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 16
June 1st 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​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
  • June 2nd - School Tour - 10am - 11am Bookings required
  • June 7th - Inter School Chess - ENTRIES CLOSE
  • June 12th -King's Birthday
  • June 16th - School Tour - 10am - 11am Bookings required
  • June 16th - School Disco - Foundation - Grade 3: 5:30pm - 7:00pm | Grade 4-6: 7:30pm - 9:00pm
  • June 21st - Interschool Chess - 9:00am - 2:45pm
  • June 21st - Student Led Conferences - 9am - 7pm
  • June 23rd - Last Day of Term 2 - 2pm Finish
  • July 10th - Term 3 Starts
Principal's Column
Outside School Hours Survey
We greatly value the input and participation of our community of families who utilize the Outside Hours School Care (OHSC) service, as well as those who have yet to experience its benefits. As an integral part of our ongoing commitment to continuously improve and enhance the quality of our service, we are eager to gather survey data from both existing and potential OHSC users.

OHSC SURVEY LINK

Your valuable responses and help shape the present and future management strategies of our service. By taking the time to complete the survey questions, you contribute to the development of a more tailored and effective OHSC experience for all families involved.
 
King’s Birthday Holiday
Monday 12th June is a public holiday for the King’s Birthday. School is not open and students are not required to attend. I hope families enjoy the long weekend.
 
Student-Led Conferences June 21st
Just a reminder that June 21st is also pupil-free day as we have student-led conferences from 9am - 7pm. Bookings are now live, please book via the Compass app.
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Students will not need to attend school for the whole day, and will only attend their meeting with parent and teacher. As it is a student-led conference it is important that they come with you. School uniforms are not required. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet with teachers, as students proudly present work from their portfolios.
Student reports will be live for download on Tuesday June 20th to help support discussions during the conferences.

​​Kind regards,
Michael Gill
Principal
Interschool Sports
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Assembly Schedule - Term 2
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COVID Cases
COVID-19 has once again made its presence felt in our community, affecting several staff members and students.
At present multiple students are absent from Foundation M and have reported positive COVID tests.
Students who report a positive result are recommended to isolate for a minimum of 5 days and not attend school until their symptoms have resolved.

We kindly request families to remain vigilant and monitor their children for any signs of COVID symptoms.         It is important to maintain good hand hygiene, wear masks when necessary, and perform Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) if symptoms are present.
Alongside COVID, we are also witnessing an increase in common colds and illnesses.
We would like to remind families that when students are unwell, the best remedy is to rest at home.
Unexplained Absences
We have noticed recently that there are many unexplained absences in Compass.  If your child is absent for the day or unwell, we ask that parents/Carers please input their child absence via Compass.
Late Arrivals
If you are dropping your child late to school, you are required to bring them in via the Office and sign them in at the time they arrive to school.  We ask parents not to sign their child in to school from home.
2024 Enrolments
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.  We would appreciate enrolments being submitted by end of Term 2, Friday 23rd June.

School Tours
We have availability for school tours for prospective families on Friday 16th June from 10am – 11am
Please email Fran at frances.macdonough@education.vic.gov.au
School tours will also operate after the school holidays on the following dates:
Friday 14th & 29th July  10-11am
Friday 11th September  10-11am
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Students Leaving
If your child will be leaving Oak Park Primary School at the end of 2023 (year levels other than Grade 6), please advise the office and your classroom teacher.
 
Working With Children Check
The office requires a copy of your Working with Children Check if you are a Parent Helper, either in class or on excursions.  Please call 9306-9182 or email the school if you are unsure whether we have a copy. oak.park.ps@education.vic.gov.au
 
Student Disco
The PFA are excited to announce that the Student Disco will be held in the school gym on Friday 16 June with tunes spun by DJ Joe from Weddings Parties Anything.   
Entry is $5 per student and there will be two sessions of dancing: 
Foundation to Grade 3           5:30pm – 7:00 pm 
Grades 4 to 6                          7:30pm – 9:00 pm 
 
Payment is cash only, so please bring exact money if possible. And don’t forget to bring a water bottle with your name on it!  
Look forward to seeing you there. 
Thank you, 
The PFA
Premier's Reading Challenge
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We thank you for your patience and apologise for the delay in getting our school registered for the Premier’s Reading Challenge 2023!
 
The reading challenge is a great way to motivate your child to push themselves with their reading and a wonderful project to participate in alongside your child. There really is nothing better than getting stuck into a great book.

To find out more about the challenge, visit the website: 
https://www.vic.gov.au/premiers-reading-challenge

If you'd like to register your child, please email their full name and grade to either:
Sally.Morath@education.vic.gov.au
Frances.Macdonough@education.vic.gov.au
David.Lu@education.vic.gov.au
Lunch Order
 Unfortunately we still have students missing out on their lunch orders as the orders are placed after 11am on the Thursday.   Please remember to place your lunch orders before this time or the order will automatically roll over until the next week.  We are unable to supply a lunch order if you complete the order after 11am on Thursday
Interschool Chess Tournament
A reminder that Interschool Chess Tournament is filling up- please bring in your form ASAP.
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Term 3 Chess
Enrolments for Term 3 chess are open from now until the start of Term 3.
You must have completed the attached chess form before your child can attend chess classes each Wednesday.  Please email completed form and proof or payment to oak.park.ps@education.vic.gov.au
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Foundation News
On Tuesday, the Foundation students got to 'eat the rainbow' to help us answer our Discovery Learning question - 'how can I be healthy and active?'
We learnt that eating a rainbow of coloured fruits and vegetables helps ensure you receive a variety of nutrients. 
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Check out some of our rainbows
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Grade 3/4 News
This term as part of our Inquiry Unit on History, the 3/4 students have been investigating how life has changed in Australia in comparison to the 1700’s, specifically in relation to the First Fleet era.
Students participated in an incursion presented by The History Box on Tuesday 30th May.

They learnt about the reasons for settlement in Australia and the role of key historical figures such as Captain Cook. Students also explored how our Indigenous peoples were affected by British Settlement. During this time a number a students are chosen to dress up in costumes relevant to the stories being told.

Students then got to participate in fun workshop activities including spice making, love token making and they learnt to play the Indigenous game Ngaka Ngaka.
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Specialist
Japanese News
This week in Japanese students have loved testing their knowledge using Kahoot or Blooket quizzes. Students have been excited to see how much they remember through these fun and interactive quizzes. Students have also been reflecting on their learning in Japanese, sharing which activities they have enjoyed most as well as identifying what types of activities help them learn best. This has provided a wonderful opportunity for discussion about different ways of learning and how identifying what works best for you can help you learn more. Some of the different methods students identified are games, role play, drawing, practicing phrases with classmates, making, creating, writing and singing songs and jingles. Some student favourites have been the jingles, games and practicing new language with classmates. 

Science
This week in the science room our sensational junior scientists have been discovering the different states of matter. We spent some time finding out the differences between SOLIDS, LIQUIDS AND GASES. There was even a catchy tune to help us remember. When we had a good understanding of the different states of matter, we looked at how the states can change! Physical changes – when an object stays the same but may be in a different state (for example broken or melted) and chemical change – when a new property is created (for example when wood is burnt and leaves ash, or when ingredients are baked and become a cake, yum!)
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We then had a blast with our ‘Exploding Bag’ experiment. We combined some liquids (water and vinegar) with a solid (baking soda) to create a new state of matter…. gas! The junior scientists loved watching the chemical reaction bubble and create a bursting bag of gas. Messy and fun. 
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Performing Arts
Grade 1/2 students are still deeply invested in our unit of work focussing on Indigenous Dreamtime stories. Many students are saying the Rainbow Serpent work has been their favourite focus in Performing Arts this semester. This week we compared two different stories of the Rainbow Serpent. The children were surprised that the Rainbow Serpent appeared generous and kind in one of the books and in the other it seemed angry and took two people from the tribe.
Re-enacting these stories is a valuable way for students to remember these essential Dreamtime stories. They are also extending their understanding of our First Nations Peoples. Through drama, students have naturally become curious about Indigenous totem animals, how people lived in humpies and how different tribes interacted with each other. It has been a wonderful learning experience. 
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Physical Education
It was a successful day at division cross country on Wednesday. We had 3 students qualify for the next round of regionals! Congratulations to Hugo, Jesse and Sandil who all ran amazing races. 
 
We also have our final round of the home and away season for winter sports. Footy and soccer teams are setting up for round 1 of finals next Friday!
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​Visual Arts
In Visual Arts last week, students from Grades 1 to 6 acknowledged International Star Wars Day (May the 4th Be With You – (May the Force be with You)) by creating some awesome drawings of some well known characters. The students were highly engaged in learning to draw these characters, even if they had never heard of Star Wars before. Those students that did know a little about the films, were extremely excited to be learning how to draw these fictional characters. We couldn’t complete these lessons on the week of May the 4th, due to working on Mother’s Day artworks.
Below are some examples of the artworks completed by the students.

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Guided Drawing Lunchtime Club
This week in the Guided Drawing we drew a catunicorn! This club is the perfect way to learn new skills and relax with some drawing during lunch time. It’s on at 11:10am in the 2F room with Fabia every Tuesday. Check out the amazing work by Tikva and Zoe from Grade 1! 
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Team Kids
TeamKids have another amazing Winter Holiday program planned!
Come along and experience 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 teamkids.com.au to secure your spot!
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​Year 6-7 Transition
WEDNESDAY 19th July:   Oak Park Primary will notify parents/carers of placement outcomes
Community News
GLENROY WEST KINDERGARDEN
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OAK PARK SAINTS BASKETBALL
Keep active, have fun and learn about basketball.  For enquiries or interest for the upcoming season, please contact Bron at opsgirlsreg@gmail.com
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Oak Park Football Club
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PENOLA SAINTS NETBALL CLUB
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AUSTRALIAN GIRLS CHOIR
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OAK PARK GIRLS GUIDES
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OAK PARK SCOUNT GROUP
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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
School Council President ​
​Lola Grech​
​​Lola.Grech@education.vic.gov.au
​​​PFA President​​​
​​​​Eugenie Baulch
​​4721-PFAOPPS@schools.vic.edu.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
    • English
    • Mathematics
    • Inquiry
    • Science
    • 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