Specialists Subjects
We offer specialist programs and supporting services from Foundation to Year 6 across a number of areas.
LOTE (Language Other than English)
At Wattle Park, we believe learning languages broadens students’ horizons about the world around them. By learning Mandarin Chinese, students are exposed to the vast social, cultural and economic opportunities available in their local community, Australia and across the world.
The LOTE - Mandarin program in Wattle Park Primary School provides students from Foundation to Year Six with not only communication skills but also cultural awareness. A great variety of learning activities involving listening, speaking, reading, writing, and visualising are dedicated to students with different interests, abilities and backgrounds.
These include singing songs, dance, stories, rhymes, games, competitions, role-play, cultural study, hands-on experiences, and class discussion and sharing. The Dumpling Excursion and Mooncake Making are two of the most welcomed activities in the school, followed by The Best Menu Competition and Zongzi Tasting.
In addition, Education Perfect is applied in LOTE sessions for students from Year 3 to 6. Students are also given the opportunity to participate in the Education Perfect Language Championship every year. Our students achieved first place globally for Chinese out of 188 schools in the 2023 competition.
Physical Education (PE)
The aim of Physical Education at WPPS begins with the development of students fundamental movement skills, as students progress through their schooling there is a focus on spatial and situational awareness during games. Throughout this students continue to improve their resilience and sportsmanship while encouraging a healthy appetite for competition. Students are given lots of opportunities to show their talents through intra and inter school competitions. The programs that are offered to students as part of the P.E. curriculum.
District swimming competition. This can lead to the Division, Regional, State and National level competitions.
School Athletics competition. This involves all 3/4 & 5/6 students participating in Athletics. This can lead to the District, Division, Regional, State and National level competitions.
School Cross Country competition. This involves all 3/4 & 5/6 students participating in Cross country running. This can lead to the District, Division, Regional, State and National level competitions.
Summer and winter gala day. This involves all 3/4 & 5/6 students participating in team sports against other schools in the district. This can lead to the Division, Regional, State and National level competitions.
3/4 & 5/6 Basketball competition. This involves all 3/4 & 5/6 students participating in a Basketball team against other schools in the district. This can lead to the Division, Regional, State and National level competitions.
Whole school swimming program. All students participate in swimming training late in term 4.
Basketball Club. This is a lunchtime time club run by the house captains one day a week and is facilitated by staff.
Sports specialists. We have specialists come in to deliver programs to students during P.E.
Additionally, there are multiple sporting clubs from different codes that are associated with WPPS. There are junior basketball teams that run after school and a Futsal club. In 2024, we are having an AFL and a Soccer program begin which will run after school.
Visual Arts
The aim of the Visual Arts program at Wattle Park Primary School is to guide and assist students to create visual art works that communicate, challenge and express their own and others' ideas. Perceptual and conceptual understanding is developed across all year levels, while critical reasoning and practical skills are explored and expanded across the different mediums of Visual Art.
Creative expression is encouraged, nurtured and sharpened through the years to discover preferences through exposure to a variety of materials and to identify personal form and style of expression.
Students' works are displayed in the Art Room as well as around the school. An Art Show is also scheduled towards the end of every second year to showcase students’ achievements within the Visual Arts curriculum.
Performing Arts
The Performing Arts program at Wattle Park Primary is designed to encourage children to explore their emotions, expand their imagination and help them develop their own, unique voice. Each discipline of Music, Drama and Dance engages a child's brain, body and emotions in different ways to encourage their confidence and find joy in self-expression. Students participate in varied Music, Drama and Dance programs developing their knowledge of Performing Arts.
All students are given the opportunity to participate in the whole school Production Concert, which is performed every even year at the Besen Centre.
Students from year 4 to 6 participate in Victorian State School Spectacular performance at John Cain Arena. Every year the performance is also broadcasted on channel 7 at the beginning of December.
Senior students are given the opportunity to participate in lunch time band practice. We offer this to students from year 4 to year 6.
All students are given the opportunity to present their performance skills such as drama, dance or music in the whole school Talent Show, which takes place in term 4.
Wattle Park Primary also offers externally provided instrumental tuition.
We end our Performing Arts with a Christmas Carols concert in term 4.
Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program
The SAKGP is a specialist program run for our Year 3 and 4 classes. The students are involved in a twice-weekly kitchen garden program to support food education.
This includes a gardening class, where, under the guidance of our horticultural Specialist, students participate in hands-on learning about a variety of garden techniques, and how to grow fruits, vegetables and flowering plants.
The second part of the program is based in the kitchen where classes are guided by our school chef where students learn to cook using a recipe and are taught supportive kitchen techniques including measuring, and knife skills.
As participants in the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program, students discover the pleasures of hands-on food education, through regular classes in a productive vegetable garden and a home-style kitchen classroom.
Students work with our Horticulturalist to grow food and our Chef to prepare the food. This program is supported by a range of volunteers from the community.
Children learn best through doing, through positive examples, through trial and error. We need to capture their interest, curiosity and energy as well as their appetites! The garden and kitchen provide a real-life context for learning, which interweaves the theories and practices behind growing, harvesting, preparing and sharing fresh, seasonal foods.
Students learn to build and maintain a garden according to organic principles, and to grow and harvest a wide variety of vegetables, fruits and herbs. An abundant vegetable garden is created within the school grounds to provide edible, aromatic and beautiful resources for the school kitchen. The creation and care of the garden teaches students about the natural world, its wonders and beauty and how to cultivate and care for it.
In the kitchen, students prepare a range of delicious dishes from the seasonal produce they’ve grown. The finished meal is arranged with pride and care on tables set with flowers from the garden. The shared meal is a time for students, specialists, teachers and volunteers to enjoy the fruits of their labour, and each other’s company and conversation.
Library Program
Wattle Park has our own well-stocked library, and a weekly library program for all year levels. Our librarian supports children with borrowing books that may be of interest to foster and support a love of reading.
EAL (English as a Second Language)
We are fortunate to have a diverse multicultural community at Wattle Park. We recognise that some students may be learning a new language as well as our curriculum. To support their learning, we offer an EAL program that supports children with learning the English language particularly as it relates to our curriculum.
Reading Intervention
We support children who may experience difficulties with reading. Through weekly sessions with our specialist Reading Intervention teacher, we support children with decoding words using a structured phonics-based program.