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.

Cyber Safety Workshop

A reminder about our free Parent & Student Interactive Workshop next Thursday, November 27th from 6.00 - 7.30pm. This workshop provides a fantastic opportunity to hear from experts in the field and to engage with your children around this topic. There is no cost to attend the workshop, and it has relevance to all primary school families.

This is an outstanding opportunity for families to attend together designed to build safer, smarter habits with Apple technology.  Please refer to the flyer included in this edition of the Harvest for further information. To assist with logistics, we ask that you register for the workshop via this Try Booking link. https://www.trybooking.com/DHK…

Prep - Year 6 Swimming Program

We are almost half way through our Whole School Swimming Program and we have been thrilled with the efforts of our students and the progress they are making. Feedback from our staff, the staff from Aquanation and also from our bus drivers has been fantastic and we look forward to this continuing next week. A special thank-you to our many, many parent / carer helpers who are assisting with the program and to all of our school families for supporting this extremely important program. 

Student Leadership Selection - 2026 School Captains & Vice Captains

Earlier this week, Ellen Hurley & I interviewed several students as part of the selection process for the 2026 School Captains and Vice Captains. We were incredibly proud of all of the students and extremely impressed by their confidence, poise, thoughtful and creative responses and overall presentation. Each of these students will play a key leadership role next year.

I am delighted to announce our 2026 School and Vice Captains:

Christmas Collection

Our annual Anglicare Toy and Food Appeal is underway, and we warmly invite our school community to take part in supporting local families this Christmas. We are collecting new, unwrapped gifts and non-perishable food items. A list of suggested donations is attached to help guide your contributions. Donations suitable for teenagers are also encouraged, including gift cards, which are always greatly appreciated. All donations can be placed under the Christmas tree at the school office.  If you are donating a gift card please hand it to the office.   Thank you for your generosity and support in helping make the festive season a little brighter for those in need.

Congratulations

Our very best wishes are extended to Year 5 teacher, Nick Hewish, and his now fiancee, Coreen, on their recent engagement. We wish them a very long and happy future together. 

Warm regards,

Duncan