Principal's Report
From the Principal...
Thank you for welcoming me to OPS
Thank you to all students, staff and parents for graciously welcoming me to the Ormond Primary School Community. On Monday I was taken on a special tour by our School Captains Nathan and Sarah. I was most impressed when all students greeted me with such warmth, enthusiasm and sheer confidence, introducing themselves and reflecting on what makes Ormond so special to each and every one of our students. The manner in which our students represented Ormond is a real credit to all of our community. I look forward to working with all members of our school community and getting to know everyone in the near future. If you happen to see me out in the yard, please come over and introduce yourself. I would also like to acknowledge Ms. Lorrie Dell our Assistant Principal and members of the Leadership Team, who supported the school during this transition period.
Athletics Carnival
On Tuesday we were very fortunate with the weather, as we headed down to Duncan Mackinnon Reserve for our annual Athletics Carnival. The atmosphere was of sheer excitement and competition, but always in the spirit of good sportsmanship. Students competed in relay racing, various sprints, shot put, long jump and high jump, including a range of novelty events for our junior school students.
Many of our students from Year 3-6 will represent Ormond at the District Competitions on Monday 4th September. We thank Melissa Kah, Michael Pannam and Julie Nield for organising the carnival and all the staff and parents who assisted on the day. Each house competed in true spirit and we cannot wait to announce the winning house.
Parent Opinion Survey
Thank you to all the randomly selected families who completed the departments Parent Opinion Survey. It is designed to assist our school in gaining parent perceptions on school climate, student engagement, and relationships with our parent community. Parent feedback is extremely important to us, so please use this as an opportunity to share your thoughts. Our school will use the survey results to help inform and direct future school planning and improvement strategies. The survey has been extended to Sunday the 3rd September. The online survey is available in many language and all responses are anonymous.
Planning & Preperation for 2018 Homegroups
There are many important factors to consider when planning our classes/home groups for 2018. We are looking at the number of enrolments per year level, staffing requirements and parental input into this process. We would like to provide all parents the opportunity to inform the school, if your child has specific learning or social and emotional needs that need to be considered in the planning phase. This afternoon all families will received a Compass notification outlining the processes for parental input.
2018 Enrolments
Any families with children due to commence school in 2018 who have not yet enrolled, could you please collect an enrolment form from Brodie in the office as soon as possible so planning may begin.
We also ask that if you know that your child/children will not be returning to OPS in 2018 to please inform the Office in writingat your earliest convenience.
Parents & Friends Trivia Night
Thank you to the Trivia Night organising committee - Cathy Bushrod, Emily Armstrong, Tania Cumming, Liz Lai and Felicity McLaughlin. Reports from all parents indicate it was a fantastic night of entertainment.
SchoolMate App
SchoolMate is an app for Victorian parents to help them understand what their children are learning and to get more involved in their education. SchoolMate shows parents a snapshot of what their children are learning in each subject, at each year level according to the Victorian Curriculum. It provides tips for parents about what they can do at home to help their child’s learning suggests related apps, books, events and activities relevant to each subject area. You can download for free from the App Store and Google Play by searching for ‘SchoolMate’.
Korean Visitors
Last Friday Professor Gyeong-Yeon Ku from Daegu University and Supervisor Yeoung sun Gong of the Daegu Education Department came and visited our school and Korean program.
Professor Ku was instrumental in establishing the Global Linking Youth Through Net Connections (LYNCS) project which our Year 6 students are involved in. We currently have two primary schools in South Korea where our students engage in authentic learning opportunities that promote multicultural curriculum. Professor Ku and Supervisor Gong spoke with our Year 6 students about the successes of the program and filmed a lesson which will be streamed to our partner schools.
Student Led Conferences
Student led conferences will be taking place on Wednesday 13th September for all Prep to 6 students. These conferences are an opportunity for your son or daughter to share their learning with you, for you to set goals together and allow you to see the process of learning, as well as the final product.
The conferences will be scheduled in 15 minute blocks and several conferences will take place in the classroom at the same time. The classroom teacher will be available if the students need any assistance.
Your Role in the Student led Conferences
During the student led conference, you will have the opportunity to ask questions, but please try to allow your child to lead the conversation – explaining why they have selected certain pieces and how they demonstrate skills, knowledge or conceptual understanding.
Attached below is your booking form to be competed and returned to your child's teacher by Monday 4th September. Please make every effort to be part of this conference and note that we request siblings do not attend, so that your focus is on your child leading the conference with no distractions.
We are sure that student led conferences will be extremely successful and a great opportunity to share in your child’s learning.
Have a wonderful fortnight and we hope to see you at our next assembly to announce our Global Citizen Awards!
Natalie Rose Lorrie Dell
Acting Principal Assistant Principal