Principal's Message

Wawa, Wominjika.

Here at Old Orchard Primary School, we acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we visit each day, the Wurundjeri Woi-Wurrung 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.

The ongoing building works have continued to provide us some challenges in accessing different areas of the school.  Fortunately we are seeing progress and we are now happily settled back into the school office and this week the staffroom has reopened for use.  The 4RR and 4NH classrooms have temporarily shifted to allow for works to commence on their flooring.  Both Clare and I have been so proud of our year 4 students with how well they have settled into their new spaces.  It was a highlight of my week to visit C wing and find 4NH fully set up there and engaged in their learning tasks!  Thanks go to Pip and the way she has prioritised student learning and comfort in relocating furniture and belongings so efficiently.

Our Year 4 students head off to Camp Rumbug (in Foster) next Wednesday where they will stay for 2 nights before making their muddy return to Old Orchard on Friday.  The following week our Year 3s will have their first school camp at Gundiwindi Lodge which is in Silvan.  We wish both groups well and will eagerly look to the school social media accounts for some updates throughout the week!   Camps are a really important part of the school curriculum. The development of independence, team work, initiative, appropriate risk taking, confidence and trying new things that can be gained from a school camp experience is very highly valued at Old Orchard.  We have a gradual introduction to the camping program that begins with our Preps having a breakfast at school and builds across the 7 years of schooling to include a 4 night camp in year 6.  If you would like more information on what our whole school camping program looks like please don’t hesitate to reach out (Sheree in the office or Jen McCann) 

Book Week is approaching! We will be celebrating the enrichment that books provide to our lives in week 6 (19th – 23rd August) with our whole school parade taking place on Tuesday 20th. There will be a special performance of a well known book for everyone to enjoy. You will find further details about the ways Old Orchard will be celebrating book week this year further into this newsletter. 

We will look forward to welcoming Duncan back to school next week.