School Philosophy

Orchard Grove Primary School is committed to providing a safe, nurturing environment that engages curiosity, promotes learning, personal growth, and well-being for all students. We strive to develop adaptability and resilience so students can become valued members of the local and global communities and be prepared for future life experiences.

From the Principal

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome to another newsletter!

In exciting news - we have the builders onsite for the toilet refurb - with demolition happening over the course of the week. We have started the build without the portaloos in place, but with the Wicking toilets as back up we did not want to push the start dates out any further.

Thank you to the parents who have filled out the S.T.E.M building questionnaire. Parent voice is an important part of the first stage of the process and we are really appreciative of the time taken to answer the questions - they have given us valuable information for the first submissions in the process.

As we finish Term 2 there is an opportunity to reflect on the year so far and I would like to particularly reflect on student behaviours.

At OGPS we have mainly isolated incidents that do not fit the definition of bullying (Definition of bullying). We use the language of choices with students, in that they make choices about how they behave and that these choices impact others in a positive or negative manner. Making a negative choice does not mean that moving forward there is not an opportunity to make positive choices, because learning from mistakes is something that we all do. Like all learning, we recognise that not all students learn from one mistake alone.

Since returning to school post lockdowns, we have noticed a rise in aggressive behaviours and inappropriate language used by students, particularly in the yard. We are proactive in dealing with situations when they arise and value the contribution parents make to this process. However, I would like to ask parents that they respect the school processes in dealing with incidents at school and refrain from personally contacting other families involved.

As part of our work this year, we will be implementing our School Wide Positive Behaviour Support in Term 4, which includes explicit teaching of expected behaviours. Melissa Crozier and her team of teachers are in the final stages of this work, with staff professional learning a priority next term.

We have a few year levels celebrating their learning next week with some Expos - please keep an eye out for any communication via Compass about these. Reports will also be available next Wednesday to the community - please look out for updates from Mr Tooth about these on Compass.

Last week, the students enjoyed a Special Pizza Lunch Day. Thank you to the parents who helped organise this, the kids loved it!

The Fiesta organising committee are working hard and the excitement is beginning to grow as the countdown begins! A big thank you to the team and I encourage you all to help out where you can with the event. Not only is it a great evening but a wonderful fundraiser for the school, so please support the event in any way you can.

Michelle Ogilvie

Principal

Year Six News