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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 40
December 13th 2024 |
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
Term 4 Events: December 2024
2025 Term 1 Events: January 2025
February 2025
Principal's Column
Thank You for a Wonderful Graduation! We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to everyone who contributed to making the 2024 Graduation a special and memorable event for our Grade 6 students and the Oak Park community. The gym looked amazing and it was a beautiful event to celebrate the graduation of our Year 6 students. Firstly, a huge thank you to the Grade 5/6 teaching team, led by Maree, for their tireless effort in organising this important event. Your dedication and countless hours of preparation are truly appreciated. To our staff, both past and present, who joined us tonight, thank you for your ongoing support of this cohort over the years. A special thank you to those who volunteered today to help set up the gym – your generosity is deeply valued. A big thank you to Lauren Corcoran and our former students who spent the day assisting the Grade 5/6 staff with the gym setup. Your help was instrumental in creating a beautiful space. David Lu, we are so grateful for your IT support, not just today but always – thank you for being there to ensure everything runs smoothly. To the PFA, thank you for providing supper tonight and for all the incredible events you’ve supported over the years. Your contributions are invaluable, and we will deeply miss those of you leaving this year. Thank you to Melanie for coordinating the dance and song, adding joy and energy to the celebration. A special mention goes to the amazing Sheryl Hamilton for her dedication and ongoing support in helping to organise tonight’s event. Your hard work does not go unnoticed. Thank you to Rachel Turner for designing the program and to Cassie Arnold and Melanie De Soto of Green Gala Events for the beautiful, sustainable decorations and backdrops that made the night even more special. Finally, thank you to Kate Ducie, Rachel Turner, and the Year 6 Yearbook Club for your dedication to creating a stunning keepsake. The yearbook is something the students will treasure for years to come. This event would not have been possible without each of you – thank you for helping to make it such a wonderful celebration of our students' achievements and memories. 
School Saving Bonus: Supporting Families in 2024
We’re excited to remind families about the School Saving Bonus initiative, designed to support your child’s education. Emails with codes to access and allocate the funding via the portal have been delivered directly from the Department of Education. This bonus is separate from other supports, such as the State Schools’ Relief (for uniforms) and the Camps, Sports, and Excursions Fund (CSEF) available to concession card holders, which remain accessible. Uniform costs can also be reduced via second hand options and use of Kmart and Big W for basic items like hats, shorts, skirts and pants. To help families plan for the allocation of the School Saving Bonus, we’ve collated approximate costs based on excursions planned for 2024:
The 2025 costs for excursions and activities will be similar. These costings are approximate and do not include camps. Our Year 3/4 and Year 5/6 cohorts are higher due to the combination of Swimming Program and Inter-school Sports and other competitions. We encourage families to take advantage of the many resources available to make education accessible and affordable. Please reach out to the office if you have any questions or need assistance accessing these supports. Class Placements for 2024 Students will meet their new teacher and class this upcoming Wednesday (18th) and receive a welcome letter from their teacher to bring home to parents. Thank you to all families who provided feedback earlier this term to help inform our class placement process for 2024. The process has now been completed, considering a range of factors such as friendships, academic achievement, student behaviour and neurodivergences. Please do not seek further meeting times or changes with staff at this late stage, our school leaders and teachers are extremely busy in preparation for a successful start to 2025 and enjoyable final week of term. While we are unable to make changes at this stage, we want to reassure families that every effort has been made to create balanced and supportive learning environments for all students. Kind regards, Michael Gill Principal WHAT'S HAPPENING @ OAK PARK
WHOLE SCHOOL
Assembly Timetable
Last Day of School
The last day of the year for Oak Park Primary School is Friday 20th December. Our final assembly will start at 12.30pm on this day and school will finish at 1.30pm. All students MUST be picked up from school at 1.30pm, and a reminder that Team Kids will be running After School Care should you need to book in your child. Library
Library sessions have now ceased for the year. Please return any books that your student still has at home. Overdue notices will be sent home shortly. School Saving Bonus
Any families who have not yet received their code for accessing the School Savings Bonus, please note below communications from the education Department: The distribution of School Saving Bonus emails to parents and carers, to provide a unique code to use for the $400 credit, started on Tuesday 26 November 2024. Due to restrictions imposed by Microsoft, parents and carers with email accounts provided by a Microsoft exchange server, or who use an Outlook or Hotmail account, have likely experienced delays in receiving their code email. We have worked directly with Microsoft to resolve this issue and have re-sent the code to impacted email addresses. Please encourage parents and carers who have not received their code email to re-check their email accounts, including junk or spam folders. To ensure all eligible families receive the School Saving Bonus, the implementation team is crosschecking 2025 enrolment information held on file in your child’s school (as at Tuesday 10 December 2024) against the School Saving Bonus code emails distributed to date. Any eligible families not allocated the code 2025 Foundation Transition
Wednesday 18th December. Final Transition Event For our new Foundation students, transition is from 9.30am – 10.30am. They will have an opportunity to meet their Grade 6/2025 buddies as well as their teacher. New Foundation students are reminded to bring a teddy bear (or similar) for their teddy bear picnic with their buddies. All other Oak Park Primary School students (including new students who are starting at Oak Park Primary next year in years other than foundation) will be meeting their new 2025 teacher and classmates from 10 – 11am. 
C.S.E.F
Forms are now available for families who are entitled receive CSEF This is the Camps, Sports, Excursion Funds for those eligible families who have a Health Care Card or Pension Card. The only families who are required to complete an Application Form are new families who have not already completed the Application. CSEF is an annual payment to the school to be used towards Camps, Sports and/or excursion costs for the benefit of the eligible student. Forms are available outside the front of the office, we are also able to email to you if required. Once completed please return to the office along with proof of eligibility. 
MIDDLE SCHOOL
Poetry Reading by 3/4s
On Tuesday 10th December, the Grade 3/4 students shared their poetry with the Year 2 students. The three Year 2 classes were divided amongst the four Year 3/4 classrooms. Each classroom had students speak about the Poetry unit they had just completed and the different forms of poetry they had learned about, including free verse and Haiku poems. Year 3/4 students were keen to share the different forms of figurative language they had read and used in their writing, including alliteration, similes and onomatopoeia. The Year 2’s were attentive audience members, and many noticed that the Year 3/4 students had a dedication in their poetry books – just like authors do. Following the sharing, many Year 2 students spoke about how they were looking forward to creating their own poetry books in the future. 
Community News
ATC - LETTER OF NOTIFICATION
Puppies for Sale
TEAMKIDS
TeamKids have another action-packed Summer Holiday Program lined up! Ready to DISCOVER the TeamKids difference? - Learn new skills and make new friends - Qualified and REMARKABLE Educators - Digital detox with our no screens policy - Delicious and nutritious morning and afternoon snacks - CCS-approved care Head to https://downloads.teamkids.com.au/oak-park-primary.pdf to check out your school’s program + secure your spot today! 
Biggest Clean Up
As we approach the end of the year, we're getting excited and gearing up to hosting our BIGGEST EVER Clean Up on Sunday 2nd March 2025 as part of celebrating 35 years of Cleaning Up local communities across the country. Now is the perfect time to register an event and get involved! 
Gymnastics Holiday Programs
Glenroy Neighbourhood Holiday Program
Tennis Holiday Clinic
KIDS HOPE
STAY SAFE
School Contacts
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