From the Acting Principal
Adele Brice
As Julie enjoys her well-deserved Long Service Leave exploring the wonders of Japan, I’m delighted to share the latest news with you in this edition of the newsletter. Julie will return next week, and I’m sure she’ll have plenty of wonderful stories to share about her adventures.
The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity here at Wonga Park Primary School, with plenty of exciting events and accomplishments to celebrate.
Working Bee
A huge thank you to all the families and individuals who attended the Working Bee on Saturday. Special thanks to the O’Donnell, Matheson, Browne, U’ren, Howell and Maslen families, as well as Mr. Holland and his little helper, and Jonah. Your efforts have made a big difference!
We tackled several important tasks, including:
- Spreading soft fill on the playgrounds
- Mulching garden beds
- Planting new greenery
- Pruning and tidying up
Your support helps keep our school grounds safe and beautiful for everyone—thank you!
Welcoming the 2025 Prep Students
Wednesday marked an exciting milestone for our future Preps as they met their 2025 teachers and Buddies for the first time. Our Prep team next year will include Elle Powell, Jocelyn Hollyman and Anita Beever.
A big thank you to our Prep team for organising such a warm and positive transition experience for our newest Wonga Park students. We can’t wait to see them grow and thrive in the years ahead!
Bank of Bendigo Presentation Evening
On Monday 11th November, Brett Powell and I attended the Warrandtye Bank of Bendigo Presentation evening. It was wonderful to hear of ways in which the bank supports other organisations within our community. We are grateful of the generous way in which they support our school.
Sports Highlights
Our students have been busy achieving incredible things in sports this term:
- Level 3/4 students competed in the Regional Hooptime Finals.
- 20 students from Level 5/6 participated in the Maroondah Division T20 Cricket Blast.
- A big congratulations to Emme, Victoria, and Rachel for representing Wonga Park at the Eastern Metropolitan Region (EMR) Athletics. Your dedication and sportsmanship made us proud!
Term 4 Expressions Activities
This term’s Expressions program has offered an incredible range of opportunities for our students to explore their interests and talents. Activities included:
- A visit to the theatre to see Beauty and the Beast at Her Majesty’s Theatre (Levels 4–6)
- STEM incursions: 1, 2, 3… Blast Off! and Come Fly with Me! (all year levels)
- Spikeball sessions (all year levels)
- Fashion Design workshops with Anna (Levels 3–6)
- Lamp Art creations (Prep–2)
Thank you to everyone who helped make these activities possible. It’s wonderful to see our students so engaged and enthusiastic.
Cyber Safety Transition Program
As part of their transition to secondary school, our Level 6 students participated in the Cyber Safety Project: The Final Word, an important program aimed at preparing them for the digital world.
Additionally, Sarah from the Forest Hill Proactive Policing Unit delivered the ‘Think You Know’ program, covering:
- Safe online gaming
- Creating secure usernames
- Identifying red flags in online interactions
- Understanding and addressing cyberbullying
These programs provide our students with the knowledge and tools they need to navigate the online world safely and responsibly.
I am also sharing the following information with you in this edition of the newsletter:
- Duty of Care Policy (updated)
- Child Safe - Cyber Safety Project webinar series
- Child Safe - eSafety Commissioner
- Child Safe - eSafety Commissioner webinar series update
- Volunteer Childsafe training
- Before and After School Supervision
Childsafe update
Duty of Care Policy
Our Duty of Care Policy has been reviewed and updated by Education Sub Committee/School Council in October. The purpose of this policy is to explain to our school community the non-delegable duty of care obligations that all staff at Wonga Park Primary School owe to our students and members of the school community who visit and use the school premises.
Please ensure you are familiar with our Duty of Care policy. You can access it by clicking on this link.
CYBER SAFETY PROJECT Webinar Series 2024
We partner with trusted eSafety Provider Cyber Safety Project to support parents and guardians with their understanding of all facets of cyber safety. The Cyber Safety Project and special guest experts have presented a diverse range of topics pertinent to raising children in a digital age. You can rewatch on-demand by revisiting the registration page and clicking on the ‘Watch Now” button available after the webinar has concluded (within 24 hours).
FIND OUT MORE: https://cybersafetyproject.com.au/parents/
Protecting Children Online Kristi McVee (Child Abuse Prevention & Education) & Trent Ray (Cyber Safety Project)
The Se*ual World of the 21st Century AdolescentDaniel Principe (Collective Shout) & Trent Ray (Cyber Safety Project)
Talk to Me First: Exposure to Explicit Content Justine Keily-Scott (Sex Education Australia) & Sam Macaulay (Cyber Safety Project)
Game Aware – Healthy Gaming
Andrew Kinch (Game Aware) & Sam Macaulay (Cyber Safety Project)
Building Digital Resilience Ash Manuel (Growing with Gratitude) & Trent Ray (Cyber Safety Project)
My First Mobile Device Luca Gennai (Cyber Safety Project) & Trent Ray (Cyber Safety Project)
eSafety Commissioner
The following information is shared for parents by the eSafety Commissioner about Cyberbullying and online drama. The video provides the tools to support young people to have safe and respectful online relationships, and tips on what to do if things go wrong. It’s designed for parents and carers of young people aged 11 to 18 years old.
eSafety Commissioner Webinar Series
We encourage you to explore the eSafety Commissioners website which contains invaluable information for parents regarding online safety.
The 2024 parent/carer webinar schedule is listed below for your reference;
Volunteer Childsafe training sessions available again in 2025
Thank you to the members of our community who participated in our Volunteer Childsafe Training sessions 2024, we highly value the support you provide to our school.
There are no further training sessions available in 2024, we will communiate with you early in 2025 regarding training opportunities.
Before and After School Supervision
Student safety at Wonga Park Primary School is our highest priority and the safe and appropriate supervision of students is an important element of our duty of care to students. Part of this duty is ensuring parents and students are aware of our student supervision arrangements before and after school.
Before school: Parents are reminded that students should not be in the school grounds unsupervised before 8.35am. School grounds are supervised from 8.35pm. Should students arrive prior to 8.35am they will be asked to wait in the office, parents will be contacted. Staff are on duty in the carpark, the gates at Dudley Road and Lantana Road. There is also a teacher on duty who will rove around the top/middle area of the school. Students should not play on the reserve or oval before school.
After school: School grounds are supervised until 3.40pm. Staff are on duty in the carpark, the gates at Dudley Road and Lantana Road. There is also a teacher on duty who will rove around the top/middle area of the school. Students should not play on the reserve or oval before school.
Students on school grounds outside these times will not be supervised (unless they are attending a before or after school care program or supervised extracurricular activity).
Parents/carers are requested to ensure that students do not attend school outside of these supervised times unless they are attending before or after school care, or a pre-arranged supervised activity (i.e. sports practice).
Families are encouraged to contact Their Care on 1300 072 410 or refer to their website for more information about the before and after school care facilities available to our school community or if you would like any further information about our student supervision arrangements.
For a copy of our school’s Yard Duty and Supervision Policy is accessible on our website. This policy includes Wonga Park Primary School’s student supervision arrangements across the school day, including before and after school.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the vibrant life of our school over the past few weeks. Your support, participation, and enthusiasm help make Wonga Park such a special place.
Warm regards,
Adele
Adele Brice - Acting Principal