Hello Everyone!

Teaching and Learning - around the school this week

Teaching - Our Staff

Mr. James Feather is one of our four Year 6  teachers and has been with us since 2015. 

‘It is an absolute pleasure to see the students of Year 6B each week! This is my 7th year of teaching at WPPS and I am looking forward to preparing this cohort of students for high school. As well as teaching my class, I am completing a Mathematics Specialist training course to further develop the knowledge and expertise of myself and the rest of the staff at our school in Mathematics.

Learning - Our Students

On Monday this week our Year 5 & 6 students took part in a program called ‘Hawks for All’. This program's aim is to give students a better understanding of disability and inclusion and to build empathy, all while learning to play Blind and Wheelchair Footy. With a vision to create a more accepting and inclusive community and environment for the students. The following is a piece written by three of our house captains in response to this incursion:

Hi, I'm Cleo, Waratah house captain, I’m Isabel, Acacia house captain and I’m Jack, Bluegum house captain. 

On the 2nd of May, the Years 5 and 6 had an incursion and met the fabulous Hawks AFL players - Daniel Howe, Jack Saunders and Max Lynch, as well as the captain of the Hawthorn wheelchair team Joanne (Jo). We learned about the challenges and difficulties of living and playing sports in a wheelchair. It taught us the challenges of people in wheelchairs and helped us really understand the struggles for others as well as that it’s okay to be different and that everyone is still human. 

The house captains also used wheelchairs to demonstrate how to play a football game in a wheelchair with the Hawks AFL players. Everyone experienced what it’s like to be in a wheelchair, they also learned how to turn and move in one as well and we got to play with the Hawthorn players, it was awesome and so exciting. Everyone loved playing around in the wheelchairs but doubled loved meeting the players and asking questions about them.  The players were super nice and we’re so grateful for their time and the fact we got to meet them.

At the end of the day, the Hawks sadly had to leave to go to their training, but everyone had an awesome time and loved meeting all of the players and enjoyed the wheelchairs. We thank the Hawks players and Jo for coming down to our school! 

NAPLAN

NAPLAN online begins next week. All schools in Victoria are doing it online this year. This has not always been the case. WPPS was an early adopter of this technology and has many staff experienced with its delivery. NAPLAN is a national literacy and numeracy assessment that students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sit in May each year. It is the only national assessment all Australian students do. For more information please go HERE.

NAPLAN is just one aspect of a school’s assessment and reporting process. It doesn’t replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance, but it can provide teachers with additional information about students’ progress. NAPLAN assesses literacy and numeracy skills that students are learning through their regular school curriculum. Students sit assessments in writing, reading, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy. Questions assess content linked to the Australian Curriculum: English and Mathematics. To find out more about NAPLAN, visit nap.edu.au

2022.05.04 Yr 3-6 Cross Country

As you are probably already aware, our Year 3-6 Cross Country, held at Coopers Reserve on Wed 4th May, was moved forward one hour to begin at 9.30am rather than 10.30am due to the ever increasing possibility of inclement weather. It was expertly organised and managed by our PE Teacher, Mr Nic Lindsay. Pictured above we have Tiana 1st, Charlotte 2nd, Tillie 3rd place from the 12/13 year old girls race. Students participate for fun and compete for house points. The top ten students from each running group (Eg the top ten boys from the 9 & 10 year old boys) are invited to attend the District Cross Country event held on the 25th of May.

2022.05.06 Assembly

Assembly resumed face to face this week in the gym today. We will be trialling this in two parts with a view to inviting parents after we see how it goes. 

9.15 - 9.30am Yr F - 3

3.15 - 3.30am Yr 4 - 6

As the Operational Guidelines specify for schools to maintain physical distancing between students/adults where possible. This will do two things:

• Comply with Guidelines
• Bring the school back as a community.

If it all goes well, we will be inviting parents to attend later in the term. 

2022.05.15 Working Bee 10 - 12noon

We're on a mission to streamline the playground by making it safer for our students and tidier in general. We can supply, a wheel barrow, secateurs, long handled secateurs and a few rakes. We need some people with:

• shovels
• pick axes
• hand saws
• chainsaws
• wheel barrows
• hedge clippers
• whipper snippers…  and a lot of energy! 

A list (and pictures!) of the jobs we are intending to get done has already been sent out via Compass and can be viewed HERE. I realise this is a rather aspirational list but if you aim for the stars and only make the moon you’re still closer than when you began!

PLEASE DON'T USE ANY MACHINES THAT ARE NOT CONFIDENT WIT H!

WPPS (and I) do not accept any liability!

Email Michael Hunt and Emily Beard with what you'd like to take care of at: pfawattleparkps@gmail.com.  Some of these jobs can even be done on the days, evenings, or weekend beforehand  - please email me at steven.donohue@education.vic.gov.au if this suits you. There will be a 10M walk in skip in the carpark, arriving Friday 13th - we can put anything in it!

COVID 19

Go HERE for all updated information about the new Operations Guidelines (No 32!) and how they affect WPPS. 

EVENTS

Go HERE for event details on our website’s calendar.

Have a great weekend.

Steve Donohue

Principal

Wattle Park Primary School

A fantastic social start to Term 2 with our Bowls day – please see our newsletter article for more pictures and highlights from the day!

Check out what’s coming up at WPPS in fundraising, and on our social calendar. And on behalf of the PFA, we’d like to wish all mums and special people a very lovely weekend!

Mothers & Special Persons Stall – Final availability 3.30-4pm today (Friday 6^th May)

If you haven’t yet seen our stall – come along for the LAST CHANCE AT 3.30pm TODAY (Friday) to pick up a gift for that special person! Gifts are between $2-$15. This year the stall is located in the old LOTE building, just inside the Banksia Street entrance.

A MASSIVE thank you to our stall coordinators Emily and Alisha, assisted by a terrific team of helpers. We really want to acknowledge the work that these two ladies have done in particular behind the scenes (and with a lovely group supporting too!) to bring the goodies to you – with treks across town to pick up earrings, wrapping, reboxing, planting, it’s incredible. It was a wonderful selection again this year, and we know the kids had a great time choosing just the ‘right’ gift for their special someone.

Mothers & Special Persons Afternoon Tea – Saturday 21^st May 3-5pm

Not long now! Please see our separate article for more information and find out how you can attend this special event!

For ticket and lucky ticket bookings - https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/896649

Bunnings Barbecue – Sunday 29^th May

 Love a Bunnings sausage? Come along on 29^th May to support our Wattle Park Primary stall at Box Hill Bunnings, Middleborough Road.

Stay tuned for more information on Konnective – we’d love your support!

Like to be a part of the PFA?

If you would like to join the Parents & Friends Association – we’d love to have you. We’re always keen to welcome more people – whether you’d like to arrange an event, or be a helper. It’s a rewarding thing to do, and you get to meet parents from the school community.

Please contact Anthony Hall, PFA President, on 0409 806 478, or email pfa@wattleparkps.vic.edu.au

Lawn Bowls Event!

What a great day on the green we had at our Barefoot Bowls afternoon at Bennettswood Bowls Club on Saturday 30^th April. Kids and adults alike had a terrific time learning the skills and enjoying delicious pizza! 

Congratulations to the competition winners for landing their bowl closest to the Jack, Adam and Mark. Well done, it was a very close race with great excitement! A big thanks to Bennettswood Bowls Club for donating two bottles of wine as our prizes.

Thank you for coming along, and we look forward to seeing even more people in future! Cheers to Steve, Tom and Aiesha for coordinating the day.

 Learning new skills

Winners are grinners! Congratulations Mark and Adam

We’d like to invite you and the special people in your life to attend our WPPS Afternoon Tea on Saturday 21^st May (election day!) from 3pm – 5pm. Come along to the beautiful Wattle Park Chalet and meet others from the community.

Join us for a lovely afternoon including:

• Glass of bubbles on arrival
• Afternoon tea in platters (finger food)
• Lucky tickets with chances to win AMAZING prizes!
• Door prize (Receive a free ticket on arrival)
• Goody bag for every guest with lovely items!
• Silent trivia with team prizes
• A variety of stalls! Support local businesses and shop for jewellery and candles!

BOOK TICKETS HERE - https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/896649

Be sure to get in early to book for this amazing event! Tickets close 19^th May.

Tickets are $40pp. You can also purchase lucky tickets for some great prizes at the same time.

Our incredible assortment of lucky ticket prizes include: $450 hamper from Coconut Home, $250 leather bag, $200 hair treatment from Hair Republic for an adult and child, $60 voucher from Zinc gifts, Hampers from Evodia Beauty Care and Amcal Pharmacy, gift vouchers from Leaf Bookshop and Foodrinkery, and lots more!

Can’t make the event but like to support us and purchase lucky tickets? If you can’t make it, you are still welcome to buy lucky tickets online (just email pfa@wattleparkps.vic.edu.au to advise you won’t be attending but you have still bought tickets).

We would like to thank the following sponsors and donors for their support – please support them!

And come along to meet our stallholders, including a candle designer, and our very own Shereen from Shereen Jewellery:

• Shereen Jewellery (Come and meet Shereen Spiteri, a WPPS mum!)
  • shereenjewellery.com
  • facebook.com/ShereenJewellery
  • instagram.com/shereenjewellery

We can’t wait to see you at this exciting event!!

• Monday, 23rd May,
• Monday, 13th June

The Victorian Government has announced it is extending the rapid antigen test (RAT) screening program for the first 4 weeks of Term 2 as COVID Safe settings continue.


4. Message from Canteen
1). Canteen is always looking for volunteers to help.....12pm - 1.30pm on Friday.  Please register via            https://signup.com/client/invitation2/secure/827030846186224028/false?popup=true#/invitation

We operate a first aid room at Wattle Park Primary school. In order to keep our First Aid Room clean and tidy, we require parent volunteers to assist us each Friday. We'd love 40 families to help - so you only have to help once a year!
For only around 15 minutes we appreciate you checking the area, changing the sheets, and returned washed sheets the following Monday. 

How to assist

• Click on the link below, choose the date you can assist, and sign up.
• You will not require an account or to keep a password. 
• If you would prefer not to use your email address, please email the school and your details can be entered manually to include you on the roster. 
• To assist with tidying the First Aid room please sign up here: 

  https://signup.com/go/bpUzddO