Dear Parents, Carers, Students and Community,

Welcome Back

Welcome back to all our students, families and community members. We hope you all had a relaxing school holiday and are looking forward to the year ahead as much as we are. We also warmly welcome all new students and their families to our school and look forward to getting to know each of you.

It was fantastic to see the students return last week with great excitement. I congratulate them on the standard of uniform and for displaying our school expectations of being a safe, respectful, responsible learner from day one.

On Tuesday, we officially welcomed our new Kindergarten students into KU, KS and KPC, and they had a fabulous day. Congratulations to all the students and their parents for such a positive and settled start to school. Mrs Urszulak, Mrs Smith, Mrs Parrey and Mrs Cunningham couldn’t be prouder.

We also welcomed some of our youngest members of our school to Preschool last week and this week. Despite some unavoidable changes to our staffing, overall, these children settled in beautifully and are a welcomed addition to OFPS. We look forward to having a lovely year of learning, fun and connection.

Meet the Teacher

On Monday 19 February, we will be holding a ‘Meet the Teacher’ afternoon, with our P&C generously hosting a welcome BBQ. During the afternoon, from 3.15pm – 4.30pm, teachers will hold an information session in their classroom, where they will share important information for the year ahead, provide an opportunity for you to ask questions and for you to get to know your child’s teacher. During the afternoon the P&C will provide a free sausage sizzle. More information will be shared in the coming days.

Classes for 2024

Students were allocated to their new classes on Friday. Our class structure and teachers are outlined below. We anticipate that no further changes need to be made, however, if any additional changes are required, parents will be informed. Please be confident that we carefully consider all placements and try to ensure that students are placed in a class best able to meet their learning and wellbeing needs.

Communication with Staff

At OFPS we greatly value families and staff working together to support our students. We encourage open communication between home and school. It’s important for us to be kept informed if there are any matters that may be impacting on your child at school. As first option, parents and carers are encouraged to speak with their child’s teacher. Please be mindful that often before and after school, teachers are busy preparing for lessons, are on duty or have other meetings. If this is the case, please make an appointment to discuss any issues at a mutually convenient time.

Your child’s teacher is always the first person to talk to, however, if for some reason you would like further support, the Assistant Principal responsible for each stage may also be of assistance. Please feel free to contact the office to arrange a time to meet.

Assistant principals for each stage are:

· Early Stage 1 (Preschool & Kinder) – Mrs Alice Wigny

· Stage 1 (Year 1 and Year 2) – Miss Connor

· Stage 2 (Year 3 and Year 4) – Miss Walker-Lau

· Stage 3 (Year 5 and Year 6) – Mrs Ross

School Leaders for 2024

Our 2024 student leaders were announced at the end of 2023; Polly and Cooper as School Captains, and Mia and Jack as Vice Captains. We congratulate our 2024 leaders as they officially take on this prestigious role within our school. I look forward to working with them and I know they will all do an exceptional job.

Preschool Mural

Over the school holidays, a beautiful mural has been completed on the walls at the front entrance of our preschool. The talented Jasmine, from JS Koori Designs, worked with our preschool students and community to include their designs in our mural.

Jasmine’s design reflects the nature of learning and that it takes many forms and methods to learn. Community is a prominent feature, as well as connectedness and respect for culture.

Label All Belongings

An important reminder for parents to label all their children’s belongings. It is much more likely that lost items can be returned to your child, particularly hats, jumper/jackets, lunch boxes and drink bottles. Permanent marker can sometimes be the best solution. If you need some support, your child’s teacher may be able to help.

Kiss and Drop Zone

Parents and carers are reminded that the area on Griffiths Street, directly in front of the school, is a No Parking Zone throughout the times 8.30-9.30am and 2.30-3.30pm. The ‘kiss and go’ zone is to support students’ safety and help manage congestion in our street at peak times. Some key expectations about ‘Kiss and Go’ include:

Stand only for 2-3 minutes, no parking;
Stay in the car where possible, or within 3 metres of the car;
Fill the kiss and drop area from the front first. If you are waiting and a car leaves from in front of you, please more forward to fill the space if safe to do so;
If your child has not come out of the gates, do a loop around the block and re-join the ‘kiss and drop’ area. If everyone does this there will be less congestion;
At drop off, have bags with children ready to exit the car;
Children should always exit on the kerb side, unless supported by an adult;

NSW Health Primary School Dental Program

NSW Health is working with the Department of Education and public primary schools to offer FREE dental check-ups and preventive care, to all students as part of a school-based mobile dental program. Our school has been fortunate enough to be selected to participate the program.

Many parents may not realise two important things about their children’s teeth:

Good oral health is essential for children to successfully learn and participate at school, and
NSW Health offers free public dental health services to all children under 18 years of age.

Learning and behaviour difficulties at school can start with tooth and gum problems. That’s because decay and gum disease can cause pain and difficulties in eating, sleeping, talking, concentrating, and learning, which can in turn affect a child’s behaviour in class. A child with tooth decay may feel self-conscious about the way their teeth look and feel, making it harder for them to join in class and social activities.

Our school is participating in the program and offering students the opportunity to have FREE dental check-ups in a comfortable and familiar environment at school. With a parent/carers consent, students can receive a FREE dental check-up and free preventive care.

The program is scheduled to visit our school from 11/03/2024 to 27/03/2024

A Parent Information and Consent Pack will be sent home with each student, and includes information sheets, consent forms and the program privacy statement. Parents/carers who want their child to receive care are advised to:

Read all the information provided in the pack
Carefully complete all the fields of the consent forms
Return the consent forms to the school as soon as possible

More information about the program or how to access public dental clinics is available on the NSW Health website at https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/oralhealth/primaryschooldental/Pages/default.aspx

Assemblies

Our first assembly for 2024 will be held Wednesday 21 February at 2.05pm (Years 3-6 assembly). Primary assemblies will take place on even weeks, and Infants assemblies on odd weeks, beginning Wednesday 28 February. Parents are always welcome to join us in in the hall from 1.55pm, entering from Griffiths Street gate only.

Whole School Communication

Last year our school transitioned to a new administration system, School Bytes. This means we will no longer be communicating through School Enews. We advise that if you don’t have any other children at other school that use Enews to delete the app off your phone to avoid confusion.

If you haven’t already, parents are encouraged to download the School Bytes Parent Portal App. This app will allow for parents and carers to easily make payments, download receipts and conveniently complete digital permission notes. If you need any support, please contact our office so they can assist.

Kind regards

Jodi Niedermayer

Principal

8 February 2024

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