From the Principal

Dear Families,

Parents Association Meeting

Next Wednesday 13th March at the Williamstown Royal Yacht club I will have the pleasure of joining members of the Williamstown Primary Parents Association for their first meeting for the year. At this meeting I will have the opportunity to discuss our school and the key work planned as part of our new strategic plan that has come out of last year’s school review. 

I believe sharing this information and along with the school vision is key to further strengthening the school/home partnership. Discussing the details of our school and the work we do is something I am extremely passionate about. I hope to see as many families there as possible and I look forward to presenting as well as answering any connecting questions.

Student Presentation

Next Friday 15th March at 2:45pm we will be hosting a special student leadership badge presentation. 

The presentation will take place under the shade sail and will see all our JSC and House captains receive their 2024 leadership badges. We invite all families to come along to this assembly to help celebrate and acknowledge our 2024 student leaders.

School Council

Recently we put a call out for nominations for vacated positions for the 2024 School Council.

We are very pleased to announce that these positions have been filled unopposed. We would like to welcome and thank the following people for their successful parent category nominations to school council.

• Sally Winton
• Damian Wood
• Karleen Radford
• Sarah Glasson

We would also like to thank Steven Puhar who will continue on school council in the vacated staff category.

School Council is one of the most essential components in developing a strong partnership between school and families. The work undertaken by council is extremely valuable and helps support shaping the vision of the school. The first meeting for the new school council will take place on Tuesday 19th March.

Council is still looking for one community member, so if you are passionate about supporting the school please contact me directly to express your interest. If we receive more that one interested person council will then be required to go through a selection process.

Leadership Workshops

Hobsons Bay is Providing an opportunity for your aspiring children from the ages of 12 and up. If you think your child would enjoy this opportunity, please follow the link below for more details.

https://www.hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au/Community/Community-services/Young-people/Youth-Voice/Young-Leaders

Open Afternoon- Thursday 21st March

As mentioned in previous newsletters this year there will be a stronger focus on our open afternoons. This term’s open afternoon, will take place on Thursday 21st between 3:15-4:00pm, and will give families the opportunity to venture into their child’s classroom where their child will be able to share and celebrate the work undertaken this term. We believe this opportunity will help provide greater insight into the outstanding work our Willy kids do with alongside our passionate staff.

Bike Education

This week Bike Education concluded for our Grade Four students. Bike Ed has been a part of the Williamstown PS curriculum for many years, having previously been part of the Year Five learning program. In recent years the program moved to Year Four as we believed that it was important to expose students to the key learnings and skills at a younger age. Williamstown is the perfect town to cycle from place to place, and upskilling our students with the right road safety knowledge sets them up for success.

Divisional Swimming Carnival

Wednesday 6th March saw several Willy Kids head off to compete at the divisional swimming carnival after success at the previous district level. Students who attended gave their all, representing themselves and the school with pride. Congratulations to all who competed, and we wish Nicholas (Gr 5) and Ethan (Gr 6) all the best as they progress to the Regional Finals.

Willy Learning Challenge

Last year we introduced the Willy Learning Challenge. The challenge was a project-based homework extension program that gave students the opportunity to extend themselves through creative problem solving. We have chosen to let students settle in this term as we look to launch the challenge in Term 2. We envisage the first challenge this year to be highly engaging and creative and we look for to releasing details at the start of next term.

REMINDERS: 

NAPLAN

In the coming weeks students in years three and five will undertake NAPLAN. Below is an extract from the NAPLAN website outlining key information for parents/carers.

Although NAPLAN is an important piece of a school’s data puzzle our school wants to recognise that all Willy Kids are much more than data. They are people with so many skills and talents that these assessments do not measure. Therefore, our recommendation is to not over highlight the assessment and encourage students to approach it with their best effort, like they do with all areas of their schooling.

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a literacy and numeracy assessment that students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sit each year. It is the only national assessment all Australian students have the opportunity to undertake. 

As students progress through their school years, it is important to check how well they are learning the essential skills of reading, writing and numeracy. 

NAPLAN assesses the literacy and numeracy skills that students are learning through the school curriculum and allows parents/carers to see how their child is progressing against national standards. 

NAPLAN is just one aspect of a school’s assessment and reporting process. It does not replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance, but it can provide teachers with additional information about students’ educational progress. 

NAPLAN also provides schools, education authorities and governments with information about how education programs are working and whether young Australians are achieving important educational outcomes in literacy and numeracy.

https://www.nap.edu.au/naplan/for-parents-carers

Please see below the proposed schedule for this year’s NAPLAN assessment.

NAPLAN Timetable 2024

Times are approximate.

Warm regards,

Mat