TERM 3 WEEK 1/2 NEWSLETTER 2025

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

STAFF UPDATES FOR SEMESTER TWO

We have some updates to our staffing structure for this term:

• Mr. Cook will be transitioning to a schedule of 5 days per fortnight. We congratulate Mrs. Douglas, who has successfully secured the position of Relieving Assistant Principal through an Expression of Interest (EOI). She will be job-sharing with Mr. Cook.

• With Mrs. Douglas stepping into her new role, there will be a slight adjustment to the Kinder Kangaroo job-share arrangement. Ms. Lucy Menzies will take the class every Thursday for the first 5 weeks of Term 3, while Ms. Stokes will assume responsibility for the class every Thursday starting from Week 6. Mrs. Papich will continue teaching the class on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday.

• Mrs. Press is on leave until Thursday, 4th September. During her absence, Miss Hay will teach 2 Koala from Monday to Wednesday, and Mrs. Langfield will take over the class on Thursday and Friday.

• Mrs. Reilly will be teaching Kinder Bilby full-time for the first 7 weeks of Term 3. From Week 8 onwards, Ms. Hay will return to teach Kinder Bilby on Monday and Tuesday, with Mrs. Reilly teaching the class from Wednesday to Friday.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND REMINDERS

Congratulations to:

• OEPS Basketball Team: Congratulations to our PSSA Basketball Team for their determined performance against Orange PS. While we didn’t secure the win, they played with great determination and pride.

• Kindergarten: Congratulations on completing your first 100 days of big school! You are all amazing!

Good luck to:

• Debating Team B: Best of luck with your debate against Parkes PS on Monday. Give it your all!

• Dance Troupes: Wishing you the best at the Eisteddfod next Thursday. Your hard work will surely shine as you represent our school and your teachers wonderfully.

Save the Date:

• The School Choir will perform at the Orange Eisteddfod on Thursday, 4th September. Further details will be provided in the coming weeks.

• Orange Performing Arts Project (Orange Civic Theatre): Our Stage 3 Dance Troupe will perform at the evening show on Monday, 8th September. The School Choir will take the stage at the evening show on Tuesday, 9th September. More information about the shows and ticket sales will be shared soon.

• Book Character Parade/Open Classrooms: Mark your calendars for Tuesday, 16th September (Week 9).

OFFICE VISITORS

SCHOOL NEWS

DANCE EISTEDDFOD 2025

Staff and students are excited as our dance troupes prepare to perform at the Orange Eisteddfod on Thursday next week. Parents are welcome to attend with tickets available at the Function Centre front door. 

• Stage 1 are performing in Section 180 commencing at 9:45am. 
• Stage 2 are performing in Section 181 at approximately 11:15am, no earlier than 11am.
• Stage 3 are performing in Section 182 at approximately 12:30pm.
  

Please open the attachment below for information relating to make-up, hair and costume requirements. 

Should you have further questions, you can contact the dance troupe coordinators via their email:

• Stage 1 - Meg McLennan (meg.mclennan2@det.nsw.edu.au)
• Stage 2 - Sarah Kable (sarah.kable@det.nsw.edu.au)
• Stage 3 - Amy Sweeting (amy.copelin1@det.nsw.edu.au)
  

PARENT/TEACHER INTERVIEWS

We are looking forward to parent-teacher interviews, which commenced this week. A couple of reminders:

• Interviews MUST start and stop according to booking times. In the case of an interview starting late, it will still finish at the prescribed time otherwise, this will impact on all following bookings. We strongly suggest arriving early to ensure time to find a park and move to your interview location. 
• For interviews between 9:20am and 3pm, most external gates will be locked, meaning you will need to enter the school via the Spring St gate. We ask during these times that you check-in via the office where you can also seek assistance with directions if required.
• If you need to cancel an interview booking, please phone the school (6362 7464) or email the class teacher as soon as possible. This avoids waiting unnecessarily.

2 Koala:

• Reports were distributed in Week 8 this term.
• Parent/Teacher Interviews are complete.

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

Plans are now well underway for 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 who will be, please ensure enrolments are placed via the school office as soon as possible. Our enrolment panel convened last week, with offers going out to successful applicants.

SUMMARY OF KEY DATES

• 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.

OPEN CLASSROOM/CHARACTER PARADE - SAVE THE DATE

SAVE THE DATE!

Our School Open Day (open classrooms) and Book Character Parade will be held in Week 9 on Tuesday, 16th September. As per previous years, students are invited to come dressed as their favourite book character. The Book Week theme this year is ‘Book an Adventure!’.  The format for the day will be Open Classrooms from 11:30am - 12:20pm, Book Character Parade at 12:25pm followed by a BBQ at 1:10pm. All parents/caregivers and wider family are welcome to attend.

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 3

• Week 2 – Friday, 1st August (Primary, Yr 3-6)
• Week 3 – Friday, 8th August (Infants, K-2)
• Week 4 – Friday, 15th August (Primary, Yr 3-6)
• Week 5 – Friday, 22nd August (Infants, K-2)
• Week 6 – Friday, 29th August (Primary, Yr 3-6)
• Week 7 – Friday, 5th September (Infants, K-2)
• Week 8 – Friday, 12th September (Primary, Yr 3-6)
• Week 9 – Friday, 19th September (Infants, K-2)
• Week 10 - PBL Award Assemblies Friday, 26th September

WEEK 1 INFANTS ASSEMBLY

TERM 2 PBL AWARDS

KINDERGARTEN

YEAR 1

YEAR 2

YEAR 3

YEAR 4

YEAR 5

YEAR 6

FEATURE CLASS

1 QUOKKA

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P&C NEWS

P&C MEETINGS 2025

Term 2 Meetings

• Week 3 - Tuesday, 5th August @ 6:30pm
• Week 8 - Tuesday, 9th 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 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