Hello Everyone,

Great to see our students settling back into the rhythm of coming to school. 

This week’s assembly was meant to involve the presentation of our Yr 6 Leadership badges but unfortunately we have had to postpone due to the badges not being ready.  Supply issues - ugh! Not to worry we have rescheduled this particular Assembly to Friday the 3rd of March.

2023 Parent Contributions

Great news! All parent contributions can be paid by ‘CompassPay’. This system has been rolled out previously as a way to pay for excursions and has had very positive feedback from our school community. 

Be on the lookout for an alert via ‘CompassPay’ which will indicate fees are ready to be paid for 2023. We appreciate your efforts and thank you for your support.

An investment in education is an investment in your child’s future.

Our Students

Students of the week

Well done to all our recipients for actively displaying our school values. Students who are not in attendance to receive their certificate will be awarded it  at the next week's assembly.

Class Student

FA	All students !	FB	All students!
1A	Duncan B	1B	Sienna M
2A	Lachlan S	2B	Ida B
3A	Cyrus Li	3B	Kara A Y
4A	Lachlan R	4B	Jaison V
5A	Benjamin S	5B	Lili S
6A	Darcy S	6B	Nelya S

Acacia House Captains

Hi Wattle Park Primary School, our names are Oliver, Darcy and Jamella we are the Acacia House Captains for 2023.This year we will try and achieve bringing back house points. We want to bring back house points because it’s a way to promote coming together and working as a team in house events and developing inclusiveness and friendships. Another idea we have is advocating for new basketball nets for top and bottom court.

We look forward to leading our house and helping our fellow peers.

Some pictures from week’s assembly;

Running Club

Following a successful 2022 program, Running Club returned Thursday 9th February and will continue till 6th April

Running club is open to students of all ages and abilities. The session, and groups, are tailored accordingly. Meeting point is Top Oval at 8am. 

Students are required to check in at the top oval prior to participating or joining into the session. 

Any students that arrive late are to wait at the top oval for collection.

Session Outline

• 8am arrival
• Group warm up/activities
• Course running in and around school/Wattle Park area, multiple groups including adult supervision
• Group warm down

This year students who participate will also earn 2 points for their school house per run..

Please be aware the students who participate in Running Club are considered in the care of the parents who are running the activity. Wattle Park Teachers do not begin duty till 8.50am

Looking forward to seeing you at what will be a fun and rewarding program. 

Our Staff

Continuing with getting to know our staff at WPPS we introduce our Art (and occasional replacement teacher), Ms Downes:

I have been part of our school family for so long that it could be said that I am part of the furniture. In fact I am pretty sure that the only person who has been here longer than myself is Ms Antonino, our wonderful EAL teacher. When I first arrived for my first day at W.P.P.S all the way back in the last century I was very pleasantly surprised to be greeted by a beaming and welcoming Annmaria as we actually went to university together and shared the same majors. Since that day I have made many lifelong friends through our great school and have so many happy and fulfilling memories that have enriched my life both professionally and personally.

Wattle Park was school number four for me. My first year of teaching was at Thorpdale Primary in potato country, followed by Epping and Merrilands. During those early years I mainly taught in the Year 5/6 area and my first grade at WPPS was a 5/6 composite. After a few years I made the move down to Prep (as it was called in those days) which was a huge change from the upper school kids, but one that I loved (after the initial shock).

In December of 1998 I began a new phase of my life when my husband Rick and I welcomed our first little ray of sunshine, Allie, followed two years later with the arrival of Emily. I spent a number of years away from teaching and raising our family which I adored. During this time I sat on committees for our local kindergarten and primary school and volunteered 2-3 days a week for the literacy program when my kids were young.

Our former Principal, Nick Farley (I have seen four Wattle Park Principals so far), finally convinced me to return to teaching when my youngest was in Grade 1. I took over from Julie Gledhill who was about to go on Family Leave in the role of part time Phys Ed teacher. I have had a lifelong love affair with sport so this job seemed absolutely perfect for me. I have played many sports competitively over the years including basketball, netball, equestrian and squash and I still drag this, shall we say mature, body around the tennis court. My other passions include reading, travel, eating out with friends and of course the beach – my happy place.

This year I am looking forward to developing my creative side in the Art room and can’t wait to discover the inventive, experimental and expressive components of our students’ imaginations.

Mel Downes

Thank you!

Coffee and biscuits

A heartfelt thank you to our PFA who shouted each of the staff at WPPS a biscuit from @keenoncake and a coffee from the Food drinkery this week. (It looked so good I took a bite before l thought to take picture!)

Wasps

This week I was alerted to a hive of European Wasps industriously expanding their nest in the embankment that separates the top playground from the top oval. In response to the email l sent to inform everyone of this l had two members of the school community contact me and take care of the angry etymological threat. Drew Noakes, a beekeeper did some reverse beekeeping to take them out and Sam Stringer, who deftly finished them off later in the day using his former experience as a pest exterminator to our collective advantage. Thank you to Drew and Sam who made our playground safe again.

Notices

Parent Teacher Interviews

These may be done online or in person. This can be negotiated between teacher and parent.

Tuesday 21st February

     3.50pm - 7.30pm Parent Teacher Meetings

Wednesday  22nd February

     3.50pm - 5.00pm Parent Teacher Meetings

Details regarding how you can book in for a PT interview will be out today on Compass.

Canteen: Ordering

Our Canteen operates on Mondays and Fridays for lunch only.

Due to the timetable change, orders must be placed by 5pm the day before the order is required. This means:

Monday orders   by 5pm Sunday

Friday orders      by 5pm Thursday

Orders placed after these times will cannot be processed.

This allows our Canteen Manager, Charlotte, enough time to get things organised.

To place an order, please download the free Flexischools App from the App Store or Google Play. Once you have downloaded the app you will be able to view and select your orders, and pay online. 

Please be aware Flexischools does not automatically change the class of your child to their 2023 class. Please ensure you update this information when you next order.

Canteen: Volunteering

Do you have some time to spare? An hour and a half on a Friday would be great!

Our canteen would not be able to run without the wonderful support of the volunteer Parents and Grandparents in our school. We would love to have you volunteer for us, whether you are an experienced hand or an eager learner. Please see below to sign up.

Here's how it works in 3 easy steps:

1. Click this link to go to our invitation page on SignUp.com: https://signup.com/login/entry/827030846186224028
2. Enter your email address: (You will NOT need to register an account on SignUp.com)
3. Sign up! Choose your spots - SignUp.com will send you an automated confirmation and reminders. Easy!

Year level websites

As we move away from Remote Learning we have repurposed Year Level websites as digital notice boards and linked them to the school website in a more accessible manner. HERE is where you can find them. Lots of information about what is going on in each year level this term.

And one last thing…

Ms Downes has been revamping the  Art Room and has discovered boxes of bathroom tiles. We do not need them and are looking for someone to take them away. If you’d like them please let the office know. First in first served!

COVID 19 

If you require RATs please make a request to the school office. HERE is information from the Victorian Government about ‘Managing illness in schools and ECEC - information for parents and carers’ . HERE is information regarding facemasks.

A summary below:

It is strongly recommended that students:

• who test positive to COVID-19 stay home and isolate for 5 days

• should not attend school after 5 days if still symptomatic

• who are symptomatic but have not tested positive should not attend school

• advise the school of the COVID-19 positive test result

• students who wish to wear a face mask should be supported to do so, and schools should continue to make face masks available for staff, students and visitors.

Where students become symptomatic at school they should:

• be collected by their parents/carers

• undergo testing for COVID-19

School Calendar

Please refer to the calendar on the School Calendar to find details about Term 1 dates, finish times and term holidays dates etc.

Have a great weekend.

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Please scroll through to see all of our latest notices!


1. Financial Assistance 
2. Second Hand Uniform Shop
3. No Hat No Play
4. Volunteer for First Aid Room
5. School Photo
6. PSW New Deliver Option
7. Parents Social Night
8. WPPS Movie Night
9. Chess Club 
10. TeamKids - Newsletter


1. Financial Assistance 




2. Second Hand Uniform Shop - Gymnasium
    8.30 - 9am

• Monday - 13th February  
• Monday - 20th March  

3. Remember - No Hat No Play
 

It’s that time of year - September to May, when all students are required to have on a hat for outside play.  Children will be required to play in the shade if no hat is worn, and being a Sun Smart School its important to have sun protection.
Hats are now available for purchase  from office at a cost of $20 each.



4. First Aid Room Volunteer
In order to keep our First Aid Room clean and tidy, we require volunteers to assist with this task. We need approximately 40 families on our roster to ensure that every family only needs to do this once per year. It is not time consuming and requires approximately 15 minutes of your time on a FRIDAY.
https://signup.com/go/MvZZbFq



5. School Photo - 16th March 2023

WATTLE PARK PRIMARY SCHOOL | advancedLife photography Home (advancedimage.com.au)

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR PHOTO DAY

The school’s preference is online ordering.

The school code is Q32 WP2 PAR

If a family is unable to order online, they can complete their order by using prepaid order envelopes provided at the school office.

This also includes sibling order envelopes.

Ordering on line for sibling photos, closes the night before photo day.

If you have any questions, please contact Advanced Photography on 9852 1133.

6. PSW New Deliver Option
From 15th February, parents are able to order PSW school uniforms online and have the order delivered to the school office. Deliveries will be weekly for parent collection. This will save parents from actually having to go to the PSW shop if you  know what you want and sizes.

Above is a screen shot of how the screen would look like. 

The parent needs to choose the “Click and Collect” Option, the drop down box will appear and they choose for their item to be delivered to Wattle Park Primary School.



7. Parents Social Events




8. WPPS Movie Night 




9. Chess Club

Anyone may do a free trial.



10. TeamKids - Newsletter

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• Bowls Day: Sunday 26th Feb, 2pm - 6pm - Burwood District Bowls Club, Burwood Reserve, Warrigal Road - Pizzas from Mimi's - To book - https://events.humanitix.com/wpps-welcome-event-or-barefoot-bowls

• Movie Night: Friday 17th March - To book - https://events.humanitix.com/wpps-movie-night-or-sing-2

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Support our local businesses!!!

Saver Plus – helping take the stress out of back to school time

The Saver Plus community program has helped over 55,000 Australians take the stress out of back to school time. It’s free for eligible people to join.

At Saver Plus, we pair you with a savings coach while you budget and save over the next 10 months. You attend online workshops to learn tips, tricks and information to grow your budgeting and savings skills. Once you reach your agreed savings goal, ANZ matches your savings dollar-for-dollar, up to $500. You can use that money towards education costs such as uniforms, text books, laptops or extra-curricular activities such as sport or music.

You could be eligible to join Saver Plus if you:

• have a Centrelink Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card
• are at least 18 years old
• have some regular income from work (you or your partner) including casual, part-time, full‑time or seasonal (we also accept child support and carer’s payment as income)
• have a child at school or attend vocational education yourself.

If you’re eligible, start now and we’ll help take the stress out of next year’s back to school.

To find out more, or to apply, go to www.saverplus.org.au or call  1300 610 355 

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