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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 5
February 27th 2020 |
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
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Principal's Column
Last week was the anniversary of Australian Government’s ‘Apology to Australia’s Indigenous Peoples’ – Sorry Day, February 13th. I remember watching the event on TV at the time and I have a copy of Kevin Rudd’s words on my office wall – it’s quite a beautiful piece of writing. Whatever you think about the politics that lay behind it, ‘Sorry Day’ was a memorable event. Especially vivid for me were the stories of children taken by force from their mothers. One thing that struck me – I think it was said by both Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson at the time – is that you can’t really understand what happened to aboriginal people until you ‘stand in their shoes’. At one point Brendan Nelson went a bit further. Some people, he said, think that aboriginal people ‘get a good deal’. He challenged those people to come to one of the aboriginal settlements and say, “I wish I’d been born here”. It was a good point. To stand in another person’s shoes, seeing things from their point of view and imagining what it is like to live as they do, is the beginning of reconciliation. I think that kind of empathy and understanding should be the basis of most of our relationships - and we should never forget that the power of saying sorry can be huge. School Fees, Extras and Contributions 2020
Thanks to all our parents who’ve paid their fees for 2020. Thanks to all our parents who have paid their fees for 2020. We still have some family invoices outstanding, if you require a payment plan please contact Annette in the Office We would appreciate these fees being paid as soon as possible as they support the school in providing resources for the students. Please click here for information and for payment details. The Oak Park Primary School Parent Payment Policy is located on our website if you wish to review. Annette D'Elia Business Manager 2021 Enrolments
Enrolments for 2021 are now open. If you have a younger child due to start school at Oak Park Primary School next year, you are welcome to complete an enrolment as soon as possible. Please email Fran on [email protected] and I am happy to forward one for your completion. We do end up with quite a few new families on our waitlist, so would appreciate sibling enrolments to be in as early as you can Our school tours and transition events will start around May 2020, and continue throughout the year. School Banking
Our students are able to start banking with the Bendigo Bank Strathmore. It’s a great opportunity for the students to start learning about saving money. Banking is collected on a Tuesday . Please pop into the Strathmore branch of the Bendigo Bank to collect a form. School Crossing & Staff Car Park Safety
We received a call from a parent earlier in the week, regarding the safety of children using the school crossings. The parent was driving on Willett Ave towards the crossing when she noticed a student (Foundation or Grade 1) walking towards the crossing, with her parent quite a distance behind her. Nabil was on duty and aware of the child, but while he was checking oncoming traffic, the child darted straight across the road in front of cars! The parent driving was quite upset at what could have happened, and nearly did! We have also seen young children walking through the staff car park as staff are arriving and departing the school, which is also very dangerous. Please do not walk through the staff car park Please parents, we would ask that you discuss safety around the school crossing and traffic rules with your child. Thank you Japanese News
2019 JLTAV Events Poster Competition Students studying Japanese in primary and secondary schools are invited to design a poster to be used on the front cover of the 2020 JLTAV Annual Conference book for conference delegates and the front cover of the 2020 Year 12 Morning book. Students are encouraged to be creative and to design a cover which reflects the Japanese language or Japanese culture. This is broad to enable students to be creative. For example students might like to design a cover in manga style. Students are able to submit a digital or hand drawn cover design. Please note that students are not able to use images that are already copyright (e.g. Hello Kitty etc.). No words are required on the poster. Audience: Teachers attending the 2020 JLTAV Conference and students/teachers attending the 2020 Year 12 Morning Size: A4 size (portrait size only) Rules:
Melissa Ly Japanese Language Teacher Sustainability News
Join our Ape-ril phone collection drive!
Eastern Lowland Gorillas are on the brink of extinction. You can help protect gorillas in Africa by simply donating your old mobile phone. Last Ape-ril, you donated almost 1,000 phones, helping fund a Gorilla Doctors trek. Help us beat that this year! Every phone helps raise money for the Gorilla Doctors to continue to help injured gorillas in Africa. Get involved this Ape-ril for the chance to win a Gorilla Behind the Scenes experience. Oak Park PS has signed up as a collection point for this event, so please encourage people you know to drop off their old mobile phones for recycling. These can be dropped off at the foyer near the office, in the marked tubs. This is undertaken in connection with Zoos Victoria. Aboriginal geography
The place we now know as Australia is actually home to hundreds of language groups from our Indigenous people. The language of the local Wurundjeri people is Woiworung, making one of five language groups that combine to form the Kulin nation. The grade 5’s and 6’s have recently been working on discovering where places we are familiar with exist in terms of which language “country” they are situated in. It has been a fun exercise where students have learnt quite a bit about the locations of places within Australia but also how that translates to Aboriginal Australia. The following link is a great resource to use to discover more about this. It may be something you have a look at with your children at home. https://mgnsw.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/map_col_highres.jpg For best results, zoom in to locate the exact area, as some are quite small. Student Green Team The ‘Green Team’ had their first big job this week when they weeded the vegetable gardens and cleared them of the old plants, then replenished soil nutrients by adding our locally produced compost. We will finish this job by planting crops chosen by our Sustainability Leaders including carrots, lettuce, spring onions, snow peas etc. so look out for these items at the Friday market stall soon. A great effort by everyone involved. The job was done with great teamwork, care and caution and was a great first job from the ‘Green Team’. Ecosia OK, so we ‘Google’ everything these days, which is great. Wouldn’t it be even better if our searches were somehow providing a positive environmental outcome? ‘Ecosia’ does just that. A large portion of the income they receive from advertisements and search links is directed to planting trees. It does the same job as Google, but you help plant a tree every time you use it – sounds like a good result. If you’re interested in using Ecosia, check it out here: https://www.ecosia.org and there is also the app for your mobile devices. Set it as your home page and start planting trees with your searches! Crazy Hair Day
Chess Club
Please click here for a printable copy of the Chess Club form. 
Lunch Orders
School Lunch Orders have started Thursday is lunch order day, but please ensure your child brings the actual lunch order to school on Wednesdays. They are to place their order into their classroom tub Wednesday mornings. No late orders can be accepted and orders are not to be given directly to the café. Please vote for ours: School Crossing Supervisor of the Year
Walking School Bus
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Lunchtime Activities
The following activities are available for students each lunchtime. 
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Community News
School Contacts
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