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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 4
February 27th 2026 |
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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 March 2026
April 2026
Principal's Column
A Respectful Welcome to Country & Smoking Ceremony 
On Monday, we were once again honoured to hold a Smoking Ceremony and Welcome to Country, a significant event that allowed our school community to gather, reflect, and pay our respects to the Wurundjeri people - the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we learn and play.
We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to Elder John, representative from the Djirri Djirri group, for his presence and for leading us through this cultural practice. His wisdom and guidance provided a meaningful start to our school year, helping us ground ourselves in the history and spirit of this Country. He was also happy that his creator spirit, the crow or ‘Waa’ attended and added their calls to the ceremony. Thank you to all the parents, staff, and students who attended and participated with such respect. A big thanks to Steph and Jordan for their support in arranging the event. Kind regards, Michael Gill Principal WHAT'S HAPPENING @ OAK PARK
WHOLE SCHOOL
Assembly Timetable
Harmony Week
On Friday 20th March, OPPS will be celebrating Harmony Day. Students will be participating in activities during class time and are encouraged to wear orange on the day. What is Harmony Week? Harmony Week runs from March 16th – 22nd. It is a time to celebrate Australian multiculturalism, and the successful integration of migrants into our community. Australia is one of the most successful multicultural countries in the world and we should celebrate this and work to maintain it. The message of Harmony Week is everyone belongs. It is about inclusiveness, respect and belonging for all Australians, regardless of cultural or linguistic background, united by a set of core Australian values. Why orange? Traditionally, orange signifies social communication and meaningful conversations. It also relates to the freedom of ideas and encouragement of mutual respect. Students can choose to wear something orange on Harmony Day to show their support for cultural diversity and an inclusive Australia. PLEASE NOTE- This day is not a casual clothes day, if your child does not have something orange to wear, they are to wear their school uniform. If you’re interested in discussing and celebrating Harmony Week in the home, the link below has some great DIY craft activities. https://www.harmony.gov.au/resources/hand-tree-diy/ 
Book Club Issue 1
WOW! What an overwhelming start to Book Club this year. All orders were delivered to classrooms last week, if you have not received yours please contact me asap. The school has received $350 in rewards to be spent on books for the library. Thank you to all who placed an order, your support of Book Club is greatly appreciated. Michelle CSEF Application
Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) - 2026 The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) helps eligible families cover the cost of school camps, sports activities, excursions and incursions, so that financial circumstances are not a barrier to student participation. What is CSEF? CSEF is provided by the Victorian Department of Education to support eligible families at both government and non-government schools. Payments are made directly to schools, not to families. New payment amounts Payment amounts for eligible families have increased this year:
Applying for CSEF
CSEF payments can be used for school-organised activities such as:
Families with more than one child at the same school can combine (pool) their CSEF to use for one child or a specific activity (such as a camp). How CSEF funds are managed
Important eligibility notes
CSEF cannot be used to pay for:
Need more information? For any further information or assistance, families can contact the school administration team, who will be happy to help. To complete form, please click here. Breakfast Club
Every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday we offer a Breakfast Club for students in the staffroom. Breakfast Club runs from 8.30am to 8.45am, there is fruit, cereal and toast on offer. If your child would like to attend and have breakfast prior to school starting, you may drop them off at 8.30 to the staffroom, where they will be signed in. We ask that students are not to attend before this time, and breakfast Club will finish at 8.45 sharp School volunteers
Thank you to all parents and carers who attended the Oak Park Volunteer Course last week. If you have completed the course (this year or in previous years) and have applied for and/or hold a current Working With Children Check, please email your child’s classroom teacher to organise volunteer arrangements. The Oak Park Volunteer Induction Policy is attached and volunteers are encouraged to read this before commencing at our school. We look forward to welcoming you into the school and having you support our students. 
School Crossing Supervisor of the Year
School Crossing Supervisor of the Year Award As part of our commitment to the ongoing safety of our students, School Crossing’s Victoria, together with your local council, is looking for the ‘Supervisor of the Year’ 2025/2026. There are seven regions across the state. A winner will be selected in each region, and the overall winner, will be selected from the regional winners. The winner of the 2023/2024 Supervisor of the Year is Ian Hook from Maroondah City Council in Ringwood Victoria. School Crossing’s Victoria would like to enlist your help to boost this year’s nominations. It is our goal to reach as many parents, residents and school staff as possible and by involving them in the nomination process encourage all road users to think about, and reward, the active role the Supervisors play in the safety of their children. Nominations are open now, and close on Thursday 30th April 2026. Go to the School Crossings Victoria website www.schoolcrossingsvictoria.com.au and complete an online nomination. 
Smile Patrol Dental Service
Dental Week is just around the corner! No more juggling appointments or taking time off work. Smile Patrol is visiting OAK PARK PRIMARY SCHOOL on MONDAY 4th MAY 2026 to provide onsite dental care in our mobile dental van —super convenient! Smile Patrol offers free dental health education for all children. If your child qualifies under the Childcare Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS), they may receive free treatments based on remaining benefits. If they don’t qualify we will still see them for a oral health check and education session for free. ******To sign up hop online https://smilepatrol.com.au/consent-form/ and complete the consent form by the deadline FRIDAY 6th MARCH DON'T MISS OUT! Contact information: For more information please feel free to contact us. Email: [email protected] 
Zooper Doopers
Zooper Doopers are on sale at lunchtime each Tuesday & Thursday for $1 each. We expect the wrappers to be placed into the rubbish bins. 
TeamKids Newsletter
EARLY YEARS NEWS
Foundation Teddy Bear Picnic
To coincide with learning the sounds /t/ and /p/ we will be having a Teddy Bear Picnic next week, on Wednesday 5th March. To celebrate the day, students are invited to bring a teddy bear to school (please ensure teddy bears are labelled.) We will enjoy craft activities with the Grade 6 buddies including face painting, an obstacle course and we will decorate teddy bear biscuits with coloured icing and 100s and 1000s. Please see the list of ingredients below. Please contact your classroom teacher if you have any questions or concerns about the ingredients or face painting prior to the day. The amazing Ali will be co-ordinating the face painting in the morning, but in order for it to be completed in a timely manner, we’d love some volunteers who are good with a paint brush (or not so good…) to help and splash some coloured magic on the Foundies faces. Pictures will be provided for you to copy - there's no pressure, we're not entering into the Archibald Prize 2026 this year! Please let your classroom teacher know if you can help. It is a really fun morning. Jasmyn, Kate and Sarah INGREDIENTS: Arnotts teddy bear biscuits Icing mixture – Coles brand Food colouring 100s and 1000s Sprinkles Foundation - Parent Helpers
We are looking for parent volunteers to assist in the classroom and support our students in various activities throughout the school year. Your involvement can make a significant difference in the learning experience for all the children. If you would like to volunteer as a parent helper during our literacy block, please contact your classroom teacher. The literacy block runs daily for the first two morning sessions – you are not obligated to stay for the full two hours! We are looking to start the Parent Helpers schedule from Week 8, Monday 16th March. Parent helpers will assist with changing the home reader books every Monday morning and test students on their high frequency/tricky words. Parent helpers on Tuesday to Friday will assist students in small groups with their phonemic awareness and reading support. If you are unable to volunteer on a regular basis, we also require parent helpers for our excursions throughout the year, so please let us know if you can volunteer on an occasional basis too. All parent helpers are required to have a valid Working with Children Check (WWCC) and have completed the Parent Helpers Course. Please ensure the office has a copy of your WWCC details. Thank you for volunteering your time and we look forward to having you help in our classroom! Jasmyn, Kate and Sarah SENIOR SCHOOL NEWS
Year 5 Families
Next week we are conducting practise NAPLAN tests to prepare students and ensure smooth logistics for official testing. To support this process, the official NAPLAN app will be pushed out to students' iPads. If your child is absent or their iPad is not at school, and you see a notification, please accept the download. If you do not get a notification and do not have the app, please contact your child’s teacher as soon as possible so we can organise it this week. In addition, students will require headphones to complete the tests. Please bring in labelled headphones by Monday the 2nd of March. Grade 5/6 Team Grade 6
SPECIALIST
Physical Education
Performing Arts
Our Grade 5/6 students have started the year with a strong focus on improvisation and character creation. Last week, students developed character profiles before “boarding a train” in role. While staying completely in character, they were challenged to interact with at least two other passengers, switch seats, and eventually exit the train- all without breaking character. This engaging activity encouraged students to think quickly, build believable characters, and confidently collaborate with new classmates. It was wonderful to see the creativity and commitment on display, while also strengthening our supportive and dynamic classroom environment. This week, students worked in pairs to create short improvised scenes where one character was about to do something the other disapproved of. The scenarios were imaginative, humorous, and full of energy- including everything from bank robberies to shoplifting and even jumping the school fence! These structured drama activities provide a safe and supportive way for students to explore challenging situations, consider consequences, and practise problem-solving skills through performance. We look forward to seeing their confidence and creativity continue to grow throughout the term! 
Science
Our Grade One and Two students have been reaching for the stars in Science as they explore the fascinating world of space! Students have been learning about how stars are formed, and what happens when they “die.” They were especially amazed to discover that some large stars end their lives in a huge explosion called a supernova! Through hands-on discussions and activities, students explored how stars produce energy and what happens to that energy over time. A highlight of the unit was our exciting energy experiment, where students observed how energy changes and transfers, helping them understand what happens when stars reach the end of their life cycle. 
Foundation students have been busy investigating weather, and what a perfect week to do it! With some very interesting weather events recently, students have been able to make real-world connections to their learning. They have been discussing how different types of weather affect the activities we can and want to do. It has been wonderful to see students making thoughtful connections between the weather outside and their classroom learning.
We are so proud of the curiosity and enthusiasm our young scientists are showing as they explore the world, and the universe, around them!
COMMUNITY NEWS
Penola Saints
Woolworths Net Set Go!
School Contacts
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