Welcome

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.

Prep Zoo Excursion

Our Prep students enjoyed an exciting and memorable visit to Melbourne Zoo on Wednesday of this week and came back to school with stories of the animals that they saw: lions, snow leopards, penguins, butterflies and even bin chickens!! Thanks as always to our staff members and numerous parent helpers who assisted on the day. 

Healthy Harold - Life Education

This week and next, our students from Year 1 to Year 5 are participating in the Healthy Harold Program, delivered by Life Education Victoria. The program is always delivered in a fun and engaging manner by trained professionals, with the following modules delivered for each year level. You can learn more about the program content at Social Emotional Learning (SEL).

Victorian State Schools Spectacular

Congratulations to everyone involved in the Victorian State Schools Spectacular last Saturday. The commitment from our 31 students, staff members Rhiannon Trimby & Bec Mitchell, as well as parents of the students, was extremely impressive, with rehearsals continuing across many months. Saturday’s performances were indeed spectacular and our students loved being part of the 2500 performers who contributed to the event. No doubt they will have wonderful memories of their involvement for many years to come.

Diverse Learners

Old Orchard has a very proud history of supporting diverse learners within our school. We are fortunate to have an extremely passionate and committed education support team who are passionate about maximising the educational experience for the students they work with. Next week our education support staff will be attending a professional learning program focussed on supporting diverse learners in inclusive classrooms.

The sessions will explore evidence-based strategies, practical adjustments and environmental supports that strengthen access, engagement, and belonging. Specifically, our staff will gain:

• Strategies to support students with Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia & Sensory Processing
• Tools to strengthen student engagement and self-regulation
• Environmental supports that make learning more accessible
• Opportunities to connect and share practice with ES colleagues

Book Week

Next week is Book Week at Old Orchard with several important activities. These include:

• Book costume dress-up day on Monday September 7th. The Book Week parade will be held in the Gymnasium at 9.15am. (We would love to see as many students as possible participate in the dress-up parade; costumes do not need to be elaborate; a simple costume will do the trick.) 
• A Book Walk on Thursday September 10th, where students will have the opportunity to choose the story session they wish to attend.

Farewell Bianca - welcome Alisha

We will bid a sad farewell to Bianca Gelsi at the end of Term 3, as she moves to a new role with the Statewide Vision Resource Centre (a department with DoE). We thank Bianca for her significant contribution to our school, staff and students and I know that you will join with me in wishing her well in her future endeavours. At the same time, we welcome Alisha Lee as the class teacher 1BG, supported one day per week by Adam Todd.

Fathers’ Day 

Thank-you to the many parents who assisted with this week’s Fathers’ Day Stall - I know that the students love the opportunity to purchase a small gift for their dads or other significant male figures in their lives. The Fathers’ Day coffee van (sponsored by Team Kids) was also welcome this morning.

My best wishes to all the dads and other important male figures in our school community for Fathers’ Day this coming Sunday. I trust the day is a special one for you.

Warm regards

Duncan