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The Oak Leaf |
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Address: Willett Avenue, Oak Park VIC 3046
T:(03) 9306 9182 E: Michael.Gill@education.vic.gov.au |
Issue 22
July 29th 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
We’re back! Drop off and Pick Up Arrangements Great to see students returning to classrooms on Wednesday. As mentioned in my previous newsfeed, thank you to Oak Park parents & carers for their support during the lockdown period. Students and teachers were all happy to return and are re-establishing classroom routines and learning programs. We didn’t notice any major congestion from parents dropping off or picking up students, but please refrain from entering school buildings to assist your child with their bag and remain on the school site for the shortest time possible. Sally has also posted via a Compass newsfeed – ‘We are very aware that the 1/2 classroom portables can become congested before and after school due to the ramp and cramped space. It is near impossible for adults to practice social distancing. For this reason, we ask that parents arrange a meeting point with their child/ren to avoid congregating in this area. If you can’t come up with an agreed spot, we suggest the basketball court area, on the tiger turf.’ Thank you to families for doing your best to be Covid-Safe, we appreciate it can be complicated as restrictions change often. Separate Play Spaces and Buddies As part of the updated operations guide, where possible we need to ensure cohorts of students remain apart, including at break times. We’re really fortunate at Oak Park to have such expansive grounds and play equipment to provide a variety of spaces for students. In consultation with the school’s leadership team, we’ve developed a plan of separate play spaces for Foundation – Year 2, Year 3 & 4 and Year 5 & 6. We have advised students to not play with anyone outside their year level, I appreciate that this is contrary to our usual practices of inclusion, but we need to reduce risk where possible. This also means visits between junior and senior buddies cannot take place at present. Assemblies Sadly our current operations guide doesn’t allow us to host a physical assembly with students. We’ll host an internal WebEx assembly with Student Leaders to continue acknowledge student achievement and communicate as a whole school. School Concert This current lockdown although brief had a huge impact on the concert timeline. Without any clear way to predict if a suitable venue could host a concert due to COVID restrictions, the Concert Committee felt it was too risky to proceed this year with hiring a venue. We appreciate this is disappointing news for families and students as the school concert is a wonderful event enjoyed by our community. The Concert Committee plans on filming the performance at school some time in Term 4, allowing students to rehearse and have something to look forward to for 2021. There is a silver lining as the usual venue the ClockTower, may be able to give us our usual dates for next year, so although this year would be a modified performance at school, we can plan for a full theatre experience next year. Thanks to Mel and the whole Concert Committee for their efforts and responsiveness to provide the best possible experience for students under the circumstances. Kind regards, Michael Gill Acting Principal SPECIALIST
Art Remote Learning Visual Arts Creations During the remote learning period, the students at OPPS participated in some Olympics art activities. Below are just a sample of some of the fantastic pieces created. Great work to all students that participated in the lessons on Seesaw and Google Classroom
Sustainability
DESIGN YOUR OWN SHOPPING BAG Something fun for those creative kids out there! We have a bunch of canvas/linen bags which I would like to have decorated and sell at our market stall on Fridays. We know bringing these type of bags instead of using plastic bags can prevent a lot of waste, so we’d really like to encourage everybody to do this. We are hoping students could come up with some great images and slogans which we could decorate our bags with, using iron-on transfers. So, we’re asking for any student who’s interested (particularly those who have been involved in the ‘Green Team’) to design something that might publicise some of the values which might help us contribute to a better environment. It should include a short slogan, an image that matches the message and the name of our school. Other than that, use the freedom to create. All artworks should be submitted electronically to my email (John.Hughes2@education.vic.gov.au) by Friday 6th August. I will display all the artworks and match as many as I can to the number of bags we have, then we will offer the bags for sale at our Friday markets soon after that. I look forward to seeing all the amazing, creative things our students can come up with! John Hughes Performing Arts
I’m sure you have read the news from Michael that our school concert will be postponed until Term 4. It is important to see the huge positives of the school concert being held at school, we can plan the performance without timelines pressures and it enables us to plan the concert within our school COVID-19 restrictions, not public spaces restrictions. There will still be main character auditions, costumes to wear and younger students who are performing for the first time may appreciate a more relaxed atmosphere. The show will go on! Watch this space next week for items we will require for the concert, you may have items lying around the house that we may need. Don’t throw away anything sports related! Grade 4 News
This term, the Grade 4’s have been walking in the shoes of an explorer during the Age of Discovery. During lockdown, they learnt about the first steps taken by Christopher Columbus as he discovered the West Indies. Students read several diary entries from explorers who kept notes of their surroundings and general observations during their journeys. Here are some diary entries from 4P or should we say, young explorers who surveyed the land around them aka their house! 
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School Contacts
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