Welcome
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.
Industrial Action
Our staff would like to acknowledge and thank the Old Orchard community for your support of the industrial action stop work earlier this week. Teachers and support staff do not take action such as this lightly, with this being the first stop work in our schools since 2023 and I know that they appreciate the support and encouragement that they have received.
Child Safety & wellbeing at Old Orchard Primary School - information for families and the school community
Old Orchard Primary School is committed to providing an environment where students are safe and feel safe.
Our child safety framework includes policies, codes and procedures that explain how we support and maintain the safety and wellbeing of our students and protect them from harm. These documents are available on our school website.
We are committed to continuous improvement of our child safety framework. Our students and families are important partners in this process and we welcome your feedback on ways we can improve our approach to child safety and wellbeing.
If you have any suggestions or comments, please contact Duncan Cant (Principal) on 9877-7899 or at duncan.cant@education.vic.gov.au
Athletics Sports & Cross Country
Our athletics sports on Monday were an outstanding success. It was fantastic to see so many of our students proudly wearing their new House T-Shirts and participating with energy and enthusiasm.
Unfortunately we had to postpone this morning Cross Country due to inclement weather. We have rescheduled the event for next Thursday, the last day of Term 2. The schedule will remain the same (please refer to the Sport section of The Harvest).
Special thanks to James Roche for his hard work and organisation in preparing for these events, as well as to the many other staff, parents and carers and others associated with Old Orchard for their contributions.
Automatic Gates
Please note that the school access gates at Lantana St & through to Koonung Reserve are now automated.
These gates will be locked during the school day between 9.10am and 3.20pm.
If you need to enter or leave the school between 9.10am and 3.20pm, or if you are dropping your child at school within these times, you will need to do so via the main pedestrian access on Koonung Rd. This includes attendance at Friday assemblies or other school events during the day.
This practice has been introduced in the interests of the safety of all of our students. Thank-you for your support and understanding.
GRIP Student Leader excursion
On Thursday of this week, Ben Cook and I accompanied 24 of our Year 6 leaders at the GRIP (Generosity, Responsibility, Integrity, People) student leader conference in the city. The event was attended by over 3000 Victorian primary school students and provided our students with fantastic opportunities to develop their leadership skills, interact with student leaders from other schools and have lots of fun!
Prep & Year 6 Teddy Bear Picnic
A special highlight next week is the Prep & Year 6 Buddies Teddy Bear Picnic. This is one of our favourite school events with the respective buddy families enjoying the opportunity to meet each other and eat a picnic lunch together.
Cuppa with Duncan
Also next week is our Cuppa with Duncan in the staffroom next Wednesday (April 1st) at 9.15am. The ‘cuppa’ is an opportunity to hear about things that are happening around our school, as well as a Q & A session. Please book using this link Cuppa with Duncan so that we have an idea of how many people will be in attendance.
Meg McKinley wedding
Congratulations and best wishes to staff member, Meg McKinley, ahead of her wedding this weekend. We are sure that the day will be a memorable and special one for Meg, her partner Nick and their beautiful daughter (and flower girl) Niamh.
End of term
Next week is the final week of Term 1. As we will be leading into Easter, the term will conclude on Thursday April 2nd, at 2.30pm. We will have a whole school assembly in the Gym commencing at 1.50pm.
Best wishes to all members of the Old Orchard community for a safe and happy holiday. Stay safe and we look forward to seeing you back for Term 2 on Monday April 20th.
Duncan