Hello Everyone,

FETE COMMITTEE - congratulations to the fete committee who began with very little and created the fete equivalent of the Sistine Chapel!

Please click on the picture below:



Our Students
Assembly 9.15am on Friday 

Maths Olympiad
During Term 2 and 3 of each year, students, identified by their classroom teacher as high achieving in Mathematics in Year 5 and 6, compete in the Australia wide Maths Olympiad competition. This competition is run by the Australasian Problem Solving Mathematical Olympiad, APSMO.

APSMO is affiliated with MOEMS (Mathematical Olympiads for Elementary and Middle Schools) in the United States, which offers one of the most influential maths competitions around the world. APSMO has over 100,000 students across Australia and New Zealand participating in maths problem solving programs each year. The program develops a problem solving pathway of achievement and provides both mainstream and high achieving students with the opportunity to enhance their skills and knowledge.

WPPS selected 23 students to compete this year. This involved a specialist maths session l ran once a week where the students investigated various mathematical concepts. These included:

• Kaprekar's Constant
• The Golden Ratio
• Advanced polygon analysis and construction

As well as investigating these concepts, the students studied various strategies to resolve equations. This is one of the questions we solved on one of the practice papers:

Spencer wrote down three consecutive counting numbers.

The first is a multiple of 5, the second is a multiple of 3, and the third is a multiple of 4.

What is the least possible sum of Spencer's three numbers?

Recently we received results for our school. Please note carefully the following information:

WPPS:

• Is in the top 10% of all teams who competed in Australia.

• The highest of any school in Victoria (above Scotch College & Huntingtower)

• Has 3 students who achieved a perfect score:

• Only 227 students achieved this out of 35,877 who competed. 
• This puts 3 of our students in the top 0.63% of Australia.

Not only is this a great comment on the extremely high mathematical dexterity of our students but also of the highly advanced instruction they receive from their teachers. A consequence of the dedication and hard work on behalf of all stakeholders and no doubt influenced by the Learning Specialist role Mr Feather undertakes across the school, coaching each teacher in how to create and deliver rich mathematical learning experiences.

The following students were our 2023 Maths Olympiad Team listed in alphabetical order.

Damon T

Edwin Y

Elly Y

Emily S

Ethan W

Ishan M

Ivy H

Jialin L

Lachie C

Leila B

Lena S

Lingyu Z

Maggie L

Megan L

Nathan K

Nelson S

Nelya S

Oscar P

Ray L

Raynard L

Shreshth B

Zoe W

Zune P

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.

Mathletics Champion
Congratulations to  Kurtis C from 6B who won this week for his excellent performance and regular participation in Mathletics this week. 

Nudie Foodie Award 
The Nudie Foodie Award will take place one last time in 2023 in Week 11. 

A reminder on 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.

Powering Up: Adventures in Fruit and Vegetable Batteries at the John Monash Science School Fair

 By Oscar PLUMMER, 5A 

Have you ever wondered if a lemon or a potato could power a light bulb? Well, in the exciting Little Scientists Big Science program at John Monash Science School, my friends Lili (grade 5), Jonathan (grade 6), Lila (grade 6) and I delved into this question. Over the last two terms, we were part of an awesome program where we explored physics, chemistry, and biology. The pinnacle of our journey was the John Monash Science School Fair, where we presented our very own experiment.

For our project, we investigated the potential of fruit and vegetable batteries. Why lemons and potatoes, you ask? These fruits and veggies, we found, make excellent electrolytes due to their unique properties. Armed with a copper coin and a zinc nail as our anode and cathode, we set out to discover which bio-battery, the lemon or the potato, would emerge victorious. 

Our hypothesis was grounded in the acidity of lemons, leading us to believe they might produce more energy. Armed with a multimeter, we measured the voltage produced by each cell. The results were electrifying – lemon energy beat potato power, though only by a slim margin.

Our experiment wasn't just about lemons and potatoes; it was a small step toward understanding eco-friendly energy solutions. As society searches for sustainable alternatives, exploring the potential of fruits and vegetables and other eco-friendly elements in electricity production becomes increasingly important.

Lili and I meticulously documented our experiment, creating a poster that explained our findings and the science behind them. On Monday night, at the Science Fair, Lili, Jonathan, and I spent the evening sharing our scientific journey with the fascinated attendees. Initially daunting, the experience turned out to be incredibly rewarding. We not only showcased our project but also had the chance to explore other fascinating projects by students from different schools, from paper plane designs, to experiments with acids and pH testing and even experiments looking at the weird and wonderful non-Newtonian fluid oobleck, which is a gooey substance that acts as both a liquid and a solid.

In conclusion, the Little Scientists Big Science program was not just fun but also profoundly inspiring. Our thanks go to our teachers and the parent helpers who made this scientific adventure possible. If the opportunity arises for you to participate in this program in the future, don't hesitate – it's a journey well worth taking.

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. 

Stephanie  Alexander Kitchen Garden Program
For those of you who may be wondering…Guess who this is?

Yes, that’s our lamb from term 3, Jemima, who is living it up on the Stringers farm in Fish Creek. She's made friends with the horses (Jemima always displayed exemplary social skills) and is living her best life. Thank you to Sam and Simon Stringer for providing our students with this unique opportunity. No other school is as lucky as to have such an opportunity to learn so much about life.

Notices

Petition - REINSTATE the 903 bus along Warrigal Rd
Up to 20 of our students use the 903 but to access WPPS every week. Below is a copy of the letter sent by the School Council and myself to our School Community.

Hi School Community,

We found out this week that the 903 bus route from Mentone to Altona is being re-routed, and will no longer service a large stretch of Warrigal Road (from Elgar Road to Burwood Hwy/Toorak Road). This affects a number of you that use this service - on both sides of Warrigal Road and in both directions.

Instead, the 903 will be re-routed to service Deakin University. 

This change will be happening from this Sunday 15th October. Please check alternate arrangements.

What we can do as a school

As a school we are writing formally to the relevant ministers and local MPs. 

We have also been in touch with local schools, daycare centres and Cameron Close to ensure they are aware.

What can you do?

Most importantly, please check the new route on ptv.vic.gov.au. If you have any difficulties, please contact them directly via 1800 800 007 (Choose "Option 1").

You may also like to contact any of the following:

Paul Hamer, MP for Box Hill - paul.hamer@parliament.vic.gov.au

John Pesutto, MP for Hawthorn (the other side of Warrigal Road) - john.pesutto@parliament.vic.gov.au

Gabrielle Williams, Public Transport Minister - gabrielle.williams@parliament.vic.gov.au

Ben Carroll, Deputy Premier (fmr Transport Minister) - ben.carroll@parliament.vic.gov.au

Lizzie Blandthorn, Minister for Children - lizzie.blandthorn@parliament.vic.gov.au

Ingrid Stitt, Minister for Ageing (if you have family around the area who may be affected) - ingrid.stitt@parliament.vic.gov.au

We appreciate the concern this may cause and we will continue to campaign for a viable service.

Kind regards,

Steve Donohue, School Principal WPPS

Naomi Hanson, School Council President

HERE is the petition to sign

Hats on in September!
With our emergence from the winter gloom into the glorious springtime sunshine comes the need to be aware of the damage rays can do. As per our Sunsmart Policy WPPS states the following:

From 1 September to 30 April, all students must wear a sun protective hat that shades the face, neck and ears for all outdoor activities. 

‘Hats on in September, off in May’

Students who are not wearing appropriate protective clothing or a hat may be asked to play in the shade or in a suitable area protected from the sun.

Digital Reports
A reminder from our newsletter (2023.06.23)

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

PS

For those of you who made it to the end of the newsletter, here is the answer:

Have a great weekend!

Steve Donohue

Principal

Wattle Park Primary School

1. 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.

2. Remember September to May - No Hat No Play

 

It’s that time of year - September, 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 from now till May.
New hats are available from the office $15.

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.

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.

5. 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

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.

As part of our learning about energy and electricity this term, the Year 6 students have been involved in the Solar Buddy Program - an Australian charity joining a global community to illuminate the features of all children. 

We decided to fundraise the money to fund the costs of building solar lights to send overseas to help children living without electricity. Therefore, on Thursday the 2nd of November the Year 6 students and teachers ran a whole school sausage sizzle. In the end we raised a total of $800 and we sold over 300 sausages! 

A couple of weeks later, we had our Solar Buddy Day. The students worked in pairs and small groups to build the lights as well as write letters to those children who will be receiving them.

The lights will be sent to either Ghana in Africa or Papua New Guinea. The students enjoyed the combination of learning while also making a difference!