Friday 11th October, 2024

From the Principal

It’s been an exciting time for everyone at Wangala Primary School this week. Not only have we all returned, ready for another exciting and busy term of learning, but some of our staff members have shared some very exciting news! During the week Miss Longley announced that she is expecting twins in March of next year. Following this announcement, Mrs Beaumont announced that, she too, is expecting and is due in March. This was followed up by Mrs Beer announcing she is also expecting and due around the same time. Our Outside School Hours Care educator, Karina also recently announced that she is due with her first child early in the year, which means Mrs Whytcross will become a grandmother. With five babies all due in such a short time, we are now considering the viability of adding a childcare wing to our school! Congratulations to Rebecca, Hannah, Meagan and Karina on your exciting news. We are over the moon for you all, and cannot wait to meet the new arrivals early next year.

With all this exciting news, this means that I will now be busy recruiting replacements to ensure we have teachers ready for the start of the year. I am pleased to say that next year, we will be looking at adding an additional classroom, bringing the number up to five. Later in the term I will be in a position to share with everyone who our new teachers will be for 2025, which classes each of our classroom teachers will be teaching, and where each class will be placed. It is certainly an exciting time for Wangala Primary School.

As you will all know, I took two weeks of long-service leave at the end of term three. I thank Rashelle Moon for stepping into my position during my absence, and for ensuring the school continued to operate as smoothly as it always does. I thoroughly enjoyed soaking up some sunshine in Palm Cove for a week.

The last day before going on long-service leave I participated in a day for school leaders hosted by the Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership focused on ‘Strengthening Wadawurrung Perspectives Across Barwon Schools’. The day saw us building knowledge and understanding of Wadawurrung Country and its people, history and culture led by Corrina Eccles, proud Wadawurrung Traditional Owner from the Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation, as we ventured to significant sites across our region. It was a great privilege to have this time to hear about the Wadawurrung people, history and culture, and to join with members of the regional Koorie Education workforce and other department colleagues to discuss the importance of the work we are all doing through education.

Lastly, it has been a pleasure to have a chat in the mornings to many of you, and to hear stories from our students about their holiday break. Welcome back, everyone. This term is going to be another busy one with much happening.

Regards,

Steven King

Principal

Dates to Remember

Thursday,10th October
Prep 2025 – Transition Session 1

Monday, 14th October
Kids Helpline Online Session, Year 5/6 Students – High School Transition

Thursday, 17th October
MARC Program at WPS

Friday, 18th October
2.45pm Assembly in the Gym

Monday, 21st October
Prep 2025 – Transition Session 2

Wednesday, 23rd October
Student Free Day – Geelong Cup

Thursday, 24th October
Student Free Day – Curriculum Day

Thursday, 31st October
MARC Program at WPS

Friday, 1st November
Auslan Incursion
2.45pm Assembly in the Gym

Wednesday, 6th November
Prep 2025 – Transition Session 3

Thursday, 7th November
Talk-and-walk-a-thon – Whole School (wear school house colours)

Friday, 8th November
RACV Safety Sessions Incursion –
Whole School

Monday, 11th November – Friday 17th November
Whole School Swimming program

Thursday, 14th November
MARC Program at WPS

Friday, 15th November
2.45pm Assembly in the Gym

Wangala Primary School acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land we are on, the Wadawurrung people, and thank them for sharing their long lasting culture with us as we learn and grow together.

Reminders

Pupil-Free Days for Term 4: In Term 4, there are two pupil-free days. The first is on Wednesday, 23rd October, which is the Geelong Cup Public Holiday. The second is on Thursday, 24th October, which is a Curriculum Day. Both of these days are student-free.

Chickens and Garden Care: Thank you to the two families that cared for our chickens and garden over the term 3 school holidays, we really appreciate your help and hope that they laid you lots of delicious eggs!

Sun Smart Reminder: It is mandatory for all students to wear their school hat during recess, lunch, and any outdoor activities in Term 4. Students without a hat will spend their breaks in the Stay and Play area. Please ensure your child’s hat is clearly labeled to prevent it from getting lost.

Upcoming Excursions and Camps:
– Monday 11th – Friday 17th November, whole school swimming program, $60, payment and consent via Compass.
**Please return the student information request form asap

School Saving Bonus:
As shared with you previously, parents and carers of every child enrolled in a Victorian government school in 2025 will receive the one-off School Saving Bonus $400 support.

In the coming months, the Department of Education will send you 2 email communications for each of your children enrolled in Victorian government schools.

If your contact details have recently changed or you would like to update them, please do so by Friday 18 October 2024.

The 2 emails from the Department of Education will:
1. Confirm your email address between mid-October and late-November.
2. Provide you with your unique $400 School Saving Bonus code by the end of November.

If you do not receive a confirmation email from the department by late-November, please check your spam or junk folders and contact Wangala Primary School if needed.

You can read more about the School Saving Bonus at https://www.vic.gov.au/school-saving-bonus

Please note that key information is now available in 14 different languages.

Positive Behaviour Matrix Fortnightly Campaign

This fortnight’s Positive Behaviour Matrix focus is, ‘We are considerate of others in public’. Whenever students from Wangala Primary School are on an excursion or out in public they are representing the school. We talk about being a positive representative of the school, ensuring that we are polite and courteous of others.

As one of values, we instil in our students the importance of being community minded, which includes being mindful of others when in the community.

In the past, following excursions, we have received positive feedback about the way our students represent the school, their manners and behaviours.

Well done to all our students for representing our school beautifully.

TALK-AND-WALK-A-THON

We are hosting a Talk-And-Walk-A-Thon on 7 November 2024 as part of Mental Health Awareness.

Human connection is vital to our mental health. Connectedness is linked to feelings of wellbeing and contributes to a positive school culture. The Talk-And-Walk-A-Thon is an opportunity to build connections between students and help develop their conversational skills and self-confidence.

It’s important that our children feel safe, connected and supported at school and within the wider community. The Talk-And-Walk-A-Thon has been designed to strengthen feelings of connection and sense of belonging, allowing students to get to know other students at School.

Students will be invited to stretch their legs and embark on a walk around our awesome oval track and talk about topics, from how they spend their weekends, to how they want to change the world! These topics will encourage peer engagement, help strengthen bonds and allow students to feel connected with people they see every day, but may not necessarily know.

Thursday 7th November 2024 at 12:30pm

Students to wear their house colours!

Icy poles will be provided to all students after the event.

October Edition of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program

Prepared by Aurora and Grace, Class 2/3/4W
Season – Spring

Spring is finally here! Our fruit trees are blossoming, the birds are chirping, the sun is shining, and our garden is growing super fast!

In the garden this spring, we have planned where our summer crops will go, planted some spring seedlings in the garden beds closest to our school, and picked the last of our winter veggies. We even gave the kitchen some yummy fresh food so they can cook tasty meals for us to share!

We’ve seen lots of bees, dragonflies, and wasps enjoying our blooming flowers. We also built two teepees for our cucumbers and zucchinis to climb!

In the kitchen, we made herbed polenta chips with a yummy broadband bruschetta and fresh salad with vinaigrette dressing. Our favorite dish was the polenta because we loved its texture and flavour. One of our best memories was watching our friend Harry learn to use a knife, and we had a blast making pancakes last term!

The Arts!

Geelong Schools Music and Movement Festival

I would like to say a BIG congratulations to our spectacular students for their performance in this year’s festival at the Geelong Art Centre. Thank you for working so hard to learn and practise the dance sequence and for SHINING your brightest on the day! You were AMAZING!

Thank you to the parents and carers for helping students to create their costumes, rehearse at home and by coming along to be in the audience.

Royal Geelong Show Art Exhibition 17-20 October 2024

This year Wangala’s display has the theme “Feathers, Fur & Scales.”

Our students have been working hard in the art room to create fabulous artwork for this exhibition. Parents and friends can visit the Education Pavillion at the show grounds. The pavilion closes at 4pm Thursday, 8pm Friday & 4pm Saturday & Sunday.

The Barwon Water stand will also have a display of our recent ‘Water For All’ competition poster entries.

Barwon Water Poster Competition

National Water Week is celebrated between the 21st-27th October.

Exciting News! Apparently two of our school’s poster competition entries have been awarded a prize place!

On Monday the 21st October at 2:15pm, we will be having the Education Officer from Barwon Water visit our school to make a presentation in the gym.

STAY TUNED … for coming updates about our Christmas Tree for Geelong and the Wangala Talent Show. 😊

Ms Whytcross

October is Mental Health Month

This year, we celebrate “Meaningful Connections Matter.” Our mental health is profoundly influenced by the connections we cultivate in our lives. These connections include:

Loved Ones: Building and nurturing relationships with family and friends can provide emotional support and a sense of belonging.
Community: Engaging with your community fosters a sense of purpose and helps combat feelings of isolation.
Colleagues: Positive relationships at work can enhance job satisfaction and provide a support network during challenging times.
Support Services: Accessing professional help and resources can be extremely beneficial for maintaining mental well-being.
Country: Connecting with the cultural and natural landscapes around us can promote a sense of identity and grounding.
Yourself: Self-reflection and self-care are essential for understanding and managing your mental health.

To help promote mindfulness and well-being throughout the month, we invite you to check out the attached calendar. It features daily tips and activities designed to strengthen these meaningful connections and enhance your overall mental health. Let’s make this month a journey towards deeper connections and greater mindfulness!