Oak Park Primary School
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The Oak Leaf

Address: Willett Avenue, Oak Park VIC 3046
T:(03) 9306 9182 E: oak.park.ps@education.vic.gov.au
Issue 07
March 16th 2023
Oak Park Primary School will work collaboratively to provide a stimulating, safe and challenging learning environment that promotes resilient, innovative thinkers.
Calendar of Events​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
  • March 21st - Harmony Day - Wear something orange
  • March 28th - Grade 6 Excursion - GRIP Leadership Conference
  • April 6th - Last Day of Term 1
  • April 24th - Term 2 Starts
  • April 25th - Anzac Day - Public Holiday
  • May 15th - School Photos - Students to wear correct uniform
Principal's Column
Ride and Stride at Oak Park in 2023
We excited to announce that Oak Park Primary are one of six schools selected to participate in Merri-bek City Council’s Ride & Stride program for 2023!
 
The program is designed to get more of our children and families moving safely and sustainably, and will deliver a range of activities over the year to enable more of our students to ride and stride to school. The Ride & Stride program will be launching in Term 2.

Parent Survey: As part of our involvement in this program, we would like to engage with parents and carers to better understand how you travel with your children to and from school, and any barriers you face to doing so actively (ie. on foot, bike or scooter). We’ve created an online survey that will take just a few minutes to complete. The more we can understand about the way our students and families travel, the better we can ensure the Ride & Stride program is tailored to support safe, easy & active transport to our school. 
 

https://forms.office.com/r/gRcAWDLShq
 
All data collected is anonymous, will be aggregated in the results, and your participation is voluntary (and appreciated). The information collected from the survey will help us to understand our school’s transport issues and opportunities for improving the way your family chooses to travel!
 
We will be sharing the results of the survey, and more information about Ride & Stride initiatives in the coming month. Thankyou!
 
Rory (Champion) and Michael (Principal)
Ride to School Day - Friday 24th March
In more ride related news, next Friday (24th) is Ride to School Day. A great event to kick off our association with the Ride and Stride Program.
 
National Ride2School Day is Australia’s biggest celebration of active travel and one of the best days on the school calendar. It is a day full of fun and colour where students, teachers and parents discover the joy of riding and kick-start healthy habits for the future. If possible we’d like as many students as possible to ride, walk, scoot or skate their way to school next Friday!
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NAPLAN has begun!
Students completed their Writing and Reading assessments online this Wednesday and Thursday. A catch-up session is planned for Friday providing the last opportunity to participate in the Writing assessment. The final two assessments are scheduled Monday and Tuesday next week with some catch up sessions following on Wednesday and Thursday for any absent students.

​Kind regards,
Michael Gill
Principal
Interschool Sports
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Assembly Schedule - Term 1
  • Friday Feb 3rd – Whole school (not Foundation)
  • Friday Feb 10th – Senior
  • Friday Feb 17th – Junior (Cancelled due to hot weather)
  • Friday Feb 24th – Whole School
  • Friday March 3rd – Junior
  • Friday March 10th – Senior
  • Friday March 17th – Junior
  • Friday March 24th – Senior
  • Friday Mark 31st – Junior
  • Friday April 7th – Whole school
2024 Enrolments
Thanks to those families who have sent in enrolment forms for their child for next year.
 
A reminder:  If you are enrolling your child next year at Oak Park Primary School, or you know of someone wanting to enrol their child, please email Fran at frances.macdonough@education.vic.gov.au to request an enrolment form.  You may also collect one from the Office for completion.
If you have a child already attending our school, and will be enrolling a sibling in 2024, please also complete an enrolment form.
We would request that enrolment forms are handed in by July 1st, so we may have an understanding of what our numbers will be for 2024.
OSHC Program
If your child is booked into our After Care Program, please ensure you advise the program (9300 3412) if your child is picked up at 3.30pm and will not be attending.  We have had numerous instances where children are picked up at 3.30pm from school with no notification to After Care when they have been booked in. 
This means staff are searching the school for your missing child unaware they have been collected already by a parent or carer. 

​Thank you
Harmony Day
Harmony Day- Tuesday 21st March
Students to wear something orange!

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On Tuesday 21st March, OPPS will be celebrating Harmony Day.  Students will be participating in activities during class time and are encouraged to wear orange on the day.

What is Harmony Week?
Harmony Week runs from March 20th – 24th. It is a time to celebrate Australian multiculturalism, and the successful integration of migrants into our community. Australia is one of the most successful multicultural countries in the world and we should celebrate this and work to maintain it.
The message of Harmony Week is everyone belongs. It is about inclusiveness, respect and belonging for all Australians, regardless of cultural or linguistic background, united by a set of core Australian values. 

Why orange?
Traditionally, orange signifies social communication and meaningful conversations. It also relates to the freedom of ideas and encouragement of mutual respect.  Students can choose to wear something orange on Harmony Day to show their support for cultural diversity and an inclusive Australia.
 
PLEASE NOTE- This day is not a casual clothes day, if your child does not have something orange to wear, they are to wear their school uniform.

If you’re interested in discussing and celebrating Harmony Week in the home, the link below has some great DIY craft activities.
https://www.harmony.gov.au/resources/hand-tree-diy/
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Foundation Teddy Bear Picnic
On Wednesday the Foundation students enjoyed a Teddy Bear Picnic to support our learning about the letters t and p. We had a spectacular day with face painting, teddy bear biscuit decorating, a bear hunt obstacle course, and a teddy bear picnic outside with our Year 6 buddies.
Thank you to the Year 6 teachers and students for supporting our day and to Alison German for volunteering her amazing face painting skills!
 
Check out some pictures of our day:
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Specialist
Performing Arts
There are many drama activities that you can do at home with children to help them develop their creativity, imagination, and social skills. Here are some ideas:
  1. Role-playing: Encourage your child to act out different scenarios with you, such as playing doctor or teacher. This will help them develop their imagination and social skills. Strategically leaving out play items so your child can ‘find them’ and initiate their own  play.
  2. Storytelling: Encourage your child to create their own stories or retell a story they have heard before. When driving in the car, ask your child to be your audio book, let them improvise a story for you to listen to while you drive.
  3. Puppet shows: Make your own puppets or use household objects as puppets and put on a show with your child. Puppets are a great way for children to become a character and experiment with new characters and voices.
  4. Improv games: Play improv games with your child, such as "Yes, and..." or "Fortunately, unfortunately." This will help them develop their improvisation and communication skills.
  5. Charades: Play charades with your child, acting out different animals or objects. This will help them develop their acting and communication skills.
  6. Dress-up: Let your child dress up in different costumes and act out different characters.

Remember, the most important thing is to have fun and encourage your child to be creative and imaginative! You could write these ideas down and place them in a jar. let your child pull out activity and follow the instructions.

Melanie
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Physical Education
It's important for children who play sports to take care of their bodies to prevent injuries, improve performance, and promote overall physical and mental health. Here are some recovery techniques that can help:
  1. Proper Nutrition: Encourage your child to eat a balanced diet that includes lean proteins, whole grains, fruits and vegetables to support muscle recovery and promote growth.
  2. Hydration: Make sure your child drinks enough water and other fluids before, during, and after playing sports to prevent dehydration, which can lead to cramps and fatigue.
  3. Rest and Sleep: Ensure your child gets 8-10 hours of sleep per night to promote muscle recovery and improve overall physical and mental health.
  4. Stretching: Encourage your child to stretch before and after sports to improve flexibility and reduce the risk of injury. (Note-dynamic stretches should be performed before exercise & static stretching should be done after exercise).
  5. Massage: Consider massaging sore muscles to improve blood flow and reduce muscle tension, promoting faster recovery.
  6. Active Recovery: Encourage low-intensity activities such as walking or yoga to promote muscle recovery and reduce muscle soreness.
  7. Compression Garments: Consider using compression garments to improve blood flow and reduce muscle soreness and swelling.
Remember, it's important to implement recovery techniques in moderation and under the guidance of a trained professional, such as a coach, trainer or doctor.
By implementing these recovery techniques, your child can sustain their athletic performance, reduce the risk of injuries, and promote their overall physical and mental health.

​Thank you for your continued support of our school's sports program.
Liam
Science
 "Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently." Henry Ford

This week in the science room we have been focused on the school value of resilience. Resilience is the key to being able to keep on going through difficulty and know that if we continue to try, we can see different results. Just because something is hard in the beginning doesn’t mean it always will be hard. Our junior scientists have been learning about animal life cycles and habitats and are now putting their learning to the test by completing projects to demonstrate their understanding. For many junior students this is an unfamiliar task. Our learning has been around the positivity we can find in making mistakes, being resilient and trying again. 
Being resilient isn’t always easy or fun. It can be hard and feel like we are not getting anywhere fast. But resilience is the key to learning (particularly in science!) and luckily it is a skill that can be learned!
 
Here are some of the strategies we are learning about. 
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If you are interested to read more about this topic please visit
https://healthyfamilies.beyondblue.org.au/healthy-homes/building-resilience

A resilient scientist Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company, knew a lot about failure. Ford did not create his legendary vehicle without making a few big mistakes. He started his career much later than most people would expect. At 28 years-old, Ford decided he wanted to become an engineer, working for Edison Illuminating Company, quickly becoming Chief Engineer within two years. Five years later, he would design and build his own self-propelled vehicle, leading to the founding of the Detroit Automobile Company a year later in 1899. Sadly, the company would fail miserably, bankrupting Ford. However, shortly after Ford would create his legendary Ford Company.

​Stephanie Lambiris
Japanese News
Last week in Japanese we learnt about the Hinamatsuri or Doll’s Festival celebrated in Japan on March 3rd each year. On this day, families display beautiful dolls to pray for the health and happiness of their daughters. The festival was originally known as the Peach Festival or Momo no sekku as peach trees usually bloom around this time. During this festival, ornamental dolls are displayed on platforms called hinadan which are covered in red material. The most important dolls are the odairisama (Emperor) and ohinasama (Empress). Hinamatsuri dolls can range from simple folded dolls to expensive ornate dolls.After learning about the festival we all had a great time making our own folded odairisama and ohinasama dolls to take home or display in our classroom. The students did a fantastic job following the origami instructions and loved trying the different types of dolls.
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Natalie
Visual Arts
Grade 5/6 Students created “Identity Portraits” that show some of the things that are of interest to them personally. They created backgrounds of their own choice using watercolour or acrylic paint, then glued a photo of themselves over the background. The next step in this process was to print and draw items of interest and glue them in a collage arrangement showing some overlapping of the items.

​The students were highly engaged in creating their portraits and it was wonderful to see the conversations that took place when sharing their interests. This activity was very helpful in introducing students to each other at the start of the year, as not all students had been in the same grade before. Some students had been in grades with the same students in the past, however they had little idea of the interests of one another.
These are only a few of the artworks created. There are more of these artworks on display in the Art Room windows. Please swing by and take a look!
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David Flint
Visual Arts Teacher
Library Book
A Moreland Library Book has been returned to the school library in error.  
If you have returned “The Pigeon has to go to school” please call in and collect it from the library to return to Moreland Library.
Parent Hacks
REMINDER: We’d love to get your parent hacks to share with our community.  Please forward to Fran at frances.macdonough@education.vic.gov.au
​Year 6-7 Transition
Local Secondary Colleges are now advertising their Open Days, Information Nights and School Tours.  We suggest that families make the most of these availabilities.
 
Please go to www.findmyschool.vic.gov.au to check if you are within their school zone. 
 
Information regarding the Application for Year 7 will be sent to all Year 6 families during Term 2, along with FAQ’s and Application timeline. 
Should you require any information once this is received, please don’t hesitate to contact Fran at frances.macdonough@education.vic.gov.au
AITKEN COLLEGE will be holding a Secondary Admissions Information session for families on 22nd March via Zoom. This will be open for students who are now in Grades 3-5, as enrolments at Private and Catholic Colleges are open for the years 2025, 2026 and ahead.
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COBURG HIGH SCHOOL have an Open Day on the 26th April for prospective Year 7/2024 families. 
​Please see attached flyer
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​ESSENDON KEILOR COLLEGE have an Open Day on 28th March for prospective Year 7/2024 families.
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ROSEHILL SECONDARY COLLEGE have an Open Day on Thursday 4th May from 9.15am – 2.15pm.
Open Evening Tuesday 9th May. Tours 4-6pm, Principals address 6.45pm. Guided Tours are available on Tuesdays at 9.30am.  Bookings are essential.  
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Community News
AIRPORT WEST SWIMMING ACADEMY…. Saving Lives, LEARN TO SWIN
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ST.MARKS CALISTHENICS FREE TRIAL
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School Contacts
​Principal
Michael Gill
Michael.Gill@education.vic.gov.au​​
Office Manager
Fran MacDonough
Frances.Macdonough@education.vic.gov.au ​
Business Manager
Naomi Di Pasquale
Naomi.DiPasquale@education.vic.gov.au
​​PFA President
​Eugenie Baulch
​​4721-PFAOPPS@schools.vic.edu.au
​School Council President ​​
​​Jo Pleban​​
​​Jo.Pleban@education.vic.gov.au
​​​OSHC Coordinator
​Julie Andrews
​​oshc.oak.park.ps@education.vic.gov.au
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Copyright ©2023 Oak Park Primary School - Creating The Future together
  • Home
  • About Us
    • School Profile
    • Principals Welcome
    • Enrolment
    • School Values
    • OPPS Staff
    • Before & After School Care
    • Annual Implementation Plan & Strategic Plan
    • Annual Report
  • Curriculum
    • Literacy
    • Mathematics
    • Inquiry
    • Performing Arts
    • Physical Education
    • Japanese
    • Visual Arts
    • Technology
  • Students
    • Foundation Transition
    • Foundation
    • Junior School
    • Middle School
    • Senior School
    • International Students Program
    • Report Bullying
  • Parent Information
    • General Information
    • BYO 1-1 iPad Program
    • OPPS Policies
    • OPPS Forms
    • Child Safe
    • School Council
    • School Uniform
    • Lunch Orders
    • Parent Friends Association
    • Helpful Links
    • Music Program
    • Facilities Plan
    • Respectful Relationships
    • School Wide Positive Behaviours
    • TeamKids
  • School Virtual Tours
  • Compass
  • Newsletter
  • Contact