Pending Strike Action - March 24th

As parents and carers may be aware, staff at our school who are Australian Education Union (AEU) members have been negotiating, alongside teachers, education support staff, assistant principals, and principals from public schools around Victoria, with the state government and Department of Education for improvements to pay and employment conditions.

Currently, Victorian public schools are the lowest funded in Australia and there are significant staffing shortages across Victoria. Victorian public school teachers are also the lowest paid teachers in Australia, with many education support employees and school leaders paid less than their colleagues in other states and territories who do the same role.AEU members are seeking pay increases and reductions to excessive workloads, with the aim of ensuring the retention of existing employees and the attraction of the next generation to enable the ongoing provision of a high-quality education to students. Because there has not been a satisfactory offer, AEU members are undertaking industrial action, with the union calling a statewide 24-hour stopwork for Tuesday, 24 March. A communication was sent yesterday, updating families of the situation, with most of our teaching staff electing to attend the stopwork. Further information will be given later this week.

The AEU has written to our school council outlining some of the issues that school staff need resolved, including school funding and staffing shortages, as well as pay and conditions. The union acknowledges that a decision to stop work is not one to be taken lightly and regrets the impact it has on students and their families. It goes without saying that as a school we support all of our staff and expect them to be paid reasonably and have fair conditions of work.

School Council

Last night our new 2026 School Council met for the first time. I am pleased to announce the following office bearers:

Executive Officer - Ruth Biddle (Principal)

President - Neekhil Shah

Vice President - Amara Miles

Treasurer - David Woodgate

Secretary - Bronwyn Orr (Assistant Principal)

DE Members - James Marron (OSHC) & Robyn Withington (Kindergarten)

Parent Members - Melissa Maguire, Nicole Tsotras, Kate Smith, Louisa Collins & Parul Kumari

The Annual Report was presented and passed. Council is looking to revitalise an events committee this year and will send out a communication shortly about this.

Annual Implementation Plan

The Annual Implementation Plan (AIP) is a document which outlines the one-year goals and strategies of the school. It is created using the goals in the 4 Year Strategic Plan. The Department have simplified the plan making it easier to read and understand. You can find a copy of the plan here on the school website:

https://www.oakleighps.vic.edu.au/performance-and-accountability

2027 Foundation Enrolments Open - 27th April

The Department of Education enrolment process for 2027 foundation enrolments opens on 27th April. All foundation enrolments must be completed online via the website ‘VicStudents’.

To commence online enrolment, visit https://students.educationapps.vic.gov.au/s/  to create an account and complete the online application form. Please ensure that all documents required are attached to the application.

From next term on our website, you will be able to download the Foundation (Prep) enrolment information pack giving families an understanding of the enrolment process. Applications for Foundation (Prep) are due by Friday, 31 July 2026. You will be notified of the outcome of your application between Monday, 3 August and Friday, 14 August 2026. If you receive an enrolment offer, you should accept the offer by Friday, 28 August 2026.

Enrolment applications submitted after 31 July 2026 will be processed by our school as they are received, in accordance with the department’s Placement Policy.

Parents who have older siblings at the school should enrol online. If you know of any friends or neighbours wishing to enrol their child, please let them know of this process. We conduct school tours each week for prospective enrolments, and you can book them on our website https://www.oakleighps.vic.edu.au/enrolments-1

Student Attendance - Every Day Counts

We all want our students to access a great education, and the building blocks for this begin with students coming to school each and every day. Missing school can have a major impact on a child’s future – a student missing one day a fortnight will miss four full weeks by the end of the year. By Year 10 they’ll have missed more than a year of school. There is no safe number of days for missing school – each day a student misses puts them behind and can affect their educational outcomes. If you are absent due to a family holiday, your class teacher will create an ‘Absence Learning Plan’ to enable them to keep up some form of learning while you are away.

You can view our Student Attendance policy at:

https://www.oakleighps.vic.edu.au/policies-1

The Importance of Being on Time

Being on time for school sets the tone for a successful day of learning. A calm, punctual start helps children feel settled, confident, and ready to engage with their lessons from the very first moment.

🕘 Morning Routine

Arrive by: 8:45am
First bell: 8:55am
Learning begins: 9:00am sharp

Any students arriving after 9.00am will need to visit the school office to receive a late pass before going to class.

Why Being On Time Matters

Arriving at school on time:

✅ Helps children start the day feeling organised and prepared
✅ Prevents them from missing important instructions and learning activities
✅ Builds positive routines and responsibility
✅ Minimises disruption to their class and peers

The first few minutes of the school day are often when teachers outline the day’s learning, explain key concepts, and set expectations. Missing this valuable time can make it harder for children to catch up and feel confident.

How Parents Can Help

Establish a consistent bedtime routine
Prepare school bags and uniforms the night before
Allow extra time for busy mornings
Aim to arrive at school a few minutes before the first bell

Being punctual not only supports your child’s learning but also teaches lifelong skills such as responsibility, time management, and respect for others.

Thank you for your continued support in helping every child start their day ready to learn. Let’s work together to make every minute count! 📚✨

Department of Education Racism Policy

The Department of Education has a zero tolerance for racism and has a statewide racism policy that schools must follow. A link to this policy can be found on our website https://www.oakleighps.vic.edu.au/policies-1

At Oakleigh Primary School is committed to fostering a welcoming, inclusive environment where racism is not tolerated. Racism harms students’ mental health, learning and sense of belonging. We celebrate the diversity of cultures, ethnicities and faiths of all our students. It is up to all of us at Oakleigh Primary School to make our school a place that is free of racism and where everyone feels respected and can learn in a safe and inclusive environment.

We can never discount how racist comments will make someone feel, even if the intention was not to harm.

If your child experiences, or witnesses, racism at school, please let us know. You can tell your child’s teacher or report this to Assistant Principal Bron Orr. The school needs to report to the Department any act of racism.

It is the responsibility of our whole school community - families, students and teachers to understand racism. As a family it is important to regularly discuss what racism is and how to prevent it.

Head Lice

Parents are reminded to regularly check their child’s hair for eggs and live head lice. The Victorian Department of Health recommends the “conditioner and comb” method weekly:

Apply hair conditioner to dry, detangled hair.
Thoroughly comb sections with a fine-tooth lice comb.
Wipe conditioner from the comb onto a paper towel or tissue.
Check the tissue and comb for lice or eggs.
Repeat for every part of the head at least four to five times.
If lice or eggs are found, commence treatment.
Retreat hair in seven days (or as per treatment instructions).
Notify the school office confidentially if head lice is detected.

Further information is available via Better Health Victoria.

Spare Clothing Reminder

From time to time, students may require a change of clothing. We kindly ask families to place a spare set of uniform and undergarments (including socks) in your child’s school bag.

Free resources for families of adolescents aged 10 to 14 years

The Department of Education has launched an Easing into adolescence webpage for families of students aged 10 to 14 (Grade 5 to Year 8).

The webpage has information and strategies you can use to help ease your child into adolescence and secondary school. These include:

a guide to emotion coaching. Staff from The University of Melbourne’s Tuning in to Teens Kids program developed the guidance.
how to support your adolescent with their studies and more generally. Parenting expert and clinical psychologist Andrew Fuller helped develop this resource.

Subtitles for videos by The University of Melbourne on the webpage are available in 10 languages. You can select your preferred language on the translations page.

Returning students

I understand that ex-students enjoy returning to visit the school. While this is lovely for them to connect with us, we require all visitors, including ex-students to report to the office.

Please note that ex-students are not permitted to remain on school grounds or visit teachers during the school day, as staff are engaged in their teaching responsibilities. Ex-students can visit the school after 3.30pm.

If you have any questions or concerns about this, please feel free to speak with me.

National Close the Gap Day

National Close the Gap Day is held annually on the third Thursday in March. In 2026, it falls on 19 March. It is led by First Nations health organisations. The day highlights the ongoing efforts to improve life outcomes and health equality for First Nations people and reinforces the commitment to the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.

Closing the Gap refers to progress in meeting agreed national targets to improve the lives of First Nations people. The Commonwealth Closing the Gap annual report tracks this progress.

Why it matters

First Nations people continue to face significant inequalities in health outcomes. The Close the Gap campaign calls for long-term, community-led solutions and access to culturally appropriate healthcare.

A collective responsibility

Closing the Gap is a shared responsibility that requires commitment and action from all areas of the department. Schools have an important responsibility in creating culturally safe and responsive learning environments to help First Nations students engage and succeed. This includes strengthening relationships with First Nations students, families and carers, and organisations.

Recent cultural observances/celebrations

Holi

Many members of our Hindu community celebrated Holi on Wednesday, 4 March. Holi is a vibrant Hindu festival that marks the arrival of spring and celebrates love, renewal, and the triumph of good over evil. Traditionally, people celebrate by joyfully throwing coloured powders and water, singing, dancing, and sharing sweets with family and friends. The festival also commemorates the story of Prahlad and Holika, and the divine love between Radha and Krishna. To all of our Hindu families and community members, we wish you a very Happy Holi.

Ramadan

Members of our Muslim community are currently observing Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar. During this time, Muslims fast from dawn until sunset, refraining from food and drink while focusing on prayer, reflection, charity, and time with family. Ramadan is a time of faith, self-discipline, and compassion for those less fortunate. Ramadan this year is expected to conclude around the evening of Friday, 20 March, followed by the celebration of Eid al-Fitr (festival of breaking the fast). To all members of our Muslim community, we wish you a meaningful Ramadan and Eid Mubarak (blessed feast) when the celebrations arrive.

St Patrick’s Day

On 17 March it was St Patrick’s Day. St Patrick's Day observes the death of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. The holiday has evolved into a celebration of Irish culture with parades, special foods, music, dancing, drinking and a whole lot of green! We hope all families who marked St Patrick’s Day had a fabulous day of celebrations.

Have a great month.

Ruth Biddle

Principal

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