Principal's Message

Wawa, Wominjika. 

Here at Old Orchard Primary School, we acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we visit each day, the Wurrunguri and Woiwurrung people of the Kulin nation.We acknowledge and respect the elders and leaders past and present and the elders and leaders of all of the cultures and nationalities that are part of the Old Orchard Primary School community.We express our gratitude towards the orchards that were kept in place by the peoples on this land before us.We thank the traditional owners for sharing this beautiful land that we all love, and for keeping the land, sky, waterways and animals all in great condition for thousands of years, not only for themselves but for all the generations to come.

Student Safety

There have been several reports recently of men attempting to entice primary and secondary aged students into their vehicles as the students were walking to or from school. One of these incidents occurred in Blackburn. We strongly encourage you to have discussions at home with your children about personal safety and what to do should they find themselves in such a situation. Every circumstance is different, so it is very difficult to create the perfect ‘response’ however these are some points you might consider:

-Where possible, avoid travelling to and from school on their own (walking with one of more friends is preferable and far safer)

-Avoid travelling to and from school well outside of school hours (ie - staying in the playground until 4.00pm and then walking home alone is not ideal)

-Travel on well-used roads and pathways (eg - avoid bike paths, Blackburn Nth Reserve, etc)

-Have a plan of safe places in case of need (eg - back to school, Child Care centres, shops, etc)

-Ensure that your children know your mobile phone number

-Never get in a vehicle or engage in conversation with someone you don’t know

-Remain alert and trust their instincts

-If appropriate, practise role-playing situations with your child, teaching them to be strong and assertive

2025 Class Structure

I am pleased to announce the class structure for 2025, as below. Students will meet their 2025 teacher and class members on Tuesday December 17th.

We welcome back Lucy McMillan, Meg Brouwer and Kim Dellevergin to our team following periods of leave. Sadly we bid farewell to Tom Rogers, Charlotte Read, Gemma Ashdowne and long serving staff member Enza Orsini, who is retiring. We will farewell these staff members in greater detail in next week’s Harvest.

Year 5 & 6 Awards

On Wednesday of this week we celebrated our Year 5 & 6 students at a special awards assembly. This event is a feature of our school calendar and is eagerly anticipated by our students and families. Student leaders and Peer Mediators were acknowledged for their efforts, awards and honourable mentions were presented in various categories, local politicians, Keith Wolohan MP and Paul Hamer MP presented the Menzies Shield and the Mollie Holman Award respectively and we were entertained by several musical performances. Congratulations to all students, with special mention to major award winners:

Year 6 Graduation

On Monday evening, we will continue the celebrations with our Year 6 Graduation. This is a wonderful celebration of all of our students and their primary school journey, an opportunity to gather together and reflect on the highlights and adventures over the past seven years.

Prep Breakfast

Our annual Prep Breakfast was another great success this week. Thanks to our Prep team, additional staff helpers and parent/carer helpers for assisting with the event. This is always a special event on the Prep calendar and a fabulous way for them to finish their year. Following the breakfast, the Preps enjoyed some games and had a very exciting time!

Carols

Our community carols are scheduled for Wednesday afternoon and we look forward to parents and carers joining us for an hour or so as the students perform their Christmas Carols. We hope to see you there.

Public Speaking Finals

On Thursday of this week, staff and school family members were privileged to attend the finals of the Public Speaking Competition, where 20 students from Prep to Year 4 spoke on a range of topics. The quality of the speeches was outstanding and I never cease to be amazed by the students’ preparation, confidence and enthusiasm. Congratulations to all students who participated in the competition at various stages and special congratulations to our Year Level winners:

Thanks also to our MC’s, Liam Phelan & Victoria Wei, as well as the all important judges: Isla Belvedere, Genevieve Tran, Kunwar Singh & Sehara Jayasuriya.

End of Year Arrangements

Please note the arrangements for the end of the 2024 & commencement of the 2025 school years:

Thursday December 19th:  

• final day for students
• 12.45 pm final assembly
• 1.30pm final dismissal (for students)

Friday December 20th:

• Pupil Free Day

2025

Tuesday January 28th:

• Pupil Free Day (Staff resume) 

Wednesday January 29th:

• School resumes for all students (Preps 9.00am to 1.00pm)