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.

OPEN EVENING 2025

On Wednesday night, we celebrated the amazing learning happening across Old Orchard Primary School. It was a pleasure to welcome both current and prospective families to explore our classrooms and see firsthand the vibrant learning environments our students enjoy.

A special thank you to our staff for their support in making the evening a success, and to all the families who joined us.

A reminder that the Book Fair will remain open before and after school for the rest of the week—there’s still time to grab a great read!

EDUCATION SUPPORT STAFF

Education Support Staff Day is celebrated each year on 16th May—a special opportunity to recognise the incredible contribution education support staff make to public education and the daily life of our school. At Old Orchard, we will be recognising our amazing ES staff with a special morning tea on Tuesday 20th May. We are so grateful for all they do to support our students, staff, and school community.

Thank you:

Fiona, Sheree and Lisa (Office)
Pip (Maintenance)
Michelle, Nicola, Helen, Kara, Tonia, Liz, Mitchell, Zac, Jo, Sarah, Sonja and Sharli (Classroom Support)
Jennifer and Ruth (Library)
David (Specialist Technician)

DONATION OF NEW FLAGS

Paul Hamer MP presented our school leaders with brand-new Australian, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags. On his visit he spoke to our leaders about flag protocols and even included some fun facts about the Victorian flag. Our new flags will now be proudly raised and lowered each day — a practice that will not only show respect, but also help preserve them from weathering.

YEAR 6 LIFE EDUCATION

This week, our Year 6 students took part in three Life Education sessions. This curriculum-aligned program supports students in deepening their understanding of the human body. The sessions were interactive and informative, helping students build a strong foundation in health education.

BLACKBURN HIGH SCHOOL

A huge congratulations to the Blackburn High School Jazz Band—including some of our very own Old Orchard alumni—who recently competed in the prestigious Essentially Ellington Festival in New York. This is an incredible achievement, as Blackburn High is the first school band from the Southern Hemisphere to be selected for this competition. What a fantastic moment for our local community—well done!

DUNCAN PROGRESS

You will all be pleased to know that Duncan’s knee surgery went well and he is now recovering at home. He has told us that his physio is making him work hard to get back on his feet. We wish him well with his progress in the coming weeks.

Jen and Clare

The Harvest

2025/14 · 15 May 2025

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