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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 08
March 22nd 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 1 Events:
Term 2 Events:
Term 3 Events:
Term 4 Events:
Principal's Column
Communication Survey – Thanks for your feedback. We extend our gratitude to everyone who has participated in our communication survey, with a total of 81 respondents contributing their insights. Your feedback is highly valued and appreciated. Moving forward, representatives from both the School Leadership Team and the School Council will analyse the survey results and feedback provided. This analysis will serve as the foundation for identifying areas where our communication strategies can be enhanced to better serve our community. Once determined, significant changes will be transparently shared with all members of our school community. This marks a promising beginning in our journey to refine and strengthen our communication methods. Thank you for your continued support and engagement in improving our practices. Ride and Stride – First school-led event next Wednesday 27th! |
Building on the successes of last year, we are pleased have completed training and garnered sufficient volunteer support to proceed with organizing our own Open Street events. Thanks to Thomas, Prateek, Gautam and Melanie for their support and the crew at Merri-Bek Council.
We will be opening Summit Avenue outside the school grounds to walking and cycling only during drop off (8.10-9.10am) and pick up (3:10-4:10pm) times to create safe and healthy space for families arriving at the school gates. There will be fun activities, a coffee van booked (If you'd like to buy a hot drink) and the street is open for children to play, ride and scoot around before and after school. Open Streets – Creating a safe space for students riding, scooting, and walking to school. Where: Summit Avenue - outside the school grounds When: Wednesday March 27th, 8.10-9.10am and 3:10-4:10pm Please note that parents are responsible for supervise their children attending the event. Kind regards, Michael Gill Principal Last Day of Term
Last day of Term One is Thursday 27th March at 2:30pm. Our final assembly will be at 1:45-2:30pm. Assembly is slightly longer as we have some of our music students performing at the beginning of assembly (showcase will start at 1:45pm). Students who are performing have already been notified of their performance. Usual Wow Awards and assembly news will begin after this performance. Students dismissed from school at 2:30pm. Assembly Timetable
Summer Sport Fixture
School Tours
School Tours for prospective 2025 families will be starting in Term 2. They will start at 10am, every 2nd Friday from 26th April. Friday 26th Apr….Booked out. Tour dates: 10th May, 24th May, 7th Jun, & 21st Jun. We ask parents to register to attend a school tour by emailing Fran at [email protected] 2025 Enrolments
2025 Enrolments are now open. Those families who will have a sibling attend next year, please email Fran at [email protected] for a full enrolment form. For new families to the school, please check your designated neighbourhood school at www.findmyschool.vic.gov.au You may email Fran with your residential address and an appropriate enrolment form will be forwarded to you. School tours will start in the 2nd term and families who have given an enrolment form will be contacted via email once dates are confirmed. Information will also be in our weekly newsletter as well on our website. All enrolments must be submitted by Friday 26th July. Year 6-7 Transition
The Year 6-7 Transition process will start in Week 1 Term 2. Oak Park Primary School will distribute the Year 6-7 Placement Information Packs to all families of Grade 6 students after this time. Enclosed will be an Application form for completion by the families, FAQ and a timeline of the process. Some secondary Colleges in the area are zoned and will not accept students who reside outside the zone. We ask families to be aware of zoning issues when applying for Secondary Colleges. Secondary Colleges will require proof of address as part of their enrolment process. Information from Secondary Colleges regarding school tours and information days/nights will be placed in our newsletter as they becomes available. We would advise families to make the most of these opportunities so you may make an informed decision regarding your preferred school After forms are distributed, should you require any further information please contact Fran at [email protected] 
NAPLAN News
This week the Grade 3s and 5s completed NAPLAN. They showed all of our school values of Respect, Responsibility and Resilience. Here is what some of our grade 5s had to say about NAPLAN... "NAPLAN was fun. It was very stressful at first but I think I did very well." - Jasper "I’m excited that NAPLAN is over.” - Enna “I liked it, I found it fun!" - Anwita "I like NAPLAN, I liked the writing part best.” - Alessandro "I like NAPLAN. I thought it was hard but it got easier and I realised it wasn’t that bad”. - Hugo "I’m happy that it’s typed and not handwritten anymore, it makes it way more fun." - Valentino Premiers Reading Challenge
This year's 2024 Premiers Reading Challenge will be officially launched very soon. Stay tuned for information on how to register your child(ren) in the coming weeks. Amy Devlin 
2nd Hand Uniform Sale
The PFA will be running a 2nd Hand Uniform Sale in Term 2 on Friday April 19th from 2.45 – 3.45pm. The stall will be set up outside the Gym. A reminder will be sent via Compass in the first week of Term 2 Thrilling Thursday
On Thursday the 14th of March, the Foundation and Year 1/2 students had an event the teachers named, “Thrilling or Terrific Thursday”. It included Bat Tennis, Hopscotch, Skipping, Hula hoops, Gaga, giant Parachute and the Floor is Lava in the 3/4 playground. We did this activity as most of the 5/6s were on camp and the 3/4s had an excursion on, so the Junior School took over the Tiger Turf, Oval and 3/4 Playground! Melanie and Alyena came up with the idea for the event and planned it within two days! The grade 5/6s who weren’t on camp enjoyed getting the opportunity to lead activities for the day (or at least for an hour), as they got to be Leaders for the day. The Junior school had the best time with the interesting range of activities and the day was a massive success! Lots of classrooms wrote a recount about the event as well. Hopscotch The hopscotch leaders were, Hania, Mackenzie and Zoha. We first split them up into groups of 4,5 and 6 before teaching them how to play the proper game with the tanbark. They took turns and cooperated really well. Some were hyperactive and even did the splits! Parachute Isabelle and Leona were the parachute leaders, and were very happy to see that the students were having a wonderful experience with the parachute games. They played games such as cat and mouse and find the ball. But most of all, they loved living in the moment. There is nothing better than going under a rainbow with your friends! Skipping & Hula Hoops The skipping leaders were Anwita and Zara. The basketball court was split in half so one side was skipping and the other was hula hoops. Many children learnt how to skip and hula hoop, some of the games we played were the big rope, helicopter and normal skipping. We loved to see the smiles on their faces and the laughter in their voices. Gaga Ball Pit Gaga ball is a sport that requires intense ball control and eye coordination. Deniz and Zeynep did a delightful job hosting it as it has a lot of rules and tactics to keep an eye out for. Dance In the Gym The 56 leaders hosted dance in the gym. Enna and Demir played music on a laptop and made sure the Juniors had the time of their lives. Bat Tennis Swaroop and Cengi did an amazing job at hosting bat tennis, as we know it is a very hard sport to set up. Many children learnt how to play bat tennis and loved being able to feel what it is like to be like the big kids who play Bat Tennis on Fridays for Interschool sport. 3/4 Playground The Floor is Lava is a very popular game when you pretend that the floor is lava and a lava monster is chasing you and trying to turn you into one. Angie and Mika hosted floor is lava. The kids had an entertaining time getting to play in different groups and still got to be with their friends. The 56 Leaders for the day put a lot of effort into these fun activities. 
Bounce Back In Year 2
REMINDER EXPO Monday 25th March During Term 1, the Year 2 cohort have been busy exploring the Bounce Back program, and students have rotated between Mrs Anderson’s, Tess’ and Alyena’s classrooms. Students have focused on developing resilience skills such as being fair, responsible, cooperative, and adapting to changes in their lives. The understanding that nobody is perfect and kindness is a value we can learn and practise each day, has been an integral part of this unit. We will have an Inquiry Expo on Monday the 25th March (final week of Term 1) in the last session of the day. The Expo will be held in Tess’ classroom and families are invited to attend and see their child’s work at the below times. Please note, all Grade 2 work will be on display in the 2H classroom. Here are the allocated times for each class to attend the Expo with their families: 2A parents and students to attend from - 2.30-2.50 2M parents and students to attend from - 2.50-3.10 2H parents and students to attend from - 3.10-3.30 We look forward to seeing you in Week 9. Tess, Alyena and Mrs Anderson Grade 5/6 Camp
Grade 3/4 News
Grade 3/4 MCG and Australian Sports Museum Excursion! Last Thursday, the Grade 3/4s had a memorable excursion to MCG and the Australian Sports Museum to help inspire their own success stories for our Inquiry big idea, “What is our success story?” It was an action-packed filled day as the students got a once of a lifetime opportunity to receive a guided tour of the MCG by a MCC member and to meet the Olympian “Tess Lloyd,” who competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Students got to experience walking on the MCG footy grounds and learned about what goes on behind the scenes of a football match. They were also able to view the changing rooms and the coaches press conference rooms. Students were left amazed by Tess Lloyd’s success story of how she developed resilience to achieve her dream of competing as part of the sailing team in the Olympics. Another highlight of the day was the Australian Sports Museum where students got the opportunity to learn about Australia’s sporting history and see memorabilia from great moments of sport (e.g. Olympic medals, Melbourne cups etc.) To top it off, the students got to unleash their competitive sides at the ‘Game On’ Interactive Centre where they got to put some of their sports skills into practice. Overall, it was an exhilarating and thrilling day that the students will remember for a lifetime. 
Specialist
Performing Arts News Grade One and Grade Two students are so excited to finish their drama unit focussing on the picture story book ‘Herb the Vegetarian Dragon’. In preparation for this week’s drama lesson, we used the drama device ‘Gossip Mill’ to clarify each characters perspective in the storyline. Students introduced themselves in character and gossiped about the storyline, they asked questions to other characters such as “What should we do with the dragons in our town?” and “Should this vegetarian dragon walk the plank?”. Students responded using the point of view of their character and this assisted students to understand their characters beliefs and gave them an opportunity to play their roles before the improvised scene today. At the end of class students re-enacted the final scene of the book, initially we didn’t read the final pages, we acted out the scene and then improvised our own ending. Every student in the grade had an important role to play and all were thoroughly immersed in the drama. After we had improvised our own ending, we read the last pages of the book and we were very surprised and happy to find out how the book ended. What a fabulous way to mix drama with literacy! 
Visual Arts News
Our Grade 5 and 6 students have embarked on an artistic journey inspired by the elegance of Japanese culture, as they dive into the world of Japanese inspired fans. Guided by their imaginative spirits and fuelled by their passion for art, our Grade 5 and 6 artists are bringing their visions to life using simple yet powerful tools: rulers, Grey Lead pencils, and Sharpies. With these tools in hand, they're meticulously sketching out intricate designs to create fan shaped designs, embracing the beauty of symmetry and balance. But the creativity doesn't stop there! In a brilliant fusion of tradition and innovation, our students are adding a splash of colour and texture to their fans by incorporating a mosaic effect. By utilising vibrant coloured construction paper, they are creating small square shapes that they're piecing together to form a mosaic pattern that adds depth and visual interest to their creations. Below are just a few of the fans that the students are currently working on to finish off a whirlwind of a term in the Visual Arts Program. I can’t wait to see the finished products! David Flint Visual Arts Teacher 
Physical Education News
This week in PE we have begun to introduce students to our next topics. For Foundation to Grade 1 we will be beginning our gymnastics unit where students will have the opportunity to practice and refine their basic rolling, turning and jumping skills in a fun and challenging environment! As for years 2-6, we begin Invasion Games (think of sports such as footy, basketball, netball, hockey and rugby). Students will be challenged to experiment with topics such as attacking and defending, creating/denying space, teamwork, tactics/strategies and effective communication. We are looking forward to a busy Term 2 full of fun and excitement. In other news, the results are in for Summer interschool sports- I am proud to announce that the cricket team will take on Ilim College next term once we return from holidays. It has been awesome to see so many students get involved with summer sports and compete each week. I am so excited to start the winter season where the sports will now be footy, soccer and netball. And finally, students in grades 3-6 will have an opportunity to compete in Cross Country running next term. We have the Glenroy District event on May 15th, in the lead up to this we will have our very own local cross country event (date TBA). If you are super keen to get training, please have a look at the attached map of the courses we plan to run. District cross country We have the upcoming District Cross Country Competition on Wednesday, May 15th @ Boeing Reserve where students from grades 4-6 will compete against local schools in the area. To qualify for the District competition, we must rank each student in their respective age group from 1st place to 10th place. In the lead-up to this event, we thought it would be a good idea to bring back our very own local OPPS Cross Country event at school for all students in grades 3-6. This will help us to rank the students and also give them an experience Some details about the event: Date: TBA Distances:
Trainings:
Parent helpers:
Course outline:
Kind regards Liam 
Somers Camp Expressions of Interest
Somers Camp is back for 2024! Follow this link for some more information about this wonderful camp run by the Dept. of Education. https://www.somersschoolcamp.org/philosophy Please send me an email if this is something you may be interested in. Here is a message from the camp: DATES: 16/07/2024 to 24/07/2024 COST: $260.00 Somers Camp is situated on Westernport Bay, 80km from Melbourne (Melway Map Ref 193 H9). The camp provides an opportunity for social interaction between children drawn from many schools and presents a variety of challenging situations through outdoor education and contact with the local environment. The nine day commitment is essential if the social aims are to be achieved. Liam Term 2 Chess
Term 2 chess enrolments are now open. If you would like your child to attend Chess Class every Wednesday lunchtime please complete the attached chess form and send along with proof of payment to [email protected] 
Team Kids
Team Kids have another amazing Autumn Holiday Program planned. Learn new skills with their qualified and remarkable educators. Digital detox with no screens policy in place. Delicious and nutritious morning and afternoon snacks. CCS approved care. Head to http://downloads.teamkids.com.au/oak-park-primary.pdf to check out Oak Park Primary's program + secure your spot today! 
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