Principal's News

We have come to the end of another fantastic year of learning, growth and community involvement at Old Orchard. I would like to acknowledge all staff for their commitment, care and support of our students throughout the year. Our staff consistently go above and beyond the scope and expectations of their job description to ensure that our students receive a quality education that is characterised by high classroom expectations and a wide range of engaging activities and opportunities. This commitment should never be underestimated nor taken for granted and I know that many parents have expressed their appreciation for the efforts of our staff. To all our teachers and educations support staff, have a very well-earned rest – I know that you will return for another exciting year in 2018.

Thank-you also to our parent and broader community for all that you do to support our students, teachers and educational programs. We are very fortunate to work in a supportive community where family values and expectations are high and the quality of the students we work with on a daily basis is a direct reflection of their home environments. To those families departing Old Orchard for the final time, some after an association of up to 16 years, we thank you sincerely for your support and contribution and wish you every happiness for the future.

Of course, thank-you to our wonderful students. Although our job has its occasional challenges, the privilege of working with our students and seeing them grow is incredibly rewarding and I would like to acknowledge our students for their efforts and achievements and thank them for their outstanding personal qualities and attributes.

On Monday evening, we celebrated with our Year 6 students at their Graduation Dinner and Ceremony at the Karralyka Centre in Ringwood. It is unquestionably one of the highlights of the school year and is was a delight to share a meal with the students before the formalities commenced. A number of students shared their reflections on their journey through Old Orchard before each student and class was presented to the audience. The students looked amazing – they are encouraged to dress up but not to go ‘over the top’ and we are always appreciative that our parent community respects and shares our expectations in this area. We were also fortunate to have an outstanding guest speaker, Les Twentyman. Les shared some stories about his work supporting disadvantaged youth and a key message for our students was that we can all make a difference in the lives of others. The Year 6 cohort have been a terrific group and it has been a privilege to share their seven years at Old Orchard and to see them grow into quality young people ready to take the next big step in their educational journey. We wish every one of our 78 Year 6 students a very happy and successful future and look forward to hearing of their achievements and accomplishments in the years to come.

We also bid farewell to a number of students at other year levels who are departing Old Orchard at the end of the year. We thank them for their contribution and wish them well for the future:

Ava & Isobel Thompson, Bonnie & Ollie Kearney, Ivy & Kobe McGregor, Tarquin Van Tiel, Van Cleary, Baran Faraji, Abby Taylor, Beau Rennie, Anja Majmudar, Indi McPhee, Isabelle Matison, Kent Tan

On Tuesday of this week our students met their 2018 teachers and classes. An extraordinary amount of time and careful consideration is devoted to this process and I commend Jen McCann and the teaching staff for their work. There will always be children who are disappointed with their placement – our role as adults is to help them work through this process and to be positive, confident and encouraging. Generally our children are far more resilient than we give them credit for and by the end of the first week in their new class, the issues that may have been identified as significant at this point are suddenly a distant memory.

All parents should now have received a copy of their child’s Semester Two report via the SENTRAL Parent Portal. If you were unable to access the report, please contact the office for assistance. We encourage you to focus on the growth that your child has made over the past 12 months and to discuss the report with you child.

The communication re 2018 Parent Payments was distributed earlier this week. Thank-you to those who have already paid their fees.

A reminder that students will be dismissed at 1.30pm tomorrow, following a whole school assembly in the Gymnasium at 12.45pm. Students from Prep to Year 5 will be dismissed from classrooms – Year 6 students will be dismissed directly from the Gym.

The 2018 school year commences for students on Wednesday January 31st. Staff resume on January 29th.

The office will be open on reduced hours the previous week – if you need urgent assistance please email old.orchard.ps@edumail.vic.gov.au

Two of our staff members have an exciting time ahead of them with upcoming weddings during January. Matt O’Hern will marry fiancée Kirsten and Laura Torney will wed fiancée Andrew. Congratulations to both couples – we wish them well for their respective special days and futures together.

As previously advised, we have a number of staff departing at the end of this year.

Julie Hobson is retiring after 42 years in the Education Department, including 23 years at Old Orchard. During her tenure at Old Orchard Julie has taught all year levels and made a significant impact on the educational journeys and lives of hundreds of students. Her strengths as a teacher have been her passion for writing and literature, her enthusiasm for mathematics and her love of performance. Julie’s colourful and creative class items have always been a feature of our Junior Concerts! Another of Julie’s qualities has been her capacity to see the best in students who find school a challenge and to draw the best out of them. Julie has always been an energetic and enthusiastic staff member who has valued health and fitness, both personally and in her students. It is a common sight to see Julie striding purposefully to or from school and as a busy, working parent her time management skills have been superb. She is a very positive person who consistently looks for the best in situations and these attributes have been invaluable as a teacher and a wonderful example to her students. Thank-you Julie for an amazing contribution to our school, its students and community. You should be incredibly proud of the career that you have had. We wish you well for a long, happy and fulfilling retirement as you fill your day with walks, babysitting, shopping, long lunches and whatever else you choose.

Kirsten Burrows has taught at Old Orchard for 10 years, predominantly in the middle and upper school and leaves Old Orchard in 2018 for 12 months at Wandin Nth Primary School – time will tell whether we are fortunate enough to see her return in 2019. Students fortunate enough to have had Kirsten as a teacher will have appreciated her consistently high expectations, her outstanding student wellbeing and management skills and her creative flair. Kirsten has played a significant role in the introduction of Restorative Practices at Old Orchard and her capacity to support and work with students with challenging behaviours has been outstanding. Old Orchard’s loss is definitely Wandin North’s gain. We thank Kirsten for her fantastic contribution to our school and wish her every success for the future.

Deb Strike has been at Old Orchard for nine years and is one of our most respected and highly regarded teachers. She has taught from Prep to Year 4 and has an amazing capacity for understanding the needs of her students and how to assist them in moving to the next stage of their learning. Her kind, gentle but firm manner has been a wonderful asset. Deb has expertise in all curriculum areas, in her understanding of student wellbeing and as a leader where she has made a significant contribution to a number of teams. Deb is looking forward to her leave in 2018 and we will be excited to welcome her back in 2019.

Peta Taylor has been at Old Orchard for four years as our Music / Performing Arts teacher. Peta has established a superb culture within the school with a focus on musical appreciation, knowledge and enjoyment. Her choirs and other singing groups have always shown through their smiles and body language that they have loved what they were doing and this has also been very evident in our Concerts and Productions, with Mulan and Peter Pan being highlights. Peta is an extremely talented Music teacher and we will miss her enormously, but wish her well in her move to Xavier College, Burke Hall.

Mel Johnson has been at Old Orchard for two years and will be returning to her original school Bayswater Primary, in 2018. Mel has been an engaging and organised teacher who has built strong relationships with her students and colleagues during her time here. Mel’s classroom is always very ordered and her students have responded well to her calm and caring demeanour. Mel’s creative flair has also come to the fore on numerous occasions and she has been a wonderful asset during concerts and productions. We thank Mel for her excellent contribution to our school and wish her well for her future career.

Jackie Ellul joined Old Orchard in April this year and quickly established herself as an energetic and innovative teacher in Year 4. Jackie has been able to set high standards and establish strong relationships with her students in a short time frame and she has become an important member of our staf