Dear Parents and Carers,

I hope you and your children are all having a great start to the school year!

I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself—my name is Kate Buckley, and I’m thrilled to be joining Old Orchard Primary School as the new Student Wellbeing Mentor. Some of you may recognise me from my counselling placement at Old Orchard last year. Returning to your incredibly special school community in this exciting position is a privilege and a joy.

I will be at school on Tuesdays and Thursdays, working closely with students, staff, and families to provide wellbeing support. This might include individual check-ins with students, fun group activities, or working with teachers to contribute to our positive school environment. Please introduce yourself if you see me, though you might hear me first - I have a big, loud laugh and strong American accent that make me hard to miss!

If you have any questions about student wellbeing, please don’t hesitate to reach out via email: kate.buckley@education.vic.gov.au

I cannot wait to get to know you and your children :)

Warm regards,

Kate Buckley

Student Wellbeing Mentor

LEARNING ENHANCEMENT (TLI) AT OOPS

Dear Families,

Welcome to 2025! For those of you who don’t know me, I would like to introduce myself to you.

Rebecca Mitchell

Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays

Rebecca.mitchell@education.vic.gov.au

I have been working as a classroom teacher at OOPS since 2001. More recently I have worked as a Learning Enhancement teacher, working alongside the staff and students at OOPS to assist and support students with all areas of their learning.

I have two children - Blake is in his second year of working, having finished his schooling and Jayde is in Year 11. They are both keen athletes - Blake participates at a high level in baseball and Jayde participates in both solo and team calisthenics, as well as club and representative netball.

I am also heavily involved with sport - I am an accredited national baseball scorer, as well as also participating in and assistant coaching calisthenics.

I love helping students to reach their full potential, whatever that may be!

The Learning Enhancement program at OOPS is funded through the Tutor Learning Initiative (TLI) - a Victorian Government initiative which provides targeted teaching by a Learning Enhancement Teacher to students identified as needing support.

I work alongside the classroom teachers to provide Learning Enhancement support. In consultation with them, some students will be identified as needing extra support, either within the classroom, in small group activities or one to one. This support may be for a short period of time or longer, depending on the needs of each student. Families of students who are identified as being in a Learning Enhancement group will be informed via email with an introductory letter. Inclusion in the Initiative will be reviewed regularly.

I’m very excited to welcome Heidi Kelly (OOPS Art Teacher), who (in addition to her amazing work in the Art Room) will also be working with some students to provide Learning Enhancement support.

As I will be working in the classrooms regularly, I may at times work with a number of students in a class, including your child. This may be for incidental assistance or simply as an extra teacher in the classroom to offer support. Please rest assured that if your child has been selected for more focussed and concentrated support, you will be informed.

I look forward to a fabulous year ahead at OOPS!

Rebecca

This Week At OOPS

Welcome to Old Orchard!