From the Principal

150th Birthday Celebration - thank you!

Despite the inclement weather, our 150th birthday celebration was a rousing success. The day was well attended by current families and staff as well as past students, teachers and principals.

It was an absolute joy to hear stories from yesteryears. One man arrived early he was so excited to be at the school. He told me many stories of his three years at Oakleigh saying, “they were the best years of my life.” He explained back in the day there was a ‘boys only’ and ‘girls only’ playground and that the principal used to play tricks with students to make them ‘freeze’ and then being a little late back to class after lunch! I met another lady who was meeting her friend from the school at the front gate for the first time in over 30 years. She too was excited to be there to see how the school had changed and reconnect with her friends. She spoke fondly of her time at the school, how crowded it was, how caring the teachers were. It is stories like this that tell how important Oakleigh Primary School has been for the community of Oakleigh for 150 years, how it has helped shaped young lives and connect people.

It was a huge team effort to put the day together. Please read my thankyou to the community here as well as view some photos of the day.

School Review

Our school review process has concluded, with the final report being drafted by the reviewer Charmaine Taylor to be submitted to the Department of Education.

Thank you to the many parents who attended the parent feedback session. Charmaine and Ashley (one of our challenge partners) where impressed with the attendance and the feedback given.

The panel observed many key positives of the school including:

Welcoming feel of the school
Satisfied parents
Inclusive for all students and structures are in place for students who need additional supports
Students love attending the school and there is sense of ownership and connectedness
Strong student wellbeing outcomes
Strong relationships between teachers and students
Classrooms are safe and calm with consistent routines
The Year 5/6 learning program offers tailored learning and stretches students
Visible student voice and agency
Explicit teaching done well across the school and there has been a growth in learning outcomes
The phonics instruction is consistent in F-2
Extra curricula activities offered at the school is excellent
Engaging Specialist programs
Team planning is evident across the school
The school leadership is highly knowledgeable with a team vision going forward

I want to thank our review panel for their work:

Charmaine Taylor (Reviewer), Carolyn Elliot (Senior Education and Improvement Leader for the Inner East), Ashley Ryan (Principal), Katherine Edelston (Education and Improvement Leader Inner East), Tracey Ezard (Educational Consultant), Neekhil Shah (School Council President), Bron Orr (Assistant Principal) and Michelle Di Giovanni (Learning Specialist)

Once the review report is confirmed, I will share the new strategic plan goals and key improvement strategies to the community.

Roof Works

As many of you may know, Oakleigh Primary School’s main building has been susceptible to major leaks over the years during periods of heavy rain. Different areas of the main building have been affected at various times and while patch fixes have been made to temporarily address the issues, a long-term solution has been needed.

Finally, the Victorian School Building Authority has approved works to replace the entire main building roof. This project will take place during Term 4 this year and Term 1, 2026 and will be completed in four main phases. During each phase, classrooms will need to be temporarily relocated to other areas of the school. We have worked closely with the builders to ensure minimal disruption and full teaching programs can run throughout the works.

The first phase will be replacing the roof of the middle school wing. The following classes have moved

3/4A - moved to the STEM Room
3/4B - moved to the Performing Arts Room
3/4C - moved to the EAL room (between the STEM and Performing Arts Rooms)
3/4D - moved to Heritage Hall
3/4E - moved to the Japanese Room
Performing Arts will move to the gymnasium stage.
Physical Education classes will run outside under the basketball court cover.
STEM and Japanese will be run in regular classrooms.
Tutoring and EAL will operate in breakout rooms across the school

During the second and third phases of the project other classes will move. We will inform you as the project progresses.

Instrumental Music Concert

Last night, Performing Arts Teacher Lucy Greco organised our yearly instrumental music concert. It was a successful night showcasing the musical talents of our students. Well done to all of our performers, to Lucy for hosting the evening and our parents for supporting their children. Learning an instrument is a wonderful skill to have as a means of creativity, expression and enjoyment. Lucy does an excellent job coordinating this extracurricular program. Thank you Lucy!

K-F Transition

We have hosted several of our K-F transition sessions with our 2026 Foundation students. Students have successfully completed activities with our current foundation teachers and learnt about school routines. Michelle has led online parent sessions in literacy and numeracy learning as well as meeting our new parents 1:1 to introduce them to the school. We are excited to have our new students start in 2026. If you know of anyone who has not enrolled in the school for the 2026 school year, please direct them to the school office to begin the enrolment process.

Webpage to help families and students prepare for a new school year

A new school year is an exciting time for students and families, but it can be a big step – particularly for those starting Prep, secondary school or VCE.

The Department of Education has a webpage with resources and information to help you prepare for the new school year.

During the school holidays, please consider reading through the resources, which include:

tips to help transition from kinder to Prep, primary to secondary school, and Year 10 to VCE
what to expect at school
help with school costs and fees
health and wellbeing guidance to support children’s mental health.

Please refer to the New year of learning webpage.

I look forward to seeing families at our school Christmas Concert on 4th December and the Year 6 Graduation Ceremony on 18th December.

Ruth Biddle

Principal