An update from Julie Crawford - Principal

Although our first week back was a short week, it was a busy and exciting start to the year. It has been wonderful to see all of our students settle so quickly into their new year levels and classrooms and all of our specialist programs getting underway. We are very proud of our preps who have done a wonderful job settling into school and enjoying getting to know their teacher, prep friends and their Grade 6 buddies. It was great meeting our new parents and having our Welcome BBQ last week. A special thank you to our Grade 6s for the wonderful care they have shown our new preps, helping to make them feel safe and confident as they start their learning journey at Wonga Park

A huge thank you to our teachers who worked so hard in the holidays to set up their classrooms and have everything ready to go on day one. All of our teachers put so much time and effort into making the classrooms so colourful and organised so that they are fun and engaging spaces to learn. A big thank you also to Kerry, Lesley and our ES staff who have helped ensure a smooth start to our year.

Our Focus for 2026

On our first curriculum day, we were fortunate to once again work with Dave Wilkins, a highly regarded educational consultant with a background in teaching and psychology. Dave has partnered closely with our staff for over 15 years and, last year, also worked with our students and parent groups as part of our school review.

The focus of the day was to explore the essence of Wonga Park - what makes our school such a special place - and to help define our shared focus for staff and students at each year level as we look ahead to 2026. This work ensures we continue to nurture and protect the values, practices and relationships that make Wonga Park unique.

What was particularly heartening was how closely aligned the perspectives were across our staff, from those who have been part of the school community for more than 30 years to those who have only just joined our team. A strong sense of community and genuine care was consistently highlighted, along with how welcoming the school feels, often described as being “like a family” or even “a warm hug.” Staff also spoke about the importance of innovation, teamwork, our beautiful environment, cherished traditions, and the value of play and fun in supporting learning. Together, these qualities truly capture the essence of Wonga Park.

Each of our teaching teams has identified three key mindsets and ways of working that they will focus on with their students throughout the year. These will be gently and consistently reinforced so they become part of students’ everyday thinking and actions.

Teachers will share these focus areas with families at next week’s information night and continue to refer to them throughout the year. You will often hear these ideas reflected in the daily messages and conversations happening in classrooms, helping to explain the ‘why’ behind many of the learning experiences and expectations we have for students.

As a leadership team, we have identified three key focus areas that will sustain and nurture the essence of Wonga Park and guide our work together to support every child to learn and thrive in 2026.

Finding Opportunities – encouraging a positive and reflective mindset, where we are intentional in the way we look for opportunities in every situation - whether successes or challenges - to learn, grow and make a meaningful difference for our students.
Building Together – working collaboratively to shape the Wonga Park way, using best evidence-based teaching practices to ensure consistency and quality across our school.
A Commitment to Excellence – excellence is not a one-off achievement, but a daily commitment. It means keeping children at the heart of everything we do, creating inclusive and supportive learning environments, and maintaining a strong focus on growth and success for every learner.

Building Parent Partnerships

Communication is important as we build strong partnerships with our families. Sentral is the platform that we use to communicate with you. Please contact the school for assistance if you are having any trouble receiving communications via Sentral.

The Getting -To-Know-You conversations will be a great opportunity for parents to share information about their child with their classroom teacher and to begin building the home-school partnership. Please make a booking via the Sentral Parent Portal – there are two alternatives - Wednesday 4th February or Thursday 5th February 3:50pm – 6:00pm. Please contact your child's classroom teacher to make an alternative appointment if you do not get the opportunity to catch up with them next week.

The 2026 Parent Information Sessions will be held next week for Prep families on Tuesday, February 10th onsite and on Wednesday, February 11th online for Grades 1-6 and Specialists. The presentations will be recorded and made available for families to watch at a convenient time if you are unable to participate on the night.

Assembly and Connections Groups

Our first whole school assembly will be held on Monday, February 16th on the covered basketball court. Assemblies are held each fortnight starting at 2:40pm weather permitting on the undercover basketball court. Families are very welcome to attend.

On alternate Mondays, our whole school 'Connections' groups meet for the final hour of the day. Our Grade 6 students help facilitate the session and help support their prep buddies who are always placed in the same Connection group. During these sessions the students participate in activities to build relationships with another teacher and peers from across all levels of the school and embed our school values. Across the year there will also be opportunities for our students to participate in special activities in their Connections Groups.

School Council - nominations open on Tuesday, February 10th

Nominations for the 2026 School Council will open on Tuesday, February 10th and close on Monday, February 16th. More information about the role of school council and the nomination process will be emailed to families this week. Please feel free to contact me if you would like further information.

Drop-off and Pick-up Safety

Just a friendly reminder that students should not arrive at school before 8:40am unless they are attending a supervised before school activity. Yard duty teachers begin supervision in the playground at 8:40am. If arriving before this time, please ensure that your child/children are supervised. Please note that to maintain safety, children who are not being supervised will be sent to wait at the office until teachers commence yard duty.

Thank you to our families for helping to make the drop-off and pick-up a smooth process. It is a busy time, but with patience and courtesy, traffic can flow and students can be dropped off or picked up safely.

Just a reminder that there is no parking along Lantana Drive until you are beyond the gate onto the oval. When dropping-off or picking-up students we ask that parents please stay in the queue and drop/pick-up your child at the designated drop–off point at the oval gate. Students should not get out of cars before the oval gate.

As a courtesy, could we please ask that parents do not park in the staff carpark before school.

Attendance Matters

Regular school attendance isn’t just about showing up , it’s one of the strongest predictors of a child’s academic success and long-term outcomes. Consistent attendance helps students build essential skills and stay on track, while frequent absences are linked with poorer performance, higher dropout rates, and even social consequences down the line. Chronic absenteeism (missing roughly 10-15% of the school year) can begin as early as kindergarten and have lifelong effects.

Attendance rates also serve as a simple but powerful indicator of a school’s overall climate and engagement: when a school community works together families, educators, and local partners, children are more likely to feel connected, motivated, and present.

The article highlights several practical strategies schools use to support better attendance, such as creating welcoming environments, celebrating good attendance, reaching out to families when students are absent, and listening to students about why they’re missing school.

Absence attendance plans if a child is away
Parents will be contacted after a 2nd day of absence

We look forward to another year of learning, growth and connection as we continue to nurture the essence of Wonga Park together.

Warm Regards

Julie

An update from Adele Brice - Assistant Principal

In this issue, information will be shared about the following areas:

-Communication with School Staff

-Disability and Inclusion

-Challenge-Based Learning at WPPS

-eSafety Commissioner: Helping Your Family Stay Safe Online

-Cyber Safety Project

Communication with School Staff

Wonga Park Primary School understands the importance of providing helpful and timely responses to common enquiries from parents and carers. To ensure that members of our school community are directed to the most appropriate person to assist them, please consult this policy.

Disability and Inclusion

Term 1 Student Support Group (SSGs) meetings for D&I (Adele Brice), Wellbeing (Liz Penny) and Koori (Tim Phillips) are currently being scheduled.

SSGs are a way for schools, families and students to work together to plan and support a student’s learning and wellbeing, especially when a student has additional learning needs or faces challenges that affect their school experience.

The main purpose of an SSG is to bring together everyone involved in a student’s learning to:

set shared goals for the student’s education and wellbeing
plan personalised learning strategies
monitor progress and adjust support as needed
make sure the student can fully participate in school life.

This teamwork helps us ensure that every student, especially those with diverse learning needs has the best chance to achieve their goals.

An SSG typically includes:

the student (when appropriate)
parents/carers
classroom teacher and a school leader (chairperson)
relevant support staff or external professionals

Everyone shares information and ideas to help support the student’s progress.

For students receiving additional support through programs like the Program for Students with Disabilities (PSD), D&I students and Koori students, SSG meetings are held once a term. For students being supported by our Wellbeing leaders, SSGs are scheduled once a term/semester.

At an SSG meeting, the team:

talks about the student’s strengths and needs
develops or reviews an Individual Education Plan (IEP) and/or Behaviour Plans
checks how strategies are working
updates goals and plans for the next steps.

Student Support Groups are a collaborative way for families, schools and students to plan, support and celebrate student learning and wellbeing together. They help make sure every child’s strengths are recognised and their learning needs are met with shared goals and thoughtful planning.

Challenge-Based Learning

At Wonga Park Primary School, our inquiry learning is based around the Challenge Based Learning (CBL) framework. This approach empowers our students to learn by doing, connecting what they discover in the classroom with real challenges in the world around them. CBL encourages students to take ownership of their learning and explore their passions in ways that are dynamic, personalised and authentic.

CBL is a collaborative, multidisciplinary learning model that encourages students to ask meaningful questions, dive into deep investigations across subjects, and create solutions that matter. It blends knowledge with real-world action, helping learners to:

develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills
work effectively with classmates, teachers, experts and community members
apply technology in purposeful ways
share their learning and reflect on their impact

During CBL, students might work together to identify a problem, research it across different curriculum areas, and design innovative solutions that make a real difference, often showcasing their thinking through digital tools or community presentations.

Understanding the CBL Framework

As part of Challenge Based Learning, students work through three key elements that help give learning purpose and direction:

The Essential Question is a broad, thought-provoking question connected to the Big Idea. It encourages students to think deeply, discuss different perspectives, and reflect on their learning over time. There is no single correct answer, students revisit this question throughout the term as their understanding grows.

Guiding Questions help break the Essential Question into smaller, more focused areas of inquiry. These questions guide students’ investigations, research and learning across different curriculum areas, and may change or develop as students learn more.

The Challenge is where learning is put into action. It asks students to apply what they have learned by designing a solution, taking action, or making a difference in a meaningful way. This helps students see how their learning connects to real life and how they can contribute positively to their community.

Term 1 Big Idea – Community

Our Term 1 Big Idea is Community. In the image below, you can see the Essential Question that students will be exploring, along with the Guiding Question and Challenge that will shape their learning throughout the term.

Child Safety

eSafety – Office of the eSafety Commissioner

The internet is a wonderful place for learning and staying connected but it also brings real risks that every family should be ready for. This guide is designed to support you as a parent or carer in understanding those risks, starting meaningful conversations with your children about their online experiences, and building confident, practical strategies to keep your family safe online.

eSafety Commission online workshops (regular Wonga Weekly entry)

The eSafety's provide free webinars provide parents and carers with the knowledge, skills and tools to support their children to have safe, positive online experiences.

The schedule for 2026 can be accessed via this link .

Sign up for the eSafety Newsletter to receive the latest online safety news, resources, and advice.

Cyber Safety Project

We’re excited to continue our partnership with the Cyber Safety Project in 2026, a trusted eSafety provider delivering proactive online safety and digital wellbeing education to schools and communities. Their evidence-based programs, including ready-to-teach curriculum, student sessions, professional learning and family workshops empower young people, educators and families with the skills to navigate the digital world safely and responsibly. Together, we’re committed to building safer, more confident digital citizens and supporting our whole school community with the latest tools and insights in online safety.

Warm regards,

Adele Brice

Assistant Principal

adele.brice@education.vic.gov.au

Wonga Weeklies

Term 1, Week 2, 2026 · 02 Feb 2026

In this issue