Oakleigh South Primary School
NEWSLETTER – ISSUE 40
13th December, 2024
“Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself.” – Chinese Proverb
IMPORTANT DATES
Issue 40 – 13th December 2024
Monday 16th December
– Year 4 Healesville Sanctuary Excursion: Group 2
– Year 2 St John First Aid in Schools Incursion
Tuesday 17th December
– Year 6 Graduation Lunch
– Year 6 Graduation
Wednesday 18th December
– Year 4 Mission to Mars Expo
Thursday 19th December
– Whole School Assembly – Year 6 Farewell
– Last Day Term 4 (Dismissal 3:30pm)
PRINCIPAL’S REPORT
Last Friday, our 2025 Prep children met their teachers for next year in their classrooms. Their parents were invited to have a latte in the hall and shop for second hand uniforms while they waited for the session to end. All the children were extremely settled and loved being at ‘school’! A special mention to Mr Eykman who was our special ‘Barista’ for the morning, and thank you to the Parent Group who organised the morning tea and the second-hand uniform stall.
On Thursday and today, Parent Group once again set up the wonderful Christmas Stall. The children came down in their class groups to go ‘shopping’ for their loved ones. We hope you enjoy your surprise gifts on Christmas morning.
The Year 4 students and teachers visited Healesville Sanctuary today. The excursion was moved from Monday due to the high temperatures that are forecast for the day. I’m sure they had a wonderful time seeing our beautiful native wildlife, as well as spending a day out with their school friends.
Next Tuesday 17th December, the junior assembly will be held at 9am. This is due to the hall being set up for our Year 6 Graduation lunch and evening celebrations. Parents are welcome to attend the assembly.
Thursday 19th December is the last day of school for all students. Your child’s end of year report will be emailed to you on this day and all students will meet their new class and teacher that morning.
There will be a whole school assembly at 1:50pm (session 5) to farewell our Year 6 students. The Year 6 parents are welcome to attend.
ALL STUDENTS WILL BE DISMISSED AT 3.30PM ON THURSDAY THE 19th DECEMBER!
Friday 20th December is a pupil free day. The teachers will be involved in handover meetings and setting up for their new class in 2025.
Enjoy your weekend
Nikki Virtuoso
Acting Principal
SCHOOL MATTERS
Our new House t-shirt designs.
Our 2024 School and Vice School Captains – Masaki, Deanna, Evelina, and Prayag – wearing our new House t-shirts.
Merindah-Gunya (Bayley)
NEW HOUSE T-SHIRTS FOR 2025
During Term 3, Mr Albers organised an Aboriginal Artist that lived in the local area to visit the school to re-design Oakleigh South Primary School’s House t-shirts to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture.
The artist Mr Albers engaged with was Bayley Mifsud, a proud Peek Whurrong woman of the Maar nation, from southwest Victoria (Warrnambool). Her Aboriginal name is Merindah-Gunya which means ‘Beautiful Spirit’ in Peek Whurrong language, chosen by her Elders and parents.
Merindah-Gunya (Bayley) now lives on Wurundjeri Country in Naarm (Melbourne) and has lived a large portion of her life here, attending Primary and Secondary School in the Bayside area.
Merindah-Gunya (Bayley) had a particular interest and talent in art and continued to learn through the guidance and encouragement of her Elders. Creating stories using sacred symbols is something she has always had a strong connection with.
Merindah-Gunya (Bayley) worked with our school captains and vice captains to design the artwork for our new House t-shirts through her gift of storytelling. She had a ‘yarn’ with our captains and asked many questions about Oakleigh South Primary School’s diverse community, the local environment that the school was built on, the school’s values, history, learning opportunities for students, and aspects of the school that were important to them. Our captains shared their story, thoughts and insights with Bayley where she created artwork that was unique to Oakleigh South Primary School, that represented our story.
The school is thrilled to present our new House t-shirts to the school community that will be available at PSW Cheltenham from the beginning of 2025. These will be available for purchase as an option for all students, Prep to Year 6, they are not compulsory. Students will be permitted to wear their house t-shirt of their day of PE classes or any other special sports activity. Classroom teachers will send home information about the day your child has PE and any other special times during the year. House t-shirts can also be worn by Year 3 – 6 (some selected year 2s) for house athletics, house swimming and house cross country events. We are encouraging Year 5 and year 6 students to purchase a house top as this will assist the Year 5 and Year 6 PE lessons and OSPS sport program. The regular Year 6 interschool sport uniforms for the various teams will still be in place and information will be distributed to Year 6 families next year.
The school would like to sincerely thank Bayley for her amazing artwork and working with the school to create our story. Bayley is extremely passionate about educating people on the beauty of her culture through her artwork.
Please read our House t-shirts story created by Merindah-Gunya (Bayley):
‘This artwork shows Oakleigh South Primary School’s commitment to reconciliation with Australia’s First Peoples. The artwork features four connected meeting places, each representing one of the school’s four houses. These meeting places are linked together, symbolising unity.
On the right side, there’s a larger meeting place that represents the school itself, including its seven-year levels. Throughout the artwork water and bird symbols are seen to show the ongoing connection to Country and the contributions from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
The piece shows people symbols in different sizes and shapes. These represent the diversity within the school, highlighting that everyone is different and that these differences are valued.’
If you’d like to read more about Merindah-Gunya (Bayley), please visit her website: About the Artist – Merindah-Gunya Art
PARENT AND CARER SCHOOL SAVING BONUS CODE DISTRIBUTION
The Victorian Government is delivering the School Saving Bonus – a one-off $400 support for government school students from Prep to Year 12 in 2025.
From Tuesday 26 November 2024, you will receive an email from the Department of Education with your unique $400 School Saving Bonus code.
The School Saving Bonus will help families cover the cost of uniforms, textbooks, excursions, activities and more.
If you have multiple children enrolled in Victorian government schools for 2025, you will receive one School Saving Bonus code email per child. These emails might arrive on different days. Please make sure to check your spam/junk email folder.
Parents and carers can use the School Saving Bonus code in store at school-nominated suppliers. Parents and carers can also choose to access the School Saving Bonus online system, where they can allocate part or all the $400 bonus to use at school nominated-online suppliers or for school activities.
To learn more about the School Saving Bonus, visit the DET School Saving Bonus page. A step-by-step user guide will be available on the webpage on 26 November.
If you have not received your School Saving Bonus code via email by Friday 29 November, please contact the Department of Education by emailing school.saving.bonus@education.vic.gov.au
2025 SCHOOL INTENTIONS
Dear Parents & Carers,
If you are not intending to return to Oakleigh South Primary School in 2025, can you please send an e-mail to enrolments@oakleighsouthps.vic.edu.au by Friday, 8th November.
Please list your child’s Name and Class, and which school they will be attending in 2025.
Thank you
2025 AFTER SCHOOL NETBALL AT OSPS
We are delighted to announce that Oakleigh South Netball Club teams will be practicing at our netball courts Friday afterschool in 2025!
At our school, we believe that education goes beyond the classroom. As I shared in The Age newspaper last weekend, extracurricular activities are an integral part of shaping well-rounded, confident, and passionate young people. Whether it’s sports, arts, or community involvement, these experiences teach invaluable life skills such as teamwork, discipline, resilience, and leadership.
That’s why we encourage and support all families to consider enrolling your children to this club, where children – boys and girls in the 11 & under teams – will practice afterschool at Oakleigh South Primary School on Fridays, followed by club competition games afterwards at Duncan McKinnon Netball Courts. It only costs $260 for Term 1 and 2 (less than $10 per practice and game).
This club isn’t just another extracurricular —it’s an extension of our school community. It’s a chance for your child to build lifelong friendships, stay active, and grow their self-esteem and foster a deep sense of belonging to our school, which can positively impact their attitude towards school and life – all while having fun!
We’ve seen firsthand how extracurricular participation at the school can grow our future community leaders. Tamsin is one of our former students who still plays in the club and is also Assistant Coach to one of the junior teams, with her dad as Coach. Her team, together with her former Oakleigh South primary school classmates, won the 15 & under competition against other clubs, this Season. Maisie Nankiwell, Melbourne Mavericks pro player, visited the team last Friday to inspire the best from our junior teams.
Enrolment period is open until end of Term 4, Thursday 19 December. Let’s continue to inspire a passion for growth and excellence outside of school, together.
For more details or to sign up, email osnc2011@gmail.com or check out Oakleigh South Netball on Facebook for more information.
VALUED STUDENT AWARDS
YEAR 4 VALUED STUDENT AWARDS
| William – 4CG Excellence For showing great research skills, and presenting his research of the telephone with confidence! |
| Anika – 4CG Excellence For showing terrific spelling knowledge, applying this to her writing and spelling tests perfectly! |
| Jordan – 4CG Excellence For showing great persistence and determination while completing his SRA cards. Nice job Jordan! |
| Ajith – 4LW Excellence For his excellent project presentation about the invention of the laptop. Well done, Ajith! |
| Isaac – 4LW Excellence For his outstanding presentation about the invention of tanks. Fabulous efforts Isaac! |
| Serafiina – 4LW Working Together For displaying respect for team members and contributing ideas when working with her project groups. |
| Della – 4AS Excellence For being a dedicated and determined student, consistently working hard to achieve great results. |
| Leo – 4AS Excellence For putting in a wonderful effort across all subject areas and making great progress in spelling. |
| Vidyut – 4AS Excellence For demonstrating remarkable growth in Mathematics this year. Well done, Vidyut! |
| Grace – 4AS Resilience For demonstrating perseverance by always trying her best, even when faced with challenges. |
| Oscar – 4CR Excellence For achieving his Accelerated Reading goal as a result of his excellent commitment to reading. |
| Mina – 4CR Excellence For her excellent Inventions presentation on the Wheelchair. An awesome effort, Mina! |
| Eiji – 4CR Excellence For speaking clearly and confidently during his presentation on the Refrigerator. An awesome effort! |
| Ryan – 4CR Working Together For always listening to and respecting the views of others’ during group activities. |
| Adith – 4LD Excellence For displaying a growth in his maturity this semester and being a helpful peer for our class. |
| Nina – 4LD Working Together For always being helpful to her classmates and buddy. You have been a superstar this year! |
| Drewin – 4WW Integrity For showing humility on the athletics track & in the classroom, celebrating victories with grace. |
| Jaymie – 4WW Excellence For ignoring distractions and completing all his work to a high standard. Keep it up, Jaymie! |
| Katherine – 4WW Working Together For great teamwork working on the Rube Goldberg machine with your group. Well done, Katherine! |
| Chiraag – 4WW Excellence For an excellent presentation on the invention of the Optimus Robot. We were all engaged! |
| Maddie – 4WW Excellence For working really hard on her reading and writing this term. Keep it up, Maddie! |
| Ryder – 4WW Excellence For applying himself in maths groups to calculate percentage discounts. Well done, Ryder! |
YEAR 5 VALUED STUDENT AWARDS
| Darren – 5MM Excellence For being such a vibrant and positive student who has a strong dedication towards his learning! |
| Pippa – 5MM Excellence For demonstrating a positive ‘Can Do’ attitude and working hard to reach her academic learning goals. |
| Dhruv – 5MM Excellence For always negotiating amazing AR targets, pushing himself academically and achieving excellent results. |
| Lyric – 5PG Working Together For joining in Term 4, fitting in effortlessly, making friends, and upholding the school’s values. |
| Joanna – 5PG Respect For working hard and listening carefully at all times. Keep up the great effort. |
| Mikaiya – 5PG Excellence For always putting in 100% effort in her work and trying her best. Well Done Mikaiya! |
| Hanwen – 5PG Excellence For being a conscientious reader and achieving excellent AR results. |
| Zachary – 5PG Excellence For his great work in mathematics. Zac is a great problem solver. Keep up the super effort Zac. |
| Ethan – 5PG Excellence For consistently working hard, staying focused, and applying himself diligently to all tasks. |
| Zara – 5PG Excellence For receiving top marks in her ‘Who am I?’ project, confidently presenting in class. |
| Jacob – 5LG Excellence For demonstrating increased focus in class and putting effort into his learning. |
| Nidhi – 5LG Working Together For always working brilliantly in group tasks and giving her best to her team members. |
| Demi – 5LG Working Together For being a terrific team member in group tasks, and always working to a high standard. |
| Ishan – 5LG Excellence For applying himself to challenges, and achieving outstanding results. |
| Henry – 5DR Excellence For his improved focus and effort during reading sessions, staying on task and trying his best! |
| Louis – 5DR Working Together For his outstanding kindness. His caring nature brightens everyone’s day! |
YEAR 6 VALUED STUDENT AWARDS
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Amora – 6SM |
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Adonia – 6SM |
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Mabel – 6SM |
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Anvita – 6SM |
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Mia – 6SM |
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Morgan – 6SM |
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Marlie – 6LJ |
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Libby – 6LJ |
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Rory – 6LJ |
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Navtaj – 6LJ |
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Haaniya – 6LJ |
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Chloe – 6LJ |
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Hayden – 6LJ |
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Saasha – 6CM |
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Mahad – 6CM |
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Jordan – 6CM |
STUDENT SHOWCASE
YEAR 6 SHOWCASE
CIVICS AND CITIZENSHIP
In our Year 6 Civics and Citizenship unit earlier this term, students dived into the world of politics by forming their own political parties! Working in groups, each team created a unique party platform, complete with policies, electoral posters and persuasive presentations as they ran for the “Premiership” of their class. A debate settled the score and Premiers were elected.
This interactive approach has helped students understand the roles and responsibilities of government in a meaningful way, as they experience the excitement and challenges of the electoral process.
BANQER
Any Year 6 student at OSPS will tell you that one of the most interesting programs we use is something called Banqer. They are a New Zealand based company who primarily focus on financial literacy. We use it for classroom management as well as Maths and we are one of their most frequent users, with OSPS students regularly logging into their ‘bank’ accounts.
Last week, Banqer sent a production crew out to find out more about how we use the program and get the most out of it. They filmed interviews with Mr Morrey, a few students and also captured some shots of Banqer in action at OSPS. Keep your eyes peeled for the finished product which will come out early next year!
HALLS GAP CAMP
LITERACY CORNER
This term, the Year 6s levelled-up their persuasive writing, discussed contentious social and political topics, and analysed the style and effectiveness of political speeches. They learned about what makes an effective political campaign speech and put this into practise by writing a campaign speech for a new leader of their respective class governments. An additional element of this unit was learning the style and format of formal debating, supporting the speaking and listening component of their Year 6 curriculum. Below are a few examples of the political speeches written by our Year 6 politicians:
Hi, my name is Deanna and I am representing the Reach Out Party. Imagine a world with almost zero taxes… imagine actually earning your salary. It does feel quite unrealistic due to the continuation of high tax rates. Sooner than later, we will be paying half of our salary to the government.
‘The difference between death and taxes is death doesn’t get worse every time congress meets’ – Will Rogers.
Our taxes are growing just like compound interest and are just as unexpected as the weather.
Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed citizens of the State of Martinez. I stand here before you, honoured and humbled to have the chance to hopefully represent our state. My name is Esther Lin, representing the New Victoria Party and I am running to be your Premier. There are a few pressing issues that are affecting our people and need to be discussed immediately. Pollution, crime and graffiti. These dilemmas require collective effort to create a better community.
Imagine for a moment that you don’t have a home to go after school, or when the day ends. Imagine not having a warm bed, a safe place to sleep, or even a bathroom to use. Sadly, this is a reality for many people around Australia. Over 122, 494 people are estimated to be homeless and it is something we need to change. Males made up 55.9% of people experiencing homelessness; females made up 44.1%. 23.0% of all people experiencing homelessness were aged from 12 to 24 years. But we don’t have to accept this. We can do something about it!
YEAR 6 GEM
GRATITUDE: We are grateful for the amazing experiences, wonderful friendships and new knowledge we’ve gained this year.
EMPATHY: We have empathy for those who don’t have access to the resources and support we have.
MINDFULNESS: We are mindful of our classmates’ feelings as they ready themselves for a new chapter of their lives as they move to secondary school.
PARENT GROUP
LOST PROPERTY
We currently have a significant number of uniforms in our lost property. Between now and the end of term, we will be processing all items. Our goal is to clear the lost property by the end of the year. Any unclaimed items without names will be donated to charity or added to the second-hand uniform shop.
Unfortunately, due to the volume of lost clothing, we are unable to return named items directly to students.
We encourage both students and parents to check the lost property for any missing named items. All named items will be displayed on the racks for easy identification.
Thank you for your cooperation!
Parent Group
LUNCH ORDER PROVIDERS
After a term trialling a new lunch order provider, based on feedback received from some of our families we have decided going forward we will offer TK tuckshop and Classroom Cuisine on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday while Subway will be available on Tuesday and Thursday.
Classroom Cuisine deliver Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Register and order at www.classroomcuisine.com.au
All orders must be placed by 8:30am the morning of delivery.
TK Tuckshop deliver Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Register at https://app.spriggyschools.com.au/login
Download the Spriggy Schools app from your app store.
All orders need to be placed by 7pm for the full menu or 8:00am the morning of delivery for a restricted menu.
Subway deliver Tuesday and Thursday
Register and place your order at https://app.canteenhub.com.au
All orders need to be placed by 8.00am the day of delivery.
Thank you to everyone that took the time to provide feedback.
Kind regards,
Oakleigh South Parent Group
COMMUNITY NEWS
Disclaimer: The organisations advertised in this newsletter are not affiliated with and have no relationship to Oakleigh South Primary School. The publishing of these advertisements does not imply endorsement or recommendation of these products or services by the school. They are provided as a community service.
