From Our Principals

Welcome Back for Term 4!

Congratulations to everybody on a very smooth and enthusiastic return to school after the term break. The students excitedly caught up with their friends and with the staff, reporting all of their adventures. I am looking forward to continuing our work this term to set Ormond Primary School up for a very successful 2025. 

Please see the Term 4 Dates tab and make sure you are all set for the busy term ahead. While most of the dates have already been published on Compass, there are two additional dates for the students in Year 3 and in Year 6. The Year 3 teachers are currently working hard on preparing the day camp. The Year 6s are, meanwhile, are excited about their smoothie bar incursion in November. More information on both of these events will be sent home in the next fortnight so please watch this space and speak to your child's teacher if you have any specific questions. 

Sun Safety

Term 4 is always very busy as the improving weather opens up opportunities for us to engage in lots of outdoor activities. It is important that all students (and staff!) apply sunscreen every morning and have their hats at school. Students who do not have a hat will play under cover during recess and lunchtime. This can be a bit disappointing for the students who would prefer to be out on the playground or kicking the football, but it is important to protect them, to support their learning about sun safety and to build their resilience, coping and problem solving skills. For parents, this is a great opportunity to teach your child independence skills - it is their responsibility to ensure they have everything they need for their day ahead but not catastrophic if you forget to pack your hat. The natural consequences of these situations are a strong motivator to learn and develop. 

Bicycles 

Recently at OPS, we have unfortunately had two bikes go missing, having been left unlocked on the school grounds overnight. As you know, we are a community-minded school and keep our gates unlocked to allow neighbours to enjoy the grounds during holidays and weekends. Unfortunately, this has led to some opportunistic theft. Therefore, we kindly ask that families remember to ensure all bikes are taken home at the end of every day. 

Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey

Thank you to all families who competed the Parent Opinion Survey last term. We had a 121 responses, which equates to approximately 45% of our households; this is more than double the average response rate over the previous 5 years, and we are very grateful. The feedback will support the school council and school improvement team as we plan for 2025 and beyond.

The Community Engagement Subcommittee of School Council are currently working on a local survey that will drill down further into some of the key areas. We will keep you updated on that work. On October 28th, the School Improvement Team will attend an AIP workshop and planning day, at which we will review the work and focus areas for 2024 and plan for 2025.

Specialist Subjects at Ormond Primary School

School Council is working on building the experiences and options for our students to enhance their learning experience. Your feedback on our specialist subjects and extra curricular activities would be appreciated. Please take some time to complete this form.

Regards,

Patrick Halpin and Aaron Jones