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.

GENEROUS DONATIONS-SCHOOL DEFIBRILLATOR

The Blackburn Lions Club has generously donated $2,600 towards the purchase of a new defibrillator for our school gym. We will formally acknowledge this contribution, by welcoming representatives from the Blackburn Lions Club to an upcoming school assembly for a special handover.

We have also had donations from St Alfred’s Church and Team Kids that will go towards updating the defibrillator in the sickbay. 

A big thank you to Blackburn Lions Club, St Alfred’s Church and Team Kids. We are so lucky to be part of such a generous community.

3MP ARE PARENTS!

It's a common sight to see our chickens wandering through the 3MP classroom each morning. For the past few years, Mandy Parke has done an outstanding job—not only looking after the chickens but also teaching our students how to care for them. 

This term, Mandy arranged for an incubator to be set up in the 3MP classroom. After weeks of patience and eager anticipation, the eggs finally hatched last week! Soon, Mandy and 3MP will be calling for suggestions to help name the new chicks who will be taking up residence in our chicken coop when they’re a little bit bigger. 

Thank you Mandy and 3MP, we are so excited to welcome our new girls.

STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL- SRC UPDATE

The Student Representative Council (SRC) is a group of students elected by their peers to represent the student body and take part in decision-making within the school. This year, the SRC is supported by Rhiannon and Ruth, who meet with the representatives regularly to help guide and facilitate their meetings. Students are encouraged to raise concerns or share ideas with the SRC, which are then brought forward to Duncan, Clare, and Jen for further discussion and consideration.

A recent concern raised by the SRC is the growing amount of rubbish around the school grounds. In response, the SRC is currently trialling several strategies to address and reduce litter across the school. The SRC is also in the process of brainstorming fundraising ideas for Term 3. 

However, one of their favourite responsibilities each term is to choose the whole-school reward for the end of term—provided we reach our pear target. Rumour has it they're keen on a “dunk the teachers” event—but I think we might have to veto that one!

KING’S BIRTHDAY-PUBLIC HOLIDAY

Next Monday 9th June, is a public holiday due to the King’s Birthday. We wish all our families (and teachers) a very restful and enjoyable long weekend.

If you're looking for something to do over the long weekend, the National Gallery of Victoria has just opened a free exhibition for children—Plans for the Planet: Olaf Breuning for Kids. The exhibition offers kids the chance to explore, be creative and share their points of view about the planet and its future. It looks like a very interactive and interesting exhibition—and even better, it’s free.

PREMIER’S READING CHALLENGE

The Premier’s Reading Challenge has begun and ends on the first Friday in September. The Challenge encourages students to read a set number of books over the year and record their efforts online. Since the Challenge first began in 2005, more than 4.5 million students have read over 63 million books.

Old Orchard Primary School is once again taking part in the Challenge, and we encourage all our students to get involved. One way of encouraging your child to read at home is by modelling the behaviour yourself. This winter, why not take the opportunity to curl up by the heater with a good book and enjoy some reading of your own? If you need any book recommendations, Duncan, Jen, and Clare— all avid readers—are more than happy to help.

The Challenge is also a great reminder of how lucky we are to have such an incredible school library. We have such a diverse selection of both fiction and non-fiction books, all ready and waiting to be explored by our F-6 readers. In fact, Ruth and Jennifer recently let us know that we have approximately 13, 600 books in our library—so let’s get reading OOPS!

2026 STUDENT ENROLMENTS 

As of last year, the enrolment process for Prep has moved online. If you have a child starting school in 2026 and have any questions or need assistance with enrolling, please don’t hesitate to contact the school office. 

For new enrolments:

Visit https://students.educationapps.vic.gov.au/s/ to create an account and complete the online application form by Friday 25th July 2025.  

Jen McCann and Clare Murray