A Warm Welcome to our Weeden Heights Community

A warm welcome to our community

WINTER IS HERE! I hope you are looking forward to your long weekend. Please remember that school is closed on Monday.

Well, the cold weather, I am having to remind the students to wear their jackets and raincoats outside as well. Please remember that it is time for our winter uniform as shorts/skorts/summer dresses are a part of the summer uniform (and please no tights being placed under shorts and summer dresses). Remember the classrooms are warm and the senior school are having brand new heaters installed this week so they will be efficiently and effectively warm soon.

It is wonderful to see students in our school beanie as they look smart and are warm. Don’t forget the sleeveless polar fleece vests add extra warmth out at play time. They also look smart over the top of the maroon bomber jackets. These items are all available from the uniform shop if you would like to purchase for your child.

Working with Children Clearance (previously Working with Children Checks)

A friendly reminder that all parent helpers (in the classroom, kitchen/garden program and those who attend excursions/camps as a parent helper) are required to obtain a volunteer Working with Children Clearance Card. Please bring into the school office your card/confirmation as proof and you will be added to the Working with Children Register. A huge thank-you to the parents who have already presented the school with their WWCC or updated WWCC.

It is very easy to apply so please apply via the following link:

http://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au/home/applications/ If you require any support to do this then please contact the office.

Volunteer Induction

We appreciate and value the contribution of volunteers to our school such as parent helpers in the classrooms or attending excursions, sport and camps. However, we do ask that our volunteers are familiar with our policies and procedures relating to the child safety standards and understand the important role that they play in maintain and promoting the safety of our students.

Volunteers will need to complete a volunteers form and read Weeden Heights PS policies and procedures if they are volunteering at school when students and children are likely to be present. We will be sending home, our volunteer packs via COMPASS for this year along with a volunteers form that needs to be returned to the school. These forms are completed annually.

Just a reminder that anyone who volunteers at school must have a Children’s Clearance Card and have completed the Volunteers form.

Curriculum Day this week

The staff worked extremely hard on Tuesday as they became learners in the classroom. The focus for the day was on refining our approach to inquiry learning to ensure that there is greater voice and agency for our students. This is a focus in our new Strategic Plan. The presentation was by Dr Jenni Wilson who was very engaging and will return to work with the staff at the end of term. Using their new skills and ideas, Dr Wilson will facilitate the new inquiry investigations that will be implemented in term three with the classes. We are really looking forward to working with Dr Wilson again.

Reporting to Parents against the Victorian Curriculum

Mid-year reports will come home via COMPASS at the end of term and teachers are currently completing mid-year assessments. I look forward to reading each student’s reports over the next few weeks and celebrating the growth in their learning.

Further information about your child will be provided during the student led conferences and the work completed in your child’s portfolio after you receive the mid-year report. The conferences willl be conducted in person or via a video conference in the Google Classroom in term three. Student portfolios will be shared at home, after the conference however, students have unlimited access to their online portfolio any time through the Google Classroom.

Our student led conferences are highly successful and support the development of student voice and agency which also includes setting future learning goals.

Weeden Heights PFA Disco

It’s time for your children to get their dancing shoes on as next week is the school disco! A huge thank you to the PFA in advance for organising a disco for the whole school. We appreciate everything that they do for our students and our community. I hope that everyone takes the opportunity to come along and have some fun. It is wonderful to have the whole school involved in an event!

Enrolments for 2025

We are now accepting enrolments for Prep 2025. Please forward all enrolment forms to the office asap as we have many of our own families who have not enrolled yet. Do not leave this to the last minute as you are aware through our school and kinders that the process has changed.

Until next time……

Kylie Campbell

Principal

Happy Birthday to you!