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.

While the end of the school year brings with it much excitement, there are always mixed emotions as we farewell students and staff members from our Old Orchard community.

On Monday evening, we celebrated the class of 2025 at the Year 6 Graduation. This event is held at the Karralyke Centre and is always a feature on our school calendar. The students enjoyed the opportunity to dress up for the occasion and share a meal with their teachers and several other staff. They then moved to the graduation ceremony with a large audience of family members and other guests, presenting highlights and memories from their Old Orchard journey. Our guest speaker this year was former student, Jenna Richardson. Jenna shared some powerful messages with the students, primarily focusing on making the most of the opportunities available to them in secondary school. Congratulations to our Year 6 cohort; we wish them every success and happiness for the years ahead.

As is the case every year, we also have several students from other year levels departing Old Orchard for a variety of reasons. We trust that they settle in quickly at their new schools and enjoy a successful transition.

This year, we are also bidding a sad farewell to three of our staff members.

Armann Kumruyan has been at Old Orchard for four years and has made a significant contribution in that time. Armann is a strong and engaging classroom teacher with high expectations of his students; he builds meaningful connections with the students in his class and also other students around the school. Armann will be moving to Wantirna College in 2026, primarily teaching food technology. We have seen from his work in the Old Orchard Kitchen Garden that this is an area of passion for Armann and one in which he has great talent.

Ruth Reading has been at Old Orchard for five years and has impressed us all with her passion for teaching, her pedagogical knowledge and understanding, and the high priority that she places on student well-being. Ruth has been a strong leader and support for younger teachers on staff and has loved the opportunity to be involved in elements of the performing arts program, including concerts, school productions, and carols. Ruth will be moving to the independent sector in 2026 and is looking forward to the opportunity to take on leadership responsibilities in her new position.

Laura Feltham arrived at Old Orchard in 2003 from a neighbouring school, commencing a long and successful connection to the Old Orchard community. As a student, Laura was a standout, performing extremely well in all areas. It was not at all surprising that when Laura completed year 12, she opted to study teaching at university. During this time she contributed to Old Orchard in a volunteer capacity. In 2017, Laura commenced as a teacher at Old Orchard and other than periods of parental and family leave, she has been here ever since. Laura has been an excellent teacher with a thorough knowledge of her students and the curriculum. Her classroom management and focus on student well-being has been a feature of her teaching at Old Orchard. In 2026, Laura will be relocating to Geelong with her young family.

We will certainly miss Armann, Ruth and Laura next year; however, we thank them for their excellent contribution to our school and wish them every success in their endeavours.

Thanks also to Yolanda Yan who has been a terrific replacement for Tracey Ding in our Mandarin program in term 4; Zahn Hobson for her continued contribution to our school as a member of the Year 4 team; and Alisha Lee for her contribution to the Year 2 team.

PFA & Sausage Sizzle

Thank you to the Old Orchard families who supported the Bunning’s Sausage Sizzle last Sunday. We had 15 volunteers managing the event throughout the day and many, many current and former Old Orchard families dropping by to support the event. The overall profit for the day was an incredible $2,400. Special thanks to Sean Maxwell for coordinating the event.

I would like to acknowledge the great work of Sarah Alligan and all members of the PFA for their contribution throughout 2025. They have been a very proactive group, with numerous fundraising events, including the sausage sizzle, comedy evening, Bogan Bingo, and much more. We are always looking for new PFA members so please keep an eye open for further information at the commencement of 2026.

School Council

On Wednesday evening, we held our final School Council meeting for 2025. The School Council is an important body at Old Orchard, representing the entire school community and having important input into policy and finance matters. Thank you to all members of the School Council for this year; your contribution is greatly appreciated.

Carols on the Green

Thank you to members of the Old Orchard community who were able to attend our Carols on the Green event on Wednesday evening. The carols at Old Orchard are deliberately a low-key event and feedback has suggested that this is appreciated by families and staff at such a busy time of the year. Congratulations to our students for getting into the festive mood, with particular thanks to our music captains and MC’s James & Sehara. Thanks also to Rhiannon Trimby, Pip Cariss, Mark Walsh and Ivan Khatchoyan for their assistance on the evening.

Year 5 & 6 Market Stalls

A huge congratulations to all of our Year 5 & 6 students and staff on the magnificent success of the Market Stalls yesterday. The students spent considerable time preparing for this event and must be commended on their engagement and commitment. For those that may not have been aware, the students had voted for any profits to be directed towards the development of an inclusive play space at Old Orchard. The total profit raised yesterday was an incredible $2,966. Well done to everyone involved!

Prep & Year 6/7 Orientation

On Tuesday of this week, we formally welcomed our 2026 prep students as they met their new teachers and new classmates. We look forward to getting to know our youngest students more throughout next year.

For many of our Year 6 students, Tuesday was their Year 7 Orientation Day, where they attended their future school and met new classmates and staff members. By all accounts, their experiences were very positive ones and we are confident that their transition to secondary school will be very smooth.

Arrangements for Thursday December 18th

Just a reminder that the final day for students is Thursday, December 18th. The structure of the day is as follows:

Warm regards,

Duncan