A Word from the Principal 

A Warm Welcome to our Weeden Heights Community

Welcome back to the new school year!

Happy New Year everyone!  This is our first newsletter for 2024 and I warmly welcome you back to the new school year.  I hope that everyone has had a safe holiday and spent time with families and friends.   

A special welcome to our new families and we are looking forward to getting to know you better over the coming weeks at the upcoming activities at school.  Please take a moment to say hello and make all of our new families feel welcome. We especially hope to see you at the upcoming family fun night. 

After visiting all classes, I would like to thank the teachers for all of their planning and organisation. This has created happy classrooms where students are feeling settled.  A very smooth start to the new school year! 

Capital Works

Our building works continued over the summer holidays due to the extensive replacement of the pipes connected to the fire services.  Weeden Heights PS was able to access another $210,000 to ensure that the fire services were replaced and this has pushed the works to over $6 million dollars now.     I would like to thank everyone for being so flexible and adjusting to the new arrangements as I had really hoped for a finished school that was ready for the start of the school term.  There are many minor issues to fix up now and the builders are still onsite to see these works through to the end.  Anyone who has built a new home will understand the finishing off process. 

The office will begin to relocate very soon to the front of the school and then works begin on returning our library back into a great library for the students and our TV studio.  I will send updates out over Compass 

First Week/Curriculum Days

The start to school was productive and positive for staff with the first curriculum day setting the tone for the year.  The staff looked at the goals and targets identified in the school review last year.  Our focus is now to write a new Strategic Plan and Annual Implementation Plan so that there is a shared and clear common understanding.  The bar continues to remain high for our school but part of the move forward will include greater student voice and agency along with extending our incredible students even further.  .    

Tuesday was a very exciting day as grades 1 – 6 returned and they settled well with their new classroom and teachers.   The Bright Beginnings Transition program starts the year for all WHPS students and while it is comprehensive, it prepares students for their start to in their new class/new school.  Preps began last Monday and have made a positive start.  We look forward to getting to know them. 

COMPASS

This year we are starting to use our new communication app, COMPASS. It will be used for messages, student reports, contact with the school etc.  Everyone should have received information from the office about how to set it up on your phone and/or computer. Please ensure that all adult members in your family have access to the app on their phone as it will be the key communication tool at our school. 

Student Supplies & Book Packs

Many thanks to the families who sent along their children’s books and supplies.  Can I please ask that all supplies be forwarded to the classrooms ASAP as the students set up their all of their books for the year.  I know I say this every year but there are a few students who did not bring their supplies and it has been extremely disruptive as work begins from day one in every scrap and exercise book. 

‘Getting to Know You’ Interviews – 2 Way Meetings

This week our families were involved with a meeting between parents and teachers.  This was a terrific way to start the year as teachers can establish a shared understanding of the learning needs of your child.    This focus of the meeting was for parents to share information about their child and not the teacher reporting back as the students had only been at school for a week. 

The information shared allowed parents to express their child’s interests, passions, strengths and challenges. Teachers will address any of your concerns in a student’s individual education plan.  Well done on navigating through our new Compass app to book your online meeting. 

School Council 

Very soon I will be calling for School Council nominations to fill vacancies as schools have school council elections every Term 1.  The attached document below explains the functions of school council and it would be an excellent opportunity to contribute to your child’s education  

Please look out for nominations forms on Compass in the coming week. I only encourage parents (and staff) to come onto council and make a difference for all of the students at our school on a higher level.

A very important part of our school’s continued work is through the sub- committees and the work that they do for the school community. These committees give all parents the chance to assist in the education of their children without committing to the more formal task of School Council.  We also need parent representation as it assists with new thoughts and ideas. 

Please look out for more information in our up-coming newsletters when the new sub-committees are formed.  We would welcome your input.

2024 Class Representatives

Our Class Representatives are an important part of our communication process at Weeden Heights PS and they form an important role in liaising between the class teacher and the parents in the room. Classroom teachers are now looking for volunteers.  Miss Walls is the coordinator for all of our parent reps this year.  Please look out for a note that will be sent home soon.

The role of the Class Representative includes the following: 

• Organising class/level social activities for parents (e.g. dinner, coffee mornings) 
• Encouraging parents to support social/fundraising and community events 
• Providing a communication link between the PFA and class parents
• Liaising with the classroom teacher to organise volunteers, rosters etc. if required 
• Welcoming new and current parents to the school to develop and foster a friendly, supportive group 
• Preparing a Class Contact List (to assist with play dates and catch-up)
• Participation in occasional Class Reps Meetings (when possible).

Bright Futures Program 

Students across the school are currently involved in a “Bright Futures Program” which is implemented in the first two weeks of term 1. It has several important goals that classes will be working towards: 

•   Establishing common understandings of the thinking curriculum through Inquiry Based Learning
•   Developing the learning environment with the establishment of classroom routines and procedures and the acknowledgement that students learn in different ways and at different rates. The focus of the program includes the need to respect each other as learners and treat each other in ways that we would like to be treated; the development of co-operative learning strategies that enable students to learn from one another and listen to others viewpoints and ideas 
•   Our School Values of Respect, Personal Excellence, Curiosity and Creativity, Collaboration will be emphasised and the links that these values have with our educational aims and the ways in which we behave. 

Until next time ……

Until next time……

Kylie Campbell

Principal

Futures are Bright at Weeden Heights!