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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 21
July 19th 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 3 Events:
Term 4 Events:
Principal's Column
Capital Works Grant Application for Inclusion Project: Enhancing Student Wellbeing
We are excited to announce that Oak Park Primary School has applied for a Capital Works Grant under the Inclusion Project stream. Our proposed project aims to transform our underutilised library outdoor area into a dynamic Wellbeing Hub, accessible to all students and dedicated to supporting their diverse needs. Project Overview: Extension and Development: We plan to extend into our current outdoor area, creating additional space, offices, and storage for inclusive materials. This extension will also include a new, fenced outdoor area to ensure students can engage in this space safely. Sensory Engagement: The environment will cater to various sensory needs, with textures and flexible spaces to engage students requiring sensory stimuli. Wellbeing Support: The hub will be utilised by Wellbeing staff to support individual students and their families. It will provide a safe space for students to regulate their behaviour, enabling them to re-engage in their classroom activities. Quiet Activities: During recess and lunchtime, the hub will offer quiet games and activities for students who find the openness of the school grounds confronting and overwhelming. Inclusive Environment: By creating a space where all students can engage quietly, we aim to foster a positive connection to our school and enhance their overall wellbeing. We are grateful to our local member, Kathleen Matthews-Ward, for her letter of support, which strengthens our application and demonstrates the community’s commitment to this important project. We look forward to keeping our school community updated on the progress of our application and the potential development of this valuable resource for our students. Also, a thank you to Kerry Gribbin and Sally Morath for their support in completing the application. Keeping Classroom Disruptions to a Minimum Thanks to parents in the Foundation area for being responsive to our messaging and prompting to farewell students outside and not enter the internal building space. A decrease of people inside has assisted multiple students in feeling less anxious during their transition into classrooms. At times this year we’ve had parents ‘pop-in’ to classrooms between 3:15-3:30pm to pass a message to students or asks questions of teachers. This is not appropriate and is disruptive to classrooms. As general reminder to all families, please don’t enter classrooms during class time, unless you have visited the office, signed out your child and need to enter the classroom to assist with collection. Any messages to students can be conveyed by calling the school office on 9306 9182. Thanks in advance for helping keep classroom disruptions to a minimum. Whole School Assemblies for Term 3 Due to concert preparations, we will be holding Whole School Assemblies every fortnight for Term 3 only. The first assembly will begin next week, and students receiving WOW Awards will be seated at the front beforehand. We understand that whole school assemblies can be large events, so we have supports in place for our neurodivergent students to ensure everyone feels supported. Thank you for your understanding and support as we prepare for our upcoming concert. Kind regards, Michael Gill Principal WHOLE SCHOOL
WHAT'S COMING UP
Athletics Carnival
Our Athletics Carnival is on this term: Week 5 August 16th for students in Grades 3-6! Get your colours and house spirit ready. Gooooo team! 
Assembly Timetable
School Concert
SEWING/PROPS helpers needed!
It’s time to start organising for the school concert and we are looking for crafty parents to help! Please email Melanie with your skill set and the amount of time you can give. Sewers- you will need your own sewing machine, but also hand sewers are needed. We have costumes of various skill levels from beginners to advanced sewers. Crafters- get your glue gun ready, we have head pieces and props to paint and decorate. Props- If you have experience in this area or you’re interested in getting involved please contact us. T-shirt printing- anyone have a t-shirt printing business? Wood work- if you have a jigsaw in your garage and can cut some wood pieces please let the school know. VANS/UTES needed! At various times next term we may need help to pick up or deliver items. We will also need help taking props to the Clocktower on Monday 16th September and returning items to school after the shows. Thank you P.F.A Meeting Dates Term 3 & 4
Below are the PFA meeting dates for the reminder of the year to put in your diary! Meetings start at 7.30 pm and are held in the staffroom at the school. All are welcome to attend.
Term 3 Tuesday 23 July Tuesday 27 August Term 4 Tuesday 8 October Tuesday 12 November Tuesday 3 December (mtg/end-of-year celebration) Save the Date
The PFA will be running a Trivia Night on Saturday 7th September. More information will be coming, but please save the date, mark it in your calendars now. I’m sure it will be a fun night. BOOK PARADE
JUNIOR SCHOOL
Grade 1/2 News
Today we learned about taekwondo. Tom Afonczenko came to school! Tom is a taekwondo champion! He is number #7 in the world! Tom did a presentation for all the 1/2 classes. We saw videos of him fighting. Tom has tried to represent Australia in the Olympics, but sadly he didn’t make it :( He does not do taekwondo anymore BUT… he can still be the coach in the Olympics! Do you want to learn some facts about taekwondo? Fact 1: Taekwondo was invented in Korea. Fact 2: There are different belts (like black belt). Fact 3: Taekwondo is a martial art. By Zoe Are you good at taekwondo? I’m not, I’m terrible. But Tom Afonczenko is very good. Tom has been doing taekwondo since he was ten. He was horrible like me when he was 10-13. Then, when he was 14 he won his first match. Ever since then, he has been really good. Today he came to our school to give a presentation about taekwondo to all the 1/2 classes. He told us about his career. His dream was to go to the Olympics but he unfortunately didn’t make it. He got to be number 7 in the WORLD! Isn’t that amazing?! I would have made it to only 100th. Tom has now retired. By Wren 
MIDDLE SCHOOL
‘Our Bodies, Our Minds!’ What an incredible and engaging week it has been for our grade 3/4 students! They immersed themselves in a series of enriching activities designed to explore the keys to a healthy body and mind.
The first rotation began with exciting parachute games led by Jordan! Students had a blast playing games like Cat and Mouse and Popcorn, getting their hearts pumping and embracing physical fitness. Next, Anu guided them through a session on Mental Health, creating a peaceful environment for practising breathing exercises and mindfulness. Marina then took over with activities focused on Social Health. The highlight was a teamwork challenge where students collaborated to build the tallest towers using marshmallows and spaghetti. It was wonderful to see them demonstrate resilience and good sportsmanship, celebrating each round's winner! The final activity encouraged students to connect on a personal level by finding common ground with a classmate. They bonded over shared interests and creatively expressed these connections on a classroom banner. As the term progresses, our students will continue exploring ways to maintain their well-being. We invite families to participate in the homework activities designed to inspire
SPECIALIST
Visual Arts
Moana Junior School Concert Poster Competition Our school concert spectacular Moana Junior is fast approaching. It’s time for students from Grades 3-6 to get their creative wizardry fired up, to create a poster that represents all things Moana Junior. Students were given the opportunity to begin their designs during art lessons in the final week of Term 2. Now it’s over to the students to work on their ideas for the concert posters at home. This is not a compulsory activity. Only students that wish to enter the competition need to complete the poster design. Artwork entries for the competition are due back to David (OPPS Art teacher) no later than Thursday the 1st of August (Friday the 2nd is a Curriculum Day). Guidelines for students to keep in mind when creating their posters
Competition PRIZE The winner receives 2 free concert tickets, a poster sized copy of their artwork (laminated) and a large pencil case full of art supplies. Please forward any questions to David Flint (OPPS Art Teacher) via email. Good luck to all students that enter the competition. 
Science
COMMUNITY NEWS
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School Contacts
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