Oakleigh South Primary School
NEWSLETTER – ISSUE 1
31st January, 2025
“Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world” – Desmond Tutu
IMPORTANT DATES
Issue 1 – 31st January 2025
Tuesday 4th February
– Year 5 Information Night
Wednesday 5th February
– Prep Information Night
– Year 1 Information Night
– Year 2 Information Night
– Year 4 Information Night
– Year 6 Information Night
Thursday 6th February
– Bentleigh District Summer Sport Round 1 – BYE
– Senior Choir – 3.45 in the Hall
Wednesday 12th February
– Year 3 Information Night
Thursday 13th February
– Senior Choir – 3.45 in the Hall
Thursday 20th February
– Senior Choir – 3.45 in the Hall
Thursday 27th February
– Senior Choir – 3.45 in the Hall
PRINCIPAL’S REPORT
Welcome back to OSPS for 2025, and a very big welcome to the new families who have joined our school community for the first time.
I hope you all had a fantastic break, filled with family time and plenty of rest!
Yesterday, our new Prep children started, and although it was a short day for them, they settled in extremely well. It was wonderful to see all the mums, dads, and extended families supporting their little ones on such a big day in their lives. All the other year levels have also settled smoothly into their programs.
A big thank you to all the staff who spent many hours at school preparing their rooms and programs in readiness for the 2025 school year.
I would also like to welcome our new staff members to OSPS and extend a warm welcome back to all our staff, many of whom have taken on new roles this year. They, too, have settled in well and are looking forward to a fantastic year ahead.
As always, all relevant information, notices, payments, and other updates will be sent to you via the COMPASS platform, including our weekly newsletter, which will be posted on Fridays.
Finally, over the next couple of weeks, all year levels will be holding their annual Year Level Information Evening. Keep an eye out for the COMPASS notification with more details.
At OSPS, we are all looking forward to a fantastic 2025!
Nikki Virtuoso
Acting Principal
SCHOOL MATTERS
YEAR 6 PRODUCTION
The Year 6 production has been announced to the Year 6 students as Matilda. They are highly excited, and it’s going to be an epic show to put on for the school community.
Matilda JR tells the story of an extraordinary little girl with extraordinary powers. The daughter of abusive parents, Matilda finds refuge in library books, which she reads quickly, and in creating her own stories. Things are no better at school, where Matilda must also face a tyrannical and cruel headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, who believes in Crunchem Hall’s motto: “Bambinatum est Magitum,” or “Children are Maggots.” She finds companionship in her teacher, Miss Honey, who, though well-intentioned, is shy and fragile. Brave little Matilda knows she has to stand up against the adults in her world and, in doing so, discovers her own remarkable powers. Matilda’s bravery teaches Miss Honey and her classmates an important lesson: that even though life can be hard, “nobody but me is gonna change my story,” so “sometimes you have to be a little bit naughty.”
We can’t wait to see it performed in the last week of Term 3 in our school hall!
Our new House t-shirt designs.
Our 2024 School Captains – Masaki, Deanna, Evelina, and Prayag – wearing our new House t-shirts.
Merindah-Gunya (Bayley)
HOUSE T-SHIRTS – AVAILABLE AT PSW
The new house t-shirts for Gould, Cuthbert, Fraser, and Landy are available at Primary School Wear (PSW) Cheltenham for $50.95. 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.
Can’t wait to see our new tops in action!
The Story Behind the Design
In 2024, OSPS collaborated with Aboriginal artist Bayley Mifsud (Merindah-Gunya), a proud Peek Whurrong woman of the Maar Nation, to redesign our house t-shirts. Bayley worked closely with our school captains and vice captains, engaging in meaningful discussions about the school’s values, diverse community, and connection to Country. Using this insight, she created a unique artwork that reflects the unity, culture, and identity of Oakleigh South Primary School.
The artwork features four interconnected meeting places representing our school houses – Gould, Cuthbert, Fraser, and Landy – symbolising the strong sense of community within OSPS. A larger central meeting place represents the school as a whole, with surrounding water and bird symbols acknowledging the deep connection to Country and the ongoing contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The diversity of our students is represented through people symbols in various sizes and shapes, highlighting that everyone is unique and valued.
Bayley’s incredible artwork tells a meaningful story, and we are proud to incorporate it into our school’s identity. If you’d like to learn more about Bayley and her work, visit Merindah-Gunya Art.
SUPPORTING STUDENT WELLBEING WITH SCHOOLTV
We are excited to announce that our school will continue to partner with SchoolTV in 2025 to provide mental health and overall wellness support for our students and their families.
SchoolTV is designed to equip parents and caregivers with the tools, strategies, and community connections they need to foster their child’s social-emotional development and address any mental health concerns at home. Through educational workshops, access to mental health professionals, and connections to local resources, we aim to empower our families with proactive approaches to student wellbeing and preventative measures.
Because parenting doesn’t come with instructions, SchoolTV is a valuable resource implemented at our school to support you in navigating the challenges of modern-day parenting. It provides credible information from trusted sources, along with practical strategies to help alleviate some of the challenges faced by young people today.
Watch video interviews with leading wellbeing specialists and explore a library of resources. Each topic is accompanied by factsheets, podcasts, books, articles, apps, and other videos.
This award-winning resource helps families build relationships, foster connections, enable understanding, and break down barriers to support better mental health and wellbeing for young people. It will assist you in starting conversations on topics that can sometimes be awkward or difficult to tackle.
Parents and caregivers are the greatest influence on a young person’s life, and SchoolTV focuses on empowering confident parenting.
Explore SchoolTV today! Click on the link below:
https://oakleighsouthps.vic.schooltv.me/
OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST AT OSPS
My name is Fiona, and I am a joyful and enthusiastic Occupational Therapist (OT)! I am extremely excited to join the Oakleigh South Primary School community. I look forward to working with you to support students in accessing the curriculum and enhancing their wellbeing.
WHAT IS OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY?
Occupational Therapists help people at any stage of life to do the things they need or want to do.
- We assess the fit between the person, the environment, and the occupation to support optimal functioning and participation.
- We work on functional goals in areas such as gross and fine motor skills, self-care skills, self-regulation, social skills, and sensory processing.
- OT is the how—helping students engage and succeed in their daily activities.
OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY AT OSPS
As Occupational Therapy is new to the school, we are currently developing an OT service model. At this stage, I will be supporting the Disability Inclusion Profile (DIP), which provides funding for students with specialised needs. More information about a formalised OT model for the school will be shared later in the term.
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.
KEYBOARD & GUITAR LESSONS
Dear Parents & Carers,
The Music School is again pleased to offer guitar (Friday) and keyboard (Wednesday) lessons after school hours at Oakleigh South Primary School for students in Years 1–6.
Keyboard lessons may also be offered on Fridays if Wednesday sessions are fully booked.
Key Details:
- Guitar lessons: Friday
- Keyboard lessons: Wednesday (or Friday if Wednesday books out)
- Group lessons lasting 30 minutes after school.
- Cost: $19.80 per lesson.
Please see the attached:
- OSPS Guitar and Keyboard Information 2025
- OSPS Music School Flyer & Sign Up Form 2025
For any questions, please contact Perry Vlahos directly at perryvlahos33@gmail.com.
Thank you.
THE RESILIENCE PROJECT
THE RESILIENCE PROJECT
Since 2022, OSPS has been working with The Resilience Project across the whole school, from Foundation to Year 6, as part of their Inspire Program. The Resilience Project curriculum was designed by teachers for teachers and aligns with Victorian and Australian Curriculum standards and frameworks in the areas of Personal and Social Capabilities and Health and Physical Education.
The program is based on the philosophy that, in order to live a happier, more fulfilling life, we need to regularly practise Gratitude, Empathy (kindness), and Mindfulness. Emotional literacy – having self-awareness and recognition of one’s own feelings and knowing how to manage them – is also an integral part of the program. Each week, we conduct a formal lesson based on one of these practices, and the students complete an entry in their Resilience Student Journals. The lessons also engage students in activities such as creating gratitude posters, mindfulness colouring, and matching appropriate emotions to different events.
The Resilience Project delivers evidence-based practical strategies to build resilience and happiness by focusing on four key strategies:
- Gratitude: The act of being thankful and appreciating what you have in life.
- Empathy (Kindness): The capacity to understand and feel what another person is feeling.
- Mindfulness: The practice of attention regulation.
- Emotional Literacy: The ability to understand and express our feelings.
As a Partnership School, we experience all that the GEM (Gratitude, Empathy, and Mindfulness) journey has to offer by embedding The Resilience Project’s wellbeing curriculum across the whole school community.
To support long-term change and embed mental health strategies, all students participate in a weekly Resilience Project lesson, which has been mapped to the Victorian Curriculum. Click here for more information.
There are many things you can do at home to support the mental health and wellbeing of your child.
For more information, please visit The Resilience Project – At Home.
Accessing The Resilience Project Parent Hub
The Parent Hub can be accessed via the secure link below, with no account setup or login required: Resilience Project Parent Hub
PARENT GROUP
LUNCH ORDER PROVIDERS
We are pleased to confirm the following lunch order options for our school community in 2025: TK Tuckshop and Classroom Cuisine will be available on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, while Subway will be available on Tuesday and Thursday.
Classroom Cuisine: 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: 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: 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.
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.
