Newsletter
Friday, 5th May, 2023
From the Principal
A warm welcome back to school for Term Two to the whole school community. I hope everyone had a restful break and have come back refreshed and ready for another big term of learning at Wangala Primary School.
Upcoming Events and Highlights
This term is shorter than normal with the nine weeks of term including both the Anzac and King’s Birthday Public holidays, as well as our Curriculum Day next Wednesday. Please remember that this is a student free day.
Our School Photos have been booked in for Thursday, 25th May, please refer to the Compass notification/attached flyer for more information. We will be hosting Deakin University, Science Education pre-service teachers on two consecutive Mondays who will be taking small groups of students to conduct a series of science lessons. During the term we will also have the ‘Smile Squad’ visiting. The ‘Scholastic Book Fair’ will be held midway through the term which is a great opportunity for the community to buy some great books! The ‘Winter Lightning Premiership’ will be also held midway through the term with our senior students participating in both netball and soccer.
Lastly, Term Two is our reporting term with reports being prepared by teachers to be released through the Compass system late in the term. As part of the reporting process, we will also hold ‘Student Led Conferences’. These will be held early in Term Three.
Grounds Update
We are currently waiting on the decking outside the classroom kitchen to be completed. This has taken quite some time and we are assured that the project will be completed in the coming month. The contractors are reinforcing our decking ready for a series of planter boxes to be positioned around the outer edge of the deck. These planter boxes are currently onsite, and will be plumbed back into the storm water system. We also await the railings for the ramp to be fabricated and installed on our new ramp access to the gymnasium.
Thank You
A massive thank you to the families who looked after our chickens over the holidays. Thank you to the families of Bethan, Sally, Hazel, Harvey and Pixie for helping us out! We hope you enjoyed the eggs you collected.
I would like to give a huge shout out to Sally’s parents, Melissa and Jason, who sourced donations of paint and other painting gear to give the bus shelter on Kidman Avenue a new lease of life. I’m sure you’ll all agree that it looks remarkably better! Thanks so much for living our value of ‘community mindedness’ and helping our school out. We are currently in discussions with the Department of Transport and local high schools, who utilise the bus shelter as an exchange for the high school buses, around responsibility for the maintenance of the shelter itself.
Drop Off and Pick Up
I recently saw a ‘Kiss and Go’ sign outside a school in a Melbourne suburb, reminding people to stay with your car and with a two-minute limit for drop off and pick up. Please be reminded that our service road in front of the bus shelter is for the purpose of dropping off and picking up, and that you must remain with your car at all times. We also ask that any cars in this service lane that are waiting for their children in the afternoons move forward as cars in front exit the service lane. This will ensure that all parents and carers behind can safely move and will not mount the island to exit behind you. Further to this, if you know your child is one that lags behind each afternoon, we ask that you not utilise the service lane to prevent others from being blocked in. Parking along Kidman Avenue, and in the Winter Reserve carpark across the road is ample. Students are all aware of the crossing expectations and are supervised by the majority of available staff each afternoon.
School Lunch Orders
Our first school lunch orders were delivered last Friday by the ‘Fresh Meal Fairy’ with some great reviews from our students. I know I enjoyed my chicken wrap which was delicious! We are incredibly fortunate to receive the freshest food, with the ‘Fresh Meal Fairy’ working from our canteen to prepare the lunch orders for Wangala Primary School, and other local schools in our area. Further information on ordering lunch orders is featured in this newsletter.
It’s been a great start back this term. I look forward to sharing with you many of the great things that are happening across the school throughout the term.
All the best!
Steven King
Principal
Dates to Remember
Tuesday, 9th May
Fire Education Visit
Wednesday, 10th May
Curriculum Day -Student Free Day
Monday, 15th May
Deakin Science Teaching Program
Assembly 2.45pm
Thursday,18th May
Fire Education Visit
Friday, 19th May
Newsletter
Monday 22nd May
Deakin Science Teaching Program
Monday 22nd – Friday 25th May
Smile Squad Dentist
Scholastic Book Fair
Thursday, 25th May
School Photos
Friday , 26th May
Lightning Premiership for Grade 5/6s
Monday 29th May
Assembly 2.45pm
Friday, 2nd June
Newsletter
Monday, 12th June
Kings Birthday Public Holiday
Wednesday, 14th June
Grade 5/6 BioLAB Excursion
Friday, 16th June
Newsletter
Monday, 19th June
Assembly 2.45pm
Friday, 23rd June
Last Day of Term 2,
2.30pm Finish
Wangala Primary School acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land we are on, the Wadawurrung people, and thank them for sharing thier long lasting culture with us as we learn and grow together.
Star Students
Well done to our Star Student, Principal Award and Kitchen Garden Award recipients…
Prep – Sedra, Harry, Danielle, Fergus, Michael
One and Two – Soula
Three and Four – Hugo, Jordi, Shaurya
Five and Six – Nenuka, Kian
GELC – Vansh
Reminders
Smile Squad
The Smile Squad team from Barwon Health are coming to our school the week of Monday 22nd May.
Smile Squad is the Victorian Government free school dental program.
This means all students can get a free dental check-up, preventive services, and treatment at school.
How to access free dental car:
We need your consent before we can provide services. Consent is usually provided by a parent or guardian. Sign up to Smile Squad at: https://bit.ly/smilesquadvic
Please complete and submit the consent form by 5th of May 2023. The electronic consent form can be translated into more than 100 languages.
Do I need to attend my child’s appointment?
No, you do not need to attend your child’s appointment. If you would prefer, you can take your child to the community dental clinic.
First Aid and Medical Consent
The Department of Education no longer seeks parent or carer consent to administer first aid or receive medical attention. The Department update has been made because schools have a duty of care to provide appropriate and reasonable first aid to students and to take action in emergency situations. Additionally, parents and carers cannot delegate decision-making authority, including consent for medical treatment. Where a student requires medical attention, the medical professional administering treatment would either speak to the parent/carer or provide treatment without consent.
Valuables and Property
Personal property brought to school by students, staff or visitors is not insured and the Department of Education does not accept any responsibility for any loss or damage. The Department does not hold insurance for personal property brought to school and it has no capacity to pay for any loss or damage to such property. This can include mobile phones, calculators, toys and sporting equipment. We request the support of parents/carers in ensuring students are discouraged from bringing any unnecessary or particularly valuable items to school.
Colds, Flu and COVID
We are nearing the time of the year when colds and the dreaded flu are upon us. We also have the ever-lingering COVID which means, when showing symptoms, students to recover away from school. Whilst we say that every day counts at school for your child’s education, this should be balanced with the need to keep children at home when they are genuinely sick, even when that poses a challenge with busy family schedules.A reminder about the important protocols from the Department of Education if experiencing COVID-like symptoms or testing positive:
- Students and staff who test positive to COVID-19 stay home and isolate for five days and do not attend school after five days if they are still symptomatic
- Please notify the school if your child tests positive so we can keep track of cases and alert the community if there are significant numbers building
- Any student or staff member who is unwell should continue to remain at home unless symptoms are linked to a pre-existing condition such as hay fever
- Free rapid antigen tests are available from the front office for those who need them
Student Absences
A reminder to parents and carers that if your child is sick or absent, you are required to notify the school as soon as possible on the day of the absence by:
- Compass: completing an ‘Absence Note’ via the app or online.
- Telephone: calling the school on 54232997 and either reporting the absence to the administration, or leaving an absence message by following the prompts
Notifying the school of your child’s absence either prior to, or on the day that they will be away, helps ensure the safety and wellbeing of children and will fulfil your legal responsibility.
OSHC Update
OSHC is back for Term Two and we are so excited to get things started! Over the holidays and first week of term, the OSHC staff were busy planning a super fun program for the term and taking into account the fantastic ideas and invaluable feedback from the students who attend OSHC. We are so looking forward to sharing with you all the fun activities we get up to this term!
If you are wanting to enquire about OSHC, please feel free to email me (Steph) on [email protected] or catch me around the school for a chat!
Kitchen Garden Program
Our Kitchen Garden program is back in full swing with delicious taco’s served up on Tuesday! These were popular amongst students with lots of empty plates returned to the kitchen.
Please be reminded that term in advance payments for Tuesday cafe close this afternoon (5/5), this secures the weekly meal and dessert at $4 per week. If ordering weekly, the cost is $5, payment and order forms must be returned to the office by Friday afternoons. Unfortunately late orders cannot be accepted due to catering requirements.
The garden crew spent Tuesday weeding, planting autumn crops and making teacup succulent gardens.
Keep an eye out for our little market stall out the front of the office on Tuesday afternoons. We will be selling our excess produce including eggs (when available).
For all of our produce growing families, we will happily take donations of excess produce, cuttings or seedlings off your hands! Any tips on controlling pests will also be much appreciated!
If you know of a bounty of quinces for us, we’d love to have a go at making some quince paste which we might sell in our market stall.
E-Safety Free Webinars for Parents and Carers Term Two
Any parents and carers wanting to increase their knowledge around online safety. E-Safety’s Free webinars are great! They provide parents and carers with knowledge, skills and tools to support their children to have safe, positive online experiences.
Below are the Webinars available in Term Two.
Visit Webinars for parents and carers | eSafety Commissioner for more details and to register.
Grade 3 / 4 GMHBA Healthy Heros Visit
On Tuesday the Year Three and Four students had a visit from the GMHBA Healthy Heroes Team along with some AFL mens and womens players. The students enjoyed learning about some key health and wellbeing messages.
The students learned the following key health and wellbeing messages to help them to live like a Healthy Hero:
Screen Time – Less than 2 hours a day.
Hydration – Drink 7 glasses of water per day.
Physical Activity – 60 minutes everyday (and does not have to be at once)
Healthy Eating – Eat 5 serves of vegetables and 2 serves of fruit a day.
Wellbeing – There are 24 Character Strengths that when actioned improve our wellbeing.
Sleep – Children this age need 9 to 11 hours of sleep each night.
Seniors - Fire Education
The senior students are preparing for the Firefighters visit next week by looking at a case study and doing group projects to broaden their knowledge about fire safety.
We are learning about summer fire safety, fire danger ratings and how to be safe near bushfires – Stella
We are learning about home fire prevention and common causes of fires at home – Kaylee
We are learning about the roles of firefighters and the equipment they use – Keyana
We are learning about preparing for emergencies, smoke alarms and other fire safety features – Victoria
We are learning about home fire escape plans and the importance of being prepared – Louella
We are learning about fire science, the dangers of fire, and the fire triangle – heat, fuel and oxygen – Beth
Focus on Curriculum
Helping your Child to Read, Write, Speak and Listen
In the early years of primary school, students learn to read through rhymes, story-telling and following along with their favourite book. Learning to write begins with scribble and drawings. The activities below will help your child develop these skills.
- Share rhymes and songs and encourage your child to join in.
- Save safe cardboard and household items for your child to build with. Ask your child to describe what they are building.
- Have a dress-up box for your child to use for imaginative play.
- Listen to your child and respond to their ideas with questions and ask for more information.
- Write down your child’s stories as they tell you and encourage him or her to read it back to you.
- Point out and talk about letters and words all around you. For example, on cereal boxes, car number plates, signs.
- Cook simple things together. Read out the recipe, talk through what you are doing.
- Join a toy library and choose toys together.
- Look at junk mail and talk about the things for sale.
- Provide materials and create a writing/drawing table or area.
- Talk about family photos and histories.
Doing Maths Together at Home
Children need lots of experiences in making, counting, drawing and talking about numbers. Make connections for you child by explaining how numbers and counting are a part of everyday life. The activities below will help your child develop these skills.
You may feel that the maths your child is doing at school is different from how you were taught, but you will still be able to support your child in many ways.
Playing Shop
Collect food and grocery items and label them with prices written on sticky notes or prices cut out of shopping catalogues.
- Talk about how we pay for items using notes and coins.
- Make paper money or use play money to buy and sell goods from the shop.
- Order the food items by height (tallest to shortest) or by cost (least expensive to most expensive).
- Introduce kitchen scales to the shop to weigh some foods such as a box of tea bags or a bag of rice, and order items by weight.
Lightning Premiership Sports Day is on Friday the 26th of May.
This is an exciting opportunity for the senior children to play competitive sport in the primary schools competitions. It is expected that ALL students attend. It’s so nice to be able to do this after the last couple of years. This year, we will be entering a soccer and netball team. I am still in the process of selecting teams. Once these teams are finalised, they will be communicated.
The cost of this excursion is $15. This will cover the cost of the bus, officials and affiliation fees. Permission and payment is due by Wednesday the 24th of May. It is essential that permission and payment is given to ensure that students are able to travel by bus to the event.
The kids and I are super excited about taking part in this event. It was a fabulous day last year! It’s shaping up to be a great day again and I’m sure a highlight of the year for some of the kids. Parents and carers are more than welcome to come and watch on the day. A note will come in the coming weeks with more details of the event.
Any questions please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Andrea Hueston
District Cross Country - Barwon Valley
On Friday the 28th of April, Jordi, Maycee, Zach, Hugo, Harry, Shaurya ,Dylan, Cruz , Darcy, Victoria, Eva and Kaylee represented the school in the District Cross Country at Barwon Valley Park. They were outstanding in their efforts but most importantly they had fun. This was the first time for many taking part in an inter school competition. Special mention must go to Darcy who came second in his age group and will now compete at the Division event in the coming weeks. We couldn’t be prouder of Darcy, Wangala’s FIRST ever cross county place getter.
STEAM
The junior grades had some fun creating their very own Hoop gliders in STEAM last week. Hoop gliders are a simple homemade paper aircraft that uses the four forces of flight to fly, much like a paper aeroplane. Curved surfaces on top of the glider help generate lift. An aerodynamic shape reduces drag. Gravity pulls the glider toward the ground and your arm provides thrust! So much science in such a simple construction. The best fun was had, testing them out in the gym.
The grade 3/4 and 5/6 students have continued to further develop their communication and problem solving skills to solve a simple challenge. Their challenge last week was the Basketball Tower Challenge. Students had to design a tower which would hold a basketball for at least 20 seconds. Tricky part being, they could only use masking tape and newspaper and only had 25 minutes to build their construction after brainstorming together in their small groups. There are some very creative students at Wangala. Budding engineers in the making, that’s for sure!
Parent Education Events
Below is a flyer advertising Parenting programs within our region. There are some really great programs and well worth registering if you have the time to attend. Some programs in Term 2 are:
- A Guide to Raising a child with ADHD with Justin Coulson,
- Bringing Up Great Kids (6 week program developing communication skills and interaction between parents and child/ren.)
- Flourishing Families (5 week program learning about resilience, family strengths and positive relationships.)
- No More Scaredy Cats (4 week program helping parents understand anxiety 5 -12 year olds).
The flyer gives a brief overview of what each program involves and all the details on how to register.
Our Positive Behaviour Matrix
