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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 02
February 9th 2023 |
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
School Council Nominations A potential election is to be conducted for members of the school council of Oak Park Primary School, provided there are more candidates than vacancies. Parents on School Councils provide important viewpoints and have valuable skills that can help shape the direction of the school. Each year, approximately half of the School Council retires to allow new members to become involved. The school requires 5 parent members to fill vacancies left by outgoing members. Nomination forms may be obtained from the office from today (or email Michael, and he'll send you a copy) and must be lodged by 4.00 pm on Wednesday 15th February 2023. For those self-nominating, please also provide a short statement (no longer than 150 words) about yourself and the skills or interests you bring to School Council. If an election is required, the ballot will close at 4.00 pm on Tuesday 2nd March 2023. See the attachment for further information. 
Meet the Teacher – Wednesday February 22nd
Please note our Meet the Teacher event is hosted on Wednesday February 22nd from 2:30 pm to 7:30 pm. This event allows the opportunity for families to talk directly with teachers for 10 minutes to build connectedness and enquire about the start to the year. Thanks to all families that have already booked their meeting times. Kind regards, Michael Gill Principal Lauren the Gaga Champion!
Let the pictures tell the story...
Interschool Sports
Assembly Schedule - Term 1
Meet the Teacher Interviews
Bookings can now be made for our 'Meet the Teacher' evening on Wednesday 22nd February (Week 5) via the COMPASS app. These are different to regular parent/teacher interviews as the discussion will centre around exchanging information concerning your child including such aspects as medical, social or emotional issues. It is also a window of opportunity for you to get to know the teacher better. Please be aware that the time allocation for these meetings is only 10 minutes. Interviews will be on-site, in your child’s classroom. Specialist teachers will be available in the library if you would like to meet with them. Please note: If your child has had the classroom teacher before and you do not feel an interview is necessary, there is no need to book a time. Foundation parents do not need to book a time as they are meeting the classroom teacher during their scheduled EOI interview. Oak Park Primary School Privacy Policy
Annual privacy reminder for our school communityOur school collects, uses, discloses and stores student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy Policy. Please take time to read our school’s collection notice, found on our website https://www.oakparkps.vic.edu.au/uploads/4/8/1/3/48136671/privacy_collection_notice_2023.pdf We ask parents to also review the guidance we provide on how we use [Microsoft 365/Google Workspace for Education] safely at the school and what parents can do to further protect their child’s information. If after reviewing the guidance, you have any questions or concerns regarding your child using [Microsoft 365/Google Workspace for Education], please contact the school. For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ Privacy Policy — information for parents. This information is also available in ten community languages:
Foundation News
The Foundation students have had an amazing start to the year! We have been so thrilled to see them coming in each morning, unpacking their bags and getting ready for a day of fun and learning. They have been learning about our school and their classmates and have especially loved spending some time with their Year 6 Buddies.
Grade 2A News
On Thursday 2nd February, students in 2A picked up rubbish outside the classroom. Mostly junk food wrappers and plastic food bags. There was a lot! The students in 2A would like to remind all grades that we do not take rubbish outside. Let’s enjoy a clean school! Parent Hacks
This year we are creating a new space in the newsletter for parents to share their top tips which have made school life easier! Please send in your favourite schooling tips to Fran at [email protected] Parent Hack Number 2 To prevent the morning ritual where my kids are yelling “I can’t find any socks!” I started to fold their shorts, socks, and top together and then put in their drawers. It’s a life saver for me! I also utilise the schools second hand store and buy some extra tops, that way I have less washing throughout the week. 
Specialist
Specialist Subjects We are fortunate at Oak Park Primary to have students participate in five specialist subjects throughout the year; Physical Education, Visual Arts, Performing Arts, Science and Japanese. Specialists subjects are often a highlight of a child’s day, especially if it is the day of their favourite specialist subject! Specialist teachers communicate to our school community through weekly newsletter articles. We will be sharing with you the great learning happening in our classrooms, community events related to our subjects and ways you can help your child at home in all Specialist areas. Performing Arts Performing Arts at home Starting a new year is a great time to continue or begin new routines during the school week or on the weekends. If your child is showing interest in Performing Arts there are a few simple ways you can encourage their involvement at home-
Please don’t hesitate to chat with me at school or via email if you would like any more information about helping your child at home- Melanie [email protected] Physical Education I hope you are doing well and that your children are enjoying the school year so far. Physical Education is an important part of a child’s growth and development, and at Oak Park we believe it should be highly prioritized. Physical Education teaches children important motor skills and develops physical literacy, which is a foundation for an active lifestyle. Children aged 5-12 years old learn about the importance of physical activity for their health and well-being, and how to participate in a variety of activities. Through physical activities, students also build their self-confidence and social skills. Physical Education also encourages children to take responsibility for their own learning, as they are able to make decisions and set goals. Furthermore, it helps them develop problem-solving skills and teaches them how to work as part of a team. In addition to the physical benefits, physical education also helps children develop cognitive skills such as concentration and focus. This can help them be more successful in their academic studies. We hope you recognize the importance of physical education for your child’s growth and development, and encourage them to make the most of the physical education opportunities available at our school. With the success of the AFLW and girls footy at a grassroots level, there has never been a better time to try out the sport of Aussie Rules Footy! Over the years, our school has been a tremendous feeder to the local footy club and we would love to keep that tradition going! If you are interested in trying footy and challenging yourself, Oak Park footy club will be holding an information night next Monday Feb 6th at JP Fawkner Reserve, Francis st, Oak Park. Please see the flyer attached for more information. Alternatively, you can get in touch with me and I can also try to answer your questions :) Liam 
Visual Arts
This week in Visual Arts, Foundation students have been working on creating a drawing of their family (parents, siblings and pets). The students have been learning about the kinds of attributes that people should have when drawing as well as details to include when drawing various types of pets. These drawings will be assessed by comparing them to a developmental drawing stages scale between the ages of 1 and 6+ years.
The Foundation students have enjoyed working on this piece. It’s been fantastic to see some of the family dynamics, and to learn a little about new students to the school. Looking forward to moving onto working with Primary Colours next week to create some more awesome artworks.
Science
Week 3: This week in the Science room we will be focusing on one of our very important school values - responsibility. For our junior students this will involve discussions around how to be a dependable student and classmate and learning how to make good choices during set activities. Foundation, Grade 1 and Grade 2 students will be taking part in their first experiments this week and it will be an opportunity for learning about how to properly use equipment, how to listen to instructions and to their classmates and about sharing the space and materials safely with others. Providing our junior students with structured opportunities to display responsibility inside the science room will hopefully encourage and empower them to display this important school value in the playground and their own classrooms. I hope that your students will come home and tell you all about their experiments and how they displayed responsibly beautifully in the science room. Stephanie Japanese News
As part of the Japanese Language Program, we will be learning about Japanese culture, including celebrations and important events. Japan is known around the world for its Hanami - Cherry Blossom Festivals. Hanami is the ancient tradition of enjoying the blooming of cherry blossoms in parks and the countryside during Spring in Japan. The most popular cherry tree is Sakura, and they are found all over Japan. Thousands of people flock to parks and picnic under the trees. The blooming trees are spectacular, and people travel from all over the world to see them. We are looking forward to learning about the cherry blossom festival as well as many more traditions and celebrations throughout this semester. Wellbeing
We would like to introduce our new Wellbeing Leaders for 2023. Adam 5/6M, Vihara 5/6C, Amany 5/6M and Selin 5/6M. These lovely Grade 6 students were chosen for their displays of respect, responsibility, resilience and commitment to helping others and improving the wellbeing of OPPS. Throughout the year the Wellbeing Leaders will be working with Kirsty Finter and Sally Morath. In this role, each student will be responsible for specific areas such as helping out with breakfast club, promoting healthy bodies and minds as well as helping students out on the playground to problem solve. Watch this space to hear of all the amazing activities our Wellbeing Leaders will get up to this year. 
Book Club
Welcome back to Book Club 2023! Each term there will be 2 issues of Book Club giving families the opportunity to purchase reasonably priced current titles to enjoy. The first issue has been distributed to classes and all orders must be received by Thursday 16th February. There is no obligation to purchase from Book Club, but any purchases enable the school to add to our Library collection. Catalogues are distributed to classes and sent home for your consideration. Orders can be placed online using the LOOP platform (details on the back of the catalogues) or cash and order form returned to the classroom teacher. Please ensure that the correct amount is provided as change is limited. The preferred method of payment is via LOOP, but cash payments will also be accommodated. If you have any questions, please contact me via email or see me in the library. Happy reading everyone! Michelle [email protected] Lost Property
Keys were handed in on Wednesday morning, which were found near the gym. If you recognise these, please collect them from the Office. 
Zooper Doopers
Great news Oak Parkers, the Fundraising Team will be selling Zooper Doopers for $1 each every Tuesday and Thursday starting next week to help you cope with our scorching summer days, and to raise money for the Grade 6 Graduation. Our friendly and reliable Fundraising Team will deliver Zooper Doopers to the classrooms during eating time for the teachers to distribute. Please remember to put your wrappers in the bin to keep our school grounds looking fabulous. Thanks for supporting this worthy cause. From the Grade 6 Fundraising Team Oak Park Instrumental Music Program
2023 Oak Park instrumental music lessons commence from Monday 6th February with lessons offered in singing, piano/keyboard, and guitar. 45minute group lessons are given once a week during the school term and are build into the specialist timetable so students will not miss any specialist lessons and teachers can accommodate beset to the academic timetable. Once the program is full, enrolments will close and new students will be put on a waiting list and processed according to availability, group allocation and date the enquiry form is received. Fees for instrumental music are paid in even monthly instalments of $127 (Feb-Dec), or there is a 10.5% discount for families who prefer to pay annually ($1250). An $80 registration and materials fee applies for all students which will cover all books, materials, and licensing for the year. FOUNDATION MUSIC Foundation music offers foundation students the opportunity to try all instruments across the course of the year while providing a holistic music lesson experience. Once your child has had the opportunity to see which instrument they like over the course of the year, they will be able to enrol into their chosen instrument from Grade 1. NEW ENROLMENTS For families wanting to enrol in the instrumental music program, including new sibling enrolments, please view information via the following link: https://songbirds-studio.com/oak-park and click “enrol now” to select your child’s group relative to instrument and grade and enrol via our online booking system. Please note class times are subject to change and are currently tentative in the booking system, timetables will be confirmed and sent out shortly! If you don’t see the right class for your child listed or for more information please contact the music co-ordinator Amy directly via email [email protected] or phone 0414 932 643. 
Online Lunch Orders
A reminder that Lunch Orders can only be ordered online now via an app called QKR, which can be downloaded from the App store (details below). QKR is all set up now for Oak Park Primary School. 
Community News
Kelly Sports
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Australian Girls Choir Open Day
Look no further than the Australian Girls Choir (AGC) because we encourage, challenge and inspire girls as they learn to sing, dance and perform. School aged girls are invited to come along to our Open Day on Saturday February 18 to try our fun and inclusive classes and learn more about being part of the AGC! Please visit our website to register to attend our free Open Day: https://ausgirlschoir.com.au/joinagc
Ace Tennis School
Youth Mentoring Program
Auskick
School Contacts
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