Hello Everyone,

Our school is conducting a survey to find out what parents / caregivers / guardians think of our school.

This is an annual survey offered by the Department of Education designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate, student behaviour, and student engagement. Our school will use the survey results to help inform and direct future school planning and improvement strategies. 

Although it is optional, all families will be invited to participate. 

Next week you will receive a letter with instructions, including a unique PIN code specifically for your family.

The survey will be conducted online, only takes 20 minutes to complete, and is open from Monday 7th August till  Friday 8th September via a variety of devices. It is available in English and 10 other languages, including Arabic, Greek, Hakha Chin, Hindi, Japanese, Punjabi, Simplified Chinese, Somali, Turkish, and Vietnamese.

To complete the survey, simply:

1. Click on the link below, or copy and paste the text into your browser. This link will take you directly to the survey.

https://www.orima.com.au/parent

2. Select the School and Campus name below.

    School Name: Wattle Park Primary School

    Campus Name: Wattle Park Primary School

    Enter your unique PIN

3. Click on the tick button at the end of the survey to submit your answers.

Our Students

2023.08.01 Tuesday - Girls Division Soccer 
We are very lucky to have parents who donate their time to support our students in various endeavours. You’ll note below a picture and an email l received from one of our regular volunteers, Michael Hunt – published with permission. 

Hi Steve, thanks again for asking me to coach the girls yesterday. Thoroughly enjoyed the day, and hope the girls did too.

Considering most of the girls don't really play much soccer, they all did really well and worked hard in all three games, especially on a full size pitch playing 11-a-side.  

Our first game against Rangeview was a close one (they all were actually), ending in a 1-1 draw. Charne' was our MVP, making some fearless saves, putting her body on the line at the feet of oncoming attackers, saving at least 2 certain goals, though could do nothing about Rangeview's goal. Hayley scored our equaliser, but chances were at a premium and 1-1 is how it stayed. 

Without any break, the girls went straight back out there for game two.

Game two saw us up against Surrey Hills Primary, and after a cagey affair, Surrey Hills squeaked one just over the line, despite Charne's best efforts to claw it out. We came excruciatingly close to equalising in the dying seconds, but Sophie K and Emily couldn't quite get it over the line, with their goalie scooping up the ball with just seconds to spare. 1-0 to Surrey Hills is how it remained.

Our third and final game pitted us against St Francis Xavier. We were definitely the better team, and despite some tired legs, kept them at bay and finally managed to score courtesy of Jamella, despite what seemed like an eternity to all of the fans on the sideline (all 4 of them :-)) to take the shot. 

And so the day finished. Surrey Hills were worthy winners of the group, finishing on 7 points with 2 wins and a draw, and progressed to Regional. WPPS finished third overall with one win, one draw and one defeat, and a net goal difference of zero. We actually finished on the same points as second-placed Rangeview (on 4 points a piece), but Rangeview had a +2 better goal difference than us. 

Overall, I'm very proud of the girl's effort and good sportsmanship yesterday. We may not have won, but everyone tried hard, came home injury-free, and (I hope) had some fun. 

Finally, a big shout out to Troy (Eva's dad) and Val (Sophie W's grandma) for staying throughout to support the girls.  

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.

Week 4
Class	Student
FA	Evelyn P	FB	Zia C
1A	Isla B	1B	Damian H
2A	Rock Z	2B	Alice H
3A	Ayva S	3B	Zuby J
4A	Hunter V	4B	James B
5A	Oscar P	5B	Zara R
6A	Tico H	6B	Ishan M

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. 

NAPLAN
We received our students’ NAPLAN this week, and these will be sent home next week.

From 2023, NAPLAN results are reported against proficiency standards with 4 levels of achievement to give teachers, parents and carers clearer information on how students are performing. To find information about NAPLAN results, including a video on how to read student reports, visit Results and reports.

Although not all data is available for schools to view yet there are some general trends to note:

• Wattle Park Primary continues to perform well above state average in all areas of the curriculum and within 1-2% of all similar schools in the area.

• We outperform all similar schools in Numeracy 

• NAPLAN spelling results indicate this area for improvement. This was previously identified as an area requiring support and an upgrade to our spelling program has been in progress since the beginning of last term.

Victorian State School Spectacular 2023.09.09 - Saturday

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

2023.08.21-25 Book Week

Book Week happens annually and will be upon us in a matter of weeks. We will be having a whole school dress up day during that week so this is your notice to get ready! The theme is ‘Read, Grow, Inspire’ and for more information please go HERE

2023.08.03 Rotary Speech Competition

Over the last two days our Year 5 and 6’s have taken part in a speech competition at WPPS with a view to competing in the Rotary Speech Competition held next Tuesday night at Chatham Primary School. Congratulations to our two winners who will represent us next week. Our two winners were:

Zoe Bibile

Nelson Shen

Zoe’s topic was ‘The Importance of Kindness’

Picture yourself reading your own adventure book. You walk past an old lady struggling to carry her shopping. You can either turn to page 25 and help her or turn to page 90 and walk right past. What would you choose?

Hi, I’m Zoe Bibile and I want to tell you about the importance of kindness.

Have you ever done something nice for someone out of the goodness of your heart? How did that make you feel? When you are kind to someone, you’re not only helping them but initiating certain benefits for yourself. Studies conducted by the Mental Health Foundation show that being kind greatly impacts your wellbeing, mental health and also encourages you to be more active. It can even make you live longer! And what's more, when you are kind to someone, it generally creates a chain reaction, where the person you were kind to will be kind to someone else and so on, turning our busy world into one of happy, long living people.

Now, how would you feel if someone was unkind to you? It would make you feel sad or unhappy right? It is for this reason that I must encourage you to be kind whenever you get the chance (which is usually all the time) and to think before you speak. We all have feelings and it is important that we respect our own and each other’s.

It is, quite unfortunate, however, that the Australian Bureau Of Statistics estimated that a staggering 9.3% of our population are dealing with some form of depression. And I can assure you that it wasn’t because people were kind to them. In fact, it is quite the opposite. 70% of parents say that people are unkind to their children. What has happened to the world? But I’ll be kind (as I should) and let you know that just by saying a friendly hello to that lonely neighbour or by having a chat with a sad friend, you could change the world.

 As shown in many films, a little act of kindness can go a long way. I’m assuming most of you are familiar with Dumbo or Beauty And The Beast. Well, Timothy mouse in Dumbo changes the poor elephant's life just by accepting him. And if Lumier and Cogsworth hadn’t welcomed Bell so wholeheartedly, it would have been a very different story, not just for Bell, but for the Beast and all the inhabitants of the castle. 

And, to make my simple request for kindness even simpler, being kind isn’t so hard and it only gets easier once it becomes a habit. Boy, that would be a good habit to have.

So let’s circle back to that moment where you do the kind thing and help the old lady with her shopping. Perhaps that lady was having a bad day and you made it better. Perhaps she went home with a smile on her face.

Now, before we part, I would like to share a quote with you - 

“Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day, someone might do the same for you.” This was said by Princess Diana, an incredible human who was known for showing kindness to all. So I invite you to follow her example and next time you choose your own adventure, make it a kind one.

Thank you

Nelson’s topic was about ‘Our Most Important Habitat’

Which wild habitat is the largest, most wonderful and mysterious on this planet? Well, I believe the ocean fits all criteria to be crowned the greatest biome ever on Earth. 

 The ocean serves as the foundation for all life on our planet, this simple combination of hydrogen and oxygen is essential for maintaining Earth, both in and out of the water. It has a crucial role in controlling weather patterns, influencing the climate, and producing half of the oxygen we breathe.

The ocean is the most extensive habitat on Earth, with 99% of all living space. The ocean's Life forms have undergone significant mutations to adapt to unique environmental conditions. 

Ocean depths are divided into five zones, with the sunlight zone being the most populous. This zone stretches to 200 metres deep, and with all that light comes plenty of heat, which means a huge variety of marine life that makes the sunlight zone their home, including sharks, dolphins and rays.

The twilight zone, which ranges from 200 to 1000 metres is characterised by dimly lit waters. This zone is the ideal depth for most deep-sea diving and contains large amounts of poisonous jellyfish and octopus.

 The midnight zone extends from 1000 to 4000 metres. With zero sunlight, animals are forced to evolve with their lights. The most well-known example of bioluminescence would be the angler fish which attracts its prey by emitting a strong glow from its head. This level is also the final resting place of the infamous RMS Titanic.

Our next destination will be the abyssal zone from 4000 to 6000 metres. As its name suggests, there is no light at this level, causing the evolution of some truly magnificent creatures. Gigantic spider crabs up to 4 metres in length roam the seabed with volcanic geysers residing clusters of giant tubeworms. Although, notably, most creatures living in the abyssal zone are blind as there is no light and no need for vision.

At last, we arrived at the hadal zone, stretching from 6000 to 11000 metres deep, the pressure here is so extreme it is equivalent to about 100 elephants stacked on your body! The hadal zone is also known as the trenches as most ocean trenches sit below 6000 metres from sea level, where life only exists in forms of microorganisms.

So far, we have discovered and recognised over two hundred thousand marine species, but according to scientists, that is only 10 per cent of all ocean species. However, as fast as we find new life we could also be losing it. With human impacts such as climate change and pollution pushing this loss, it is more important than ever to learn, enjoy, protect and preserve this precious resource for the life we find there and our future generations. 

It is only when we begin to understand the wonders of this wild habitat, that we can appreciate its role in our lives, and that concludes my speech, thank you for listening.

Our Staff

Hello Wattle Park Community, 

My name is Elisha McPhedran and I am your Acting Business Manager for Term 3. I am also the Business Manager at Warrandyte Primary where I have been working part time for the past 2 years. 

I am a mum of 2 preteen daughters, Amelia and Chloe, and I have a love of camping, sewing and all things callisthenics.

Notices

Digital Reports

A reminder from our newsletter (2023.06.23)

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 would 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.

Canteen

Ordering

Our canteen operates on Mondays and Fridays for lunch only.

Due to the timetable change outlined above, orders must be placed by 4pm the day before the order is required. This means:

Monday orders   by 4pm Sunday

Friday orders      by 4pm Thursday

Orders placed after these times will not 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!

Chicken Duty - Volunteers Still Required

The good news is we will still run this competition in term three and during the term three 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. 

Have a great weekend.

Steve Donohue

Principal

Wattle Park Primary School

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How to win….

It’s simple - students are asked to bring in their Nude Food Lunches. 

Each week a Scarecrow teacher or leader will visit one classroom (at random). They will select one student with delicious, healthy Nude Food.

Their photo will be taken for Assembly and they will receive an amazing  DIY ECO Herb Head Planting Kit.

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Over the coming months we will be asking Wattle Park families for certain donations to help make the fete a success. We will try to spread out our requests to not overwhelm families but any donations we do receive will be greatly appreciated.

First up, we are looking for donations of:

HANDMADE GIFTS

Homemade candles
Jewellery (earrings, bracelets, necklaces)
Fairy wings
Floral wreaths (to wear)
Christmas decorations
Dolls Barbie / doll clothes & accessories
Headbands
Cards and Keyrings

CRAFT ITEMS

Patterned Fabrics
Plain tote bags for library bags
Stuffing
Christmas wrapping paper & tape
Plain magnets that we can stick things onto
Plain clear gift bags
Dowel stars & sticks (so we can do fairy wands)

 

Please drop any donations at the school office.

Any questions, please contact Rosie: info@rosacommunications.com.au, Kelly: kelly.baird@hotmail.com or email wppsfete@gmail.com

 

Follow and stay updated!

Facebook: @wppsfete

Instagram: @wppstwilightfete
                                                                                

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Please scroll through to see all of our latest notices!


1. Apply Now to Enrol Your Child in Foundation for 2024
2. Volunteer for Second Hand Uniform Shop
3. Volunteer for First Aid Room
4. PSW New Deliver Option  

1. Apply now to enrol your child in Foundation (Prep) for 2024
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. Even though the dead line for enrolling your child has passed, late enrolments will be accepted

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. Second Hand Uniform Shop Volunteer
Volunteers are desperately needed to help out our amazing Second Hand Uniform Shop Manager Kelly Baird.  If you can spare some time to help out, please contact the office on 9808 2165. 

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

3. 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

4. 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.

 

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Please support our local community organisations. 

Our ideas will take a leap when we dive deep into Science Week! 
TeamKids are celebrating World Science Week on 14^th- 18^th Aug.
Get ready to be blown away by a range of EPIC activities. 
Dust off those lab coats and join us for a week full of COOL adventures.

Book NOW: www.teamkids.com.au/venues       

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