Leadership updates and reflections
Message from Julie
Great News – Our Basketball Court Upgrade has started!
There was a real buzz of excitement this week as students rushed out to try our newly upgraded basketball court surface – and the verdict was unanimous: it’s amazing! This fantastic upgrade is a wonderful addition to our school and will be enjoyed by students for years to come. A big thank you goes to our generous parent community and the Warrandyte Community Bank for making this possible – your support has helped create a safer and more versatile space for our students.
Grade 4 Camp
More excitement this morning as every one of our Grade 4s set off on their 3-day camp at Phillip Island. Our Grade 4s are super excited to be spending time with their friends and teachers and trying lots of great activities including canoeing, tackling the giant swing, the ropes course, archery and visiting the penguins. Camps are such a great opportunity to build connections as well as independence and confidence. Thank you to Kylie Sledge, Nathan Percy, Mel Lambden, Bridie Archer, Ben White, Jocelyn Hollyman and Clare McInerney-Harris for caring for our Grade 4s and making this such a great experience.
Book Week
Book Week is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate high quality books for children and young adults and has become a much-loved annual event in schools. Last week our students loved hearing from accomplished and award-winning Australian children’s author, Coral Vass. Coral has always had a passion for telling stories and inspiring children with a love of literature and inspired our students with some of her favourite picture-story books and tips for their own story writing!
There is much excitement for this Friday’s Book Week Parade! Parents are welcome to come along to join in the fun.
School Review – Parent Involvement Opportunity
Over the next two weeks, our school will take part in a three-day School Review process. Lorraine Kennedy, along with a team of regional staff and a local principal from another school, will be joining us to reflect on our progress over the past four years. Together, we will look at what we’ve achieved and work to set priorities and goals for the next four years.
As part of the review, there will be an opportunity for parents to meet with the reviewer on Tuesday, August 26th, from 2:30 to 3:00pm. If you’d like to be involved in this parent discussion group, please email the school with your expression of interest. We’d love to hear from you!
Matilda Jr. – Almost Showtime!
Excitement is growing by the day as we count down to opening night of Matilda Jr.! This incredible production will be a true celebration of our students’ talent, creativity, and hard work.
With over 1,100 tickets already sold, the show is nearly sold out – a testament to the enthusiasm and support from our school community. If you haven’t secured your tickets yet, don’t miss out! Get ready to be amazed – Matilda Jr. is set to be a show to remember!
Exciting New Addition to our School Uniform Options
As part of our 130th birthday celebrations, we are excited to begin a meaningful project to design an additional school polo shirt in collaboration with local Aboriginal artist Ky-ya. We hope to create a design that reflects our school’s unique story, the beautiful environment we learn in, and the deep connection we have to Country. Situated on the edge of Warrandyte State Park, with the Birrarung flowing nearby, our school is surrounded by natural beauty – kangaroos, kookaburras, and outdoor learning are part of our everyday experience. This strong connection to nature, along with a close-knit community spirit among students, staff, families, and locals, is central to who we are. As part of our school’s Reconciliation Action Plan, this project reflects our ongoing commitment to learning from and with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and to embedding First Nations perspectives in visible and lasting ways across our school. We hope this collaboration will be the beginning of a long-term relationship with Ky-ya and an inspiring project for our whole school community.
Have a great week
Stay warm!
Julie
Message from Adele
Traffic reminders
Kiss and Drop - Dudley Road (Front of the School
Please remember that cars are not to be left unattended in the Kiss and Drop Area - parents/carers should not be parking and assisting their children through the gate/down to their classrooms. Cars should also not park in the disabled parking;, this space is only for parents/carers who have a permit.
Traffic outside the school - Safety Reminder
A resident contacted us regarding an incident that they felt created an unsafe situation.
It was reported that a vehicle was stationary just ahead of the safety crossing on Dudley Road. This car was not parked but was instead positioned in the middle of the road, obstructing traffic. We understand the weather conditions on Friday were not ideal; however, we need to stress the importance of safety for our students and traffic on the road - please help us to keep everyone safe.
Lantana Drive
It's important that no standing standing signs are observed on Lantana Drive before and after school. Signs must be observed to ensure student safety and a safe flow or traffic.
Phonics P-2
As you are no doubt aware, we have been implementing UFLI since semester 2 2024.
In this week’s issue of the Wonga Weekly we are sharing why UFLI is being implemented.
From Term 1 2025, all Victorian government students from Prep to Grade 2 will be taught using a systematic synthetic phonics approach as part of their reading programs, with a minimum of 25 minutes daily explicit teaching of phonics and phonemic awareness. Systematic synthetic phonics is a structured approach that explicitly teaches the relationship between sounds and letters to read words.
The Department of Education shares that Victoria’s literacy assessment approach is changing to reflect the most recent evidence of how students learn to read. In 2025, a new Year 1 Phonics Check will be introduced to Victorian government primary schools and become mandatory for Year 1 students from 2026. Victorian government schools will no longer be required to use the English Online Interview (EOI) with Foundation and Year 1 students. The EOI will be fully decommissioned at the end of the 2025 year.
In 2025, this means:
- for Foundation students, completion of the EOI will be optional
- for Grade 1 students, completion is required of either
- the new Year 1 Phonics Check
- the Year 1 EOI
The Year 1 Phonics Check is a short assessment that provides information to teachers on a student’s phonics knowledge. It takes just 5-7 minutes for a teacher to complete with each student and involves Year 1 students using phonics knowledge to decode real and non-real words.The Grade 1 team is currently implementing the Phonics testing. The Phonics Screening Check is a quick assessment for Year 1 students to evaluate their phonics skills, specifically their ability to decode words. It helps teachers identify students who may need extra support with phonics. The check involves reading 40 words aloud, including both real and nonsense words, and typically takes 5-7 minutes.
Disability and Inclusion
At Wonga Park PS, we believe every child deserves to feel like they belong. Inclusion is about making sure all students, no matter their abilities, strengths, or needs are supported to learn, play and grow together. For us, it’s not just about access to the classroom. It’s about making the adjustments each child needs so they can take part in all aspects of school life, from learning to excursions, sports and friendships. When we remove barriers and celebrate differences, our whole community benefits.
We’d love you to take a moment to watch this short video, Education for all: Teachers’ insight to inclusive education. It shares some inspiring perspectives from teachers on what inclusion looks like in action.
Online Safety
eSafety – Office of the eSafety Commissioner
The eSafety Commissioner publishes great online safety support information for parents. This week, we'll share information they have published about Gaming:
Many young people enjoy online gaming – from simple puzzle-based play through to strategic multiplayer games and creating their own virtual worlds.
Gaming can help improve your child’s coordination, problem-solving and multi-tasking skills, as well as build social skills through online interactivity with other players. Games can also be a great way to connect with your child and strengthen family relationships. But it’s also important to understand what can go wrong and how to keep your child safe.
In short:
- Online gaming has a range of benefits for children and young people and can help them to develop important skills.
- You can support your child and help them manage time online by empowering them and being involved when they play.
Gaming can expose young players to risks like cyberbullying and sexual grooming. Some games simulate or encourage gambling through the spending of real money or incentives such as tokens and points.
Term 3 eSafety Commissioner online workshops
The eSafety Commissioner provides free webinars provide parents and carers with the knowledge, skills and tools to support their children to have safe, positive online experiences. Term 3 webinars are listed below:
Upcoming workshops include;
21st August 2025 at 12.30pm: AI-assisted image-based abuse: Navigating the deepfake threat
AI tools are evolving fast – and some are being misused in ways that can harm or exploit children and young people, including through the creation of deepfakes and digitally altered images. This 45-minute webinar covers how these technologies are being used, their impact and how to support and protect your child. It’s suitable for parents and carers of upper primary and high school students. Learn more about this webinar.
28th August 2025 at 12.30pm + 11th September 2025 at 1.00pm: Understanding AI Companions: What parents and carers need to know
AI chatbots and companions that act like friends or partners are becoming more common – but they can be risky to children and young people. This 45-minute webinar explores what AI companions are, the risks to look out for and how to talk to your child about them. It’s suitable for parents and carers of upper primary and high school students. Learn more about this webinar.
2nd September 2025 at 12.30pm: Understanding and using parental controls to help protect your child online
Parental controls can be a useful addition to the strategies you use to help protect your child online. This 45-minute webinar covers the types of controls available, and how to use them alongside other online safety measures. It’s suitable for parents and carers of primary and high school students. Learn more about this webinar.
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