Across Gru's Desk  

Dear Parents,

As the term ends, I have to say don’t listen to the media or Ellen, Carlton can still win every game to make the finals. Tonight it all starts when we beat Collingwood! I love to be optimistic.   

This term has been a long 11-week term but it does seem to have gone fast. For our Preps, it’s hard to believe they have already been here for half a year. It’s been a very successful term. Beside all the fun things like, Cross Country, Life Saving and CPR incursions and the Speaking Competition. Our students have again shone with lots of growth in Reading, Writing and Numeracy. Our Blitzmaster Hall of Fame wall is really starting to fill up again. We have never had so many students doing so well. 

CURRICULUM DAY

Just wanting to remind you all, our term 3 curriculum day is: 

Friday 8th of August 

WELL DONE ISLA

Congratulations on being brave and cutting your hair Isla.  Isla has donated her beautiful locks to "wigs4kids" which helps out children going through treatment for cancer, by supplying them  hair to wear. 

EXCURSION TO PUFFING BILLY

20 lucky 5 and 6 students had the opportunity to go and learn some of the history about Puffing Billy and how steam was used to power all industries in the 1800’s. Because of the feedback and the learning, we will be running the excursion again next year! 

STAFFING

Next term we welcome Flick back into her AP role. Although, she will work 4 days a week for most of term 3. Jess Howe and Rachel Ward will be Acting Assistant Principal’s on a Thursday. 

Sadly we will be losing Vix Barnard from 2C as she takes leave for the rest of this year. We thank Vix for everything she has done for her students this year. Vix is a brilliant teacher that runs a very tight but loving classroom. Her students have shown fantastic growth and I know they are sad to see her go. Vix is being replaced by a teacher we have recruited from Rolling Hills P.S. Her name is Rachel Boyle. I hope you all give Rachel a big Woori welcome when she starts next term. 

Its been a term full of fun! 

REPORTS

Jess, Rachel and I have been reading student reports over the past two weeks. I love reading reports because it just shows how much effort our students put into their goals. It also shows how much they love learning and also how much they love seeing their friends.

This year we have again blended ongoing work samples with the normal reports.  We are hoping that what we have done is given parents a more complete picture of student achievement and next steps for improvement. 

I hope you enjoy reading your child’s report as much as we did.

Reports go out on compass this Friday.

SPEECH COMPETITION 

At WYPS we value the teaching of public speaking. As we are with most things, we teach public speaking in a sequential, practical way. 

Our school has won the Yarra Valley Inter-school speaking competition 9 times out of 10. Last year Molly Benson not only won the Inter-School final, she also won the Eastern Suburbs final beating a lot of confident Inner Eastern suburbs schools! 

I’m simply in awe of the risks some of our kids take while speaking in front of so many people. I hope to have some of the speeches uploaded to our website sometime soon so that you can all see just how amazing these speeches are. 

I would like to thank our teachers and parents for how well taught and prepared all the students were.

Congratulations to all the finalists that competed on Thursday. You are all winners.

Grade 3/4 Student & Topic 

Grade 5/6 Student & Topic 

Our junior school will have their own school competition in fourth term. 

STEPS WINNERS

Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to do a steps winner’s morning tea this week but we all do one early term 3. The following students are our winners. Congratulations to them for being so wonderful in class.

EXCELLENCE AWARD WINNERS

The excellence award goes to the student the teacher has judged as the best student for the term. Taking into account, the school’s values, academic growth, persistence and manners. 

The following are this term’s winners. Which will be presented with their awards at Friday’s assembly at 9:10am 

Badge Code

White =            1st time winner             

Green =           2nd time    

Pink =              3rd time    

Yellow =          4th time     

Orange =         5th time    

Blue =        6th time (We have only had one student receive the blue badge)

Please remember Friday is an early finish. Students will be dismissed at 2:30pm. 

I hope all our families have a wonderful winter break. A big thanks to the whole community for all of the support particularly all the kind words many of you have given me on a personal basis.

See you in a couple of weeks. 

Oliver Thockloth

Principal