From the Principal 

Dear Families,

Athletics: What a day! Mr Hughes, teachers and a dedicated group of helpers braved the weather and persisted to get the Aths day in! The weather held out for us, COVID19 was against us but we didn’t give up! Thanks to all involved and to the kids for being so good and having a great day on the track. I appreciate as a parent not being able to watch the kids as we have done in the past, and I thank you for following the rules in place.  I was so proud and impressed with the way the kids supported and cheered each other on, especially at the high jump! Wonder how many future Olympians I watched yesterday? Looking forward to assembly on Friday for the big announcement of which house was the overall winner. I have heard a whisper it is very close and came down to the last event of the day!

Reflections: Have you heard of Ben Crowe - Ash Barty’s mindset coach? He also worked closely with Richmond FC and many Nike athletes in his career. I am a little obsessed with his podcasts at the moment as he talks about learning from reflecting on the experience, not while in the experience. I must be getting old as I find myself reflecting more on recent experiences, issues and conversations. I have reflected on remote learning experiences, conversations with friends, family and our community, student attitude and behaviours – both positive and negative. I have reflected on my decision making and questioned how I can improve and do things better. I have reflected on myself as a parent, friend, colleague and as a person. Can I support my staff, the students, the community, my family and friends, especially those in Melbourne in lockdown better as they go into an extended lockdown better? I encourage families to reflect on the past 2 years when you have a few quiet moments too.

COVID19: Staff have continued to plan the curriculum with the continuity of learning at the forefront of their minds in case we snap into and out of lockdowns. We have an onsite supervision roster in place, will distribute the supervision request link ASAP and teachers will share their planning and timetables via Seesaw and deliver some lessons via MS teams. Unfortunately, it is a current reality that there is a chance we will have more lockdowns and as a team, we reflect on how we could improve next time. Please chat with your classroom teacher if you need some ideas, suggestions or assistance with remote learning so we can strengthen our partnerships and continually improve.

Food sharing: The latest Operations Guide states “sharing of food is not permitted’. I know sometimes around birthdays we share lollipops or chocolates etc. Can we please put a pause on this until further notice? Thanks in advance.

Cybersafety Officer: Robbie Noggler from VicPol visited OGPS today to deliver a strong message around cybersafety and appropriate online behaviours. A great reminder for staff to help us educate the students and a timely reminder for families to keep this style of conversation open. There are so many resources available now for families to use to prevent issues arising. At school, we focus on the “Responsible Decision Making” component of the SEL wheel. We know kids will make mistakes but if we can guide their decision making to good choices online, it will help us prevent possible issues. I encourage all families to be aware of the age restrictions for apps, keep an eye on online chat rooms and set clear expectations for your children when online.

Inclusive Playground: Kristy and I met with the VSBA appointed architects to have a preliminary meeting about our vision for this space. There is an enormous amount of work to happen in our playground from this area all the way to Field St North. When I can share more information and the plans, I will. It is an exciting opportunity and one I hope will enhance the outside spaces immensely. 

Preps: 100 days of school! Well done to all our Preppies! 100 days or learning, making friends, sharing, getting along, reading, writing, learning about numbers and probably a few tired Friday afternoons too! Congrats to the new parents in this cohort! Only 1300 more days of Primary School to go!!!

Have a great week everyone.

Scott McCumber

Principal