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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 8
March 21st 2025 |
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
March 2025
April 2025
May 2025
June 2025
July 2025
August 2025
October 2025
November 2025
December 2025
Principal's Column
A Big Thank You to Our NAPLAN participants!
We want to give a huge shout-out to all our Year 3 and Year 5 students for their fantastic efforts during NAPLAN this term. You tackled the tests with focus and determination, and we’re so proud of how you showed up—well done! A special thanks also goes to Sally, David Lu, Alyena, Amy, and all our amazing Year 3 and 5 teachers. Your organisation, support, and encouragement made everything run smoothly and kept our students feeling ready and confident. It’s a team effort, and we’re grateful for the dedication you brought to completing NAPLAN testing this year. Exciting News from Rebecca Whitby (1W) Bec shared some exciting news with her class earlier in the week, she’s expecting a baby, due in September. 1W’s excitement was evident! Bec is thankful for their enthusiasm and the support of our community. As Bec gets closer to her due date, we will of course begin recruitment early to seek the best available teacher to support 1W for the remainder of the school year. Open Streets Active Travel Kicks Off 2025 – Join Us March 27th! Our Open Streets active travel initiative is back for 2025, and we’re thrilled to keep the momentum going after a fantastic 2024! This program encourages students, families, and staff to walk, cycle, and scoot to school—fun, sustainable alternatives to driving, made possible with Merri-Bek Council’s support. Next Thursday, March 27th is our first event for the year! It’s a perfect chance to get involved, enjoy the buzz, and promote active travel together. We’ll own Summit Avenue both before and after school with Thanks A Latte coffee van also in attendance. On March 27th, Merri-Bek Council will also host a training session for new volunteers right during and after the event (8:00am-10:00am). We’ve already got four new helpers booked in, but if you’d like to get trained and join the team, please reach out to me via email. We’d love to have you on board! Continuation of the Safe Trees Program Oak Park Primary School has again taken part in the Safe Trees program provided by the Victoria Schools Building Authority, to ensure our grounds stay safe and welcoming. After a thorough assessment, some of our trees were identified as unsafe and will need to be removed. While it’s sad to see them go, the program is providing replacement trees to keep our school green and vibrant. These new trees will take time to grow, so we’ll need a bit of patience as they settle in and mature. It’s all part of keeping our community safe while planning for a healthy, shady future. Thanks for your understanding as we make these improvements! Works will begin next Monday and Tuesday. Kind regards, Michael Gill Principal WHAT'S HAPPENING @ OAK PARK
WHOLE SCHOOL
Assembly Timetable
Harmony Day
Harmony Day is a day to celebrate Australia's cultural diversity and respect for all people. It's held annually in March and coincides with the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
It was lovely to see so many students wearing orange to support the message of Harmony Day. Students had a great time in class doing various activities learning about multicultural diversity. Please check out our amazing “Harmony Day Everyone Belongs” poster in the foyer of the school in the Administration area. Thank you for your support helping our school celebrate Harmony Day. 
School Savings Bonus
A reminder re utilising the School Savings Bonus: We are aware of the issues around the School Savings Bonus (SSB) and not being able to view the balance in Compass. Compass has confirmed there are no current plans to update the payment system to allow families to view or use SSB Credit directly, and only CSEF credits and standard payment methods will be visible (as before). If you have allocated SSB Credit to activities in the parent portal, the school will automatically use this credit until the balance reaches $0. Please email [email protected] or call the office on 9306-9182 if you would like to allocate your funds to a specific activity for your child. Once this is done by the office, consent for each activity/excursion must still be provided by parents/guardians. If you decline an event, the allocated funds will remain as a credit to your account. The total excursion cost will still be displayed for transparency. If a payment amount appears, it means your SSB Credit has been fully used, and payments will revert to CSEF or Credit/Card options. Parents can request their balance or family statement at any time from the school office. This process applies only to SSB Credit—CSEF and Credit Card payments remain unchanged. Last Day of Term 1
Friday 4th April is the last day of Term 1 and school finishes at 2.30pm. Please ensure your child is picked up on time, otherwise our After School Care Program will be running. Contact Team Kids to book your child in if after care is required. Unexplained Absences
We still have many unexplained absences on our system, and are asking parents to please login and update these at your earliest convenience. School Tours
Thursday 3rd April @ 9.30am Please email Fran at [email protected] to book in for your school tour. 2026 Enrolments
We are accepting enrolments for 2026. To find out your school zone, please check www.findmyschool.vic.govv.au Please email Fran at [email protected] for an enrolment form. If you are enrolling a sibling of a student already here, feel free to call via the office to pick up an enrolment form. If you reside outside our school zone, you are welcome to complete an Application for enrolment, which will place you on our waitlist. Mindful Club
Mindful Drawing Club has started back up with a huge success from our senior students. Join us at the second half of lunch on Tuesdays for some mindful colouring, drawing, crafting or just to listen to some relaxing music and have a wind-down. Mindful Drawing runs every week in Fabia's room at the second half of lunch. See you then! 
MIDDLE SCHOOL YEARS
Zoe in 3/4A
This week our well-being dog Zoe visited 3/4A! We loved having Zoe in our classroom. We took her for a walk during our brain break, she chilled out in our Calm Corner and even had a go at taking our reading lesson! 
SENIOR SCHOOL YEARS
Year 6 Polo Shirt Update
We want to update you on the Year 6 polo shirt issue. To clarify, the printing error was caused by our uniform supplier, not by any oversight at school. Sheryl does an outstanding job each year coordinating these tops—checking names, adding new students, and ensuring families in need are supported—and we’re grateful for her efforts. The supplier has offered to fix the polos, but this requires returning them for a full correction: unpicking and replacing the front panels. To make this happen, please send your child’s Year 6 polo shirt to school during the final week of Term 1 (by Friday, April 4th), with their name written on masking tape on the back. Sheryl will collate them and send them to the supplier, they have committed to returning the corrected shirts by May 1st. We encourage everyone to participate so all students have matching polos. If you choose not to return your shirt, a $10 refund per polo is available at the front office. Alternatively, you can return it directly to the supplier for a full refund, as is your right under consumer law. We’re disappointed with the supplier’s error and the complexity of this fix, as well as their customer service. School Council has been briefed and will explore alternative providers moving forward. Thank you for your patience and support as we resolve this. Year 6-7 Transition
On Thursday 24th April 2025, Oak Park Primary School will distribute the Year 6-7 Placement Information Pack 2025-2026, which includes the Application form, to Parents of Year 6 students. Any information regarding Secondary Colleges open days and Information sessions will be included in our newsletters. It is advisable that families attend school tours and information sessions so they may have an idea of which school their child will be attending in 2026. Please be aware that some Secondary Colleges are very strictly zoned, and you will not receive a placement unless you reside within their school zone. It is always advisable to submit 3 preferences on your Year 7 Application for this reason Catholic Colleges and Private Schools are already accepting enrolments for Year 7, 2027 
YEAR 6-7 TRANSITION TIMELINE:
Thursday 24th April 2025: Oak Park Primary School will distribute the Year 6-7 Placement Information Pack 2025-2026, including the Application form for 2026, to Parents of Year 6 students. Friday 9th May: Parents/Carers submit the Application for Year 7 placement to Oak Park Primary School Tuesday 1st July: Oak Park Primary School will inform parents/carers of their childs Year 7 placement offer for the 2026 school year. Friday 25th July: Closing date for parents/carers to lodge a written appeal with their preferred Secondary School Tuesday 9th December: Secondary Schools host an Orientation Day for Year 6 students SPECIALISTS
Science News
In foundation Science classes it has been exciting to begin the construction of our very own party hats! Our junior scientists have worked incredibly hard to use paper resources to build the base of their hats, and next week they will begin the decorating process. They will have to consider the weather that their hats will be worn in and make educated decisions about the appropriate materials they use to decorate them. It’s been wonderful to see all the foundation students work so hard and use their knowledge and motor skills to bring their party hats to life! 
Our Grades 1 and 2 scientists have been developing their skills as chemists by creating and then separating mixtures. They have become familiar with important vocabulary – such as homogeneous and heterogeneous mixtures - and have learned the important difference between mixtures and solutions. Working in small groups they have completed experiments and shared interesting observations. It has been fantastic to see that they are beginning to use specific scientific language to discuss their thinking and ideas.
Performing Arts
Article written by Performing Arts Captains We have had a great time running Oak Parks Got Talent this term! There have been some amazing turnouts with over 100 people attending! We have already seen the talents of Grade 1/2, Grade 3/4,and Grade 5/6 during their talents weeks, and they were a blast! We’re excited to keep informing you about our progress in the school newsletter. We have also started a new club which is the choir club, that we have brought back from 2019. We had a great first session with Stephanie (teacher) and everyone sounded really great singing together. Anyone from Grades 3-6 is welcome to attend this senior Choir Club. These clubs have been a lot of fun for everyone involved and we’ve loved organising and running them for the students at Oak Park! By Indie, Jasmine, Ava and Frankie 
P.F.A
We are always super excited to welcome new members and new ideas. PFA meeting schedule 2025 as follows:
Feel free to reach out to PFA at [email protected] 
Team Kids
Ready to discover the TeamKids difference?
Book NOW à www.teamkids.com.au/venues 
COMMUNITY NEWS
Open Days/School Tours for 2026 Year 7 enrolments
GLENROY SECONDARY COLLEGE Glenroy College holds small guided tours for prospective students and families every Friday at 9.30am during Term One and Term Two. The tours give you a chance to meet some of our staff and students, view our College facilities and see our classes in action. Bookings are essential and are made online via the link https://glenroycollege.vic.edu.au/enrolment/school-tours/ College tours can also be arranged at other times. If your child is currently enrolled in Grade 6, and you have a specific query regarding school programs or Year 7 Transition, please contact the College office, 9304 0400. ROSEHILL SECONDARY COLLEGE Whole School Open Day – Tuesday 29th April. Classes begin 9.15am. Dismissed 2.15pm Click the link to register https://www.rosehillsc.vic.edu.au/event/open-day 
COBURG HIGH SCHOOL
We will be hosting a whole school Open Day and School Tours for Year 6 students on Wednesday 23 April 2025. Bookings can be made here, please make one booking per family. You may view a virtual tour here: https://www.coburg.vic.edu.au/open/ BUCKLEY PARK SECONDARY COLLEGE School Tour bookings are now open for prospective students and their carers/parents. These tours will be conducted by a member of the College leadership team and will provide an opportunity to see our school. To enable you to get the most out of a school tour and conversation, it would be helpful if you and your child attend, ready to ask the questions you're most interested to explore with us. Please arrive at our Reception Lobby, 10 mins prior to tour start time as visitors are required to sign in. Tour dates are available at www.buckleyparkco.vic.edu.au STRATHMORE SECONDARY COLLEGE Each year tours of the College are conducted to coincide with the Year 7 Transition program. Parents/Guardians of prospective students in Grade 6 are invited to attend. Tours in 2025 for Year 7 2026 enrolments commence in April and run through May. College Tour booking forms are available at https://www.strathmore.vic.edu.au/enrolment/collegetours/ ESSENDON KEILOR COLLEGE 
GLADSTONE PARK SECONDARY COLLEGE
School Tours are now open for 2025 and will run in March. You are invited to attend a tour of Gladstone Park Secondary College to view our superb facilities and to note, for yourself, our strong values, high expectations and strong supports at the college. Our students will greet you in the Administration Office. Tours run on Tuesdays at 8:55am and run for approximately one hour. Tour dates
Our Parent Information Evening is on Tuesday 1st April 2025 at 6:00pm. The College Open Day is on Wednesday 30th April 2025. School Tours will run from 9:15am – 10:00am. UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL https://unihigh.vic.edu.au/enrol/tours-information-sessions/ School Contacts
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