Address: Willett Avenue, Oak Park VIC 3046
T:(03) 9306 9182 E: [email protected] |
Issue 5
March 5th 2021 |
Oak Park Primary School will work collaboratively to provide a stimulating, safe and challenging learning environment that promotes resilient, innovative thinkers.
Calendar of Events
|
Principal's Column
Don’t you think it is amazing the amount of ‘stuff’ we accumulate year after year and how lucky we are in Australia to have so much - in comparison to many other places around the world? Our kids are given wonderful toys and technologies and sometimes feel hard done by if they don’t have the latest one that everyone is now talking about. I contrast this with the story of the Nepalese kids I might have mentioned in a previous column, who were so happy playing with a rusted, old, broken-down swing set that would have been sent to the tip if it was in Australia? It will be my granddaughter’s first birthday on Saturday and for a little while I was thinking about what would be a good present for her. And yes, even though she isn’t even one year old yet, she too has heaps of toys and other stuff. So what do you get a young child who already has so much? My usual ‘go to’ gift for children is a book, or several books. I guess that’s the teacher in me. And that’s what I’ve done again this time. What’s the best present your kids ever received? And how do you measure that anyway? I’ve often thought that the two best gifts we got our kids, apart from books, were a sandpit and a trampoline. They spent ages playing in and on both. Both their curiosity and creativity were nurtured when playing with these things – plus they got plenty of fresh air. The trampoline helped build their confidence and body awareness, and sense of space as well as their health and fitness. I do recall one broken arm and a few stitches though. So I guess it also taught risk taking and probably resilience. The sandpit, for young kids, was great because it could be anything. They could build and demolish and tunnel and experiment for ages. They could make cities, or planets or forests. And we as parents we could join in the play too. Which was always a lot of fun. But….. I’m a principal and I have to say this to you. The truly best present you can give to your kids is the gift of your time. Kids will long remember the things you did with them, the places you took them and the good times you shared. And how all that made them feel. So do that this long weekend. Spend some quiet time and noisy time and eating time and play time with your kids. But also get them a book for their birthday, when it comes. Or a trampoline. Positive Education
During this week, I’ve had the pleasure of working with grade 3 students about kindness and what it means to be kind. We talked about the terms ‘bucket filler’ and ‘bucket dipper.’ Bucket-filling is a term used in education to refer to positive attitudes and behaviour. It relies on the analogy that every person carries with them an invisible bucket. This bucket contains a person's feelings and emotions. When the bucket is full, this represents us feeling happy and contented. However, when it is empty, we feel low, upset and dissatisfied. Bucket-fillers are those who act in a way that fills another person's bucket and refers to those who practise kindness and good behaviour. These are the responses from 3H, when I asked them “How can you fill a bucket?"
Talk to your child about examples of kindness. Ask them if they’ve witnessed or performed any acts of kindness in their homes or at school in the last few days: Have you helped out in the kitchen at home? Have you helped a friend who was having a tough day? Maria Giordano ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL 5M News – Sizzling Starts
In 5M, we have been thinking about what hooks a reader into a story. Story hooks include things like dialogue, rhetorical questions, onomatopoeia, flashbacks and flashforwards. We have read the personal narrative, The Little Refugee by Anh Do, using his story as our inspiration. We have experimented with different story hooks to create our own sizzling starts for the story. Here are a selection of our sizzling starts for The Little Refugee. Do they hook you in? Sssss! Snakes in bottles, 5 people cramped up on a motorbike and strange food. Welcome to Vietnam everyone! Zahli “Khoa!” my mother screamed as we all watched my little brother dangle from the side of the stinky fishing boat. The pirate laughed, like a witch but meaner… Sophie I watched in horror as the monstrous pirate threatened to cut my brother’s life short. The pirate’s hideous cackle echoed through the creaking boat. Varsha I sat in despair, my parents nervous in the corner. What was the point of bringing them here? Then I heard my name. “Anh Do!” My heart leapt in joy, my legs were wobbly. Clap, clap, clap! “Woo! Go Anh!” cheered my parents. After all I’d been through in my life, how did we get here? Saraansh Finally, after being on the old, stinky and cramped boat for weeks, we had arrived in Australia. The place was beautiful. The air was fresh and the view was spectacular. I thought I was dreaming. Elliot My brother was grabbed by an evil, wicked pirate. What could possibly go wrong? Edwin Maths Club
This week in Maths Club for 3-6’s, we had a great time playing a game of 21. We then built MAB castles and had to count how many pieces we used all together. Next week will be for F-2’s we will be playing Buzz and What’s the Time Mr Wolf. Please come and join us in the 5/6 area at the first half of lunch on Tuesday. From your 2021 Maths Captains, Kyle and Ruby Grade 1/2 News
On Monday 1st March, the Grade 1/2s participated in an exciting and engaging musical incursion hosted by Jan Wositzky. With his banjo, Jan sung songs and told stories to immerse students into finding out about their family and local community. With Jan, the students wrote verses and then sung about their own family and school. The incursion will engage the students in our inquiry topic of ‘My History Shapes Who I am.' Book Club
There has been a delay with the Book Club orders from Issue 1. Scholastic are changing their computer system which is causing issues with the orders. I have been notified that our order has been dispatched from the warehouse and hopefully it will arrive by the end of the week. I apologise for the delay. Head Lice
Head lice are still active across all of our school. Head lice – what are they? Pediculosis or 'head lice' are small, wingless insects that live, breed and feed on the human scalp. They cannot transmit any infectious diseases. Direct contact is required for transmission from person to person, where head lice crawl from head to head. Please refer to the education department's policy at: https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/head-lice/policy AGM
The OPPS Parents and Friends Association (PFA) is a group of parents (extended family members are also welcome!) who work together to fundraise for the school while planning fun activities for students and families, such as the Mother’s and Father’s Day stalls and the student disco. The PFA’s AGM will be held on Tuesday 9 March at 7 pm in the staffroom at the school. The meeting will include election of the committee and details of activities planned for the year ahead. All are welcome to attend. If you have any questions about the PFA, please feel free to email them to [email protected]. Safety around the school
Please be careful around the schools hot spot areas. Hotspot 1 – the car park. Cars and often delivery trucks move through this area often so please don’t deliver your children to school via this route. Please use the footpaths. Hotspot 2 – the drop off and pick up area. Please be patient driving into and out of this area – and please don’t loiter too long because it causes frustration with fellow parents School Start times, school supervision - and don’t miss the roll call
A teacher is on duty from 8:45am daily. For the safety of your children, please book them into Before School Care if you need to drop them off earlier. Classes begin at 9:00am. Please have your students at their class room prior to the 9:00am start time so that the rolls can be called correctly. Uniform Swap Meet & Second-hand Uniform Sale
The PFA will also be running a Uniform Swap Meet and Secondhand Uniform Sale on Thursday 4 March, from 3.15 to 4 pm. Full details below: Date : Thursday 4 March Time : 3:15 – 4 PM Place : Tiger Turf (by the office/library) We encourage the OPPS community to bring in uniforms excess to need and swap for items of equivalent value or buy preloved items at bargain prices. All items handed in must be in good condition and clean. Items brought in will be inspected and exchanged for tokens as follows:
Please aim to bring in items towards the beginning of the swap so we can have them available to others. *Items will be for sale on completion of the swap portion of the meet. The prices will vary between $5- $15 depending on the condition of the item. Parents running the swap meet will price each item based on its condition.* Please keep in mind: ♻ Bring items that are clean and in good condition. Items with excessive marks, stains, tears can be donated, but may not receive full token value. ♻ When you arrive at the Swap, you will be given swap tokens for the items you bring. ♻ Once the items are at the Swap, they are no longer yours. ♻ Nothing can be claimed until the host opens the Swap but browsing is allowed. ♻ Once the host announces the Swap is open, you may claim items and either trade in tokens or pay for the items in cash. ♻ If two or more of you want the same item, the host or representative will referee a match of scissors, paper, rock or other game. Donations are gladly accepted during the Meet or they can be brought to the front office at any time. We will also have handmade cloth face masks for sale at $12 each. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the school. Sustainability
CERES Student Workshop – Waste On Tuesday 23rd February a group of interested students from grades 3-6 took part in a special event with CERES environmental educators. This involved many experiences including a waste relay race, finding out how long certain items take to break down, visualising what our world could be like in 2040 and creating an action plan to reduce waste and specifically landfill at school. Some students also took part in turning an old t-shirt into a re-usable shopping bag. The day was enjoyed by all and the level of engagement from the students was impressive. We have come up with a list of actions that we will investigate further in terms of trying to reduce our landfill at school, so hopefully in the near future you will see some of these ideas spring to life! A big congratulations to all students who attended – your high level of involvement and general behaviour was great to witness and represented the school very positively! Below are some photos from the event. |
Breakfast Club
Come and join in - Monday, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8:30am. All students are welcome! Essendon Bowls Club
Wayne from Essendon Bowls Club has been running a bowls program at school, which the students have been thoroughly enjoying. Please check out the brochure below regarding a great social bowling for juniors program. Kelly Sports
Year 6-7 Transition
ATTENTION GRADE 5 PARENTS: The Process for Applications to Secondary College for 2022/Year 7 students start approximately April 2021. Information will be added to the newsletter as it comes in, and will be forwarded to all families of Grade 5 students at this time. Penola Catholic College Families of Grade 5 students who are looking at enrolling their children at Penola Catholic College in 2023, will need to take not of the following information. Enrolments for Year 7-2023 are now open at Penola Catholic College. Applications close on the 20th August 2021. Rosehill Secondary College
Community News
MORELAND SCHOOL HOLIDAY PROGRAM Bookings for the April 2021 School Holiday Program will open by 5pm, Friday 12 February 2021 and will remain open until full capacity has been reached Once bookings open you will be 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/ VIC CRIC SOCCER
School Contacts
|