Hello Everyone,

2025.03.14 Movie Night - TONIGHT!

Gates open at 6:00pm.

Tickets are available for purchase online via Humanitix:

https://events.humanitix.com/wpps-movie-night-or-kung-fu-panda-2025

Tickets will also be available for purchase at the front gate on the night (card payment only). 

Note: A discount applies to tickets purchased online in advance.

A BBQ will be available on the night, offering sausages, soft drinks, water, popcorn, and other tasty snacks (card payment only).

BYO picnic rug, camping chairs, and feel free to bring your own food and drinks.

If you’re bringing chairs, kindly be considerate of those around you by sitting towards the back.

Children must be accompanied by an adult at all times.

We also have a $400 Dinner Voucher at Prohibition Food & Wine Camberwell to give away on the night. Be sure to get your raffle tickets via Humanitix when you purchase your movie tickets!

For more information or enquiries, please contact Em Beard at: 0408 887 741 or pfawattleparkps@gmail.com

2025 Parent Payments
Thank you  to everyone who has already made, or is making arrangements to pay their Parent Contributions.

The easiest way access how to pay is:

1. Go to your Compass home screen
2. Click on the Payment centre then scroll down to:
3. 2025 WPPS Parent Contributions

Working Bee!
Hot on the heels of our Movie night is our once a term Working Bee!

2025.03.16 Sunday 10 - 12 noon

We have various missions but a major one is to mulch the four garden beds around the newly asphalted area where the resplendent white mulberry tree lives.

See you there!

Our Students
Students of the Week!

Mathletics Champion
A round of applause for: 

                                        Samuel P 5A

who has excelled in Mathletics this week through consistent participation and impressive performance. Well done Samuel!

Class of the Week Awards - Performing Arts
Congratulations to:

                                      FB!

who were awarded ‘Class of the Week’ for their exemplary behaviour and participation in Visual Arts.

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

Year 6 - National Young Leaders Day

An article by Lachie, Emilia, Betty, Will from year 6
At National Young leaders day (NYLD) we had a great time experiencing famous people that have shown responsibility and leadership to us. We had lots of fun from the games and activities that they provided for us. They showed us their struggles of being famous and what their career consisted of. We left at 7:30 and caught the tram with Mr Abell and Mr Lindsay. We arrived around 8:30 - 8:45am.

Thomas explained how he started as a small animator in his friends garage and hadn’t done anything big. However, after that, he worked for  the TV show, ‘Dennis The Menace’ 

He had worked with them for a week then they were nominated for an AWGIE. He became known for his animation after winning the AWGIE. 

He won four more AWGIE awards for different animation studios and became known around the world for his work.

After he won lots of awards he made a new show called Space Nova and wrote a book called The Seekers of the Lost Cavern.

After that we had a snack break and met Thomas Duncan-Watt!

Catherine played the role of ‘Moana’ in the live action film.  She is 18 and was born in Sydney, in 2007. Ever since Catherine was young, she had loved ‘Moana’ and always looked up to her. Catherine auditioned many times to get this role. She loved working on a film set and with Dwayne Johnson who was also in the film. Even though she was having a great time, sometimes she would break down crying because she was lonely. Her family encouraged her alot to achieve her goals. Catherine has 7 siblings and her most important lesson was to never stop believing.

Emma is the most decorated Australian Olympian. This means she has the most medals in Australia. Emma has also won the most medals in a single Olympics ever. 

Her most important lesson was to never give up or quit. She was a unique talker in the way, instead of just talking she talked about multiple lessons. She was a great talker.

After those two speakers we went for a lunch break on the South Bank.

Former Australian Rules Football player, Majak Daw, is from Sudan and moved to Australia in 2003 with his family as refugees. He started playing for North Melbourne football club in 2013.He left at the end of 2020, then in 2021 he joined Melbourne Football club and left in June 2022. He taught us that no matter who you are and what level of skill you have you can do anything. He answered every question in depth and with positivity.

We left at 2:30 pm and came back on another tram and we got back to school at 3.15.

We think it was a great way to show leadership and we thought it was fun and enjoyable and we learned loads about being a leader. We are so grateful that we got to go experience with our leaders.

2025 NAPLAN 
NAPLAN is a National Assessment Program for Literacy and Numeracy students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sit in March each year.  

The NAPLAN test window is 9 days. This is to accommodate schools that may have fewer devices. The NAPLAN test window starts on Wednesday, 12th March and finishes on Monday 24th March 2025. It is the only national assessment all Australian students do. For more information please go HERE. 

You may like to have your child practise some online NAPLAN tests at home. Click on the following link to practise.

• NAPLAN public demonstration site

This website is accessible to teachers, parents, caregivers, and students 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The site enables users to familiarise themselves with the types of questions and functionalities available in the online NAPLAN assessment. Login details are not required to access the site. Test dates at WPPS are:

Day 1 - Wednesday 12th March Writing Yr 3 & Yr 5

Day 2 - Thursday 13th March Reading Yr 3 & Yr 5

Day 3 - Friday 14th March Make Up Day

Day 4 - Monday 17th March Make Up Day

Day 5 - Tuesday 18th March Conventions of Language Yr 3 & Yr 5

Day 6 - Wednesday 19th March Numeracy Yr 3 & Yr 5

Day 7 - Thursday 20th March Make-Up Day

Day 8 - Friday 21st March Make-Up Day

Day 9 - Monday 24th March Make-Up Day

Our Staff

Back by popular demand is our staff profiles section. THis week we feature Year 5A Mr Adam Lawrence:

Hello (again) everybody!

It feels like only yesterday that I joined Wattle Park and found myself getting slimed in front of the entire school community. While I'm not sure I'd list that as my absolute number one highlight, overall I can say I'm thoroughly enjoying my time at Wattle Park.

This year I'm once again teaching Year 5, helping Ms Duong keep the crows off the balcony. Prior to my job as a scarecrow, I worked at different schools in Victoria and abroad. I have been fortunate to have some truly unique teaching experiences, the highlight of which was six months in a rural village in the country of Georgia, where due to frequent power outages the students would move their desks over next to the small window so they could see their books. My role there could probably best be described as 'clown', although I like to think I helped teach them some English as well. 

In addition to travelling I enjoy reading, podcasts on history and politics, cooking, stained glass, hiking, and playing sport. I'm also an Essendon tragic and am just now bracing myself for what looks likely to be yet another disappointing season. Thankfully I've been spoiled with a fantastic group of students and I know they'll help me get through it.

Looking forward to an exciting year ahead!

Adam

Notices

2025 School Review
Thank you to everyone who took the time to write a few things in our school review survey.

It closes today at 5pm, so if  you’d like to add anything, now is the time! There only three questions:

• WPPS Highlights?

• What's working well at WPPS?

• Areas for Improvement?

Go HERE to access the 2025 Wattle Park Primary School Survey. 

Your responses will help inform our next School Strategic Plan.

Assembly
Fridays at 9.15am

Running Club
Thursdays 8am top oval

Colour Run Fun - Friday 28th March
Mark your calendars because on 28th March, our school grounds will be transformed into a canvas of colours. The event aims to promote health, wellness, and community spirit while having an absolute blast!

This will be one of our major fund raiser for the year, and we’re raising funds for outdoor play equipment! Sign up at funrun.com.au today to get involved!

See you at Movie night - and the Working Bee!

Steve Donohue

Principal

Wattle Park Primary School

Dear WPPS Families,

Thank you for your continued support throughout Term 1! 

Your child would have brought home an Easter Eggtacular lucky ticket booklet. We kindly ask for your help in supporting our school by selling the tickets and returning the ticket stubs, along with the cash, in a sealed envelope to the school office by Wednesday, 2 April. 

The lucky winners will be drawn during our assembly on the last day of term, Friday 4 April, at 9:15am.

In addition to selling tickets, we are also seeking donations of chocolate Easter eggs and other Easter-themed treats to help create some fantastic hampers for our raffle. Your generous donations will help make this event truly special!

Thank you once again for your incredible support – we really appreciate it!

Regards, WPPS PFA.

PS  There are more ticket booklets at the office should you require more.

If you are the holder of a Govt Concession Card or Health Care Card, you are eligible for Government assistance called CSEF, (Camps, Sports, Excursions Fund).

This payment of $154 is for any school activity including camps.

Please fill out the form HERE along with a copy of your concession card or Health Care Card with the submission of the form, and hand into the office.

By now, you should have been able to access the SSB Portal and allocate where you want the $400 funds to be allocated to: either Unform or School Activities.

When an event appears on Compass please email the office stating you are wanting SSB to be applied to this event and also give permission for your child to attend the event.  Compass is not set up to process SSB at this time.

If you have any questions relating to the SSB please contact directly to: school.saving.bonus@education.vic.gov.au or on Tel: 1800 338 663.

Thank you for your co-operation.

3. Remember September to May - No Hat No Play
 

Please note that it’s that time of year 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 $20.

4. Second Uniform Shop
Second Hand uniform shop will open in the school gymnasium from 8.30am - 9.30am on:  Friday, 16th May
                    Friday  13th June

Thanks to the very capable and committed parents who generously donate their time each Thursday morning from 8am - 8.40am.

Anyone and everyone is welcome. Meet on the top oval to take part.

Each runner receives two house points per session.

Please be aware the students who participate are in the care of the parents who run this activity and not in the care of WPPS staff till 8.45am. 

6. Annual Updating - Working with Children Check
All parents who wish to volunteer at school are required to present their Working With Children Check (WWCC) and sign the Child Safety Code of Conduct each year.  This is an annual requirement. Please do so at the office.

7. Student Enrolment Information Form
Thank you to Year 1 - 4 parents  who have returned their forms. Reminder if there are changes needed to be made, please forward the form to the office.
This week Year 5 Parents/Carers will receive an email requesting parents to check over contact details for their child/ren.
It is imperative we have the latest contact information, along with emergency contact details.
Please print off the sheets with any changes to be clearly marked, and return to the office for amendment - or email back to the school.
The office will send out emails to each year level, week by week.
Thank you for taking time to read through the contact information.

8. The Fun Run
Mark your calendars because on 28th March, our school grounds will be transformed into a canvas of colours. The event aims to promote health, wellness, and community spirit while having an absolute blast!

This will be one of our major fundraiser for the year, and we’re raising funds for outdoor play equipment! Sign up at funrun.com.au today to get involved!

Get ready to make memories with your kids, while they run, laugh, and get drenched in a spectrum of colours!

Julie Carlson 6A

julie.gledhill@education.vic.gov.au

• Newsletter

Any children from the school are welcome to represent the team. Even if they are not currently attending chess club.

Donated blood is powerful. Because it is a life-saving gift. Because each donation could save up to three lives

Giving back to my community. Returning the favour. A small way to help in a tough time. A newborn. My mates. A free party pie. Cancer.

All real reasons from real donors for why they give.

There are lots of appointments to fill at the new local Camberwell Donor Centre.

• Check that you can donate.
• Tips for donating
• Donate with a friend option here

After a steep drop in blood supplies in wake of ex-Cyclone Alred, Australian patients urgently need 6000 additional people to donate this week.  

Due to an unprecedented number of donor centre closures and a surge in hospital orders, preceding the Queensland emergency, this has drastically reduced Lifeblood’s stocks. 

A major boost in donations is urgently needed now to ensure blood continues to be available for patients in need. 

New or lapsed donors are urgently needed to see us through the coming weeks. 

We’re asking anyone who may be eligible to make an appointment via www.lifeblood.com.au

If you would like to organise a group booking, please reach out ?