A Word from the Principal 

Welcome to the  Weeden Heights Community

The countdown is on until the end of the year! I am sure that everyone is ready for a well-earned rest and catch up with families and friends over the holiday period.  We all deserve a bright and happy 2026 full of fun.  In 2023, I wrote that “it will be wonderful to have our building back in 2024 and see the finish of the capital works project”.    We then moved back in, went into defects mode and believe it or not we have been in defects mode all year and I signed off on the capital works build last week.  It ended up being a five-year project….unbelievable!  It really is officially our building now. 

The school truly is looking amazing! We do need to continue on the great work (and keep the pressure up for the rest of the school to be renovated – new glass ceiling in the junior corridor and we need a new roof over B block) Many of the things that we do and achieve are thanks to our parents, fundraising and very good budgeting.  We do need your support to make these things happen and this occurs through coming along to working bees, paying your parent contributions and getting involved with our PFA, fundraising and school council.  I personally would like to thank everyone who gives whatever they can to the school in time or their contributions.  It is what makes our school great!

My future vision includes (sorry…it’s expensive!)

• New play equipment
• Safety surfacing under all play equipment rather than softfall that we have to rake every working bee
• Sails over one of the basketball courts for shade and allows protection if it is spitting with rain outside
• Artificial turf the whole oval so it can be used all year round
• Continue to rejuvenate the old woody gardens – focus on the front of the school
• Install a new fence at the back of the school
• New concrete edging up the driveway
• Replace retaining walls around the school
• Continue updating books in the library
• Soundproof the TV studio and add more sound and editing equipment
• Create a soundproof room for recording songs up in the hall
• Replace the data projector in the hall
• Continue to attach acoustic tiles, which double as pinboards, in the classrooms
• Replace classroom windows with double glazing and new window locks

• Re concrete many areas around the school especially some of the stairwells.

   

I think I might stop there!  We have completed so much is the last five years but I do have a bigger vision moving forward. 

2025 - 26  Whole School Structure and the Bright Beginnings Program

Last Friday and Tuesday, students participated in the whole school transition sessions.  They  had the opportunity to meet with their new classroom teacher as a part of the Bright Beginnings Transition Program.  The whole school transition program at Weeden Heights is outstanding and by starting the year before, our students are well ahead and beginning to develop solid relationships to be ready for learning at the start of the year. 

Students were also able to meet some of the new students who are starting at Weeden Heights PS and who will be a part of their class next year.  I have thought long and hard about the structure for next year to ensure the best learning outcomes for every student and maintain our high expectations.  As I have already said in a previous Nokuna, I have created another class to add to our structure which will be amazing.  The structure involves multi aged classes again next year (please note these are not composite classes as our students have personal learning plans and working well beyond the year levels of the grade they are actually in) so that students continue to socialise and be challenged.  

The 2026 structure for Weeden Heights is as follows:

Classroom Teachers 

• Prep: Mrs Melinda Michalski– Room 2
• Grade 1/2 A: Ms Ruihong Lu – Room 3
• Grade1/ 2 B: Miss Shannon Lloyd- Owens Room 4
• Grade 3/4 B:  Ms Sophie Brown - Room 6
• Grade 3/4 A: -Mrs Aleesa Altube - Room 7
• Grade 5/6 A: Mrs Aarti Arya– Room 8
• Grade 5/6 S:– Mr David Saville Room 9
•  

Specialist Teaching Program (Prep – Year 6)

• STEAM: Mrs Narissa Farrell
• Physical Education – TBA
• Performing Arts: Ms Kate Phillips
• Visual Arts: Ms Kate Phillips

• Language (French): Mrs Delphine Todd 

   

Other Support Staff

• Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader – Mrs Solange Nancarrow
• Wellbeing Officer – Marika Smith
• Inclusion Co-ordinator – Mrs Solange Nancarrow
• EAL support- Emma Harper
• Integration Aides – Emma Harper, Cindy Cameron, Delphine Todd, Erin Roth
• Business Manager – Ms Sarah McDonell
• Office Assistant – Mrs Amanda Giblett

As I write this you will now be aware that we are saying a fond farewell to a few teachers at the end of the year:

• Mrs Sarah Crookes- I am so incredibly proud of this teacher who will be heading off to Vermont South Special School for next year and is taking the opportunity to strengthen her teaching skills. Sarah joined our team in her in 2019 (our first lock down year) and has detailed knowledge and appreciation for each and every one of the students in her class.  Sarah has done a wonderful job organising our year 6 captains and has co-ordinated our graduation which is next week.  Good luck Sarah! 

   

• Miss Charlotte Pile– Charlotte is taking family leave next year and will be heading off to have her baby boy which is due in February.  We wish her all the very best for a safe birth and look forward to a photo coming through soon. 

   

• Mrs Caitlin Filby – Caitlin joined our team this year to teach STEAM, Kitchen/garden and run the tutoring sessions.  As a scientist, Caitlin bought an incredible amount of technical knowledge to our STEAM program which the students have found intriguing.  Caitlin has also taken the opportunity to expand her teaching experiences and has taken a position at Melbourne Girls Grammar. We wish you all the best in your new role.

   

We wish our staff all the very best in their new positions and I am very proud as a ‘system leader‘ to promote excellent teachers in our government education system.   Weeden Heights is a wonderful place to teach and work as we have a strong community committed to learning and the best students ever!   

Multi-age Classes

Each year I also like to remind our families about multi-aged classrooms as we have always operated this way, not just due to our size but for the philosophical belief of the school.

 Weeden Heights operates with multi-aged classrooms.  We do not have ‘composite’ classes.  They are two completely different approaches and I explain this on school tours. Our approach at WHPS is ‘personalised learning’ so students are tested to find out what they already know and understand and then students have programs and approaches developed for them based around their next learning stage. 

• Composite grades only teach to the level curriculum of the grade so only two curriculum levels are taught in that classroom.  If we only taught to a specific grade level, students would never be able to achieve results beyond their year level because we simply would not teach that curriculum.   

   

• Personal learning in a multi-aged classroom allows us to teach a child above or below the expected level of the curriculum.  It is irrelevant what grade a child is in however grades simply group students who are roughly around the same age and stage in development.  We have many year 6 students who are completing secondary school curriculum but this would not be possible if we only taught to the year 6 curriculum. There are many prep students who will receive results well beyond their expected level.  This is only possible with our personal approach to learning.  We should never have to say to a child that they are ‘only in grade 2 so you only get grade 2 work’.  In a composite grade the two-year levels are only given work of the year level. 

At Weeden Heights our programs are based on student’s achievement levels which is how our students achieve the results that they do. 

Grade construction takes hours.  Students are asked about their choices for best learning partners and friends. Parent are consulted and requests considered as they are based on personal, social, physical or academic grounds. Grades are balanced between boys and girls and academic and social needs.  Teachers also have requests and professional needs that need to be considered. We have to manage their roles in the school along with the grade they are allocated.  There are so many considerations and this process involved the whole staff so it is not taken lightly.  Every student is guaranteed at least one of their choices so it is difficult to hear from a parent that their child has no friends when they have received at least one person they named. 

Please always be reassured that extensive thought goes into school structures and placements.  Our focus is our students at all times and it is paramount that we work with you at home to ensure that we all cater for the learning needs of each learner in our school and not a ‘grade’. 

Year 6 Graduation

Good luck to our year 6’s as they head towards their graduation next Tuesday.  They have been extremely busy preparing for this very special night.  I would also like to especially thank Ms Crookes and Mrs Arya for overseeing the ceremony and thank the team of parents/guardians who have worked behind the scenes to make this a worthy event for 2025.  It is always an honourable event and I look forward to seeing you there.   

Christmas and Awards Night Celebration

Our Christmas Concert was held last week.  Thank you for attending and I would especially like to thank all the staff for putting together their class performance and thanks also to Mrs Phillips and the events team for coordinating the whole concert. It was a fabulous way to get into the Christmas Spirit.

Final Assembly

The school will hold a final assembly in the hall on Friday 19 December at 12.50pm  and parents are welcome.  We will say a final farewell to our exiting year 6 students and wish everyone a happy holiday break.   We have heard that many families are finishing early but we would like the opportunity to wish our students all the best and say goodbye to the exiting year 6’s. 

The finish time on that Friday is 1.30pm.  If you are not available to pick up your child at that time then you will need to book them into the OSHC program for the afternoon as the school will close straight away. 

I always thank our community on the final assembly for their incredible work and support over the year.  If I don’t catch up with you before the end of the year, I would like to wish you all a safe and happy holiday break.  Enjoy spending time with your family and friends.  Merry Christmas!

I look forward to seeing you all back again next year!

Kind regards,

Kylie Campbell

Proud Principal!