April 24th, 2024
'The Puggle Post'
OUR SCHOOL VISION:
"Wandong Primary School...Making a difference by developing confident, independent and resilient learners who strive for personal excellence."
What's on What's Due
| April | 2024 |
| Wednesday 24th | ANZAC Day Service 2.30pm - 3.30pm |
| Wednesday 24th | Scholastic Book Club orders are now open |
| Thursday 25th | Anzac Day Holiday |
| Friday 26th | Grade 5 / 6 Interschool Sport - District Winter Sports Consent/Payment due |
| Monday 29th | Grade 3 - 6 Cross Country Selection Trials @ LB Davern |
| May | 2024 |
| Thursday 2nd | Walk for Wellbeing |
| Thursday 2nd | Scholastic Book Club orders close today |
| Friday 3rd | Grade 5 / 6 Interschool Sport - District Winter Sports |
| Wednesday 8th | Mother's Day Stall |
| Thursday 9th | Mother's Day Stall - Catch up day 1.30pm -2.30pm Limited stock only |
| Friday 10th | National Walk to School Day |
| Tuesday 14th | District Cross Country 9.30 - 2.30 pm - Selected Students only |
| Wednesday 15th | Susan Mclean Cybersafety Staff & Parent Session 3.30pm - 5.30pm |
| Friday 17th | Education Week - Science Fair - All Day |
| Friday 17th | Working Bee - 1/2T, 3/4E & 3/4M 2.30pm - 3.30pm Parents welcome |
| Friday 24th | Second Hand Uniform Sale - 3pm - 3.45pm $5 per item - Cash only |
| June | 2024 |
| Monday 3rd | Curriculum Day - No Students – If your child requires care, please book in at https://theircare.com.au/ |
| Tuesday 4th | Professional Practice Day - If your child requires care, please book in at https://theircare.com.au/ |
| Thursday 6th | Pizza Day - More information to follow |
| Monday 10th | Kings Birthday Holiday |
| Friday 14th | Working Bee - FM, 1/2M & 5/6F 2.30pm - 3.30pm Parents welcome |
| Wednesday 19th | NMR Cross Country - Selected students only |
| Wednesday 26th | Three Way Conferences - Alternate Day - If your child requires care, please book in at https://theircare.com.au/ |
| Friday 28th | Last Day Term 2 |
| July | 2024 |
| Monday 15th | First Day Term 3 |
| August | 2024 |
| Monday 12th - Friday 16th | National Science Week in 2024 |
| Thursday 15th | Working Bee - FS, 1/2H & 5/6C 2.30pm - 3.30pm Parents welcome |
| Monday 19th | Launch Pad Program For Parents - Special evening for those with a submitted application 6pm - 7pm |
| Monday 19th - 23rd August | Book Week 2024 - Reading is Magic |
| Wednesday 28th | Father's Day Stall |
| Thursday 29th | Father's Day Stall - Catch up day |
| September | 2024 |
| Wednesday 4th | Foundation Water Safety Program - Consent due |
| Monday 9th - Friday 13th | Foundation Water Safety Program |
| Friday 13th | Working Bee - FA, 1/2G, 5/6E 2.30pm- 3.30pm Parents welcome |
| October | 2024 |
| November | 2024 |
| Monday 4th | Curriculum Day - No Students – If your child requires care, please book in at https://theircare.com.au/ |
| Friday 8th | Working Bee - FC, 1/2W & 5/6B 2.30pm- 3.30pm Parents welcome |
| December | 2024 |
| Monday 2nd | Professional Practice Day (Student Free) - If your child requires care, please book in at https://theircare.com.au/ |
| Tuesday 3rd | Whole School Colour Run Day @ L B Davern |
| Friday 6th | Working Bee - 1/2L, 3/4G & 3/4B 2.30pm- 3.30pm Parents welcome |
PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
PARENT WARNING REGARDING CURRENT TRENDS PUTTING OUR STUDENTS AT RISK:
It has come to our recent attention that a novel titled Icebreaker (and related material by the author Hannah Grace) has been trending amongst school aged readers. This novel has become popular amongst primary and secondary aged children, due to is popularity on TikTok. Concerningly, while this book is marketed as a ‘swoon worthy romance’ novel, with a front cover that appeals to ‘tweens’, it contains highly adult material with an age rating of 18+. The novel contains highly pornographic sexual accounts, sexual assault, ‘slut-shaming’, food shaming, dieting & calorie-counting, disordered eating, death of a parent, toxic and abusive relationships, frequent use of adult language and pregnancy. It is our concern that many parents are unaware of the text’s content due to the way the book is marketed, and as such are unknowingly placing children at risk of exposure to adult content.
The use of AI (Artificial Intelligence) is also becoming more widespread and readily available to our children. Apps titled Talkie and Character AI have a user age of 17+ , yet we understand that some of our primary aged students have accessed these apps at home. These apps claim to allow users to create magical AI personas and to craft their ideal companions with which to role play online. Unlike their marketing however, these platforms allow individuals to create a character with which to engage in sexual games and harmful, explicit conversations.
We urge you at this important time to ensure:
- Children are at all times supervised on devices and that this is restricted e.g., not in bedrooms/bathrooms, time limits in place and only accessed in shared spaces.
- Children are NOT permitted or encouraged to falsify their age and details to access apps and platforms with an age limit.
Please help and support us in working towards keeping our children safe online.
If you haven’t already, please email the school at wandong.ps@education.vic.gov.au to book into our Parent and Staff session on Wednesday May 15th at 3.40pm with Susan Mclean – Australia’s foremost expert in the area of cyber safety.
REMINDER REMINDER REMINDER IMPORTANT REGISTRATION
THIS IS A PARENT ONLY SESSION AND STUDENTS ARE NOT PERMITTED TO ATTEND DUE TO THE CONTENT BEING DELIVERED BY SUSAN
We are fortunate to have Susan Mclean booked to do an information session for all staff and families Wednesday May 15th 3.40pm. It would be wonderful to have all families attend this session, alongside our staff. The school has invested significantly to support families in this new era that we are now trying to parent and educate children in. Please call or email now to reserve a seat – wandong.ps@education.vic.gov.au
DON’T MISS OUT ON THIS OPPORTUNITY
Susan is Australia’s foremost expert in the area of cyber safety and was a member of Victoria Police for 27 years. Widely known as the ‘cyber cop’ she was the first Victoria Police Officer appointed to a position involving cyber safety and young people. In 2003 she was the Victoria Police Region Four Youth Officer of the Year. She has also been awarded The National Medal and the Victoria Police Service Medal and 2nd Clasp, and the National Police Medal.
https://www.cybersafetysolutions.com.au/
Please call or email now to reserve a seat – wandong.ps@education.vic.gov.au
2025 SIBLING ENROLMENTS SHOULD NOW BE IN AT THE OFFICE
In 2025, we need to reduce our Foundation intake, so we are asking that all current families submit their enrolment application form for siblings asap. We are not able to guarantee a position at Wandong after the enrolment closing date if we are not your closest school. Thank you in advance for making this a priority.
Building a national picture of child health
From May 2024, our school, along with thousands of others across the country, will participate in the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC).
The AEDC is a teacher-completed census (similar to a questionnaire) which provides a comprehensive picture of how children have developed by the time they start their first year of full-time school.
The AEDC is an Australian Government Initiative and is completed nationally every three years.
Children don’t miss any class time while the AEDC is completed, and parents/carers don’t need to supply schools with any new information.
The data collected through the AEDC is used by schools, communities and governments to better understand children and families’ needs, and identify the services, resources and support they need.
AEDC data is reported at a school, community, state/territory and national level. AEDC results for individual children are not reported and the AEDC is not used as an individual diagnostic tool.
Some teachers have found that completing the AEDC made them more aware of the needs of individual children and their class, and that the data was useful for planning for transitions to Year 1 and developing programs.
Participation in the AEDC is voluntary, however the AEDC relies on all schools with children in their first year of full-time school participating in the collection. Parents/carers don’t need to take any action unless they choose not to include their children in the census.
To find out more about the AEDC and how it is being used to help children and families visit: www.aedc.gov.au.
If you have any questions, you can contact Mrs Woods or Mrs Morrow at wandong.ps@education.vic.gov.au.
Values and Property
Personal property brought to school by students, staff or visitors is not insured and the Department of Education does not accept any responsibility for any loss or damage.This can include mobile phones, calculators, toys, and sporting equipment. Please note that neither the school nor the Department hold insurance for personal property brought to schools and will generally not pay for any loss or damage to such property. We request the support of parents/carers in ensuring students are discouraged from bringing any unnecessary or particularly valuables items to school.
First Aid and Medical Consent
The Department no longer seeks parent consent to administer first aid or receive medical attention. This Department update has been made because schools have a duty of care to provide appropriate and reasonable first aid to students and to take action in emergency situations. Additionally, parents cannot delegate decision-making authority, including consent for medical treatment. Where a student requires medical attention, the medical professional administering treatment would either speak to the parent or provide treatment without consent.
School Policies
A reminder that all Wandong Primary School Policies can be accessed on our website using the following link: https://www.wandongps.vic.edu.au/school-policies/
Education Week Update
SPOTLIGHT ON STEM
Education Week will be celebrated Monday 13th of May to Friday 17th of May. Parents and carers of current students will be invited to visit us on Friday the 17th for our very first Science Fair. We are eternally grateful to our PAFA team who have been working tirelessly alongside Ms Lasota and Ms Yarni to develop, plan, coordinate and even FUND this amazing Education Week event. This will be an opportunity for our families to be a part of the education journey, as well as to interact with their child in class activities. We encourage families to take this opportunity to spend some time at school with their child.
Walk to School
On Friday 10th May the school will be participating in Walk to School Day. On this day students are encouraged to walk to school. For those who may live too far away to do so we are suggesting they get dropped off and walk from the Wandong Fire Station. Available staff will position themselves along the stretch between 8.30 and 8.45am to cheer and encourage students along!
Three Way Conferences – Wednesday 26th June
Once again, this year’s Three-Way Conferences will be managed through Compass. Three-Way Conferences are a fantastic opportunity for you to discuss and celebrate learning successes with your child and their classroom and specialist teachers.
Why Three-Way Conferences (3WC)?
- A 3WC actively involves parents, students and teachers in reflecting on student achievement, discussing work samples and setting future targets
- A 3WC acknowledges the most important participants in the learning process (student, teacher and parent)
- They provide a student voice to discussions about performance and targets
- They place the student at the heart of the assessment and reporting process
- They strengthen the home-school partnership and allow children to see their parents and teacher interact with them.
This day has School Council approval to run as an alternate day. This means your child will only be required to attend school for their 15 minute conference with their teacher. Your child will be marked as ‘Present’ when they attend their three-way conference. TheirCare will be operating a program for this day if your child requires care.
Times will be offered from 9:00am to 6:45pm. Each 3WC is allocated 15 minutes. Parents will be able to book via Compass from Friday 7th June at 9:00am.
3WCs take the form of a conversation between the student, their parents and their teacher. Both approaches give students an opportunity to share with their parents their growth as a learner, which they are always excited to do! They accept accountability and responsibility for their progress and achievement and demonstrate a growing understanding of their development as independent learners.
Specialist Three Way Conferences
Specialists will also be conducting appointments for those parents who feel they are necessary. Please note that Specialist conferences are likely to fill up quickly as many of our specialist teachers work with 300 – 450 students from across the school. It is not expected that parents see these teachers unless this is a subject in which your child is struggling, or you’d like support with. To make an appointment with a specialist teacher (PE, STEM or Auslan), simply follow the links on Compass when you receive the Compass alert.
If your child is receiving Tutor support, Intervention staff (Nicole Kanderovskis, Beth Smith and Jodie Hempel) will also be available for appointments.
Finally, we can’t stress enough the importance of being punctual to your child’s Three-Way Conference appointment time. Teachers will, in most cases, have appointments back-to-back across the day and can’t extend conferences into the scheduled time of another student.
We hope you find the Three-Way Conference a valuable insight and celebration of your child’s learning achievement and progress since our initial conferences at the beginning of the year.
WELLBEING
SEW in 1/2L
Since the start of the year, in SEW lessons, we have been focusing on listening carefully during instruction time on the floor, being kind to others and practising gratitude. At the end of each day, we think about what we are grateful for.
Some of the comments that we have said are:
“We are grateful for…”
- our families
- our friends
- my Mum or Dad making my lunch
- having a friendly grade
This term, we are learning about our bodies. We started this unit by seeing what we already know.
NOTICES
Office Hours
New : Please note the school office hours are 8:30am until 3.55pm
Picking Up Children – Please help our admin team!
IMPORTANT – Mobile Phone/Watch/Device Policy
In 2020, DET introduced strict restrictions on the use of any device with access to a cellular system, with or without a physical connection to a network. Where students bring a device of this type to school, it MUST be placed in secure storage at the office.
IMPORTANT – Student Information
It is very important we have up-to-date information for all students. Please check Compass and update current home & email addresses, phone numbers & medical details.
Reminder:
Hats must be worn throughout term one & term four outside. If your child has taken their hat home, please make sure it’s brought back to school.
Uniform Orders
****Please remember to order a bag for smaller orders & for larger orders select two.
If you order a bag, the order can be placed in your child’s or siblings’ tub for convenience. If not, you will need to supply a bag or make arrangements to collect your order.
COMPASS – CANTEEN UNIFORM ORDERING
When ordering uniforms through Compass, use Canteen. See below for how to order
Going paperless will reduce waste & conserve our natural resources.
Please Note:
Select the following day as your order date if the current date is closed, even if it’s a weekend!
Log into the Compass App.
Select more at bottom of screen.
Click on the Canteen button.
Select Place Order at bottom of screen.
Select Student.
Select Date. (Will have to select next date if current date is cut off)
Select sitting e.g. Uniform
Click on item you require e.g Short Sleeve Polo.
Select how many you want and then select the size.
Add to cart.
Repeat for other items e.g. Bomber Jacket.
View Cart
Proceed to Checkout or create another order.
Parking in the church carpark
PAFA
Next Meeting: 12th June 2024
INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC INFORMATION
Wandong Primary is pleased to offer instrumental lessons for students from Foundation to grade 6.
Thank you for your interest in the Instrumental Music Program at Wandong
Primary School.
Our program provides students with the opportunity to develop musicianship
skills, build confidence and collaborate with others to deliver performances.
Above all, we aim to foster peoples love of music, have fun and stay creative.
Please find below, the conditions of our program and Enrolment form.
| Fee Description 2023 | Term 1 (10 Weeks) | Term 2 (10 weeks) | Term 3 (10 weeks) | Term 4 (10 weeks) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Individual Lessons | $390 | $390 | $390 | $390 |
Please read carefully to ensure your child’s maximum involvement and development.
In order to continue and develop their skills, students are encouraged to
show evidence of regular practice. Below is a recommended guide for weekly
practice times:
Beginners: 15-20 minutes, 3 days a week
After one year: 30 minutes, 4 days a week
After two years: 40 minutes, 5-6 days a week
Payment Terms & Withdrawal from the Instrumental Music Program
1. An invoice will be sent at the beginning of each term and is to be paid,
in full, via Direct Deposit.
2. Fees must be paid by the due date. Failure to do so will result in lessons
being stooped until payment has been made.
3. Unless notified, the instrumental teacher assumes all students in the
program will automatically continue lessons each term. A verbal or written
notification to the instrumental teacher is required to withdraw students
from the program. Notice needs to be received 2 weeks prior to the end
of the term, to avoid incurring the next term’s fees.
AFTER SCHOOL CARE
About the program
TheirCare provides adventurous and stimulating Before & After School Care Programs in a safe environment for all children. During sessions children develop life skills, friendships, confidence and creativity through play.
Wandong Primary School has partnered with TheirCare to provide this service to your school which includes quality care, booking flexibility, amazing programming for your children and commitment to deliver on our promise to your school community.
| Operation Times | Fees* | Out of Pocket | Average^ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before School Care | 6:30am - 8:45am | $21.00 | $3.15 - $21.00 | $4.83 |
| After School Care | 3:30pm - 6:30pm | $23.00 | $3.45 - $23.00 | $5.29 |
| Pupil Free Day | 6:30am - 6.30pm | $103.00 | $15.45 - $103.00 | $23.69 |
| Holiday Program | 6:30am - 6.30pm | $103.00 | $15.45 - $103.00 | $23.69 |
| Late Booking Cancellation Fee | Within 48 hours | $5.00 | ||
| Cancellation Fee | Same Day | Full Fee | See BSC/ASC |
Service Phone Number: 0497 877 771 Your Service coordinator will be available during sessions times. TheirCare support is available during office hours if required on 1300 072 410
How to Enrol
Visit Theircare website: www.theircare.com.au and click on ‘Book Now’ in the top right hand corner to register your child’s details
*Standard fees excluding incursions/excursion costs
^Based on ABS published average family income for the suburb the school is located
WANDONG PRIMARY SCHOOL FETE SPONSORS
