COLOUR RUN - EVEN BETTER THAN THE FIRST

A week has passed but everyone here is still buzzing with the fun and excitement our whole school community experienced at our second annual colour run. Once again we were blessed with perfect weather and It was just amazing to see our whole community come together and join in the fun. It took me a few days to wash off the slime and colour stain but it was 100% worth it!! People that I saw on Saturday thought I was sunburn, but it was just the red colour dye!!

A massive thank you to Officer CFA for their incredible support in having their trucks on site spraying everyone with water. Thank you also to Parents and Friends for their work behind the scenes in preparing for the event and also for their support on the day. They were integral to the success of this major fundraiser. The final tally for our fundraising was $20,744.05!! Once again, a phenomenal effort from everyone. These funds are being put towards more flexible furnishing within our learning community spaces for our students to use in their learning.

Congratulations to our lucky winners of the raffle draw on the day who got to select a teacher and slime them. Thanks to all of our staff for being so accommodating and 'volunteering' for this experience.

Information was sent out to all families this week through Compass on how to claim your prizes. If you need any support with this process, please don't hesitate to reach out to the admin team. Check out the incredible video below providing a snapshot of the wonderful experience had by all.

LAST DAY OF TERM

Given that the last day of term is before a Public Holiday and we wish to run an assembly on this day, we have decided not to finish earlier as we usually would. As such, please note that we are finishing at the normal time of 3pm.

EASTER RAFFLE

We are certainly packing a heap of excitement, fun and special events into the end of term!! Parents and Friends are not stopping for a breath, with the Colour Run completed, they are now shifting their attention to our Easter Raffle. As was the case last year, our first prize is the gigantic 10kg block of Cadbury chocolate!! Last year's winner was Spencer in Prep and he informs me he is super confident of being the winner once more. Not if I have anything to say about that Spencer :)

On Tuesday 19th of March, the school will be holding a free dress day for all students. Rather than a gold coin donation, we ask that all families donate an Easter Item, such as an egg or bunny, to contribute to the hampers that our OPPS Parents and Friend group are putting together for the raffle.

Raffle ticket books will be sent home to each student **** and will be available for purchase to enter the draw.

The raffle draw will take place at the final assembly for the term on Thursday 28th of March. To ensure we have enough time to complete all of our assembly items on this day, we will begin the assembly a little earlier at 2:15pm.

CROSS COUNTRY

Our House Cross Country competition was also recently completed. Congratulations to all students who participated in their event and gave their absolute best, we are super proud of you all. It was fabulous to see the support and encouragement that our students provided to each other throughout the event.

Well done also to all place getters on the day and to those students in grade 3-6 who will now progress to representing OPPS at the district event in Term 2. At the time of writing the newsletter, Mr Scanlon was keeping the house winner a secret to be announced at today's assembly. Stay tuned!!!

HARMONY DAY

Our official Harmony Day festivities are set to take place on Thursday, March 21st (week 8). Throughout this special week, students will delve into various activities celebrating the rich diversity of our country and exploring the amazing cultures and traditions within our school community.

Australia stands as one of the most successful multicultural countries globally, attracting people from far and wide to call it home. Our cultural diversity is a cornerstone of our identity, making Australia an exceptional place to live. Harmony Week emphasises inclusiveness, respect, and a sense of belonging for all Australians, irrespective of their cultural or linguistic background.

On Harmony Day, students are encouraged to come dressed in their cultural attire or wear the colour orange. Orange, the official colour of Harmony Week, symbolises social communication, meaningful conversations, and the freedom of ideas. Whether it's orange socks, a hat, or any other orange accessory, we want everyone to feel comfortable joining the festivities without the need for additional purchases. A school parade will take place at 9:00 am in the gym, showcasing the diversity within our school.

To make this event even more special we would absolutely love to have students and families presenting cultural dances to our community. For those who prefer not to perform live, we're open to receiving pre-recorded dance performances. Simply send the music to the Orchard Park email address, along with the students participating and the approximate length of the performance. Alternatively, if your child would like to share a short speech, poem or information about their culture's special traditions - please email the office to include it in our schedule.

We can't wait to see our students all dressed up and shining with cultural pride on HARMONY DAY!

Important dates to remember