Principal Message

Dear Parents and Carers,

I can’t believe this is my final newsletter for the year. My two terms at Ocean Grove Primary School have been absolutely brilliant. OGPS is a wonderful environment for learning and is well supported by the school community. I would like to thank the students, staff and parents for making my time at Ocean Grove Primary School so enjoyable. The students are an absolute delight and a pleasure to interact with each day. The teachers provide a wonderful teaching and learning experience for the students which has resulted in excellent academic results. This is evidenced by the fantastic NAPLAN results the school achieved this year. The staff, student and parent surveys were all extremely positive which is indicative of the happy and supportive culture in the school. I can assure you, your children are in excellent hands and will leave Ocean Grove Primary School fully equipped for a successful life ahead. 

A very special thank you to Lara Field who is a brilliant Business Manager, and the Administration Team Anna Bourke, Jenny Warren and Mel Roberts who certainly keep the office and the school finances on track. 

Kristy Hannan-Cuthbertson … what can I say? An absolute superstar. Kristy’s support during my time here has been invaluable and greatly appreciated. Thank you Kristy, you are an absolute legend!

I will certainly miss so many wonderful aspects of Ocean Grove Primary School. I leave with many fond memories. Thank you, parents, for sharing your amazing children with us each day, thank you to the teachers and ES staff for your commitment and dedication to the school and a big thank you to the students who brightened my day every day! 

Farewell Year 6 – We will Miss You!

We had a fabulous night on Tuesday at the Year 6 Graduation Ceremony. The students looked amazing and the evening was a huge success. Thank you to Sam Sheahan and her team for the absolutely superb organisation. A great deal of time and effort was put in to ensure that it was a very memorable event for the students. We wish our Year 6 students all the very best with all their future endeavours. OGPS will really miss their smiling faces and the leadership they have shown throughout the year. 

Staffing Update

Farewell

I would like to farewell and thank Emily Merrett, Ann Miller, Anna Bourke, Jody Mortison and Finn Chappell for their wonderful contribution to Ocean Grove Primary School. Emily and Anna are heading to Queensland, Ann is off to Kardinia, Jody will be at Whittington Primary for a 12-month transfer and Finn is pursuing his music career. 

Thank you, you will be missed at OGPS.

Welcome back

We are looking forward to welcoming back Chelsea Perinac, Hollie Stewart, and of course Scott McCumber. We are looking forward to having them back on deck.

New Staff

We welcome our new teachers for 2024 who are Melanie Swan Year 2, Jonathan Marsay Year 2, Paul Coverdale Year 3, and James Hathaway Year 4.  We also have a new Education Support Staff member Mark Ward. We welcome Mel Roberts into the Admin Team full time.

School Council 

I would like to thank Robyn Jackson and Aimee Chambers who will be stepping down from the School Council at the end of this year. Their input has been greatly appreciated and we thank them for their time and commitment to OGPS. I would also like to thank the other school council members with a special mention to the School Council President Simone Shanahan for her leadership throughout the year.

Congratulations Charlie 2KD

We congratulate Charlie in 2KD for being selected as a winner of a NAIDOC Medal of Excellence which was one of 25 awarded across the state for his entry into the drawing competition. Well done Charlie you are a superstar! 

House Celebration Day

The students enjoyed the house celebration day last Monday. Unfortunately, the weather was not in our favour however the major activities were all able to go ahead and were enjoyed by the students. Thank you to Julian Teague for coordinating the events. 

Christmas Final Assembly: Friday, 15th December 9:15am – 11:00AM

The final whole school assembly will be held on Friday the 15th of December in the Pavilion Park which is opposite the school. The Foundation students will be entertaining us with some Christmas cheer and the Year 6 students will be farewelled. We look forward to seeing you there if you can join us. 

Parent Helpers Morning tea

We had a great attendance at our parent helper’s thankyou morning tea today. We really appreciate all the assistance we get from our parents and community members which assists in many areas across the school. 

Thankyou Georgia Fiske, Sam Sheehan and Sarah Fuller

A big thank you to Georgia, Sam and Sarah for helping to clean out the Apple Fair shed last Monday. It certainly needed a great deal of attention which was given. It is now a very effective storage area with plenty of space to move around in.

Melbourne Cup/Geelong Cup Survey

We had an excellent response to the staff and parent survey regarding the Melbourne Cup Day / Geelong Cup Day. We had just under 200 responses from parents. There was overwhelming support for Melbourne Cup Day from the community and staff. 

The survey results:

Staff Survey:        42 Responses – Melbourne Cup 41   (98%)   1    (2%) Geelong Cup 

Parent Survey:  192 Responses – Melbourne Cup 169 (88%)  23 (12%) Geelong Cup

This information along with the attendance data was presented to the School Council last Tuesday night for discussion. A motion was put forward to approve Melbourne Cup as the public holiday from now on. This was passed unanimously. 

Melbourne Cup Day 2024 is on Tuesday the 5th of November. 

Monday the 4th of November will be the staff Professional Practice Day which is student free. 

Last day for students is Tuesday 19th December 3:20pm finish.

 I wish you all a very relaxing and enjoyable summer break. 

Take care. 

Cheryle