Principal's News

Welcome back

Welcome back to all existing members of the Old Orchard community and a very warm welcome to those who have joined us for the first time, whether they are students, parents or staff. I trust that all members of our school community had a safe and relaxing break over Christmas and January. In particular, we welcome our prep students and their families. We always get a great deal of pleasure from observing our new Preps come into the school and seeing the excitement on their faces as they meet their teachers and classmates, meet the ‘Specialist Superheroes’  and much more. They have settled incredibly well, particularly given that their kinder year and transition was quite compromised.

Following the disruption and challenges of 2020 and 2021, we are all looking forward with great optimism and enthusiasm to a year of strong learning and engagement from all our students. It has been terrific moving around the school this week, seeing how positively our students have reconnected with their teachers and peers and how they have engaged with their learning. The tone in classrooms and the playground is very positive and our students are to be commended on their endeavours. We have already had a few families report positive COVID cases, however we hope that these instances remain relatively few and far between and that any disruptions to school and learning will be minimal. (Fingers & toes crossed!!)

Important Information for Parents

The commencement of the school year is incredibly busy for many reasons, not least the dissemination of important information and updates to the community. I/we are very mindful that you have been somewhat inundated with emails and information and this is even more so with the number of COVID related communications. Unfortunately, there is no easy solution to this and we do ask for yoru patience and understanding. 

You will receive an additional email next week containing important information about school policies, procedures and other events and activities. We ask that you take some time to read through the information and familiarise yourself with the content. Copies will also be available on the Sentral Parent Portal for your future reference.

Staff

Our staff have been extremely busy over the past week or so preparing their classrooms and planning for the school year. We are excited to welcome the following new and returning staff members:

A complete staff list is included with this newsletter.

COVID-19 Update

A number of COVID restrictions and protocols remain in place for schools. 

• Parents & carers are able to enter the school grounds but should avoid entering buildings unless absolutely necessary. If you are required to enter buildings, you must be fully vaccinated, check-in using the QR codes and wear a face mask.
• Please avoid congregating in groups on school grounds or at entry and exit points.
• The office is open to parents but we ask that numbers waiting at the office are kept to a minimum.
• Masks must be worn when indoors for staff and students (Years 3 - 6) unless an exemption applies.
• Staff, students and parents / carers should not attend school if they are unwell.
• We ask that you continue to monitor your child(ren) for COVID symptoms and administer the Rapid Antigen tests twice weekly on school days; at all times, please take a conservative approach to sending your child(ren) to school if they are not well.
• We have had a small number of positive cases reported but the notification and management process has been extremely efficient and we greatly appreciate the support of all families.

Upcoming Events

We will continue with extra curricular activities and events whenever possible with appropriate risk management strategies in place. Upcoming events include:

Cyber Safety Incursion:      February 14th 

Year 6 Camp:                         February 21st - 25th

Year 5 Camp:                         March 15th - 18th

Separate communications will be sent in relation to these activities.

School Council Elections

Information relating to the 2022 School Council Elections will be distributed today. 

Student Leadership Selection

Following a review in 2021, we have modified the selection process to simplify selection of Leaders, Peer Mediators and Sports Academy. This process will take place across the coming week. 

Sentral

Parents are reminded that Sentral and the Sentral Parent Portal is the primary form of communication between school and home. Please ensure that you have the updated Sentral Parent Portal app on your phone/device and ideally, have the notifications settings ‘on’ to ensure that important messages are delivered and received in a timely manner.

Victorian Parents Council

For those parents who enjoy accessing great information on social media, you may like to  consider following the Victorian Parents Council page. The VPC provides regular information on topics that are relevant to all parents and I always find their posts / articles to be extremely insightful and informative.

Roofing

In 2021 we received funding to replace a significant section of our school roof, primarily along the main corridor from the office to the western end of the corridor. We are hopeful that these works will commence very soon and that the disruption to students and staff will be kept to a minimum. The Year 2 classes have relocated temporarily and Music and Mandarin have also been impacted. I thank all staff and students for their understanding and flexibility.

Fencing

Many of you will have noticed the damaged fence near the 2 minute zone in Koonung Road. The damage is significant and we are currently arranging for permanent repairs. Frustratingly, there were no witnesses to the incident - if you have any information about the incident, please contact me at school.

On a more positive note, we are looking forward to the installation of an additional safety barrier outside the main gates at the front of the school. The lack of a barrier has been a concern for some time, particularly when toddlers run out through the front gates. Special thanks to Cr. Andrew Moore from the City of Whitehorse who has been instrumental in the approval of this project.

I wish all our school community a very happy, successful and productive 2022. As always, we encourage open communication with school staff and I look forward to engaging with you as the year progresses. 

Kind regards

Duncan

Staff List 2022