From the Principal

Dear Families,

It is hard to believe that we have passed the halfway point of the term. With already so many events behind us and with many still in front of us, students of all year levels have been engaged in deep learning experiences in and out of the classroom. Bike Ed, Beach program, house and district swimming carnivals and excursions to the aquarium are just a few experiences our Willy Kids have undertaken. Continuing to provide these types of opportunities is a big part of creating great school memories while enhancing student engagement. We recommend following the school on its social media platforms and checking out year level pages on the newsletter to stay up to date.

Prep BBQ

This afternoon we look forward to welcoming our 2024 prep families to our Prep BBQ. This long-standing tradition overseen by the school’s Parent’s Association gives our families an opportunity to connect. This connection is very important, as we have seen so many lifelong friendships created over the years from the first few years of schooling.

As well as the BBQ, the Parents Association will also be operating a second-hand uniform sale. These uniform sales are a highly valued way of obtaining a secondary and/or back up uniform items. A big thank you to our parent volunteers for hosting these two events.

Reminder: School Council Nominations/Election- Close Friday 1st March

School councils play a key role in Victorian government schools. Participating as a school council member is a rewarding and challenging experience. The School Council supports the principal to provide the ​​best possible educational outcomes for students.

Who is on the school council?

There are three possible categories of membership:

1. A mandated elected parent category.
   More than one third of the elected members must be from this category.
2. A mandated elected Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DET)
   Members of this category may make up no more than one third of the total membership of school council. The principal of the school is automatically one of these members.
3. An optional community member category.
   These members are co-opted by the decision of the council because of their special skills, interests, or experiences.  DET employees are not eligible to be community members. 

The term of office for members is two years. Normally half the members retire each year, and this creates vacancies for the annual school council elections.  Retiring members are eligible for further terms and it is common for them to renominate. Our School Council is comprised of 7 parents, 5 staff (including the principal) and 3 community members, a total of fifteen.  Typically, school council members complete their two-year term on school council and an annual election process commences to determine new membership if required.

This year the council has 4 parent vacancies available under the parent category and 1 community vacancy which will be appointed after the parent categories are filled. 

Why is parent membership so important?

Parents on school councils provide important viewpoints and have valuable skills that can help shape the direction of the school. Those parents who become active on a school council find their involvement satisfying in itself and may also find that their children feel a greater sense of belonging. 

How can you become involved?

The most obvious way is to vote in the elections, which will be held in March this year if required. However, ballots are only held if more people nominate as candidates than there are positions vacant. In view of this, you might seriously consider:

• standing for election as a member of school council
• encouraging another person to stand for election.

Do I need special experience to be on a school council?

No. What you need is an interest in your child’s school and the desire to work in partnership with others to help shape the school’s future.

How can I nominate?

Please see the attached flyer with information about the nomination schedule and election process. 

Nomination forms are available from the school office.

Nominations close at 4pm Friday 1st March 2024.

For more information please visit:https://www.williamstownps.vic.edu.au/page/31/School-Council If you have any questions or would like additional information, please contact myself directly via email or call the school 9397 1248.

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 years NAPLAN assessment.

NAPLAN Timetable 2024

Times are approximate

Warm regards,

Mat