Principal's Report
From the Principal...
Principal Position
I would like to take this opportunity to announce to everyone in the Ormond community that I will be taking up the role of Principal at Mount View Primary School in Glen Waverley at the start of Term 3. So, after twelve years at Ormond Primary School I will be vacating the chair on Friday, 30th of June. As I reflect on my time at Ormond I am proud of the great work that we have done together to make our school a great school. The positive tone, the co-operation and the enthusiasm is pervasive and provides evidence that Ormond is a great school for all children.
The child-centred nature of the school is my greatest achievement and that reality is something that I hold dear as I move on.
I look forward to chatting with the students and the parents of Ormond over the next two days. The End of Term Assembly at 2 pm on Friday will be my final, formal occasion at Ormond. I will return to Ormond in early Term 3 in order to say goodbye to the students, teachers, parents and community. I look forward to that celebration of my time at Ormond.
The Mount View Primary School role is an exciting career opportunity for me. With 1100 students and 85 staff and a school focus on the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB PYP), the school presents a challenge that I am ready to accept.
I thank you all wholeheartedly for the encouragement and support that you have given me in my role as Principal at Ormond Primary School. It has been great fun and an honour to have played such a key role in all that we have achieved since 2005.
Parent Teacher Interviews
The recent release of the Student Mid-Year Reports and the conduct of the Parent/Teacher Interviews on Monday and Tuesday this week completes the formal mid-year reporting process. Parent comments about the reports have been positive and highlight the value of the teachers’ comments and the related visual display of student learning progress over the last twelve months. The gains made by students in their learning have been significant and it is timely that we take time to acknowledge this progress.
Student Reports
Families departing Ormond Primary at the end of Term 3 are reminded to print and/or save copies of all their child's reports off Compass for their own records as their access to the Compass Parent Portal will no longer be availble after the school holidays. This practice also recommended to all families for their own record keeping at home.
Bikes and Scooters
A number of students have pointed out to me that their bikes and scooters have been moved during the school day. When the end of the day comes they are not where they left them. In order to overcome this concern I would like to remind all students that the bike shelter is not a play area and all students should play on the oval, the courts, the nets or on the climbing equipment.
New Playground
I would like to acknowledge the fundraising efforts of the Parents & Friends Sub-committee which has allowed the school the chance to purchase new equipment for student use. As a result of these fundraising efforts, School Council is pleased to announce that an exciting, new playground has been ordered for the area adjacent to the shed. The design of the new equipment is the result of an extensive consultation process involving:
- Three playground supply companies
- The Facilities & Environment Sub-committee of School Council
- The Student Voice Captains
- Year 4, 5 & 6 Student Forums
Over the course of Terms 1 & 2 a number of revisions were made to the designs culminating in a proposal which we are confident will meet the active play needs of the older students at Ormond. It is anticipated that the playground will be completed towards the end of Term 3. Associated landscaping will complete the project.
2018 Enrolments
Ormond families who have younger siblings due to start Prep in 2018 are encouraged to enrol as soon a spossible so planning can begin in Term 3. Enrolment forms are available at the front office.
Nutritious Snacks and Lunches
This week we have the second in a series of articles which highlight healthy eating options for school snacks and lunches. I know that parents are keen for their children to eat a broad and healthy range of foods throughout the week. However, it can sometimes be difficult to come up with new and interesting ideas. This week we have included some links to healthy food websites – Healthy Eating Advisory Service. Nutrition Australia and Foost. Please take time to have a look at these and try some ideas. Healthy eating! Please check out the following.
Packing a healthy lunch box https://healthy-kids.com.au/parents/packing-a-healthy-lunchbox/
Snacks for lunch boxes https://healthy-kids.com.au/parents/packing-a-healthy-lunchbox/the-basics-to-healthy-choices/
Bon Voyage
We wish Brodie Thomson a safe and enjoyable trip over the next few weeks. Brodie will be travelling throughout France, Spain, Italy, Croatia as well as many other countries. This is a great time travel in those places! During Brodie’s absence from Ormond the Communication and Administration Officer role will be carried out by Jamie Binnion, who has had experience in working in the front office at McKinnon Secondary College.
End of Term
The End of Term Assembly will begin at 2 pm this Friday with the students dismissed at it's conclusion at 2:30pm. The program will include ‘The Ormond News” and student performance. This will be a great way to celebrate all of the great work completed by the students. School will resume on Monday, 17th of July. Enjoy the break!
Farewell,
Glenn Butler
Principal
Finance and Trading Operations Subcommittee
Communication Update
- Finance & Trading Operations subcommittee purpose and function
- Current financial position
- 2017 financial activities
An important role of the School Council is to oversee the financial management of the school. In practice this is done by a group of school councilors who sit on the Finance and Trading Operations subcommittee. Together we establish a budget for the school year and monitor the school’s on-going financial position. Our other jobs are to oversee the finances of the Out of School Hours Care program and the fundraising by the Parents and Friends subcommittee.
Sitting on the sub-committee presently are Glenn Butler, Lorrie Dell and Jan Cassidy, representing the school operations and administration, and Robyn Gallagher and me, representing the parent community.
I am happy to report that Ormond Primary is in a financially secure position and this is a testament to sound management and leadership shown by Glenn and Lorrie over many years. Each year the school establishes a budget to run at a small operating surplus, and over the last few years it has managed to achieve the targeted surplus, plus a little bit more.
This sound financial position is largely due to the high number of parents who continue to pay their voluntary contributions, as well as the highly successful fundraising activities of the Parents and Friends subcommittee. When we speak with school councilors from other schools they marvel at our voluntary payment rate and fundraising success.
So I would like to take this opportunity to thank all parents for contributing in this way, and we look forward to your continuing support in the future.
In 2017 we are embarking on a number of larger projects to improve the grounds of the school, such as some new play equipment that the Facilities subcommittee will detail in the near future. I can report that the projects are fully funded out of school finances and do not involve any government funding or debt finance.
The Finance and Trading Operations subcommittee is always looking for more contributors, so if there are any parents in the community who would like to join, or simply learn more about school finances and the workings of the school, we encourage you to reach out and ask questions. The Finance and Trading Operations subcommittee looks forward to another successful year of serving the school community.
Damien Sherman
Treasurer, Ormond Primary School
Parent to Claudia (Year 6) and Charlie (Year 4)