From the Principal
Scott McCumber
Dear Families, Students and Staff,
2021: The year is nearly finished. 12 months ago, we could not have anticipated what we went through this year and who knows what 2022 will bring! Resilience, perseverance, challenges, excitement, nerves, happiness and a whole lot more have been felt and expressed this year by all of us.
End of Year Assembly: We have been busily working in the background to live stream our end of year assembly tomorrow and if all else fails, we will record it and add to the schools YouTube Channel and share a link to the community. A separate Seesaw post from Mr KT will be sent later today or early tomorrow as a reminder but here is the link:
Please keep an eye out for the separate message with the assembly details.
Graduation: What a great evening with a fantastic bunch of kids! Thanks so much to the Year 6 teachers and Sally Draper and her team, for leading the charge and making the best out of the current restrictions. I sincerely wish all our graduating students the very best in their future learning and look forward to seeing them back around the school. To the families that finish up with us on Thursday – THANK YOU! Your support and contributions to OGPS are greatly appreciated and I hope you and the family take many great memories away with you. You are always welcome back and we hope to see you at some of the school events in the future.
Preps 2021: Thanks for your little end of year concert this afternoon. I was so impressed with the public speaking (joke telling) by the students. I am always amazed at the growth and development of Preps and I know that they will give it their best again in 2022 when they enter Year 1.
Reminder: Our playgrounds are having some major works done over the break and into Term 1. Say hi to the tradies if you see them in the holidays but the grounds will be locked and out of bounds. Let the workers work so hopefully the project springs to life quicker and we get to use it sooner!
Reflect: Life has ramped up very quickly of late and many schools have had partial closures and full closures due to positive Covid cases. This has weighed heavily on Kristy and I and we have tried to lead in a way that prevents any year level from having to be in isolation. The decisions we have made are sometimes not easy and most of the time are not ours to make. We have had to follow DET directives via the government and Chief Health Officer. We have appreciated the great work by our community in helping us keep students at school without any extra closures.
Rest: Please take some time to rest over the break. I sincerely hope you are able to celebrate the holidays in your favourite ways and can catch up with family and friends. Take time to acknowledge what you, your family and your closest people have achieved in spite of what the world threw at us over the past 2 years. I am extremely proud of the students, staff and family and how we have navigated 2021.
Solar Panels: Today we have another 21kW of Solar panels being installed on the SLC roof! This has been a 30 month process and it is great to see this finally taking shape. We will have over 70kW of solar panels to help offset our electricity usage. The Surf Coast Energy Group (SCEG) have been instrumental in applying for and attaining the grant to enable us and 4 other schools to receive the solar panels. Looking forward to seeing the energy bills decrease and putting the money into more sustainable practices and learning across the school in the near future.
Reports: Damien Horbury has led the reporting process this year and has coordinated reports to be published tomorrow. Kristy and I have had the pleasure to read over 640 reports and it is so pleasing to read about the development of the students. The standouts for me are the ones who have significantly improved their Social and Emotional Learning. These reports should also be read in conjunction with all the ongoing feedback and activities that have been shared via Seesaw and within workbooks too.
Students: To all the students of OGPS – you are amazing! You have endured another disrupted year of learning and have adapted to the changes – probably better than some of us adults! We have appreciated your efforts in reading, writing, maths and all other areas of school. I have enjoyed watching you all bounce through the gates more often this term and push through the times you have been tired. Congratulations students. Well done!
Staff: Team OG! I am so lucky to have you all in my work place! The task of being a teacher is more complex than ever now from Remote Learning, professional development, Individual Education Plans, Mental Health and Well Being, Assessments and reporting, specialist reports and recommendations, supporting families and also being you – as a person and a teacher. I strongly urge you to put the feet up and rest over the break so you are refreshed and ready for 2022. THANK YOU!
2022: I have mentioned some changes for 2022 in previous newsletters and I’d like to thank a few staff who leave us and venture on to other things in their lives out of Ocean Grove PS. Amanda Vranken, Carly Eddy, Josh Dunne, Andy King and Lauren Baker leave us at the end of this week and Emma Powell and Nikita Stanley will return to show off their new additions to their families and we wish them all the very best over the summer. Koko Boyd will also be off to spread her wings and will no doubt be in touch to share her new ventures. Koko has been a student and staff member here and has a long affiliation with the school. We thank her and can't wait to hear from her next year.
We will also welcome a few new teachers – Ashley Morphett, Cory Connor and Amy Wright.
Education Support Team & Admin team: None of us can do our jobs in isolation and the Ed Support team including Jenny, Anna and Lara have helped all staff, students and families during the year. Without you, our jobs would be even more complex and significantly harder. THANK YOU!
CHAPLAIN, MHAWC, DI & AP: To Rhonda Stubbings, Andy McNeilly, James Field and Kristy Hannan-Cuthbertson, I applaud the work you have been charged to do and how you have driven significant enhancements into OGPS. Rhonda and Andy – your work in the Wellbeing space is continually improving and guiding staff on how we can do better! James – your work in the Disability & Inclusion around the school is second to none! And to the energiser bunny who never stops, never rests and takes on more than she needs to and should – all for the kids – Kristy – You are the barometer for all of us and have been the constant level of energy and enthusiasm. I highly value your work as an educator and you as a person. I sincerely congratulate and thank you on your 2021.
School starts for students on Monday 31st January 2022 and while we are ready for holidays, I do look forward to a new year and new challenges in 2022.
Take care everyone.
Scott McCumber
Principal