Principal's Post
TERM 1: 2026 Week 5 & 6: reminders and critical messages
Principal's Message
Thank you to all parents and carers who attended our Meet & Greet interviews - the structure is a really important one in establishing the initial partnership between home and school. If you were unable to attend, please reach out to your child's classroom teacher and consider making an alternative time.
As we have moved past the opening weeks of the term, it's been pleasing to see so many structures fall into place and routines become embedded in daily school life. An enormous thank you to Simon Zammit (Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader) and Sofia Courtney (Acting Leading Teacher) who launched our 'Borrow and Play' system this fortnight. Borrow and Play allows children to select from a range of equipment during playtimes, so that they have plenty to engage with. Equipment ranges from options that allow team play - such as cricket gear, all the way through to items that can be used in a solo capacity, such as skipping ropes and hoops. This initiative aims to increase student engagement, whilst also reducing negative incidents in the yard by ensuring there is always enough equipment for all, but also decreasing the numbers of students who may otherwise report having 'nothing to do'. Setting up lunch time clubs is next on Simon's agenda! Watch this space!
From a curriculum point of view Renee Johnson (Assistant Principal: Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment) has begun working with the Year 3 & Year 5 teams on preparing for NAPLAN. Parents of students in these cohorts will have received initial communication about this assessment period - including information about facilitating adjustments should your child require support. The NAPLAN assessment window is from March 11th - March 23rd, with the bulk of assessments occurring the week beginning March 16th.
Across the last two weeks we formally announced the remainder of our student captains - congratulations to the following students:
| Evelyn | MADDY-HUNT | Art |
| Phoebe | HEFFERNAN | Art |
| Mason | LEE | Building, Grounds and Sustainability Captain |
| Jacob | PHAM-PHU | Building, Grounds and Sustainability Captain |
| Mackenzie | DOW | Helping Hand Leader |
| Dela | JECKS | Helping Hand Leader |
| Caitlin | PSZCZOLA | House Captain Cruickshank |
| Alexandria | REPANIDIS | House Captain Cruickshank |
| Jed | DEMPSTER | House Captain Kulin |
| Elsa | FLEMING | House Captain Kulin |
| Jack | DEAN | House Captain McIvor |
| Jamie | LIONG SOOK PIN | House Captain McIvor |
| Ava | ARMISTEAD | House Captain Westgate |
| Chloe | VIDAKOVIC | House Captain Westgate |
| Anna | LE BERRE | ICT Leader |
| Stephanie | LEIGH | ICT Leader |
| Riley | HAMBURGER | Library Leader |
| Amelie | PITTS | Library Leader |
| Ella | CLARINGBOLD | Music |
| Iris | O'DRISCOLL | Music |
| Franki | VARCOE | PE |
| Quinn | DYT | PE |
| Eloise | WOZNIAK | School Captain |
| Lennox | MCINTYRE | School Captain |
| Claire | LADD | School Captain |
| Abigail | SMITH | School Captain |
| Gabriella | SOFOCLIS | Spanish |
| Joanna | TSIRAKIDIS | Spanish |
| Charlotte | GRONOW | Wellbeing, Diversity and Inclusion Captain |
| Charlie | MICHELLE-WELLS | Wellbeing, Diversity and Inclusion Captain |
Our first newsletter will be published next week, in which we will detail far more in terms of overall updates and exciting things to come, as well as providing a lens into classrooms thus far.
Thank you again everyone! Hope you enjoy your weekend!
Katie McClue - Acting Principal
Key Events (Week 3 & 4)
Week 5: 23/2 | M: Year 6 Beach Program (23/2) |
Week 6: 2/3 | M: Prep student first full week Th: Whole School Photos |
| 🎉 Note: Monday of Week 7 is a public holiday - school resumes on Tuesday 10/3 🎉 | |
Critical Messages
School Council Nominations: On Monday we commenced the process of seeking nominations for our 2026 School Council - we have 4 open positions this year. We have received a small number of nominations thus far, but really want to encourage as many interested parties as possible to come forward. You do not need any specific experience - being an invested parent and community member is enough! Nominations close Monday February 23rd, at 4:00pm strictly.
Sun Smart & Hats: Thank you for all parents who have reinforced this message at home. The number of students presenting to school with hats has improved considerably. We still have a small percentage of students who have trouble remembering to check their bags in the mornings - please support them by including this in their morning routine, or by suggesting that they keep their hat at school in their tub.
Traffic Safety: We have received a couple of reports from concerned members of the community regarding road safety. Wembley does sit in a challenging location, from a traffic-flow point of view, so it is even more important for us all to keep in mind general road safety requirements. Please read over the information sent to families yesterday via Sentral.
Code of Conduct: which includes our student code of conduct, is underway. We had intended to release this last week, however, we are taking time to adjust it further to include input from our partners at the Stand Up Project, specifically about anti-bullying measures. This is an opportunity to ensure that all three stakeholders, students - staff - parents, have a shared understanding and vocabulary base, from which to tackle bullying.
School Photos: Whole school photos are booked for Thursday March 5th and will include:
- Class photos
- Individual student photos
- Sibling/family photos (including Prep siblings)
Detailed communication has been sent via Sentral, which included information on how to book sibling/family photos.
WPA: Our Wembley Parents Association are getting things underway for the year. They sent out information this week, seeking parents who are interested in becoming a 'Class Rep' - class representative. They also included a survey - seeking input into this years fundraising events and causes. Our WPA are a tremendous support of the school - please consider joining their crew!