Welcome

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.

NAPLAN

Our Year 3 & Year 5 students have been undertaking their NAPLAN (National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy) assessments this week. The students are to be commended on their commitment to doing their best, with special mention to our Year 5 students who demonstrated composure and perseverance on Tuesday when the online NAPLAN system malfunctioned. Our staff also showed great flexibility and composure in managing the issue and supporting the students.

SRC

Congratulations to the following students who will form our SRC team in 2026.

Attendance & Punctuality

At Old Orchard, we prioritise regular school attendance. We will work with families to ensure students are in class with their peers and teachers and enjoying all the benefits that brings. Attending school every day means experiencing what counts – the learning, friendship, fun and opportunities that can shape your child’s future.

Last year, 94 students at our school missed in excess of 20 days of school and early indications are that this pattern is likely to increase in 2026. This absence rate equates to nearly 3 terms across the 7 years of primary schooling and just over 5 terms across the 13 years of primary/secondary schooling.

We understand that there are times when your child will need to miss school but to ensure minimal disruption to their education, please consider scheduling family holidays or medical/dental appointments outside of school time. If your child is well enough to attend but is worried about friendships, schoolwork or exams, please encourage them to come to school. Avoiding school can make these feelings worse and can create a negative pattern of behaviour. If your child is having difficulty attending school, or you are facing challenges in getting them to school, please talk to their teacher or school leadership about getting support.

For more information about the importance of everyday attendance, see Attendance and Missing School.

Remember, Every Day Counts.

Punctuality is also extremely important and all school families are reminded of the importance of students arriving at school well rested, on time and ready to commence learning at 9.00am. Ideally, students should arrive at 8.50am and make their way to their classroom so that they have a few minutes to get organised for the day ahead. Students who regularly arrive late to school, even if it is only by a few minutes, miss out on important information and a smooth transition into the school day. 

We are also seeing an increase in students departing school for various reasons. Again, we ask that these interruptions to learning are minimised whenever possible.

Cuppa with Duncan

This term’s ‘Cuppa with Duncan’ session will be held on Wednesday April 1st at 9.15am in the staffroom. These will be held regularly throughout the year and are a great opportunity for you to hear about what is happening around the school, for me to hear your thoughts and feedback and a chance to connect with other school parents & carers in an informal setting. We will send out a TryBooking link next week.

International Women’s Day - Sunday March 8th

Last Sunday provided us with the opportunity to celebrate International Women's Day (IWD), a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. IWD is one of the most important days of the year to:

• celebrate women's achievements
• educate and awareness raise about women's equality
• call for positive change advancing women
• lobby for accelerated gender parity

• fundraise for women-focused charities

   

From a school perspective, I feel incredibly fortunate and privileged to work with so many amazing women on a daily basis. Their passion, independence, intelligence and confidence are some of the qualities that I see regularly and greatly admire. I have learnt so much from them and am a better person because of those experiences. The women in our extended school community also play an incredible role in the lives of their families and we value their support and the home-school partnership enormously.

Of course, one of the greatest measures of how the world is changing for women is seeing up close the empowered, confident and incredibly capable young girls we have in our care every day. I love that our girls are actively encouraged to have a voice, be strong, be authentic and be proud of who they are as young people (as are our boys). Thank-you to everyone who helps create an environment where this is possible.

Anaphylaxis - food

Anaphylaxis is a severe and potentially life threatening allergic reaction that occurs after exposure to an allergen. The most common allergens for school-aged children are nuts, eggs, cow’s milk, fish, shellfish, wheat, soy, sesame, latex, certain insect stings and medication. In accordance with Department of Education and Anaphylaxis Association guidelines, we do not enforce a ban on nut products as this is impossible to enforce and may lead to complacency in anaphylaxis management.

However, as a risk minimisation strategy, we strongly discourage families from sending common allergens to school, in particular peanut butter, Nutella and other nut based products. We seek your support in this matter and thank-you in anticipation of your assistance. 

Parent teacher chats

Over the next two weeks, parents and carers have the opportunity to meet their child’s classroom teacher for a 10 minute chat about how the year has started for their child, to share pertinent information and to help address any potential concerns. We encourage you to take up this important opportunity. The home-school partnership is incredibly important in ensuring a positive and successful year for our students and we have always been very fortunate at Old Orchard to have a culture of positive and supportive connections between home and school.

PFA - Barefoot Bowls

Don’t forget our upcoming Welcome Event - Barefoot Bowls on Saturday 28th March. This will be a fantastic opportunity to get together with friends, meet other families, and make new connections within our school community. Whether you're new to the school or have been here for years, we would love to see you there.

Please see the flyer in this edition of The Harvest for full event details.

Defibrillators

In 2025, Old Orchard committed to installing 3 Defibrillators on site, with great community support from the Blackburn Lions Club, TeamKids and St Alfred’s church. The purpose of this entry is just to remind school families that the defibrillators are located:

• First Aid Room
• Drayton Hall (adjacent to the serving window)
• Gymnasium (in the entry foyer)

The defibrillators provide crucial life saving equipment both during and outside of school hours. 

Privacy Notice for school community

Our school collects and uses student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy Policy and the Schools’ Privacy Collection Notice.

Our Photographing, Filming and Recording Students Policy, describes how we collect and use photographs, video and recordings of students. The policy also explains when parent consent is required and how it can be provided and withdrawn. We ask parents to also review the guidance we provide on how we use Microsoft 365/Google Workspace for Education safely at the school and what parents can do to further protect their child’s information. If after reviewing the guidance, you have any questions or concerns regarding your child using Microsoft 365/Google Workspace for Education, please contact the school. For detailed information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ Privacy Policy — information for parents. This information is also available in ten community languages:

Right to disconnect

In accordance with Department of Education policy and Fair Work Legislation, all employees have the right to refuse contact from their employer or a third party (such as a parent or carer) outside of their normal working hours, unless that refusal is unreasonable. This means an employee can opt not to monitor, read or respond to contact that occurs outside their normal working hours. If you feel that out of hours communication is of an urgent nature or extremely high priority, please contact me in the first instance at duncan.cant@education.vic.gov.au

Best wishes

Duncan