Principal's Report

FAREWELL MR FORSTER AND FRIDAY HOUSE CHALLENGE

On Friday afternoon the staff and students were able to farewell Mr Forster, who was recently appointed to the substantive position of principal at Garfield Primary School. Danny was integral to the establishment of our school, and I am so grateful for the strong leadership, drive and passion he demonstrated throughout his time at Orchard Park Primary School. Garfield Primary is in very safe and capable hands. 

Once Danny received the news of his appointment to Garfield PS, we ran our recruitment process for our new substantive assistant principal. I am thrilled to formally announce that Alana Sutherland was the successful applicant. Alana has done an incredible job in the acting role over the past 2 terms and was the standout candidate identified unanimously by the selection panel. 

During the last hour of the day, we came together to compete in the Orchard Park Cup. Students from all year levels represented their houses in the hockey stick horse races around the gym. The competition was fierce and fun, with Bunjil coming out as the victors on the day. We look forward to coming together for more of these house competitions in the future. 

PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE DAY

I hope all of our families enjoyed the long weekend, with Monday being a student free day and Tuesday a public holiday. Staff attended school and used the day to further strengthen their understanding of how to create authentic and engaging units of inquiry for the students. Staff walked away having reflected upon the work of the past 2 years in this space and feeling really excited about what they have planned for future learning for students. 

MIDDLE SCHOOL INCURSION

As you may have seen on our Facebook page, a great example of authentic inquiry learning took place recently with our Middle School. The students have been looking at the levels of government and what they are responsible for as part of our Civics and Citizenship unit. Local members Tammy Radford and Graeme Moore attended the school to give the students a first-hand insight into the work of our local council. The students were excellent hosts, listening respectfully and asking lots of thoughtful questions. Some of these questions showed great passion and enthusiasm from some potential future councillors!

YEAR 6 FUNDRAISING THANK YOU

As was communicated in our last newsletter, a tradition we commenced last year is to conduct some fundraising for our Year 6 Graduation and Celebration Day. As a school we want to continue to run this fundraising annually to ensure our entire student body supports the departing Year 6 cohort. A big thank you to the families who have donated Zooper Doopers to support this fundraising. The students are extremely grateful for your support in kick starting their efforts. Zooper Dooper sales have now commenced each lunchtime from the canteen where students can purchase them for $1 each.