TERM 1 WEEK 3/4 NEWSLETTER 2025

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

WELCOME BACK!

Welcome back to the 2025 school year with an especially warm welcome to all our new students and their families who are commencing their partnership with us at Orange East. It is always great to be back after a restful holiday and I look forward to working with all families to support the education of our students.

Technically speaking, we are already in Week 3, with staff commencing four days of professional development from Friday, 31st January. They were busy days as we focused on student wellbeing/behaviour management, reading, mandatory training and general start-of-year tasks. 

Beyond the normal excitement of returning to school, it was wonderful to see our Kindergarten students commence their first day of school on Thursday. They have done a great job! Thank you to staff and parents for supporting them through these first big steps.

Meet & Greet BBQ

On Wednesday, 26th February parents and carers are invited to our annual Meet & Greet for a relaxed afternoon as we kick off the start of the 2025 school year! It's the perfect chance to mingle with staff and other parents, exchange valuable information, and get any questions answered. 

A free sausage sizzle will be provided for all OEPS community members. The playground and play equipment will be open for students to enjoy. 

• Date: Wednesday, 26th February (Week 5)
• Time: 4:30 – 6 pm
• Cost: FREE
• Location: School COLA and playgrounds
• Who: All OEPS students, staff, and families

STAFF CONTACTS

Good communication between home and school is an essential element in forming a strong foundation to support our students. As per last year, a combination of email and School Bytes Messaging will be used to support electronic communication between class teachers and parents. As always, parents are also welcome to call or come into the school as required for more urgent/complex communication.

It is important to note that as part of school policy and in line with 'Right to Disconnect' legislation, staff are only required to monitor and/or reply to emails on work days and during school hours. We ask that parents/carers please be mindful of this policy when correspondig with staff.

Please see below for a list of staff email addresses to assist communication throughout the year.   

2025 CLASS STRUCTURES AND STAFF

Staff roles and class structures are set for 2025. We have established 11 classes to commence the year. Below is a table showing specific staff roles across the school.

SCHOOL BYTES

A reminder that Orange East PS uses the School Bytes management system for various student administration tasks including:

• Communication (School Bytes App & Email)
• Calendars
• Event Management/Parent Payments
• Forms/Permission Notes
• Attendance 
• Academic Reports
• Education Plans

Please ensure that you are connected to the Parent portal for your child/children. Having access to the School Bytes is very important in completing various tasks required throughout the year as well as receiving communication from the school. We strongly suggest downloading the School Bytes Parent App and ensuring that notifications are enabled on your personal device.

If you require any assistance with setting up your account, please visit or phone the school office so that we can ensure this is done as easily as possible. Please also find below some links to frequently used School Bytes Parent Guides:

• Set up your parent portal account
• How to access School Bytes
• Turn on School Bytes parent app notifications
• Manage student absences

SCHOOL NEWS

CANTEEN NEWS

As per last year, our canteen is open on Wednesday and Friday.

Please note canteen lunch orders can be purchased via the QuickCliq website which can be found on the new School Bytes app or by following the link below. The website will only allow purchases up until 9:30am on the day of the order.

A reminder to ensure that you update your child's class on QuickCliq so that lunch orders are delivered to the correct class.

https://www.quickcliq.com.au/

Where can I find the QuickCliq link on the new School Bytes app?

• Open the ‘Resources’ tile on the 'Home' page. Once open, scroll down and the link is sitting under 'School Resources'.  

Cash Purchase Menu

A reminder that certain cold drinks, ice products and snacks can also be purchased with cash at either recess or lunch.

STATIONERY PACKS AND VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTIONS

As in previous years, the school will continue to purchase stationery, educational software licenses and most consumables for students. This is in line with Department of Education policy and though it is a significant cost, we feel it is important to support our community and ensure that all students have equitable access to required learning resources.

Stationery for each class will be managed and distributed by the class teacher, as per the system they set-up in their room. The stationery, including books, has been purchased corresponding to the year level/needs of the students. If parents wish to purchase optional additional items we suggest a pencil case, coloured pencils and/or textas for individual use – all clearly labelled.

This policy also applies to requests for consumable items such as tissues, wipes, whiteboard markers, etc. Parents are still free to donate consumable items however it is not an expectation from the school.

With regard Voluntary Contributions (School Fees) the school will continue to send out requests for these fees. It is important to note that as the name suggests, the decision to pay the Voluntary Contribution is a parental decision. As always, money raised from these contributions goes toward the purchase of items to support teaching and learning programs in the school.

Our Voluntary Contribution fees are listed below:

• First child - $50

• Thereafter each child is $22

EXITING THE SCHOOL

Parents and carers are reminded that students have a specific exit plan from the school at the end of each day. This is done to ensure the safety of all students as they move from the school, at what is usually a busy time on the roads surrounding our school. We have worked to simplify this process, please see below:

• Older students required to meet/wait with younger siblings can move to the younger sibling’s exit inside the school grounds.
• All K-2 bus students will still be walked to the bus waiting area next to the school office under teacher supervision.
• All exits will continue to be supervised by a teacher.
• The Spring St exit is only for the use of bus students or students walking scooters/bikes.

As it is the beginning of a new school year, it is a timely reminder that if your child is getting picked up by someone other than the parent/carer, we need to know. This could be a phone call to the school office, email or note to the classroom teacher. We understand that sometimes it is a quick decision due to unforeseen circumstances however, a quick phone call can alleviate concerns at the gate during busy pick up times.

SUMMER UNIFORM

As we continue through the warmer weather of summer, a reminder that during Term 1 it is compulsory for students to wear their maroon school bucket hat while playing in the playground, as well as during PE and Sport. Students not wearing the correct hat will be restricted to playing under the COLA/central lunch area.

Also, a reminder that we have a high expectation for all students to be in the correct uniform. Wearing the uniform is not only important for the self-esteem of our students but promotes the school as a positive and proud part of the community. I have included the following table with the uniform requirements for Term 1 to assist parents/caregivers.

SUPPORTING STUDENTS WITH SEVERE FOOD ALLERGIES

A reminder in regards school procedures to support students diagnosed with severe/anaphylactic allergies. Basically we ask that parents label all student belongings (particularly lunch boxes and drink bottles), discourage children from sharing food and, where possible, to pack an alternative sandwich spread to peanut butter. I would like to thank the school community for their support and understanding in following these procedures over the past few years, which have assisted in making our school a safer environment for these students. You may have noticed around the school some signage about ‘Being an Allergy M.A.T.E.’. These signs are designed so that children recognise some of the symptoms of an allergic reaction and understand that if this occurs they are to seek adult help immediately. We are also promoting five key messages to students through the signs:

1. Take food allergy seriously. Don’t make jokes about them.

2. Never share food with friends.

3. Always wash your hands before and after eating.

4. Ask what your friend is allergic to and help them avoid it.

5. Get help immediately if a friend with a food allergy gets sick after eating.

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.

SELECTIVE HIGH SCHOOL/OPPORTUNITY CLASS APPLICATIONS

Selective high schools and opportunity classes are one of the ways that the department supports students who have high intellectual potential. These are students whose intellectual potential exceeds that of students of the same age. Students sit a placement test and qualify for a place based on their results.

Selective high schools are for students in Years 7 to 12. The current application process is for students in Year 7 in 2026.

There are 4 types of selective high schools:

• fully selective high schools (17)
• partially selective high schools (25)
• agricultural high schools (4)
• Aurora College – providing online opportunity classes for rural and remote students.

Opportunity classes are for primary school students in Years 5 and 6. The current application process is for students in Year 5 in 2026. 

There are 87 opportunity classes in NSW. The types of opportunity classes are:

• primary schools with full-time opportunity classes (the closest to Orange is located at Bathurst PS)
• Aurora College – providing online opportunity classes for rural and remote students.

Aurora College

The department's Aurora College provides online opportunity classes for rural and remote students.

Students attend their local ‘host’ NSW public school and join Aurora College’s online opportunity classes for science, technology, and mathematics (Primary) or english, mathematics and science (High School).

Applications for selective high school and opportunity class entry in 2026 will be open from 7 November 2024 to 21 February 2025.

Further information can be found at: https://education.nsw.gov.au/schooling/parents-and-carers/choosing-a-school-setting/selective-high-schools

CURRENT FORMS/PERMISSION NOTES

UPCOMING EVENTS

FRIDAY ASSEMBLY

ASSEMBLY INFORMATION

In 2025 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 1

• Week 3 - Friday, 14^th February (Primary, Yr 3-6)
• Week 4 - Friday, 21^st February (Infants, K-2)
• Week 5 - Friday, 28^th February (Primary, Yr 3-6)
• Week 6 - Friday, 7^th March (Infants, K-2)
• Week 7 - Friday, 14^th March (Primary, Yr 3-6)
• Week 8 - Friday, 21^st March (Infants, K-2)
• Week 9 - Friday, 28^th March (Primary, Yr 3-6)
• Week 10 – Friday, 4^th April (Infants, K-2)
• Week 11 – Friday, 11^th April PBL (TBC)

FEATURE CLASS

KINDER BILBY & KANGAROO

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P&C NEWS

P&C MEETINGS 2025

Term 1 Meetings

• Week 8 - Tuesday, 18th March @ 6:30pm (AGM & General Meeting)

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 Meeting:

https://us05web.zoom.us/j/8018279751?pwd=fZEKBn6L7hE4yZUuhsMNHKPPJzMRTH.1&omn=81359200690

Meeting ID: 801 827 9751
Passcode: OEPS

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.

Expressions of Interest - OEPS P&C (google.com)

COMMUNITY NOTICES