Principal  Message

Hello

We have reached the halfway mark of Term 2 and are working towards getting things ready for our Open Afternoon this coming Thursday 21st May from 2:30pm - 5pm

Open Afternoon - Thursday 21st May from 2:30pm

The Open Day is part of Education Week. This year's theme is 'Showcasing your School'.

We will have activities and games running for you to enjoy with your child/ren and they will be showcasing their work in their classrooms. Specialist rooms will also to open for you to explore and we are looking forward to catching up with our families as all teachers and ES staff will be there! The afternoon begins at 2:30pm with the exception of Grade 5/6's, who will return from their Interschool Sports at 3pm to join us.  Children really enjoy sharing their classrooms and their work with families and so we hope we will see you there. There will be a BBQ at 4pm, free of charge.

Toys at School

This week I sent a Compass post around to all families regarding students bringing toys to school and asking for support to encourage your child to not bring toys or trading cards to school. We have had a significant increase in this space and have found the impact is being felt in the classrooms and in the yard as they become a distraction, source of conflict and cluttering the spaces up. This direction is part of our deliberate approach to setting up the learning for success. Enabling learning is the 2nd element/phase of the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model 2.0 which includes reducing cognitive load and providing students with learning space that is free from clutter and distractions that may hinder students ability to concentrate and focus on the explicit lesson taking place. Below is the letter I wrote to the students that the teacher will be presenting to their class. 

We understand that some students have sensory needs and may require small items to assist with self-regulation.  Small fidget tools can be a valuable support for some students with sensory or regulation needs, helping them maintain focus, manage anxiety, and remain engaged in learning tasks. When students are using these tools appropriately, they can support attention and self-regulation without disrupting learning. 

Fidget items should be small, quiet, and used for regulation rather than play. We will ask students to ensure the item remains in their hands or at their workspace and that they are not shared, traded, or used during whole-class instruction unless approved by the teacher. If a fidget becomes distracting to the student or others, staff may ask for it to be put away. By establishing consistent routines and expectations, we can support our students' sensory needs while maintaining calm and focused learning environments for all.

Photo Day - This coming Thursday

We will have our Photo Day on the same day as Open Day. The photos will take place in the morning. We have trialled a few different settings for photos and we have decided that this we would like to reinstate an old tradition of WPS to take the photo outside the heritage listed stone building. 

GAGA Pit coming soon to WPS!

School Council is excited to begin planning for the installation of a Gaga Pit at school after our Junior School Council asked for one to be installed using the funds they have raised from operating the Snack Bar. School Council members are working behind the scenes to design and build this new feature of the playground.

 Some of you may never have heard of a Gaga Pit. I first saw them in action at the Mt Eliza camp a couple of years ago and was really impressed with the way the students were using it and interacting with each other during the game. It is a fast-paced, inclusive ball game played in an enclosed space that encourages students to be active, engaged, and socially connected during playtimes. The game is popular in many schools as it provides opportunities for teamwork, turn-taking, strategic thinking, and positive social interaction while supporting physical activity and playground engagement for a wide range of students.

Of course, we will need to ensure the Gaga Pit remains a safe and enjoyable space for everyone, clear rules and expectations will be established around safe play, respectful behaviour, fair participation, and appropriate supervision. Students will be explicitly taught how to use the space safely and inclusively so that all students can benefit from this exciting new addition to our playground. Allocated age group days are likely to ensure fair and safe play. I look forward to seeing this project completed.

I hope you all have a great weekend and see you on Thursday!

Nieta