May 1st, 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
| 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 |
| Friday 10th | 2024 Mitchell District Cross Country Championships - Consent & Payment Due - Selected students only |
| 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 24th | 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 |
| Friday 1st | Foundation Day Camp - Consent and payment due |
| Friday 1st | Grade 1/2 Camp - Consent and payment due |
| Friday 1st | Grade 3/4 Camp - Consent and payment due |
| 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 |
| Monday 18th - Wednesday 20th | Grade 3/4 Camp - Log Cabin Camp |
| Friday 22nd | Foundation Day Camp |
| Monday 25th -Tuesday 26th | Grade 1/2 Camp - Overnight Camp "Camp Weekaway" |
| Wednesday 27th - Friday 29th | Grade 5/6 Camp - The Ranch |
| 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.
PARKING
Please note that it is illegal to park in front of the double gates on Rails Street. Parking officers and police will fine you if you are parked here and staff will remind you not to park or stop here if you are found to be here. This parking restriction and signage ensures that there is access at any point in time before school, during school and after school in the event of an emergency or staff requiring access. Please ensure you are at no stage parked or stopped in this access point.
Staffing
Wandong has very much an ‘Open Door’ policy, but it’s important that the Communication procedures are followed. I urge you to please contact your child’s teacher if you have any questions or concerns regarding your child that need addressing. Your child’s teacher should be your first port of call, as they will often have all the relevant information to resolve the situation or provide the correct information.
Each grade level has a unit leader, and you are welcome to also seek clarification with the below staff:
Foundation – Katrina Smith
Junior School – D’Arne Trafford (Hoy)
Middle School – Emily Calandra
Senior School – Kaitlyn Hall
Specialists – Cal Fearn
Furthermore, our point of contact for specific curriculum questions can be directed to the below Strategic Leaders:
English – Jodie Hempel/ Nikki Potesta and Krystal Clappison
Mathematics – Emma White/ Steph Pollock
Wellbeing – Chloe Cole/ Jess Woods
If you require further clarification around any issue, please make an appointment with any of our below leadership staff:
Learning Specialist/ Teaching & Learning Coaches – Nikki Potesta and Krystal Clappison
Assistant Principal (Curriculum) – Stephanie Pollock
Assistant Principal (Wellbeing) – Jessica Woods
If all these steps have been taken and you still require further information, or your matter is of a serious nature, please make an appointment to see Steph/Jess or myself.
.
Arriving Too Early
Staff have noted that many children and some families are coming into the yard through the Church Car Park gate prior to 8.30am. Please ensure that you have a conversation with your child about not coming into the school until the gate bell sounds. Please also know and respect our staff who are not officially ‘on duty’ at this time. Most staff are in their rooms working to set up their classrooms and learning for the day. If you require time with your child’s teacher, please ensure you make an appointment.
Parent Payment reminder
Thank you to all who have paid their parent payment for 2024. This money is used to provide the best possible learning experiences for your children. Please remember you can pay in instalments, just contact Sue in the office to make these arrangements.
Congratulations and Staffing Update
We are excited to announce that Maddy Curtis who works in our 1/2 classroom as Education Support is expecting a new arrival later this year in Term 4. We wish Maddy every joy and happiness as she prepares to welcome a new baby to their growing family.
Mrs Elliott is taking Long Service Leave for the last four weeks of next term. Ms Yarni will be replacing her for this period of time and Ms Domino will be taking our PE session in F-2. We know this will be a wonderful arrangement for all our children.
WE WANT OUR STUDENTS TO TELL US WHAT THEY THINK- Attitudes to School Survey
We value student voice as a means to improving student engagement, wellbeing, and quality instruction, and are conducting a survey to find out what your child thinks of our school.
The Attitudes to School Survey is an annual student survey offered by the Department of Education and Training to assist our school to gain an understanding of students’ perceptions and experience of school. Students will be asked about their thoughts and feelings in relation to their school, their learning, peer relationships and life in general.
Students from Year 4 to 6 at our school will participate in the survey. Your child will complete the survey online during school hours using a purpose built secure online survey tool. We are looking forward to gaining insightful feedback from our students.
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 Foundation teachers will complete the AEDC for the students in their class.
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 Jessica Woods on 57871232.
Annual Report Public Meeting
Each year an Annual Report is produced to highlight successes and opportunities for improvement from the previous school year. The report consists of the Government School Performance Summary; a set of statements about What our School is Doing in terms of student learning, student engagement and wellbeing and student pathways and transitions; and a Financial Position and Performance statement. The Annual Report can be found on our website. The Annual Report will be presented at a Public Meeting on Monday 13th of May, commencing at 5.00pm in the library. School Council will be held after the public meeting.
WELLBEING
SEW in 3/4 M
In Term One, 3/4 M began the term by re-establishing our understanding of our classroom and school behavioural expectations in relation to our school values: Pride, Kindness, and Curiosity. As a class we created a matrix of expected behaviours and completed some crafts which identified how we could show these values within the classroom and across the school.
We also delved into the concept of growth mindsets, learning to approach challenges with a positive outlook. We explored the difference between having a growth and fixed mindset, learning that having a growth mindset involves believing that our brains can grow and acquire new knowledge, and that making mistakes is an important part of learning.
During Harmony Day, we celebrated the cultural diversity present in our school and classroom, recognising that everyone belongs in our Australian society. To symbolise the cultural richness within our classroom, we decorated hands with representations of everyone’s cultural background.
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
Uniform Orders
****Please Note: Select the following day as your order date if the current date has closed, even if it’s a weekend!
****Please remember to select a bag on the form for your purchase, as we are now plastic free. If you don’t select a bag, you will need to make arrangements to collect your order from the office.
PAFA
Next Meeting: 12th June 2024
NEW MEMBERS AND FRIEND
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
WANDONG PRIMARY SCHOOL FETE SPONSORS
