The Harvest

Principal's Message

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.

 

Welcome back

Welcome back to our Old Orchard community to what promises to be a very busy term packed with learning and exciting events. I trust that you were able to spend some quality time together with family and friends and enjoy the stunning weather. To those families where Easter and Greek Easter holds special significance, I hope that you were able to come together to celebrate.

 

Pupil Free Day

Our staff had an extremely productive day on Tuesday, unpacking the Victorian Curriculum 2.0, exploring how we can best use student data to inform teaching, and planning high quality lessons that are designed to meet the needs of all students. Education and teaching is ever evolving and this can only be described as positive. (otherwise our students would be sitting at desks copying reams of information, with minimal learning or understanding taking place!) Our staff are all committed to continual growth and developing as professionals and our students are fortunate to have such a dedicated team supporting and guiding them.

 

Sunsmart Policy

In accordance with our Sunsmart Policy, hats are to be worn outside until the end of April. For practical purposes, we will extend this through until the end of Week 2 (May 2nd) to include the House Aths Sports.

 

Facilities - Ramps

Unfortunately, the ramp works around the school are taking longer than anticipated which has meant continued disruption and inconvenience - we are hopeful of seeing some significant progress in the next few weeks. In the meantime, please continue to take care when moving in and around the areas where works are being undertaken. 

**If you notice anything that might present a safety issue or danger, please log this on Sentral and/or advise leadership and Pip.

 

Key Events

  • Ginger’s 1st Birthday - Ginger turns 1 on April 26th and will visit every classroom next Monday morning to celebrate.
  • House Athletics Day - our students are very excited ahead of Aths Day on May 1st. We have not had much fortune with the weather in recent years, so fingers crossed!
  • Federal Election - for those who aren’t aware, Old Orchard is a Polling Station for the Federal Election on May 3rd. Our PFA will be running a bbq to raise money for the school so please support this venture if you can or perhaps even offer to help out.
  • Mother’s Day Stall - this is always an exciting event for our students. We’ve become a little more progressive this year, with several of our dads staffing the stall. We are also looking forward to the Mother’s Day Morning Tea on May 9th.
  • Year 5 Camp - Our Year 5 students and staff head to Waratah Bay on May 7th for what promises to be a fantastic camp. We look forward to hearing about their adventures!

Duncan’s leave

I will be on leave from next Wednesday for approximately 6 weeks to have a knee replacement and recovery. In my absence, the following arrangements will apply:

 

 Jen McCann will be Acting Principal on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Fridays

Clare Murray will be Acting Principal on Thursdays

 

I look forward to seeing you all on my return.

 

Kind regards

 

Duncan