Hello Everyone,

This is our last newsletter for the term because Term 2, a vital and dynamic educational tour de force, is done and dusted!

Thank you to everyone who went above and beyond. In a multitude of ways, our community members have volunteered their time to make WPPS a safe, engaging learning environment for our students.  From volunteering in the kitchen, the garden, in classrooms for reading and/or the brave who fearlessly headed into the great unknown with excursions - thank you.

For anyone who wants to volunteer next term and would like to begin fully prepared please go HERE to our ‘Volunteers’ section of our website. There you will find all you need to have completed to become a volunteer at WPPS.

Camps
The School Council and l have written about these in a separate article in this week’s newsletter. I acknowledge there is some disappointment around how long these are now but importantly our students will have the chance to benefit from all they have to offer, we can still have them and, importantly, we can afford them.

Building Demolition
On a positive note, let's talk demolition!

As you can see, our old LOTE and After Care Buildings are now (finally…) surrounded by fencing. The power, data, plumbing and air con have been disconnected and in theory they will be demolished onsite, and removed over the holidays, making way for our new building to be completed by the end of the year. More news as this endeavour develops. 

2023.06.17 Great Big Working Bee!
Thank you to the 35 people who turned up on Saturday to sweat it out at our once a term, Great Big Working Bee. Thank you also to those parents who made time outside of those hours to get some things done. 

We made this:

Into this:

Assembly 9.15am on Friday 

Our Students
Assembly 9.15am on Friday 

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 at next week's assembly.

House Points
The House Points have been collected for this week.  The winning house decorates the trophy with their colours and have it displayed in the foyer of the school. 

Throughout the term, all the House Points have been collected. The winning house for term two is…

2023 Reports

Currently we issue reports at the end of Semester 1 (term 1 and 2)  and Semester 2 (term 3 and 4).

We also publish them on Compass as digital documents by 4pm on the day they go home.

As agreed upon at School Council on Tuesday this week, and as an environmentally responsible school, this Semester 1 report will be the last time we provide all students with a hard copy report.

In acknowledgement of the preference for a hard copy report, we will still provide paper reports to those parents/guardians who request them. All you will need to do is email your classroom teacher to  let them know this is what you’d like.

For further information regarding how to access your child/rens reports (from as far back as Semester 2017) please go HERE. 

Student reflections will continue to come home as a hard copy in an envelope.

Yr 5 & 6 Suitcase Stories Showcase
This term, the Year Five & Six students have been learning about Australia’s immigration origins.

To show their understanding, they created stories about particular people who have come to Australia over the years and presented them to the rest of the school.

Victorian State School Spectacular 2023

When is the 2023 Victorian State Schools Spectacular?
The 2023 Victorian State Schools Spectacular will be held on Saturday 9th September. The performance times are 1:00pm and 6:30pm. Where is it held? John Cain Arena, Melbourne Park 

How long is the performance?
The show is approximately 2hrs 45min (including a 30-minute interval).

How much are tickets?
Adult: $40 Concession: $30 Child (U15): $20  (a $6.30 service fee per transaction applies on all purchases)

Where can I buy tickets? 
Tickets are available through Ticketek: www.ticketek.com.au/spectacular or 132 849.

Tickets are on sale from 11am on Wednesday 7 June.

Where’s the best seat in the house to view WPPS students?
Section 9, 10, 31, 32, 33, 56, 57, 58

Chicken Duty - Volunteers Still Required
The good news is we will still run this competition in term two and during the term two holidays. All you have to do is sign up and assist with the chickens on the weekend/during the holidays. Each time you volunteer, you and your family receive an entry into the raffle. If you win, you get to choose what ‘family experience’ you would like.  These experiences include:

Ninja Parc

• Hoyts
• Rainbow World
• Inflatable World
• Bounce
• Flip Out

Please see this link for more information and to sign up.

A special thank you to the Parents and Friends Association for the donation of the prizes. 

ICAS Testing
We are delighted to inform you that  we will be participating in the world-renowned ICAS competition this year across Years 4 – 6.

What is ICAS?  
ICAS (International Competitions and Assessments for Schools) is an online academic competition that is designed to assess students’ higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills in English, Mathematics, Science, Writing, Spelling and Digital Technologies.  

Each assessment celebrates students’ accomplishments by providing opportunities for recognition and development. Every student who participates will receive a printed certificate and an online results report. Top performers will be eligible for medals.  

We encourage you to consider entering your child (Years 4-6 only) into ICAS this year.   

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

If you wish for your child to participate in ICAS this year, please:  

1. Read about ICAS subjects and prices here.

1. Read the terms and conditions here.

1. Go to Parent Portal to purchase tests here.

1. Enter our school’s access code –  DGX967  

1. Enter your child’s details, select the tests you would like to purchase, and then proceed to payment.  

Please note that the ICAS tests shown for selection are at the school’s discretion.   

After payment is made via the Parent Payment System, you will receive an order confirmation email. Please keep this for your records.  

ICAS Results and Certificates 

We will notify you of the date(s) that we run ICAS at the school and when your child’s ICAS results are ready. You will have until 31st  July  to make an order and your child will be sitting the test/s in August. Once we have received your child’s ICAS certificate, we will send it home with your child. The back of the certificate shows ICAS results and the login details, “TAP ID and Pin”, that you and your child need to enter on the Results Portal.  

Have a great break everyone, and we look forward to seeing you all back on Tuesday, 11th July for Term 3.

In conjunction with School Council’s approval, l am writing to you in acknowledgment of the disappointment some people may feel with the necessary changes a result of these legislative requirements.
 
NECESSARY CHANGES TO SCHOOL CAMPS
While there is no curriculum requirement to hold school camps, WPPS school leadership recognises the social and emotional benefits of camps for our students. It is important that, together with School Council, we found a way to allow camps to continue.
 
Wattle Park Primary School has always organised safe, educational and fun camps for our students.
 
In 2023, this will continue. Our Year 3 and 4 classes will travel to Phillip Island in August and our Year 5 and 6 classes will go to Coonawarra in September.
 
However, these camps have been shortened to ensure they remain financially viable for our school and our parents. These changes have been proposed by school leadership and are supported by School Council.
 
Why have camps been shortened?
The cost of school camps has increased for all Victorian Government schools due to changes to teachers’ employment agreements, which mean teachers are now paid for the entire time they are away on camp, or receive time in lieu. Schools are not permitted to charge parents for these additional wage-related expenses.
 
As further legislative changes come into force in 2024, these changes have been made so this model will be sustainable into 2024 and beyond.
 
A detailed survey of neighbouring schools indicates Principals have made tough decisions to keep camps viable. In some cases, year 3 and/or year 4 camps have been cancelled, some schools are moving to camps only once every two years, and others, like WPPS, are reducing the duration of camps.
 
Teachers will be providing camp details for families with students in Years 3 and 4 and Years 5 and 6. In the meantime, parents can contact Steve Donohue with any questions.
 
Kind regards,
 
Steve Donohue, Principal
 
Naomi Levin, School Council President

The Department of Education has released a new statewide timeline for enrolling in Foundation (Prep) for the 2024 school year.

If you have a child starting primary school in 2024, it’s time to enrol. Make sure to submit your enrolment application by Friday 28 July 2023.

If you are enrolling the sibling of a student at our school for Foundation in 2024, and both children will be attending our school at the same time, your child is prioritised for a place at our school as per the department’s Placement Policy.

It is important to follow the statewide timeline to enrol your child in Foundation. Enrolling your child in line with the timelines allows us to plan our classrooms, staffing and transition activities and ensures your child has the best start to school.

For more information, please read about when and how to enrol your child in Foundation at vic.gov.au/enrolling-foundation-prep.

If you are seeking to enrol your child into Foundation next year, please contact our school office on 9808 2165  to request an enrolment form or visit our website https://www.wattleparkps.vic.edu.au/page/80/Enrolment to download a Word Version – 2024 Enrolments.

2. 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

3. 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.

Koonung SC Musical
Koonung’s Musical Production for 2023, as it turns out, must be kept a mystery.
But I urge you not to fear the unknown and instead consider the clues you've been shown.
There will be elephants, birds and cats wearing hats.
Will you give it a go? Will you guess the show?
Adventure awaits and today is the day to head to Trybooking and get on your way.
https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1064415

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