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.

NAPLAN

Our Year 3 and Year 5 students commenced their NAPLAN testing yesterday, with the Writing assessment. NAPLAN continues today with Reading, tomorrow with Language Conventions and Monday with Numeracy. We wish our students well for their assessments and look forward to receiving the results as they are made available.

Talk About It

Our Year 6 students are continuing the Life Education - Talk About It sessions. 

Talk About It supports schools to deliver curriculum aligned education in the areas of relationships, identity and puberty and helps students navigate puberty, sexual health and relationships. All Talk About It sessions are held in the classroom by a specialist health educator and include interactive activities and worksheets and provide students with the opportunity to submit anonymous questions via a question box.

The educator who has presented the sessions is Tara, and she has been outstanding in her capacity to deliver what can sometimes be challenging content, in a highly professional, engaging manner and in a way that minimises any degree of discomfort the students might potentially experience.

Parent - Teacher Chats

Our Term 1 Parent - Teacher Chats will be conducted over the next 10 days. We hope that all families take up this important opportunity to support your child(ren) and to strengthen the home - school partnership. Information has been sent separately in relation to booking an appointment time.

Harmony Day

Next Thursday Old Orchard will celebrate Harmony Day. This is an opportunity to recognise and celebrate our diversity that brings together Australians from many different backgrounds. The day is about inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone. Students are encouraged to wear orange to show their support. Information that families may find interesting is the top 10 countries of birth of parents at the school:

School Photos 

Next week will also see our School Photos, with class and individual photos on Wednesday and sibling photos on Friday.

Lunch Eating Arrangements

We have made a minor change to the lunch eating arrangements in 2024. I will be sending home a separate communication explaining the changes in more detail, so please check your inbox for details.

Gemma Ashdowne 

The sister of  staff member Gemma Ashdowne, Sophie, lives with Down Syndrome. Gemma and Sophie have been invited to Parliament House on World Down Syndrome Day next week to speak about their experiences as siblings and the support that is required to help Sophie reach her potential. As part of World Down Syndrome Day, there is a Rock Your Socks fundraiser which helps to raise public awareness and to create a single global voice advocating for the rights, inclusion and well-being of people with Down Syndrome. 

For those who would like to support the Rock Your Socks fundraiser, there is a box of socks at the front office and further details elsewhere in this newsletter.

Cuppa with Duncan

Don’t forget the first Cuppa with Duncan scheduled for tomorrow morning at 9.15 in the staffroom - I hope to see you there.

Kind regards

Duncan