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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 11
April 28th 2022 |
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
ANZAC Day
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Thank you to all who attended our ANZAC Day assembly on the first day back at school. Our School Leaders did an excellent job delivering such an important assembly to our students and wider community. On behalf of the school, School Captain Oliver 6J attended the Dawn Service at Glenroy RSL and laid a wreath on behalf of the school. Please read of Oliver’s experience below-
ANZAC Day- Dawn Service On Monday 25th April, I represented our school by attending the ANZAC Day Dawn Service held at Glenroy RSL. As we gathered in the dark the first speaker noted that it was great to see so many people attending the Dawn Service after two years of COVID restrictions. To begin the service 5 soldiers marched to the shrine and then several speakers told events from past wars. The speech I recall most vividly was about Gallipoli and how the Australian and New Zealand soldiers landed on the shores of Gallipoli in Turkey. They fought for our country and they proved to the world that Australian and New Zealanders are tough and can get though anything, even under the most extreme and harsh conditions. There was also respects paid for a local serviceman named Corporal Cameron Baird who was awarded the Victorian Cross for his gallant efforts in Afghanistan. In his younger years Cameron Baird attended Gladstone Park Secondary School, which held personal significants to me as this will be the high school I will be attending. The bagpipes were played, and many wreaths were laid to pay respects to the local men and women who fought for our country. I had the honour of laying a wreath for our school. The last post was played on the bugle and in the minute silence it seemed like everything in the world stopped as those who attended paid their respects. The Dawn Service message was not to glorify war but to honour those men and women who have served our country and made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom we have today. Lest We Forget. By Oliver 6J (School Captain) 
Principal's Column
We would like to take this opportunity to warmly welcome everyone to Term 2. We sincerely hope the break was restful and that all families shared an enjoyable Easter. Thanks to all the parents are carers for attending the ANZAC service hosted at school on Tuesday morning. Our sincerest thanks to Melanie and the School Captains for organising such a respectful and well-planned event. RISE North Survey RISE (Residents Improving Secondary Education) North, a local community group have put together a survey to receive feedback from the residents of North Moreland about public secondary schools in the area. This group includes some parents from our school community. With this feedback the group plans to petition the State Government for change to create well utilised secondary schools that attract and retain students, reflect the needs of our community, and improve student outcomes. We want to hear from residents of North Moreland (Glenroy, Hadfield, Coburg North, Fawkner, Oak Park and Pascoe Vale) about local government secondary schools, so that we can petition and work with the State Government for change. Schools include Glenroy College, John Fawkner College and Pascoe Vale Girls College. Our survey is quick and anonymous. It is open until Midnight Monday 23 May 2022. Use this link to complete the survey. www.surveymonkey.com/r/R967B5K COVID Update Double RAT Drop this Friday The Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) program has been extended to support the first 4 weeks of Term 2. We again thank families for working very closely with the school on this matter to support the safety and wellbeing of everyone in our community. The advice is to test students twice per week on school days. This Friday we will send home 2 boxes per student to enable families to continue testing for the first 4 weeks of this term. In the event where staff or families require further support with additional RATs, please contact the front office. Students and staff who have tested positive for COVID-19, and have completed their 7-day isolation period, now do not need to undertake rapid antigen test (RAT) screening for 12 weeks after their release from isolation. Face Masks While face masks are still recommended, they are not required in any school setting at present. This means students in grades 3 to 6, staff and visitors in primary schools are no longer required to wear face masks. Many students and staff are still opting to wear masks and we advocate and support their use. Air Purifiers We also have received a further delivery of air purifiers to more support spaces within the school, including the intervention classroom, reception area and library. There are already air purifiers in every classroom. The advice around ventilation is still the same at this point (Open windows/doors), please note that heaters and air conditioners can be used alongside our air purifiers. Playgrounds From today, students will be allowed to return their usual areas and play equipment within our playground without restriction to one specific area. This is in-line with the most recent advice from the Operations Guide. Teachers will still encourage students to play within their cohorts to support physical and COVID safety. Kind regards, Michael Gill Principal School Photos
School photos may now be ordered via the Compass portal. School photo day is on Monday 16th May and students are to wear correct uniform on the day. Should families have any queries regarding the ordering process, please don’t hesitate to contact MSP Photography 
Visual Arts
Term 2 is only 9 weeks long but there will be numerous artworks created by students at OPPS in Visual Arts classes. Below is an overview of what each learning level will be engaging in. Foundation students will create Mother’s Day designs for their mums to help celebrate the occasion. A focus on wellbeing for the students will be observed via creating a fish design and discussion around the health benefits of eating fish (Omega 3). The students will also explore their individual creativity, by mixing paints to create different colours and discovering how to do blot paintings. Students will also be challenged to use their imaginations to create designs or pictures using only a “squiggle” or a few shapes or lines, transforming these into whatever their minds come up with. Japanese emersion will continue with a Kimono design being created by the Foundation students, again incorporating their own unique creative thought. Finally the Queen’s birthday will be observed and a craft created. Grade 1/2 students will create a Mother’s Day gift for their mums to help celebrate the occasion. A focus on wellbeing for the students will be observed via creating fruit and veggie characters and discussion around the health benefits of eating these foods (vitamins and minerals). Japanese emersion will continue in Visual Arts with Koi Fish windsocks/lanterns being created with a focus on some of the Japanese language surrounding this. The students will be encouraged to incorporate their own unique creative thought with regard to how the koi are decorated. The Queen’s birthday will be observed and a wool craft will be created to depict the profile of Queen Elizabeth II. Grade 3/4 students will create a mosaic style Mother’s Day gift for their mums to help celebrate the occasion. A focus on wellbeing for the students will be observed via creating artworks in conjunction with listening to music (classical and sounds from nature). The students will draw whatever it is that their imaginations conjure up during these lessons, to showcase their creativity and individuality. Japanese emersion will continue in Visual Arts with Pastel Bonsai Trees created, and some learning of Japanese language associated with the art of Bonsai. Finally the Queen’s birthday will be observed and a cartoon portrait of Queen Elizabeth II created with a British flag background. Grade 5/6 students will create a Mother’s Day gift for their mums using sustainable materials to help celebrate the occasion. Integrating Visual Arts with the students’ classroom inquiry topic of “Natural Disasters” will see the students continue to refine their sketching and shading skills. They will participated in a series of lessons focusing on different shading techniques and try to implement these in their sketches. Japanese emersion will continue in Visual Arts with creating origami pieces, and some learning of Japanese language associated with the art of Origami. The Queen’s birthday will be observed and a watercolour caricature of Queen Elizabeth II created. A very busy term indeed! Physical Education
From next week in PE, students from F-2 will be introduced to a gymnastics unit of work with the aim of refining their knowledge and understanding of Fundamental Movement Skills. They will explore various basic gymnastics skills including balances, jumps, rolls, change of levels, and the use of props. The aim is for students to gain an understanding of fundamental body movements as we progress to sport-specific skills in the future. Students from 3-6 will also be undertaking some Cross Country training in the lead up to Glenroy District Cross Country day next month. The students in grades 3-5 will be running a 2km track, while the grade 6s will be running 3km. If your child is interesting in signing up for cross country, please get in contact with Liam. Thanks! Performing Arts
In a few weeks the theme of the concert will be announced and the students will begin to learn their items! The concert dates are September 14th and 15th (last week of term 3) so please save these dates in your diary. For new parents of the school, the concert is held at the Clocktower Theatre in Moonee Ponds. The concert is held over two nights so all families have the opportunity to attend. Our school concert is one of the highlights of the year and our youngest students begin to practice their item well in advance so they are confident and happy on the night. I’m sure your child will be coming home later in the term with news of the concert theme and what costume they will be wearing. Very exciting! Also we are very keen to hear from any parents who could help with sewing costumes or creating props (mostly handheld props) So if you are crafty and have some time please do not hesitate to email me. Have a lovely term! Easter Raffle
Congratulations to Luke 3/4S as the winner of the 2022 Easter Raffle!! Thank you to all the families who supported our school by buying tickets to the raffle. The Easter Raffles fundraised just over $2700 for the school which is an excellent result! Congratulations to the winners of the three major prizes and bonus prize packs. Thank you to the following organisations for their generosity:
Thank you for your support, Oak Park PFA 
Parent Helpers Sessions
This term we will be running a Parent Helpers Information session for parents wanting to volunteer/assist in classrooms. Parent Helpers have always been a huge support at Oak Park Primary School and we value all they have to offer. If you would like to be a parent helper in your child’s class, you must attend this course prior. The remaining session will be as follows: Thursday 28th April 9:00am-9:30am (Week 1) This meeting will be on-site in the Library. Wednesday 4th April 6:00pm-6:30pm (Week 2) (CANCELLED - NO ENROLMENTS) The meeting will be via Webex and a link will be sent to parents/carers on Wednesday morning via email. To RSVP for any of these sessions, please email me (Sally) directly: [email protected] If the offered times do not suit, please let me know and we can make other arrangements. We are keen to get as much parent support as possible! Some areas where parents have traditionally assisted in our school's operations include:
This session will aim to provide some basic information about how you can help, as well as some protocols and etiquette that we ask all classroom visitors to abide by. If you have attended a Parent Helpers session previously, you do not need to attend again. We look forward to seeing you all. Please RSVP with your name, your child’s name and class no later than Tuesday 26th April. Grade 3/4 Life Skills Program - Term 2, Week 1-8
Please note payments for Life skills is now required, please give permission and make payments of $30.00 for your child to attend on Compass. Throughout Term 2, Grade 3 /4 students will have the opportunity to attend a Life Skills course which be held at school. The program will involve the Year 3/4 students in a weekly 45 minute session (8 week program), on a Thursday. The program that students will be participating in is called ‘Mindfulness in Action.’ Each week Life Skills teachers facilitate classes aligning lifelong values, fundamental movement and positive psychology through various games, breathing exercises, guided stories and relaxation. The Life Skills program teaches students how to:
Please refer to the Compass Notification for further information, payments of $30.00 and permission is to be provided through Compass. Thanks Grade 3/4 Team Meagan, April, Kira, Julia and Marina Grade 5/6 Camp Volunteers
Thank you to everyone who responded to our request for volunteers to help out at the 5/6 camp. We had an overwhelming response, but after an extensive interview, fitness test and vetting process, we are excited to announce we have filled the positions required. Planning is well underway, exciting time ahead! Mother's Day Stall
The PFA will be holding its annual Mother's Day Stall on Thursday 5th and Friday 6th May and needs volunteers to help out with set-up and sales at the stall. If you are able to volunteer on either day between 8:40am and 11:00am, please email [email protected] with the day and time you can come along. Even if you are only able to come along for an hour, it will be a big help! Thank you, Kirti, Marika and Eugenie on behalf of the PFA Chess Club
Please find attached, Term 2 Chess payment form. Class sizes are limited so ensure form is completed and handed to the office or emailed to [email protected]. Payment is to be made via EFT to Oak Park Primary School BSB: 063450 Account: 109002492 Please add your child's surname and chess in the details/description and provide payment method on chess form. 
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Year 6-7 Transition
2022 to 2023 application/placement information pack for parents/carers with Year 6 students at government schools will be sent home in the first few weeks of Term 2. They are not available via the Secondary Colleges. The information pack will include an Application and information regarding the process. There will also be a timeline which will be included in our newsletter, as well as applicable dates. Information received from the Secondary Colleges will include dates of Open days, Information nights, guided tours and the STEP program if applicable. Visiting local Secondary Colleges is an important part of the transition process. Please don’t hesitate to contact Fran in the office should you require further information [email protected] TIMELINE: Friday 13th May: Applications returned to Fran in the Office, or via email [email protected] Wednesday 20th July: Primary schools notify parents/guardians in writing, of Year 7 placement offers ROSEHILL SECONDARY COLLEGE STEP PROGRAM; Application, Portfolios and References due Thursday 28th July. Testing: Thursday 4th August. Open Day: Thursday 28th April 9.15am – 2.15pm Open Evening: Thursday 5th May 4.30pm – 7.30pm Guided Tours every Thursday 9.30am. Bookings are essential for all of the above There is a book available outside the Office with Rosehill Secondary College information, please feel free to take one. 
ESSENDON KEILOR COLLEGE
Weekly School Tours are held every Wednesday during term 1. Niddrie Campus 9.30 – 10am East Keilor Campus 10.15am – 10.45am Essendon Campus 11.15am – 11.45am Bookings are essential 
COBURG HIGH SCHOOL Open Day
Wednesday 27th April Bookings are essential 
PASCOE VALE GIRLS SECONDARY COLLEGE SEAL PROGRAM
Applications close Friday 29th July, Testing will be conducted Saturday 6th August. 
Community News
School Contacts
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