Friday 16th May, 2025

From the Principal

Education Support Day

Today is Education Support (ES) Day, a day where we celebrate the amazing support staff we have at Wangala Primary School and show our appreciation for everything they do for our community.

Our Education Support Staff are an exceptional group of people who always go above and beyond for our community, but most importantly, our students in the classrooms, the office, the sickbay, across wellbeing, in the kitchen and garden, and in the maintenance of our school. Without them our school would not run as smoothly as it does. Thank you to all of you for what you do!

Attitudes to School Survey (AtoSS)

The AtoSS is a voluntary student survey offered by the Department of Education every year to help schools and the department understand students’ experiences at school. We will ask your child about their thoughts and feelings about their school, their learning, relationships with other students, resilience, behaviour, health and wellbeing, physical activity, and life in general.

Our Year 4, 5 and 6 students will be invited to participate in the AtoSS between 12th May and 13th June. The survey will be conducted during class time. Further information about the administration of the AtoSS will be shared directly with families of students in Year 4,5, and 6 via Compass.

School Tours

Enrolments are now open for the 2026 school year for families who reside in the Wangala Primary School zone. If you have know of anyone with children ready to start school in 2026, please encourage them to contact us to organise a school tour. As many of you have experienced, I conduct each of the tours with families to share how we education and support the students at Wangala Primary School.

If you’re unsure if Wangala Primary School is your designated Government school, you can check your address at Find My School.

For a child to commence in Prep in 2026 they will need to have turned five by 30 April 2026. To help with our planning we would greatly appreciate current Wangala Primary School families with a sibling commencing next year to send enrolments to us at your earliest convenience.

Regards,

Steven King

Principal

Dates to Remember

Tuesday, 20th May
Meli Playgroup in the Kuwarrk building 9.15 – 10.45am

Friday, 23th May
2.45pm Assembly in the Gymnasium

Monday, 26th May
Marc Van
Winter Lightning Prem – 4-6KD Students

Tuesday, 27th May
Meli Playgroup in the Kuwarrk building 9.15 – 10.45am

Tuesday, 3rd June
Meli Playgroup in the Kuwarrk building 9.15 – 10.45am

Friday, 6th June
2.45pm Assembly in the Gymnasium

Monday, 9th June
King’s Birthday Public Holiday
Student Free Day

Tuesday, 10th June
Meli Playgroup in the Kuwarrk building 9.15 – 10.45am

Friday, 20th June
2.45pm Assembly in the Gymnasium

Friday, 4th July
Last Day of Term 2

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 Awards

Congratulations to last fortnights award recipients!

Record Breaking Success at Our 2025 Scholastic Book Fair!

Our Scholastic Book Fair was a huge success, and we’re thrilled to share that we sold a record number of books! We will receive a percentage of the total sales, which will go directly towards purchasing new literacy books for our classrooms, resources that will enrich our students’ learning and foster a lifelong love of reading.

A heartfelt thank you goes out to all our wonderful parents and carers for your enthusiastic support. Your generosity and encouragement make such a difference in our school community.

We also want to give a very special thank you to Liz Nicopoulos, one of our dedicated Education Support staff members, for her outstanding effort in organising and running the Book Fair each morning and afternoon. Liz’s commitment and hard work behind the scenes ensured everything ran smoothly and created a welcoming space for students and families to explore and purchase from the Scholastic book range.

Thank you again to everyone involved in making this event such a memorable and meaningful success!

School Wide Positive Behaviour

The past fortnight’s positive behaviour focus has been: We ask questions if we don’t understand something

At our Wangala Primary School, we encourage students to be curious, courageous, and active participants in their learning. This fortnight, our focus has been on building a culture where it’s okay, and encouraged to ask questions when something isn’t clear.

Asking questions shows a willingness to learn, helps us better understand new concepts, and supports others who might be wondering the same thing. Whether it’s raising a hand during class, asking an Education Support person for help, or speaking to a teacher after the lesson, students are reminded that there’s no such thing as a silly question when we’re trying to learn.

Let’s keep fostering a learning environment where questions are welcomed and confidence grows!

Reminders

Preparing for Winter: With winter fast approaching, please ensure your child has a spare change of underwear, socks, and pants in their school bag. We have a very limited supply of spare clothing available for students who need to change during the school day. If your child has recently borrowed any school clothes, we kindly ask that you wash and return them as soon as possible. If you have any uniform items at home that your child has outgrown, we would greatly appreciate donations to help replenish our supply of spare clothing. Thank you for your support.

Toys at school: We have noticed a large amount of different toys coming to school from home. This includes soft toys, jewellery, make-up and other knick-knack type toys. Unfortunately toys are getting lost, broken in the yard and students are swapping toys. This is distracting students from their learning so we believe it is best if toys stay at home, unless discussed with your child’s classroom teacher.

Brain Food: As we have transitioned to a structured literacy block in the mornings, we are now requiring students to eat their brain food during instructional time. To help us make this transition a seamless one, we request that brain food (fruit/veg) be in a separate container to the child’s lunchbox. Another good idea is to have a small piece of fruit (apple/banana/pear etc) separate to their lunchbox for easy access.

If there are any questions regarding brain food, or you need some further clarification, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s teacher.

Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF): CSEF helps eligible families cover the cost of school camps, sports, and excursions.

If you hold a valid concession card (as of 28 Jan or 22 Apr 2025) or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible. Asylum seeker and refugee families may also qualify.

Families will receive $154 [primary]/$256 [secondary] per student, paid to the school to support activity costs.

If you applied at Wangala Primary School last year, there is no need to reapply, unless your circumstances have changed.

New applicants: Forms are available at the school office. Please return completed forms ASAP. Visit CSEF – vic.gov.au for full details.

Note: Applications for the 2025 Prep CSEF Winter Uniform Package are also open, order forms are available at the school office.

Deadline for both applications is the 4th of July 2025.

Outside of Hours Care (OSHC)

Three weeks ago we welcomed Dusty Morris to the OSHC team! Dusty will be working in Before and After School care with us at the beginning of each week, and we are already loving having her around and showing her all our favourite games.

This week, we made lasagne! We made mini lasagnes in a muffin tins so we could cater it to our own tastes. It was a huge hit! Thanks to Olivia, one of our Wangala ES’s, for helping Hugo cook the ragu.

“The lasagne was really good and I had fun making it” – Jasper.

STEAM - Prep - Year 2

This week, our Prep to Grade 2 students began learning all about plants. They discovered that plants need water, sunlight, air, and nutrients to grow. Exploring the school garden was a highlight, they loved spotting different plants and drawing examples while enjoying the sunshine. What a fun start to the topic!

Winter Lightning Premiership – Monday 26th May

Our senior students are getting very excited about the upcoming Winter Lightning Premiership on Monday, 26th May! We’ve been busy practising our soccer and netball skills in preparation for the big day.

The event draw is yet to be finalised. Once it is confirmed, we will share it with students so that parents and carers can come along and cheer if they wish. Students will be able to tell you which sport they are participating in.

Soccer will be held at South Barwon Reserve
Netball will take place at Kardinia Park

Thank you to those who have already finalised payment and permission. Just a reminder that both permission and payment are due by Wednesday, 21st May. These are essential to ensure students can travel by bus to the event.

If you would like to use your child’s School Savings Bonus to cover the cost, please:

Allocate your voucher to ‘Activities’ via the SSB portal
Email the school at wangala.ps@education.vic.gov.au to request the transaction and provide consent

It’s always an enjoyable and memorable day for our students. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Andy Hueston

Join the Walk for Truth: Portland to Parliament

The Yoorrook Justice Commission invites everyone to join the Walk for Truth, a powerful journey from Portland—where colonisation began—to Parliament House, where we can shape a new future together.

Led by Yoorrook Deputy Chair Commissioner Travis Lovett, Kerrupmara Gunditjmara, the Walk begins Sunday 25 May on Gunditjmara Country in Portland and finishes Wednesday 18 June at Parliament House. It will pass through towns including Warrnambool, Colac, Geelong and Footscray.

This journey is about truth-telling, healing, and celebrating the strength and resistance of Aboriginal people. It builds on four years of truth-telling by First Peoples through Yoorrook, documenting the impacts of colonisation and showing a path forward for all Victorians.

Commissioner Lovett invites you to walk together toward truth and transformation:

“Be part of the positive change for Victoria and Australia, to celebrate the strength and resistance of Aboriginal people, and to be proud of the oldest living culture in the world.”

Public walk sections are now open.
Sign up via Eventbrite to join. Yoorrook Justice Commission Walk for Truth Tickets, Sun, May 25, 2025 at 8:00 AM | Eventbrite

Day 19a – Thursday 12 June: Geelong (Transvaal Square) to Saint Helens Park – 3.6 km (~1 hour)