Dear Parents and Carers,

I hope you enjoyed the long weekend and were able to spend some time together as a family. As you may have also read on Compass, I am really excited to be continuing on in the Principal role at Whitehorse Primary School and working alongside such a dedicated staff and supportive community.

Annual Report to School Community 2023

I encourage all parents to visit our school website policy page https://www.whitehorseps.vic.edu.au/page/346/Policies and view our 2023 Annual Report to School Community. This document highlights a number of positive results from our students in Literacy and Numeracy as well as sharing a number of success for the school throughout the 2023 in the areas of Learning, Wellbeing and Engagement.

Student Reporting

A reminder to parents the Semester 1 Reports will be made live to families at the end of this term with interviews to take place in early Term 3.

There have also been some changes to Mathematics reporting based on the updated Mathematics Curriculum 2.0 that our staff have started to implement in 2024.

All Victorian government schools are required to start using the Mathematics curriculum 2.0 in 2024 or 2025. At Whitehorse Primary School we are using the revised mathematics curriculum for school reporting in 2024.

On your child's previous report, the teacher reported against the 3 strands of the achievement standard for mathematics (Number and Algebra, Measurement and Geometry, and Statistics and Probability). Under the Mathematics curriculum 2.0, your child’s teacher will report against the achievement standard as a whole, providing a single, aggregated score.

When calculating this score, Number has been given a higher weighting than the other strands as that content forms the basis for most of our maths teaching and learning. Your child’s performance in each strand of Mathematics will also be indicated in their report.

As the achievement standards reported on have changed, the first time you receive a report under the Mathematics 2.0 curriculum, it will only show achievement and not progress. For all reports after this, progress will be shown against the single achievement standard. Please note your child’s previous results in Mathematics will not be able to be compared to the Mathematics 2.0 curriculum as the content and skills required at different levels within the curriculum have also changed. You may notice that your child’s level of attainment is different to what you expect. This may not be a reflection of your child’s learning, rather a reflection of the changed outcomes in the curriculum.

If you have any queries about your child’s report, please reach out to your child’s classroom teacher or myself.

Djirri Djirri - Indigenous Dance Work Shop

Last Tuesday, our Foundation to Year 6 students participated in the Djirri Djirri workshop. Students were able to learn about indigenous animals and symbols and how stories are shared through dance. Thank you to Ms Cousins for organising the day and we look forward to the rescheduled Smoking Ceremony and Welcome to Country in the near future.

Kinder Story Time

On Friday, we had a number of kinder students and their families join us for our first Kinder Story Time of the year. These sessions are a great informal way for students and their families to become familiar with the school and our environment. Thank you to Mrs Morrison and Mrs Hudson for organising. We look forward to our second Kinder Story Time on Friday 26th July.

Foundation Enrolments 2025 - A reminder

A reminder to any families with siblings starting school in 2025 that they are required to submit their enrolment by Friday 26th of July. Please see the below information as there have been changes to the enrolment process for 2025 in our local area.

Our school is required by the Department of Education and Training to use an online system for new Foundation (Prep) enrolments to Victorian government schools, called VicStudents.

To get started:

• Visit https://students.educationapps.vic.gov.au/s/ to create an account and complete the online application form by Friday 26 July 2024. If you would prefer to submit a paper application form, please contact us.

• We will then review the information submitted and be in contact with you by Friday 9 August 2024.

• You should accept one enrolment offer by Friday 23 August 2024. When accepting an offer, you will be required to provide additional personal and health information that will be shared with the school.

Whitehorse Family Network - Pizza Lunch/Freezer Angels

Today we had over 330 students from Whitehorse Primary, Seedlings and Warekila participate in our Term 2 Meal Deal. Thank you to the Whitehorse Family Network for organising and the parents who assisted in distibruting all the slices to our students!

The next Freezer Angels will be held on Friday, 14 June from 9:30 - 11:30am in the school kitchen next to the Art Room. This will follow on from the Whitehorse Family Network meeting which commences at 9:05am. Thank you to those that have volunteered to assist or donated food items to be used in the next cook up.

Regional Cross Country

Tomorrow we have Justin and Alice participating in the Regional Cross Country in Yarra Glen. We wish them the best of luck!

Parking

Traffic and parking around the school at the end of the school day continues to be an ongoing concern, particularly as the weather starts to turn and there are more wet days and increased traffic in the area. Please be mindful of our students as the traffic can be quite heavy and patience is required to assist in ensuring that they are kept safe at all times. Please obey the signs posted around the school and keep your speeds to a minimum at all times to ensure everyone’s safety. Your co-operation and patience is appreciated and will assist in the traffic management in and around the school. Most importantly, please display respect for all that use the drop-off and pick-up areas. When parking in the local streets it is important for us to also be respectful of the residents and ensure that vehicles do not over hang driveways and block access to their properties.

Stay Well This Winter

Symptoms of influenza (flu) can hit very quickly and may last several weeks. Vaccination is the best way to protect yourself and others from getting the flu. Parents, staff, carers and students are encouraged to practice prevention measures, including:

washing and sanitising hands regularly
avoiding touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands
covering nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing
staying home if unwell and consulting a general practitioner (GP) or Nurse-on-call as required
staying up to date with flu and COVID-19 vaccinations

Flu vaccinations

Flu vaccinations can be booked through GPs and pharmacies, many of which can also provide COVID-19 vaccinations. Flu vaccination is recommended for everyone aged 6 months and over. Some people are more at risk of complications from flu and are eligible for free vaccination as part of the National Immunisation Program.

COVID-19 Booster:

The 2024 COVID-19 booster dose is available for everyone aged 18 and above. Getting your booster dose helps to prevent severe illness or hospitalisation, especially in people aged over 65 and those at higher risk of severe illness.

Children aged between 5 and 17 years who are at risk of severe illness can also receive a 2024 booster dose. You can get your next dose at your local pharmacy or GP. To find one near you, refer to the vaccine clinic finder.

For more information about preventing flu, and immunisation, refer to:

Better Health Channel influenza flu immunisation fact sheet - https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/flu-influenza-immunisation

Kind regards,

Andrew Den Elzen

Principal

Principal Awards