From the Principal

We’ve had beautiful Autumn weather, with glorious sunshine! However, the mornings have now turned cold and crisp, which is a good reminder to ensure your child packs their school jumper and a jacket. 

Education Support Day

Education Support Day is celebrated around the 16th of May. The school is marking this event and thank our Education Support (ES) staff for the work that they do. 

Our office staff of Katherine, Susan and Anne S do an outstanding job in all aspects of office administration, customer service, first aid, HR and finance matters, to name a few things! Ashu’s role as counsellor is an important one, supporting students and families in need. Anne B does an outstanding job in making sure our library is warm and inviting for students and quality literature is available. Christina, Koula, Sumi, Bev, Rosy, Julie, Miyuki and Tamara give excellent support to teachers, parents and students with additional needs and are patient and caring. 

I thank all our ES staff for the tireless and often unseen work they do. I encourage all families to thank our Education Support staff by thanking personally or some other personal gesture such as writing a card or picking some flowers from your garden. Without our Education Support staff, our school would not run as smoothly as it does!

Mother’s Day Stall

The school ran a very successful Mother’s Day Stall on Friday 8th May. Thank you to Sylvia and Helen A for organising this and to the volunteers who helped on the day. It is a wonderful tradition to have at the school, and I hope all our mothers had a wonderful day. 

Teacher Professional Development at Oakleigh

At Oakleigh to ensure students have the best learning experiences at the school, our teachers have access to high quality professional development to sharpen and hone their skills. This term, a number of staff have embarked on professional development:

• Shelly, Cat, Lucy and Sarah are currently undertaking the MSL Course (Multisensory Structured Language) approach which supports the phonics learning throughout the school. Karen, Thi Thi, Tracy, Brooke and Victoria have also completed the course this year.
• Michelle, Cathy and I attended the Monash & Manningham Principal’s Conference. All the keynote presenters spoke about initiatives we are undertaking in our Annual Implementation Plan including working on the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model (VTLM) and Culture work with Tracey Ezard. Tim McDonald discussed the importance of routine and behaviour and linked to the VTLM. Tim Wilson spoke about the development of the Victorian Lesson Plans which we use throughout our teaching. Jennifer Watson & Aaron Wolaniuk from the Victorian Academy of Leadership spoke about having interpersonal courage to have effective conversations. Eamon Charles from AERO discussed their research which drives VTLM. Bruce Armstrong (Former Deputy Secretary of the Department of Education) talked about working together as a network on the shared objective of the VTLM. Mark Carter focused on culture, highlighting the importance of language, quality relationships, and mental attitude
• Sam and Elani continue their work in the Oakleigh Education Precinct working with South Oakleigh College, Huntingdale PS and Oakleigh South PS to develop our Japanese Language and STEM Programs. As part of the Ashmore Foundation Grant Sam also has connected with Gardenvale Primary School to share practices in STEM Learning.
• Cathy and Michelle are part of the Monash/Manningham English Community of Practice developing and sharing strategies for all aspects of literacy learning
• Michelle and Bron attend the Monash/Manningham Assistant Principal Network
• I attend the Monash/Manningham Principal’s Network and am active member of State Council with the Victorian Principal’s Association.

It is important that staff have access to these opportunities to develop high quality teaching and standards at Oakleigh. 

Reminder – Student free days

Our next student free days are Friday, 5th June and Friday, July 17th. On these days students are not required at school. OSHC will be available. 

Illness at School

As we enter the colder months, we would like to remind our families about the importance of keeping children home when they are feeling unwell. 

If your child is experiencing symptoms such as a cough, fever, vomiting, or diarrhea, we kindly ask that you keep them at home to rest and recover. This will not only help prevent the spread of illness within our school but also allow your child the time they need to fully recover.

Additionally, we request that if your child is diagnosed with any viral infection by a doctor e.g. chicken pox, RSV measles, slap cheek etc.  you inform the school as soon as possible. This information helps us monitor the health of all our children and ensures we can take necessary precautions to keep our community safe and healthy.

By working together, we can help ensure a safe and healthy environment for all our children, staff, and families.

National Sorry Day – Friday 26 May

National Sorry Day is the day to remember and acknowledge the hurt and damage caused in the past by our governments when they forcibly removed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, communities, and cultures. 

National Sorry Day marks the anniversary of the tabling of the Bringing them Home report in the Australian Parliament in 1997. The report detailed the history of the forced removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, often referred to as the Stolen Generations, under laws enacted by Australian governments.

National Reconciliation Week

National Reconciliation Week – 27 May to 3 June – is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia. The theme for National Reconciliation Week 2026 is All In, a call for all Australians to commit wholeheartedly to reconciliation every single day. All In makes clear that reconciliation is not a spectator sport and that all of us must step away from the sidelines and take action to make change. Reconciliation will not happen by itself, and it will not happen without all of us.

At Oakleigh we include indigenous perspectives in our curriculum programs each term so that our students understand the culture, history and viewpoints of first nations peoples. Our flag monitors each day raise the Australian, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flags and all classes have created their own acknowledgement of country. Together with OSHC and the kinder we are creating a Reconciliation Action Plan.

For more information on Reconciliation Week visit the website: https://www.reconciliation.org.au/

2025 Annual Report 

Our 2025 Annual Report which was tabled in March has been approved by the Department of Education is now on the school website.

AEU Industrial Action

The Victorian Government and the Australian Education Union (AEU) and Australian Principal’s Federation (APF) have come to an ‘in-principle’ agreement. While it is yet to be voted on by the unions, the scheduled half day stop work action that would be undertaken on Thursday, 21st May has been cancelled.  

Have a great month!

Ruth Biddle

Principal