A Word from the Principal 

A Warm Welcome to our Weeden Heights Community

Welcome back for Term Four!  It is most definitely hard to believe that the year has gone so quickly.  I trust that you all had a lovely break with your family and took the opportunity to enjoy some time together.  

We have come back to some interesting weather already but it is wonderful to note that we have had no leaks!  It is wonderful to see that the new roof over A block is holding up well and the rectification work on B block  has held up well.   

Term Four is always an extremely busy term so please stay tuned to the School Stream app, newsletter, Facebook/Instagram and the school calendar.  I hope you all take a moment to check our social media as we try to capture what is happening at school especially for our working families.  You are welcome to leave comments or ‘like’ our posts!  It’s also a wonderful way to keep up with your children’s learning.

A new staff member this term!

I would like to welcome to Weeden Heights our new Wellbeing Officer, Marika Smith.  Marika is currently located in the library with the administration office and comes to Weeden Heights with a wealth of experience in working with youth and children.  She also welcomes the opportunities to work with our families.  Please reach out to Marika for support should you need it with your family or your children. 

Please look out for an upcoming coffee morning where you can meet Marika and get to know her. 

School Review and Accreditation

Last term Weeden Heights successfully passed accreditation from the VQRA.  The process was extremely time consuming as we had to produce evidence of our policies and practices to meet minimum standards.  The VQRA looked at our child safe practices (eg how volunteers are inducted and monitored along with external providers on site), policies, record keeping, procurement procedures etc.  It was a MASSIVE collection of hundreds of documents.  Well done us!!!

The second half of the term was writing the pre review self-evaluation (PRSE) document that is attested to by School Council and submitted to the school reviewer.  The school review happens every four years for every school in Australia and the review for Weeden Heights happens this term. 

Our school review began on Wednesday 1 November and there will be three more days after that  when a core review team will be working in our school.  The core review team will consist of the reviewer, DE senior education improvement leader(SEIL), two principals who take the role of challenge partners, myself and two teachers from the school. The reviewer is allocated to the school and the SEIL is the leader for Whitehorse,  I have selected two challenge partners as they are also experienced in schools with similar profiles to ours and from our network so they bring a wealth of experience to the context.  My role is to chair the review process (after writing the PRSE) and I have selected our learning specialist and junior school co-ordinator to form the rest of the school representatives. 

The purpose of a review is to evaluate the four-year Strategic Plan (available on our website) and set direction for the following Strategic Plan with clear goals based on the needs of the school.  The team will also be observing students and teachers in the classroom to ensure that what has been stated is happening in practice.  At the end of the review the reviewer will write a report on the school that will be available to you all via our website.  The reviewer will request to speak with parent groups as well so stay tuned for an invitation. 

Capital Works Update

A lot of work on the school building has taken place over the school holidays.  A significant amount of work has taken place in the administration building and the flooring went down today.  We are on track for a hand over in November thank goodness as it has been a year since my move to the library.  I will be looking forward to taking back a space of my own in my office.  What’s happening and where are we at:

• The junior toilets were completed and they have now reopened. The Year 1’s and 2’s were able to ‘christen ‘ them on Friday night during their late stay and overnight camp
• External cladding has been added to the walls in the outdoor learning space/classroom (it looks fabulous!)
• Fire services have been updated
• The teacher office will open up this week
• The concrete in the outdoor learning space has been laid and is waiting for landscaping 
• A furniture order is about to be placed and we have looked at every classroom and space to be touched.  I am just waiting for final approval before the order goes in.

Should there be any return of the contingency money then we will look at some furniture for the library.  I’m crossing my fingers that we will be able to rectify this space.  It is getting to the really exciting part of the capital works program and I am absolutely looking forward to taking back the school and giving you all the opportunity to come and take a look. 

New Sign for our Kitchen

Our kitchen has a new name, Cooinda which means 'our happy place'.  The sign sits above the double doors on the deck of the kitchen which really is the entrance to our kitchen.  The SRC discussed a variety of option back in the classrooms during class meetings and students discussed their preferenes.  The name options all had an aboriginal reference to link in with our house names and of course our newsletter (Nokuna means meeting place).

Delphine has created the art work based on the original art work from our SRC representatives.  It looks amazing!   Please take a moment to take a look.  A huge thanks to Delphine for putting together the vision and creating the art work.  Well done and thank you to the SRC who helped to design the sign and completed all of the consulting to ensure that everyone had a say in the name of our new kitchen.  

Buildings and Grounds

Over the holidays there has been a considerable amount of work completed in the garden.  The Errol Linke Memorial Garden has been overhauled and there are many new and small plants bordering the sleepers.  We have had to put up barriers to remind students not to trample the plants but it will look quite spectacular when they establish.  The garden in front of the hall has also been re mulched and replanted.  We need the school looking fabulous for our upcoming school review. 

A huge thanks to Kerryn Cheetham who spent a significant amount of time at the school over the holidays.  If anyone has any spare time, we would really appreciate some support to continue the work in the garden.  Kerryn has put out many requests for support but no one has offered. The school has a working bee coming up so we are really hoping that it is supported by our families. 

Fiona Phillips and Bhagya Karunarathna did a fantastic job with Kerryn mulching the vegetable garden area last week.  Thank you, ladies!

UV (Sun Smart) Policy

Just a reminder that all students are required to wear their Weeden Heights PS broad brim hats as per school policy.  The students have been reminded that they need to pack their hats and bring them to school. Students not wearing a hat are required to stay under the sails during recess and lunch times.

We do not have a specific time for students to move from their Winter uniform to their summer uniform but term four is a great measure.  It is best for all students to be in their full summer uniform now.  It would also be also a great idea to apply sunscreen at home before school.  Your child is responsible for applying and supplying their own sunscreen if you require them to wear it at school.

We are fortunate to have lovely school grounds with shady trees but we still need to maintain excellent practices to ensure that we stay safe at all times. 

Arriving Late to School

We can all run late occasionally but unfortunately, we have noticed a few students arriving late to school each day.  This has an effect on all students and their learning.  Teaching in each room begins at 9am and that is why the classroom doors at Weeden Heights PS open at 8.50am.  Students need time to settle and be ready for learning.  If you arrive after 9am, the instructions for the literacy block will have already been given to the class. Your child will feel lost and then disrupt all the other learners in the classroom while trying to catch up with instructions, work and administrative tasks such as take-home books, notices etc.  It is also difficult for the classroom teacher to continue on with teaching. 

If a child is 10 minutes late each day, they lose 50 minutes a week of instructional time. Over a term that correlates to 9 hours and over a year 36 hours (6 whole school days).  The effects on student lateness are evident in research. 

Teaching our students productive work habits and routines is critical.  Please try and get to school on time because it does make a difference in your child’s learning. 

Classes for 2024 

Planning for next year has started and the grade structure will be based around student enrolments.   All enrolment changes have been accommodated for in our planning and teachers will be allocated to 2024 classes soon. You will be notified the school structure and classroom allocations for 2024 and teachers in December this year. 

The formation of classes for 2024 is progressing. Many factors are considered when placing students in class groups and next year there will be several options for many cohorts of students.   We devote an enormous number of hours considering the educational, social, emotional and physical wellbeing of each child at Weeden Heights before their final placement with students and teachers. 

Please remember that all communication from parents regarding their child’s placement in 2024 (based on educational, social, emotional or physical considerations only) should be forwarded in writing addressed ‘To the Principal’ by Friday 27 October 2023. 

Thank-you for your co-operation in this process. 

Kylie Campbell

Principal

Futures are Bright at Weeden Heights!