This Week At OOPS
You may have noticed a slight change in the images we’ve been sharing recently.
In line with recent updates from the Australian Government regarding social media use for young people, our school has made the decision to no longer include identifiable student faces in our social media posts moving forward.
While this may look a little different, please be assured that all the wonderful learning, creativity, and everyday moments that make our school community so special are continuing as always. We will simply be sharing these experiences in new ways — through action shots, student work, and snapshots that capture the spirit of school life without identifying individuals.
We appreciate your understanding and ongoing support as we prioritise student safety while still celebrating and sharing the rich experiences happening across our school.
🎉 Ginger Turns Two! 🐾
We recently celebrated a very special milestone for our school community, with our wonderful therapy dog Ginger turning two!
Ginger enjoyed classroom visits where students were able to spend some time with her and give her lots of birthday pats, followed by a celebration complete with cake. Students also created some beautiful cards, which were a lovely way to show just how much Ginger means to them.
Ginger continues to play an important role in supporting student wellbeing, providing comfort, connection, and plenty of smiles each day. We are so lucky to have her as part of our Old Orchard community. Happy 2nd Birthday, Ginger!
Our fibreglass almost life size cow has arrived!
This cow is going to be decorated by the Grade 3 and 4 students, and they will be learning about the dairy industry in the Kitchen Garden program and decorating the cow in Art classes. However, we need a name for our cow, so we are asking students to come up with some great names and enter our competition. If you have a name suggestion,
please write it down with your name and grade and post it in the box in the Art room by Friday 8/5. Jen McCann will be our official name judge.
Art Show - 28th May
It is almost time for our annual Art Show for the Grades 3 to 6 students! The Art show takes place in Education Week (Week 6) and will be open on Education open evening Thursday 28/5. If you are in Grades 3 to 6 and enjoy doing Art outside of school, we would love to show case your talent! Please start bringing in your work from next Monday 4/5. Artwork can be delivered to the Art room on a Monday, Wednesday, and Friday before school. Please make sure each art piece is clearly labelled with your name and grade. Artwork can be any medium and topic and is limited to 2 pieces per student. Any questions please come and see Heidi in the Art room.
Kitchen Garden
Our Kitchen Garden Program is back up and running, and what a fantastic start we’ve had! Students jumped straight into hands-on learning last week, creating delicious vegetarian rice paper rolls using an array of fresh, vibrant ingredients. It was wonderful to see their enthusiasm as they explored new flavours, practised food preparation skills, and worked together in the kitchen. We’re looking forward to another great term of growing, harvesting and cooking!
This term in Years 3 and 4, we’ve been exploring the world through maps and atlases! Students are learning how to use an atlas to locate places, read simple map features, and build their understanding of where Australia sits in the world. It’s been wonderful to see their curiosity grow as they discover different countries, continents, and important geographical sites. Students are beginning to recognise continents, oceans, and key landmarks, and are developing confidence in finding locations using an atlas. You might like to ask your child to show you where Australia is on a map at home - or even challenge them to find a country they’d love to visit!
Winter Food Relief 🥫
We are proud to once again support FoodBoost, Anglicare Victoria’s major winter appeal, now in its fourth year at our school.
FoodBoost helps stock emergency relief centres with much-needed essentials for families doing it tough during the colder months. Donations of pantry staples, lunchbox items, hygiene products, as well as supermarket and fuel gift cards, make a real difference to those in our community.
Old Orchard families always make us incredibly proud with their generosity, and we know this year will be no exception.
We invite all families to get involved and support this important cause. Donations can be left at the office throughout the month of May.