NEWSLETTERS ARE A WEALTH OF INFORMATION

Firstly, my apologies for this edition of the newsletter being a couple of days late. I (Nathan) was unwell on Friday and did not get my contribution completed.

I just wanted to start by encouraging all of our families to take a brief moment each fortnight to read through the newsletter. It is a great way to keep informed of all of the great things happening here at OPPS and also to know all of the important dates coming up. We do our absolute best to give as much advanced notice of upcoming events for our families. The best place to get a snapshot of this is on the 'Important Dates to Remember' page. If you notice something on this page that you require more information about, you can then always call the office or check through Compass.

SCHOOL SPRING CARNIVAL

Wow, what an incredible day we had at OPPS for our first ever School Spring Carnival. It was incredible to see all of our students, families and the wider community come together and have a day of fun and connection. Whilst the weather was not as kind to us as we had hoped, this didn't stop everyone from getting out and about and enjoying the festivities. A huge thank must go to our Parents and Friends Group who did a power of work leading up to, and on the day of the carnival. Without their support, this event would not have been possible. A big thank you also to the staff who worked on their weekend to assist with the many jobs needed doing. I particularly loved the delicious food on offer...popcorn, potato twists, calamari and of course fairy floss!!!!

Our Senior School students also immersed themselves in an inquiry unit around economics and planned and implemented their own stall. Their profit and loss summaries along with their reflections on the experience were great to see.

A massive shout out and acknowledgement to Shadbolt Group and Arnold Electrical, our major sponsors of the carnival. We are incredibly grateful for their financial support in bringing this event to life.

YEAR 2 SLEEPOVER

Last Thursday evening, our Year 2 students had their first camp experience here at OPPS with their school sleepover. The evening was one of fun and excitement, with fish and chips for dinner, some outdoor fun before a movie in their PJs. Students rose nice and early for brekky at school before a day of fun-filled activities alongside of the Year 1 students. Once again, a huge thank you to the staff who made this event possible and helped create lifelong memories for our students. These students are now building the confidence to transition to an off-site camp in 2024. We are so proud of them all for being strong and brave and taking on this great challenge.

PREP TRANSITION

It is hard to believe, but our next wave of Prep students have now begun their transition to school for 2024!! Whilst I was at a conference, the reports I have received from our staff, parents and some of the students themselves was that the sessions were lots of fun and a really positive step forward for students in transitioning to school. Our goal for students participating in our transition program is always to build confidence and connection and this was certainly a positive step in the right direction.

UPCOMING CURRICULUM DAY - FRIDAY 3RD NOVEMBER

As you would be aware, our next Curriculum Day is taking place on Friday 3rd November. We are continuing to develop our literacy practices as a whole school alongside of an expert consultant Emina McLean. Emina is continuing to support our staff in building consistent and research based approaches in how we teach Reading. Already we are seeing some very positive outcomes in our student achievement data in the work we have implemented so this ongoing learning is very exciting for everyone. We look forward to being able to share more of this with you in the near future.

Orchard Park News

Going Further Together

Issue 16 · 23 Oct 2023

In this issue