Principal's Report
From the Principal...
Welcome
Can I begin by saying how delighted and proud I feel to be leading such a wonderful school. I could not have wished for a more enjoyable start. Your children are incredibly polite and welcoming which is a huge credit to the way they are brought up. Likewise, the staff have been supportive and I have appreciated their guidance and understanding during this first part of my Principal-ship.
Change of any sort can be unsettling for some and I want to reassure the entire community of my commitment to this role and my intention is to continue to build on the high performing results of previous years. Developing relationships is also a key part of this and therefore you will see or hear about my regular visits to your child/children’s classrooms. From what I can see so far – the children have settled in incredibly well and the staff have worked tirelessly to create vibrant and engaging learning spaces for them.
Looking ahead, effective and ongoing communication will be paramount. I encourage parents to access as many different channels of communication on offer, particularly Compass. I consider myself a very approachable person and welcome feedback and suggestions from the community.
I understand the school has new families starting in 2018 and I extend a warm welcome to them as well. I am also looking forward to working collaboratively with the School Council and Parent and Friend’s Association. There is much to look forward to throughout the coming year including a range of extra-curricular activities. For now our focus is on settling the children in to their learning and providing them with a sense of safety, wellbeing and anticipation. I wish all the Foundation students who have started their school life at Ormond PS every happiness and success.
Healthy Food Choices & Sunsmart Policy
I am sure every parent is aware of the need for healthy food choices and plenty of rest, particularly our younger students who tire easily. Can I also remind families that our school follows a Sunsmart policy and all children are required to bring and wear their school hats.
School Yard Supervision
Yard supervision commences from 8:45 am and families should refrain from dropping their children far too early regardless of staff in attendance.
School Crossing and Road Safety
Returning to school unfortunately equates to greater traffic congestion and general busyness around the school. The safety of our community remains paramount. Some drivers are less patient and therefore I encourage everyone to take care on the roads, particularly if riding bikes, scooters or walking to school.
All parents who drive their children to school should be aware of the need for safe driving and parking practices near school crossings. Two key requirements are:
- Avoid parking close to the crossing in order to maintain clear visibility for all users.
- Cross at the marked crossings on Wheatley Road and Murray Roads.
Reporting any concerning behaviours of motorists to police ensures incidences can be promptly followed up.
Curriculum Days & Term Dates 2018
Curriculum Days in 2018 are as follows.
Please lock these into your diaries, these dates will be will be visible on our website, COMPASS Calendar and in our newsletters as reminders.
- Monday 29th January
- Monday 16th April
- Friday 3rd August
- Monday 5th November
Term Dates
- Term 1: 29th January (teachers start) to 29th March (Thursday) *
- Term 2: 16th April to 29th June
- Term 3: 16th July to 21st September
- Term 4: 8th October to 21st December
Curriculum Information Evenings & 'You Tell Us' Interviews
Over the next few weeks will consist of opportunities for parents to attend curriculum evenings and if required a meeting with the classroom teacher with any pertinent information to share. I have included a staff list as a reminder of grades and class teachers.
Curriculum Information Evenings
Monday 12th February:
- Year 1 - 6:30 to 7:00 pm
- Year 2 - 6:30 to 7:00 pm
- Year 5 & 6 - 7:15 to 8:00 pm
Tuesday 13th February:
- Foundation - 6:30 to 7:00 pm
- Year 3 - 7:15 to 8:00 pm
- Year 4 - 7:15 to 8:00 pm
'You Tell Us Interviews'
Monday 19th February
The “You Tell Us” Interviews provide an opportunity for parents to come and discuss any social, emotional or medical concerns that they have regarding their child settling in at the beginning of the year.
Please note that this is not an academic progress interview. Parent / Teacher Interviews for student progress are held in June. If you have concerns regarding your child’s progress please arrange another time to meet with the class teacher.
Bookings will be made available via the Compass Parent Portal in the coming days. Please note that bookings are limited to one 10 minute session with your child's teacher. Please be mindful that it may not be possible to book consecutive appointments for siblings.
If you have any questions or technical issues regarding Compass please contact Brodie in the Office.
Class Teacher List
00A - Jacinda Hocking
00B - Lorraine Bell
01A - Amelia Delaney
01B - Andrea Durward
01C - Elani Gibney
02A - Sally Berryman - Learning Specialist
02B - Effie Liarakos (Yr F- 2 Team Leader)
02C - Laura Bainbridge
03A - Julie Nield - Yr 3-4 Team Leader
03B - Jade Zajonc
04A - Gregg Workman
04B - Margot Hudson
04C - Helene Ioannou & Dorothy Markou
05A - Felicity Hall-Shulman
05B - Melisa Kah
05C - Marika Evans
06A - Sandra Johnson - Yr 5-6 Team Leader
06B - Chris Cheverton
Specialist Teachers
Michael Pannam - PE & Foundation Visual Art
Helen Kupfer - Visual Arts
Kim Stewart - ICT & Foundation Support
Anna Park - Korean Language
Below is also a site map of for 2018 class locations.
Student Leaders
Below is a list also of our school leaders and their titles. I wish them well with their leadership responsibilities and I truly look forward to working with them throughout the year. I am sure they will be wonderful roles models to all our younger students.
School Captains
Hannah F & Jasper B
Vice Captains
Alice J & Charlie McL
Environment Captains
Jesse S & Tali R
Community Captains
Kate N & Rowen H
Arts Captains
Benji M & Lani H
Multimedia Captains
Ewan B, Delfin T & William E
Student Voice
Grace S & Austin H
Mackillop House Captains
Eleni B & Aidan J
Chisolm House Captains
Ian K & Carla C
Hollows House Captains
Senin S & Harry A
Flynn House Captains
Toby T & Lizzie W
2018 Student Leaders will be presented with their badges at assembly in the coming weeks.
Change of Assembly Time
In 2018, we are trialing whole school assemblies on a Friday at 3:00pm. This decision was based on maximising morning learning times and for timetabling purposes. I look forward to our school captains playing a pivotal role in leading these assemblies as the school continues to promote student agency. We will commence Friday assemblies this week and I encourage as many of you as possible to come along. I look forward to seeing you then or at drop off and pickups.
Whole School News
Excursion Payment Scheme
Any families who have not yet paid for the Excursion Payment Scheme and wish to do so are asked to make payment to the office (or via classroom cashbags) no later than Friday 9th February. Your option to make payment online through Compass is no longer available at this time.
Please contact the office on 9578 1327 as soon as possible if you have any questions regarding CSEF Applications or Excursion Payment Scheme payments.
Payments and Consents of Events
To secure your child's participation in any organised school activity such as excursions, incursions, sports events or camps please ensure that all consents and associated payments are completed via the Compass Parent Portal before the due date. Once the due date has past, Compass access to consent/pay for the event is automatically disabled and will no longer be extended. Should consent/payments not be received your child will not be able to take part in the scheduled activity.
Due dates are typically set for a week prior to the event, to ensure that there is time to confirm numbers and final costs with outside companies and allow time for teachers to prepare for the activity.
Permissions & Agreements - COMPASS
Parents are asked to please complete all the Permissions & Agreements on Compass for their child/ren, if they have not already done so to ensure their child's participation in activities and the use of technologies and devices throughout the school year. These can be found in the the Course Confirmation/School Payments section on your Parent Portal.
Student Banking
Student Banking will recommence on Thursday 15th February.
The School Student Banking program provides a fun, interactive and engaging way for young Australians to learn about money and develop good saving habits. If you would like your child to participate in Student Banking all you’ll need to do is open a Youthsaver account for your child or they can use their existing one. If you have any questions, please call 13 2221 anytime or visit your nearest Commonwealth Bank branch.
Icy Pole Day
Icy Pole Day will recommence in 2018 on Thursday 15th February.
Students will be able to purchase an Icy Pole for 50c each Thursday lunchtime during Term 1.
Year 5/6 Interschool Sport Term 1
Year 5/6 Interschool sport is now on Compass for parents to make payment and give consent. Participating sports are; cricket, T20 cricket, softball, lawn bowls, rounders, hotshots tennis and skills squad (held at Ormond P.S.)
All teams will play in a Lightning Premiership on Friday 9th February and various venues in the district (to be announced later). They participate in a weekly competition for 7 weeks in term 1 and 7 weeks in term 4. Students can’t change teams from term 1 to term 4.
Students who didn’t make the team for their chosen sport still may play in that team if team members are absent for a match on the Friday. Reserve replacements are up to the coach of each sport.
If any parents are willing to help out with training sessions or even the matches on Fridays, please speak to Mr. Pannam.