TERM 3 WEEK 7/8 NEWSLETTER 2024
FROM THE PRINCIPAL
SCHOOL PRODUCTION
Today marks the beginning of an exciting time for students and staff as the school production week finally arrives! With many families seeing an Orange East school production for the first time this year, attached later in this newsletter is a Production Information Note which includes all details relating to production days, times, hair, make-up and costume requirements. This information was sent via email last Friday, as a School Bytes post today and a hard copy going home with students this afternoon.
The event is certainly proving very popular with in-excess of 700 tickets sold! Tickets are almost sold out for the night performance but there is still good availability at the matinee performance. A reminder that tickets can only be purchased through Ticketek: https://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=EASTPRES24
I wish all students and staff a wonderful time this week as we all take part in what is set to be a fantastic performance. I would like to thank Mrs Sweeting for her hard work in coordinating this special event - a very significant undertaking. I would also like to acknowledge the hard work of staff right across the school for their effort in preparing the various items - particularly the many hours of practice. Finally, thank you to parents/carers for your assistance in getting children ready and supporting the event by attending either of the performances.
100 DAYS OF AMAZING!
In Week 3, our Kindergarten students celebrated completing 100 days of kindergarten by coming to school dressed up as an older person. It was great fun with Kinder staff also getting in on the fun. At the end of the day, students were presented with a special book marking the occasion, kindly donated by our school P&C. The book, “May I hug you” was written by one of our very own talented OEPS parents, Mrs Oleta Blunt.
These clever people have come so far and we can't wait to watch them continue to grow and learn. Well done boys and girls!
THANK YOU OEPS P&C!
I would like to acknowledge the contribution of our wonderful P&C this term as they have worked to provide the Movie Night, Fathers’ Day Stall as well as catering for our Book Character Parade later this term. I would also like to thank all staff that gave up time to support the Movie Night back in Week 4 and assisted with last week's Fathers' Day Stall.
The Fathers’ Day Stall operates purely as a service to the community with minimal funds raised from the activity. It was great to see how excited students were about their gifts and no doubt there were many surprised gift recipients over the weekend.
The Week 4 Movie Night was a great evening, offering parents some respite - all for the bargain price of $5 per child! Children also really enjoyed the night, and it was great to be able to offer three session locations thank to the generosity of plenty of staff volunteering their time.
On that note, I am putting a plug forward for interested parents and carers to join the P&C or to take up the invite to volunteer to assist with an event. The P&C meets two times per term, with meetings capped at a maximum of one hour. You can find details of meetings in the P&C section of the newsletter (next meeting Tuesday, 10th September 6:30 – 7:30pm). Alternatively, you may prefer to volunteer to support various P&C activities. This is also a valuable way to support the school and is very much appreciated.
CONGRATULATIONS BAZ!
A shout-out to Sebastian Hewitt who travelled down to Penrith last week as part of the Boys Western Region Softball Team taking part in the State Carnival. Western placed 7th overall, playing well and coming away with a number of wins.
Baz pitched in most of the games and achieved 17 strike-outs, a fantastic result! While pitching in one game, he was even hit by a well-struck ball, earning him a sore head and a nice souvenir lump - but kept playing a few games later after getting the 'all-clear'.
Congratulations and well-done mate, we are very proud of you!
PBL AWARD ASSEMBLIES - WEDNESDAY 25TH SEPTEMBER
Our Term 3 PBL Award Assemblies will be held in Week 10, Wednesday, 25th September in the school hall. All parents and caregivers are welcome to attend. This term we will hold four presentations to distribute the audience so that as many people as possible can fit into the hall for each presentation. Please see below for specific times and classes:
| 9:20 - 9:45am | Kinder Bilby Kinder Kangaroo |
| 9:45 - 10:10am | 1 Quokka 1/2 Panda 2 Koala |
| 10:10 - 10:35am | 3/4 Parrot 3/4 Kookaburra 3/4 Wallaby |
| 10:35 - 11am | 5/6 Galah 5/6 Wombat 5/6 Crocodile |
Please note that the cut-off date for 'Yetis/Dojos' to be recorded this term is Monday, 16th September - to allow us time to collate results, organise awards and the distribution of invitations to parents. Parents/carer invitations will be sent out via email in Week 9 notifying you if your child/ren will be receiving a new level.
A reminder: it is possible that students may be presented with two levels during a term. It is also possible for a student to have an assembly where they do not receive an award as during the term they did not quite progress another level since the previous term’s award assembly . This is not necessarily a reflection of a poor effort across the term and in all likelihood they may have been just a few ‘Yetis’ short.
Further information can be found at the link below.
SCHOOL CHOIR GROUPS
Well done to our two fantastic choir groups who performed at the Orange Eisteddfod last Thursday/Friday. I would like to acknowledge the hard work of Mrs Langfield (Infants) and Mrs McLennan (Primary) for their work teaching the choirs this year. I would also like to acknowledge the assistance of Mrs Wright, Mr McGregor, Mrs Bourke and Mrs Warren at the eisteddfod last week.
Congratulations to the Infants (K-2) group who achieved a Highly Commended in their section.
SCHOOL NEWS
PRODUCTION INFORMATION
Thank you for all your help and support with our production. Following is organisational information you will need in the coming days:
Tuesday 3rd September – Theatre Rehearsal Day | |
Depart | 9:15am from School to the Civic Theatre via bus (all classes attending). |
Return | Approx. 1:30pm via bus. |
Uniform/ Costume | Sports Uniform - No hair, makeup or costumes needed on this day. |
Recess | Packed in school bag with water bottle. |
Lunch | Optional Pizza (order Via QuickCliq) or packed lunch. |
Additional Information | Costumes will be sent home on Tuesday afternoon, ready to wear to school for Wednesday’s performance. If your child has more than one costume they will be given remaining costumes at theatre. |
Wednesday 4th September - Day Show | |
Depart | 9:15am from School to the Civic Theatre via bus (all classes attending). |
Return | Approx. 1:30pm via bus. |
Uniform/ Costume/ Hair/ Makeup | Students to please come to school dressed in their full Winter School Uniform with costume underneath. Full makeup on and hair as requested. See makeup and hair requirements on the following pages. |
Recess | Packed in school bag with water bottle. |
Lunch | Packed lunch. No canteen facilities will be available on this day. |
Additional Information | Parents are welcome to take students home FROM SCHOOL early to allow sufficient rest time before the evening performance. Please sign students out through the school office after we return to school. STUDENTS WILL BE GIVEN THEIR COSTUME TO TAKE HOME AND MUST WEAR IT TO THE THEATRE THAT NIGHT. |
Wednesday 4th September – Evening Show | |
Arrive | Students to meet teachers at 6:15pm Civic Theatre Stage Door (carpark side of Theatre). Students will be escorted by staff from the Stage Door to their holding area for the show. No Parents/ Carers will be permitted past the Stage Door for Work, Health and Safety reasons. |
Choir | Your child: IS in Choir / IS NOT in Choir. |
Uniform/ Costume/ Hair/ Makeup Food | Choir Students Costume to be worn to the theatre, under their full winter uniform. Full makeup on and hair as requested. See makeup and hair requirements on the following pages.
Non-Choir Students Full costume, Full makeup on and hair as requested. See makeup and hair requirements on the following pages. Jumpers/oodies etc recommended over costumes to keep students warm. |
Food | Students to please eat dinner before arriving at the theatre. Snacks and water bottle to be packed in a small bag for waiting time at the theatre. |
Holding room activities | During the show students will be waiting in holding rooms, supervised by staff. Quiet activities e.g. cards, colouring books, novels etc may be brought along to keep the children occupied and quiet. Any equipment brought is the owner's responsibility. NO ELECTRONIC DEVICES ALLOWED, INCLUDING PHONES. |
Additional Information | Orange East Presents.. the show commences at 7.00pm and concludes at approximately 9.00pm. Parents are reminded that ALL children are to remain at the theatre until the end of the performance as they will be required on the stage for the whole school finale. They will not require a seat in the audience as they will be supervised by staff in a holding room at the theatre. Following the show, students will be taken by staff to holding rooms to pack up and collect their bags. They will be escorted by staff to the Theatre Foyer and will only be released by staff to a parent/ carer when the staff member has sighted the parent/ carer. Students will not be allowed to leave staff care until collected by a parent/ carer. The show is expected to conclude at approximately 9pm. |
Makeup:
All Girls: All girls should come to school for the Day Show and to the Civic Theatre for the Evening show with an applied base of, foundation, blush, mascara and eyeliner around the eyes and red lipstick. Eye shadow should be simple nude colours.
All Boys: Boys should apply base makeup of foundation, a little bit of blush and a small amount of eye liner around the eyes.
Hair:
The following hairstyles are required for the various classes.
Kinder Kangaroo, Kinder Bilby, 1 Quokka, 1/2 Panda, 2 Koala | Girls- High ponytail Boys- Spiked with Gel |
3/4 Wallaby, 3/4 Parrot, 3/4 Kookaburra, 4/5 Crocodile, 5/6 Galah, 5/6 Wombat | Girls- Any Style (high ponytail if in dance) Boys- Any Style |
Costume Return:
Parents/Carers are responsible for returning costumes and property belonging to Orange East Public School. Please don’t wash the costumes, return as is, as soon as possible in the labelled bag provided.Each costume has been recorded and signed out to its owner and must be returned by Monday 9th September, 2024. If a costume is lost, damaged or not returned, a charge will be levied to replace it. We trust that all care will be taken to ensure this does not occur. Please return all costumes in a bag with child’s name and class clearly displayed.
Please note: We understand that some parents/carers may choose to keep their child at home on Thursday 5th September, to enable students to rest and recover after the evening performance.
Thank you in anticipation of your assistance.
OEPS Production Coordinators
SCHOOL OPEN CLASSROOM/CHARACTER PARADE
SAVE THE DATE!
Our School Open Day (open classrooms) and Book Character Parade will be held in Week 9 on Thursday, 19th September. As per previous years, students are invited to come dressed as their favourite book character. The Book Week theme this year is ‘Reading is Magic’. The format for the day will be Open Classrooms from 11:40am - 12:25pm, Book Character Parade at 12:30pm followed by a BBQ at 1:10pm. All parents/caregivers and wider family are welcome to attend.
ANIMAL KIN ART EXHIBITION
Over the next 11 weeks, Orange Regional Gallery will host the Animal Kin Exhibition. Featuring work by local public primary school students, the ‘herd’ includes more than 2500 collage animals that were made as part of an in-school creative and environmental education project carried out in Term 2, 2024.
Animal Kin is a collaborative project developed by Orange Regional Museum, Orange Regional Gallery and the SPARKE network of local public primary schools. Kinder Kangaroo, Kinder Bilby, 1 Quokka and 1/2 Panda took part in this initiative with all students' artworks displayed as part of the exhibition. Make sure you make time to see the exhibition which opens tonight and runs to the 20th of October.
KINDERGARTEN 2025 UPDATE
Last week the Kindergarten Enrolment Panel met to discuss and process our Kindergarten Enrolment Applications for 2025. This is always an exciting time as we prepare for and transition our newest members into the school. Enrolment acceptance emails have been sent and all families have been contacted and notified of their child’s enrolment status.
Parent/Carer Information Evening
Parents/carers of our 2025 Kinder students are invited to an information evening on Wednesday, 11th September between 6-7pm in the Kindergarten classrooms (entrance through the lower gate on March Street). On the night, you will receive an information pack, meet a number of staff involved in supporting your child’s start at school, meet other parents and P&C representatives and have the opportunity to ask those important questions you may have at this stage. To get the most out of this information session, we suggest where possible, that parents/carers arrange care for their children.
Supported Transition Playgroup
This is an optional activity for parents/carers to bring pre-school age children to Orange East. During supported playgroup they will meet other children and staff and take part in simple activities to build familiarity with the school. It is also a great opportunity for parents to meet each other and various members of the school community.
The supported playgroup is free to attend and will be guided by an Orange East teacher and support staff. Sessions will run on Tuesdays from 9:30 to 11 am in the second half of Term 3 and you can attend as many/little as you wish. Younger siblings are also welcome to attend. Children attending must be accompanied by a parent/carer for these sessions. The Playgroup will be held in the demountable classroom with entry via the lower March St gate (shown on the map below). Dates for these sessions are listed below:
- Tues, 10th Sept
- Tues, 17th Sept
- Tues, 24th Sept
Independent Transition Sessions Information
Our independent transition sessions commence in Term 4. The sessions are designed for children to experience various aspects of the school day. They will meet a variety of staff, build familiarity with the school environment and take part in activities similar to those at school.
The sessions are a valuable opportunity for children and parents to build readiness for school and for our teachers to get to know and build an understanding of our newest students.
We ask that students attend as many of the transition sessions as possible. For the transition program, students are divided into two groups – Possums and Koalas. Each transition session runs for 2 hours with the Possums group running between 9:00 – 11:00am and the Koalas group running between 12:00 – 2:00pm. The OEPS Kindergarten Transition Update email sent out this week will explain which group your child/children have been placed in. Children are to attend sessions unaccompanied. There are five transition sessions in total. The Independent Transition Sessions will be held in the demountable classroom with students first being dropped-off at the school hall. The transition program dates are listed below:
- Tues, 22nd Oct
- Tues, 29th Oct
- Tues, 5th Nov
- Tues, 12th Nov
- Tues, 19th Nov
Further details will be communicated about drop-off, pick-up, location, requirements etc at the information evening and via our app as the transition sessions draw closer.
Some parents may find these session times difficult due to various other commitments. If this is the case, please contact the school office as soon as possible and we will endeavour to change your child’s session time.
Required Documents
- Enrolment Forms: To assist the office with gathering and completing enrolment information please ensure you have completed an Enrolment Form by Friday, 6th September. The form can be completed online or alternatively hard copy forms are available from the school office (entry via Spring St). If you have already submitted an enrolment form in hard copy or online, you do not need to submit another one. We also ask that you supply a copy of your child’s Immunisation Record and Birth Certificate.
- Learning Support or Health Needs: Please let the school know as soon as possible if your child has complex health care or learning support requirements so we can commence planning any required adjustments.
Before and After School/Vacation Care
Orange East is fortunate to have an Outside of School Hours (OOSH) and Vacation Care service. Our service provider, Gowrie NSW, operates OOSH services across NSW with several in the Orange area. If you are interested in this service, we suggest making contact as soon as possible as it is heavily utilised, particularly for the afternoon sessions. The service can be contacted by phone on 02 8571 9700 or by email at oshc.orangeeast@gowriensw.com.au.
Useful Resources
As part of the school webpage, we have worked hard to develop a very detailed Kindergarten Transition tab that contains highly useful information about Orange East transition processes, preparing for Kindergarten as well as more general school information. The Kindergarten Transition landing page can be found at: https://orangeeast-p.schools.nsw.gov.au/kindergarten-transition.html
Another useful resource developed by the Department of education is the Getting Ready for Primary School booklet accessible at: https://education.nsw.gov.au/schooling/parents-and-carers/going-to-school/getting-ready-for-school/starting-primary-school/getting-ready-for-primary-school-guide
We look forward to you coming along to the Kindergarten Information Evening to find out about some of the wonderful things your child will be learning about in 2025!
CLOTHING POOL
The Clothing Pool is open every Wednesday and Friday morning from 8:40 - 9:10am. Afternoons are by appointment only. A reminder that the Clothing Pool has moved to what was formerly the General Assistant/Cleaner's Shed - next to the disabled toilet.
The Clothing Pool also welcomes donations of any clothing. Please drop items off at the office or clothing pool on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
CURRENT FORMS/PERMISSION NOTES
| WHAT | COST | WHEN/WHERE | WHO | DUE WHEN |
| Stage 3 Sydney Excursion | $350 | 30th Oct - 1st Nov Sydney | Year 5/6 Students | *Full payment by 1st November |
UPCOMING EVENTS
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Year 6 High School Transition CRTHS
8:45 AM - 3:00 PM |
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RDA volunteering
9:30 AM - 11:00 AM |
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FINAL Infants (K-2) Assembly
2:00 PM - 2:30 PM |
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Debating Grand Final
8:40 AM - 3:00 PM |
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Stage 2 - Learn to Swim
12:30 PM - 2:30 PM |
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RDA volunteering
9:30 AM - 11:00 AM |
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FINAL Primary (Yr 3-6) Assembly
2:00 PM - 2:30 PM |
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Canobolas High Enrichment Day
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM |
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Stage 2 - Learn to Swim
12:30 PM - 2:30 PM |
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RDA volunteering
9:30 AM - 11:00 AM |
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PBL Award Assemblies
9:20 AM - 11:00 AM |
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Yr 6 Farewell Dinner/Disco
6:00 PM - 9:00 PM |
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Presentation Day
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM |
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Last Day of School for Students
18 Dec 2024 - 19 Dec 2024 |
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Yr 6 Graduation Assembly + Clap-Out
2:30 PM - 3:10 PM |
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FRIDAY ASSEMBLY
ASSEMBLY INFORMATION
In 2024 we will continue with our regular alternating Friday Assembly with parents and carers invited to attend. The assembly commences at 2pm on Friday in the School Hall. Each week the assembly will alternate between Primary (Yr 3-6) and Infants (K-2).
On Friday mornings from 8:40am, either Infants or Primary students (corresponding with the assembly weeks listed below) are invited to bring their lots of 10 Blue Merit Awards to the office for stamping. During the day, we will also process Principal Awards and Homereading Awards. These awards and the Safe Respectful Learner Awards will be presented at the assembly after lunch.
Parents will receive a notification early in the week via the School Bytes app if your child is receiving a Principal’s Award.
Photos of the award recipients will continue be included in the newsletter the following week.
Please note the roster below:
Term 3
- Week 7 - Friday, 6th September (Infants, K-2)
- Week 8 - Friday, 13th September (Primary, 3-6)
- Week 9 - Friday, 20th September (Infants, K-2)
- Week 10 - WEDNESDAY, 25th September PBL
WEEK 4 PRIMARY ASSEMBLY AWARDS
CLASS OF THE WEEK
TERM 3 WEEK 3 - 5/6 GALAH
TERM 3 WEEK 4 - KINDER KANGAROO
TERM 3 WEEK 5 - 1/2 PANDA
TERM 3 WEEK 6 - 1 QUOKKA
GOT IT! PROGRAM UPDATE
GOT IT! CARE2KIDS – WEEK 5
In Week 5 in the Got It! program, the children were introduced to “stop, name your feeling, and calm down” (Second Step) and the parents were introduced to emotion coaching.
GOT IT! CARE2KIDS – WEEK 6
In Week 6 in the Got It! program, the children learnt about their red beast and how to tame it and the parents learnt some more steps in emotion coaching.
P&C NEWS
P&C MEETINGS 2024
Term 3 Meetings
- Week 8 - Tuesday, 10th September @ 6:30pm
Meetings are held between 6:30 - 7:30pm in the Staffroom with access from the Spring Street entrance (see map below). Meeting length is strictly limited to one hour or less if possible! New members are warmly welcomed. Do not hesitate to contact the school office if you would like further information.
Parents and carers can also opt to join via Zoom. Zoom participants will need to create a registered account and use the details below:
https://nsweducation.zoom.us/j/68062125227?pwd=ur9M6o1EamW7B6aBhA5BgQAoZb3Icx.1
Meeting ID: 680 6212 5227
Passcode: 643932
JOINING THE P&C OR VOLUNTEERING
We love parent involvement at Orange East. You can volunteer in the classroom, working bees, help cook at BBQ's, share your professional or special interest skills, join a committee and more. Please complete this online form to register your interest and the P&C will email you details of upcoming events and P&C meetings for your calendar.
COMMUNITY NOTICES
