From the Principal,
Diana Ellis
Welcome back to Term 3. I hope you were able to spend some quality time with your children over the holiday period. I appreciate not all parents are able to take holidays to coincide with school holidays but life without the morning rush of school lunches and the school drop off and pick up.
During Term 3 we are generally impacted by a lot of cold, wet weather. Please ensure your child comes to school dressed appropriately for the weather conditions. The weather can change quickly so please ensure your child has a coat and or hat/beanie in their bag if the weather takes a turn for the worst.
In case you weren’t aware, we have beanies with our school logo available at the uniform shop.
New students
At the end of last term and already this week, a number of new students have started at W.P.S. We warmly welcome our new families and hope that with the support of our school community they will quickly develop a network of friends and supports.
Cystic Fibrosis
Throughout our school we have many students with identified needs and adjustments. Some of these are health related issues such as asthma, diabetes, anaphylaxis and Cystic Fibrosis. We now have two Cystic Fibrosis students. In order to provide a safe and supportive environment for our students, our staff have all completed the appropriate professional learning for these conditions and have regular communication with parents to ensure the appropriate actions are followed.
Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease that causes a build up of thick, sticky mucus in the lungs. CF causes ongoing lung infections and makes it hard to breathe over time. CF also affects other parts of the body, including the pancreas, and can make it difficult to digest food and maintain a healthy weight.
One of the things we have learnt about Cystic Fibrosis is the need for Cystic Fibrosis students to be kept around 5 feet apart. The following link explains the reasons why.
There is also a movie titled Five Feet Apart, about two teens with cystic fibrosis, which was released in the U.S. in March 2019. The CF Foundation was not involved in the production of the film. However, we are hopeful the movie will provide a positive opportunity to increase awareness of CF and the challenges people with CF face, living with their disease.
Parent Teacher Interviews
A big thankyou to our teachers and parents for the time invested in Parent Teacher Interviews. These meetings are a valuable two way opportunity for information to be shared that can further support student progress.
Changes to NAPLAN reporting
Ahead of NAPLAN results for students being released from Monday 17 July 2023, I would like to inform you of some changes to this year’s reporting. These are changes being introduced nationally by the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA).
NAPLAN will continue to measure student achievement in numeracy, reading, writing, spelling, and grammar and punctuation but the results will now be presented in 4 proficiency levels:
These are:
- exceeding
- strong
- developing
- needs additional support.
This change will give schools, parents and carers clearer information that details student achievement against new proficiency levels.
Students’ NAPLAN reports will continue to show how they are tracking against their peers and provide an indication of their skill levels against national averages and where we would expect them to be in order to get the most out of schooling. This provides valuable information to teachers about how we can continue to support your child.
Each set of NAPLAN results, is an important milestone but it’s also important that students know that one result does not define them – these results are about making sure every student gets the support they need so they can continue to get the best from their learning.
When we provide you with your results, you will also receive information about what the new proficiency levels mean.
We encourage you to speak to your child’s teacher if you have any questions about these changes or your child’s results.
Our new flags
We are very proud of our new flags that we have had installed in the corridor in the Administration Building. Next time you are up at school pop in and have a look.
Upcoming events
Over the next two terms we have some exciting events planned including:
Lap-a-thon, Book Week and PFA Movie Nights. We are currently organising a whole school Cultural Day and PFA is planning discos for our students for term 4.
Principal
Diana Ellis