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.
Pupil Free Day
Our staff spent the Pupil Free Day with highly regarded Literacy expert, Riss Leung. Riss is a highly engaging and extremely knowledgeable presenter and the response from staff was extremely positive. We look forward to seeing some of Riss’s strategies implemented in our classrooms.
Week 2
We have continued to be extremely impressed by the manner in which our students have settled into the new school year. It has been clear from visiting classrooms that our Learning Launch is being implemented consistently and successfully across the school and that a culture of High Expectations is being embedded.
Staff First Aid
On Wednesday afternoon, our staff team completed their First Aid training, including CPR training, with HERO First Aid. This training is something that most of us hope that we never need to use, but have the knowledge and confidence that we will have the appropriate level of training should the need arise.
Breakfast Club
We are excited to announce the launching of our Old Orchard Breakfast Club, commencing Wednesday 11th Feb in the staffroom from 8.30am. Our Wellbeing Support person, Kate Buckley, is leading the Breakfast Club initiative. Please keep a look out for further information.
Peer Mediator Badges
Our 2026 Peer Mediator Badge Presentation will take place next Friday in Drayton Hall. The Peer Mediation program at Old Orchard is an outstanding example of how our students can support each other in the playground and develop problem solving and conflict resolution skills.
Year 6 Camp
Our Year 6 students are excited about their upcoming Coonawarra Camp (East Gippsland) in Week 4. Camps can provide a valuable educational experience for our students which are complementary to their learning, as they provide access to resources, environments and expertise that may not be available in the classroom. Camps are seen as an integral part of the school curriculum at Old Orchard Primary School as they enable students to explore, extend and enrich their learning and their social skills development, in a non school setting.
The aims of our camping program are:
- to provide students with the opportunity to participate in a camping program link to social, cultural and educational outcomes for students
- to provide shared class and year level experiences, team building and a sense of group cohesiveness
- to reinforce and extend classroom learning
- to provide a program that delivers skills and knowledge that may lead to a lifelong involvement in worthwhile leisure pursuits
- to provide a program that promotes self-esteem, resourcefulness, independence, leadership, judgement, cooperation and tolerance
- to further develop problem solving and life survival skills.