Dear Families,

Please find an early edition of our newsletter this week. As a reminder, this Wednesday is a gazetted PUBLIC HOLIDAY for the Geelong Cup. There will be NO SCHOOL on this day, so please enjoy the break and the lovely weather!

Mia Moran - we wish you a wonderful time as you prepare to welcome your little one into the world. Thank you for all your hard work, care and dedication to our school community. You will be greatly missed, and we look forward to hearing all about your exciting new adventures in parenthood. Mia’s last day at school will be on Tuesday 27th October.

Concert Success: What a fantastic day we had last Friday with both our Junior and Senior concerts! I was incredibly impressed with the performances, and our new stage setup certainly added value to the event.

A huge thank you to:

Our Families for your wonderful support with costumes and encouragement.
Our Teachers for accommodating rehearsals and supporting students throughout.
The Performing Arts Team (Emma, Megan, and Becky) for planning, organizing, choreographing, and delivering two outstanding concerts. Thank you for giving our performers the chance to shine on stage!

F-2 Swimming – Congratulations to our Foundation, Year One and Year Two students on a very successful start to the swimming program. Thank you to our volunteers who have also supported this important program. Well done everyone.

Melbourne Cup Long Weekend: A quick reminder that we have scheduled Curriculum and Professional Learning Days for the Monday 2nd and Tuesday 3rd November of the Melbourne Cup weekend.

These two days are pupil-free, and the school will be closed.
By scheduling these days together, we hope to assist families with their planning and allow for a 4-day holiday without negatively impacting student attendance.
The 2027 plan for our curriculum and professional practice days is currently being finalized in line with the new EBA and should be ready before the end of the year.

Student Academic Reporting Updates: We are transitioning to align more closely with the Department of Education’s updated student academic reporting policy, with full implementation set for 2027.

December Reports: While staff did not write comments earlier this year due to industrial action, they will be writing a brief paragraph for the upcoming December reporting period.
Looking Ahead to 2027: Moving forward, we will fully transition to the updated policy using a new, easy-to-read template.
For more detailed information regarding the regional reporting mandates, you can review the official policy page at VIC Government Policy and Advisory Library.

School Council Meeting: The October School Council meeting takes place tonight at 6:30pm in the staffroom. With only two more meetings left for the year, we have a lot to cover, including updates from sub-committees and strategic planning for 2027. Thank you to all of our School Councillors for volunteering your time to help Kristy and me continually improve OGPS for our students, staff, and families.

Sporting news: Congratulations to Finn, who finished 7th overall at the Rip Curl GromSearch National Finals, placing as the highest-ranked Victorian! We wish Finn the best of luck he takes on his next challenge, a surf camp in China with pro surfer Matt Wilkinson next week!

Have a wonderful Geelong Cup Public Holiday!

Scott McCumber

Principal

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