March 20th, 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

March 2024
Monday 18th - Friday 22nd Gratitude Week
Thursday 21st Harmony Day
Monday 25th Second Hand Uniform Sale near Auslan Room
Monday 25th Working Bee - 1/2N, 3/4C & 5/6H 2.30pm - 3.30pm Parents welcome
Tuesday 26th Foundation 2025 Touring Wandong - 10am
Tuesday 26th Easter Raffle Drawn
Tuesday 26th Purple Day - Epilepsy Awareness Day & Zooper Dooper fundraiser $1 each - cash taken in the morning & icy poles delivered at lunch time
Wednesday 27th Curriculum Day - No Students โ€“ If your child requires care, please book in at https://theircare.com.au/
Thursday 28th End of Term 1 - 2.30pm dismissal
April 2024
Monday 15th First Day Term 2
Monday 15th Foundation 2025 enrolment applications can be accepted
Thursday 25th Anzac Day Holiday
Friday 26th April Grade 5 / 6 Interschool Sport - District Winter Sports consent/Payment due
May 2024
Thursday 2nd Walk for Wellbeing
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
Tuesday 14th District Cross Country 9.30 - 2.30 pm - Selected Students only
Friday 17th Education Week - Science Fair - All Day
Friday 17th Working Bee - 1/2T, 3/4E & 3/4M 2.30pm - 3.30pm Parents welcome
June 2024
Monday 3rd Curriculum Day - No Students โ€“ 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 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
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
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 โ€“ 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

Staffing

We are excited to announce that Ms McCulloch will be welcoming a new tiny addition to her family in Term Three this year. We are fortunate to have Mrs Downey join our team this term and she is currently working in our 5/6 team. Next term, Mrs Downey will work alongside Ms McCulloch in Foundation M before Ms McCulloch starts maternity leave at the beginning of Term 3.

Students Online โ€“ please help

More and more over the last few years we have had online use at home impacting teaching learning and social relationships at school. This overflow of problems from home to school is incredibly difficult to manage, as we rely on families to monitor, supervise and ensure children are using online platforms in line with the guidance, rules and laws that are in place.

Primary school aged children are not allowed to be on social media sites. Social media sites have a minimum age of 13. It is illegal for children under the age of 13 to be on these sites and apps. Parents should respect the rules of these sites and not create accounts for Primary school children or allow children to use your account.

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 โ€“ wandong.ps@education.vic.gov.au

Please keep readingโ€ฆ Susan Mclean Top Tips

Number one, get devices out of bedrooms and bathrooms. No matter how good a parent you are, you canโ€™t supervise in a bedroom and a bathroom. And sadly, all the images Iโ€™ve seen of child exploitation material through my work as a police officer and the nude images that Iโ€™ve had to deal with since, none of them are taken in common areas of the house theyโ€™re taken where parents canโ€™t supervise.

If your child complains that they like to listen to music in the shower, buy them a Bluetooth speaker, keep the phone in the kitchen. If your child complains that their phone is their alarm clock, head into Kmart and purchase a clock radio.

Have a set of rules, you have rules about acceptable behaviour in real life. Make sure those rules extend online. So an online family contract about expectations of use is important.

Know your childrenโ€™s passcodes and passwords. That is not invading their privacy, thatโ€™s being a parent. Make sure that you can, if necessary, get into their accounts if something has gone wrong.

Talk early. Talk often. The earlier you start, the better. But it is never too late to start. Let your children know that no matter what they can come to you.

Use some sort of filtering. Please understand the Internet is a very adult world. It does not come segmented into age-appropriate areas, so you need some sort of filtering to help make sure that your children are not exposed to inappropriate, explicit or illegal content.

Learn to say no. Itโ€™s a very important word, and itโ€™s one, sadly, that a lot of parents donโ€™t use. Theyโ€™re too worried about upsetting their child or having their child not like them. Itโ€™s not your job to be liked by your children. Your children will love and respect you for saying, no.

Donโ€™t try and be your childโ€™s best friend. That will end with disaster.

Learn about the apps that they use, be there with them, download them, look at them, play with them. Have an appreciation of what the app is, what it does, and how to best protect your children when they use those apps.

Use security and privacy settings. Some apps have really good privacy and security, some not so. But if youโ€™re not using them, itโ€™s like the bike helmet. If itโ€™s not on your head when you fall off, itโ€™s not going to protect you.

Make sure that you limit their online communications to people they know and trust in real life. This isnโ€™t going to remove risk, but itโ€™s going to reduce risk. And thatโ€™s all we can hope to do. You cannot remove risk if a child is going online. So what we have to do is identify the risk, minimize and manage it. So unless I know them in real life and I mean really know them, not a friend of a friend. They shouldnโ€™t be hanging out with them online.

And lastly, know where your child is online, just as the same as would in the real world. Know where theyโ€™re going, know what theyโ€™re doing. and make sure you regularly check in with them. As I said, being an active and involved participant in your childโ€™s online world is the best protective factor that they have. Do not be afraid of technology. Itโ€™s not going to harm you if you use it well.

Parking โ€“ Church

The staff from the church have asked us to bring to your attention the appropriate and respectful use of this space. The bollards they had to put around the church to stop people parking right against the building is working. However, there is a gap between two of them to ensure access to the disabled ramp. The church has been putting notes on cars that have been left there all day, as they have a disabled member who often cannot get in the church because of these cars. They have recently put no parking signs up in the hope that this would stop people parking there, but to no avail โ˜น They have asked someone in recent times to move and was told, โ€œIโ€™ve never seen anyone using itโ€. This is clearly not respectful and it should be noted that we only have the use of this space through goodwill and relationship. It would be sad to lose this space to park because of these unfortunate events. Please do not park within the designated disabled access points on the church grounds.

Outstanding Payments

We are currently finalising our Term One accounts and would appreciate it if you could please make payment for any outstanding expenses. Thank you to all who have paid their parent payment for 2024. This money is used to provide the best possible learning experiences and resources for your children. Please remember you can pay in instalments, just contact Ros in the office to make arrangement. Your childโ€™s curriculum consumable items are purchased by the school, so our children are able to start their programs, learning and activities from day one.

NAPLAN

Well done to our Year Three and Five students who have been participating in NAPLAN. The tests ran smoothly with the oversight of our very organised and diligent staff. It was pleasing to see students working hard and ensuring they were giving it their best shot. Our latest information indicates that results will be much earlier this year, so fingers crossed.

Easter Raffle

Thank you to all our wonderful families who donated items for the Easter Raffle and bought raffle tickets. I hope children enjoyed their free dress day. There will no doubt be some members of our school community who have sore bellies after indulging in their winnings! However, I know these prizes have always been a welcomed supply of gifts.

Mobile Phone Policy and Other โ€˜Wearableโ€™ Devices

Please remember that there are strict policies in place regarding students bringing devices to school. Any device that can make a call and/or send a message and/or take pictures and/or take video is NOT permitted in school. Any device of this nature must be sent to the school office at the beginning of the day and will be able to be collected at the end of the day. Our studentโ€™s privacy is of the utmost importance and students are not always aware of the consequences of their actions. This policy has been put in place by the Department of Education and is there to protect all students at school. Smart watches and the like fall under the category of โ€˜Personal Mobile Deviceโ€™.

Support Your Child’s Education with 12 Months Free Internet at Home

The Australian Government has established the School Student Broadband Initiative to provide free home internet for one year for up to 30,000 eligible families with school-aged students.

The initiative aims to boost education opportunities. NBN Co is leading the rollout of this initiative across the country.

How the School Student Broadband Initiative can help your child

Children who can access online learning at home as part of their education are more likely to engage in classroom activities.

Access to fast internet at home can also support children to build their digital skills, learn how to safely use the internet and take part in a world that is more reliant on digital technology.

Eligibility

To be eligible, families must:

* have a child living at home enrolled in an Australian school in 2023

* not have an active National Broadband Network internet service at their home* (having a mobile internet service does not affect eligibility)

* live in a premises that can access the National Broadband Network through a standard connection. NBN Co will check this for you after you apply

* register interest with your school and complete a consent form to be assessed for eligibility.

*If an address has been disconnected within 14 days prior to an eligibility check โ€“ the address will be classified as ineligible. There may be cases where exceptions can be made, please contact the School Student Broadband Initiative team at SSBI@education.vic.gov.au to discuss further.

How the School Student Broadband Initiative works

If you are eligible, your home internet service will be provided at no cost for one year with a participating internet provider over the National Broadband Network. Each internet provider has its own step-by-step process to get you connected, which may involve you providing identification.

Once you sign up, the internet provider will help you set up your connection. The initiative does not include devices such as a computer or tablet. Other members of your household can use the internet service provided through this initiative.

The one-year period will start from the day your service is activated with your chosen provider. At the end of the one-year period, you will not be placed onto a paid service by your internet provider without your consent. The Australian Government is considering options beyond the one-year free period.

How to apply

* Ask your school for a copy of the School Student Broadband Initiative consent form.

* Complete the consent form and return to the school.

* NBN Co will use student address details on the consent form to confirm eligibility.

* If you are eligible, NBN Co will issue a voucher for your family to use to sign up with a participating internet provider. This will be provided to you by your school.

Please note: NBN Co will review the home address for eligibility. No personal information other than your main home address will be shared with NBN Co. Please see the consent form for details about how personal information will be used.

Find out more For more information about the School Student Broadband Initiative, visit https://www.infrastructure.gov.au

WELLBEING

S.E.W IN FS

Helping others.

Own up to your mistakes.

Nice and kind to others.

Even when you donโ€™t want to be honest, you must! Be brave!

Say sorry.

Tell the truth.

You can be honest!

NOTICES

Office Hours

New : Please note the school office hours are 8:30am until 3.55pm

Picking Up Children โ€“ Please help our admin team!

In exceptional circumstances and emergencies, at times children need to be collected from school early. Please help our wonderful administration team by ensuring that this is not done during the break times of 11:00-11:30am and 1:45-2:30pm. When children are outside playing with their friends, they do not hear the announcements and it is difficult to have a staff member unlock classrooms to collect bags and belongings. Please help support our classroom programs by waiting until 3:30pm to collect children. The admin area is growing quite hectic in the afternoons with families collecting children early Thank you in advance for your support and understanding.

IMPORTANT โ€“ 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 โ€“ 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 – CANTEENย  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.ย 

Click on the Canteen button.

ย 

ย 

Select Place Order at bottom of screen.

Select Student.

Select Date. (Will have to select next date ifย  current date is cut off)

Select sitting e.g. Uniform

ย 

ย 

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

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.

ย 

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 childโ€™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 termโ€™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 771ย  Your Service coordinator will be available during sessions times.ย  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

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