Principal's Report
& School News
Principal's Report
& School News
Staff Professional Learning update
Our Senior Educational Leader (Stuart Andrews) visited Ormond PS to meet with school leadership around how the AIP is tracking and to check in with my performance review. Both processes have been modified since 2020, although there is a much greater emphasis placed on student wellbeing and learning catchup.
Building Works Update
We are hoping that some work may occur during the mid-year break on final refurbishments to the Art Area. The school will be reaching out to the VSBA and architects to determine the exact timeline for when these works will be completed. Last Thursday, the school had an essential services audit which checks our compliance with areas such as utilities and maintenance. I thank Jan Cassidy for her record keeping and the time she allocated to work closely with the auditor. Some minor recommendations were put forward, particularly changes required to door handles across the school.
Sport News
With all of the uncertainty after the most recent lockdown, School Sport Victoria announced that they would cancel all Division Cross Country events. Therefore, the decision has been made that only children who finished in the top 3 at Dendy Park for our Moorabbin District event will progress straight through to the Southern Metro Regional event on Tuesday July 20th. Students who placed 4th - 8th will unfortunately not progress. We have two students who are eligible to compete and we are very sorry to those students who finished 4th - 8th. I know everyone has been training very hard and this is not the result that anyone wanted. Thankfully, interschool sport will resume on the final day of Term 2.
Staffing
Rae Galvin has been working in 5B for the last two weeks of Term, as Mr. Pannam has been on long service leave. Our tutoring and Mini-Lit sessions have continued with pleasing outcomes for students in these programs. This was reflected in their formal mid-year reports to families.
Attitudes to School Survey
Last week, all students from Year 4 to 6 completed the online version of ‘The Attitudes to School Survey’.
About the survey
The school values student voice as a means for improving student engagement, wellbeing and quality instruction.
The AtoSS is an annual student survey offered by the Department of Education and Training to assist our school to gain an understanding of students' perceptions and experience of school. Students were asked about their thoughts and feelings in relation to their school, their learning, peer relationships, bullying and life in general.
There were also some questions about student health and wellbeing. Understanding health and wellbeing needs is important to support students to learn and thrive at school. The Department provided this addition to the core survey to allow our school to capture this information to support students. Students were asked about resilience, community connections, mental health and physical activity.
How will results be reported? The survey results will be reported back to the school in an aggregate form throughout the survey period. All survey data that is made available in reports are for groups of students only so that no individual student can be identified. Data suppression rules are used for schools with low student numbers per year level. Our school will share the results of the survey with parents, in documents such as the School Annual Report.
School Planning
We are currently working in conjunction with a departmental representative on our long-term staffing plan. This includes unpacking potential enrolment figures for the next three years, salary increases and the possible number of grades. Creating a long-term plan helps with budgeting and carefully monitoring whole school finances. Susan Smith from the Department works closely with schools to analyse data, monitor staffing changes and then strategise. Staffing plans are discussed at consultative and leadership meetings to ensure there is transparency.
Reporting and Assessment
Finally, reports went live this week and families had an opportunity to celebrate their child’s achievements. The report gave families an indication of how their child is tracking across all key learning areas. The parent teacher interviews were held earlier this year and they provided an ideal opportunity to meet with staff for a discussion around possible mid-year results. This ensured there would be few surprises when the formal reports went home. Lorrie and I thoroughly enjoyed reading all the reports and I thank the staff for their hard work and efforts. Families in the community will have an opportunity to provide feedback about the mid-year reports early in Term 3.
Extracurricular Activities at OPS
At our school we have been running a number of clubs and additional activities. Many of these are run by students and staff during their lunch breaks. The sporting and art activities have been a huge success. As well as these, board games, gardening and other organised clubs will be available to both senior and junior students in Term 3.
Congratulations to every member of our school community including our wonderful staff in completing another very successful term that included highlights such as:
Every Day Counts
When your child comes to school every day, they will achieve their best. Here are some tips for helping your child turn up, achieve more and maintain a good attendance habit:
Let your child know it is important to go to school every day. One of the best ways to encourage your child to go to school every day is to talk about school in a positive way. Tell your child it is important that they go to school, even on special days like their birthday or the last day of term. Occasionally, your child may need to stay home from school - they might be sick, or there might be serious family matters you have to attend to (such as a funeral). While these kinds of events are unavoidable, other events such as shopping trips, holidays, visiting family and friends, or appointments such as haircuts can be scheduled out of school hours. Create routines for your child. Help your child get organised and prepare for their school day. Set a regular bedtime and morning routine. Encourage them to lay their school clothes out the night before and pack their bags in advance so they can get to school on time.
Enrol Now for 2021
We are definitely open for 2021 enrolments and forms can be collected at the office. If you have a child turning 5 by April 30th, 2021, please complete an enrolment form and bring in a copy of your child’s birth certificate and immunisation record and we will process the enrolment immediately. It helps us enormously with planning, if we have a clear indication of enrolments as early as possible.
Reports
Reports were accessed this week on Tuesday. Teachers rely on more than just one source of information when assessing students and they will have collected a number of assessments over the semester to make accurate judgements. Thank you staff for your time on reports and interviews over this term. While it’s great to know how your child is performing academically, it is also important to look at the work habits and behaviour section. A massive thank you goes out to Brodie Thomson and Gregg Workman for setting up the reporting system and spending additional time working through technical issues. Thank you to Lorrie Dell for reading through half the school which is another massive task.
Early Dismissal
The school term will end today on Friday June 25th with a final assembly in the hall at 2:10 pm followed by a 2.30pm finish. Please make sure your children are picked up on time. Term 3 starts on Monday July 12th. Please have a wonderful break and stay safe. Happy holidays to all!
To celebrate the beginning of the new term and our hard work during semester one, on Friday the 23rd of July, the community will be having a Crazy Hair Day! You will have the opportunity to get wild with your style, this can include hair ribbons, funky styles and hairspray craziness the possibilities are endless! To participate in this day the Student Representative Council (SRC) is asking for charitable donations of non-perishable items. This is in support of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC).
The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, based in Footscray, operates as a Foodbank to support people seeking asylum who have very little to live on. When you donate food to the ASRC Foodbank, you’ll make a difference to people seeking asylum by providing one of the most basic human rights – food. The Foodbank provides free groceries to around 1,000 people, most of whom have no income and no work rights. Around half of them are children.
Food is one of the most immediate and tangible ways to give someone a hand up. Every donation makes a difference. The ASRC is an independent, not for profit organisation, run by volunteers and supporters, whose programs support and empower people seeking asylum to maximise their own wellbeing. By donating, you’ll be giving people a hand to food security and independence, where they have the ingredients and knowledge to make the best choices for their nutritional, social and emotional wellbeing. We are asking you to consider buying an item when you next go shopping to support this cause. You can begin bringing in your items from Monday the 12th of July. The items will be collected at school at the start of the day on Thursday 22nd of July and delivered to the ASRC’s collection centre during the next few days. To help with collecting as wide a range of items as possible, we have a list of goods that are required to support the asylum seekers. We have organised the donation items by year level.
We would appreciate it if you could adhere to these items sorted by Year level. This will ensure we get a balanced mix of goods. If you have anything else you would like to donate, take a look at the organisation’s website (https://www.asrc.org.au) with suggestions on where to drop off other goods. These items cannot be accepted at school. Finally, if you have any strong, flat packed cardboard boxes for transporting that you can donate, it would be much appreciated. The Ormond PS community is very generous in supporting the causes the SRC identifies and we hope this event will be another huge success.
Thank you, Luca and Clem (SRC Capitan’s), the members of the SRC and Miss Lichoudaris.
Do you know what important Australian cultural day is coming up? It’s NAIDOC week. NAIDOC week runs during the 4th of July until the 11th of July. What is NAIDOC Week? NAIDOC Week are celebrations to commemorate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. To celebrate, during the holidays you can create your own poster about NAIDOC Week which will be displayed around the school when you return. You can check out the website for other great ideas to celebrate
www.naidoc.org thank you
Next term Foundation students are celebrating 100 days of school! Your child will be participating in a range of fun activities all relating to ‘100’.We would also like to invite families to create a t-shirt at home to celebrate this milestone. On the day, your child can wear their t-shirt over their school uniform. We look forward to seeing all your fabulous creations!(Here are some examples of t-shirts. Lots more can be found on the internet!)
The students in Year 3B enjoyed their last library session for term 2. They selected a book, plonked themselves in a beanbag and were totally engaged for half an hour.
Sadly, Chaewon will be leaving us tomorrow. We wish her well in her new adventures and look forward to keeping in touch.
That’s Rigged!
How many times have we heard “It’s Rigged!” shouted when a game isn’t going someone’s way?
This week, 4A flipped this concept on its head and created board games that were deliberately rigged and biased towards one player. Why? Over the past week we have been exploring the language of chance and the way spinners can be manipulated to have different outcomes. When creating their board game, students had to identify where the bias was going to be and design a spinner or dice that gave a more favourable outcome to one player.
As well as consolidating their understanding of bias, they also worked collaboratively to create all elements of their game. As we have been developing our skills in collaboration all semester, it was wonderful to watch and listen to the students negotiate and compromise to settle on aspects of a game in a respectful and mature manner.
We all enjoyed playing each other’s games and finding out how each game was RIGGED!!
In Year 5 we have been diving into project fun! In History we have been exploring the changes to both the white settlers and the Indigenous people’s culture caused by the Australian Gold Rush. We have chosen our topics and have begun writing our information reports to go along with our models to be displayed in the atrium. We look forward to stepping back in time to find out what life was like on the goldfields, through our research on bushrangers, explorers, the Eureka Stockade and immigration and racism.
Over the last few weeks, Year 6 students have been preparing to play a game of ‘Guess Who?’, with our partner Korean school. The students were required to give clues about themselves and their hobbies, in both English and Korean. On Wednesday, we had a live Google Meet with our partner school, during which students presented their clues and the Korean students had to guess who was speaking. We then swapped roles. The students thoroughly enjoyed this experience and we were so impressed with their Korean language skills.
It has been another fantastic term of Physical Education and we have accomplished a lot, despite having a two week lockdown. Students in Foundation to Year 2 participated in a House Cross Country Carnival, where they demonstrated excellent team spirit and determination. Year 3 to Year 6 ran longer distances of 2km and 3km and showed great fitness, endurance and team work in their House Cross Country event at Wattle Grove Park.
Well done to Hollows House, who achieved the most house points in Term 2!
A reminder that the Ormond Run Club, is on every Tuesday morning from 8:15am till 8:45am for students in Year 3 to Year 6 that wish to attend. Please do not come if it is raining, as not safe!
We are looking forward to starting Athletics training in Physical Education classes next term, to prepare for House Athletics in Term 3.
Have an active and safe holiday. Remember to try and be active every day, this could include creating a fitness workout, dance routine, obstacle course, working on a particular skill and playing in your backyard or at the park.
Emma Milliken
PE/Sport Specialist
What a fabulous term of STEAM that we have had at Ormond Primary School!
Foundation students finished making their Little Pig houses and got theirs tested by the Big Bad Wolf (a hairdryer). It was incredible to see how many of their houses were able to withstand a big gust of ‘wind’!
Year 1 and 2 have had fun practicing algorithms with coding a Blue Bot to go through an obstacle course and some shapes, as well as a car park made out of wooden blocks.
The Year 3 have thoroughly enjoyed researching about the Earth, Moon and the Sun to make their own board game on this topic. There were so many creative designs and we look forward to play them in the first week back in Term 3!
Year 4 have been working on filming their stop-motion claymation video on the life cycle of rocks. I can’t wait see their finished animation next term!
Year 5 and 6 have finished the term by working on their interactive poster on their choice of planet from the solar system (Year 5) and on volcanoes/earthquakes (Year 6). Students will plug the Makey Makey into their posters and code it on Scratch when we go back to school after the holidays!
Have a great holiday and see you all again for another wonderful Term 3!
Ms. Bui
STEAM Specialist
Another term of Visual Arts has been completed by the fabulous artists of Ormond Primary School.
Foundation students finished off the term by exploring colour and shape and finished off their Ed Emberley Lion’s by adding some fluffy manes!
Year 1 and 2 Picasso style portraits are looking so vibrant and Year 3’s exploration of line and chalk blending have enabled them to create dynamic linear landscapes.
The fluorescent colours of Year 4’s Pop Art still life compositions are catching the attention of all who pass by and Year 5 have been busy shaping and modelling 3D creatures out of wire. I can’t wait to see their creatures come alive in their Stop Motion Movies.
Year 6 have created such colourful Zentangle animal portraits and have also been diligently finishing off their Japanese Silk paintings.
The two week lockdown didn’t stop us from continuing our art learning and it was wonderful to see so many students bringing their fabulous artwork back to school with them. Well done!
Ms Kupfer
Visual Art Specialist