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The Oak Leaf |
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Address: Willett Avenue, Oak Park VIC 3046
T:(03) 9306 9182 E: oak.park.ps@education.vic.gov.au |
Issue 37
December 2nd 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
Carols Night – Tuesday December 14th Please come along to our Carols Picnic on Tuesday 14th December. We encourage families to bring along a picnic blanket for sitting on the ground, as well as supporting comfortable social distancing for this event. We have our fingers crossed for a lovely summer’s evening for this event from 5:00 -7:00 pm with carols commencing from around 5:30. Our updated Operations Guide from the Department of Education allows us to host an outdoor event using a COVID safe plan. As this is a large outdoor event, check-in via the Service Victoria app will be required and adults attending school premises need to show evidence of vaccination. We will have staff on multiple entry points to support these arrangements. We appreciate your understanding to ensure we can host our carols safely. Birthdays and Food Sharing We appreciate the advocate the celebration of birthdays, but sadly our policy around sharing food needs to be risk adverse, due to allergies and COVID-19 requirements. Even basic treats like lollipops can present choking hazards and may not be in-line with every parent’s view of healthy eating. If you do wish to provide a small token as a celebration of a birthday to classmates, our best suggestions are small stationery items like fun shaped erasers or pencils. Thank you for your understanding regarding this matter. Grade Structures for 2022
After length and considered consultation with staff our grade structure for 2022 is presented below.
Some parents at times express concern with multi-age classes, however educational research does not show a clear positive or negative impact of multi-age classes on academic achievement. Quality teaching that is differentiated to meet the needs of every student, well supported by instructional mentoring, teacher collaboration, defined intervention and extension programs and professional learning has a far greater impact on student achievement than the structure of classes.
Multi-age classes will enable:
Our specialist subjects for 2022 will include Physical Education, Performing Arts and Visual Arts. We will also host some Japanese immersion events during the year to keep this curriculum area alive within the school. Unfortunately due to budget constraints we can no longer offer our Sustainability subject for 2022. We appreciate John’s and the school’s commitment, passion and ethos for Sustainability and Indigenous education and will continue to support both as communities of practice in 2022. John will continue to work at OPPS as a classroom teacher in 2022. The school’s inquiry scope and sequence does plan for units covering the Vic Curriculum content for Science and Digital Technologies. School Arrival Times – From 8:45
We’re still utilising our staggered starts and finishes to the day to reduce crowded and improve social distancing in the school yard. To continue to stagger traffic onto the school site please use the following information to support: If your surname (Family name) begins with A-M please arrive around 8:45 and pick up at 3:20 If your surname (Family name) begins with N-Z please arrive around 8:55 and pick up at 3:30. Please note that supervision in the yard does not begin until 8:45 in the morning. Recently we’ve had a number of students arriving as early as 8:15 without any parent supervision. In this case, we will contact parents and suggest that the Outside Hours School Care program is available to support. For further details please email oshc.oak.park.ps@education.vic.gov.au or phone on (03) 9300 3412. Kind regards, Michael Gill Principal Year 6-7 Orientation Day
Government Secondary Colleges will be hosting their Orientation Day on Tuesday 7th December. Families are advised directly by the Secondary College. Coburg High School are hosting onsite on this date. Students are to arrive at 8.30am outside the Reception where they will find out what Home Group they are in. Pick up is 3.15pm. Casual gear to be worn and the café will be open to purchase lunch. Zoopers Doopers
Bring $1 to buy a Zooper Dooper on Friday. Help the Grade 6s raise money to make their Graduation a memorable and wonderful evening. Grade 6 Graduation
The Grade 6 students will celebrate their time at Oak Park Primary School during the Graduation ceremony on Thursday, December 9th, 2021. We are excited to announce that graduating students are allowed to invite their immediate family to attend the outdoor ceremony. This includes parents and siblings. Unlike last year, we are also able to extend the invitation to two special family members such as Grandparents or Aunt and Uncle, per student. Respectful of social distancing, we need to cap the invitation to strictly two extra attendees. We thank you in advance for adhering to this. As this is a large outdoor event, check-in via the Service Victoria app will be required to comply with our COVIDSafe plan. Should you not have a smart phone, you will be able to check in via a written sign-in. Our operational guidelines from the Department of Education are clear that any school event will require 'Adults attending school premises to show evidence of vaccination'. This proof of vaccination may a digital version, paper version or a screenshot/photo of your proof. When: Thursday, 9th December 2021 Student dinner: 5pm Multi-Purpose Room Ceremony Time: 6pm Where: The Tiger Turf Oak Park Primary School. Dress Code: Formal. Following the ceremony, students will enjoy a light supper and will have time to take photos and celebrate a successful end to the year. Look forward to seeing you all on the night. From the Grade 6 Teachers The PFA have asked for around 5 volunteers to help on the night with serving food and drinks and then packing up afterwards (around 6pm – 9pm). Many of the current Grade 6 parents volunteered last year, so this is a great way to pay it forward. If you can help out, please contact Eugenie Baulch on 4721-PFAOPPS@schools.vic.edu.au) as soon as possible. Your help is greatly appreciated. Family Carols Night
Our Family Carols night will be on Tuesday 14th December from 5-7pm. 
Breakfast Club Our Breakfast Club is every Monday, Wednesday & Thursday from 8.30am - 8.50am in The Agora. Please enter via the Library not the staffroom.
Japanese Online Exchange
On Thursday 25th November at 12:40pm in Melbourne/10:40am in Kyoto, 2F engaged in an amazing immersive language opportunity. We were very lucky to participate in an online exchange with Ritsumeikan Primary School (RPS) in Japan. Melissa, our Japanese language teacher (who is currently on maternity leave), set up the cultural exchange between Oak Park and RPS a few years ago. You may have remembered Karin, a teacher at Ritsumeikan Primary School, when she and another teacher visited in 2020. Well on Thursday, 2F participated in an online exchange with four Grade 2 classes from RPS. During the online exchange, we greeted each other in each other’s languages, then each school took a turn singing the song ‘Walking in the Jungle.’ RPS sung it in English for us and OPPS sung it in Japanese. We then played a game of ‘Guess the Animal,’ where OPPS students had to use prescribed questions and RPS used symbols to say yes/no. After we played charades, where OPPS got into groups and acted as an animal for the RPS students to guess it. Finally, we said goodbye in each other’s languages. The online exchange was a huge success, and we thank Melissa and Karin for allowing 2F to have this invaluable immersive cultural and language experience. The students of 2F were so chuffed, they wrote some letters to say thank you. See the pictures and letters below.
Book Club
Thank you to all who placed an order in the last Book Club of the year. As a result, the school has earned $600 to purchase new titles for the Library. Orders have been distributed to classes if you have not received your order, please see me immediately. Thank you for your continued support of Book Club. |
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Library
As the end of year is fast approaching, Library books need to be returned to school. Please return all books by the end of the week. Overdue notices will be sent out in the coming weeks. Grade 3 & 4 Essendon Traffic School Excursion
A reminder that the Essendon Traffic School excursion for Grade 3 / 4 students will take place this Thursday and Friday. Students are to wear full school uniform, bring a hat, water bottle and their own bike helmet if they wish to. Please see times and dates below: Grade 4 students: Thursday 2 December 4T students to leave school at 9.30 and return at 12.00pm 4P students to leave school at 12.00pm and return at 2.30pm Grade 3 students: Friday 3 December 3W and ½ of 3H students to leave school at 9.30 and return at 12.00pm 3C and ½ of 3H students to leave school at 12.00pm and return at 2.30pm Thanks from the 3 / 4 Team Grade 2 Information Reports
The Grade 2s have been writing information reports. They planned, wrote, revised, edited and published their writing. Here is a sample of our amazing work. 
Grade 1B News
Over the last two weeks, 1B have been following and writing procedural texts. We have made Fluffy Slime and Clay Caterpillars! What fun it’s been.
Grade 4 News
KENNING POEMS
Grade 5 News
In Maths, 5M have been learning about finances and budgeting. Their task was to work in groups to create a Camp budget for the class. They found that collaborating, compromising and balancing the books are important life skills to master. Some groups opted for more expensive activities while others chose to have the fancier meals. Here are the groups in action and their final budgets.
Foundation News
The Day the Chairs Quit! The Foundation students arrived to a surprise on Tuesday morning – their chairs had quit! FH, FM and FS all guessed why the chairs were fed up! Have a look at some of our great writing pieces.
Foundation and Grade 1
On Wednesday, the Foundation and Grade 1 students received some very exciting parcels from a man in a red suit….who we believe arrived by reindeer!!! We’re pretty sure we heard him on the roof…. More info to come…… 
O.S.H.C
A reminder that all families wishing to utilise the Out of School Hours program in 2022, will need to complete an enrolment form. These must be completed each year, even by families who already utilise this service. You may download a form from our website (link below) or call into the Office to collect one. Please ensure this is completed as soon as possible so staffing may be organised. If you believe you may require Before or After School Care on a casual basis in 2022, it’s a good idea to also complete a form. This will ensure your child may attend if they need to at short notice. https://www.oakparkps.vic.edu.au/before--after-school-care.html Chess
Grant Szuveges, our amazing chess teacher, has supplied some descriptive pages for how to play chess.
Kids Artwork
Kids Artwork is available to order online now: Families can now order some beautiful items featuring your child’s artwork, whilst raising some funds for our school. Orders close 9am December 5th. To order, just follow the instructions below:
Please email the PFA at: 4721-pfaopps@schools.vic.edu.au if you have any queries. We thank you all for your patience. PFA Community News
FUNKY RECYCLED DESIGNS
If you’d like some great Xmas gift ideas that cover Environment and Recycling please check out Funky Recycled Designs. Ideas & designs by John Hughes and his children, combining his love of all things recyclable Head to the website and check them out!
Solar powered lamps made from reclaimed bottles. Great Xmas gifts!
Click the link below: https://funkyrecycleddesigns.square.site INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
Sports
Moreland City Council Libraries
The #BigSummerRead is live! Read over the Summer for your chance to win a Nintendo Switch or a Family Zoo Pass. Download the Beanstack app or visit https://plv.beanstack.org to get started.
Further information at https://www.plv.org.au/projects/big-summer-read/ and your local Moreland City Libraries. 
School Contacts
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