A Word from the Principal 

A Warm Welcome to our Weeden Heights Community

School Council

On Monday night, School Council inducted its new members through the AGM.  Congratulations to the school councillors who were elected into the following office bearing positions:

• Mr Gavin Hodgins – School Council President
• Mrs Karen Jansen  - Vice President
• Mr Daniel Rodger– Treasurer                                                           
• Mrs Kerryn Cheetham – Minute Secretary

We also welcomed our new school council members for their very first meeting: Ms Samantha Walls and Mrs Bhagya Karunarathna

The school council also operates with sub committees and their main role is to advise council through their research and investigations.   Parents are more than welcome join sub committees and you don’t need to commit to being on school council. 

Please come and speak with Gavin, our new president, or a council member if you are interested in being involved in a sub- committee: 

• Education
• Grants and Grounds Development 
• School Promotions, Fundraising and Community Building

We welcome our parents and the council would greatly appreciate input from the wider community. 

Capital Works Update

Tomorrow I will complete an inspection of the classrooms in the junior corridor which is exciting.  Once I have approved the workspaces, classes will be able to return to their rooms and the classrooms will be officially handed over.  This week they have been cleaned ready for the students to return. 

• Room 1 – Tutoring in the morning and French room in the afternoons
• Room 2 – Prep class – Mrs Michalski
• Room 3 – Year 1 class – Ms Cheng
• Room 4 – Year 2 -  Ms Walls
• Room 5 – STEAM room (moving from the hall)

During the storms about a month ago we did not have a roof and there was some rain in the corridor.  As a result of the damage caused, we will now get new carpet in that space and it will be the same as the carpet being placed in the teacher office. There is a small bonus to having a leaky roof!  It’s all repaired now and it will be lovely to receive the new carpet squares.  The carpet will go down during the school holidays so we will be able to move all the corridor furniture and take home books back on our return to school.

Students should commence classes in their rooms in the new spaces today!.  The front of the school will open up after the holidays and entries to those classrooms will be from the front.  While we are away for the break, the builders will demolish the portable (where grade 1 and 2 are) and the remainder of the old GP room and canteen which housed OSHC.  This work is loud and dusty so they have saved it for when we are not at school.  The last lot of asbestos will be removed as well. 

The builders have been terrific to work with and they stopped any work during the year 3 and 5 NAPLAN exams. Fantastic!  We are definitely looking forward to our return to the new spaces.

Shade Sail Grants

On return to the front of the school, you will notice that shade sails are being put up over the sandpit and the deck area.  These were all a part of the government’s shade sail grants.  Weeden Heights was very lucky as (through a strong application!) we were awarded grants in two of the rounds. 

We will need to do a little bit of work out the front of the school as it has been lacking in some ‘love’ over the last two terms.  Anyhow, well done to us on being awarded two grants.  Exciting! 

Prep 2024 Tours and Enrolments

We have had many calls and visits already for information regarding enrolments at Weeden Heights Primary School for 2024.  Tours and enrolment information is available now.  Positions are filling fast so if you are an existing family, please complete your enrolment form and hand it in at the office. 

If you know anyone who requires assistance with 2024 placements, please direct them to call our office to book a tour date and time.  

We do rely on the ‘good word’ of our school community to promote the school amongst neighbours and friends. Please assist by talking about the work of the school and your experiences.  Sharing our Facebook posts and making comments also assist. Weeden Heights is on Instagram as well!  Thank you for helping us with this process.

Parent Helpers Workshops 

It is great to see that our Parent Helper Workshops have started!  There has been a reading and writing workshop held at school (and the Mathematics workshop in the last week of school). 

Parents who assist in classrooms have all completed this course.  This ensures that they are aware of the approaches that we use to support student learning.  Classrooms, routines and strategies have changed significantly since we all attended primary school (way back!) so the information about how students learn is a huge support for you when working in the classrooms with students.  It is a good idea to complete the parent helper’s course if you would simply like to support your own child at home as well. Please speak with your child’s teacher about helping in the classrooms!

Working Bees 

A huge thank to Gavin Hodgins and Tony Goldsmith, two of our school councillors, for putting up the shelves for our new shed at the mini working bee.  We really appreciated this and it is setting up our shed for storage perfectly.  THANK-YOU!

Moving forward there will most likely be mini working bees held after school so we are crossing our fingers that this may encourage more of our community to join in rather than on busy weekends.  We will be able to identify specific jobs and capitalise on the talents of our parents. Please look out for these via School Stream or the newsletter. 

Curriculum Day & ANZAC Day

There is a curriculum day on Monday 24 April so please mark this in your diary as it is a pupil free day.  The focus for the day will be the implementation of the Mathematics program at Weeden Heights in line with the direction of the strategic plan. Don’t forget that Tuesday 25 April is Anzac Day and this is a public holiday so students are not to attend school on this day either.

End of Term Assembly  

Parents are reminded that this term will conclude on THURSDAY 6 April at 2.30pm.  Please note the early closing time.  We will conduct our end of term assembly from the top basketball court or from the hall depending on the weather at around 2.10pm.   Of course parents will be welcome to attend.  

Term two will commence on WEDNESDAY 26 April 2023 after a two-week break.  Please take this time to relax with the family as it has been a very big term for everyone.

I hope that you all have a very Happy Easter and enjoy a wonderful two-week break.  

Please stay safe, happy and healthy.

Until next time……

Kylie Campbell

Principal

Futures are Bright at Weeden Heights!