Dear Parents and Carers,

In May this year I read an article by Phillip Adams about ‘What is your earliest memory?’ 

Not a memory to be kindled by leafing through a photo album, phone or watching a home movie. But to a memory of your very own, a memory you actually own. Phillip’s was about witnessing his first thunderstorm and running beneath the row of peppercorn trees beside his house.

It made me think of what my first memory was, and it was making mud pies with my best friend Kathryn in the lid of a galvanised rubbish bin while dressed in our Sunday best! I can’t remember the scolding that I’m sure ensued but rather the activity and what fun Kathryn and I had.

I asked my husband the same question and his was receiving a bundle of plasticene from a factory fire. I had never heard of a plasticene factory, so we decided to google it and sure enough there it was, an historical account of Harbutt’s Plasticene Factory in Bath, England.

A few studies suggest that about 40 per cent of us date our first memories to around two years of age. It’s doubtful that brain development permits memories any earlier. It would be an interesting activity to do with your children, to recall your first memory and theirs.

I’m sure there will be lots to remember in years to come from COVID times- the good and the bad.

Good memories will include the dedication of our health professionals and their commitment to keeping us safe and minimising deaths across the community. The joy of watching our Olympic teams perform so well. Taking pleasure in the small things; walks with the dog, zoom meetings with grandparents within and beyond Australia. Our School Council Treasurer and coach of an AFLW under 15 team, Scott Sutherland announcing the awarding of a premiership to his team. All good news stories!

I would be fascinated to hear your good news stories from COVID times to include in the last of our term 3 newsletter next week. Please send them to me via email gayle.cope@education.vic.gov.au

It is certainly a positive sign that in Victorian regional areas Foundation to Year 2 students are able to resume face to face teaching from this Friday. Fingers crossed that in term 4 students from metropolitan Melbourne can resume face to face learning.

I am so very proud of all in our community; students, parents, teachers and support staff who have just gritted their teeth and persisted with doing their very best in very trying circumstances.

The world will have changed as we know it, COVID-19 has been such a disruptor, but we are adaptable and will look forward and onward. It’s a very interesting time to be alive!

Warm Regards


Gayle

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We would love to hear from you!

Education Committee would like to gain feedback from the Wattle Park Primary community regarding Parent/Teacher interviews being online with a view to using this data to inform decisions about how Parent-Teacher interviews are conducted in the future.

To do so you can either click this link HERE or head over to our website HERE and access it from there.

The survey opens today (Friday 10.09.2021) and will close a week later (Friday 17.09.2021)

Looking forward to knowing your thoughts on this matter.

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Enrolments for 2025 intake and school tours are now open.

Book a tour by clicking HERE 
Phone:    9808 2165
Email:     wattle.park.ps@education.vic.gov.au
Please see our Enrolments for more information.

 

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