
Oakleigh South Primary School
NEWSLETTER – ISSUE 14
18th November 2020
__________________________________________
Riley St, Oakleigh South, VIC 3167
T: 03 9570 1016
E: oakleigh.south.ps@edumail.vic.gov.au W: oakleighsouthps.vic.edu.au
‘A challenge only becomes an obstacle when you bow to it.’ – Ray Davis
IMPORTANT DATES
Issue 14 – 18th November 2020
IMPORTANT DATES
Monday 23rd of November
Curriculum Day – Pupil Free Day
Wednesday 25th of November
Year 3 Ecolinc Online Science Incursion
Year 6 Filming Aladdin jr.
Thursday 26th of November
Year 6 Filming Aladdin jr.
Friday 27th of November
Year 5 Dress Up Day
Monday 14th of December
Year 6 OSPS Camp Day
Tuesday 15th of December
Year 6 Graduation Lunch & Graduation Evening
Wednesday 16th of December
Year 3 Camp Out Day on the Oval
PRINCIPAL’S REPORT
Dear Parents and Carers,
It is with much excitement that I can announce, I received the amazing news today that our school will receive $8.847 million to upgrade and modernize the administration and classroom building.
Member for Clarinda Heang Tak and Member for Oakleigh Steve Dimopoulos delivered the good news to me.
They acknowledge that families in Oakleigh South have done a phenomenal job in supporting students to learn from home and as the kids get back into the classrooms, they want to make sure they have the fantastic new classrooms they deserve. Not only will the children have beautiful new learning spaces to work in but the construction will create much needed new local construction jobs.
I will keep you informed as more news comes to hand about this exciting development, but for now I’m so happy for what lies ahead for our fantastic school.
Enjoy your week.
Ron
Principal

TERM DATES
2020 TERM DATES
Term 4
Monday 5th October – Thursday 18th December (2.30pm school students finish)
Monday 23rd November – Curriculum Day
Thursday 17th December – Last day for students
Friday 18th December (school teachers finish)
Last day of each term is a 2.30pm finish
COVID SAFE REMINDERS
REMINDER LATE ARRIVALS AND EARLY PICK UPS
Late Arrivals: If your child is a Late Arrival, please bring your child to Gate 1 and call the Office so they can let the teacher know the child is on their way to the classroom.
Early pickups: Parents must fill in the google form and follow the instructions regarding collection –
https://oakleighsouthps.vic.edu.au/ and click on the ‘Early Pick Up Form’ link https://forms.gle/TZvthWXKEkg9eBnc8
Please note parents are NOT to park in the staff car park for early pick up, please park in the parent car park or on Riley Street.
The following pictures show GATE 1 and where the ‘Early Pick Up From School Meeting Point’ sign is.


SCHOOL MATTERS




UPDATE FROM OUR SISTER SCHOOL IN TIGRAY
We have received a few enquiries about the state of affairs in Tigray and in particular in regard to Tsefah Primary School and the children we support. Please read the letter below from Maria Strintzos.
Dear OSPS Community.
The year 2020 is one of the worst in living memory. Everyone around the world is affected, and especially in Tigray where communities are battling COVID-19, swarms of Desert Locusts that are destroying crops, drought, and now sadly, war. Tragically, as a result, many people are facing hunger, and losing their lives due to the senseless fighting. School was disrupted in March this year because of COVID, and while children were expected to go back to school after September 2020 which is the start of the Ethiopian New Year, it has been difficult to do so. That’s over 7 months with no school at all.
The situation in Tigray is difficult right now, but I want you all to know that we are doing everything possible to help and keep safe all the children and communities living around the Tsefah School. Our plan is to buy more education packs for every student going back to school, and keep on buying more books for the Tsefah School Library you all helped to build. Once things settle down, the next project is to upgrade some of the Tsefah School classrooms because they are in pretty bad shape. The water well you helped build is still providing fresh clean water. With the local organization I work for, we hope to get urgently needed emergency food assistance and other help to the people in the district. We have been prevented from doing so because of the war because of various reasons, though our staff are on the ground and doing much work to help the development of the Tigray people. There is no conflict in the district where Tsefah School is located.
Thank you for your help and generosity. You are a lifeline for hundreds of very poor students and their families. You are giving them hope by helping them go to school and dream of a better future. Right now, I ask you to say a little prayer for every child in Tigray, and keep sending them your love because this gives them strength. xx
Maria & Haftu Strintzos




CURRICULUM DAY
MONDAY NOVEMBER 23RD
A reminder that next weeks Curriculum Day is a pupil free day. OSHC is available if needed.

THUNDERSTORM ASTHMA
Epidemic thunderstorm asthma is the phenomenon where a large number of people develop asthma symptoms over a short period of time. It is thought to be triggered by an uncommon combination of high pollen levels and a certain type of thunderstorm.
This occurs when pollen grains from grasses get swept up in the wind and carried for long distances. Just before the storm, some burst open and release tiny particles that are concentrated in the wind, and get blown down to the ground, where people can breathe them in. They are small enough to go deep into the lungs and can trigger asthma.
These thunderstorm asthma events don’t occur every year but when they do, they can happen during the grass pollen season in south-east Australia. This is typically from October through December.
Who is at risk of thunderstorm asthma?
Those at increased risk of epidemic thunderstorm asthma include:
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- People with asthma
- People with a past history of asthma
- Those with undiagnosed asthma
- People with seasonal hay fever who are allergic to grass pollens who have not ever had asthma
Having both hay fever and asthma that is poorly controlled increases the risk further.
We saw this happen on November 21st 2016 during spring with record numbers of people requiring treatment for thunderstorm asthma. As a result the following apps have been developed to help you manage asthma.
The Asthma First Aid app covers first aid in the event of an asthma emergency and ability to review each of the four first aid steps in training mode.
https://www.asthmaaustralia.org.au/sa/about-asthma/resources/onair/2017/august/asthma-first-aid-app
The Melbourne Pollen Count App provides real-world pollen count data during the Melbourne grass pollen season (October 1 to December 31)
http://www.melbournepollen.com.au/mobile-app/
What can you do to help your child manage their asthma or hay fever?
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- Notify the school via email if your child has asthma or hay fever
- Make sure you have given the school an up to date Asthma Action Plan or Allergic Rhinitis (hay fever) Treatment Plan for your child, and uploaded it to Operoo. Plans are available here Insert link to school website
- Ensure your child has their reliever medication and spacer at school.
- Ensure prevention medication is taken at home, as prescribed.
- Ensure your child has regular check-ups with your doctor.
- If asthma or hay fever gets worse during thunderstorms, parents may choose to keep their children at home indoors.
Need more help?
If you would like further support with managing your asthma during the high pollen season please ask your pharmacist, doctor or contact the Asthma Info Line on 1800 ASTHMA (1800 278 462) or visit www.asthmaaustralia.org.au



SCHOOL BANKING
With the current COVID restrictions, school banking will not be resuming this term. If this changes, we will let the school community know.
For families interesting in school banking next year, there is information at the bottom of the newsletter to help you prepare for 2021.

PREP PORTRAITS 2020
The gorgeous Prep portraits have been completed in term 4 by our prep students that usually are sold at the school Fete in May.
STUDENT SHOWCASE

‘MAKE IT, MOVE IT!’
As part of the Year 2 term four Integrated Studies unit, ‘Make it, Move It’ students have been learning about different types of forces.
We have learnt forces are everywhere and even invisible!
One of our favourite lessons was the ‘Electric Dough’ activity which involved making a circuit.
We tested different ways we could create a circuit and had fun experimenting with the positive and negative chargers and LED lights.
It was amazing connecting the circuit and observing LED light up!
Here are some photos of us in action with our circuits!

VALUED STUDENT AWARDS

VALUED STUDENTS AWARDS WEEK 7
Congratulations to all our ‘Valued Student Award’ recipients for Week 7.
PREP – YEAR 2
Tiana Prep JF Excellence For approaching all tasks with a positive attitude and producing excellent work. Well done Tiana! |
Samuel Prep JF Excellence For completing all of his work to an excellent standard and being a kind classmate. Well done! |
Kenit Prep JF Excellence For always listening to instructions and completing his best work. You’re a superstar Kenit! |
Sri Prep JF Respect For modelling our school values with his beautiful manners and positive attitude. Great work Sri! |
Khaleesi Prep MR Respect For always using kind manners and for being a great friend to her peers. |
Aiden Prep MR Excellence For trying hard to improve his reading and writing. Keep it up Aiden! |
Penelope Prep NC Excellence For using amazing punctuation in all of her writing this week. Keep up the awesome effort Penelope! |
Annabella Prep NC Excellence For striving for excellence in every lesson. Your reading and writing is now amazing, Annabella! |
Jaxon Prep NC Excellence For working hard at home to learn his sight words. You’re doing an amazing job Jaxon! |
Ella Prep NC Respect For continually treating others with respect and working her hardest at all times. You’re a star! |
Anshul Prep NM Excellence For always working hard to achieve fantastic results in his learning. Well done! You’re a star!! |
Luca Prep NM Resilience For displaying enthusiasm and resilience towards his learning. We are proud of all your hard work! |
Liam Prep SG Excellence For always working hard and giving his best effort across all learning areas. |
Nina Prep SG Working Together For being supportive, kind, and polite to all her peers. |
Chloe Prep SG Excellence For showing a huge improvement in her writing and always trying her best! Shane Prep TF Fifi Prep TF |
Nidhi 1CG Excellence For always putting 100% into every task. Your homophones work was outstanding! You’re a star Nidhi! |
Jake 1CG Working Together For showing amazing team work skills during the planning stage of our arcade games. You rock Jake! |
Zara 1JG Excellence For her creative sizzling start to her Magical Chalk narrative and for publishing it SO neatly! |
Alex 1JG Excellence For the outstanding effort he put into his story & for being so eager to read his work to the class! |
Erin 1JG Respect For being such a kind and friendly classmate who makes everyone feel welcome and appreciated in 1JG! |
Olivia 1LD Excellence For writing an amazing narrative that had a sizzling start and an exciting ending. Well done Olivia! |
Roman 1LD Excellence For working hard and putting in 110% effort into the maths activities this week. Go Roman! |
Madeleine 1LD Excellence For writing a fabulous narrative that included dynamic dialogue and lots of detail. Go Madeleine! |
Wren 1SR Excellence For working extremely well during class time and presenting beautiful work! Well done! |
Jack 1SR Resilience For having an amazing attitude towards school and working hard during challenging tasks. Keep it up! |
Ipshika 2AP Working Together For being a helpful class member and always striving to complete her work to the best of her ability.You’re a star! |
Finn 2AP Excellence For always tackling new challenges with a positive attitude. Finn, I love reading your creative writing! Keep up the great work! |
Leni 2AS Excellence For always working hard during class time and producing outstanding work. |
Kathleen 2AS Respect For always showing respect to all teachers and students. Well done, Kathleen! |
Leah 2AS Excellence For outstanding improvement with her maths skills. Keep up the awesome work, Leah! |
Ayush 2CS Excellence For always producing work that is exceptionally thought through and neatly presented. Well done! |
Samaira 2CS Excellence For applying using her initiative and writing her own fantastic stories at home. Amazing effort! |
Divyam 2CS Excellence For using being so enthusiastic about writing that you’ve even written a chapter book! Super star! |
Ida 2CS Excellence For demonstrating fantastic growth in her reading skills and moving onto to the next dot! Well done! |
Zara 2JD Excellence For always trying her best and participating in classroom discussions. Keep it up, Zara! |
Navtaj 2JD Working Together For being a helpful class member, always willing to assist his peers. You’re a star! |
Advik 2SL Excellence For settling back into the 2SL classroom very well. We have missed you, Advik! |
Armaan 2SL Respect For carefully following instructions while making a circuit using the Electro Dough kit. Well done! |

ARMAAN 2SL
YEAR 3-6
Ela 3DD Respect For respecting others and working well with other children. Wonderful Ela! |
Veer 3DD Working Together For being a fabulous and thoughtful farmer and caring for our environment. |
Hongyan 3DD Working Together For helping other students when needed, especially with computer work. |
Jessie 3DD Resilience For putting in a concerted effort with her Bee talk. Well done Jessie. |
Amy 3JP Excellence For consistently producing interesting, descriptive and imaginative writing pieces! |
Golahn 3JR Respect For his greatly improved attitude to all classroom tasks. Keep up the great work Golahn! |
Alex 3JR Excellence For showing an increased effort with his work and trying to improve his work habits. Well done Alex! |
Ronit 3JS Working Together For being a hard working, responsible and cooperative farmer in the Village. Great job Ronit! |
Achilleas 3JS Working Together For being a hard working, responsible and cooperative farmer in the Village. Great job Achilleas! |
Dylan 3MT Respect For stepping up and helping to look after the Village garden. |
Aryan 3MW Working Together For always trying your best both in the classroom and as a farmer. Yuto 3MT |
Angelene 3MT Resilience For persisting with her writing and creating a great Butterfly Magic story. |
Nathaniel 3MW Working Together For a big improvement in class and work ethic. |
Vanessa 3MW Working Together For working to your best both as a farmer and in class. |
Tyler 3MW Excellence For a great improvement in writing and excellent Tables Challenge results. |
Jasper 4CW Working Together For working brilliantly in pairs and in small groups. Jasper, you work so amazingly with everyone! |
Sameeha 4CW Excellence For her brilliance in using Microsoft Excel! You’re simply amazing Sameeha! |
Connor 4DK Excellence For always putting in 110% effort into all he does. Terrific effort, Connor! |
Claire 4DK Respect For always being a respectful class member, showing kindness to everyone she meets. Amazing Claire! |
Dinali 4DK Excellence For continuously shooting for the stars and landing on galaxies far beyond them. Terrific, Dinali! |
Dean 4DK Respect For being a kind and helpful classmate and always wearing a bright smile on his face Go Dean! |
Pia 4DK Excellence For trying her best in all she does, including answering tricky maths questions during groups! |
Dean 4DK Respect For showing patience & respect for those around him, and brightening up our world with his smile! |
Isla 4DK Excellence For always having a positive attitude to her learning and having a growth mindset – well done, Isla! |
Elise 4FF Excellence For applying herself and preparing so well for her end of year tests in Mathematics. |
Eleni 4FF Respect For always showing respect and kindness to her teachers and classmates. |
Zoe 4FF Resilience For showing great resilience and strength in a difficult year. |
Lucas 4FF Working Together For always being the first person to help his teachers and classmates. |
Sienna 4KH Resilience For showing great resilience and working so hard during remote learning. |
Thomas 4KH Excellence For constantly striving to gain more knowledge and understand the world around him. |
Ewan 4NM Excellence For taking time with his writing. The quality of your work is so great when you really focus Ewan!!! |
Kavya 4NM Respect For demonstrating our class values on a consistent basis. You are a fine human being Kavya!!! |
Aly 4NM Integrity For coming to school every day with a smile on your face and an attitude to learn. Well done Aly!!! |
Ariel 4TM Excellence For her contribution to whole class discussions and her willingness to share her knowledge! |
Camryn 4TM Resilience For showing persistence during maths and working well in a small group to solve maths problems. |
Oskar 4TM Respect For always showing his peers and teachers respect and greeting everyone with a daily smile! |
Aneeta 5KP Excellence For completing all learning activities in the classroom efficiently and to a very high standard. |
Zara 5KP Excellence For completing maths activities with more efficiency and increased logical understanding. Well Done! |
Finn V 5NK Excellence For having a strong working attitude and a positive outlook – keep it up! |
Maddison 5NK Excellence For your strong dedication to all learning areas and your kind manner in and out of the classroom! |
Lakshay 5HP Integrity Trying his hardest in everything that he does in the classroom. Well done Lakshay! |
Robin 5HP Resilience Trying his hardest in everything he does each day at school. Well done Robin! |
Sarah 5HP Resilience Working with great enthusiasm each day at school. Coming to school each day with a huge smile! |
Amy 6CR Excellence For the incredible commitment she has shown towards her reading; already achieving 2 AR goals! Paz 6CR |
Rafailia 6GZ Working Together For always being a wonderful team player and working hard in every group activity. |
Laila 6GZ Excellence For always producing wonderful and thought provoking work. |
Layla 6SM Respect For always displaying respect to her teachers and classmates and being a valued member of 6SM. |
Kate 6SM Excellence For putting 100% effort into all school activities & achieving excellent results. Keep it up Kate! Ava 6SM Darren 6SM |

ANSHUL & LUCA PNM

ZARA 5KP
VALUED CLASS AWARDS WEEK 7
Congratulations to all our ‘Valued Class Awards’ recipients for Week 7.


PREP – YEAR 2
PSG
Respect
For displaying respect by using their manners and listening attentively. Great work Prep SG!
1JG
Working Together
For being so eager to complete their daily kindness challenges and for showing that teamwork does make the dream work during their arcade game lessons!
2CS
Excellence
For working hard to follow instructions and complete their work to the best of their abilities. Keep up the good work!
YEAR 3 – YEAR 6
3JP
Resilience
For welcoming Mrs T in 3JP and for demonstrating resilience and determination adjusting to the new routine. Well done 3JP!
4NM
Excellence
For an increase in focus, determination and effort from all members of the class. Keep up the great work!
5NH
Resllience
For showing resilience throughout 2020. Whether it was learning to use new software during remote learning, maintaining focus whilst onsite during lockdown, adapting to the return to school or completing all of their assessments with great results, 5NH have always given their best efforts. Well done 5NH!
6SM
Working Together
For displaying teamwork and co-operation during our Government unit when developing policies in the race to become Premier of the state of Marsden. Happy campaigning 6SM!
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.














