Leadership Report

RECENT EVENTS

Book Week

Book Week was another wonderful celebration at Orchard Park, beginning with our Book Week Parade in the morning. It was a huge success, with students proudly showing off their favourite book characters and some fantastic costumes. It was wonderful to have so many families join us and made for a fantastic community celebration.

We also received an incredible 230 donated books from our families! Every donated book has now been barcoded and catalogued so they can remain part of our school collection for years to come. The books are now out in our Learning Communities, ready for students to begin borrowing and enjoying the stories generously shared by other OPPS families.

A huge thank you to everyone who donated a book and helped us continue to build our collection!

Father’s Day

Our Father’s Day Breakfast was a huge success last Friday. Thank you to all of our dads and special people who joined us and helped make the morning so lovely for our students. They loved snapping photos together in the photo booths, enjoying a muffin and, most importantly, proudly giving you their handmade gifts!

A big thank you also goes to our Parents and Friends Group for making our Father’s Day Stall possible. Our students absolutely loved having the opportunity to choose their own special gifts to treat Dad or their special person on Sunday.

Prep Excursion – The Big Goose

Last Thursday, our Prep students ventured off to The Big Goose for a fantastic day of farm fun and learning!

Our youngest students became “Farmers for a Day”, getting up close with friendly farm animals, exploring the farm environment, enjoying a tractor ride and watching some of the farm’s daily shows. They also enjoyed plenty of hands-on experiences in the red barn and opportunities to learn through play.

It was a wonderful opportunity for our Prep students to take their learning beyond the school gates, build their confidence and curiosity, and experience farm life firsthand.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Last Day of Term – Friday 18 September

There is plenty happening at OPPS as we finish Term 3 with a big Footy Colours Day!

We will kick off the day with our final assembly from 9:00am–9:45am (parents welcome), which will include our Footy Parade and Orchard Sparks. This morning assembly will replace our usual afternoon assembly.

Thanks to our Parents and Friends Group, with support from our SRC students, we will also have Donut Day, with pre-ordered donuts arriving just before recess.

Following morning tea, the footy action will continue with our Staff vs Students Footy Match!

Fleur and the canteen will also be getting into the footy spirit with special Footy Lunch meal deals available to order.

Students are encouraged to come dressed in their favourite team colours and help us finish the term with plenty of team spirit!

Last Day Reminders:

Assembly, Footy Parade & Orchard Sparks – 9:00am–9:45am (parents welcome)
Donut Morning Tea – donuts delivered before recess
After recess: Staff vs Students Footy Match
Special Footy Lunch – remember to place your order through the canteen
Footy Colours Day – wear your favourite team colours
Early finish at 2:00pm – students will be dismissed from their Learning Communities

Colour Run is Back for 2026!

Our OPPS Colour Run fundraiser has officially launched!

This year, we are raising funds to bring a fantastic student idea to life – a dedicated veggie garden for Orchard Park! The garden will provide a space where students can plant, grow, care for and harvest their own fruit, vegetables and herbs.

Families can now create a fundraising profile for their child/ren through the Go Raise It website. There are also some great fundraising spot prizes up for grabs along the way.

We are excited to see our community get behind another fantastic Colour Run and help us create something our students will be able to enjoy and learn from for years to come.

Division Athletics Finals

What an incredible achievement for our OPPS athletes – Orchard Park Primary School are the overall District Athletics Champions!

Our students did a phenomenal job representing OPPS at the District Athletics and we are incredibly proud of their efforts, sportsmanship and achievements.

We are now excited to have a number of students progressing to the Division Athletics Finals on Monday 21 September. We wish all of our competing students the very best in their events and know they will continue to represent Orchard Park with pride.

Deadly Day

Next Thursday, our invited student leaders and Koorie students will attend the 2026 Cardinia Schools Network Deadly Day at Deep Creek Reserve in Pakenham.

Deadly Day provides a wonderful opportunity for students to learn about culture, connect with community and meet other young people from across Cardinia with shared heritage, values and experiences.

Throughout the day, students will participate in a range of learning experiences and activities facilitated by guests including Sam Richards from Muyan Story, Richmond Football Club and others. We hope our students have a fantastic day of learning, connection and celebration.

2026 Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey

The survey, provided by the Department of Education, helps schools gain valuable insights into families' perceptions of school climate, student behaviour and student engagement. The results are used to identify areas for improvement, inform professional learning opportunities, and guide future school planning and improvement strategies.

We would like to take this opportunity to encourage as many of our families to complete this survey and we very much appreciate the feedback.

How to Access the Survey

Visit:

🔗 https://research.orima.com/parent

You will be asked to enter:

School Name: Orchard Park Primary School
School PIN: 816613

The survey will remain open until Friday 18 September.

Wishing You a Wonderful Term Break

As we come to the end of another busy term, we would like to thank all of our students, families and staff for everything they have contributed throughout Term 3.

Wishing everyone a very happy and safe term break. We look forward to welcoming everyone back for Term 4!