wattle.park.ps@education.vic.gov.au

WPPS Newsletter 13th June 2025

#204

Principal's Report 13th June 2025

Hello Everyone,

This week our Year 3/4 students went on school camp. This camp was held at Phillip Island Adventure Resort and, from all reports, was a great experience.

There will be more about this camp in next week's newsletter, but you might be interested to know how the school-wide camps program works. It works like this:

You can see this structure outlined in our foyer too:

2026 Foundation/Prep Enrolments

There are two ways to enrol:

Online enrolment
1 View the Foundation Digital Enrolment Parent Guide.
2 Submit an enrolment application for Foundation (Prep) by Friday 25 July 2025.
You will be notified of the outcome of your application between Mon 28 Jul-Fri 8 Aug 2025.
3 Accept the offer by Friday 22 August 2025.

Hard copy enrolment
Simply fill in a paper enrolment form available at our office or download HERE and email to: wattle.park.ps@education.vic.gov.au

School Tours
School tours occur most Fridays at 10am and take approximately 45 minutes .

Tours can be booked by calling the school office on 98082165 or you can book online HERE

Further details regarding enrolment can be found on our school website HERE

Our Students

2025.06.11 Foundation - Fire Rescue Visit

Foundation children participated in safety education sessions supported by a visit from Fire Rescue Victoria. Students learned how to stay safe, the difference between good and bad fires and when to seek help.

“I loved spraying the hose.” Edwin FB

“I loved hopping into the fire truck and spraying the hose.” Maddie FB

“I liked the hose.” Zuri

“I liked the hose because it sprayed water.” Sonny K

“I like the fire truck and learning to be safe in a fire. I did a Stop, Drop and Roll.” Storm FB

Students of the Week!
Term 2 Week 8 - Not awarded this week due to Yr 34 Gala Day

Mathematics Champion
Term 2 Week 8 - Not awarded this week due to Yr 34 Gala Day

House Points
Term 2 Week 8 - Not awarded this week due to Yr 34 Gala Day

Our Staff

Our series on our staff proved so popular last year, I have requests for it to return as our parents have different teachers this year. Reintroducing Ms Kim Duong who teaches 5B:

Hello again everyone!

It is such a delight to be part of the WPPS Community since 2016. During my many years here, I have spent a lot of time teaching Year One, Year Four and I am now currently teaching Year Five. I have been so lucky to watch many cohorts of students grow throughout the years and progress all the way to graduation.

Student wellbeing is at the heart of everything I do. I’m passionate about creating a classroom environment that’s inclusive, supportive, and fun - where every child feels valued and seen. I love celebrating the unique backgrounds, strengths, and personalities that each student brings. Building respectful relationships with my students is something I genuinely enjoy, and I make it a priority to model kindness, empathy, and respect both in the classroom and out in the playground.

Outside of school, I love learning new things and exploring new places. I enjoy doing pottery, making jewellery (I always have a new hobby on rotation!), and seeing musicals.

I hope to see you around :)

Kim

Notices

Vintage (Second-Hand) Uniform Shop
Friday 20th June, 8.30 - 10am

Deakin Uni x Wattle Park Primary School Counselling Opportunity
Wattle Park Primary School continues its valued partnership with Deakin University’s Counselling Unit to offer student counsellors the opportunity to work with students from Wattle Park Primary School.

The purpose of this engagement is to provide short-term counselling to support students in achieving physical, social, emotional, academic, and psychological wellbeing.

Prior to undertaking placement, students have completed core subjects required to equip them with sufficient counselling skills and the ability to apply these to a range of clients as required.

Counselling support is only effective when those taking part are willing participants.

If you wish for your child/ren to participate in the Deakin University Counselling Opportunity, please email the school office at wattle.park.ps@education.vic.gov.au.

WPPS will select which students participate in the program based upon the parameters of the counselling provided and the needs of the specific child. As you will understand, medical privacy is of the utmost importance, and as such the basis upon which students are chosen will only be discussed with relevant parties.

WPPS Kids Disco

SEEN the Film
Tue, 24 Jun 2025 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM AEST. Doors at 6:30pm - WPPS library

SEEN: The Film, a powerful documentary exploring the long-term impact of childhood trauma and the journey of healing to create stronger, healthier families.

Tickets can be purchased HERE

ICAS
We are delighted to inform you that we will be participating in the world-renowned ICAS competition again 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.  We encourage you to consider entering your child (Year 4-6 only) into ICAS this year.  

Learn more about ICAS here.

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

Read about ICAS subjects and prices here.
Read the terms and conditions here.
Go to Parent Portal to purchase tests here.
Enter our school’s access code –  IOQ829 
Enter your child’s details, select the tests you would like to purchase, 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 Test Dates, Results and Certificates

Writing	Digital Tech	English	Spelling Bee	Science	Mathematics
Mon 4th Aug 9.15 am	Mon 4th Aug 2.30 pm	Mon 11th Aug 9.15 am	Mon 18th Aug 9.15 am	Mon 18th Aug 12.30 pm	Mon 25th Aug 2.30 pm

We will notify you when your child’s ICAS results are ready. You will have until Monday 28th July to make an order. 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. 
 
We are proud to offer ICAS and look forward to some fantastic results later in the year.  Please do not hesitate to contact the school office if you have any questions or send me an email at james.feather@education.vic.gov.au.

Kind regards, 
 
James Feather - Learning Specialist

Have a great weekend everyone.

Steve Donohue
Principal
Wattle Park Primary School

Help Us Make Magic at the School Fete!

WPPS Notices 13th June 2025

Please scroll through to see all of our latest notices!

1. CSEF
2. School Saving Bonus reminder
3. Australian School Dental
4. Sushi Day
5. WPPS Kids Disco

1.Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund

The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) helps eligible families to cover the costs of school trips, camps and sporting activities.
If you have a valid means-tested concession card, or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible. A special consideration category also exists for asylum seeker and refugee families. Means-tested concession cards must be valid on the first day of Term 1, 2025 (Tuesday 28 January 2025) or Term 2, 2025 (Tuesday 22 April 2025).
A student aged 16 years and over who is considered a mature minor and holds a valid concession card is also eligible to apply.
Eligible families will receive a payment of $154 per year for primary school students. The funds will be paid directly to the school to be used towards camps, sports and excursion costs for the benefit of your child.
If you applied for CSEF through our school last year, you do not need to complete an application form this year, unless there has been a change in your family circumstances.
If you would like to apply for the first time, please contact the school office on 9808 2165 and ask for an application form. Please return completed application forms to the school office as soon as possible.
Thank you,

Steve Donohue
Principal

2. School Saving Bonus reminder and allocation to school activities

The Victorian Government is delivering the School Saving Bonus (SSB) – a one-off support of $400 for eligible government school students from Prep to Year 12 in 2025.
The SSB can be used for uniforms and textbooks until Monday 30 June 2025.
Any funds remaining after 30 June 2025, including online voucher amounts that have not been redeemed, will become a credit to use on school activities. However, the credit will not be available on your family account at our school until late July.
To use any remaining SSB funds to cover the cost of school activities in July, please refer to the SSB online system and allocate the funds to school activities before 30 June 2025.
To learn more about the SSB online system, download the step-by-step System guide for parents and carers (DOCX, 945KB) or watch this School Saving Bonus video. System guide translations are also available in 14 languages.
The Department of Education’s SSB contact centre will remain available until 30 June 2025. The contact centre can be reached by:

completing the School Saving Bonus enquiry form
calling 1800 338 663, between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm on weekdays.

After this date, please contact our administration team for any SSB related questions.
Thank you,

Steve Donohue
Principal

3. Australian School Dental

Dear Parents/Guardians,
Australian Dental Health will be visiting Wattle Park Primary School!
ADH will be providing free dental check-ups and treatment for eligible students. Regular dental check-ups are essential for keeping your child’s teeth healthy—preventing cavities, spotting issues early, and encouraging good habits.
This service is provided at no cost to eligible families through Medicare’s Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS). If you have neither, Australian Dental Health will still provide a free check-up for your child.
It only takes a few minutes! All form submissions will be conducted online only. There will be no paper forms or in-person submissions.
Deadline for Online forms: Jul 1, 2025 11:59 PM.
Any forms received after this time will only be accommodated if time permits.
Don’t miss the chance to keep your child’s smile healthy!
If you have any questions, please reach out to ADH at info@adhv.com.au or 03 93239607.

4. Sushi Day

5. WPPS Kids Disco