From the Principal

Dear families,

Grade 5/6 Interschool Debating Competition

Our Grade 5/6 students did a fantastic job representing WPS in the recent interschool debating competition with St Mary’s Primary School and Williamstown North Primary School.

The competition was a wonderful opportunity for students to showcase their communication, critical thinking and persuasive speaking skills while connecting with students from our local schools.

Congratulations to all of our debaters for the confidence, teamwork and enthusiasm they demonstrated. We were incredibly proud of the way they represented WPS!

SunSmart – Hats Required from Next Week

A reminder to families that, as part of recent changes to our school’s SunSmart Policy, students will be required to wear a school hat when outside from next week.

This requirement applies during recess, lunchtime, outdoor learning activities and other times students are outside during the school day. Students without a hat will be required to remain in designated shaded areas.

We encourage families to ensure hats are clearly named and brought to school each day. Thank you for supporting us in keeping our students safe while enjoying our outdoor spaces.

Happy Father’s Day

We would like to wish all of our dads, fathers and special people across the WPS community a very happy Father’s Day this Sunday.

We hope you enjoy a wonderful day with family and loved ones, and we thank you for the important role you play in the lives of our students and our school community.

Happy Father’s Day from everyone at WPS!

Good Luck, Puhie

We wish long-time WPS staff member Steven Puhar all the very best as he takes to the field in his football Grand Final this Saturday.

The game kicks off at 4:45pm at DSV Stadium, Williamstown, and we would love to see plenty of the WPS community get along to support Steven and cheer him on.

Good luck, Puhie – the whole WPS community is behind you!

JSC Supporting Endangered Animals

Our Junior School Council (JSC) will soon have the opportunity to meet with WPS parent and zookeeper Amber to learn more about endangered animals and how our school community can make a difference.

Amber will share her knowledge and experiences with our students, helping them understand the challenges facing endangered species and the important role we can all play in protecting wildlife.

Following the meeting, our JSC will explore ways WPS can support endangered animals and raise awareness and raise funds across our school community.

We look forward to seeing where this exciting student-led initiative takes us!

Maths Acceleration Program

Next week, selected students from Grades 1–4 will begin participating in our school’s Maths Acceleration Program.

The program will provide students with opportunities to extend their mathematical thinking, tackle challenging problems and develop their problem-solving and reasoning skills.

We look forward to seeing our students challenge themselves and enjoy this additional opportunity to grow as mathematicians.

Reminders: 

Parent and Caregiver Opinion Survey

Recently, families were invited to participate in the annual Parent and Caregiver Opinion Survey. This survey provides an important opportunity for parents and carers to share their perspectives on a range of areas, including teaching and learning, student wellbeing, school communication and the overall school experience.

Individual survey links will be emailed directly to selected families, along with information about how to complete the survey. The survey is confidential, and responses are used to help inform our school improvement planning and future priorities.

We strongly encourage all families who receive an invitation to take the time to complete the survey. Achieving a strong response rate is important, as it ensures we receive a representative sample of feedback from across our school community. The more families who participate, the greater confidence we can have that the results accurately reflect the experiences and views of our community.

We sincerely appreciate the time and thoughtful feedback provided by families each year. Your input plays a valuable role in helping us continue to strengthen Williamstown Primary School and provide the very best learning environment for all students.

Before and After School Supervision

A reminder to all families that staff yard supervision begins at 8:45am each morning. To help keep all students safe, children should not be dropped off at school before 8:30am, as there is no staff supervision available prior to this time.

If your family requires an earlier drop-off, students must be enrolled in our Before School Care program, where they will be appropriately supervised until the school day begins.

Students who arrive before 8:30am and remain unsupervised are placed at unnecessary risk, and we appreciate families supporting these arrangements to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all children.

Similarly, after school, students should be collected promptly. There should be no unsupervised students remaining on the school grounds after 3:45pm. Families requiring care beyond this time are encouraged to make use of our After School Care program.

As part of our ongoing commitment to meeting the Victorian Department of Education's Child Safe Standards and duty of care requirements, Williamstown Primary School will introduce a new gate opening and closing schedule from Term 4. The revised schedule will ensure that access to the school grounds aligns with periods when staff supervision is in place, further strengthening the safety and security of all students while on site.

Further details, including gate opening and closing times, will be communicated to families towards the end of this term, providing everyone with plenty of notice before the new arrangements commence.

Thank you for your ongoing support in helping us maintain a safe and well-supervised environment for all students.

Warm regards,

Mat Montebello