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Principal's Message

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.

 

 

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.

 

Welcome 

I extend a very warm welcome to all our existing Old Orchard students, staff and families as we return for the new school year. In particular, a very special welcome to our new Prep families and other families who have joined the Old Orchard community for the first time. 

 

The students have settled in extremely well and it has been terrific moving around the school this week, seeing how positively our students have reconnected with their teachers and peers and how they have engaged with their learning, establishing class norms and routines. The tone in classrooms and the playground is very positive and our students are to be commended on their endeavours. Please take some time to chat with your children talking about our Learning Launch, class norms and expectations, as well as the other exciting things they have and will be doing.

 

In particular, our new Prep students have had a fantastic start to their school life. The few tears that we saw were mainly coming from parents and grandparents and it was lovely to witness that emotion on a special occasion as the students commenced their formal school journey.

 

As our students settle into Term 1, we look forward to them adapting to their new class and teachers, forming new friendships, challenging themselves with new learning and engaging in the many other opportunities they are presented with. 

 

Welcome to new staff

A very warm welcome to new members of staff, Abby Goldie (Year 2), Althea Huf (Year 4), Benjamin Cook (Year 6) and Lucy Lin (Year 5.)  We are thrilled to welcome back Deb Strike (Year 1) who returns following several years at another school, and Anna Clarke (Year 3) who returns after 6 months at Old Orchard in 2025.

 

Child Safety

In accordance with Child Safety practices, all visitors to the school, including parents & carers, must report to the school office. Visitors must not visit classrooms or walk past the office and down the corridor, even if it is just to drop off a forgotten lunch, hat, etc. 

 

Student toilets are exclusively for the use of our students. Parents & carers are not permitted to enter the student toilets under any circumstances. If you do need to assist your child or toddler in a bathroom, please use the bathroom adjacent to the school office.

 

Koonung Rd Crossing Supervisor

Our much loved crossing supervisor, Eleni, has sensibly stepped back to mornings only and will be able to enjoy a well deserved rest in the afternoons. We are pleased to welcome Eleni’s afternoon replacement, Steph, and I know that our school community will make her very welcome.

 

Student Leader Badge Presentation

Our 2026 student leaders will be presented with their badges at a special assembly this afternoon. Along with all Year 6 students, our leaders play an important role in setting a positive and respectful tone throughout our school and assisting with school improvement, events and activities. Former student, Ruby Crawford (2029 Graduate) will be our special guest presenter at the assembly. 

 

Classroom Cuisine

Following a decision by the School Council in late 2025, we are pleased to announce that Classroom Cuisine will be our new, online canteen provider for 2026. Lunch can be ordered every day except Tuesdays and orders can be placed by visiting www.classroomcuisine.com.au. 

 

There will no longer be an onsite canteen and consequently, there will not be counter sales at B1 and B2. We do understand that some of our students will be disappointed about not being able to ‘spend their own money’ and we acknowledge that this can be a valuable learning opportunity for our students. To help alleviate this, we will be running regular icy pole days and other special events throughout the year where students will be able to purchase snacks directly.

 

Pupil Free Day

Just a reminder that Friday February 6th is a Pupil Free Day and students do not attend school on that day. TeamKids will be open and bookings can be made at Old Orchard Primary - Blackburn North | TeamKids

 

Classroom visits

Next Tuesday, February 3rd, we are inviting all families to our special Classroom Welcome Session. This is a chance for parents & carers to come into the school and visit the 2026 classrooms and meet the teachers.

Our welcome session will be 3:40 – 4:15pm.

A quick classroom visit early in the year can really assist in building the home / school partnership. Students will be able to show their parents where they sit, their tubs and possibly some of the terrific work they have already done.  Teachers will be delighted to meet you and allow you to put a face to a name.

Parents will meet with teachers more formally in week 8 to discuss individual progress and goals.

 

School Council Elections

Information relating to the 2026 School Council Elections will be distributed in the coming weeks. 

 

PFA (Parents & Friends Association)

We are extremely keen to hear from anyone who has an interest in being part of this group. The PFA can and does play a crucial role in developing community engagement, creating events and activities for school community members to participate in and to coordinate various fundraising events to support our students. The PFA generally meets twice per term and we would love to hear from anyone who is thinking about becoming involved. Please watch out for further details in the coming weeks.

 

Chickens

A special thank-you to the following students and their families who cared for our school chickens over the school holiday period. We greatly appreciate your help. 

  • Boston Flynn
  • Vy Nguyen
  • Layla Gunn
  • Yu Jay Yeap
  • Maya Sotiriadis
  • Aaron Nguyen
  • Amelia Davis
  • Meika Wilson
  • Lewis Ness

  • And of course, our very own Mandy Parke.

     

We look forward to many special activities and events in Term 1 including:

 

  • Student leader and peer mediator badge presentations 
  • SRC elections and badge presentations
  • PFA elections
  • School Council elections
  • Prep information evening
  • Year 6 camp
  • School photos
  • NAPLAN testing
  • Parent - Teacher Chats
  • School Cross Country event (Years Prep to Year 6)
  • School Athletics Carnival (Years 3 - 6)
  • District swimming

 

Important Information for Parents

The commencement of the school year is incredibly busy for many reasons, not least the dissemination of important information and updates to the community. You will soon receive an important email containing information about school policies, procedures and other events and activities. We ask that you take some time to read through the information and familiarise yourself with the content. Copies will also be available on the Sentral Parent Portal for your future reference.

SentralParents & carers are reminded that Sentral is the primary form of communication between school and home. Please ensure that you have the updated Sentral Parent Portal app on your phone/device and ideally, have the notifications settings ‘on’ to ensure that important messages are delivered and received in a timely manner.

 

Victorian Parents Council

For those parents who enjoy accessing great information on social media, you may like to  consider following the Victorian Parents Council page. The VPC provides regular information on topics that are relevant to all parents and I always find their posts / articles to be extremely insightful and informative.

As much as we endeavour to ensure that our communication is of the highest standard, there will always be questions or queries that you have. Please don’t hesitate to touch base with your child’s class teacher, the admin / office team or a member of the Principal team to clarify any concerns or address any potential issues.

 

I wish all our school community a very happy, successful and productive 2026. Please don’t hesitate to remind me of your name and which child(ren) you ‘belong’ to.  As always, please feel free to touch base with me or one of our Assistant Principals at any stage, either formally or informally. Our Assistant Principals are:

 

  • Clare Murray
  • Jen McCann (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday)

 

Warmest regards,

 

Duncan Cant