Dear Families,

Sometimes I reflect on the week or term and wonder how we actually squeeze in all the things we do… and also teach the curriculum! This term has been a flurry of activity, and this week alone is no exception…

Athletics Day: Monday saw all Year 3-6 students travel to Goldsworthy Reserve (Landy Field is under major reno’s) and Mr Horbury delivered not only another great day but the weather too. Thanks to all volunteers on the day and to our leaning mentors that managed an activity, kept track of results, first aid and so much more that contributes to a successful day. We look forward to seeing students compete at the District Aths soon and representing our community as they progress to higher levels. Congrats to all involved.

District Cross Country: We had a number of athletes run at the District Cross Country yesterday after qualifying at our School Cross Country earlier this term. Thanks again to Mr Horbury, Mr Connor and Mrs Forward for taking the students to the day. We look forward to hearing more about the results soon and hopefully have a few runners progress to the regional level of competition.

NAPLAN 2026: Recently, school principals were given indicative data sets of the 2026 NAPLAN for their own schools, and I am so pleased to say that again, our students have done exceptionally. We are still waiting on data from the Writing component and then the comparative data arrives later in the year. Congratulations to all Year 3 & 5’s who participated in NAPLAN and the staff should feel very proud of their work and processes that put OGPS students in a great place for their learning. And lastly, thanks to families for supporting their student out of school by reading to and with them, seeking advice from teachers, providing extra opportunities and guiding behaviours to optimise learning.

Year 5 Camp: This morning we waved goodbye to the Year 5’s as they headed to Lady Northcote YMCA camp up near Bacchus Marsh. We have many parent volunteers joining the staff to support the kids on camp and look forward to hearing the stories as they return. I’ll be popping up to visit tomorrow and hopefully catch a yabby or two with the kids!

2025 Annual Report: Tuesday 19th of May at 6pm a presentation of the 2025 annual report will be held in the staffroom. Feel free to pop in to hear about 2025.

Visitors: Today we had a visit from the Regional Director, Chris Thompson, and the Area Director Cat Salt. They enjoyed seeing our school, meeting some staff & students and hearing about the challenges and successes of OGPS.

Mother's/Special Person's Day stall: Thanks to Gillian Hodges and her team, for organising another great stall for students to select a present from. Your thoughts and consideration that goes into the presents does not go unnoticed.

Reminder that we have some presents here that are still awaiting payment & collection. Pop into the office and then staffroom to collect before the weekend!

And a Happy Mother’s Day and Special Person’s Day to all this weekend. We appreciate the work, guidance, love and support you show to your families and friends. Enjoy the weekend and hopefully breaky in bed or similar!

Scott McCumber

Principal

Education Week 2026