Orchard Park News

Principal's Report

Christmas Concert

 

We are very much looking forward to coming together as a school community to celebrate the year's end on Wednesday 15th December. Families are invited to join us on the oval area from 5pm for a picnic dinner. Please bring along a packed dinner or some take away along with a blanket or seats to sit on. There will be soft drinks, pop corn, ice creams and fairy floss available for purchase on the evening. 

From 6pm onwards, we will invite each class and their families into the gym (one class at a time) to watch the students perform their Christmas item. Students are welcome to wear Christmas attire.

Just a reminder also that in line with government and department regulations, any family members that are over the age of 12 will need to provide evidence of their double vaccination status to attend this event, both for the outdoor picnic and also for the performances in the gymnasium. This is not a school expectation, but a government mandate that we must adhere to. We thank everyone for their understanding on this.

 

The final piece from our Christmas concert that I would really like to highlight is our raffle. Our School Council Community sub-committee have been working hard to put this together and the money raised will go towards growing our library further in 2022 so that our students have access to a greater range of books.  There are some amazing prizes on offer, including:

  • 4 Medallion Club seats to an AFL game of your choice in 2022
  • 2 x $400 hair care vouchers
  • Hair care packages (No, Mr Forster probably doesn't need this!)
  • 3 premium photography packages through MSP photography
  • Chipmunks Play Centre passes
  • Coffee gift packs
  • Christmas cookie pack
  • Spray tan voucher
  • And many more that are still coming in!

A book of 10 raffle tickets will have gone home this week and if you would like to either buy or sell any more of these, please feel free to come and speak with Ashlyn in the office. Further tickets will be available for purchase at the concert. Tickets need to be returned to school by Wednesday at the latest but we would really encourage them to be returned by Monday if possible.

 

Student reports 

 

Student reports will be going live on Compass today. These reports are slightly modified in their content due to the significant period of time we spent in COVID lockdown throughout Term 3. However they still provide families with detailed insight into the learning covered throughout the second semester of the year and their child's achievements.

 

Please understand that given the complexities associated with remote assessment and the short amount of time we have had back on-site with the students prior to drafting reports,  assigning accurate indicative progress scores for students has been a difficult task for teachers. It is for this reason that you may find your child has not progressed in some areas of the curriculum from Semester One. Please understand if this is the case, that it does not mean your child has not made progress or that they are slipping behind. It simply means that at this point, their teacher did not have enough evidence to confidently say that they have reached the next curriculum level.

 

The year in reflection

 

It is hard to believe, but we are only one week away from our first year coming to a close. As you will see from Mr Forster's newsletter report, there is so much to celebrate within our first year of operation. From the moment I was appointed as the principal of OPPS, I had a goal of ensuring our students and their families felt a strong connection to our school community, a real sense of belonging. Whilst there have been many challenges we have encountered in 2021, I feel a great sense of pride in the way we have come together as a whole school community to support each other. I am so grateful for the incredible commitment all of our staff have shown. Setting up a new school requires incredible commitment from all teachers and staff. They have been simply amazing in doing this. 

 

I recall a parent asked me during a remote information session in 2020, 'What would make OPPS different to other schools? What do you want your school to be recognised for?' My response to this question was that I wanted families to feel a sense of confidence that we knew your child; academically, socially and emotionally. I wanted parents to feel confident that their child was being supported in their areas of need and challenged and extended in areas of strength. Finally, I wanted them to feel connected. I hope as the year comes to a conclusion that families feel we have succeeded in this vision. I am so incredibly proud of each and everyone of our students for the resilience and strength they have shown in 2021. I wish all of our families a Merry Christmas and a safe and restful holiday break.