WELCOME BACK

Welcome back to all of our OPPS families, and a very special welcome to those joining us for the first time in 2024. It has been wonderful to see all of our students settling in so smoothly for their first week back and ready to start learning!

We are impressed that many of our students have stepped up to ensure our new students feel welcome, have people to buddy up with in the Learning Communities, and friends to play with during break times.

The teachers are particularly proud of the way students have quickly followed instructions and taken such care of their learning spaces. Their learning this week has mainly focused on school routines, values, and expectations. Next week, they will start to explore some Literacy and Numeracy concepts, as well as expectations within these learning sessions.

We are also excited to welcome over 60 prep students next week. Our 2024 Preps have been completing short one-on-one assessments with their classroom teacher this week. It has been great to see the level of confidence the preps are already showing and how eager they are for Monday morning... many bursting with excitement and letting us know at the gates how many sleeps to go!

BACK TO SCHOOL REMINDERS:

VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTIONS

Thank you to all of our families who have made a contribution for student materials and other educational costs through Compass. These contributions are greatly appreciated and ensure we can continue to provide rich learning experiences across all areas of the curriculum for our students. If you require any support on how to do this, please do not hesitate to contact the office, and the team will be more than happy to provide assistance.

ARRIVING AT SCHOOL ON TIME

Thank you to all our parents and families who are doing their very best to ensure their children arrive at school in the 8:30-8:35 am window.

As you know, the Learning Communities open their doors at 8:35 am each morning. This provides our students with a 10-minute window to enter the space, unpack their belongings, greet their teacher and classmates, and prepare for the morning learning session. The learning for the day then commences at 8:45 am. It can be extremely overwhelming and unsettling for students when they arrive late, and we encourage all families to make 8:30 am your school arrival time goal to allow every child the positive and calm start to their school day they deserve.

Just a reminder also that 3:00 pm is our school dismissal time.

MORNING INDEPENDENCE

At Orchard Park Primary School, we are always working to build our students' independence in everything they do. In doing so, we encourage our students to enter the Learning Community on their own, unpack their belongings and prepare themselves for the school day. We appreciate the support of our parents in working together to implement these strategies and approaches. It is another reason why we encourage families to arrive in time for students to enter the Learning community at 8:35am.

FRUIT SNACK

In addition to our recess and lunch breaks, our students are always offered the option of a fruit snack at around 10 am to support them with some brainpower. Please note that as this is during class time, it is fresh fruit or vegetables only. It does not include items such as fruit roll-ups, etc. Where possible, it is ideal if the fruit is an item that can be eaten with one hand so that they can continue to work during this time. During the year, we will also be having some deliveries of fresh apples that children who have forgotten their fruit will be able to access.

LIBRARY SATCHELS

In order for your child to take readers home, they must be using their book satchel (available from the uniform shop). Students will be taking home two leveled books and one interest book. Each year level will communicate their borrowing day, which will be sent out to parents next week, but students are expected to bring their satchel to school every day.

PANCAKE TUESDAY FUNDRAISING

As you may be aware, when students demonstrate our school values, they are rewarded with Spark Bucks. Students save up their Spark Bucks and can purchase a range of different prizes from the Prize Menu.

Some of the more expensive prizes include 30 mins of Nintendo Switch time with Mr. Jagoe or Cooking Classes with Miss Sutherland.

As a way to fundraise for these prizes, we will be serving up some pancakes on Tuesday, 13th of February, for our students to enjoy. Classes will be invited over in the morning block to get a couple of pancakes.

In the coming days, you will see a Compass event pop up in your newsfeed with further details. The cost will be $3 per student.

If any families would like to donate any toppings for the pancakes, such as maple syrup, jam, or lemons, we would be very appreciative.

Important dates to remember