The Oxley Update - Term 4, Week 1

Throughout the break and over the past week, our Senior School students have been involved in an array of wonderful experiences, including Year 7 and 8 on camp during their OLE! Week, Year 9 in Sydney for Rites of Passage, Year 10 participating in service and outdoor education trips both near and far, and of course our (new) Year 12 students on the unique and unforgettable ‘Outback’ trip. The stories shared so far speak of meaningful and enriching learning experiences, new friendships and life-long memories. I hope our Junior School students will have similarly beneficial and enjoyable experiences as they embark on OLE! Week next week. I would like to thank our staff for their care, dedication and professionalism, and without whom these opportunities are not possible.

Having been part of this community for many years, I am continually inspired by the warmth, commitment and resilience of our students and staff. Our College is more than a place of learning - it is a vibrant, caring community where each person is valued and supported. I am committed to nurturing and championing this spirit and ensuring every member of our community feels a genuine sense of connection and shared purpose.

Accessibility and open communication are very important to me. If you have questions, concerns, or simply wish to chat, please do not hesitate to reach out. I also invite you to join me at our upcoming Community Coffee Morning on Monday 27 October (Week 3) from 8.20am – 8.40am. This new and regular event is a great opportunity to connect informally.

Thank you for your ongoing support and trust in Oxley – I look forward to seeing you soon.

Kind regards

Mark Case
Acting Head of College

To help everyone adjust smoothly, we have provided a map showing the new arrangements, along with a summary below:

Construction zone: A secure safety fence will surround Hoskins Hall, extending slightly beyond the building to provide safe access for builders and ensure the safety of our staff and students.

Traffic flow: The main Senior School driveway will be adjusted, with vehicles redirected to the right through the staff carpark. Please drive slowly and carefully, as there will be more foot traffic in the area. Please do not pick up/drop off in the staff car park area.

Parent drop off/pick up: This will now be further along the driveway, outside the D&T rooms. Please do not drop off/pick up elsewhere on the driveway.

Pre K pickup: Students will now be picked up at the Junior School Turning Circle.

Student waiting area: Students will now wait for pick up under the tree near the Staff Courtyard.

Pedestrian access: Walkways beside Hoskins Hall will be closed. Students moving through this area will instead be redirected past the Library or through the Senior School Courtyard.

De La Salle back stairs:  Whilst these stairs will not be in use for everyday access to classrooms, they remain fully available as an emergency exit.

Thank you for your support and patience as we make these changes to ensure the safety of all members of our community during this exciting project.

Access to the Clinic and Student Services

While construction is underway in Hoskins Hall, Junior School parents walking from the Junior School should enter the Clinic via Student Services.

If you have parked in the Senior School driveway, please access the Clinic by walking around the garden and up the Library stairs to the Clinic window.

Senior School parents who have parked in the Senior driveway should also use the garden path and Library stairs to reach the Clinic window.

Kind regards

Em Cassin
Business Manager

Community Coffee Catch Up!

All parents and carers are warmly invited to the Term 4 community catch up. Drop by the Oxley coffee van between 8.20am-8.40am on Monday 27 October to chat to Acting Head of College, Mark Case or just catch up with fellow parents now that everyone is back on campus.  We look forward to seeing you there.

MMG Survey:  Friday 31 October - Sunday 16 November

Parents/carers of Years 2, 5 and 8 and students in Year 8 are asked to provide us with feedback relating to their views of the College across a wide range of areas.

The research is being conducted by MMG Education, a specialist education consultancy that works with schools in the areas of school strategic reviews and stakeholder satisfaction.

Parents/Carers of students in Years 2, 5 and 8 will be invited via email to complete the questionnaire between Friday 31 October and Sunday 16 November.  Students in Year 8 are scheduled to complete the survey on Monday 3 November.

Please note that to ensure confidentiality and to encourage frank and full expression of views:

All responses will be de-identified.

The data will be reported back in aggregated form only.

All data collected by MMG Education will remain under its control and archived according to research protocols. The College will not be able to access it.

If you have any questions regarding the MMG survey please contact the College via office@oxley.nsw.edu.au

Oxley Supporters’ Day – Saturday 1 November

Everyone is encouraged to come along to the Oxley Supporter's Day on Saturday 1 November. This day will feature 1sts Cricket and most Touch Football teams playing at home.

We warmly invite parents, students, staff and friends of Oxley to come along, cheer on our teams and celebrate Oxley Sport. There will be a BBQ, the Oxley Coffee Cart, and cold drinks available throughout the day.

A reminder that students attending as spectators must wear the Oxley PE uniform.

To allow us to manage numbers, please register your interest to attend here: https://www.trybooking.com/DGKCB

For more information regarding the Student Device Policy, please see the page below:

School Managed Devices | Oxley College

HSC Examinations

HSC Examinations begin tomorrow, Thursday 16 October.  Students are reminded to arrive early and be prepared for each exam. On the day of the first English exam arrive at the exam centre at least 30 minutes before the exam starts. For all other exams, arrive at least 10 minutes early. Allow for any traffics issues etc. and for parking, walking over and entry into the exam room. The time listed on the Exam Timetable is when reading time begins.

Return from OLE! Camps - Pick Up Information

Year 7: to be picked up from Junior School Turning Circle on Friday at 2.30pm.  PLEASE DO NOT arrive earlier than this time. Parents that wish to park and collect their child must find parking along the main driveway - there is to be no pick up from Railway Road.  To avoid disruption to the regular Junior School afternoon traffic parents are asked to leave campus as quickly as possible.

Year 8: to be picked up from Junior School Turning Circle on Friday at 2.00pm.  Parents that wish to park and collect their child must find parking along the driveway - there is to be no pick up from Railway Road.  To avoid disruption to the regular Junior School afternoon traffic parents are asked to leave campus as quickly as possible.

Year 9: Students are due to return on Friday at approximately 11.30am.  Buses will be arriving to the Bus Bay on Railway Road.  Parents may park in the Main Driveway or use Junior School Turning Circle - there is to be no pick up from Railway Road.

Year 10 Snowy Mountains Trip: Students are due to return on Friday at approximately 7.00pm.  Buses will be arriving to the Bus Bay on Railway Road so parents should park along the Main Driveway.

PLEASE NOTE THERE IS NO ACCESS TO THE SENIOR SCHOOL DRIVEWAY FOR PICK-UP ON FRIDAY.

Lord of the Flies Rehearsals

Rehearsals commence on Wednesday of Week 2 of Term 4 for featured roles only.

Please ensure you are following the rehearsal schedule so you make plans to attend when you are required.

Please note Mrs Pascoe will be absent on Monday of Week 2 so this rehearsal has been cancelled.

Please meet for all rehearsals in SSC-01. You can attend in school uniform in Week 2 but, once blocking begins, please bring stage blacks to change into with a t-shirt, leggings or trackpants and trainers.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with Mrs Pascoe.

Access to the Clinic and Student Services

While construction is underway in Hoskins Hall, Junior School parents walking from the Junior School should enter the Clinic via Student Services.

If you have parked in the Senior School driveway, please access the Clinic by walking around the garden and up the Library stairs to the Clinic window.

Senior School parents who have parked in the Senior driveway should also use the garden path and Library stairs to reach the Clinic window.

Term 4 Sport Days for the Junior School

Students are to be in full sports uniform on the following days to facilitate PE lessons and in preparation for after school sport for our K-3 students.

Kindergarten - Wednesday and Friday

Year 1 - Wednesday and Friday

Year 2 -Wednesday and Thursday

Year 3 - Wednesday and Friday

Year 4 - Thursday and Friday

Year 5 - Thursday and Friday

Year 6 - Thursday and Friday

Junior School Co-Curricular Clubs - Term 4

Bookings for our Term 4 Co-Curricular clubs will open Thursday 16 October at 9.00am via this link: 

Co-curricular Clubs will run from Tuesday 28 October (Week 3) through to Thursday 4 December (Week 8) of Term 4.

Tuesday Clubs

Art Club with Ms Noonan; Years 3-6

STEM Club with Ms Kirk; Years 3-4

PCYC Multisport; Years K-2

Thursday Clubs

Creative Club with Ms Sheils; Years K-2

Drama Club with Ms Gaffney; Years 3-6

Tech Club with Mr Sheppard; Years Yrs 5-6

Student Device Policy - Parent Information Session

A reminder that there will be a Parent Information Session regarding the new Student Device Policy on Tuesday 21 October (Week 2), commencing at 5.00pm in the Orchestra Room.  To allow us to manage numbers, please register your interest to attend here: https://www.trybooking.com/DGKCB

For more information regarding the Student Device Policy, please see the page below:

School Managed Devices | Oxley College

UNO Challenge

This Friday, Albert H (6MR) will be hosting UNO games during Buddy Time as a part our Round Square Program to raise money for the Starlight Foundation with a gold coin donation.  Students are asked to bring a deck of Uno cards if they have them.

OLE! Activities

Detailed information about OLE! Week activities has already been sent to parents and carers.  Here is a brief overview for each year group.  If you have any questions about OLE! Week for your child, please speak to their classroom teacher.

K-2: Will be participating in activities from Wednesday - Friday. Please note that students will need to bring a packed lunch for their Lake Alexandra bush walk (Year 2 Wednesday; Year 1 Thursday; Kindergarten Friday) and for the Year 2 Day Camp to Berrima Scout Camp (Thursday). When students are at school, canteen orders will be available.

Year 3: Depart for Chittick Lodge Gerringong on Wednesday 22 October. Students should be in their classrooms by 8.30am.  Return in time for normal pick-up arrangements on Friday 24 October.

Year 4: Depart for Tallong Outdoor Education Centre on Wednesday 22 October. Students should be in their classrooms by 8.45am.  Return in time for normal pick-up arrangements on Friday 24 October,

Year 5: Depart Tuesday 21 October for Crosslands Youth Convention Centre, Galston. Students should be in their classrooms by 8.00am.  Return in time for normal pick-up arrangements on Friday 24 October.

Year 6: Depart Tuesday 21 October for Mount Keira Guide Camp.  Students should be in their classrooms by 8.30am. Return in time for normal pick-up arrangements on Friday 24 October.

If your child needs to take regular medication for any reason, please place it in a clear plastic bag labelled with your child’s name and year group with clear directions on when it should be administered (e.g. time of day and dosage). The Request to Administer Medication form must be emailed to anabel.williams@oxley.nsw.edu.au by Friday 17 October. Your child should hand the clear plastic bag the morning of camp before boarding the bus. 

No devices should be brought to any camp.

Access to the Clinic and Student Services

While construction is underway in Hoskins Hall, Junior School parents walking from the Junior School should enter the Clinic via Student Services.

If you have parked in the Senior School driveway, please access the Clinic by walking around the garden and up the Library stairs to the Clinic window.

Senior School parents who have parked in the Senior driveway should also use the garden path and Library stairs to reach the Clinic window.

Term 4 Uniform

A reminder that all students should now be in full summer uniform.

Boys

Grey school shorts

Short college socks

Chambray blue shirt short sleeved

College tie, blazer and broad brimmed hat

Black leather lace up shoes (Velcro option for K-2)

Students are only permitted to wear pull on riding boots when wearing long pants with the winter uniform

Girls

Option 1 

Summer Dress with college socks, short white with stripe

Option 2

Chambray blue banded blouse, with College tie, grey shorts

College blazer and broad brimmed hat

Black leather lace up shoes (Velcro or Mary-Jane option for K-2)

Year 6 Celebration dinner Wednesday 26 November

Parents and carers are asked to send a kindergarten/first day of school photo of their Year 6 child to be added to the slide show on the night of our Year 6 Celebration dinner on Wednesday 26 November. Please send photos through to Anabel.williams@oxley.nsw.edu.au

Sports Draw 6 December 2025.xlsx

Term 4 – Sport Training and ISA Fixtures

We are looking forward to the start of the ISA Summer Season, with the first round taking place on Saturday 25 October. There will be six rounds played in Term 4, with the final round for the year on Saturday 29 November.

Training for all teams will commence in Week 2. As always, please refer to the Oxley App for the latest information regarding fixtures and venues. Students can also access this information via Clipboard and should be checking their schedules regularly.

The ISA website has recently been updated and is now an excellent resource for accessing fixture details, results, ladders and event information.

Independent Sporting Association

Oxley Supporters’ Day – Saturday 1 November

Following the success of our Winter Season Supporters’ Day, we are excited to host another event on Saturday 1 November. This day will feature 1sts Cricket and most Touch Football teams playing at home.

We warmly invite parents, students, staff and friends of Oxley to come along, cheer on our teams and celebrate Oxley Sport. There will be a BBQ, the Oxley Coffee Cart, and cold drinks available throughout the day.

A reminder that students attending as spectators must wear the Oxley PE uniform.

2026 – ISA Round 7

Please note that the first round of ISA Summer Sport in 2026 will take place on Saturday 31 January. Students return to school on Friday 30 January, which means there will be no opportunity for teams to train beforehand. All students involved in ISA Summer Sport are expected to participate in this round despite the short turnaround. Teams will receive further information and reminders early in Term 1.

Bus Drop-Offs – ISA Away Games

Due to the redevelopment of Hoskins Hall, buses for away fixtures will now depart from the bus stop on Railway Road (next to Founders Field). Students should be dropped off via the main driveway or the Junior School turning circle. For safety reasons, students must not be dropped off directly on Railway Road at any time.

String Program and Co-curricular Ensembles
 

Please note that the String Program for Years 2, 3 and 4 will run as normal in Week 2. Students are reminded to bring their instruments and music on Tuesday 21 October.

Junior Orchestra will also be held this Friday as usual, and full attendance is expected.

Please note that all co-curricular ensembles will run as normal in Week 2 for those students who are at school.

2025 String Spectacular 

A reminder that the Oxley String Spectacular will take place on Sunday 26 October from 9.00am – 4.00pm, with a concert at 3.30pm for parents and carers.

For those attending, please ensure payment is made via the Payment Form below to secure your place.

We can’t wait to welcome the wonderful Loreta Fin back for what promises to be a vibrant and enriching day.

Click Here For Payment

Mad Hatters Trivia Night – Saturday 8 November

Don’t be late for this very important date! The P&F invites you to join us for our Mad Hatters Trivia Night on Saturday 8 November.  Book a single or double ticket and we can add you to a table! Gather your team, don your most marvellous hat, and prepare for a night of laughter, friendly competition, and a dash of Wonderland magic. It’s always a fantastic evening and a great way to connect with our school community.

https://www.trybooking.com/DFXOR

Annual General Meeting – Wednesday 5 November (New Date)

Please join us for the P&F Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 5 November.

Everyone is most welcome , we do have a quorum quota of 15 so would love your support in voting in the new office bearers for 2026 whilst thanking the outgoing committee members and also celebrating our community engagement in 2025 .

Kind regards

Sooz Heinrich
P&F President

The Pre-K children returned to school full of excitement after their three-week holiday. It was a joy to hear them share stories of their holiday adventures with such enthusiasm.

Pre-Literacy Highlights

In PreLit this week we focused on segmenting words with three sounds and we played Blending Bingo and Beginning Sound I Spy for the letters /h/, /c/, /b/, /e/. 

Our Shared Reading storybook for the week is Alexander’s Outing by Pamela Allen and our vocabulary words are bored, disappeared, din and drowned.

Some of the children chose to draw ducks and added colour to their artworks using watercolours.

A writing table has been created with cards, postcard templates, and envelopes to inspire the children to explore and enjoy writing.

Mathematics Exploration

This week in Maths, we practiced counting to 20 using 1–1 correspondence and counting by ones to 20 from various starting points. The children used a number line to assist them with their counting. The language we are focusing on this week includes; count, count forwards, count backwards.

‘Ready, Set, School!’

This term, the children will engage in a unit of inquiry titled ‘Ready, Set, School!’ which has been designed to ease the transition for our Pre-K children as they prepare for their exciting journey into formal education. Through engaging activities, interactive play, and hands-on learning experiences, the children will develop essential skills such as independence, social interaction, and emotional readiness. The program includes a variety of experiences, including school-themed storytelling and role-playing classroom routines, aimed at building confidence and familiarity with the school environment. By fostering a positive and supportive atmosphere, our goal is to ensure that every child feels excited, prepared, and ready to take on the adventure of starting school.

After the success of last year's Highlands Wellbeing Forum - with Dr Kirsty Goodwin and over 550 students, educators and parents attending from across The Southern Highlands - the Highlands Youth Collaboration are running another forum to share information and resources across our community. Wellbeing Forum - Fostering Hope Brave Conversations with Justin Robinson and Matt Johnstone. Please share amongst your networks, parent newsletters and social platforms.  We are excited about offering this opportunity to as many people as possible.

The families will have the opportunity to discuss their child, work through a planning tool and learn about the home school partnership. 
Interested families can learn more about the workshop and register here: Positive Partnerships - Registrations

Purchase tickets here: Emma – Highlands Theatre Group

Mittagong Junior Disco

We are having a ** Halloween Theme Dress Up ** ( NOT compulsory )

Date : Saturday 25th October

Times : 4pm to 6pm

Venue: Mittagong RSL – Bessemer Street, Mittagong

Cost : $5

Ages : 0-14

Please note: This is a CASH ONLY and alcohol-free event.

 All money raised goes back to the children in the Southern Highlands community.

We hope to see you there.