Principal Report & School Information
From the Principal...
Remembrance Day
Friday 11 November was Remembrance Day — it was a day for us to remember those who have served and those who have died in all wars and peacekeeping operations.
Remembrance Day marks the date in 1918 when the First World War ended. It is officially observed at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month each year. To mark Remembrance Day, OPS paused before 11 am on Friday 11 November 2022 for a minute’s silence, to remember people’s service and sacrifice.
Thank you to the wonderful students in Year 5 who stepped up to run the memorial service at school: Emma, Clyde and Edward - guided by Ms. Dell were the designated spokespersons for our school community today. They talked about the importance of Remembrance Day followed by a recording of The Last Post. We observed one minute of silence and concluded our service with saying the iconic words, “lest we forget”.
I attended the local service at the RSL with our school captains, Noam and Susie. The students presented a wreath and joined in the proceedings with other local schools, the Mayor, Members of Parliament, and other dignitaries. Both students commented on how moving the service was and they were able to talk to veterans and ask questions afterwards.
Community Helpers Needed
Thank you to those people who have already agreed to assist at the working bee this Sunday and the election day sausage sizzle.
On Saturday 26th November 2022, Ormond Primary School will be a polling place at the State Election. To ensure our grounds are looking neat and tidy, there is a working bee this Sunday. If you can help – it would be really appreciated. Gardening, mulching, rubbish collection and a general tidy! Adam Hosken and family will be onsite to delegate tasks and to provide you with food after all the hard work is done. I thoroughly enjoy working bees, but I have commitments as a carer on the weekends down on the peninsula. I thank the community in advance for their help!
2023 Student Placement and Policy
At Ormond Primary School, teachers and teaching teams collaborate to formulate and place students in class groupings for the next year and consider the following essential factors:
- The academic strength of the group as a whole
- An effective diversity and range of interests, talents and learning styles
- A gender balance in each class.
Teaching teams will always aim to create class groups that offer the best blend and composition based on these types of academic learning factors. It is therefore important that when parents request that their child be placed in a particular class, that this be based primarily on academic grounds.
The process that Ormond Primary School works through has commenced and we anticipate that there will be minor changes to which level or area of the school that each teacher will be teaching in 2023. This will be finalised as soon as we can confirm all staffing.
OPS recognises the importance of fostering and maintaining friendship groups. The school also knows that it is equally important for students to mix and learn with peers who have different interests. In late November, the teachers will review current student lists, as well as referencing any requests from families to place students in the most appropriate class. Please note – these groupings take a significant amount of time and staff are not privy to the teachers at each level.
Should you have a genuine request for your child's class placement next year, please initially have a conversation with your child's teacher during November. Parents can also provide a written statement to the principal. Requests must have an educational basis with a reference to your child’s academic, social and emotional needs. Written requests (email here) must be received by Friday November 25th to be considered. This is the very final day we can consider placement options for your child/children.
NOTE: It may not always be possible to accommodate all class placement requests, but we will take all requests into consideration.
Families/Students not returning to OPS in 2023 (Foundation to Year 5)
If you know that your child/children will not be continuing at Ormond Primary School in 2023, please email ormond.ps@education.vic.gov.au as soon as possible.
Please include your child's final day at OPS, the name of the new school they will be attending and a forwarding address if applicable.
If your child is currently in Year 6 - this does not apply to you.
Rolling Facilities
Just to remind the community about the outcomes from our recent Rolling Facilities Evaluation. Ormond PS had an extensive audit of all maintenance and ground aspects and drainage has been identified as a significant issue. This impacts directly on our Astro turf project, as we cannot proceed until this matter is dealt with. The school has experienced significant flooding over the last few years and minor repairs and patch ups are not solving the issue. The priority now lies with fixing this issue – gutters, drains, run-offs, roofing etc before we reinvigorate the Astro turf. Recently, both members for competing political parties have pledged $100,000 to ensure the synthetic turf project will go ahead. This is a positive outcome. We have also been able to access our shade sail grant and we are working with our contractor to ensure the shade sail is ready to go early in 2023.
Staffing
In 2023, there will be 15 straight classes across the school.
We have staff who have picked up positions at other locations and we have successfully secured a Performing Arts teacher 3 days a week, who will provide additional release time for staff to plan, but more importantly they will provide a comprehensive music and performing arts program to the entire school. The successful applicant has years of experience teaching instrumental music in the UK and she is extremely excited to join the staff at our school and our talented specialist team.
We have also successfully secured a new ES staff member, Daniel – who has been here for a few weeks bonding with all students and working in classrooms. He has settled in extremely well and he will certainly be a highly valued Ormond PS staff member.
A number of other fixed term contracts were recently advertised online, and we are delighted to announce the appointments of two outstanding new class teachers, Karen A from Beaumaris Nth PS and Tim A from Upper Beaconsfield PS. They will be invited to join us for our end of year transition program. Jess D (currently in Foundation) and Teresa F (currently working in year 3) have also secured positions with us for the 2023 school year. Four other staff have successfully been rolled over – Josh W, Kirsty E, Nikki L and Emma Mc. We welcome Emma Mc to the 2023 Foundation teaching team, as the school disclosed at the latest information session for new families.
Curriculum Day & Professional Planning Day (Pupil Free Days)
Monday 19th December will be a Professional Practice Day for staff. Teachers will be using their fourth Professional Practice Day to attend to planning and professional development (which for some staff is targeted towards higher level first aid training) therefore it will be a Student Free Day. This will tie in with our Curriculum Day on Tuesday 20th December which has been allocated to school review preparation and PLC induction and training. This is also a Student Free Day.
Out of School Hours Care will be operating on both of these days for those families who still require care.
Our end of year assembly will take place on the Friday afternoon.
2023 Return to School Schedule
Students in Years 1 to 6 will start on Monday 30th January 2023 at 9am.
Foundation students start Thursday 2nd February 2023. Students will be given a specific start time.
On Monday 30th and Tuesday 31st January, and Wednesday’s 1st, 8th, 15th and 22nd of February all Foundation students do not attend school unless they are required for an assessment. You will receive your individual date and time of assessments.
Foundation students will be dismissed at 3:30pm on all school days.
From Monday 27th February onwards all Foundation students will attend a full school week.
Sickbay Text Message Notifications
We have been continuing trialing a new Compass feature being the 'Sickbay Attendance' notification. Some parents would have received both an email and a text message if their child presented in sickbay at anytime during this week. We hope that this will be a permanent feature.
Parents are not required to do anything in reply to the text message, its merely a notification. The school will continue to phone parents directly should the issue be of a serious nature, if their child need to be collected early or if specific information regarding the issue needs to be communicated further (e.g head bumps).
Kerri McLeod
Principal
Covid-19 Updates
RATs available from the office if families require!
Although we are not required to formally notify the community anymore, we would still like to make the school community aware when covid cases increase. We ask that you please ocntinue to notify the office if your child tests postive for covid-19, or if they are a household contact.
The Department of Health strongly recommends that students and school staff:
- who test positive to COVID-19 stay home and isolate for 5 days and do not attend school after 5 days if they are still symptomatic
- who are symptomatic but have not tested positive not attend school. This does not include students with pre-existing conditions such as hay fever.
Parents and carers are asked to continue to report their child having COVID-19 to both the school office and the Department of Health.
We ask parents and carers to continue to remain vigilant in preventing COVID-19 transmission. Any student who is unwell should continue to remain at home. This is about keeping students healthy and well in our school and reducing the spread of both COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases.
Free rapid antigen tests are available at the school for those who need them, please contact the office if you require more.
Parents and carers will be contacted if their child shows symptoms while at school.
Students/Staff who wish to wear a mask should continue to do so.It is the schools preference for students/staff who are household contacts, or are positive for Covid-19 and not isolating to continue to continue to wear a mask. Children's masks are available at the school, please contact the office if you require some.
2023 Booklists - ORDERS NOW OPEN
Orders must be placed by the 9th of December 2022 to ensure delivery is on time, ready for collection from the school.
Orders received after the due date may result in a delayed delivery after the commencement of the 2023 school year.
For collection date information, please contact the school office on 03 9578 1327.
To order your Bookpack:
- Please follow this link: http://www.maxim.booklists.com.au
- Your access code is: ORMONDPS
*Please note this is capital sensitive. Please enter code as displayed in screen.
- Select the year level required for order
- Please ensure that the students’ name, your name and contact details are given and correct
- Select ‘Place order’
- If purchasing more than one booklist, please select ‘Add another booklist’ and follow the same procedure from step 3
- Select ‘Proceed to payment options’
- Your total payment amount required will display on screen
- Select ‘Pay Now’
- Please choose your check-out option – Credit/ Direct Debit available. Ensure payment details are correctly entered
- You will receive a payment receipt and an order confirmation to the email address you provided
- Your child’s pack/s will be delivered to the school for collection
Out of School Hours
Curriculum Day
The Out of School Hours Program will be providing care on the Curriculum/Planning days, scheduled for Monday 19th & Tuesday 20th December. For bookings please see the program booking sheet on the parent table, outside the hall, during session times or text your booking to the program mobile 0439111026.
2023 OSHC Enrolments
The 2023 OSHC Enrolment Forms is attached below. It is also be available on Compass and directly from the program. Please complete ALL documents attached and return to April by Friday 2nd December 2022.
An immunisation certificate must be attached to the enrolment form for new children attending the service for the first time. Incomplete enrolment forms, without a booking commencement date or forms stating (To be announced or confirmed) will not be accepted.
Families will be informed of their Before & After School Care placements via a text message by Wednesday 14th December. Families requiring care during the January Holiday Program please submit your enrolment form with your holiday booking form.
January School Holiday Program
Bookings for the 2023 January School Holiday Program are now open. Please ensure your have completed the 2023 enrolment forms to be eligible for the holiday program.
Bookings close Wednesday 7th December, unless booked out earlier.
Donations
Can you help with the following items?
CD Disks - Coloured Wool - Dress Ups - Men’s Long Sleeve Shirts for Art Smocks
April Kopitz
Out of School Hours Coordinator
Ph:9578 5826.
Working Bee
The new date has been set for Sunday 20th November 9:30am to 12:00noon.
Please come along for all or some of the morning if you can. It will be great to see people together on site. We also welcome new families joining us in 2023 to come along and get to know their new school community. If you know your neighbours or kinder friends are starting at OPS next year, please extend our invitation to them.
Please bring any garden tools that will assist on the day.
Education Sub Committee News
This year the Education subcommittee has been busy updating the School’s policies to ensure the school is compliant with the new Victorian Child Safe Standards, which were introduced on 1st July 2022 and Department requirements. Thank you to the parents and teachers who assisted with this review.
All these policies have been ratified by School Council and are now available on our school website.
New OPS Social Media Platforms Launched!
We are pleased to announce that Ormond Primary School’s new social media pages are now active on Facebook and Instagram. These new pages will feature a selection of highlights from our school newsletter, key reminders for upcoming events, and posts from our Parents and Friends Association (P&F). If you use social media, we encourage you to add yourself to:
Facebook: ‘Ormond Primary School’
https://www.facebook.com/ormondprimaryschool
Instagram: ‘ormondprimaryschool’
https://www.instagram.com/ormondprimaryschool/
Our existing ‘OPS Parents and Friends Community Kindness’ Facebook group page will cease to operate at the end of Term 4, and you will need to sign up to one of the new pages listed above on either Facebook or Instagram to continue receiving posts about Ormond Primary School. Year Level specific Facebook and WhatsApp groups will still be maintained by P&F and Class Reps where they exist, enabling you to gather additional year level information and to post questions.
If you have any questions regarding the school’s social media or Year Level specific social media groups please contact Heather Hosken or Brodie Thomson.
These email addresses can also be used to notify us if you believe a post should be corrected or deleted.
If you would like to opt out of your child’s image being used on the school’s website, newsletter and social media please contact the Office who will direct you to the relevant forms to complete.
Kind regards,
Community Engagement Sub-committee,
School Council
Expressions of Interest - Jewish Cultrual Program
We are taking expressions of interest from OPS families for student participation in a Jewish Life, a Jewish cultural program. Provided there is enough interest, we aim to pilot this program at the school in Term 1, 2023.
Jewish Life is a weekly program specifically created for Primary School students. In the weekly sessions, students learn about and experience Jewish festivals, Shabbat, traditions, basic Hebrew, and a connection to Israel. This includes festivals and cultural events, such as Friday night kiddush, the family seder, and the high holidays. The curriculum also focuses on connecting learners to their Jewish identity through common values, language, homeland, and texts, ensuring a meaningful and enduring connection to the Jewish community.
The program is delivered by UJEB. Their principal purpose is to provide the highest quality formal and informal Jewish education to learners outside the Jewish day school system to strengthen Jewish continuity, identity and involvement. You can find more information here - https://www.ujeb.org.au/programs/primary-school/
Please note: Jewish Life would be run outside of existing learning times – i.e. before school, after school or lunchtime (tbc). The program would not impact, nor be associated with OPS’s existing learning programs as set out by the Victorian Curriculum. The program would be offered under a ‘user pays’ arrangement, much like third party music tuition. Participation in the program is open to all OPS students regardless of their background.
Survey Link
Please complete this short survey to help us understand the level of interest of a cultural program at OPS: https://forms.gle/8pVLXihGe3k9vSWP7
OPS Community & Engagement Sub Committee
Library News
Book Club - Issue 8 - Ordering Closes Sunday 27th November
The last Book Club Issue for 2022 will be going home with Students today.
This should be plenty of time for deliveries to arrive before the end of year.
Issue 8 has plenty more pre-Christmas bargains for parents to stock up on, and a range of books from only $3.
Any gift orders, please email Brodie so these can be set aside for special secret Santa pick up times.
Thank you to the school community for participating in and assisting with Book Club this year. Most schools have seen student participation bounce back after the last couple of years. We totally understand how things are out there in the community, but it is important we can keep offering our students (and teachers) the opportunity to access cheap, quality books.
Thank you again for your continued support with Library fundraisers.
Education Support
We would like to say a big welcome to Daniel Brusamarello who has joined the Education Support Department.
Daniel has been with us for a month now and has been an amazing addition to our group.
If you see him out and about stop and say hello. Daniel is building a great rapport with our students; you regularly see him out in the yard joining in their games of basketball and down ball.
