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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 33
October 28th 2021 |
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
Return to school for all students All students will return to onsite learning from November 3rd, after our planned curriculum day and the Melbourne Cup public holiday. Further to the wearing of face masks for students in Years 3-6, when students return to their classrooms, windows and doorways will remain open (pending weather conditions) to maximise ventilation in each learning space. As an added measure, air purifiers will be distributed to all government schools over the coming weeks. Initially these purifiers will target higher risk areas, where there are increased levels of students & staff mixing, such as specialist classrooms, reception, and gym. Beyond these high traffic areas, the air purifiers will then be placed in general classrooms as they become available. Where appropriate and depending on the weather, students may also work outdoors for longer periods during the school day. During the holidays, the school has applied for shade sail grants in order to create more comfortable and SunSmart outdoor learning spaces. We will also have separate play areas for different cohorts of children this term as more students return to on-site learning, this will begin from this Friday the 22nd. Students will follow the playground plan below and have a staggered entry and exit during playtimes to avoid cohorts crossing over. 
Student Agency
Our token system supporting schoolwide positive behaviours has begun and has been promoted by students in our assemblies. It’s been great to see students begin to fill the token box and get further positive reinforcement for demonstrated value behaviours. Students are learning their house colours and the new names(Air, Earth, Water, Fire) and native animals mascots (Orange bellied Parrot, Corroboree Frog, Eastern Barn Bandicoot and Tasmanian Devil). OHSC Recently during the lockdown we have been able to wave the gap fee for students utilisting the before and after school care service, due to some financial support from the government. That support has now ended and school council has approved a small price increase to ensure we can continue to operate our own service and keep prices low for our families. Our new daily rates are in-line with the cheapest equivalent service, without any additional cost for casual bookings. 90% of our families to receive the government subsidy to further reduce the actual cost. The new pricing structure is provided below: Before School Care - $16.00 per session (Increase $1) After School Care - $20.00 per session (Increase $3) 2021 ANNUAL IMPLEMENTATION PLAN 12 month targets For KIS 1a: The percentage of students achieving more than 12 months learning growth between term 1 and term 4 as identified by Running Records and benchmarking be 30% or greater. The percentage of students achieving more than 12 months learning growth between term 1 and term 4 as identified by teacher judgements be 30% or greater. For KIS 1b: To improve on the previous PIVOT school averages for the following components:
For KIS 1c: To improve the percentage of positive results on the Parent Opinion Survey for the following variables:
KIS 1 Actions
Activities
KIS 2 Actions
Activities
KIS 3 Actions
Activities
Kind regards, Michael Gill Principal Return to School
On Sunday Daniel Andrews announced the latest round of roadmap rules will take effect from 6pm on Friday, with the state forecast to reach 80 per cent full vaccination of people 16 and over sometime this upcoming weekend. This milestone will also see all students returning to onsite learning together, next Wednesday 3rd November. Monday November 1st is a curriculum day (student free) for our teachers to commence their preparations for report writing, and Tuesday November 2nd is a public holiday for Melbourne Cup. We're excited about the return of all students on Wednesday 3rd November. Masks
We have a number of students who are not remembering to bring and wear a mask to school. It is mandatory that all children from Grade 3 – 6 must wear a mask at school. Visitor & Volunteer Vaccination
Under the COVID-19 Mandatory vaccination directions issued by the Victorian Chief Health Officer (vaccination directions) schools must ensure that all visitors and volunteers who attend to perform work or assist in classrooms or spend any time face to face with children and/or staff, must comply with vaccination requirements. The same way we must sight and collect copies of Working with Children Checks for those who volunteer at school, we will now be required to sight and collect copies of proof of vaccination. Unvaccinated visitors and volunteers must not enter, or remain on, the school premises for the purpose of performing work (e.g. classroom helper) at the school unless they are an excepted person. Proof of vaccination may be a Covid-19 digital certificate, an immunisation history statement, or a letter from an authorised medical practitioner confirming the person is medically exempt. Only volunteers and visitors who have provided information that they are fully vaccinated or an excepted persons are allowed on site after 29th November 2021 Staff Car Park
We continue to see families parking and dropping off children in our staff car park. What we have seen recently is speeding and driving haphazardly within our staff car park. This makes for a very dangerous and unsafe practise. The majority of our staff are now attending school and it is very frustrating to find they cannot park in their authorised park when they arrive, because of parents/guardians dropping off students or parking there for any period of time. While we understand that parking around school at drop off and pick up time can be difficult, we have a drive through area in Summit Ave for your use. Please parents, we ask you to respect the fact that this is a staff car park only. |
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Lunch Orders
Lunch Orders will be available to students from next week, Thursday 4th November. Students are to bring their lunch orders to school (written on a brown paper bag please) on Wednesday and placed into the tub in their classroom. These will be picked up by local café Chestnut Grove, and lunch orders will be returned to school on a Thursday 
Grade 4P News
Grade 1/2 News
Last week, on Thursday 21st October, the Grade 1 and 2’s enjoyed their first day back to school in Term 4, 2021. The students did an excellent job at managing the transition from Remote to Onsite Learning. In the classroom, the Grade 1/2s enjoyed getting used to familiar school routines, being with their friends, classmates, and their teachers. Students had fun reflecting on their time over Remote Learning, as well as building up their cooperation and self-regulation skills during team or shared-play based activities (see pictures). The teachers also did a brilliant job at supporting the students to quickly understand the COVID safe plans in the classroom and school grounds. The Grade 1/2 team commend the students and their families on an excellent transition back to being at school. Well done and keep up the great work Grade 1/2s! For the coming weeks, teachers will be focused on developing student’s social and emotional skills, implementing COVID safe plans, protecting wellbeing as well as monitoring student’s understanding of the essential Grade 1/2 Victorian Curriculum. Please see below some reminders for the coming weeks:
2. Just another friendly reminder about drop off and pick up to and from school. See below the times, based on the child’s last name:
3. Items to take to school and pack in your child’s bag:
5. Children have been sent home with a Writing Book and a Scrapbook to support them during Remote Learning. The Grade1/2 team ask for families to keep these in a safe place for the current and future Remote Learning periods. Thank you for your continued and ongoing support during this year. All the best, The 1/2 Team
Grade 3/4 News
Grade 3/4 Crazy Kitchen Chemistry Incursion Last week, the Grade 3s and 4s participated in an online incursion hosted by Mad About Science. The incursion introduced our new Inquiry topic, ‘Change’ and specifically focused on how change is created when elements are combined. The students explored using different kitchen ingredients and completed activities remotely that helped them understand what chemicals are and what happens when they interact. Thank you to all our wonderful Grade 3/4 parents who organised materials for the students to use from home. It was wonderful to see them all participating so eagerly and seeing their reactions as they observed the results of the experiments they conducted!
SPECIALIST NEWS
Visual Art Visual Arts Remote Learning Week 3 Term 4 These are some of the wonderful artworks created by OPPS students in remote Visual Arts classes during Week 2 of Term 4. There were plenty of wonderful artworks submitted this week. Thanks to all of those students that participated in the online learning lessons for Art. Please stay safe and well and I look forward to seeing you all very soon. 
Foundation News
FOUNDATION DETECTIVES Who stole Father Brown’s apples?! This was the mystery that the Foundation students needed to solve on Wednesday morning. It was time to put on detective hats, grab a magnifying glass and start looking for clues! Students did a fantastic job of using their inferencing skills to work out which animal was the culprit. At the end of the day, Father Brown called the school and told us that it was the goat who stole the apples! Well done to all of the students for becoming amazing reading detectives.
A couple of samples of the beautiful work that Zoya and Hamza from FM bought to the Office to show Fran. It certainly brightened my day.
The Victorian Aboriginal Education Association
Oak Park Primary School have been extremely lucky to receive not 1, but 2 special resource packs from The Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Inc (VAEAI). Lauren Heard (FH’s Teacher) and Kirsty Finter (2F’s Teacher) were lucky enough to go on a free course hosted by VAEAI where we learnt ways to include and celebrate Aboriginal history and culture in the Junior School. On the course, we were even luckier to have won special Victorian aboriginal resources for our school. See the picture below, it includes books, paintings, puzzles, ochre, posters, boomerangs, teacher resources, clapping sticks, stickers to name but a few. These amazing resources will be held in the library for teachers to incorporate into their planning and for students to use. We thank you VAEAI from the bottom of our hearts for these invaluable resources. The Indigenous Education Committee will be hosting some courses where we endeavour to share these resources with the whole staff and develop ways to incorporate such valuable resources into our classrooms. Thank you again to VAEAI for helping Oak Park Primary School become more inclusive and celebrate Aboriginal history and culture. VAEAI’s states their vision, “The Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Incorporated, or VAEAI, is the peak state-wide Aboriginal community-controlled organisation for education and training in Victoria. We work for our community to build success in education and training. As an organisation, we have been pushing and fighting for over 40 years, for a holistic education system that genuinely and authentically reflects and respects our prime place in this nation’s history and culture. And for our rights to be actively involved in decisions that affect our communities’ education and training outcomes as First Nations Peoples. We formed, over 40 years ago, because of the extremely poor education outcomes for our Koorie communities, due to the complete lack of cultural understandings in schools, to make a change. Koorie communities needed and still need structural and systemic change, to better the educational outcomes of Koorie students, to close the Gap in educational outcomes, and to create a first-class educational environment for all students.” 
P.F.A
The next PFA Meeting is on Tuesday 26/10 at 8pm. Zoom login details have been sent out via Compass PFA will also be voting in a new treasurer. Hope to see you there. Grade 6 2022 Windcheaters All Grade 5 students will be sized for their 2022 Grade 6 Windcheaters and polo tops at school on Thursday 4th November. An order form will be sent home on this day with sizes and payment details. Orders and payment details are to be returned to school by Thursday 11th November. NO LATE ORDERS WILL BE ACCEPTED. Community News
School Holiday Program MORELAND
Bookings for the January 2022 School Holiday Program will open 5pm, Friday 29 October 2021 and will remain open until full capacity has been reached. Once bookings open you are able to make a booking via our online booking system using the casual booking option. For further information including how to log on please visit council’s website on https://www.moreland.vic.gov.au/community-health/children-and-families/primary-school-holiday-program/ The Primary School Holiday Program brochure will be available on Council’s website (www.moreland.vic.gov.au) by 5pm, 29 October 2021. Junior Cricket come and try day!
*Sunday 31st of October *10am-11am Junior training begins Wednesday 3rd of November, 5pm-6pm. Contact junior coordinator Carly Miranda for any enuiries - 0416 013 780 Please note all plays must be registered prior to the first game to play. 
School Contacts
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