KINDER CAR PARK

We have recently been communicating with the team at Kurmboon Kindergartern regarding car parking at drop off and pick up times. Whilst we appreciate the challenges of finding car parks during these busy times, school staff (yes I confess, I have been guilty of this!!) and school parents using the kinder car park is adding risk for kinder children and families moving through this area. Additionally it is making it hard for kinder families to find a park at their drop off and pick up times.

As such, we are asking all school families to cease using the kinder car park from this point on. Rest assured, this message is something our school staff are also committing to, to ensure we collectively create a safe environment for all families within our hub.

WHOLE SCHOOL PERFORMANCE

The excitement and buzz is building within the school as our classes continue to rehearse and fine tune their performance items for our upcoming whole school performance. This is taking place on Friday 30th August at Rivergum Performing Arts Centre.

Just a reminder that information regarding ticket purchases went out yesterday. The opportunity to purchase your 2 tickets per family is now open and the opportunity to purchase additional tickets will open up on Monday 12th August. To avoid the possibility of missing out on tickets, please ensure you get in over the weekend and snap up your first 2 tickets per family.

PLAYRITE - PURPOSEFUL PARENTING WITH TEENS

ATTENTION ALL SENIOR SCHOOL PARENTS THIS IS FOR YOU!!!!

One of the common challenges we discuss with parents of students within our Senior School is the ability to stay connected with your child as they transition into their teenage years. Something we also noticed from our recent student opinion data is that students also feel the same way!!! Our data shows our Year 5 and 6 students are not feeling as connected to the adults (parents/carers) within their family home. I know from experience, these are challenging times that definitely require adjustment and reflection upon how we parent our growing children.

We are absolutely thrilled to be partnering with the team at Playrite to bring this incredible parenting program to Orchard Park Primary School. The program consists of 4 sessions of learning for parents, spaced out approximately a month apart. The sessions are all about considering some different ways we can build authentic and rich experiences with our teenage (or close to) children. More information about this incredible opportunity is on a separate full page within our newsletter. Playrite doesn’t claim to be the silver bullet but it’s an opportunity to grow and learn together to support your family in building strong relationships and connections. If you have any questions about Playrite, please don’t hesitate to contact the office to discuss further with a member of leadership.

SCHOOL CAMPS

The next 2 weeks see our Middle and Senior School students heading off on their annual camps. Next week our Middle School is heading off to Forest Lodge for 3 days of action and adventure in this rural camp. We can’t wait to hear all about their experiences upon their return. Miss Sutherland will be joining some of the Middle School staff and parent helpers on this camp.

The following week, I am really looking forward to joining the Senior School students and their staff on our Urban Camp. Students will experience all that our wonderful capital city has to offer, including visits to the zoo, aquarium and the museum!! Again, I can’t wait to share with you all the great experiences our students have over the course of this camp.

SCHOOL DISCO

Another fun-filled and energy packed disco took place for our students last Friday night. Both our Junior and Middle/Senior discos were well attended and wow, our kids have some amazing dance moves!!! A massive thank you to all of the parent helpers from Parents and Friends who supported the supervision of this additional event .

BOOK WEEK

Don’t forget, Book Week is fast approaching, and on Monday 19th August at 9am, we'll be hosting our whole school parade in the school gym. This parade offers every student the exciting opportunity to showcase their favourite book character by dressing up in costumes. I know there is lots of planning and conversations amongst staff of who has the most creative costume!!

As was mentioned in our last newsletter, we are continuing our tradition from last year and kindly requesting families to contribute a new book to enrich our school library. The donated book will become a part of your child's Learning Community, and a special sticker will acknowledge your family's generosity. This initiative allows

students to borrow each other’s books from their Learning Community Library.

PARENT OPINION SURVEY

A big thank you to the parents/guardians who have found some time to complete our parent/carers opinion survey. This data is extremely valuable for our school as we continue to look at ways to further improve our school. All families would have received this link through Compass. The survey closes on Friday 30th August and we encourage all families to take this opportunity to voice your thoughts and opinions on our school’s future direction.