Principal's Report
& School News
From the Principal...
As you all know, we welcomed four new staff to the school this year. This included Angus Dickason in Year One, Delia Robey in Year 4, Nicole Lichoudaris in Year 5 and Anna Bui in the STEAM room. We also welcomed back Carrie Tunnock (Leete) returning from family leave and Margot Hudson. All these new and returning staff members have settled in well and they have been given the appropriate support from our leadership team. Already, they are making significant contributions to level planning and whole school professional discussions. All staff participated in an intensive session of first aid training on the second day back which has meant that all teachers and ES staff are either Level 1 0r 2 trained. The first pupil free day was taken up with setting up classrooms, shuffling furniture and planning in teams. I thank the staff for all the hard work they undertook to ensure a smooth and orderly start to 2021.
Stage 4 Lockdown
The sudden announcement that occurred last Friday regarding Stage 4 lockdown certainly took us all by surprise. In saying that, the staff swiftly prepared learning materials to go home with children and began planning and preparing for the days to follow. We are incredibly grateful that this lockdown was only for a short period of time and that we are all on board again. The students appeared to be in a great position to reconnect with staff and continue their learning even with this minor COVID setback. Thank you to all families for their understanding and patience at this time.
Grand Opening
There will be an opening of the new STEAM Centre and refurbished classrooms on Tuesday February 23rd at 10am. (COVID permitting) This will include a cutting of the ceremonial ribbon by Nick Staikos, visits by VIP guests including representation from school council, parents and friends, the Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA) and our architects 1:1. The school and vice captains will play a significant role in this ceremony. The official proceedings will commence at 10am outside the STEAM room and the group will then be escorted through the newly refurbished areas of the school. I am currently checking to see if this event can proceed this week and will let the students and community know as soon as possible. The event will be attended by only invited guests to keep with COVID regulations.
2021 Annual Implementation Plan
Our AIP for 2021 has been completed with three major areas being addressed. These include ‘learning catchup and extension’, ‘happy, healthy and active kids’ and ‘promoting connected schools’. These priorities have been identified as key priorities by the Department of Education after the disruptions of 2020.
Action 1
The school will have a very focused and strategic approach to help achieve this goal. This includes successfully launching the Learning Tutor program across the school. Students will also participate in NAPLAN preparation and awareness sessions. We will continue with our Mini-Lit program in Years 1 & 2 with extension towards the multi-lit programs for Years 3-6. All students identified as requiring additional support and extension will have a targeted individual learning plan. Students will have personalised learning goals and all classes will continue to differentiate the learning. The analysis and tracking of student data will become a priority at team level meetings on a weekly basis. Staff will engage in professional conversations that identify problems of practice relating to student learning. The planning will then identify specific learning intentions that will address the needs of areas for improvement, utilizing the HITS framework to change teacher practice. Staff will undertake the DE&T learning modules relating to EAL students to ensure their needs are being met.
Action 2
The school will continue to promote health and physical wellbeing through a specialist Health and PE program, as well as through integrated learning during Inquiry units. Social and emotional wellbeing will be targeted during the Respectful Relationships initiative. An orderly environment will be promoted and maintained through positive school wide behaviours being explicitly taught and demonstrated at each level of the school. The school vision and values will continue to be unpacked and reviewed. Peer mediation will proceed to address minor issues or needs in the yard. Students will have participated in greater opportunities for health and wellbeing activities. Inquiry learning plus the specialist program will address the learning outcomes relating to Health and Wellbeing from the Victorian Curriculum. Lunch clubs promoting movement and physical activity will be increased and supported by student leaders. Interschool sport and district carnivals to be scheduled throughout the year, with a strong emphasis on participation and teamwork.
Action 3
To review the survey data from 2020 to ensure the school is addressing concerns from staff, students and the parent community. To endeavor to continue the focus on communication platforms that have proven successful over the period of remote learning. To strengthen the community engagement sub-committee work across the school, including the positive use of social media to stay connected. The school will promote inclusiveness by ensuring all families feel informed and part of the school community. This includes opportunities to join committees and to assist in classrooms. There will be scheduled whole school celebrations including Harmony Day and Naidoc Week. The cultural captains will be working across the school area to promote inclusiveness and acceptance. Staff will schedule special events and open learning evenings on a regular basis and tap in to social media platforms that help promote the school in a positive way. The school will establish partnerships with organisations, universities and secondary colleges and ensure transition processes are well organised and effectively communicated to the wider community. AIP progress and outcomes are reviewed by the leadership team on a regular basis throughout the school year.
School Council Elections
Ormond PS has genuine vacancies on the school council in 2021. We are inviting anyone with an interest in being on the council to nominate themselves or others well before the AGM in March. Nomination forms have been distributed via COMPASS. The due date for these forms is Thursday 25th, February, which allows time for a parent ballot if required. A ballot only occurs if there are too many people nominated for the number of positions vacant. At the AGM, the office bearing positions are decided and then the new council commences its’ first official meeting. We have had one expression of interest from a staff member to replace Courtney Mason’s position on the council and to potentially lead the education sub-committee.
Any parents in our community who wish to self nominate or nominate another for a vacant position on school council are encourage to complete the appropriate form below. These forms were also sent out on Compass last week.
School Council Sub-Committees
All ongoing fulltime staff have been encouraged to join a school council sub-committee. These staff members do not necessarily need to attend meetings but they should be included in all correspondence and have an opportunity to provide input from a school perspective. All parents and carers are welcome to join our subcommittees even if they are not part of the formal school council group. The subcommittees include:
- Community Engagement (Including Facilities/ Buildings & Grounds)
- Finance
- Parents and Friends
- Education
On Sunday 21st February, we will be having an informal working bee from 9:30 am to tidy the yard and complete some well overdue maintenance tasks prior to the grand opening on Tuesday. If you are free for a couple of hours – we would love to see you! Please bring any tools, wheel barrows, gloves etc that we may need. We will have a brief morning tea afterwards to replenish our energy levels. Please remember to also bring a mask under the covid restrictions for any times where we cannot socially distance.
Finally, I look forward to seeing you all at our family picnic/ community event on Friday 12th March (COVID permitting). This will be a wonderful opportunity for families, staff and school council members to come and share some time together that we have been missing out on.
Kerri McLeod
Principal
School Photo Orders Now Open on Compass
School Photo Day will be held on Thursday 25th February.
Orders can now be placed with MSP Photography via their link on your Compass home page (full browser mode).
All payment/phot o pack enquiries should be made directly to MSP Photography.
Out of School Care
Out of School Hours Enrolment 2021
Families requiring Before & After School Care this year must submit a 2021 enrolment form to the program or the school office before we can accept your bookings for care. If you are new to the service an immunisation certificate must be attached to the enrolment form.
Cancelations
Parents please remember to cancel your children’s Before & After School Care bookings by texting your cancellation to the program mobile (Text Only) 0439111026.
Child Care Subsidy
If you are new to the program please update your children’s enrolment with Ormond Primary, Out of School Hours Program on the myGov app or website to ensure you receive your Child Care Subsidy.
Lost Property
We have clothing items left behind during the January school holiday program. The clothing has no name tags, so I can’t return the items to their rightful owner. Please check the lost property box located outside the hall during program hours.
Before School Care, Dental Hygiene Program
Children will not be cleaning their teeth after breakfast during Before School Care this term. We hope to continue the dental hygiene program in term two, when we have reviewed a covid safe practice suitable for this task.
Basic Covid Safe Practice in the Service.
If you require more extensive information about our Covid Safe Procedure please text the service your email address for a copy of our procedures .(0439111026)
Children hand sanitise on arrival & leaving the service. Children are required to use hand sanitiser before and after play or when sharing equipment.
All equipment, toys & drawing material is cleaned & sanitised after use.
Parents remain outside the hall when dropping off & collecting children from the service.
Staff, ensure high touch surfaces in the service are wiped down and disinfected regularly (e.g. door handles, bathrooms, devices used by adults and children, tables, chairs).
This is in addition to our regular practise guided by the services regulatory authority the Department of Education and Training and the Public Health Unit of Glen Eira Council which the kitchen is certified with.
There is some useful information available at https://www.health.gov.au/news/health-alerts/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-health-alert/what-you-need-to-know-about-coronavirus-covid-19#symptoms
After School Care Activities
Monday 22nd Feb Plastic Plate Mazes
Tuesday 23rd Feb Space Mobile
Wednesday 24th Feb Hand Print Trees
Thursday 25th Feb Pom Poms
Friday 26th Febr Lanterns
Monday 1st March Rain Shakers
Tuesday 2nd March Dinosaur Plates
Wednesday 3rd March Clay Beads
Thursday 4th March Peg Puppets
Friday 5th March Dot Painting
April Kopitz
Out of School Hours Coordinator
PE/Sports News
Congratulations to the following students who are the 2021 House Captains:
Flynn: Adam A and Tessa M Hollows: Ashwyn B and Kynan E
Chisholm: Evie H and Georiga W Mackillop: Sammy M and Matilda
School Swimming Trials-
Well done to all the students who tried out last Wednesday at GESAC for the 2021 School Swimming team. The following students made it into the 2021 School Swim Team and will be competing at the District Swimming Carnival on Tuesday 2nd March.
Rainn C-3A Harrison V-3C Marton J-3B Sophie A-4B
Michelle C-4C Teo C-4B Gigi W-5A Claudia H-5A
Adelaide B-5A Zoe N-5A Noam C-5A Ben S-5A
Luckshya M-6B Clea C-6A Tessa M-6B Kora B-6A
Sophie A-6A Kynan E-6B Morgan N-6A Justin C-6A
Sebastian D-6B Hamish M-6A
Thank you to the parents and teachers that helped out at this event. Good luck to the students who will be competing in the District Swimming Carnival. Go Ormond PS!
Creative Art Competition
The ARC Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function are running a Creative Art competition where you could win a brain-related prize pack as well as a prize pack for your school. The aim of the competition is to encourage students of all ages to learn about the brain by creating an artwork inspired by the theme ‘My brain helps me to...’
Students can use pens, pencils, crayons, textas or paint and their entry must fit on A4-size paper. The competition is judged in three categories: • Category 1: Foundation Year (Prep) and Year 1 • Category 2: Years 2, 3 and 4 • Category 3: Years 5 and 6.
How to enter
Post hard copies of artworks to:
Brain Function CoE Art Competition Monash Biomedical Imaging
770 Blackburn Road Clayton, VIC 3800
Or email high-resolution scans (not photos) to: administrator@cibf.edu.au
The following must be included on the back of each artwork in clear writing:
• Student’s name • Student’s age
• Student’s class • Name of school
• School contact (name and email address of teacher or Principal)
The closing date is COB 16 April 2021.
For more details and full terms and conditions visit www.brainfunction.edu.au
STEAM News
Welcome to 2021
We started off our first week in STEAM with unpacking what STEAM stands for (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math), what each element means, where do we see STEAM in real life and a quick room tour where students learnt about new features of their flexible learning space.
In the following week, we then looked at the Engineering Design Process and applied this process to solve a paper challenge before starting their big project which linked into their Science units in the classroom. Some challenges included making a strong basket out of paper and tape (junior years) and making the strongest paper rope (senior years) that can hold a bucket filled with different objects. The students thoroughly enjoyed brainstorming their designs on the whiteboard tables before deciding on one to design and build.
I’d also like to congratulate Justin, Kora and Utkarsh on their new role as STEAM Captains for 2021. It has been lovely to meet all the students at Ormond Primary School and I look forward to a terrific year ahead.
Anna Bui
STEAM Specialist
Foundation News
The Foundation students have been settling in and having fun at Ormond Primary School. They have been learning all about being at school and the classroom rules. They all look very grown up in their school uniforms!
Year 3 News
The Year 3 students have settled into their new classes very nicely and have shown much eagerness to take on the new school year. The students are learning about the fundamentals of establishing a classroom reading community and how to partake in a successful Readers Workshop. In Writing, the children have been looking at using adjectives to expand and improve sentences, along with the features of narrative texts. Place Value is our first unit of Maths for the year and the students have been looking at partitioning and regrouping numbers. In addition to their core literacy and numeracy lessons, the students have also been engaged in ICT, Inquiry and Performing Arts lessons with teachers from across the Year 3 team.
Year 5 News
Year 5 students have been learning mapping skills and the extension maths group have been engaged in learning about prime and composite numbers by studying The Sieve of Eratosthenes and the man himself.
Eratosthenes was a famous Ancient Greek mathematician and geographer who lived over two thousand years in Alexandria, Egypt. With just two sticks Eratosthenes worked out the circumference of the Earth to be 40,000 km (it is 40,075km). Eratosthenes also calculated the tilt of Earth’s axis relative to the plane of its equator with good accuracy. He produced the first map of the world featuring meridian lines and parallel lines. These were similar to our modern lines of latitude and longitude. Eratosthenes invented geography. We still use the word he coined for the discipline. ‘Geo’ was Greek for ‘Earth’ and ‘graphy’ meant ‘field of study.’
Students in the photos below are testing numbers to see if they are prime or composite numbers by seeing if their number makes a perfect square of rectangle. They later created factor trees to find all the prime numbers of a large number.
Year 6 News
Year Six students had a great first week settling back into classrooms and reconnecting with their fellow peers and teachers. Chemical Sciences’ first unit ‘Change Detectives’, kicked off with a murder mystery task which students absolutely loved. They needed to assess evidence at various sites to decipher the chemical change that had taken place and solve the mystery. It wouldn’t be Year Six without leadership and team building challenges. Students gave it their all by working collaboratively to complete a series of cup positioning tasks by manipulating a single rubber band. Sorry about the wind everyone.
