September 13th, 2023

'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

SEPTEMBER 2023
Wednesday 13th Whittlesea Show Sign up Expression of Interest Closes
Wednesday 13th Wandong Gratitude Games #tabloidsportsday Consent & Payment Due
Wednesday 13th STEM Quantum Victoria Excursion - FK & FI
Thursday 14th R U Ok? Day - Yellow themed dress up day
Thursday 14th ARE U OK? PIZZA Day - To order on Compass Canteen (Select this date)
Thursday 14th Whittlesea Show Artwork - Last day you can submit artwork to the office
Friday 15th Wandong Gratitude Games #tabloidsportsday
Friday 15th Last day Term 3 โ€“ 2:30 Dismissal
Saturday 16th โ€“ Friday 29th School Holidays
OCTOBER 2023
Friday 13th Grade 5/6 Surf Camp - Consent & Payment Due
Friday 13th Grade 3/4 Camp โ€“ Consent & Payment Due
Friday 13th Grade 1/2 Camp โ€“ Consent & Payment Due
Friday 13th Foundation Day Camp โ€“ Consent & Payment Due
Sunday 15th Dance Club/Choir - Selected students
Monday 30th Grandparents Day (All day)
NOVEMBER 2023
Monday 6th Curriculum Day - No Students โ€“ If your child requires care, please book in at https://theircare.com.au/
Tuesday 7th Melbourne Cup Holiday - No Students
Wed 8th โ€“ Fri 10th Grade 3/4 Camp
Mon 13th โ€“ Tues 14th Grade 1/2 Camp
Wednesday 15th Parent Event โ€“ Susan McLean โ€“ Cyber Cop, Keeping our Kids Safe Online. Please email or call the office to book in for this event
Friday 17th Foundation Day Camp
Mon 20th โ€“ Wed 22nd Grade 5/6 Surf Camp
Thursday 23rd Professional Practice Day - No students required - If your child requires care, please book in at https://theircare.com.au/
DECEMBER 2023
Monday 4th Foundation 2024 Meet the Teacher
Tuesday 5th Funfields End of Year Pool Party - Consent and Payment Due
Thursday 7th Grade 6 Graduation - Consent and Payment due
Tuesday 12th 2024 Foundation Transition Day - Teddy Bear Picnic at 9.15am
Thursday 14th Grade 6 Graduation
Monday 18th School Fete 3.30pm - 7pm
Tuesday 19th Funfields - End of Year Pool Party

PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE

SunSmart

Iโ€™m sure you are all with me in warmly (well somewhat) welcoming the beginning of Spring. Iโ€™m excited to welcome some sunnier days this week, thatโ€™s for sure! With this change, itโ€™s crucial that we keep the health and safety of our students at the forefront of our minds. It is time to retrieve, perhaps find under the bed, the old sun smart hat. It may need a good wash or perhaps you might need a new one for your child. Your child may also need a new hat if it is not fit for purpose, covered in graffiti or broken. These can be purchased through the office.

Term Four is a โ€œNo Hat, No Playโ€ term and we encourage children to apply sunscreen before your child leaves for school and please encourage them to reapply during the day.

Important Dates โ€“ Term Four

Please ensure you are keeping abreast of โ€˜What On and Whatโ€™s Dueโ€™ at the top of our newsletter. There are a number of events in Term Four and many of these need to be actioned on Compass. There will be no extensions or last-minute additions after events have closed. All events require the organiser to complete a โ€˜Risk Assessmentโ€™ with the children, staff and volunteers attending and this document must be finalised by this date.

SAVE THE DATE! COMING TO WANDONG! SPECIAL PARENT EVENT

Susan McLean โ€“ CYBER COP, KEEPING OUR KIDS SAFE ONLINE

BOOK IN NOW WITH THE OFFICE

Itโ€™s an Online World!

Kids today have access to and are accessible to many millions of people worldwide via the vast array of websites, applications and online games. The unprecedented amount of personal information available onย these sites makes them a perfect place for people who would happily identify their victims and gain their trust. Other identified dangers include exposure to inappropriate content,ย cyberbullying and harassment, exchangeย of inappropriate images and identity theft. Teens are often not aware that their words and or photos, which may have been intended for a small audience, sometimes find their way to a larger one, often with both theย unexpected and undesirable consequences.

Todayโ€™s parents grew up in a world devoid of these technologies. They often have little knowledge on how best to assist and guide children and, when interest or concern is shown, suspicious kidsย โ€˜fobโ€™ them off with the typical responses of โ€˜You wonโ€™t understandโ€ฆ..โ€™ โ€˜Go away its privateโ€ฆโ€ฆโ€™or โ€˜You have no ideaโ€ฆ..โ€™.

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Internet and mobile phone technology is fabulous and provides us with the ability to connect with people allย around the world.ย We can explore and learn about the world like never before, however, cyberspace does have its problems, and unfortunately for kids, they are the primary targets for peopleโ€™s warped ideas and badย behaviours. Young people are often targeted and groomed without the ability to recognise that this is occurring.

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Kidsโ€™ technical skills are superb. Adults today cannot even aspire to the level of technical knowledge inherent in todayโ€™s kids, but we do know that this skill is not matched by cogitative development. Nothing we do can โ€˜put an old head on young shouldersโ€™ and the ability to perceive risk, and foresee consequences, is limited.

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Kids need to appreciate and accept that just as in the real world, there are dangers in cyberspace. Parents need to teach kids that cyberspace is permanent. Everything that theyย write, post and send can be traced and will remain thereย forever. Do they want that comment, or picture from Saturday nightโ€™s party on the desk of the person conducting a job interview in 10 years time?ย Are you happy for that naked picture, sent trustingly to their boyfriend who loves them dearly and will not share it with anyone (until he has it or youย break up or both) on the computer of aย paedophile? Kids need to think before they click and parents and teachers need to educate them to ensure that where possible, the correct decisions are made in the first instance, not after a moment of madness.

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Don โ€™t be afraid of technology. Learn about it and embrace it as your children do. Accept that they will access content that might upset them, often not because they went looking for it and makeย sure that they are comfortable coming to you when this happens. Spend time online with them. Cyberspace can be a lot of fun.

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Please ensure you have called or emailed the office to book in for this special event.

Time Online

Managing the challenges of setting and maintaining rules and expectations around computers, tablets and mobile phones is hard work. The E-Safety Commissioner (esafety.gov.au) has a range of great advice and guidance regarding all things cyber. It is absolutely normal for families to be struggling with their children/s online/computer time at home and we often get asked about ways to develop their own family structures and expectations. We must all acknowledge that each and every family have varying expectations, and this is not a one-system-fits-all solution.

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The following is taken from the E-Safety website. Set boundaries for digital device use in yourย home. Device-free zones and times can help you manage screen time. For example, your family plan could include rules like this:

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  • no devices in the bedroom for younger children
  • all screens off in bedrooms after a certain time for older children
  • all screens off at least one hour before planned bedtime
  • all family members switch off at dinner time
  • devices charged overnight in a place your child cannot access

REMINDER - Mobile Devices - Ministerial Order

Last year, we attended the principal forum. In this meeting we were briefed about the importance of implementing this order with fidelity. We can understand that many students carry or wear devices to and from school for safety reasons, however; we must ensure that all smart devices (capable of connecting to another device, making calls or texts or taking photos) are handed into the office upon arrival to school by students. We will store these devices and have them ready to hand back to students at the end of the day.

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We are aware of smart watches that can be put into โ€˜school modeโ€™ and this disables the โ€˜smartโ€™ features of the watch. We ask that these devices are also handed in for secure storage also. It is not possible to check so many individual devices and ascertain if they are being correctly configured to adhere with this policy.

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All classrooms have clocks to enable them to access the time.

Curriculum Contributions โ€“ HAVE YOU ACTIONED?

Thank you, THANK YOUโ€ฆ we are chipping awayโ€ฆ

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Next term our 2024 Parent Payments will go live on Compass and I urge our families to speak to our lovely office staff about finalising 2023 payments.

GRADE PLACEMENT FOR 2024 - REMINDER

At this stage, we have not assigned teachers to grade levels for next year and, in fact; still need to select a few teachers to fill those roles. There are no guarantees that teachers currently teaching at certain grade levels will be teaching there next year, as leadership needs to take into consideration a range of factors including the differing experience of our teaching staff and teacher preferences before this allocation is completed.

The school always sets out to create classes that have:

  • A balance of academic levels (children at, above and below the level)
  • A balanced social and behavioural mix (children who will get on well together with as little interruption as possible)

As you can imagine the process of grade placement is extremely tricky and time consuming. What is in the best interests of the school and all our children and families is paramount.

Process:

  • Children will be asked by their teachers to nominate children they would like to be with in 2024. During the process the teachers will ensure that every child is with at least one of these preferences.
  • Classroom teachers will rank children according to ability and highlight behavioural/social concerns along with any relevant information they have gathered throughout the year. All this information will then be used to develop the 2024 classes.
  • Specialists will check the lists for any anomalies and then the leadership team will then confirm grade placements.
  • In the last weeks of term, children and their new teacher will visit their 2024 classroom. The children and new teacher will complete an activity in this session notifying parents of their new grade.

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Parent Considerations:

  • Obviously, the classroom teacher has the most information regarding individual children. As a first port of call, please speak to your childโ€™s classroom teacher if you wish to discuss anything about your childโ€™s placement.
  • Occasionally we may not be aware of special circumstances that need to be considered during the class selection process. Such special circumstances might include, but are not limited to; health, emotional or learning matters, peer or sibling relationships or changes in the home situation. Selecting a particular teacher does not fit within the realm of special circumstances. If parents want to provide extra personal information to be considered in the process you will need to email the school office. Letters should be addressed to โ€œThe Principalโ€ and reach the office no later than September 22nd. Please note this is not about requesting or selecting your childโ€™s teacher for next year. Please note that letters received after this date will NOT be accepted.
  • This will exclude the friends the children will want to be with which has already been gathered by the teacher.

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Finally, if you consider you have special circumstances, please make the request in writing EVEN if it has been made before โ€“ as much as we would like to think so, we canโ€™t remember everything from years gone by! We do appreciate your trust in our professionalism in these regards. Once our grades are finalised there is no negotiation and no changes will be made unless there has been an error in our process. Changes, after we have finalised the complex task of allocating classes, is incredibly difficult. It is a complex process with many changing scenarios, and when a request is made after the fact, it requires more than one combination of students to be moved to accommodate it. This then creates a chess game of up to seven other moves. The hard truth about accommodating all requests is that helping one, comes often at the expense of someone elseโ€™s child.

End of Term Three โ€“ Gratitude Games

Just a quick reminder that this week is the last week of Term Three. The children will have lunch from 1:00pm-2:00pm and return to their room for the last half hour of the day before being dismissed at 2:30pm.

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Have an amazing break and take some time out. Rest, relax and do something fun. We are ready for a big Term Four. School will resume Week One Term Four on MONDAY 2nd October.

WELLBEING

SEW in 5/6C โ€“ playful teasing vs. hurtful language

This week in SEW, 5/6C have been learning about the difference between harmless or playful teasing between friends and hurtful language. We talked about how it makes us feel when someone makes a โ€˜jokingโ€™ comment that actually hurts our feelings. We looked at a few different scenarios to identify if the comments being made were playful teasing or if they โ€˜cross the lineโ€™ and become hurtful.

Teasing has become hurtful whenโ€ฆ
โ€ฆone of the people isnโ€™t laughing. (Ethan)
โ€ฆit is spread through a bigger group. (Holly, Maddison and Addisyn M)
โ€ฆyou say stop and they donโ€™t. (Braxton)
โ€ฆitโ€™s about something that the other person canโ€™t change. (Annabelle, Ruby L and Matilda)
โ€ฆyou constantly say it and make fun of them lots. (Sammy and Chanelle)
โ€ฆthe only person laughing is the one making the jokes. (Zac and Riley)
โ€ฆit becomes personal. (Zara and Poppy)
โ€ฆwhen the person is looking uncomfortable. (Addison B and Lola)
โ€ฆyouโ€™re just doing it to entertain your other friends. (Kade)
โ€ฆwhen youโ€™re saying it to be mean. (Rubi M)
โ€ฆitโ€™s rude about something bad that happened in your life. (Ollie)
โ€ฆthe tone of voice changes. (Kobe and Travis)

A MESSAGE FROM OUR SRC

Our SRC are partnering with volunteer organisation ‘Lids4Kids,’ to help rescue plastic bottle lids from landfill and recycle them to protect our environment for future generations to come. Lids4Kids partner with many other recyclingย plastic manufacturers to re-purpose lids into any sustainable recycled plastic projects to benefit the communities in which they were collected.

To be part of this wonderful initiative, please bring CLEAN milk, water or soft drink lids to school and place them in your classroom collection point. Alternatively, you can bring them to the Auslan room or 5/6W.ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย 

NOTICES

Office Hours

Please note that the school office hours are 8:30am until 4:15pm.

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.

Uniform Orders

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.

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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

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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.

PAFA

Next Meeting: TBA

ARE U OK? PIZZA DAY:ย  Thursday 14th of September.

Large pizza slices $3.50

(Margherita, Hawaiian or BBQ Chicken)

Apple or Orange Juice Box $1.50

Order on COMPASS CANTEEN.

IMPORTANT: –

Select 14/9 and choose Pizza Day to order.

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OUR SCHOOL FETE IS COMING!!!

Ways to get involved:

  • Sponsor a stall (starts at $50 and you have your family name on the stall)
  • Grab a business sponsorship package ranging from $250-$1000.
  • Volunteer your time to PAFA prior or on the day with setup and running of the event
  • Help your classroom teacher run a stand
  • Donate milo tins or some spooky stuff for the haunted tunnel
  • Hold a market stall
  • Have a special skill? Weโ€™d love to hear about it!

Need more info? Get in contact!

Steph 0408 039 935 or stephanie.domino@education.vic.gov.au

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.

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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

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