From the Principal

Welcome back to Term 4! It’s always a busy term with many events and celebrations.

Reminder - Curriculum Day & Melbourne Cup Public Holiday

The school has a Curriculum Day on Monday, 3rd November. Students will not be required to attend school on Monday. All day care is available at OSHC. Please book a spot via the website. The Melbourne Cup Public Holiday is on Tuesday 4th November. The school is closed on that day. 

150th Birthday 

Our 150th birthday celebration is approaching. Here are some further details:

Date: Saturday, 8 November 2025

Time: 10am-3.00pm

Events

Official Ceremony 11.00-11.45am (approximately)

This includes performances from the junior and senior choir, school dance group and Protypo Greek School and attendance from Clare O’Neil (Federal Member for Hotham) and Steve Dimopoulos (State Member for Oakleigh).

All day

• Student Art Show in the Gymnasium
• Food options - sausage sizzle, potato twisters, coffee, ice cream and donuts.
• Entertainment - jumping castle, petting zoo and large board games.
• The main building will be open for the community to view.
• Memorabilia will be on sale.

Heritage Hall

• Slideshows will be running throughout the day in each of the ‘decade rooms’. 
• "Milestones" display in the heritage hall focusing on the150 year history of the whole school with a 15-20 minute movie. 
• Meet ups for past staff and students:
  • 10.30 - 11.00    1950s/1960s
  • 11.00 - 11.30    Official Opening etc
  • 11.30 - 12.00    1970s
  • 12.00 -  12.30    1980s
  • 12.30 -   1.00    1990s
  • 1.00   -  1.30     2000s
  • 1.30   -  2.00     2010s

We hope to see all of our families at some stage during the day for this event. 

Thank you to the families who have volunteered to help with the sausage sizzle, we really appreciate it. Shifts will be confirmed closer to the time.

We look forward to a fabulous day!

2026 Planning

The school is well underway in planning the 2026 school year.

Soon, classroom teachers will be working on class lists for 2026. Parents are invited to write to Principal Ruth Biddle regarding class placements for their children. It should be noted that there is no provision to request teachers. 

Please do not send requests for student friendships, as the students themselves will list friends they would like us to consider to be placed with.

All staff are committed to meeting the educational needs of all students. Considerable thought, planning and time goes into placing children into classes. Every effort is made to place each child in a learning environment that is happy, productive and successful. 

All information received from parents is considered in this context. Please ensure you email the school at oakleigh.ps@education.vic.gov.au directing the email to Ruth Biddle by Friday, 7 November. Any requests made after this date will not be considered. Please note that if you made a request last year, you will need to write another request this year if it is still relevant for your child. 

If you are planning on moving interstate, to another country or away from Oakleigh and are yet to notify the office, please do so as soon as possible. Numbers have a significant bearing on our planning, and we appreciate early notification where possible.   

If you hear of anyone wishing to attend Oakleigh in 2026, please send them to the office to enrol. If you have not enrolled any younger siblings, please do so as quickly as possible so that they can attend our kinder to school transition program.

If you have any further questions, please contact the school office.

World Teacher’s Day

World Teachers’ Day is on 31st October. It is an excellent time to reflect on the wonderful teachers we have at Oakleigh Primary School and Kindergarten and their amazing contribution to the school and students’ learning. We are fortunate to have dedicated teachers at Oakleigh who look after the academic, social and emotional needs of our students. 

I ask that students and families acknowledge the day with their classroom teachers. A simple ‘thank you’, a note or ‘home-made’ card or a flower from your garden is simple way to recognize the work your teachers do.

We have planned a recognition ceremony for teachers to celebrate their profession.

Student Supervision 

Before school: 

School grounds are supervised between 8.45-9.05am at the: 

• Main front playground and Logie Street Entrance
• Warrawee Oval rear entry gate (silver gate near gym)

At 8:50am a bell will ring to signal that teachers are in classrooms, ready to supervise students entering classrooms, enabling students to get ready for the day and learning starting at 9.00am. 

After school: 

School grounds are supervised between 3.30-3.45pm at the

• Main front playground and Logie Street Entrance
• Warrawee Oval rear entry gate (silver gate near gym)

Students on school grounds outside these times will not be supervised (unless they are attending a before or after school care program or supervised extracurricular activity). 

Parents/carers must ensure that students do not attend school outside of these supervised times unless they are attending before or after school care, or a pre-arranged supervised activity.

Families are encouraged to contact the OSHC coordinator via email at oshc@oakleighps.vic.edu.au or phone 9568 2983 or 0412 168 560 or refer to https://www.oakleighps.vic.edu.au/out-of-school-hours-care for more information about the before and after school care facilities available to our school community.

For a copy of our school’s Yard Duty and Supervision Policy please go to the school website or contact the school office. This policy includes Oakleigh Primary School’s student supervision arrangements across the school day, including before and after school.

No balls on basketball court before and after school

We have had several incidents this term with people being hit by balls before and after school while collecting their children from school or kindergarten.

Students cannot play any ball sports on the courts before school. From 3.30 - 4.00pm ball sports cannot be played on the courts. After 4.00pm students may play if it is supervised by a parent or guardian. Students can play soccer or other ball sports on Warrawee Oval if they are supervised by a parent or guardian. 

Parent Conduct - discussing issues and approaching other families

Occasionally, incidents occur between students at school. The school liaises with the students involved and their families to sort out a resolution. This is done in a respectful and, in some cases, confidential manner to all involved. 

We ask that parents do not share and discuss these issues amongst themselves on the school grounds or via social media. We also ask that parents do not approach other parents to sort out disputes as this can often cause more upset. Please contact the school and meet with the classroom teacher, so we can help with a resolution in a constructive manner. 

Attitudes to School Survey Results 

Earlier in the year students from Year’s 4-6 completed the Attitudes to School Survey online.

Our results are outstanding, achieving better than state, similar and like schools in most areas. This indicates, in the opinion of the students, that Oakleigh Primary School is a safe place and engaging for their education.  Areas that we particularly excel in are differentiating learning challenge, effective teaching time, motivation and interest and student voice and agency.

Our teachers work very hard to provide a high quality education for students, ensuring that their social, emotional and academic needs are met. 

The school community should feel proud of these results.

NAPLAN

The school’s full NAPLAN results were released. Most assessments are performed online, except for the Year 3 Writing, which is still ‘pen and paper’ style.

NAPLAN measures student achievement in numeracy, reading, writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation. The results are presented in 4 proficiency levels- exceeding, strong, developing and needs additional support. 

Well done to our students for their work and results in the assessments. 

Year 3 - Top Two Proficiency Levels

Year 5 - Top Two Proficiency Levels

Year 3-5 Growth Data (Same school) - High and Medium Growth

Teachers have analysed the results. The school will be reviewing its goals for the next 4 years as part of the school review, with these results considered in this process.

Roof Works

The roof in the main building, for many years, has had issues with leaking in heavy rains. I am pleased to let the community know that this is being rectified with major works being undertaken soon managed by the Victorian School Building Authority.  I’ll give regular updates on the works as they progress.

Student safety at Oakleigh Primary School is our highest priority and the safe and appropriate supervision of students is an important element of our duty of care to students. Part of this duty is ensuring families and students are aware of our supervision arrangements before and after school. 

Thunderstorm Asthma - be prepared this pollen season

Grass pollen season, which typically runs from October to December each year in Victoria, brings an increase in asthma and hay fever symptoms. It also increases the risk of thunderstorm asthma. For people with asthma or hay fever, especially those who experience wheezing or coughing with their hay fever, thunderstorm asthma can be sudden, serious and even life threatening.

Oakleigh Primary school aims to implement a range of measures to keep our school community safe as the risk of thunderstorm asthma increases. 

Most of our staff are trained in asthma first aid, and we will monitor the VicEmergency app to receive thunderstorm warnings, and, where appropriate, keep students indoors when weather forecasts identify greater risk. 

During the season, there are some things you can do to prepare and protect yourself and your family:

• If your child has ever had asthma, talk to your doctor about what you can do to help protect them from the risk of thunderstorm asthma this pollen season, including updating your asthma action plan. Taking an asthma preventer properly and regularly is key to preventing asthma, including thunderstorm asthma. 
• If your child has hay fever, see your pharmacist or doctor for a hay fever treatment plan and check if you should have an asthma reliever puffer. These are available from a pharmacy without a prescription.
• If your child has hay fever and experiences wheezing and coughing, it is important to make sure they don’t also have asthma. Speak to your doctor about an asthma action plan.   
• Where possible, avoid being outside during thunderstorms from October to December, especially during the wind gusts that come before the storm. Go inside and close your doors and windows. If you have your air conditioning on, turn it to ‘recirculate’.

Protect yourself this pollen season – managing asthma and allergies matters.

For more information, speak to your doctor. You can also visit the Better Health Channel website. 

Celebrating Diverse Learners

October 2025 is Dyslexia Awareness Month and ADHD Awareness Month and 17 October is Developmental Language Disorder Day. It’s a great opportunity to learn more about these conditions and how we can support diverse learners in school and at home.

Diverse learners include students with characteristics of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, developmental language disorder (DLD) and learning difficulties such as dyslexia.

Our school is committed to inclusive education where all learners are supported by evidenced-based teaching practices, which are essential for diverse learners. 

The Department of Education’s Diverse Learners Hub provides evidence-based guidance and resources for teachers and families on how to support diverse learners. 

The hub’s website includes:

• information about supporting students with language difficulties, including DLD
• information for parents about learning difficulties, including dyslexia 
• resources developed by the department’s partner, Monash University’s AllPlay Learn team, including: 
• parent resources
• why some children have trouble sitting or staying focused
• primary students with ADHD
• secondary students with ADHD.

Children’s Week

Children’s Week is a national celebration that recognises the talents, skills, achievements and rights of children.

It will run from Saturday, 18 October to Sunday, 26 October 2025, with thousands of Victorian children and families expected to take part.

This year’s theme is ‘Everyone should know about Children’s Rights’, based on Article 42 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

A calendar of free activities is detailed with events and activities for Victorian families with children aged up to 12 years.

Changes to digital device use 

From 2027, the Victorian Government is introducing changes to the use of digital devices for students from Prep to Grade 6. 

Under the new guidelines, schools:

• will no longer invite families to purchase or bring their own digital devices to use at school for Prep to Grade 6
• will follow new recommended digital device times, including minimal device time for Prep to Grade 2; and a maximum of 90 minutes per day for grades 3 to 6.

These changes are intended to support families by reducing cost-of-living pressures. They will also support students by reducing screen-time which can reduce the risk of eye strain, sedentary behaviour, and reduced peer interaction. These reforms complement Victoria’s nation-leading mobile phone restrictions, ensuring an integrated approach to addressing digital distraction and the inappropriate use of technology.

What this means for our school

As you know, we already provide school-owned digital devices for student learning, so there is no impact on our school.

Students with disability who use a digital device as a reasonable adjustment are exempt from these changes. 

These changes are intended to support families with cost-of-living pressures and reduce student screen time.

You can read more about the changes on the department’s website: Digital Learning: Policy.

Share your views to help make school safer

The Department of Education is inviting parents and carers to take part in an online survey. 

The survey seeks views on how the department can best protect school communities from harmful behaviour by parents and carers, and other adults:

• on school grounds and other places school activities happen 
• online including social media.

Harmful behaviours can include abusive, aggressive and disruptive behaviours, including on social media platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp.

The survey will help the department:

• better understand community attitudes around this issue 
• seek input on whether stronger protections are needed for school communities. 

The survey closes at 11:59 pm on Monday, 10 November 2025. 

At Oakleigh Primary School, we are committed to creating a safe and supportive environment for the entire school community. We support ongoing efforts to address harmful behaviour by adult members of our school community, including online. 

I encourage you to share your views by taking part in the survey. To access the survey, refer to Keeping school staff safe onsite and online on the Engage Victoria website.

Have a great month!

Ruth Biddle

Principal