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.

Year 6 Camp

Congratulations to our Year 6 students on a fantastic week at Coonawarra. They were a fantastic group to take away and it was fabulous to see them participating so enthusiastically and supporting each other during the various activities. Massive thanks to Ellen Hurley & Monique Rollins for their preparation, organisation and TLC for the students. Huge thanks also to our student support team of Nicola Major, Jo Simpson & Zac Knight who as always, did an amazing job of supporting all the students, but particularly those students who require some additional care. We were also fortunate to have two terrific parent helpers, Chris Malloy & Andrew Kuik who provided great support throughout the week.

Well done everyone on contributing to a special week for our students!

Gate security

As per the communication earlier this week, to ensure the safety of all students we ask that when entering/exiting the school grounds you please make certain that the exit gates are closed securely behind you. This is particularly important at the gate adjacent to the gymnasium as we are aware many parents exit from this gate after drop off, and staff will not be immediately aware if this gate is left open. If you see gates open at any stage, please assist by closing / securing them.

School tours

It has been exciting to commence our school tours for 2026 Prep students this week. It is always a privilege to show off our fantastic school and to ask various students to talk to our visitors about their learning and why they love our school. Word of mouth is always a powerful communication tool and I encourage you to chat with potential Old Orchard families and suggest they attend one of our upcoming tours.

Student leadership

Student leadership plays a very important part in student life at Old Orchard. Next week, our Year 6 student leaders will attend the GRIP student leadership conference at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre.

The 2025 Peer Mediators will soon undergo formal training and commence their important work supporting younger students in the playground.

The SRC (Student Representative Council) elections are almost finalised and this important program will commence very soon.

In addition to the aforementioned formal leadership programs, we continually encourage students to seek and engage in informal leadership opportunities and to use their initiative whenever appropriate.

District Swimming

Congratulations to our students who participated in the District Swimming event this week. The students acquitted themselves very well, with four students (Indi B, Loretta M, Lily N and Lily B) qualifying for the next round in the competition.

School Photos

Don’t forget our School Photo Day on Wednesday March 5th. Sheree will be sending home specific reminders about requirements for photo day, as well as an indicative timetable.

School Council

Every Victorian Government school has a School Council. School Council has several responsibilities including:

Financial management
Policy development
Monitoring of the School Strategic Plan and Annual Implementation Plan

I am very pleased to announce the 2025 School Council membership as follows:

DoE members

Duncan Cant

Clare Murray

Michelle Chen

Liz Jackson

Parent members

Tim Ness

Jess Hazlett

James McGhie

Shaun Ganguly

Jade Baker

Rhys Coulson

Helen Carr

Community member

Christy Wilkinson

The Office Bearers will be decided at our first meeting on March 12th.

Warmest regards

Duncan

The Harvest

2025/5 · 28 Feb 2025

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