Hello Everyone,

Well I haven’t seen frost like this for decades!

The crispness of our recent mornings, including frost on our equipment, lawns and paths is a beautiful, yet dangerous combination. Please be careful when you are arriving at school. We are on a slope and things are wet.  If you find yourself running late, remember safety first and take your time. An injury free day is a good day! (Pictured below we have Deb and Jo navigating our icy bottom playground. These ladies are two of our Learning Assistants, who arrive early each day to go for a walk before the bell).

Our students

Our Year 3 and 4s attended Hoop Time this week on Monday, 18th  July . The Hoop Time program offers students in Year 3 and 4 (junior) and Year 5 and 6 (senior) the opportunity to play basketball in a fun competition with qualified referees.  Our year 5 and 6s attend Hooptime later this term on Wednesday,  31st August. The program culminates at the end of each year with Regional Finals and a State Grand Final day. Hoop Time brings together school students from across Victoria for single-day round robin tournaments held at local basketball stadiums. You can find more information about Hoop Time from Basketball Victoria HERE

Our Staff

Continuing getting to know our staff, this week we introduce Ms Anna Saaksjarvi to our school community:

Hi Wonderful Wattle Park!

I feel very lucky to be part of such a welcoming, supportive and engaged community 😊. I started teaching at Wattle Park Primary in 2012 in the Year 5/6 area and since then have taken some time off whilst having my 3 children, who now also attend our school. I am now very much enjoying teaching Year 3 for a second year in a row. I love the exuberance and different perspective the children bring to learning. Most of all, I really appreciate how our students look out for and support each other. How truly lucky we are! It is certainly a reflection of our wonderful broader community. Term 3 is action packed with lots of fun for all and I am very much looking forward to seeing lots of excited, happy children throughout the school with stories to share with their friends and families. Bring on the learning and the fun! 😊

Centenary Square

Some time ago we made a concerted effort to tidy up the chaotic carnival of triffid like joy, that was the garden beds around Centenary Square. Thanks to the Parents and Friends Association (PFA), We now have this:

These ground covering silver leaved perennial daisies will cover the mulch, flower in the beginning of term 4 with a display of orange and red. HERE is where you can read more about them. Ms Saaksjarvi’s Year 3A helped us get them from the truck to the beds on Wednesday. 

Our Year 6s worked in a two person cycle throughout the rest of the day to plant them with their Foundation buddies.

Lambs

Our lambs ‘Wattle’ (the smaller one) and ‘Rosie’ (the bigger one) continue to teach our students a variety of concepts including that of being responsible. As you are aware, ‘to be responsible’ is one of our school values. Here we have Kavya and Darcy teaching Year 2B about how to feed the lambs.

Thank you also to The Reuterwards who have supplied knitted jumpers for both of the lambs. There has never been a better time to be wearing a jumper.  

Face masks

Current advice from the Victorian Government recommends face masks are worn in indoor settings (except for close contacts, who must wear a mask indoors unless an exception applies). Students who are close contacts and want to attend should still take 5 RATs over 7 days and wear a face mask whilst indoors if they are aged 8 years or over. A letter provided by the Department of Education and Training has been sent out this week via COMPASS to explain DET’s current position. 

Calendar

Lots of events happening this term including School Camps, Parent Teacher Interviews, and various excursions. Please check the calendar on our school’s  website to keep up to date. Events can be clicked and downloaded to your phone - a marvellous way to make sure you are not startled by the words “I'm doing a science presentation today and l need full scale functioning, LED fitted, solar powered, spinning replica of the entire universe right now”... oh dear...

Chickens

The students are not always onsite so we need volunteers to help look after the lambs and the chickens after hours. 

Sheree Spiteri, a parent of one of our Foundation students, is currently organising a weekend roster for our school chickens in her role as Chicken Care Coordinator and she is now seeking volunteers for the weekends throughout Term 3. Everyone is welcome to volunteer and support is available if required.

Responsibilities:

• Let the chickens out in the morning and bring them in late afternoon
• Check for eggs
• Empty water containers and refill with fresh water
• Check food and grit containers and ensure there are adequate amounts of food for our 8 fabulous ladies
• Clear any chicken droppings/feathers from the laying boxes and water/food/grit containers
• Replenish hay in the laying boxes 

The chickens are such an important part of the WPPS community and the SAKGP. Ensuring they are cared for outside of school hours is essential to their health and wellbeing… and egg laying! If you are interested, please contact Sheree at: shereespiteri85@gmail.com  and advise of the following:

• Name
• Email address
• Mobile number
• Availability (even one weekend will help)

Parent Teacher Interviews

Parent/Teacher Meetings occur in Term 1 and Term 3. Written reports are provided in Term 2 and Term 4. This term we have Parent/Teacher meetings on:

Tues 26.7 from  3.50 - 7.30pm

Wed 27.7 from 3.50 - 4.50pm

PT meetings are an opportunity for you to discuss your child/ren/s progress with their teacher/s and to work together to achieve the best outcome for your child/ren academically. These went live to book on Monday 18th July and will close 24 hours before the first interviews commence. School Council will also be meeting onsite in the WPPS  staffroom at the same time the Tuesday interviews are taking place.

School Community Safety Order Scheme

The Department of Education and Training has strengthened the legal protections available to all Victorian schools in response to unacceptable behaviour from parents, carers and other adults in the school community by introducing the School Community Safety Order Scheme.

The Scheme empowers authorised persons, including principals, to issue School Community Safety Orders to prohibit or limit unacceptable or unreasonable behaviour. You can find this policy HERE.  This policy is also linked to o.

Respectful Behaviours within the School Community Policy

The Scheme is just one part of the Department’s initiatives to address work-related violence in schools. The Department’s Respectful Behaviours within the School Community Policy on the the Department of Education and Training’s website communicates the shared responsibility staff, parents and other adults have in behaving respectfully.  

I’ve uploaded these policies to our school website HERE

2023 Enrolments

2023 school planning has commenced. We are having quite a few families who are asking to enrol from outside our zone due to various factors - all of which are inherently a very positive reflection on WPPS!  So, if you have a child/children due to commence school in 2023 please complete a school enrolment and forward to the school office along with a copy of their Birth Certificate & Vaccination Certificate ASAP. A  2023 School Enrolment form is available HERE on the WPPS website or the school office.

And one more thing!

We are padlocking shut the gate to Warrigal Rd. after 9.15am every morning. It opens again around 3pm. We are doing this because we have a student who has a penchant for running out of the class and out of the school grounds. There are processes in place to ameliorate this issue but the safety issues are abundantly evident. Thanks for your understanding on this one.

Have a great weekend.

Steve Donohue

Principal

Along with the student enrolment form, you must also send:

• A copy of your child’s birth certificate/passport
• Your child's immunisation history
• Any visas (if applicable)

Once received, you will receive a confirmation email at our earliest convenience.

If you know of other families yet to enrol, please encourage them to do so.

If you have any questions relating to the enrolment process, please email or call the office (9808 2165).


We look forward to seeing you in 2023.

Kind regards,

Steve Donohue
Principal

2. School Council Dates for 2022

Tuesday, 26th July, 7pm
Tuesday, 23rd August, 7pm
Tuesday, 18th October, 7pm
Tuesday, 13th December, 7pm

3. Car Parking, Banksia Street

Parents, out of courtesy to our neighbours please do not park across their driveways in Banksia Street, when dropping off or picking up your children. Whitehorse Traffic Officers will be patrolling during these times.

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