Newsletter
Friday 16th August, 2024
From the Principal
How amazing has the weather been after our spell of freezing temperatures a few weeks ago? Our campers were incredibly fortunate to have some warmer weather for their camp in Queenscliff this week. I managed to visit on Tuesday afternoon and spent time on the beach with them as they had an absolute blast boogie boarding in the tiny waves at the opening to Port Phillip Bay. Our camping program offers students great experiences that some may not necessarily have and is quite often the first experience students have away from their families. Well done to our campers and a massive thank you to the staff who spent time away from their families to ensure our students had the best time.
Today our students participated in the school’s ‘Tabloid Sports’, undertaking a range of fun activities wearing their house colours. It was great to see so many people from the community cheering on our students. What a great day! Did you know that our houses are named after the Wadawurrung names for kangaroo, echidna and platypus? Our Kanyul (kangaroo), Mon Garrk (echidna) and Perridak (platypus) houses are our current houses with the reserve house Barnong (possum) to be introduced as we grow. Check out our mascots with their house colours in the image below.
Miss Longley will be on leave from Monday, 26th August, returning on Monday, 16th September, and will be replaced by Mel Sandy during this time. I will also be taking leave with my last day on Friday, 6th September, and will return after the school holidays. During my absence, Mrs Moon will be our acting-Principal.
I hope to see many of you at our special assembly next Friday morning for Book Week.
Regards,
Steven King
Principal
Dates to Remember
Wednesday, 21st August
Belmont Library and Barwon Valley Park Excursion, Year Prep-1
Thursday, 22nd August
MARC Program at WPS
Friday, 23rd August
Assembly, 9.15am in the gym
Followed by Book Week Dress up Parade + Book Swap.
Thursday, 5th September
MARC Program at WPS
Friday, 6th September
2.45pm Assembly in the Gymnasium
Monday, 9th September
Biolab Excursion Year 5/6 Students
Thursday, 12th September
R U OK Day?
Tuesday, 17th September
Geelong Music and Movement Festival, whole school
Thursday, 19th September
MARC Program at WPS
Friday, 20th September
Last Day of Term 3, Early Finish 2.30pm
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.
Student Star Awards
Congratulations to all of our award receivers last fortnight!
Reminders
Parent/Carer Survey: A reminder that our school is conducting the annual Parent/Carer Opinion Survey offered by the Department of Education and is seeking your feedback, the link to the survey can be found on Compass and in available until the 30th of August.
School photos and Naplan: There are still several sets of school photos as well as Naplan results (year 3 and 5 students only) that need to be collected from the office, please make this a priority, alternatively you can email the office providing permission for us to send these home with your child.
Upcoming Excursions and Camps:
– Wednesday 21st August, Belmont Library and Barwon Valley Park Excursion, Year Prep-1 students, $6.
– Tuesday 17th September, Geelong School’s Music and Movement Festival, All year levels, $7.
– Monday 9th September, Biolab, Year 5/6 students, cost and Compass event to come.
Book Week: Our book week dress-up day, parade, and book swap will take place on Friday the 23rd of August beginning with Assembly at 9.15am, this will be followed by our parade and book swap. Please start encouraging your children to think about their character for the dress-up day and to bring in books for the book swap, see flyers below.
Outside of Hours Case (OSHC)
In OSHC recently we have been eating our weights in fresh fruit, making lego creations, watching some of the final Olympic events, playing outside in the sun and baking! This week we baked banana bread. It was delicious! But don’t just take my word for it…
It’s good, google good! – Harvey
It’s impossibly good – Mundarra
I would rather have the banana bread than be rich – Sam
Positive Behaviour Matrix Fortnightly Campaign
This fortnight’s positive behaviour focus is, ‘We try to be the best we can be’. In classes students have discussed the many different ways for we can be the best we can be. At Wangala Primary School we focus on the strengths of individuals, celebrating their natural talents and abilities, and encourage them to persist with the things they find more difficult. Not giving up builds resilience, and to try is to improve.
We subscribe to the ‘power of yet’ to develop a growth mindset. This encourages a subtle mindshift to shift perspectives. When we make a decision to learn new things, we are fostering the power of yet. When we struggle at a task but persist and keep trying, we are putting the power of yet to work. When we look forward to doing something, we exercise hope and optimism. Having a growth mindset is understanding that abilities and understanding can be developed. We know that everyone can learn, that learning takes time and effort, that results come from hard work, and that giving up isn’t an option.
How can you subscribe to the power of yet in your life?
Year 3-6 Camp
This week, our Year 3-6 students enjoyed a memorable two-night camp at Cottage by the Sea in Queenscliff. They were blessed with perfect sunny weather, which made their experience even more delightful. The students had the opportunity to explore the impressive giant playground at the camp and visit local attractions, including Queenscliff Harbour and the observation deck.
During their stay, they learned about the rich history of the area and took in some of the stunning sights of Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale. The camp activities included beach walks, swimming, bodyboarding, and a variety of other fun outdoor experiences. Overall, it was an enriching and exciting adventure for everyone involved!
Thank you to our fabulous staff who planned and attended this year’s camp! Teachers and school staff are not required to attend camp, but our staff willingly and enthusiastically participate each year. Feedback from staff was extremely positive, they noted that they repeatedly heard the phrase ‘this is the best day ever’ which is a great indication of how much our students enjoyed themselves!
District Athletics
Last Friday, our Year 3-6 students participated in District Athletics at Goldsworthy Reserve. The students displayed enthusiasm and had a great time competing in their events, showing impressive resilience. We’re excited to share that one of our year 5 students, Maycee placed 1st in the hurdles and has advanced to the next round! Congratulations Maycee!
Prep and Grade One Capacity
On Thursday the Prep’s and Grade One’s learnt all about capacity! We read Alexander’s Outing by Pamela Allan and re-created Alexander’s dilemma by putting him in the bottom of a container! Lucky for Alexander our students knew exactly how to get him out. Students made estimations about how many cups it would take to save him, and cup by cup Alexander reached the top!
100 days of Prep!
On Friday, our Prep’s celebrated being at school for 100 days! Students came dressed as their 100 year old selves. They enjoyed making crowns, writing about what they would buy with $100, played games outside and had a class party with delicious party food. There was so much party food they kindly shared with their Grade One and Two friends. Thank you to all of the parents and guardians for bringing in food. It was a wonderful day!
Tabloid Sports Day
Today, we had a fantastic time at our tabloid sports day. Students from Prep to Grade 4 participated, while Grades 5 and 6 students took on leadership roles, organising and leading various activities. Everyone dressed in their house colors and enjoyed a range of events, including gaga ball, vortex throwing, and egg and spoon races, among others. Fortunately, the weather was cooperative, with only a slight shower.
A big thank you to Meagan Beer, our PE teacher, for organising the event—she did a fabulous job! Thank you also to all of the parents and carers who attended the event!
Prep-1 - Kitchen Garden Program
This week, with the older students away, the little ones had the chance to experience our Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden program in full swing! On Tuesday, they explored the garden, planting blueberry and blackberry bushes, carrots, lettuce, eggplants, and thyme. They also completed a scavenger hunt and learned safe knife skills in the kitchen. The highlight of the day was making and enjoying pizzas and fruit kebabs together as a group
Geelong School's Music and Movement Festival
TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 17TH
Wangala students will once again be participating in Geelong School’s Music and Movement Festival. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to experience performing on a professional stage, under lights.
Public tickets are on sale now, and can be purchased through the GAC website: https://geelongartscentre.org.au/whats-on/creative-learning/geelong-schools-music-and-movement-festival/ or contact their box office on 1300 251 200.
Remember to buy these as soon as possible if you would like to attend, as tickets sell fast and some parents missed out last year.
You will need to buy a ticket for the following session time.
– Session 3 on Tuesday 17th September, 1pm-2:30pm
The student cost of $7 includes performance and transport cost.
COSTUMES
Be as creative as you wish and dress your child/ren in a costume of the following theme.
– P/1- Rock and Roll 50’s theme
– Years 2-6 – Barbie/Ken movie theme (Any character)
*Our Wangala students proudly pictured below on the Geelong Arts Centre website!
School Avoidance and Anxiety Free In-person Workshop
Did you know that there is a parentline that offers qualified counsellors to:
– talk about any issues to do with parenting and your relationships with your child
– help you with ways to cope and be a positive parent
– help with your family’s wellbeing and resilience
– connect you with services in your area.
CALL 13 22 89 Available 8am to midnight, 7 days a week including public holidays
Reconciliation Action Plan
Our Positive Behaviour Matrix
