From Our Principals

Dear Families,

We’ve only been back at school for one week, and it’s already been action-packed! Our Year 6 T-ball team won the championship this morning, we celebrated Pyjama Day, enjoyed the TheirCare Sausage Sizzle this afternoon, and even had a special Foundation student serve as Principal for the Day. While it’s been busy, the term has started incredibly well, full of enthusiasm, ease, and a sense of excitement.

Curriculum Updates

SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING – THE SOCIAL STENCIL GRANT

I am very pleased to announce that we are the successful recipients of a Stonnington Youth Services grant, which is funding three staff members to attend Social Stencil Training.

Social Stencil is an Australian, neuro-affirming social-emotional curriculum that helps students understand their own, and others’ social, emotional, learning, and communication styles. By recognising individual differences, it fosters inclusive classrooms where acceptance, positive peer relationships, and a sense of belonging contribute to supportive and effective learning environments.

We are incredibly excited to have the opportunity for some of our staff to attend this training so we can continue supporting the social and emotional development of all our students with consistent, research-based practices.

DISABILITY INCLUSION

As of this term, Ms Liarakos will be taking on a new role as the leader of our Disability Inclusion team. As a result, she will be out of the classroom on Mondays and Tuesdays.

We’re very pleased to welcome Ms Laura Cecil to the Year 1/2 team as the permanent teacher of 1/2L on those days. We’re excited to see Ms Liarakos take on this important leadership role and look forward to the positive impact it will have on our students and the wider school community.

INCLUSION OUTREACH COACH

This term, we welcome Christy Vryonis as our Inclusion Outreach Coach. Christy is currently spending time in classrooms and working with our School Improvement Team to identify a focus for her six-month engagement with us.

While our broad focus is on whole-school consistent routines and supports, we aim to delve deeper into the mechanics and operations of this work such as analysing incident data, defining the role of our Education Support team, and further utilising our Compass management system to capture and record relevant information.

Please say hello to Christy if you see her around!

Facilities

Over the holidays, we began freshening up our spaces by having the two stairwells painted. This marks the beginning of a rolling schedule to ensure the ongoing upkeep of our buildings.

We have grand plans for the stairwell closest to the office, which is now a clean and bright blank canvas. We look forward to sharing our upcoming ideas soon.

We have additional plans to continue improving our buildings and facilities at OPS, which will take time and strategic planning. In the meantime, I’d like to thank Helen for her tireless dedication in seeking grant opportunities to upgrade our toilets. Helen has submitted a grant application to the Victorian School Building Authority, and we are eagerly awaiting a response. We’ll keep you informed as soon as we hear back.

Year 6 T-ball Champions

A huge congratulations to our Year 6 T-ball team, who are now division champions after defeating Tucker Road Primary this morning in the final at Bailey Reserve.

It was an incredible game, which had to go into two additional innings due to a continued tie. I’m so proud of how the team represented Ormond Primary and how they conducted themselves during such a competitive match. This achievement would not have been possible without Ms Vallence's expert guidance and coaching.

Thank you to all the families who came along to cheer the team on. Congratulations!

Principal for the Day

It was an absolute delight to have Joshua from FM join me as Principal for the Day today, as part of the P&F Silent Auction prize. Principal Josh had his own desk in my office and took on important duties including overseeing the counting of donations for Pyjama Day, helping with the sausage sizzle setup, and visiting classrooms to hand out stickers to students in jazzy PJs.

Principal Josh decided that if he were to continue in the role, he would let everyone play during class time and send them home early!

Josh is sharing this opportunity with his sister, and we look forward to seeing what Charli gets up to next Friday when she takes on the role.

Save the Date: Grandparents’ Morning

Ormond Primary School warmly invites all grandparents and special older friends to join us for Grandparents’ Morning on Thursday 21 August.

It will be a wonderful opportunity to visit the classroom and share in some special activities. This is also the day of our Book Week parade!

More details to follow. We hope you can make it!

Network Meeting – Indigenous Leaders

Michelle Roszbach and I had an inspiring day at the Aboriginal Advancement League in Thornbury, attending the SaGE Network Marrung Champions Community of Practice.

At our first meeting, we came together to deepen our understanding, and to strengthen cultural support and engagement with First Nations perspectives within our schools. Michelle will continue to be involved with the network and will play a key role in supporting our Reconciliation Action Plan.

Next month, we’ll be joining other local primary schools at McKinnon Secondary College to begin work on a Story Pole Project, which will foster continuity and cultural connection as students transition into secondary school.

REMINDER: We’d Love Your Feedback on Homework

As we continue to reflect on and improve our Homework Program, we’d really appreciate your input. Please take a few minutes to complete the short feedback form below. Your thoughts help us shape future learning experiences.

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With thanks,

Anna-Marie and Aaron