Principal Mr Adam Brennan Web site: Assistant Principal Mr Dan O Reilly Orrvale Vic 3631 Ph: Fax

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1 Orrvale Observer Our motto: PRIDE IN YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY, PRIDE IN THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF OTHERS, PRIDE IN YOUR SCHOOL Our Values: RESPONSIBILITY. RESPECT. EMPATHY. PERSONAL EXCELLENCE. COURAGE. UPCOMING EVENTS THE CANTEEN IS CLOSED FOR 2016 WEDNESDAY 14TH DECEMBER - GRADE 6 GRADUATION HELPERS AFTERNOON TEA FRIDAY 16TH DECEMBER 1:50PM FINAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY 16TH DECEMBER 2:30PM LAST DAY TUESDAY 20TH DECEMBER 1PM FINISH PLEASE BE PROMPT TO COLLECT. STAFFING WELCOMES AND FAREWELLS We managed to fill the remaining pieces of the staffing puzzle this week with two further support staff being recruited. In 2017 we will welcome Jennifer Todd to the Education Support staff (Integration Aide) and Nicole Reade who will provide some teaching support, including oral language development. Sadly we must say goodbye to some of our staff at the end of the year. Our very best wishes to Imogen Radevski and Jackie Gray who will both be missed but hope they will always have fond memories of their time with us here at Orrvale. We will also say goodbye and good luck to Abby Pettifer who begins her Family Leave. This is a very exciting time for Abby and her partner Nick as they look forward to welcoming their first child early next year. SCHOOL CAPTAINS FOR 2017 Early this week a shortlisted selection of our senior students completed a quite rigorous process for the selection of the new School Captains for With 25 students recognising leadership potential and outstanding personal qualities within themselves, we were in a fortunate but difficult position. I am in no doubt that the quality of student leadership across the board will be extremely high next year. It is with much pride and pleasure that I announce that Olivia Loverso and Liam Sanders will be the next School Captains of Orrvale PS. Congratulations to both of these fine young citizens. 300 Channel Road orrvale.ps@edumail.vic.gov.au Principal Mr Adam Brennan Web site: Assistant Principal Mr Dan O Reilly Orrvale Vic 3631 Ph: Fax

2 Principal s Report ORIENTATION DAY Our incoming Foundation students spent last Tuesday morning at Orrvale meeting their teacher and classmates while their parents came together to learn more about what they can expect from their first year at school. We were extremely pleased with how the session went, there was a positive buzz amongst the teachers, children and their parents. The students settled in to their new class well which is not only a credit to their parents but also to the skill and nurturing nature of our teachers. I would like to sincerely thank Melissa Elliott, Sarina Attana, Fellenze Kutrolli and Hanna Hack for speaking on behalf of the various parent groups within the school. A special thanks also to members of our Parents & Friends group for supplying a delicious morning tea for our Foundation families. We also held a transition session for all other year levels in the school at the same time so that these students could familiarise themselves with the environment and expectations of their new year level. Please note, students did not spend these sessions in their 2017 classes, these have not yet been announced. I caught up with some of our Grade 6 students to ask about their first full day at their new secondary schools. While many admitted to feeling some nerves, they feel well prepared and are very enthusiastic about the challenges ahead CONCERT What a nerve-racking day it was last Thursday in the lead up to the annual end of year concert. While trying to remain optimistic, there were a number of times we though the weather would work against us and we would have to postpone. Fortunately, we made the right call and it ended up being a wonderful evening with classes providing us with a varied and colourful program to enjoy. We were privileged to see some of the outstanding talent we have in the school some we were aware of, and some used the opportunity to show us their talent for the first time. On behalf of everyone in the audience, thank you to all classes for the wonderful entertainment you provided for us!

3 Principal s Report FINAL SCHOOL EVENTS GRADE SIX GRADUATION Parents, students and staff are looking forward to an enjoyable evening together at the Grade 6 Graduation ceremony this evening at the GV Hotel. I especially enjoy the chance to look back on our graduating group s time at Orrvale and also their hopes for the future. This year, 23 families will leave the Orrvale Primary School community as their youngest child passes onto secondary school. We thank you for your friendship, loyalty and citizenship throughout the years and wish your families all the very best for the future. This is one of my favourite events on the school calendar. I am always filled with pride and admiration for the team effort that has contributed to preparing these young people for their next phase of education. As I present them with their certificates and listen to the very personal and heartfelt comments about each student from their teachers, I reflect on how I remember them as they began in Prep seven years ago, and how they have grown and matured over that time. It is an emotional time for everyone involved, but also a wonderful celebration. Part of the great joys of being a teacher is to follow these students beyond primary school and see where their life journey takes them. I wonder what lies ahead for the Graduating students of 2017? PARENT HELPERS AFTERNOON TEA A reminder that as a small token of our appreciation, the staff will be putting on an afternoon tea for all our wonderful parent helpers this Friday at 1:50 in the Library. If you have accompanied students on camp or the Bike Hike, been a member of our parent groups, helped out at the Mini Fair, assisted with cooking, reading or any other student activity you are cordially invited to join us. The staff values your input and this is our way of saying thank you. FINAL ASSEMBLY As always, parents are welcome to attend our final assembly which will begin straight after our Parent Helpers Afternoon tea this Friday at 2:30 pm. Students will be dismissed from school at the conclusion of that assembly.

4 Principal s Report FINAL DAY OF SCHOOL School will conclude next Tuesday, 20th December at 1pm. We have been informed by a number of families that their final day of school will be this Friday. As a result, we have scheduled all end of year events to take place this week. Next week, for those students who are at school, we will be running an alternative program for the last two days. This will include alternative arrangements for recess and lunchtime due to the oval resurfacing works that will be taking place on the school oval. PARENTS & FRIENDS MORNING TEA IN TERM 1 After the success of the beginning of this year, the Parents and Friends group have decided to hold a morning tea from 9:30 at Bel Cibo on Thursday 2nd February (just after dropping kids off). All parents are invited to attend and we are hopeful that many of our new Foundation mums and dads will join existing parents to get to know each other and to welcome new families into the community. SCHOOL SHOES A final reminder that if you are purchasing new school shoes over the holiday break, that the school council policy is for all black school shoes. While these black shoes can be athletic shoes, there should not be any other colour visible. If your child requires special athletic shoes for Phys Ed lessons that are not black, they could be packed that pair into their school bags to change into at the beginning of the lesson. Other special events, such as House Athletics Sports Days, children could wear any suitable athletics shoes. MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU ALL I want to thank everyone who has helped out at Orrvale throughout the year. Together, we have achieved some outstanding results that we should be very proud of. Academically, Orrvale Primary School finished in the top 20% for all Victorian schools in all areas for learning gain. That is, the amount of growth our students develop in their time at Orrvale is well beyond the expected growth.

5 Principals Report We also finished in the top 20% for attendance and student safety data. Added to this, of all the standards the Department of Education sets for the overall performance of a school, Orrvale is one of only three schools in the Goulburn area that meets every single standard. We are so fortunate to have such a dedicated and hardworking staff that are always striving to improve what they do for the benefit of the students. To our great House Captains, Junior School Councillors, Emotional Intelligence Buddies and ICT Leaders who represent the student body so well a special thanks to Yasmin Milne and Braedan Meka who carried out their role of School Captains with enthusiasm and pride. To the School Council and Parents & Friends group for their support and dedication to the school. In particular, I would like to take the opportunity to publicly thank and recognise the contribution that Leigh Allan has made to Orrvale Primary School in his time as an active parent member of the community. All 400 of our students have benefited this year from the time and effort Leigh has placed into developing the grounds of the school. The recent completion of our new Vegie Garden is just one of the many projects Leigh has coordinated. On behalf of the entire Orrvale community, I would like to express our collective appreciation and gratitude to Leigh and his family. To the many volunteers who work at the school hearing reading, attending camps and excursions, working in the garden or in the canteen and many other ways too numerous to mention. To Dan and the leadership group for their tireless work and support. To our parents who continue to support the school in so many ways. And especially to all the students who bring fun and reward into our day and make Orrvale such a great place to be! Have a safe and happy holiday and I look forward to seeing you all again in 2017.

6 1/2 News? QKR! ROBOTS, ROBOTS, ROBOTS! Thank you to the Orrvale community for the way you have embraced the introduction of QKR! this year. It has been a positive initiative here at school and hope you have found it to be the same at home. The Children in the 1/2 classrooms have been exploring the wonderful world of robots. They have been very excited and busy identifying different types of robots that have been created to enhance the way we live. We have particularly enjoyed exploring the different uses for robots and identifying that robots are used in our everyday life, sometimes without us even knowing! We were a little amazed to find out that robots also look different. They are not all grey, square headed with an antenna at the top of their heads. As a celebration and culmination of our unit on robots, each class had the task of working in small groups to Plan, design and create a robot with a specific purpose. We had many fantastic ideas such as cleaning robots who would clean bedrooms or the whole entire house, cooking robots who would cook foods on demand, homework robots who would do all the homework for us and then zorb the information into our brains so that we still learnt new things, police robots to keep the streets safe and finally a PE robot based around our own Mr M. Next week, you will receive an alert to your device to update your child's profile in preparation for the 2017 school year. Please ensure you have the correct details for From next year, we will continue to increase the options available on QKR! to allow for more convenient and secure payment of school costs, as well as completing and signing permission forms for your child. From 2017, our preferred payment method will be through the QKR! app. If you have any questions about QKR! or are one of the few families yet to embrace it, please contact us at the office.

7 Congratulations to our weekly EI Winners Week 9, Term 4 Week 10, Term 4

8 JSC B Of J Thankyou to all our families for their terrific support with the annual Baskets of Joy Initiative. Thanks to our collective efforts, local families in need of assistance, will now receive the extra support they need, particularly through the holidays. Community News

9 Term 1 Calendar

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11 Orrvale Primary School Would like to thank the following businesses for their ongoing support BRUCE FERGUSON TENNIS COACHING Tennis Australia Professional Club Coach coaching all age groups in group or private lessons. Coaching available at: KIALLA PARK T/C McEWEN RESERVE T/C If there is any business in the community wishing to support Orrvale Primary School by sponsoring our newsletter, please contact the office.