Dear Parents and Carers,

Playground Upgrade

It is very exciting to see the bustling activity in the playground with all the ground works taking place. Things have been moving swiftly and a great deal of progress has already been accomplished.

So far the weather has been kind to us, enabling the works to continue uninterrupted. The job is due to be completed by the end of next week.

The Easyturf team have been fabulous to work with and have been extremely professional throughout the project.

Our students have adapted as well as can be expected to the change in play areas and seem to be enjoying the novelty of doing something different. We are very proud of how well they are coping.

Warm Welcomes

Welcome Back Michael Pannam & Welcome Ellie Weaver

Returning from medical leave, we have welcomed back our PE teacher, Michael Pannam. Michael has slotted in smoothly and it is great to have him back at Ormond Primary School.

We also welcome Ellie Weaver to our staff for the remainder of the year. Ellie has been a regular replacement teacher here.

Mother's Day Open Morning

We had many mums, grandmothers and dads attend our open morning to celebrate Mother’s Day where the students shared what they have been doing in class.

They were able to enjoy a complimentary beverage from the coffee van and some delicious cakes were available too. Thank you to the Parents & Friends for organising the coffee van. It certainly was a hit.

I hope all the mums and mother figures had a wonderful Mother’s Day.

Please see the separate news items for photos from F1L.

Volunteer Helper Induction Sessions

We had an excellent attendance for the volunteer Helper Induction on Monday and Tuesday morning this week.

We had 23 attendees consisting of mums, dads and grandparents, which was excellent. The attendees have volunteered to assist with the reading program in the school which will be fabulous and is greatly appreciated.

A huge thank you to Effie Liarakos, our Learning Specialist, who conducted the induction.

Out of School Hours Care

TheirCare Information Evening 6th June @ 6pm

Our new Out of School Hours Care provider, ThierCare, who will be commencing at the start of next term, will be holding a parent information session on Thursday 6th June at 6pm. All parents are invited to attend even if you are not currently using the service.

More information to follow.

Amplify Music Program

We will be introducing a school-wide music program at the beginning of next term called Amplify.

Amplify provides the lessons for the teachers to teach in an interactive and easy to follow format.

We are really looking forward to having music in the school and the program is also designed to upskill the teachers and to develop their confidence and expertise to teach in this space.

There will be a small cost, $14 per student for the 10 week program. After completion of the program, the teachers can feel more confident to continue teaching music based on the program format.

For more information about the program, please head to: Amplify | Any teacher can teach music with Amplify

We are thrilled to be offering this program at our school.

Student Behaviour

Currently we are experiencing some inappropriate behaviours from some of our students.

We have introduced a behaviour management system for the playground so we can monitor the behaviour and work with the students who need assistance to make better choices.

This is already having an impact, which is great. The system is designed around recognition of inappropriate behaviour and to teach the students how to make better choices.

'Attitudes to School' Survey

In the coming weeks, as part of our annual improvement cycle, we will be administering the 'Attitudes To School' survey with our Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 students. Parents of these students will be given details of the survey through Compass.

This data is part of a suite of data / evidence for the school to use which gives us valuable feedback on their views of their wellbeing, teaching, learning and the school in general. This survey is used by all Victorian Government schools, so it is an excellent barometer to compare us to the state average and other ‘similar’ schools.

If you would NOT like you child to participate in the survey, please notify your child’s class teacher. The surveys are completely anonymous.

Media / Local Neighbourhood Permission Forms

We will be sending out the media permission form over the next week to ensure our records are up to date. Please complete and return to school.

There will also be a local neighbourhood excursion permission form sent out. This covers all local walks so we don’t have to send a permission form each time the students leave the school for a local visit. For example the walk to Allnutt Park for the cross country.

The forms will be sent via Compass, so an electronic response will be required. Of course, parents will always be informed if the students are expecting to leave the grounds.

Pupil Free Days

Just a reminder that next Monday 27th May is a pupil-free day.

If you need childcare, our Out of School Hours Care IS available on the day.

The final two curriculum days for the year are scheduled for Friday 16th August and Monday 4th November.

King's Birthday Holiday

Monday 10th June is the King’s birthday holiday. Our Out of School Hours Care will NOT be available on this day.

Parent / Teacher Interviews

Tuesday 25th and Wednesday 26th June

We will be hosting parent / teacher interviews on Tuesday 25th and Wednesday 26th June. Bookings will be available soon via Compass.

Excursions

We have had 2 excursions recently. The Year 2 students went to the Shrine of Remembrance where they enjoyed a tour and a commentary about the significance of the Shrine. The Year 1 students went to Como House where they were able to explore the beautiful old mansion and enjoy the grounds. Thank you to the teachers who organised the excursions and to the parents who assisted on the day.

Please see the separate news items for some photos from these excursions.

Indoor Working Bee

Friday 14th June from 3.45pm-5pm

This term we will hold an INDOOR Working Bee with the aim of decluttering and organising the large upstairs classroom.

Many hands make light work, so please join us if you can, even if only for part of the time.

Children welcome!

No equipment required!

Marine Ambassadors

Our Marine Ambassadors had a full day of learning at Elwood Primary School last week. They had a very interesting day and will give a report in our next newsletter.

A huge thank you to our two parents, Dora and Ned, who attended on the day with the students.

District Cross-Country

I would like to congratulate all the students who competed in the district event. They ran brilliantly and represented our school extremely well.

The following students came in the Top 10 at this event:

Youzhen C (6J) – 1st Place

Sophie P (6J) – 3rd Place

Declan Z (4W) – 6th Place

Today (Thursday 23rd May), these three students competed in the next level of this event - Kingston Division Cross-Country - and did Ormond Primary School very proud by achieving the following results:

Youzhen C (6J) – 5th Place

Sophie P (6J) – 6th Place

Declan Z (4W) – 15th Place

The first 10 competitors from today's event will progress to the next stage - Southern Metropolitan Cross-Country - on Wednesday 12th June at Hastings Foreshore.

We can't wait to hear how Youzhen C and Sophie P do in this round of the event.

GOOD LUCK!

Year 6 Transition

Thanks you to all the parents who submitted their enrolment forms to school. These have been passed on to the applicable secondary schools.

All information regarding the Year 7 transition process can be found on the Department of Education’s website at:

https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/enrolment/guidance/year-6-to-7-placement

Illness

As we enter the winter months ahead, we would like to remind our parents that if your child is unwell, please keep them at home.

We do not want students to pass on their germs, when it can be avoided. We understand that this can cause disruption to family’s work plans, however we do need to safeguard the other students and staff in the school.

School Photos

The school photos have been distributed to the students. If you have any queries or would like to order more photos please contact MSP Photography directly on 03 9115 1642 and they will be able to assist.

The school leaders were also given the opportunity to order the leadership photos.

Take care,

Cheryle

Term 2 Calendar Dates