Principal's Message

Year 3 Billabong Camp

Well done to the staff and students who attended the year three camp.  It was a very enjoyable camp with lots of exciting activities.   Poor Walnut the horse even had to put up with Mr Forrest for an hours trail ride!   

Camps are a privilege to attend and take a lot of time to manage. We are lucky that we have dedicated staff members who are willing to sacrifice personal time to organise and attend the camp otherwise the students miss out. 

Thanks also to P-2 staff for the events over the last two weeks, sports events and the start of VCE exams.   There is a lot going on! Please keep an eye out on COMPASS, Facebook for all information regarding school events this term.   

A reminder that on Monday 4th of November is a Curriculum Day and the following day is the Melbourne Cup public holiday.   In the past everyone has appreciated the double long weekend as it is the last mini break before Christmas.  

Building Works

The end of stage one is fast approaching and we are looking forward to be able to move into the new rooms by the end of next week hopefully!   I will have an open session for the community to come and see the new facilities in a few weeks time.   The back corridor will be closed at the end of next week.   The KLC is closed until March.  Thanks for not parking in Chapel street. 

Road Safety - Using the School Crossing

We have reminded all primary school students today on how to use the school crossing safely and reinforced the importance of wearing helmets while riding bikes and scooters.

It is an unmanned crossing and we need drivers and students to do the right thing.   

The police have also been in contact recently and will be patrolling the area a lot more.

Please don't be relaxed about our students safety as today while watching the crossing a vehicle stopped illegally in the middle of the road when parking was available 10 metres away.  

Students must think safety first:

• STOP and look both ways twice before crossing the road if it is safe to do so.
• Only cross between the white lines.  
• Do not cross Hospital Street diagonally at any point to get to your car, you must use the crossing.
• Do not run across the road.

Parents must also think safety first:

• Encourage students to obey all road rules.
• Be vigilant around car parks for all students.
• Encourage students to use the crossing only, no diagonal crossing. 
• The school flags are stop signs, please obey them. 

Road Safety - Wearing A Bike Helmet

Disappointingly there have been a number of near 'misses' recently around town that have been reported to members of staff due to lack of care and safety awareness. In particular around  the Hospital Street and Chapel Street intersection.   

Please ensure your children wear helmets when riding a bike or scooter.   I know of someone who was not wearing a helmet riding a scooter, tragically they fell off hitting their head on the curb and died.   We know accidents can happen but please take the risk out of these fun activities.  We want everyone to be safe. 

Attached below are the laws regarding bike/scooter safety in Victoria.   

All bike and scooter riders are required to wear a bike helmet in Victoria. Mandatory bicycle helmet laws were introduced in July 1990. This applies when riding:

• on roads and road-related areas.
• on bike and shared paths.
• in bike lanes.
• in recreational parks.
• in car parks. 
• on footpaths. 

Police can stop bike and scooter riders and issue a fine or a warning for not wearing an approved bicycle helmet. In Victoria: all cyclists, scooter (including e-scooter) and electric personal transportation (electric unicycles, segways etc) riders must wear a helmet.

https://youtu.be/jO4ahwa6hf0

Is it illegal to ride on the footpath in Victoria?

'Children aged 12 years or younger can ride on footpaths.' People older than this may ride on a footpath if they are riding with a child aged 12 or younger. Adults aged 18 years or older can also ride on the footpath with a young child in a bike seat attached to the bike.

Choosing a bicycle helmet

When choosing a bike helmet, make sure:

• it fits firmly and comfortably on your head and cannot be tilted in any direction
• the straps can be adjusted so there is no slack when fastened
• it has a sticker showing it is safety approved and meets the Australian/New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 2063
• it is marked with the symbol of a body accredited by the Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand (JAS-ANZ), certifying compliance with AS/NZS2063 (for helmets manufactured or imported from 1 July 2012). 

Helmet tips for parents and carers

For information about children wearing bicycle helmets visit Helmet tips for parents & carers.

Cookbook Naming Competition

Win a prize by naming the Wedderburn College Cookbook. 

'Wedderburnt Cookbook' - surely you can do better than that!

Submit your ideas  to the school, be crafty, use your imagination! You never know your name might win! 

Submit for the Wedderburn College Cookbook

On the 1st of July 2025 it will be 160 years to the day when a school officially opened in Wedderburn.  The 160 Years of Education will be celebrated the last week of Term 2, 2025 with a variety of activities across the week to embrace this monumental occasion.  One of the key features of the celebrations will be the launch of a hard cover, 200 page, coffee table recipe & history book.   We are now calling on families to submit their favorite recipes or Grandmas greatest hidden secrets to be considered for publication in this important book. Please understand that we are happy to take several recipes from families and community members, however it will not be possible for every recipe to be published. Not everyone will have a recipe published.  We have the rest of this term to submit recipes. Please use the format attached to submit your recipes, see below.