A Message from Vassie 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land, the Wurundjeri, Woi Wurrung and Boonwurrung Peoples of the Kulin Nation and pay our respect to their Elders, past, present and emerging. Aboriginal people have a deep and continuous connection to the place now called Victoria. Aboriginal people have lived in the Maribyrnong River valley for over 40,000 years.

Welcome to Week Eight of Term Two! Throughout the past fortnight we have had many wonderful celebrations at Wembley Primary School, with Reconciliation Day, a School Choir performance honouring Reconciliation Week, 5/6 Gala Day, district athletics, professional practice days continuing, and significant progress in the Capital Works Building Project. 

5/6 Gala Sports Day

Congratulations and thank you to the students, staff members and parents for their support of our 5/6 Gala Sports Day yesterday where our year 5 and 6 student competed against other local schools in a winter inter-school sporting gala. Thank you to Gus, Simon, Rachel, Sofia, James, Tom L, Avery, Laura, Janine and Mary. Im proud to share that many teams made it through to the next round, and that all student demonstrated great teamwork, resilience, respect, effort and skill. 

Sorry Day and Reconciliation Week

Sunday 26 May is National Sorry Day, and Monday 27 May to 3 June is National Reconciliation Week.

This is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.

The theme for 2024, Now More Than Ever, is a reminder to all of us that no matter what, the fight for justice and the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will and must continue.

Across the week, students engaged in a range of meaningful lessons and activities to grow our knowledge and understanding of National Reconciliation Week.

We will be learning about strengthening relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous peoples, for the benefit of all Australians.

We look forward to playing our part to collectively build relationships and communities that value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories, cultures, and futures.

We are planning a smoking ceremony in early term three (mid July), following NAIDOC week, and will confirm this date with families in the event that you wish to attend. We are seeking confirmation from our Department of Education KESO (Koorie Engagement Coordinator) to confirm the date, and will inform families.

We would like to thank Kelly Edwards (Marrung Champion), Carmel Manning and Luke Jones, who have planned these acknowledgements of behalf of our Wembley PS community. 

We thank Alison Briskey and our Junior and Senior Choir for performing at our assembly last week. It was equally touching as it was entertaining, and captured the Wembley PS community by storm. 

World Environment Day

Today is World Environment Day. Our sustainability and environment captains, Rose, Marley and Macy, have acknowledged this day and the importance of this day, with our students via a padlet. https://www.worldenvironmentday.global/ 

The theme is year is #generationrestoration. See our WPS padlet.  https://wembleyps.padlet.org/sofiacourtney1/world-environment-day-at-wps-m2b19kua6oswa0ty 

Farewell Mel Axelson - Thank you Mel

We wish to thank Mel Axelson for her significant contribution to Wembley PS, as we bid her a fond farewell. 

Mel Axelson, will be going on leave from Week 9 of this term (Tuesday 11th June, post King’s birthday public holiday) for her wedding and honeymoon. I’m sure you will join me in wishing Mel and Az all the very best for a joyous wedding and happy marriage. 

Furthermore, Mel has picked up a new teaching position at Stella Maris Catholic School in Point Cook from the beginning of Term Three; therefore will not be returning to Wembley PS post her wedding and honeymoon celebrations. 

We congratulate Mel on her new appointment, and thank her sincerely for her significant contribution to Wembley Primary School for over 8 years. We thank her for her passion and dedication to the students at Wembley Primary School and she will be sorely missed. Mel's dedication, commitment, focus, relationships and impact on student learning is much appreciated and will not be forgotten. 

Welcome Monica Nekic

We have moved through the recruitment process and are pleased to announce that we have appointed a new full-time teacher for 3D, Monica Nekic. Monica has been working with the Year 3 team this term, and is currently an educator at Gowrie, Clare Court. She is warmly known to our wider Yarraville community. Monica will begin the transition into 3D this term, supported by Mel, the Year 3 team, as well as Learning Specialist Adriana Jankulovski, and 3-6 Assistant Principal, Renee Johnson.

Our priority is and will continue to be the learning, health, and wellbeing of our students, and we aim for a smooth transition in classroom teachers to ensure an enjoyable, engaging, and successful school year.

We wish Mel all the best for her wedding and new endeavors, and warmly welcome Monica to 3D. 

Welcome Megan Dalakouris

We are pleased to announce the appointment of classroom teacher Megan Dalakouris, who will be teaching 6C on Mondays and Tuesdays, beginning Monday 10 June. 

Megan comes to us from Alamanda P-9 College, where she has over 8 years experience in the classroom, and has worked in leadership positions. Megan will be supported by her 6C teaching partner, Laura Gardiner (Wednesday-Friday), the wider Year 6 teaching team, Learning Specialist Adriana Jankulovski, and 3-6 Assistant Principal, Renee Johnson.

Megan was at Wembley PS on Monday 3 June, and she meet the students and spent the day in the classroom.

We thank Nathan Welsh for his role in teaching 6C and wish him all the best as he moves into other teaching and learning roles. 

School Wide Positive Behaviour Support

We would like to thank our students who demonstrate our school values and follow our school rules every day, which supports all students to be and feel happy and safe at school. All students have a right to be safe at school, and all students have a responsibility to make positive choices to support the safety, learning and wellbeing of all students. 

In recent weeks, we have responded to incidents where students are using inappropriate language, demonstrating unsafe behaviours, and disrespecting our toilets. 

As a school we are focusing on School Wide Positive Behaviour Support, which is a Department of Education program which many Victorian Government Schools embrace to guide, support and reinforce School Wide Positive Behaviour. We are in our third year of implementation. We also have weekly lessons from Prep-Year 6, focused on Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships. 

We are reinforcing our values and rules with all students, and are engaging in restorative conversations with students where we ask them to reflect on the choices they made, who was impacted, what they would do differently next time, how do we need to do to make things right/restore this, and what support they need moving forward. 

I had a cohort meeting with our year 5 and 6 students, teachers and leadership team members, and spoke to the students as leaders in the school, to acknowledge positive choices, up-standers, and also remind all students of the expectations, rules, values, and subsequent consequences for continued behaviour. 

Can we please ask all families to have a conversation about the importance of our school rules and our school values of respect, inclusion, empathy and resilience.

We have also been contacted by members of the community regarding some students attending the Yarraville Library after school and being disrespectful to the librarians and community members. A reminder that students should be accompanied by an adult and if this isn't possible as older student may be walking home independently, we ask that parents check in with children and/or trusted adults around active supervision of their children. 

Thank you for your cooperation in keeping all students safe, and upholding our school values and rules. 

Thank you to our parent volunteers

I'd like to thank our many parent volunteers who support our students, staff members and wider community, with reading, classroom help, school events, lost property, choir performances, sports days, Breakfast Club, WWW Wembkey Waste Warriors (WWW), School Council and the Wembley Parents Association, and many more examples that are much appreciated. We value our parents partnership, and this enables us to serve our students and thrive as a community. 

School Council

We'd like to thank Matt Taylor, parent of Ines and Violet, who has nominated and been appointed as the co-opted community member of School Council. Matt is a civil engineer and project manager with a background in construction. He has overseen major construction projects across Melbourne and has a good understanding of processes which can assist to guide us with the remaining stages of the capital works building project. Welcome Matt. 

See below for a list of full School Council members which has been shared earlier this year, however also including Matt:

• Lisa Filippin
• Vanessa Hancock
• Helen Harris
• Russell Hunt
• Melanie Irons
• Lachlan McCallum
• Katie McClue
• Paul Meissner
• Alice Taylor
• Matt Taylor
• Beck Thomas 
• Vassie Vatsilas-D'Arcangelo

Wembley Parents Association (WPA)

We'd like to thank all the volunteers who are members of the WPA who dedicate countless hours in supporting our Wembley PS community. 

We'd also like to congratulate the 2024 office bearers. 

President: Linh Krygger, parent of Lachlan and Lucy

Secretary: Lisa Filippin, parent of Amelie and Eleanor

Treasurer: Kim Coleman, parent of Zoe

School Disco - Friday 14 June

The countdown is on. We thank Russell Hunt on behalf of the WPA for organising our school disco!!! See the message below on behalf of the the WPA.

The buzz is electric, and rightly so! Tickets are selling fast for the WPS student disco. This will be the night of nights. A bit like the Met Gala and Fashion Week all rolled into one.

Hot hits, cool classics, light and sound show, and a few surprises thrown in.

Food and drink will be available for purchase on the night with prices from $1 - $3.

Parents can hover nervously inside/outside with an instant coffee and chat about how they used to go clubbing "back in the day", or we will have a check-in/out process in place if your kids are anything like mine and don't want you near the place while they are being "cool".

You can get your tickets now via Trybooking: https://www.trybooking.com/CRRLB

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS

As you would expect, these events only happen through the effort of parents and carers who want to see great things happen for the kids. With that in mind we're calling for parents who can support before, during and after the event to help make things happen.

A separate post will come out later with a signup link, but if you are free to volunteer feel free to email wembleyparents@gmail.com. Even if you can only spare an hour it all helps. Volunteers will need a completed or in-progress WWCC.

Additional Pupil Free Day - Monday 4 November

An additional pupil free day was approved by School Council during our meeting on Monday. We advise community that we have an additional pupil free day approved for Monday 4 November, which the the Monday before Melbourne Cup Day. 

Hola Wembley ! - Spanish Blog

Dennis Mazzella and Vanessa Brown, Spanish teachers wish to share a Wembley PS spanish blog with our community showcasing the Spanish learning and teaching at Wembley PS. Gracias Senor Maz. Please visit this page to enjoy the spanish fun!

https://senormaz.edublogs.org/

Wembley Art on Display

The Visual Arts Department of WPS is very excited to announce that Coe & Coe Café will be displaying some of the fabulous artwork that our students have been creating.

Displays will change on a regular basis so that all year levels are showcased at various stages of the year.

We are so appreciative of Coe & Coe lending us their wall space. We hope you can make the time to drop in to the café and check out your child’s work as the exhibition evolves throughout Term 2.

Sustainability and Environment Update

During buildings and grounds subcommittee of school council, two of our parent volunteers and Wembley Waste Warriors Louise Hudson, and Lisa Marty, together with Sofia Courtney, Mel Irons, Grant Hobson, Renee Johnson, and the year 6 Sustainability and Environment captains shared great progress...

Resource Smart Star - One Star!

Thanks to Lou for working with us to progress towards our first Resource Smart Schools star!

Soft Plastics update - Coles, Woolworths and Aldi trial

Whilst soft plastics initiatives have ceased at some grocery stores, we wish to share that the current soft plastics recycling trial locations are Coles and Woolworths stores in:

COLES

- Flemington

- Moonee Ponds

- Northcote

- Ivanhoe

- Brunswick

WOOLWORTHS

- Balwyn, Box Hill, Burwood Brickworks, Carnegie North & Hawthorn East

ALDI

- Prahran

- St Kilda

Planting and harvesting

See our captains and WWW planting and harvesting in our school garden beds. 

Capital Building Works Project

Great progress has been made with our capital building works project and we are tracking well to move into the new building in Term Three, from August 2, 2024. 

We are now ordering furniture, and preparing to decant our year four classes, Rachel's class (5A) in the centre of the BER, the specialist team, and the office, by the end of term four. 

In the photo's below you will see the capital works project team. 

(Left to right)

Me: Vassie Vatsilas-D'Arcangelo (Principal)

Chris Bourke - Johnstaff Construction Services  Site Manager

Mitch Dean - Johnstaff Construction Services - Contract Administrator

Andrew Flynn - Johnstaff Construction Services - Project Manager

Pam Drakopoulos - AOA Architect and Superintendent

Grant Hobson - WPS Buildings, Grounds and Maintenance Manager

Liam Thomas - VSBA Senior Project Officer