The Oxley Update - Term 2, Week 6

Parent/Carer WhatsApp groups can be a valuable tool for fostering communication, collaboration and connection within our parent body. They provide a convenient and informal platform to support other Oxley parents/carers in our collective goal of enhancing our children's educational experience and in building community.

The Parent Code of Conduct is on the College website and provides clear guidelines and expectation for parents in the use of social media. Please find below a quick reminder for those who use parent WhatsApp groups:

Respectful Communication: Always communicate respectfully and thoughtfully. Avoid sharing negative comments, criticisms or gossip about students, teachers, or other parents. Constructive feedback should be directed to the College through appropriate channels.

Privacy and Confidentiality: Do not share personal information, photos, or videos of students, staff or other staff without explicit permission. Remember that WhatsApp groups are not private, and information can be easily forwarded and shared.

Relevant Content: Ensure that the content shared is relevant to the group’s purpose. Avoid posting unrelated messages, advertisements, or personal opinions that do not pertain to school matters.

Positive Environment: Strive to maintain a positive and supportive atmosphere; do not denigrate the College or other members of the College community.

Conflict Resolution: If disagreements arise, handle them calmly and respectfully. Avoid public disputes in the group and seek resolution through direct communication.

Queries and Complaints: Direct questions, concerns and queries about the school, to the school - rather than sharing them publicly.

By adhering to these guidelines, we can ensure that our parent WhatsApp groups remain a valuable resource for communication and support within the College community.

Oxley College has experienced an increase in COVID cases in the past few days.  Please monitor your children for symptoms.  It is essential that students who have any respiratory symptoms remain at home and do not come to school.  Children who exhibit symptoms at school will likely be sent home.

Students in Years 7-10 who have exams this week, and who have any COVID like symptoms should remain at home. As per our protocols for missed exams, parents should email studentservices@oxley.nsw.edu.au if their child is going to be absent.  Students in Year 10 will require a medical certificate for missed exams.

Further information can be found on the link below:

NSW Government Advice for Families

The updated Oxley App has some great new features.  For more information on these, plus some FAQs, please follow the link below:

Parent Portal & App Information

ICAS is an online academic competition that gives students the opportunity to challenge their higher order thinking and problem-solving skills in English, Mathematics, Science, Writing and Digital Technologies.

ICAS evaluates student performance against other competition entrants across the state and nation. The data reveals student strengths and weaknesses and can help you recognise and support your child's academic journey.

Learn more about ICAS here (icasassessments.com/products-icas/).

If you wish for your child to participate in ICAS this year, please go to the Parent Portal to register for your chosen subjects.

Log in using the PPS code

Shop link: https://shop.icasassessments.com/pages/pps

PPS code: JTZ079

Registration for all subject areas closes on Monday 28 July at 11:59pm.

This year, our students can elect to sit the following assessments in Years 7 - 10:

This year, our students can elect to sit the following assessments in Years 3 - 6:

If you have any queries, please email anna.hitchcock@oxley.nsw.edu.au (Years 7 – 10) or alison.rasheed@oxley.nsw.edu.au (Years 3 – 6).

The Senior School Daily Notices will now be uploaded each afternoon to Oxley Connect.  To find the Daily Notices, please click on the Oxley Connect tab on your Oxley App and select the Senior School tile.

Daily Notices | Oxley College

Now that the Daily Notices can be published in this secure environment, they will no longer be broadcast to parents.

If you have any questions, please contact the College.

This month, from the 4th (this Wednesday!) - 26th of June, is the Push up Challenge, raising awareness and funds for mental health.

Get ready to push for better starting this week by joining the Oxley community link and signing up under your house:

The Push Up Challenge Fundraiser

If 3,214 push ups are too much for you, there are options to do half the amount or substitute exercises. But please join in to push for better!

If you have any questions, feel free to contact:

Charlie Watkin - Charlie.watkin@oxley.nsw.edu.au,

or Xanthe MacDonald- xanthe.macdonald@oxley.nsw.edu.au

Thanks from your student ambassadors,

Xanthe and Charlie

We are pleased to confirm the upcoming expedition for those students who are participating in the program.

Dates: Sunday, 22 June – Tuesday 24 June 2025

Drop-off Time: 6.15am at Oxley College

Return Time: Approximately 5.30pm on Tuesday, 24 June

Location: Clyde River region

Further information regarding packing lists and final preparation details will be sent shortly.

Please don’t hesitate to get in contact with Mr Dibdin if you have any questions in the meantime.

We have two Year 8 boys from St Phillips College in Alice Springs who are keen to spend two weeks at Oxley in Term 4 this year. This can be a reciprocal exchange where you send your Year 8 child to St Phillips, or you can simply offer a homestay to one of these students; your child can then be their buddy whilst they are here. If you are interested in taking part or having your child go on a domestic exchange, please email Mrs Stacey Taylor taylor@oxley.nsw.edu.au

 Empathy. Curiosity. Adventure.

At Oxley, we believe the most powerful learning happens when students step beyond their comfort zones — across oceans or across Australia. Student exchanges build connection, resilience, and a global mindset — shaping young people who are ready to lead with empathy and curiosity in an interconnected world.

Whether it’s a cultural exchange overseas, a school exchange within Australia, or welcoming a visiting student into your home, every experience expands horizons.

Bring the World to Oxley — or Take Oxley to the World.

Together, we’re Building Global Citizens, One Exchange at a Time.

We are excited to announce that in 2025 Oxley will be taking a group of Senior School students on a weekend ski trip from 5-7 September. This trip suits skiers and snowboarders from first timers to advanced levels. Approximate costing for the trip will be $780 per child (to be confirmed), which covers transport, all meals, accommodation, lift passes, ski/snowboard lessons and equipment hire.

If your child is interested in attending this trip, please complete the below form to express your interest:

Senior School Ski Trip - Expression of Interest

At this stage, staff confirmed to attend are Dan Collins and Adam Lee.

Next Friday, 13 June, there will be a cake stall in the Junior School run by the Year 1 parents.  Students wishing to purchase a sweet treat should bring a gold coin to school on that day.

Our fundraising for the Light Up Timor Project reached beyond our goal at $3290. Our solar light kits have arrived and Year 5 will be building the light kits this term. Each student will send a handwritten letter to accompany their light. The lights will then be returned to Solar Buddy for quality control checks before being delivered to remote villages experiencing energy poverty. Go Year 5! What a fantastic Service Learning Project!

This week in PreLit, the children played I Spy with a focus on the sounds /s/, /d/, /f/, /a/. We also looked a picture cues and identified pictures that start with the same beginning sound.

We enjoyed listening to the story “Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley” by Aaron Blabey and we discussed the meaning of the words; shy, lovely, worried. 

We discovered that Aaron Blabey is the Author and Illustrator of this book.

Our focus in Maths this week has been on reading, ordering and writing single digit numbers with a focus on correct number formation.

This week as part of our Pals & Pioneers program, the children enjoyed designing and making their own badges. It was lots of fun! Elijah had a Maintenance Crew badge made as he enjoys helping with jobs in and around the school with the Maintenance team. This week, Elijah helped the Maintenance team fill in the potholes up the driveway.

On Monday 2 June, Year 5 students proudly presented their Astronomy Showcase to families, teachers and peers. The event was a true celebration of creativity and deep learning, with students sharing models that reflected their understanding of a wide range of astronomical phenomena. There were impressive 3D projects on display, from detailed representations of lunar and solar eclipses to moving models demonstrating how the Earth’s tilt causes the seasons. Some students recreated the motion of planets in the Solar System, while others built models of galaxies or illustrated the journey of Halley’s Comet across the night sky.

Visitors were impressed by the visual appeal of the models and the students' confident explanations and enthusiasm for the topic. It was clear that each student had taken great pride in their work and had developed a genuine curiosity about the universe. The Showcase was a wonderful opportunity for students to demonstrate their understanding through hands-on learning and oral communication. Congratulations to our young astronomers on a stellar event!

A reminder that there are no Junior School Sport fixtures on Saturday 7 June due to the long weekend. We hope families enjoy the break together.

Well done to all our students on their efforts and sportsmanship throughout the season so far — it’s been great to see their teamwork and skills continuing to grow each week.

For students registered in our Junior School sports programs, attendance at Wednesday afternoon training and Saturday fixtures is an important part of their overall commitment to school life at Oxley. Absences should only occur due to illness, injury, unforeseen circumstances, or approved leave. To support our duty of care, please ensure the Sports Department is notified in advance of any absence by emailing sport.admin@oxley.nsw.edu.au. If a student is absent from Wednesday training without explanation, we will follow up with a phone call to parents.

During Tuesday’s last week assembly, Senior School students were advised that they must now sign in to their music lesson and sign out when returning to class. This process ensures that classroom teachers can verify student attendance at music lessons and that students promptly return to class once their lesson concludes.

Please note that no sign-in or sign-out procedure is required for Junior School students, as they will continue to be collected directly from their classrooms.

Thank you for your understanding and support in ensuring the safety and accountability of our students.

We are delighted to welcome parents and carers to watch their child’s instrumental class to celebrate their learning from this past semester. All classes will take place in the Orchestra Room.

Open Lessons

Open lessons will take place in Week 7 on Tuesday 10 June for Years 2, 3, and 4. Times are as follows:

Year 4: 11.36am – 12.21pm

Year 2: 12.21pm – 1.06pm

Year 3: 1.46pm – 2.31pm

Our band ensembles have been working hard all year to prepare for our Band Soiree Concert. We warmly welcome parents, peers, and carers to enjoy this performance from our talented students from Year 5 to 12.

 Compulsory for any student currently playing in the following:

Year 5/6 students from the Junior School Instrumental Program who learn the following instruments – flutes, clarinets, saxophones, percussion, brass, and chanters

Junior School Concert Band

Symphonic Wind Band

Stage Band

Jazz Ensemble

Flute Ensemble

Our string ensembles have been working hard all year to prepare for our Night of the Dragon Concert. We warmly welcome parents, peers, and carers to enjoy this performance from our talented students from Kindergarten to Year 12.

This Dragon-themed concert is compulsory for any student currently playing in a string ensemble. This includes:

Junior String Quartets

Viola Ensemble

Fin Strings

Sharp Strings

Chin Strings

Year 5/6 Strings from the Junior School Instrumental Program

Year 4 Accelerated Strings from the Junior School Instrumental Program.

Junior Orchestra is now running every Friday morning at 7.50am.

This ensemble is open to all students currently involved in:
• Junior Concert Band
• Chin Strings
• Sharp Strings
• Year 6 Accelerated Instrumental Program
• Year 5/6 Percussion Class

We’ve got some exciting repertoire and performances coming up, and we’d love to see you there!

Book Here for Stan Grant

There will be holding an information evening for students and parents on Tuesday, 10 June at 5:15 PM in Room 29.

This meeting is an opportunity for parents to ask questions and for students to receive important details from the staff members leading the trip.

We look forward to seeing you there!

This is an exciting update regarding the proposed Europe Tour originally planned for April 2026.

To maximise the educational value and keep the trip as cost-effective as possible for families, we are now looking at departing in early January 2026, with the tour commencing from 7 January 2026.

This change allows us to:

Take advantage of off-peak travel pricing, reducing overall costs

Partner with Round Square schools in Europe to enrich the experience with student exchanges or school-based visits

Deliver a more focused and immersive learning opportunity across Modern History, the World Wars, and Creative Arts.

The revised itinerary includes:

Sydney - England 

England - France

France - Germany 

Germany - Sydney 

The trip will run for 14 days, and we are aiming to include a live performance or cultural experience in London as a highlight.

We will be sending out a more detailed information pack, Expression of Interest and deposit payment form in the coming weeks, and we encourage families of students in Years 9–12 (in 2026) to consider this unique and meaningful opportunity.

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any initial questions: christophe.gauchat@oxley.nsw.edu.au