Wonga Weeklies

From the Leaders

Dear Families,

Welcome to the expanded Wonga Weekly communication which now includes tabs that have messages from the leadership team and our school captains, highlights of the previous week and community news. This regular weekly format replaces the school newsletter, helping to streamline communication and making it a ‘one stop shop’.  We hope you like it and will be seeking your feedback in the coming weeks!

 

Staff Update

Sadly, at the end of Term 2 we will be farewelling Sean Holland. Sean will be taking up a one – year position at South-East Region in the Emergency Management and Facilities Division, utilising the many skills he has honed in this area whilst at WPPS.  Sean is a highly regarded teacher, colleague and friend who has contributed so much in his 13 years at Wonga Park. We wish Sean all the very best in his new role. He will be missed by us all.  There will be a special assembly for Sean on Thursday, July 4th – all welcome.

 

Semester 1 Reports & Parent Teacher Interviews

Our teachers are very busy at the moment finishing off their assessments, working in teams and across the levels to moderate teacher judgments and complete the report writing process for Semester 1.  Parents will receive the reports next week via Sentral, with interviews being scheduled for the Tuesday and Wednesday of the first week of Term 3. There will be more detailed information coming to explain the changes to the way that schools report to the new Victorian Curriculum 2.0. 

 

School Review

Schools undertake a school review every 4 years to inform the directions of the school’s 4-year School Strategic Plan (SSP).  The Department of Education (DE) School Review process is a system-wide approach to improving all Victorian Government Schools. It involves a review of the school’s performance, a chance to celebrate the achievements and unique qualities of a school, as well as identify and plan for future directions and priorities. The process involves teachers, students and parents and we look forward to inviting our families input and feedback in the coming weeks.  Our pupil-free day on the final day of term will also be an opportunity for our teachers to work together on aspects of the review

 

Pupil Free Day Reminder & Final Day of Term 2 

Please put the date for the final Pupil Free Day in your diary – last day of Term 2, Friday, July 4th. The final day of Term 2 for students will be Thursday, July 3rd with a final assembly at 1:45pm and dismissal at 2:30pm.

 

Highlights 

The last two weeks have seen some lovely highlights in our school including our annual Teddy Bear’s Picnic - such a special event for our Preps and their Grade 6 buddies.

We had a wonderful Storytime last week for our 2026 preps who loved the chance to enjoy some songs, stories and craft in the prep classroom before they begin their transition mornings later in the year. If there are any siblings who have not yet enrolled for prep next year, please contact the office or go to the school website to find information about the online enrolment process which closes on July 25th.

 

There is amazing work being done across the school around our Term 2 Big Idea of Diversity.  Our Grade 5/6s are creating beautiful picture story books for our school library and our Grade 3/4s are busy planning an excursion to Queen Victoria Market to experience the diverse range of produce that is available and purchase ingredients to cook food from different cultures!

 

Congratulations to our students who recently competed in the Regional cross-country event.  Good luck to Victoria James who qualified to compete at the State finals.  What an amazing effort!

 

The Expressions Program is happening this week with hundreds of our students participating in dance, writer’s workshop, circus skills, creating with Lego and robotics, ultimate frisbee and cartooning.  Great opportunities to follow a passion or try something new!

 

Planning Week

Next week will be planning week for each of our level teams and specialist teachers, giving them time to work collaboratively on student learning for Term 3.  Next term’s Big Idea of Change will give students the opportunity to explore the history of Wonga Park Primary School and local area - the perfect segway into our 130th celebrations early in Term 4!

Have a great week

Kind regards

Julie

 

News from Adele Brice 

 

Volunteering at Wonga Park PS update

Community is important to us at Wonga Park PS and something we highly value are families and community members supporting programs such as SAKG, excursions, our Visual Arts program and whole school events. 

Until now to volunteer at our school we have required people to:

  • Provide their WWCC number
  • Sign our Code of Conduct on a yearly basis
  • Participate in annual Childsafe Volunteer training 

In the past fortnight, we have received updated advice from the Department around expectations for people volunteering at our school. 

 

Moving forward the following changes will be put into place:

Online Childsafe Volunteer Training will only be required for volunteers working in high-risk activity spaces such as camps or the swimming program. 

School staff, Casual Relief Teachers and School Councillors will continue to be required to participate in annual Child Safety Training provided by the school. 

We hope the changes will make volunteering more accessible. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. 

 

Kind regards

Julie Crawford