TERM 2 WEEK 5/6 NEWSLETTER 2025

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

SCHOOL EXCURSION - PRIVATE TRANSPORT REMINDER

Last year, the school conducted a review of our excursion procedures and documentation. Our new procedures have been very successful in ensuring that the school maintains up-to-date, efficient, comprehensive, and safe operating procedures for all excursions. One area that changed is the requirements for excursions where transport is provided via private car. According to the most recent Department of Education guidelines, all parents providing private transport for a school excursion must:

• Have a current driver's license and vehicle registration sighted by the school.
• The driver must comply with peer passenger requirements as per their licence level.
• The number of passengers cannot exceed the number of seatbelts in the vehicle.

Additionally, parents who take students other than their own children to school activities need to have at least an unpaid volunteer Working with Children Check (WWCC) clearance (also to be checked by the school).

While this last point may unfortunately limit some parents from assisting with the transport of other children, it is an important policy requirement. For any parents interested in applying for a volunteer WWCC, it is free and requires two steps:

• Completion of an online application
• Visit a Service NSW Centre to present your original identity documents

To apply or find further information: https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/apply-for-a-working-with-children-check

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND REMINDERS

Congratulations to:

• Well done to Lyric, Florence, Benji, Fletcher, Finnley, Runa, and Zhane for representing Orange East at the CWA Public Competition last week.
• Well done to our Boys' Touch Team who played Calare PS last week. Though they didn't get the result they wanted, they came up against a red-hot Calare team and really made them work for the win. A proud performance!
• It was great to see an OEPS Softball Team take the field last week, and they didn't disappoint! With two wins and a loss, it was a great performance. Congratulations to Freya Scott and Sebastian 'Baz' Hewitt, who will continue to represent Orange East as part of the Western Region Girls' and Boys' teams at the State Carnivals.
• Congratulations to our School Basketball Team for winning their recent game against a tough Bowen PS team. Best of luck as you progress to the next round!

Best of luck to the following groups:

• I am looking forward to hearing about the experiences of our Year 6 and Stage 3 ATSI students as they take part in the Greg Inglis Goanna Academy full-day workshop next week. It sounds like a great day, and I know you will represent our school with pride.
• Good luck to our School Boccia Team, who travel to Bathurst to take part in the Inclusive Sports Day next week. You will be great representatives of our school!
• Good luck to our Debating Team A, who travel to Calare PS in the 3rd Round of the Kerri Parkes Debating Competition. Bring your 'A' game!
• Good luck to our PSSA Boys' and Girls' Soccer Teams in their Round 2 games against OSSA to be held at Orange HS next week. I know you will compete with determination.
• Best of luck to our School Chess Team, competing in Week 8 at the District Chess Competition. Two full days of strategy and concentration!

We have a wealth of enriching experiences ahead for our talented students! A heartfelt thank you to the staff and parents/caregivers who are coordinating and supporting these activities. Wishing all our students the best of luck in their upcoming events!

OFFICE VISITORS

SCHOOL NEWS

SEMESTER ONE REPORTS AND INTERVIEWS CHANGE

As we approach the halfway point of term, teachers are busy completing assessments and writing mid-year reports. At this point, I would like to advise parents and carers of a couple of changes from our normal procedures.

The Department of Education has recently released updated requirements around student reports. These changes are aimed at producing informative reports for parents/carers and ensuring that teachers are able to do this effectively and efficiently.

In summary:

• In general, the reports are still very similar, with gradings included for all Key Learning Areas (KLA) as well as effort indicators for each KLA.
• Checklists of content in each KLA have been removed, replaced with one overall grade.
• In Semesters 1 and 2, there will be a slightly longer English and Maths comment explaining progress and achievement. This will be in paragraph format as opposed to the previous dot points.
• There will be a General comment for both semesters.
• There will be a simple comment for History/Geography, Science, Creative & Practical Arts, Physical Education/Personal Development/Health - explaining work undertaken in these subjects.

Due to these changes, we have decided to update our normal timeframe for reports and interviews. This change has been implemented in order to support teachers in transitioning to the new format. Please note the updated timeframes below:

• Reports will be distributed in Week 10 this term.
• Parent/Teacher Interviews will take place early Term 3 during Week 2 & 3.

We aim to open interview bookings next week on Wednesday, 11th June. This year, we will be using School Bytes to book interviews. An email with full booking instructions will be sent out next week.  

2 KOALA

Please note, due to planned leave in Term 3 for Mrs Press, 2 Koala will have a slightly different timeframe for reports/interviews. Reports for 2 Koala will be distributed toward the end of Week 8 this term, with parent/teacher interviews taking place in Weeks 9 & 10. Interview bookings opened last week for this class, with all parents being sent an email with booking instructions.

KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS

A reminder that Kindergarten interviews have already taken place in Term 1—these students will still get their reports at the same time as the rest of the school but will not have interviews unless by request.

2026 KINDERGARTEN ENROLMENTS

As we make our way through Term 2, we begin to make plans around our incoming 2026 Kindergarten students and in particular our school transition processes. If you intend to enrol a kindergarten student for next year, or know of someone that will be, please ensure enrolments are placed via the school office as soon as possible.

SUMMARY OF KEY DATES

• OEPS Enrolment Applications Due – Tuesday, 24^th June
• Notification of Enrolment Acceptance (Non-zoned Applications) – Thursday, 26^th June
• OEPS Supported Transition Playgroup – Commences Mid-Term 3 (Thursday, 28^th August)
• Kinder Parent Information Evening – Wednesday, 3^rd September
• Kinder Transition Sessions – Commence Early Term 4 (Thursday, 23^rd October)

Please see the attachment below for more information about our 2026 Kinder enrolment process and Transition to School Program.

SRC FOOD DRIVE

Our 2025 SRC is running a Food Drive to support FoodCare Orange - a local organisation that’s been helping people in our community since 2013 by providing food to those doing it tough.

We’re collecting easy, ready-to-eat foods that don’t need refrigeration, such as:

• 2-minute noodle cups
• Baked beans, tinned tuna or chicken
• Muesli bars, trail mix, cheese & cracker snack packs

You might even like to check your pantry - we’re happy to accept any non-perishable, shelf-stable food that could help someone in need.

Donations will be collected over the next few weeks - even one item can make a difference. Students can bring donations directly to their classroom teacher.

Thank you for supporting this important cause. Together, we can make a meaningful impact in our community.

CLOTHING POOL

The Clothing Pool is open every Wednesday morning from 8:40 to 9:10 AM. Afternoons are available by appointment only. A reminder that the Clothing Pool has moved to the former General Assistant/Cleaner's Shed, located next to the disabled toilet.

Due to high demand for sizes 8, 10, and 12, there is currently very limited availability of second-hand items.

We kindly remind all parents to label their child's uniform items with their name. This will help ensure that lost items are returned quickly.

The Clothing Pool also welcomes donations of clothing. Please drop off items at the office or Clothing Pool on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Thank you for your support!

ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS AND STUDENT ABSENCES

We are committed to working with you to offer support and remove any barriers that may be preventing your child from regularly attending school.

Please remember that the NSW Education Act requires that all student absences must be explained within 7 days of the first day of them being away from school. Please contact us promptly whenever your child is absent and let us know the reason for them being away. This allows us to provide the right support and make sure your child's absences are recorded correctly. Absences can be explained via the School Bytes App or Parent Portal, email, note, phone call or in person.

In the event your child has repeated or ongoing unexplained absences, we will continue to try to contact you about each absence to provide appropriate support for you and your family.

We know that for our students every day of school matters.

Missing a day here or there may not seem like much, but absences add up and can negatively impact your child's learning and wellbeing. When your child misses one day a week, that's 40 days of school and 8 weeks of learning in one year. Over an entire school journey this adds up to 2.5 years of lost learning.

If you have any questions or if you need support with your child’s attendance, please contact our School Attendance Monitor, Miss Croker - 6362 7464 or alison.croker@det.nsw.edu.au.

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 2

• Week 7 – Friday, 13th June (Primary, Yr 3-6)
• Week 8 – Friday, 20th June (Infants, K-2)
• Week 9 – Friday, 27th June (Primary, Yr 3-6)
• Week 10 – Friday, 4th July PBL Assemblies (TBC)

WEEK 3 PRIMARY ASSEMBLY

WEEK 4 INFANTS ASSEMBLY

A MOMENT WITH...

COOPER SHANNON – 5/6 CROCODILE

If you could talk to your future self, what would you ask them?

• Are you an NRL player yet and do you play fullback?

How do you know when someone loves you?

• They will tell you. My mum always tells me this when I go to bed.

What’s the funniest thing you’ve ever seen a grown-up do?

• My brother ran onto the slippery part at tenpin bowling and my dad ran after him and fell over.

If you had to describe yourself in 3 words, what would they be?

• Fast, kind and smart.

If you could meet anyone, who would it be?

• Reece Walsh from the Broncos because he’s really good at footy and is my favourite player.

ELOISE VAUGHAN – 5/6 CROCODILE

What’s the best thing about being a kid?

• Having no responsibilities and being able to have fun all the time!

If you could teach a class on anything, what would you teach?

• English because I would like to teach kids how to write poems. I really like poems, especially funny ones.

What does being kind mean to you?

• Being kind means helping everyone, no matter who they are.

If you could invent something to help people, what would it be?

• I have this super cool idea. It’s a bin that sorts rubbish for you. If it’s not in the right bin, it shoots it back out! I think it’s important to recycle things to help the environment.

What’s something you’d like to learn more about?

• I’d like to learn about more places in the world because I’d like to travel when I grow up.

FEATURE CLASS

5/6 GALAH

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P&C NEWS

P&C MEETINGS 2025

Term 2 Meetings

• Week 8 - Tuesday, 17th June @ 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 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