Principal's Report 

From the Principal...

Welcome back everyone for the commencement of Term 3. The students have settled in to the new term well and they are looking forward to a number of significant events and special activities. In Term 3, students in Years 4 to 6 will participate in Bide Education sessions, the school will also be involved in house athletics, Book Week activities and Ormond’s Got Talent. The Foundations students will have achieved a significant milestone with their 100 Days of School and the Year 3’s are definitely looking forward to their camp to the Briars.

 

Buildings and Grounds

Over the holidays, we successfully repaired and restored the markings and turfed areas of our play area. Mulch was also brought in to cushion areas under the play equipment and we are now waiting for the arrival and installation of our new outdoor seating. This is scheduled to happen on the 23rd August.

 

Children Arriving Early

Parents are reminded that children should not be arriving at school before 8.45 am in the morning. The students are not supervised at this time as teachers are preparing their classrooms for the day. Before and After Care facilities are available for parents who have to go to work early or finish later.

 

Curriculum Day - Friday 9th August

There will be a Curriculum Day on Friday 9th August. Students are not required at school for this day. 

Out of School Hours Care will be available on this day for those who require care. Please contact the program directly on 9578 5826 or see April or Sharelle in the Hall during program hours. 

 

Keeping Your Child Active

Physical activity is important for developing coordination and motor skills. Exercise can come from team sports, playing games at local playgrounds, dancing, completing chores and walking the dog. The benefits of keeping active are significant. Research has shown that exercise is beneficial for helping your child think, concentrate and solve problems, all of which are essential skills when it comes to learning.

 

At 6 years old, children have a wide range of physical skills. Some may show natural athleticism while others will work on accomplishing simple skills. As your child’s coordination and motor skills become more refined they will be able to engage in games like skipping, kicking a ball and playing tag. Natural athleticism and the amount of physical activity your child does play a role in developing their physical abilities. Your child’s fine motor coordination will also continue to develop. Your child will become more adept at drawing and writing letters, and their pictures and stories will appear more legible. They will be able to manage and use tools like scissors and rulers, and they will be able to perform tasks such as tying shoelaces or doing up buttons with greater proficiency.

 

Things you can do at home

Do things together with your child; this will get everyone moving and kids love to play with their parents. Try to make family fitness outings part of your regular routine. Let your child and each family member take turns choosing an activity for these outings, for example: hiking, bike riding or a trip down to the local park – anything goes, as long as everyone can participate.

 

Attitudes to School Survey

Last term, students in Years 4 to 6 completed the attitudes to school survey. This contains a number of questions relating to the quality of learning and teaching at Ormond PS and the climate for learning. The results were released this week and the school has made significant gains as indicated by the student responses.  I wanted to share these results with the wider community as a celebration of the work the wellbeing team and other significant stakeholders have put in place to ensure all students feel supported and safe at our school. The black line on these graphs indicates our results from 2018. It is clearly evident that our school is leading the way in all areas, especially the focus on student voice and agency.

 

2019 Parent Opinion Survey

Our school is conducting a survey to find out what parents think of our school. The Parent Opinion Survey is an annual survey offered by the Department of Education and Training that is conducted amongst a sample of randomly selected parents. It is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of parents’ perceptions of school climate, student behaviour and student engagement. Our school will use the survey results to help inform and direct future school planning and improvement strategies.

 

Approximately 30 per cent of parents will be invited to participate in this year’s survey. All responses to the survey are anonymous. This year the Parent Opinion Survey will be conducted from Monday 22rd July to Sunday 11th August.

 

The survey will be conducted online, only takes 10-15 minutes to complete, and can be accessed at any convenient time within the fieldwork period on desktop computers, laptops, tablets or smartphones. The online survey will be available in a range of languages other than English. These include: Arabic, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Chin (hakha), Hindi, Japanese, Somali, Turkish, Punjabi and Greek.

Those parents who have randomly been selected to take part in the 2019 Parent Opinion Survey have received an invitation by email and letter late last week. 

 

Enrol Now for 2020

We are open for 2020 enrolments and forms can be collected at the Office. If you have a child turning 5 by April 30, 2020, 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. We will be conducting further tours for those who may have missed an opportunity to visit our school, please keep an eye on the website.

 

Foundation Transition is scheduled to start in September. Please ensure your child is enrolled to confirm their participation in the program. 

Kerri McLeod

Principal

Student Acheivements 

Baseball/Softball

Last term we mentioned Brooklyn R who was selected in the Dandenong Baseball Association Under 12 Squad and has also been nominated for the Schools Sport Victoria Under 12 Softball trials. We are please to hear that he made the team for the SSV and will go through to represent his team later in the year. Good Luck Brooklyn!

 

Dance

Congratulations to Annabelle T who placed 1st at the Spotlight Dance Competition and 2nd at the Metropolitan Festival of Dance during the school holidays. Well done Annabelle!

Out of School Hours Care

Child Care Subsidy (8 week rule)

If your children only attend the program during the school holidays and you are eligible for child care subsidy. You must update you are active at Ormond Primary Out of School Hours Program on your Mygov account before this Friday 26th July to ensure your receive your reductions for the last Holiday Program.

 

Curriculum Day - Friday 9th August

The program will be available on the up coming Curriculum Day. Please contact April or Sharelle for booking information. 

 

Staff News

We welcome a new staff member Jack Burslem to our program.

April will be on leave until the end of this term. Sharelle will be acting Coordinator in her absence.

 

Lost Property

We have a huge pile of clothing lost during the past 3 School Holiday Programs. Please check the lost property box in front of the hall entrance, the school LP cupboard is also overflowing. Please check both locations for any property and ensure items are clearly labelled with first and last names. 

 

Jumper Rule

During the colder weather in term two and three, we require children to wear a jumper outside. Children will be allowed to remove their jumper/jacket, if they are participating in sport or physical activity. Parents can exclude their children from this rule by providing a note stating their child is not required to wear a jumper outside during cold weather.

 

After School Care Activities

Thursday 25th July                  Cardboard Tube Houses

Friday 26th July                         3D Space Ships

Monday 29th July                     Binoculars

Tuesday 30th July                     Paper Plate Duck Ponds

Wednesday 31st  July            Cactus Pots

Thursday 1st August               Cardboard Construction

Friday 2nd August                    Cooking

Monday 5th August                 Castles

Tuesday 6th August                 Origami

Wednesday 7th August         Kaleidoscope

 

April Kopitz

Out of School Hours Coordinator