Principal Report & School Information
From the Principal...
It is hard to believe that a week of school has already flown by.
School routines have been established, with the first few days of school seeing classes focus on developing relationships and the students establishing the conditions they want to see in their classrooms to promote a positive and productive learning environment. This week, we’ve seen students setting personal learning goals and diving into their new units of inquiry. There have been some initial assessments conducted across the cohorts to determine whether students have maintained their levels of learning over the break or whether there are some gaps to be addressed. All students have settled into the year incredibly well and they tell me they are really looking forward to a fun and engaging year in 2023.
The Year Six students are looking very smart in their new sports tops and rugby jumpers. They set off to the Lightening Premiership today full of enthusiasm and excitement. I wish them well for a positive and productive year, knowing they are in capable hands with our senior staff.
All teaching and ES staff are excited about the year ahead and what OPS has to offer. We also welcome our new staff members Andria Arendez (Visual Arts), Tim Andrews (Year 5), Karen Abrahams (Year 1) and Nicola Lane (Performing Arts). We have some new members of our educational support team as well – Sahar and Daniel. We know these new staff members will add so much to the school and we hope you have an opportunity to get to know them in the near future.
Building Stamina
Tiredness causes a decrease in self-regulation, and we have seen this in the way some of our students behaved after COVID, towards each other in the yard.
Our focus over the past few days has been on re-teaching students how to monitor and respond to their own emotions, how to work cooperatively and how to respectfully let another student know when they are doing or saying something that is not respectful. This is fully aligned with our Respectful Relationships and Wellbeing Programs in the school. The best learning occurs when students take responsibility for their actions and are open to putting self-regulation strategies taught in the classroom into practice in the yard.
Having said the above, it has been most heartening to see those who love being at school even more enthusiastic, and their positivity rubbing off on their friends. Our focus on wellbeing is vital to overall health, not to mention, increasing the ability to concentrate within the classroom. ‘Wellbeing is linked to improved academic achievement, enhanced mental health and responsible life choices.’ (https://studentwellbeinghub.edu.au/educators/about-wellbeing)
Mobile Phone and Personal Devices
Our students are being reminded of expectations regarding mobile phone and device use at school. We are fostering a strong desire for students to be responsible and follow the rules, including when it comes to the use of technology. Students are reminded to turn off the notifications on their iPad, phones, and smart watches. Phones and SMART watches must to be handed in at the office each day for safe keeping.
It is important that parents contact the office to have a message passed on, rather than expecting to text or phone the child during the school day. The Acceptable Use of ICT Agreement outlines the actions the school takes to ensure we teach our students to use technologies ethically and how we manage the times when errors occur. ICT agreements will be shared with families, and we ask you all to remind your child/ children about the guidelines and recommendations outlined in this document.
School Picnic
One of our favourite social activities in the school calendar is to be held this term. It is our annual school picnic on Friday February 17th, starting at 5:30 pm. It is a very social occasion where families bring along a picnic dinner and enjoy meeting new friends and old. No doubt, the students will think a highlight is the food trucks onsite to supplement our picnic hampers. We hope you can come along and enjoy a relaxed and fun whole school event. Most staff will be in attendance to chat and mingle as well. Dont forget to book your tickets on Trybooking.
Information Evenings Wednesday 8th February - Just a reminder to pencil in the information evenings for next Wednesday. Details are contained in this newsletter!
Curriculum Day TBC - Friday 3rd March
Please mark Friday 3rd March in your diary as a Curriculum Day (Student Free Day) as staff complete further mandated First Aid Training.
Out of School Hours Care will be available for those families who are enrolled in the program and required care on this day.
Will will update the school community as soon as this has been confirmed.
Kerri McLeod
Principal
Start of Year Housekeeping
Sunsmart Policy
A friendly reminder that we are a Sun Smart school and as such children are required to wear a school approved legionnaires or a wide brimmed hat from September to April. Students without hats will be asked to remain in the shade or potentially indoors.
At OPS however, we ask that hats be worn all year round when participating in any outdoor activity (eg lunch times, sporting activities, excursions etc).They are also encouraged to apply sunscreen before school and bring a water bottle to stay hydrated during the day. On extreme hot weather days, the school will be running a Sweat Day timetable where children stay inside. Hats can be purchased from the uniform shop (PSW) Primary School Wear on North Rd, Ormond.
Permissions & Agreements
Parents are reminded to please ensure they have processed all of the Permissions & Agreements on Compass as soon as possible. This includes the Acceptable Use Agreement for ICT & Devices, Mobile Phone Agreement and more.
Students who have a mobile phone or a smart watch must hand these into the office each day for safe keeping and can be collected at the end of the day.
Medical Plans & Medications at school
Students with medical conditions such as but not limited to Anaphylaxis, Asthma, Epilepsy, Diabetes, or Mild to Severe Allergies must provide the school with a current medical action plan each year along with any associated medications. Please contact the front office if you are unsure if your child requires one of these.
If at any time your child requires medication at school such as antibiotics, general panadol/neurofen, antihistermines or topical creams and sprays please complete the attached 'Medication Authority' form and hand it into the front office along with the required medication.
No medications (including sprays and creams) must be kept in a childs school bag.
School Photo Day Thursday 2nd March
The whole school photo day is fast approaching on Thursday 2nd March.
Families can now order their photo packs via their Compass Portal. Sibling/Family photos can also be ordered via the portal.
All students will still have their photo taken for administration purposes, even if you do not wish to order. Please place your orders no later than Friday 24th February.
Please contact MSP directly for any photo pack/payment enquiries.
Please understand that we cannot give you an exact time of when your child's photo will take place. If you have committments or if your child is unwell/absent on this day, please contact MSP directly to arrange a time to reschedule. They often have catch up sessions in the school holidays or can fit you in to another local school photo day for their individual portaits. Unfortunately group/class photos cannot be rescheduled.
Financial Support for Families
Ormond Primary School understands that some families may experience financial difficulty and offers a range of support options, including:
- CSEF (Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund)
Below is the criteria used to determine a student’s eligibility for the Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF).If you believe you are eligible please hand in your appplications by Tuesday 28th February 2023 so funds can be allococated to upcoming events. Criteria 1 – EligibilityTo be eligible* for the fund, a parent or legal guardian of a student attending a registered Government or non-government Victorian primary or secondary school must:• on the first day of Term one, or;• on the first day of Term two;
- Be an eligible beneficiary within the meaning of the State Concessions Act 2004, that is, be a holder of Veterans Affairs Gold Card or be an eligible Centrelink Health Care Card (HCC) or Pensioner Concession Card (PCC) holder, OR
- Be a temporary foster parent, and;
- Submit an application to the school by the due date.
* A special consideration eligibility category also exists. For more information, see: Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (education.vic.gov.au)
Parents who receive a Carer Allowance on behalf of a child, or any other benefit or allowance not income tested by Centrelink, are not eligible for the CSEF unless they also comply with one of (a) or (b) above.
Criteria 2 - Be of school age and attend school in Victoria
School is compulsory for all Victorian children aged between six and 17 years of age inclusive. For the purposes of CSEF, students may be eligible for assistance if they attend a Victorian registered primary or secondary school. Typically, these students are aged between five and 18 years inclusive. CSEF is not payable to students attending pre-school, kindergarten, home schooled, or TAFE.
Eligibility date
For concession card holders CSEF eligibility will be subject to the parent/legal guardian’s concession card being successfully validated with Centrelink on the first day of either term one (27th January 2023). Please complete the CSEF Application form once it becomes available and return it to the front office.The school must sight and take a copy of your valid card at the time of application.
2023 Parent Information Sessions Wednesday 8th February
Information sessions, whether online or in person, are a great way to meet school staff and level teams, check out the facilities and classrooms and meet other families in your year level.
We encourage you to ask questions about the school and its’ over-arching curriculum and wellbeing programs. You will discover the unique extra-curricular clubs and activities available at the school and get a taste of what it means to be a part of the OPS school community.
We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at these sessions. Times for year Year level are below.
- Foundation - 3:45pm to 4:15pm in the Foundation Classrooms
- Year 1 & 2 - 4:30pm to 5:00pm in 2A's Classroom (Ms Liarakos)
- Year 3 - 5:15pm to 5:45pm in 3B's Classroom (Mr Woollan)
- Year 4 - 5:15pm to 5:45pm in 4A's Classroom (Ms Robey)
- Year 5 - 6:00pm to 6:30pm in 5A's Classroom (Mrs Kah)
- Year 6 - 6:00pm to 6:30pm in 6A's Classroom (Mr Workman)
Second Hand Uniform Sale - Friday 10th Feb
The first Second Hand Uniform Sale for 2023 will take place on on Friday 10th February 8:30am to 9:30am and 3:00 to 4:00pm in the KOREAN ROOM (in the portables).
Cash donations only please.
All money raised will go towards Parents & Friends Fundraising