Principal Message

Dear Families,

Meet & Greets: Monday and Tuesday afternoon was a busy time for staff and some families racing between multiple meetings. Thank you to all who attended to start the year in a positive way, getting to know the teacher and them getting to know you and most importantly the learner! If you have forgotten to share something with the teacher, a quick note on Seesaw to the teacher might help or arrange a phone call at a time that suits both parties. Unfortunately, we have had to postpone a couple of classes meetings due to unforeseen circumstances, but those teachers will be in touch soon to reschedule. 

Congratulations: It’s been a big week for Jess Chadwick, one of our amazing Foundation teachers who got married on the weekend. A big congratulations to Jess & Jordan and we look forward to seeing you back at school and sharing more of your special day with us.

Assembly: This Friday our School Captains take the reins and host their first whole school assembly. Various Year 6 leadership badges will be presented here too. Please feel free to join us in the gym for a 2.45pm start.

Yard Duty: This year sees an increase in the number of staff on duty at recess and lunch time. They wear a high-vis vest and have a medical bum-bag with band-aids and tissues for small issues etc. We have 6 clearly defined areas that also include Chill Ville – our quiet wellbeing space that Andy, Ryan and Rhonda coordinate. This is a great space if children need some quiet time during lunch. It is located adjacent to the new garden area, so pop in and say hi to the wellbeing team! 

Kindness & Trust: These are our two school values that we do our best to uphold as often as we can. Sometimes trust is broken in friendships and can take time to heal, and we can always choose to be kind. Even in friendship shifts and changes over time, we encourage students to be kind – smile, acknowledge them and choose words carefully. Who knows, your paths may cross again in the future, and you may even reconnect. These discussions are always good to continue at home and coach our learners how to work through any changes. 

Sporting achievement: Big congratulations to Keegan Johnson for making the state Under 18 basketball team! Your hard work and dedication have paid off, and we couldn’t be prouder. It’s awesome to see you taking your game to the next level—well deserved! Can’t wait to see you out there representing the state. 

Apple Fair: Please lock in Sunday March 16th to attend the Apple Fair at school. Adele Smith and her amazing team are doing a power of work in the background and will be asking for a few things from here on in. If you have time to help in set up, pack up, on the day, or even in the next few weeks, I am sure Adele would greatly appreciate the help. This is our MAJOR fundraiser with all money raised going directly back into the school. Invite your family and friends along too!

Teachers Work hours: All DE staff work a 38 hour work week with their official start time at OGPS being 8.35am and concluding at 4.35pm on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday and Friday staff finish at 3.35pm. Please respect teachers work times and they will respond to you as soon as they can, but it may be the next day at times as Mondays & Tuesdays they have meetings and Wednesday teams meet for planning, assessment, moderation and wellbeing.

Brain Breaks: Staff are incorporating brain breaks into student learning time which might be a simple stretch, walk, drink, snack, or just a quiet moment. As we are all different and have differently wired brains, we all need a few different things to be at our best. Staff are learning what works well for the class and then the individual too.

NAPLAN: Years 3 & 5 will participate in the National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) later this term with a focus on Year 5 growth for our cohort. We want to build on their great results from Year 3 and see improvement (growth) from that point. If you are choosing to withdraw your child from NAPLAN, please email the school soon so I can prepare the required documentation and get it to you and entered back onto the NAPLAN system! Those who are participating, keep an eye on the dates and tests and continue to be positive around all aspects of school. More info for parents and carers can be found here. It’s also important to remember that NAPLAN does not test student ability in Art, sports, music, etc. It is a snapshot that shows where students are at in Numeracy and Literacy skills and provides schools great feedback on what they are doing well and also where they can improve.

Prep (Foundation) Photos for newspaper: Each year the Geelong Addy runs a photo of the Preps across the region. If you would prefer your Prep (Foundation) child not to be involved, please message your request to the classroom teacher ASAP so we can plan accordingly. 

School Saving Bonus (SSB): Please note that we can't allocate the SSB off current charges until you have been into the SSB portal and chosen it to be used towards activities, excursions, camps etc.

Have a great week everybody.

Scott McCumber 

Principal