7:00pm tonight, Wednesday, 23rd of October in the Staffroom.
Ormond Brick Fundraiser
Please find attached an updated form with single bricks at $25 and family brick pairs at $50 total cost. Families who have chosen the Family pair option may like to submit the new form. Please come in to the office to exchange forms.
Facilities
We continue to work hard on the maintenance of the school facilities and there have been a number of key achievements completed this month:
- The automatic flushing unit in the boys’ toilets has been fully replaced. The new unit flushes as each boy both approaches and retreats from the urinal. An ingenious solution! Total cost in excess of $2000.
- The building company responsible for the construction of the 2011 Building is completing the final works/minor fault rectification ready for the final signoff. A brilliant learning asset which will benefit the Ormond community for decades. No cost to the school.
- The regular maintenance of the playground equipment continues to be managed by the handyman employed by School Council. Recently he has replaced some loose bolts and a tread on the clatter bridge. Next he will repair the fibreglass slide which has become very thin due to regular use by hundreds of students over the years. A replacement slide, in plastic, would cost $8000 plus $2000 installation! Clearly a quality repair to the existing equipment is in order.
- The shade sail in the car track area was reinstalled following the recent wind storms. This was completed by our handyman.
Late to School & Early Leavers
It is a legal requirement for all schools, that any child who is late to school or leaves early, be signed in/out at the front office. I stress that this must be done by the parent/guardian. Students cannot sign themselves in or out.
This requirement is to ensure the correct attendance is recorded for the safety of your child in the case of emergency situations.
Leaving Ormond? Know of New Enrolments?
If you are planning to move from Ormond Primary School at the end of this year could you please do so in writing as well as contacting the Office so that we can complete the 2014 class organisation. Additionally, if you know of families in the zone who intend to enrol but have not yet done so encourage them to also contact the Office.
Class Groupings
Each year the school leadership makes the decisions about class placement for all students. These decisions are based on:
- Teacher recommendations
- Students’ friendship lists
- Indications by parents of the social and academic issues affecting their children
Parents may like to write or email me about any concerns that they have about their child’s social and academic needs. Parents should not feel that it is compulsory to write to me. As an indication I generally receive 25 – 30 letters at this time each year. The period for correspondence about these issues will close on Wednesday, 13th of November.
* Please do not make requests for particular teachers as teacher allocations are unknown at this early stage of planning.
2014 School Organisation
Parents will be aware that planning for the 2014 school year is well under way. The enrolment levels indicated through the Prep 2014 parent tour process and additional enrolment transfers from other schools, shows that we will begin the first term of 2014 with around 401 students across Prep to Year 6. The planning process has been undertaken by the Leadership team, comprising Principal Class and Leading Teachers, with consideration of class size pressures, student learning needs, current best practice in teaching and learning and the school’s stated educational priorities.
The organisational plan detailed below shows class enrolments and year levels. The plan shows that in 2014 there will be seventeen classes.
The Year 5/6 students will be organized into a four classroom Multi-age Learning Unit of 26 or 27 students in each class. This will continue to provide the benefits made this year including:
- Providing greater peer grouping alternatives for all students in Years 5/6
- Allow for further differentiation of curriculum in Numeracy and Literacy. This will mean that students will be taught at the point of learning need in the key areas of literacy and numeracy in order to maximize student motivation and learning.
- Further develop the shared curriculum planning, implementation, evaluation and reporting around student learning. This will ensure even greater consistency of teaching and learning practices
- Build on the current Level 4 (Year 5/6) Inquiry Unit cycle
- Continue the practice of shared ICT resources
- Beginning the school year with reasonable class sizes of 26 or 27 students.
- Allow for unforeseen enrolments to be spread across four classes throughout 2014
A number of current organizational features will be maintained within the Multi-age Unit:
- Inter-school sports teams will include students from Years 5 and 6
- The Student Leadership positions will be held by Year 6 students
- The Year 5 Camp and the Year 6 Camp will continue to be at separate locations and at separate times through the year
Projected Classes for 2014:
Level Students Classes Group Size
Prep 60 3 20, 20, 20
Yr 1 63 3 21, 21, 21
Yr 2 45 2 22, 23
Yr 3 54 2 27, 27
Yr 4 73 3 24, 24, 25
Yr 5/6 106 4 26, 26, 27, 27
Total 401 17
Specialist Teachers
The Specialist Teacher Program is detailed below and it indicates the range of learning programs to be undertaken by non-classroom based teachers. All students will be involved in specialist programs in ICT, PE, Korean and Visual Arts. The Year 1 students who are eligible for Reading Recovery will be accommodated in that program as the appropriate time during the year. The teaching of Performing Arts (Music, Drama, and Dance) will become the classroom teachers’ responsibility.
- Reading Recovery 0.5
- PE/PMP/Sport 1.0 including additional assigned roles
- Visual Arts 0.6
- ICT 0.6
- Korean 0.7
Educational Support Staff Roles
The whole school and classroom programs as well as the extra services provide by the school will be supported by a number of Educational Support staff including:
- Office 2.0
- Library 0.6
- Integration 2.00
- OSHC 2.37
- Multimedia 0.4
Lost Property
The Lost Property is now stored in the white cupboard downstairs in the 1927 Building outside the Year 1 classroom. Please look for the sign on the cupboard door. This location, away from the concrete pillar of the old location, should make access easier for parents and students.
Please ensure all items of your child's uniform are clearly labelled with their name.
All items that are not claimed from lost property after several weeks will be donated to the Second Hand Uniform Stall.
University of NSW International Competitions and Assessments for Schools
Congratulations to all those Year 3- 6 Ormond students who received a Distinction (85th -95th percentile) or a High Distinction (95th percentile and above) in either English or Mathematics.
English – Distinction Awards
Year 3
Jett Rose, Samuel Potter, Jennifer Hoang, Elise Clarkson, Emilia Mason, Kate Bradley, Thomas Tuke, Jarrad Thomson
Year 4
Nina Kaufman, Zara Jays, Lucca Beaves
Year 6
Annie Nicola, Chloe Woodburn, Stephanie Xu, James Bradley
Mathematics – Distinction Awards
Year 3
Thomas Tuke, Jonah Rudzki, Samuel Potter, Nat Cosgrave, Bharath Balakrishnan, Jack Armstrong, Joshua Levine, Otto Cox-Martino
Year 4
Max Coleman, Peta Woodburn, Ocean Smith, Elleni Macris, Ruby Mackay, Zara Jays
Year 5
William Xiang, Conor Doherty
Year 6
Chloe Woodburn, Joshua Mathew, Heidi Victoria
Mathematics – High Distinctions
Year 3
Nicholas Johnson
Year 6
Cindy Zhu
All Distinction & High Distinction Award recipients will be presented with their certificates on Monday at the Assembly.
Glenn Butler Principal