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The Oak Leaf |
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Address: Willett Avenue, Oak Park VIC 3046
T:(03) 9306 9182 E: [email protected] |
Issue 20
July 13th 2023 |
Oak Park Primary School will work collaboratively to provide a stimulating, safe and challenging learning environment that promotes resilient, innovative thinkers.
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Calendar of Events
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Principal's Column
Welcome Back and Welcome to Alyena and Jasmyn!
Welcome back to Term 3, I hope you had an enjoyable break and spent some quality time with friends and family. We’ve had some staffing updates with Jasmyn Steele joining us in Foundation, after Alex commenced her family leave. Alex welcomed her daughter Milana into the world over the school break and we wish her heartfelt congratulations and hope she can visit us soon. Keryn Tuck (1T) has needed to reduce her working hours to support her family. Keryn is a valued member of the Year 1 team and will continue to teach 1T on Monday and Tuesday. We are fortunate to find an experienced teacher to work alongside Keryn for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday for the remainder of 2023. Alyena Mohammadally was the successful candidate, an experienced teacher and member of the Oak Park community. She has also worked as a CRT for Oak Park during 2023. Keryn and Alyena have already collaborated to ensure the same quality team planning is delivered to the class across the week. The current teacher shortage is a legitimate challenge for schools in securing staff for both casual and permanent employment. We are fortunate to attract such experienced and quality teachers to support our students. Please greet Alyena and Jasmyn has you see them around the Oak Park. Open Streets : Thursdays – 20th and 27th of July and 3rd of August - 8.10-9.10am and 3:10-4:10pm In 2023 Oak Park Primary School is participating in Council’s Ride & Stride program. This means we are looking for ways to make walk and riding to school a fun and safe option for the school run. With 91% of our families living within a 10min ride or 20min walk from school, we’ve decided to trial the Open Streets initiative as part of Ride & Stride Merri-bek City Council and Bicycle Network’s Ride2School program to make the streets around our school gates safer for children, families and residents and encourage active travel to school. Walking or riding to school is a great way to build healthy habits and prepare to focus on the school day ahead. Open Streets will compliment Ride & Stride initiatives, like Tag On, which we will be participating in this year to address other barriers to active travel. Open Streets – Creating a safe space for students riding, scooting, and walking to school. Where: Summit Avenue - outside the school grounds When: Thursdays – 20th and 27th of July and 3rd of August - 8.10-9.10am and 3:10-4:10pm On Thursday 20th, Thursday 27th of July, and Thursday 3rd of August, we will be opening Summit Avenue outside the school grounds to walking and cycling only during drop off (8.10-9.10am) and pick up (3:10-4:10pm) times to create safe and healthy space for families arriving at the school gates. There will be fun activities held on the street for children to play, ride and scoot around before and after school. Please refer to the attached flyer for information on access, activities and other details. Some ideas about alternative drop off options are also included. You can watch a short video about the Open Streets trials held in other Merri-bek schools in 2022 by clicking here. In the lead up to the trial, we’d value hearing your thoughts surrounding school drop off and pick up on Summit Avenue and any feedback or questions you may have about the upcoming trials – please click here to answer a short survey. Kind regards, Michael Gill Principal Assembly Timetable - Term 3
Exciting News
We have some exciting news to share…..Our Foundation teacher Alex Macias who is on maternity leave, has given birth to a gorgeous little girl. Milana Macias Hills was born on Monday 3rd July at a very health weight of 3.4kg. We wish Alex and her husband every happiness, and can’t wait to meet Milana.
NAIDOC Week Celebration
At the end of Term 2, we were lucky to welcome Teena, Kiera and Stacie from Wurundjeri Dance Group Djirri Djirri to share dances and Creation Narratives with our school community for our NAIDOC Week Celebration. Thank you to Djirri Djirri for sharing your knowledge with us! Check out some pictures from the performance and some recounts from our Foundation students.
Jolly Soles
Dear OPPS Community. Your child would have received a flyer regarding our phonics books fundraiser 'Jolly Soles Sock Fundraiser'. We hope to see as many families get involved and purchase some socks to support our school in purchasing phonics (decodable) home reading books! The family that purchases the most pairs will receive a $100 Coles Myer Voucher! All information required to purchase the socks is on the flyer that was sent home yesterday and attached to this note. Please use the QR code on the flyer to ensure your socks are delivered to our school and our school receives the profits from the sale. The QR code is live from today until July 31st so you can get in early and make sure you child gets the pick of the sock designs before designs/sizes sell out! We will be hosting a Silly Socks Day on Tuesday August 15th 2023 where all students can wear their socks to school for the day and show off their chosen funky design! If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask! Amy Devlin 
Book Fair is Coming
Weekend Footy Report
Hi everyone, we are from 3/4K and our names are Mac, Hamish, Xavier, Lachie and Luke. We’re known as The Oakers. We all play for Oak Park under 10’s. This term we will be keeping you updated about what happens around our footy team and club. We will keep you posted about every game, our stats and events. We look forward to sharing our weekly sports report with you! 
P.F.A
The next PFA meeting will be held on Tuesday 18 July at 7.30 pm in the staffroom at the school. We will be making arrangements for this term's events, which include the Father's Day Stall and our major fundraiser for the year, a very exciting Fun Run! All are welcome to attend – look forward to seeing you there. Thank you, The PFA Ride & Stride
In 2023, Oak Park Primary School is participating in Council’s Ride & Stride program. This means we are looking for ways to make walk and riding to school a fun and safe option for the school run. With 91% of our families living within a 10min ride or 20min walk from school, we’ve decided to trial the Open Streets initiative as part of Ride & Stride and Bicycle Network’s Ride2School program to make the streets around our school gates safer for children, families and residents and encourage active travel to school. Walking or riding to school is a great way to build healthy habits and prepare to focus on the school day ahead. Open Streets will compliment Ride & Stride initiatives, like Tag On, which we will be participating in this year to address other barriers to active travel. On Thursday 20th, Thursday 27th of July, and Thursday 3rd of August, we will be opening Summit Avenue outside the school grounds to walking and cycling only during drop off (8.10-9.10am) and pick up (3:10-4:10pm) times to create safe and healthy space for families arriving at the school gates. There will be fun activities held on the street for children to play, ride and scoot around before and after school. More information will be provided You can also watch this video to see how Open Streets operates. Specialist
Physical Education Welcome back everyone! I hope you all had a lovely break. Our focus for all year levels this term will be Athletics. Students will learn about a range of track and field skills including sprinting, jumping, and throwing events. F- 2 students can look forward to kaboom tabloid sports carnival, while the senior students will take part in our annual athletics carnival in Coburg. Performing Arts
Term Three is exciting for all students as we begin a semester of dance! This term we will be learning about the importance of cultural dance. Cultural dance is a special type of dance that is shared by a community. It can have specific uses and meaning. These include rituals, ceremonies, paying respect to ancestors or simply for enjoyment! If any families have any traditional costumes at home that they are able to share for display for a few weeks (not worn or touched by students) please email me, it would benefit all students to make meaning connections to the different cultures in our school community. Below are the 56M student responses to the question- Why do people dance? 
Japanese
I am excited to have Foundation to Grade 2 students in Japanese this semester. The Japanese Language program will focus on both language and culture. The aim will be for students to develop knowledge and skills in communicating in Japanese, as well as gaining an understanding of some aspects of Japanese culture including celebrations, traditions and customs. The program will focus on everyday interactions such as exchanging greetings and farewells as well as sharing information about themselves including their favourite colours, animals and foods. Students will be given lots of opportunities for verbal practice and interaction with peers through songs, games and roles plays. Students will also be introduced to the 3 writing systems, hiragana, katakana and kanji and begin to practice writing numbers and common characters/words. If you have any questions regarding the Japanese Language Program please don’t hesitate to contact me. Natalie Smith Science News
It is exciting to welcome the senior school students to the Science room this term. For those parents and families who don’t know me, I’m Stephanie the specialist science teacher, and I am very keen to work with the Grade 3-6 students this semester. This semester students will be introduced to the scientific process and will work towards incorporating scientific thinking into their learning. We will be exploring the natural world around us, with a particular focus on living creatures - their physical appearance and adaptations, life cycles, survival needs and biomes. Students will be encouraged to make discoveries, build connections as well as learn how to pose and respond to questions. They will learn how to generate a hypothesis and reflect on findings. Next week students will be taking part in their first hands on experiments. This will be an opportunity to learn how to properly use equipment, listen to instructions and to their peers, as well as learn about sharing the space and materials safely with others. If you have any questions about the science program, please feel free to get in touch at any time. Stephanie Visual Arts
We hope you had a fantastic break and are ready to dive into a term filled with imagination, colour, and artistic exploration. Term 3 promises to be an exciting time for all students, from Foundation to Grade 6, as we embark on a journey of creativity in the art room. Students will unleash their inner artist, as they have a plethora of captivating activities planned for them this term. A range of engaging projects that will allow students to express themselves through various mediums, from painting to foil sculpture, outdoor and indoor drawing to rubbings, (and lots more) the art room will be buzzing with inspiration and artistic expression. In the coming weeks, as Father's Day approaches, we have something special in store. Students will have the opportunity to create heartfelt gifts for their fathers or special figures in their lives. We believe that handmade presents truly convey love and appreciation, and we can't wait to see the beautiful creations that our talented artists come up with. But that's not all! Term 3 will also feature collage creation and mosaics, allowing students to explore the world of mixed media and create stunning visual compositions. The art room will be transformed into a hub of creativity, where each brushstroke and every piece of material will contribute to unique and meaningful artworks. Later in the term, we will be holding a "Design a Football Jumper" competition. This exciting opportunity will allow students to showcase their artistic talents while creating a design for a football jumper. Stay tuned for more information about this competition, as details will be shared in a future newsletter. As we embark on this creative journey in Term 3, we encourage students to embrace their artistic spirit, explore new techniques, and unleash their boundless imagination. Art is a powerful medium that fosters self-expression, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills, and I am excited to witness the growth and development of our budding artists. Let's make this term a celebration of creativity, where each stroke of the brush and every creative endeavour leads to wonderful works of art. I can't wait to see the masterpieces our students will produce throughout the term. Wishing you a truly inspiring and artistic Term 3! David Flint Chess Club Term 3
Kelly Sports
Term 3 Friday afternoons from 3.30pm – 4.40 pm for Grades Foundation to 3. Kelly Sports Wicked Winter Sports give children skills and confidence in a fun and enjoyable environment. Program runs from 14th July – 15th September See attached brochure to book your child in next term.
.Year 6-7 Transition
WEDNESDAY 19th July: Oak Park Primary School will notify parents/carers of placement outcomes for Year 7 2024. Should your child not be accepted at their preferred school, you will be supplied with an appeal letter which needs to be completed. Oak Park Primary School is unable to assist if you have not been accepted at your preferred school, the Secondary College and the Region All families will receive an acceptance slip, please complete that as soon as possible and return to our office. PENOLA CATHOLIC COLLEGE have Principal tours happening for prospective families. Please see attachment. 
Community News
TENNIS FUN
VIC SOCCER
SOFTBALL
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