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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 35
November 8th 2024 |
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
Term 4 Events: November 2024
December 2024
2025 Term 1 Events: January 2025
Principal's Column
Oak Park Primary’s Writer’s Festival: Celebrating 70 Years of Creativity and Community This week marked the exciting return of our Oak Park Primary School Writer’s Festival — the first since 2017! It was a fantastic celebration of creativity, coinciding with the 70th anniversary of our school. Every student participated by writing a piece that reflected on the theme of our school's legacy and history. Throughout last term, students worked on developing their ideas using writing "seeds." You might wonder, what is a seed idea? Much like planting a tiny seed that grows into a large tree, a seed idea is a small spark of inspiration. It could be a thought, an image, or a feeling jotted down in a notebook, which can then blossom into a story, poem, letter, or essay. This process encouraged our students to think creatively and develop their writing in unique ways. The range of writing produced was truly impressive. Students explored different genres, some venturing into new territories outside their comfort zones. There were factual recounts of our school’s history, imaginative fictional stories, heartfelt poems, and even persuasive essays. The common thread throughout all these pieces was the genuine emotion and effort students put into their work. What stood out to me the most while reading their submissions was how much our students cherish the experiences they’ve had at Oak Park Primary. They wrote fondly about the teachers who inspired them, the excitement of excursions and incursions, and their favourite school memories. It was a reminder of the special bond we share as a school community. I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who contributed to making this event a success. To the teachers who guided and inspired our young writers, the staff who helped set up the festival, and of course, to our incredible students for sharing their amazing work — thank you. Your efforts have truly showcased the spirit of Oak Park Primary. Together, we continue to build a school community worth celebrating, one that thrives on creativity, support, and shared experiences. Here’s to another 70 years of great memories and stories yet to be written! The gym will remain open until 6pm tonight, giving the community a chance to explore the students' writing pieces as well as browse through 70 years of photos and memorabilia. Thank You for a Great Colour Fun Run! A big thank you to all the students who took part in our recent Colour Fun Run. Despite the hot weather, everyone put in a great effort, and it was wonderful to see so many smiling faces as students ran, got sprayed with water, and enjoyed the colourful atmosphere. We would also like to sincerely thank our Parents and Friends Association (PFA) for their hard work in organising the event. Your planning and coordination made the day run smoothly, and we appreciate everything you did to make it a success. Well done to everyone who participated—we hope you had a lot of fun! Where is Zoe? Many students have been wondering about Zoe’s whereabouts over the past two weeks. Zoe is currently away at a board-and-train program for three weeks. After that, she’ll have an extra week of rest before returning to school in Week 8. We’re all missing our cheeky little dog, though the pigeons seem to be enjoying her absence! Kind regards, Sally Morath Acting Principal WHAT'S HAPPENING @ OAK PARK
WHOLE SCHOOL
Assembly Timetable
Writer's Festival
This week our 70th Anniversary celebrations started with our whole-school assembly. We were joined by inspirational guest speaker Jo Kasch, who highlighted some of her successes as a writer. Jo is known for her work in children's fiction - writing across a range of genres like screen, tv and even picture story books. She shared some top tips that make for good writers. These tips have now been widely dispersed amongst our classrooms to remind our students most of all that writers, as Jo said, are mainly just people who write! We were then fortunate enough to hear a snapshot of the written work that has been happening across our school. A student from each class read their piece, and our whole-school and community members listened as an attentive audience. We had writing that celebrated our dedicated teachers (Kira featured a lot!) our kind principals, and the general inclusive, calm and welcoming Oak Park Primary School. We also heard from students strongly advocating for themselves to be principal with some excellent and somewhat hare-brained ideas to 'improve' the school, and some admitting that while it would be fun "you should definitely not make me principal" - Kiran C (5/6C). Throughout the next few days each class visited the Writer's Festival and it was opened to our community. Parents and friends shared the work alongside our students as we celebrated the success of their writing. We were also able to rifle through old photos and records from 1950s - now, and see how some things have changed, and others not so much (Mrs Anderson still looks the same!) All in all, our 70th Anniversary was a raging success. It would not have been possible without the dedicated teachers guiding their students through the writing, revising and reflecting process. Sally, Kate Ducie and Melanie who spent a mammoth amount of time, effort and dedication setting the festival up. But most of all to the students who so perfectly encapsulated the many wonderful sides of Oak Park Primary School. This was a festival our students and community won't soon forget.
Fun Run
Dear Families, Wow – what a day! We hope everyone had the BEST DAY EVER at the Crazy Colour Day! Thank you to everyone who made the day special! Now’s it’s time to order your prize! Prize ordering closes next Tuesday 12 November. Also, it’s not too late to donate! We have almost hit our fundraising goal of $25,000 to go towards construction of our Wellbeing Centre. There are some students who have created a profile but have yet to receive any donations – don’t forget to share your profile with grandparents, aunties and uncles as well as friends! Donations close 12 November. Thank you so much for your support! The P.F.A 
Remembrance Day
On Monday, 11th November, our school will observe a one-minute silence at 11 am to honour Remembrance Day. Our school fundraising captains have also been working diligently each morning and afternoon, selling red poppies, with all proceeds going to Glenroy RSL. Thank you all for your continued support as we celebrate and reflect together during these special events. We look forward to seeing everyone back on Wednesday for an exciting day at Oak Park Primary! 
Kids Art Work
Kids Artwork ordering now open! Families can now start ordering Kids Artwork Products online. Instructions as follows: 1/. Go to www.kidsartworks.com 2/. Use the Entrance Code: KA10070 3/. Enter your child's room & name when prompted Please note that you will only find your child’s name if they have submitted an artwork. Flyers will go home to individual students on Wednesday Nov 6, so maybe look out for them in school bags. Orders close Wednesday November 13th. Any issues please reach out to the PFA [email protected] Cheers PFA Important Information
Dear Parent/Carer, We write to inform you that one of our students in our school community has undergone medical treatment which has significantly lowered his ability to fight infection. A major concern is if this student contracts an infectious disease, such as influenza, covid, measles or chicken pox, he will become seriously ill. We are seeking the cooperation of everyone in the community to prevent this situation. Students are encouraged to regularly wash their hands and use hand sanitizer to prevent the spread of infection. Students will need to thoroughly wash their hands after being with Zoe our Wellbeing dog and assisting with the chickens. If your child/ren has or may have an infectious disease, we request that you do not send them to school during this period and notify the class teacher and school as soon as possible. Yours sincerely, Sally Morath Amy Devlin Acting Principal Acting Assistant Principal Family Carols Night
C.S.E.F Applications 2025
Last week it was advised that for the first time State Schools relief is now offering a SUMMER Version of the Prep CSEF Uniform Package so that the new students in 2025 can start their school year all decked out. However, CSEF eligibility data for prep students and their families is not available to schools until the beginning of Term1, 2025. So, to ensure that any families in need can access State Schools relief support prior to the start of the 2025 year, SSR will accept any applications for the new CSEF Prep Uniform Package for students whose families hold a current/valid health care card. Attached is a copy of the information sheet for families and a copy of the order form. When submitting the order form to the school please ensure there is also a copy of your current/valid health care card. 
Late Arrival
We ask parents/guardians not to sign their child in late to school, from home. You are required to bring your child in via the front office and sign them in late on their actual arrival to school. Please be aware that you also sign your child in and out correctly: Late arrival is “Parent Drop-Off. Early Departure from school is “Parent Pick-Up Thank you for your attention to this. Unexplained Absences
Once again, we have numerous unexplained absences for students. If your child is going to be absent from school we ask that you advise via Compass as early as possible in the day. If you have received Compass notifications that you have unexplained absences, please login as soon as possible and advise a reason for your child’s absence. 2025 Foundation Transition
We are looking forward to welcoming parents/guardians of our 2025 Foundation students to our Foundation transition sessions next term. During these sessions your child will get to meet one of our 2024 Foundation teachers, participate in some activities in the classrooms and meet some of their 2024 peers. Please see attached our timeline including the dates, times and important information for our 3 transition sessions as well as our final ‘Meet the Teacher’ session. If you already have a child at Oak Park Primary School and you will be enrolling that childs sibling for 2025, but have not yet completed an enrolment form, please email Fran to complete an enrolment form as soon as possible. [email protected] You may also collect a form from the office 
P.F.A. News
MEETINGS: Below are the PFA meeting dates for the reminder of the year to put in your diary! Meetings start at 7.30 pm and are held in the staffroom at the school. All are welcome to attend. Term 4 Tuesday 12 November Tuesday 3 December (mtg/end-of-year celebration) SENIOR SCHOOL NEWS
2025 Grade 6 Uniforms
A reminder that orders for the Grade 6/2025 uniform polo tops and bomber jackets, MUST be received at school by Friday 8th November. NO LATE ORDERS WILL BE ACCEPTED 
SPECIALIST
Visual Arts
Grade 5/6 – Keith Haring Inspired Artworks Grade 5 and 6 students have been introduced to the artworks of American POP Artist Keith Haring. The students viewed a number of Haring’s artworks, providing some inspiration to create their very own POP Art drawings/watercolour paintings. The students used grey lead pencils to initially sketch their ideas, then used Sharpies to trace over their designs to create bold black lines, in the same spirit as Haring’s artworks. Finally, the students used primary and secondary watercolour paint to add rich striking colour to their artworks. The students were thoroughly engaged in creating their artworks in the style of Keith Haring’s unique style. Below are some examples of the artworks created (they can also be viewed in the art room windows, so swing by and take a look). 
Community News
E.F.C NEXT GENERATION ACADEMY
Essendon Football Club will be hosting our final Next Generation Academy Come & Try Session from 2024, on Wednesday 13th November (5:00pm – 6:30pm) at the NEC Hangar. For more information on our EFC Next Generation Academy Program, please click on the following link: Essendon FC - Next Generation Academy Participants can expect a light training session, some small-sided games, and a fun opportunity to meet new friends and members of the Northwest community. Are you born in 2009, 2010, 2011 or 2012 and qualify for the following criteria: 1. Identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander and/or 2. The player meets AFL N.G.A Culturally Diverse criteria, by a player or at least one parent born from an African, Asian or Oceania (E.g. Cook Islands) country. and/or 3. The player and/or both parents are born in a non-English speaking country (Not Asia, Africa, or Oceania). Event Details:
To register, please create a free profile under Essendon NGA Games – Come & Try using the following link - https://www.playhq.com/afl/register/74be0c PENOLA SAINTS NETBALL
TABLETON PILATES - STRATHMORE
School Contacts
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