Principal's Report

7 February 2025

Welcome Back

Welcome back to school for 2025! I hope you and your families had a safe and relaxing break. A special warm welcome to our new prep students and their families, as well as any other new students and families joining us this year. It’s been wonderful seeing everyone back at school.

The start of the year has been off to a great start, and our students have settled into their classrooms nicely. They’ve been very happy to reconnect with their friends, get back into their routines, and begin their learning programs. We’re all excited for another successful year here at WHPS!

A big thank you to our new prep parents who attended a welcome morning tea last week. It was a wonderful opportunity for everyone to meet and chat.

I’d also like to extend a thank you to all the parents who attended our open classrooms on Wednesday afternoon. I’m sure you enjoyed the chance to visit your child’s classroom and meet their new teacher.

I also hope the classroom information sessions this week have been helpful in giving you a better understanding of how your child’s classroom will run this year. 

Lion Dance Assembly

This afternoon we held our annual Lion Dance assembly to celebrate the Lunar New Year / Spring Festival. Please see the photos below. Thanks to Betty Zhang, our new Mandarin teacher for organising the visit from the dancers to our school.

Parent Payments

Thank you to all our families who have made parent payments to the school over the last few months. Your generous contributions will ensure we can continue to run the high-quality teaching and learning programs and specialist subjects we have at Wheelers Hill Primary School this year. Thank you for your ongoing support. 

If you have not contributed yet, you can do so through Compass. We strongly encourage you to do so. 

Pick Up Arrangements

To help ensure that students are picked up on time and don't have trouble finding their parents, please take note of the following:

If you haven’t already, please talk with your child/ren about the pick-up arrangements. This includes discussing:

• Where they should wait at the end of the day
• Who will be picking them up (parent or relative)
• Any afternoons they may be attending OSHC (Out of School Hours Care)
• Whether they will be walking home or picked up on certain days

For our prep students, they will be picked up in front of their classrooms and dismissed when their teacher sees a parent or relative.

Students are dismissed at 3:30 pm and are supervised in the yard until 3:45 pm. If any students are still waiting after this time, they will be taken to the office and parents will be contacted. If you know you will be running late (we understand that sometimes things come up), please call the office to let us know in advance.

A big thank you to all the families who already have clear pick-up arrangements in place. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Parking Reminders

As we start off the school year, I’d like to remind everyone of a few important parking and traffic guidelines to ensure the safety of all students.

Safety First:

• Please drive safely and stay within the speed limit of 40 km/h around the school.
• Avoid making U-turns in busy areas, such as near the crossing, along Whites Lane, and Threadbow Crescent.
• Always stay alert for children and parents crossing the roads or walking on nearby paths.

Parking & Kiss and Go Zones:

• Follow the parking signs and make sure to park only in designated areas.
• Kiss and Go zones are meant for quick drop-offs and pick-ups only. These zones are located along Whites Lane and Threadbow Crescent. If you need to park for longer than 2 minutes, please find a spot a little further from the school and walk your child from there. The purpose of these zones is to keep traffic moving smoothly, so please don’t longer than 2 minutes wait in them.

Kiss & Go Rules:

• These zones work just like ‘No Parking’ areas. You can stop for up to 2 minutes to drop off or pick up your child.
• The driver must stay with the vehicle at all times—no more than 3 metres away.
• The zones are in operation only during the times indicated on the sign.
• Be mindful of time: If your child doesn’t get in or out of the vehicle within 2 minutes, please leave the zone and re-enter.
• Park as far forward as possible in the zone to allow for smooth traffic flow.
• For your child’s safety, always have them get in or out of the car on the kerb side, and make sure they are securely fastened in their seatbelt before driving off.

Additional Safety Tips:

• Always use your indicator when entering or leaving the zone.
• No U-turns! These can be dangerous in busy school zones and put children at risk.
• The back seat is the safest place for children to travel.

School Car Park 

• Please do not wait for your child, or walk through the car park. It is used often and is not a safe space to walk and stay in.

Please note that Monash Council, not the school, is responsible for managing parking around the school. They regularly patrol the area before and after school, and will issue fines to drivers not following the parking rules.

Thank you to all our wonderful parents for your cooperation in keeping our school community safe!

The YouTube clip below provides some good tips about road safety around school. 

Insurance 

Private property brought to school by students, visitors or parents is not insured and the Department of Education does not accept any responsibility for any loss or damage. This can include mobile phones, toys, sporting equipment and cars parked on school premises. 

As the Department of Education does not hold insurance for personal property brought to schools and has no capacity to pay for any loss or damage to such property, students, visitors and parents are discouraged from bringing any unnecessary or particularly valuable items to school. 

Department insurance policies also do not cover personal accident insurance or ambulance cover for students.

School Hats

Just a reminder, as outlined in our Sunsmart policy, students are required to wear a school hat between the start of September to end of April. Please ensure your child  has a school hat to wear while playing outside. If  your child does not have a hat. they will be directed to play under the covered area. The link below illustrates the school hat. They can be purchased from our school uniform supplier, PSW if required. 

https://www.psw.com.au/schools/wheelers-hill-primary-school.html?p=2

School Hours and Supervision

Parents are reminded that staff are not on yard duty prior to 8.40am.  Therefore there is NO supervision for students at school before this time. Students at school prior to 8.40am must be with a parent or booked into the OSHC program.  

Additionally, the playgrounds and oval are off-limits before and after school. 

School starts at 8:50am.  Our students are required to be in class by 8:50 am so they can prepare for their learning and lessons, which start promptly at 9am. 

After school, students must be picked up by 3.45pm or booked into OSHC. If you are going to be late to pick up your child, please inform the office prior to 3:15pm. Students who are still in the yard after 3:45pm will be collected and taken to the office, and their parents will be called to collect them before the Office closes at 4 pm. 

School hours for 2025 are as follows:

8:40am - 8:50am 

Students supervised in the school yard

8:50am - 9:00am 

Music plays, students go to their classrooms, set up for the school day

9:00am - 10:40am 

Learning sessions 1 and 2 in classrooms

10:40am - 11:10am 

Recess Play

11:10am - 12:50pm 

Learning sessions 3 and 4 in classrooms

12:50pm - 1:00pm

 Lunch eating time in classrooms

1:00pm - 1:50pm

Lunch Play

1:50pm - 3:30pm 

Learning sessions 5 and 6 in classrooms

3:30pm - 3:45pm 

Final bell, student pick up, students supervised in the yard until 3:45pm 

Curriculum Days 2025

The school has a number of curriculum / professional practice days planned throughout the year. On these days the teachers and staff are involved in a number of tasks such as student report writing and lesson/curriculum planning for the following terms. The dates below are the curriculum / PPD this year :

Term 1

Friday 28th March

Term 2

Tuesday 10th June

Friday 27th June

Term 4

Monday 24th November

Friday 5th December

The OSHC service will run a program on these days. 

Parent Teacher Interviews

Parent/Teacher interviews will be held towards in the last week of Term 1 on Monday 31st March, and Tuesday 1st and Wednesday 2nd April. These interviews will be held ONSITE at school after school concludes for the day. 

Working with Children Checks (WWC) 

We encourage and value parental and community support at WHPS. There are many ways that parents, grandparents and friends can assist at our school. We encourage all parents to obtain a Working with Children’s Check that will allow you to be very involved in your child’s education. Without one you cannot be a classroom helper or attend an excursion. These checks are free for volunteers. Please ensure you nominate WHPS as a place you volunteer. Once you have your WWCC please come to the office so we can photocopy this and we will add your name to our list of parents who have a current WWC check.

Volunteers are also required to complete a Child Safety induction which is on the school website:

https://www.wheelershillps.vic.edu.au/volunteer-or-work

Student Absences 

It is important for families to notify the school of any holidays that will be undertaken within the school term. You can do this via Compass. We acknowledge that many of our families choose to have extended periods of absence for various reasons including family holidays. From the beginning of the 2025 School year, we require Principal approval for long term absences (absences longer than 2 weeks). Please email myself for this approval:

michael.ramsey@education.vic.gov.au 

As part of this process teachers will present parents with a student Absence Learning Plan which gives parents a guide on what activities students can do while they are absent. Please contact myself, or your child's classroom teacher if you have any questions. 

Mobile Phones

All students are required to turn off and hand in mobile phones to prevent usage during school hours. Students are not to use smart watches where the call and messaging function can connect to the student’s phone. Devices will be placed in a locked cabinet/cupboard at the start of the day and handed back at the end of the day.

Michael Ramsey

Principal