From Our Principals

Dear Families,

I have just come in from welcoming our Year 6 campers as they return from an incredible few days away at Allambee Camp. I thank our staff Miss Vallence, Miss Delaney, Miss Weaver, Mr Jones and volunteers Danielle and Melissa for their time and dedication to ensure the camp ran safety and smoothly. Without our staff and community volunteers such experiences can't happen.

NAPLAN has also run incredibly smoothly, and I am very impressed by our Year 3 and 5 students' approach and attitude towards the testing period. I thank Mr Woollan for his co-ordination of NAPLAN at OPS. 

The works conducted last weekend by the Victorian Schools Building Authority (VSBA) on planned asbestos removal were successful with every safety measure and precaution taken. The VSBA still have some work to continue, and we will communicate with you as soon as we have confirmation of when that will be.

This Sunday we have our working bee, the weather is not looking kind. Currently we are planning to move forward but I will send communication on Sunday morning to confirm. We have many jobs on our list and hope families can join to collaboratively continue making our school look great, we will also have a sausage sizzle to enjoy after all our hard work. 

Please continue reading for further important updates.

Afterhours Use of School Grounds

We are very lucky that the Ormond Community have our school space to use and enjoy after school and on the weekend however, I am asking for community and family support to ensure the grounds are used in a way that keeps them clean, safe and with consideration of our neighbours. Please remember our school grounds are a strictly dog free zone. We will be getting signage around the school to remind those who use the grounds. 

Families are welcome to use the grounds for students to enjoy and play but in the interests of student's safety the school is a dog free zone.

The Hon. Nick Staikos 

The visitors keep rolling in and last week we were lucky to have our local member The Hon. Nick Staikos come in to meet with me and further discuss how he can support Ormond Primary School.

As part of his visit, Nick inspired some Year 1/2 students by reading a book to them to help celebrate the launch of the Premier's Reading Challenge which is in its 20th year. (see tab for VPRC news item for more details).

Harmony Day - March 21st

Friday 21 March is Harmony Day. At OPS, students will get the opportunity to learn the National Auslan sign-along for the song 'I am Australian'. With Harmony Week and assembly coming up, it would be a wonderful way to celebrate together. For those who would like to practice at home, please click this link Auslan Version –I Am Australian

To celebrate Harmony Day, OPS students can come to school dressed in their traditional dress, flag colours, or wear a touch of orange. 

Harmony Day is an Australian Government program that centres on the message that “Everyone belongs”, reinforcing the importance of inclusiveness to all Australians. Since 1999, thousands of Harmony Day events have been staged in childcare centres, schools, community groups, churches, businesses and federal, state and local government agencies across Australia.

School Photos

Our school photo session last Thursday was a great success, lucky the rain mostly stayed away! We’re excited to see the final images, especially those of our 2025 Foundation students and the new students who have joined us since our last photoshoot.

 Annual Report Community Meeting Wednesday 19th March 6pm

It is a legislative requirement that all Victorian government schools prepare an Annual Report and present it to an open community meeting. The report this includes specific information on student outcomes, attendance and financial activities of the previous year.

We welcome any community members that wish to attend next Wednesday evening from 6-6.30pm in the library for the presentation of the report which will then be endorsed by the school council.

Our School Council AGM will then start at 6.30pm.

Medications Update

To ensure we have accurate and up-to-date information, we kindly request that you inform us of any medical conditions your child/ren may have. This will help us maintain accurate records and provide the necessary care and support. Additionally, please remember that any medication must be stored in the designated medication room and not kept with the child. If there are any changes to your child's medical condition, medication, or treatment plans, we ask that you keep us informed so we can make the necessary adjustments to our records and care routines. 

Your cooperation is greatly appreciated as we work together to support your child's wellbeing.

School Lunches

Over the past 6-8 months, we’ve noticed a significant increase in the number of students coming to the office for food during both recess and lunch. The reasons for these requests vary, including dropped food, mouldy bread, ants in food, forgotten lunches, or simply not liking what was provided.

OPS is happy to support students who genuinely don’t have any food, but we kindly ask that, whenever possible, families provide enough food for their child/ren to last throughout the entire school day. It may be helpful to have a conversation with your child/ren to review both the quantity and contents of their lunchboxes. Thank you for your support in ensuring your child/ren are well-prepared for the school day.

Plinth Donation

A big thank you to our amazing parent, Stephanie Klein, for arranging the generous donation of a medical-grade bed to our sick bay. The slimline design has not only created much-needed space in the room but is also a great addition from a hygiene standpoint, as it can be easily cleaned. We truly appreciate Stephanie's support!

REMINDER: Media and Photography 

We still have a large number of parents who have not yet completed the Media and Photography consent questions on Compass. For more information and instructions about it, please see below.

The School Improvement Team, in consultation with School Council and the wider school community, constantly review and update practices, procedures and policies in place at Ormond Primary School. All of our policies are available on our school website. 

We want to send a reminder about our Photographing, Filming and Recording Students Policy, which can be accessed here. This policy has been updated last year to reflect the current Department of Education guidelines - families have been asked to provide consent only once for their child's image to be taken. Many families have not completed this form, in order to ensure our records are up to date, we ask you review the policy and either accept or decline. We are asking to:

1. Use images of your child within the physical environment of the school: this involves displaying your child's photograph within the classroom and around the school, including shared spaces.
2. Use images of your child within the school environment, including online communication, teaching and learning tools, etc. that can be accessed by students, parents/carers and staff with passwords and/or in the school magazine and yearbook.
3. Use images of your child beyond the school community: this includes the school's website, include the newsletter that is publicly available, and on social media. 

For more information, please access the policy on the website. 

Please could all parents respond to the Compass photography consent request. You will be able to find the photography information document and the consent questions on Compass on the top right hand corner of the page (see image below).

In the case where we don't receive a response, we will assume that you have opted-out of all forms of photograph.

We look forward to another action-packed fortnight as we get closer and closer to terms end. 

Have a wonderful weekend.

Regards,

Anna-Marie and Aaron