Principal's Message

Wawa, Wominjika.

Here at Old Orchard Primary School, we acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we visit each day, the Wurundjeri Woi-Wurrung 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.

The ‘Harvest’

We recently invited suggestions for a new name for our school newsletter. There were several great suggestions, with our eventual choice being The Harvest. The name change will occur from the commencement of Term 3. The Harvest is a catchy name that has a clear connection to Old Orchard’s history as a prolific orchard area. No doubt it will take a little while to become part of our common language, but I’m sure everyone will jump on board quickly. Special thanks to the Longley family for their contribution.

Celebrating our volunteers

In addition to our dedicated and professional teaching and support staff team at Old Orchard, we are incredibly fortunate to have numerous volunteers from our community who contribute to school programs, events and activities. In many instances (camps and excursions are perfect examples), we would not be able to offer experiences to our students without the support and contribution of our volunteers. The list below provides some examples of the contribution that our volunteers make:

• Classroom Helpers
• Excursions 
• Camps
• Kitchen Garden
• Library
• PFA
• Kids’ Hope Mentors
• Garden Helpers
• Class Reps
• School Council
• Sports programs (including the Old Orchard Netball Club)
• Tradies, who offer their special expertise as required

A couple of volunteers worthy of particular mention are Mandy Coate and Lynne Franke. Mandy is a former Old Orchard staff member who is a regular volunteer helping in the Art Room and also supporting some of our students where English is their second language. We are incredibly fortunate to have the benefit of Mandy’s expertise and our students benefit enormously from her support. Lynne is one of our valued school grandparents and is a regular volunteer assisting Pip in the maintenance and beautification of our school gardens (as well as other mini projects as they arise.) Thank-you Lynne for your great support.

With our Fete coming up in November, we will again be calling on our school community for support. Thank-you to all of our school volunteers - your contribution, no matter how small or large, is greatly appreciated.

Anaphylaxis

Some of you will be aware that we had a medical emergency yesterday, requiring the administration of an Epipen in response to an anaphylactic reaction. Incidents such as these are very rare, but extremely serious with potentially life threatening consequences. The response of our staff was outstanding and those directly involved are to be commended on responding to the situation in a calm, efficient and professional manner and on following procedures as they have been trained to do. Paramedics arrived in a timely manner and the student concerned was transported to hospital before being discharged in the early evening. The purpose of communicating this incident and response is primarily to reinforce to all members of the community that we can never be complacent in this space. Understanding anaphylaxis, including triggers, signs and symptoms, as well as the appropriate response is essential for school staff but also important for everyone. Yesterday’s incident highlighted the imporatnce of not sharing food at school and we will again be reinforcingf this with all students.

Semester 1 Student Reports

A reminder that the Semester 1 Student Reports will be made available to families via the Sentral Parent Portal on June 26th. The comments section of the reports includes a General Comment, with subject specific comments included on the digital portfolios throughout the year. The other very important elements of the reports are the progression points indicating students’ progression in all subject areas, and a rating of students’ efforts and classroom behaviour. 

Exciting New Arrival at Old Orchard 

Not long to wait now! Check the notice board outside the STEM Room for clues.