Friday 27th June, 2025

From the Principal

Can you believe that the end of term is nearly here? This has been a particularly long term, with eleven weeks, which has been quite taxing on our students and staff. School will conclude for Term Two on Friday, 4th July with a dismissal time of 2.15pm. We will be opening our classroom doors in our termly ‘Open Classrooms’ for everyone to come along and share in the amazing learning across all of the classrooms on this day, with doors opening at 1.30pm. I encourage you all to come along and celebrate our students accomplishments this term.

Reports

The process of writing, proofreading and editing of school reports is almost complete. These Semester One reports will be going live on Compass next Friday in the morning. Reports take a significant period of time to write, with the collation and comparison of data and the establishment of progression points all taking place behind the scenes. I encourage you all to take time to read and discuss the reports with your children. Information regarding our ‘Student-led Conferences’ will be sent out early next term, with this planned for Wednesday, 30th July during the school day. Conferences will be booked through the Compass system early next term. I would like to thank the staff for their time and effort with these reports.

School Council News

At last week’s school council meeting, we confirmed a student free day for Term Three. This will occur on Monday, 28th July. This day will be used by staff to develop our English curriculum, guided by an external Educational Consultant. On the day we will be offering Outside School Hours Care if there is enough interest. Please respond to the expression of interest if you require this.

As this is the last newsletter before the end of term, I wish everyone in our school community a happy mid-year break. Stay warm!

Regards,

Steven King

Principal

Dates to Remember

Friday, 4th July
Student Casual Dress Day
(gold coin donation)
1.30pm Open Classrooms
Last Day of Term 2, 2.15pm Finish

Monday, 21st July
First Day of Term 3
MARC Van

Monday, 28th July
Curriculum Day (Students are not required to attend school)

Tuesday, 29th July
Bravehearts Incursion Prep-2 students

Wednesday, 30th July
Student Led Conferences

Monday, 4th August
MARC Van

Tuesday, 5th August
District Athletics Day Grade 4-6
Landy Field

Monday, 18th – Friday, 22nd August
Book Week

Thursday, 21st August
Lightning Premiership Grade 4-6
Basketball and Volleyball – Sportshub

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!

School Wide Positive Behaviour

The past fortnight’s positive behaviour focus has been ‘We are kind and cooperative’.

This focus reminded students of the importance of treating others with respect and working well together. Being kind and cooperative means using polite words, helping others, taking turns, and playing fairly.

In class and in the playground, students are expected to include others, solve problems calmly, and show care for those around them. These behaviours help build a safe, friendly, and supportive school environment.

Kindness and cooperation are key to strong friendships and positive learning, and we encourage students to keep practising them every day.

Join Our Sustainability Committee – Help Grow a Greener School!

We’re looking for passionate parents, carers, and community members to join our School Sustainability Committee and support our journey toward ResourceSmart Schools accreditation.

As part of this program, we’re committed to reducing our environmental impact, improving sustainability education, and embedding green practices across the school. A key part of this is our thriving Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program, where students learn to grow, harvest, prepare and share fresh, seasonal produce.

Volunteers are vital to helping us:

Maintain our vegetable gardens and compost systems
Support seasonal planting and harvesting activities
Reduce waste and improve recycling
Assist with kitchen sessions and sustainability projects
Track and celebrate progress in the ResourceSmart Schools framework

Whether you can lend a hand in the garden, help with cooking, or attend the occasional meeting—we’d love your help!

Together, we can nurture healthy habits and a healthier planet. If you’re interested, please contact Katherine Fanning via the wangala.ps@education.vic.gov.au email.

Please note that all volunteers will require a current Working with Children Check, if you are unsure as to how to attain this, please contact the office for more information.

Helping Wandi: A Fundraiser for the Dingo Discovery Sanctuary

This term, students in 2/3K have been reading the novel Wandi by Favel Parrett. They’ve enjoyed the story so much that they’ve been inspired to hold a fundraiser for the Dingo Sanctuary where Wandi now lives.

Next Friday, our last day of term, will be a casual dress day. Gold coin donations collected on the day will be donated to the Dingo Discovery Sanctuary and Research Centre in Toolern Vale, Victoria.

The Grade 2/ 3 students will also be selling their own homemade dog biscuits called Biscuit buddies. The biscuits are all made with human grade ingredients and will be available to be purchased for $5 per bag from the Djirnap Building during open classrooms. A community minded project that they feel very passionate about.

We would love you to help get behind this wonderful cause. Alpine Dingoes like Wandi are in grave danger of being extinct in Australia. Every bit that we can do to help raise awareness of this cause can help protect the species.

If you would like further information about the Dingo Discovery Sanctuary and Research Centre you can visit their website: https://dingofoundation.org/

In the Classroom: 1/2S

In 1/2S during maths we have been learning to measure length using informal units. Children have used blocks, Unifix, icypole sticks etc. as their unit of measurement. They have learned the measuring rules of “Starting at the Start”, Finishing at the Finish, and lining the units up “End to End”. Did you know our classroom windows measure 58 Unifix across? Our work tables are 7 wooden blocks on the short side. A glue stick is 12 MAB cubes long. Maybe you could find some informal units at home and measure some things around your house? Blocks, lego and handspans are all ways to measure length.

Visual Arts - The Geelong Nature Festival - Environmental Biodiversity Project

Wangala Primary School has once again participated in the exciting Geelong Nature Festival.

This year, 46KD investigated the biodiversity of our school garden and created a collage to represent their findings. They explored ecosystems and learned how living and non-living things interact and rely on each other for survival.

Students completed on-site sketches in our garden, then returned to the Visual Arts room to recreate their chosen items using mixed media. Their work is truly outstanding – well done, 46KD!

Congratulations, 46KD!

Their beautiful collage will be on display at the Geelong Waterfront Carousel as part of the Geelong Nature Festival.

The festival kicks off on Saturday the 12th of July with an opening event at the Old Paper Mill in Fyansford. This celebration will include inspirational speakers, wildlife encounters from Wildlife Xposure and Roaming Reptiles, kids’ activities, performances, guided walks, community plantings, and much more.

Over the following two weeks, there will be more than 50 free events across the region, including garden and sanctuary tours, nature play sessions, workshops, restoration plantings, and celebrations of some of Geelong’s more unusual wildlife.

There’s something for everyone—be sure to check out the flyer attached!

STEAM - Prep to Grade 2

In STEAM this week, our Prep to Two students continued learning about butterflies in fun and creative ways. Using a splatter-and-press painting technique, they created vibrant butterfly artworks and explored the concept of symmetry—discovering how both sides of a butterfly are exactly the same.

Last week, students also made butterflies using beads, pipe cleaners, and pegs. Their imaginative designs were a wonderful display of creativity and hands-on learning.

Physical Education

Over the past fortnight, we’ve continued to practise our athletics and fine motor skills in PE. The students have really enjoyed challenging themselves with a variety of activities including hurdles, throwing, shooting, running, and jumping. It’s been fantastic to see their confidence grow as they develop strength, coordination, and persistence through each skill.

4-6 KD Kindergarten Visit

On Tuesday 17th June the students in 4-6KD went to Belmont Kindergarten to build connections within the community. Our students were wonderful role models and engaged beautifully with the kindergarten children. We will continue to foster these relationships with fortnightly visits.