A message from Duncan

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.

Year 6 Camp

Congratulations to everyone involved in our Year 6 Camp last week. The students had a fantastic experience and the staff and other helpers also thoroughly enjoyed the week (although I’m sure they also enjoyed getting home on Friday and enjoying a quiet dinner and a good night’s sleep!)

NAPLAN Preparation

Our Year 3 & Year 5 students have been completing several NAPLAN Practice tests and becoming familiar with the testing format. This is to ensure that they are best placed to perform at their best and are not disconcerted by elements of NAPLAN testing that may be unfamiliar to them. The official NAPLAN testing for students in Years 3, 5, 7 & 9 commences on March 11th.

Family Fridays

It was fabulous to see so many parents & carers visiting classrooms this morning at the first of our Family Friday sessions. This is a great initiative designed to strengthen the connection between school and home and to instil a greater sense of pride in our students as they showcase their classwork. We welcome any feedback that you might have. 

School Tours

The first of our 2026 school tours was held yesterday and these will continue throughout the year. We are always proud to show off our school and share the many wonderful aspects of life at Old Orchard. If you know of families with school age children for 2027, please encourage them to register for a tour via our school website.

Security Gates

Families who use the Koonung Rd Pedestrian Gate (adjacent to the Gaga Ball Pit) will have noticed the contractors on site yesterday afternoon, adapting the gates to enable automatic closing throughout the school day. This mechanism will also be applied to the gates from Koonung Reserve and the gate at the rear of the school, adjacent to the Gymnasium.

Breakfast Club

We are thrilled with the great response to our Old Orchard Breakfast Club. Thanks to Sheree Knight and Kate Buckley for their commitment to this initiative; it is exciting to see so many students in attendance.

Next Week

We have several important events on the calendar next week:

• It is the first full week of school for our Prep students; they have made an exceptional start to school life and we are extremely proud of their efforts.
• School Photo Day is scheduled for Tuesday; please refer to the communication from Sheree for details.
• Our Year 5 & 6 Peer Mediators will undertake their formal training on Monday, equipping them to fulfill their roles to the highest standard.
• The first meeting of our 2026 School Council will take place on Wednesday.

Warmest regards

Duncan