From the Assistant Principal
Adele Brice
I trust you have all had a wonderful start to the new school year. It's been lovely seeing the smily, bubbly faces of our students reconnecting with peers and staff over the past few weeks. A special welcome to our new families, I’m sure you’ll love being part of our WPPS community.
Student mobile phones and smart watches/Space Watches
A reminder that the Department of Education has in place a mobile phone ban that requires students who bring mobiles phones/smart watches to school to have them switched off and securely put away during school hours.
The department is requiring all schools to ensure this ban is in place and enforced from the start of the 2024 school year. The ban applies equally to all government schools right across the state.
This helps ensure that school is a learning environment free from unnecessary distractions and disruptions. We understand that students may bring a personal mobile phone to school, particularly if they are travelling independently to and from school. Students who choose to bring mobile phones to school must have them switched off and securely stored at the school office during school hours. Staff will be actively reminding students of this protocol, as there are Ministerial Orders in place which must be observed. Parents are encouraged to read our policy regarding Student Mobile Phone (& Smart Watch).
A mobile phone is is a telephone with access to a cellular (telecommunication) system, with or without a physical connection to a network. For the purpose our policy, 'mobile phone' refers to mobile phones and any device that may connect to or have a similar functionality to a mobile phone such as smart watches (and Space watches).
When emergencies occur, parents or carers should reach their child by calling the office.
New mobile phone policy – frequently asked questions for families
Communication with School Staff
To streamline communication between home and school, a table has been created, detailing the lines of communication. This will help to ensure that parents are able to access the relevant staff member to attend to an enquiry or concern.
We understand that at times, a parent may need further information to clarify or resolve a situation after contacting the first line of communication. We have therefore added additional staff members who may be able to support parents with their enquiry/concern.
Please refer to our Communication with School Staff Policy for further information.
Child Safety Standards
Volunteering at WPPS
We are mandated (without exemption) to provide training for all volunteers working within our school. It's a requirement that our staff and volunteers are equipped with knowledge, skills and awareness to keep our young people safe through ongoing education and training. Training is required to be updated annually. Volunteers must also provide the office with a current Working with Children's Clearance.
All volunteers will need to have completed with their training prior to volunteering at our school. Staff are unable to select volunteers who do not have current training.
Training sessions will not be held as frequently this year so it's really important that you are aware of upcoming training session opportunities.
Training sessions were held in Week 3, over 100 people attended the session.
Remaining sessions for the term are scheduled for;
- Friday 1st March 9.00am - 9.30am (onsite) - staffroom
- Thursday 7th March 5.30-6.00pm - online - link is also on the Parent Sentral Calendar
-Monday 25th March 5.00-5.30pm - online - link is also on the Parent Sentral Calendar
Child Safety Code of Conduct
Wonga Park Primary School is committed to the safety and wellbeing of children and young people. Our school community recognises the importance of, and a responsibility for, ensuring our school is a safe, supportive and enriching environment which respects and fosters the dignity and self-esteem of children and young people, and enables them to thrive in their learning and development.
We require any staff, contractors or members of the school community involved in child related work to read and sign a copy of the Child Safety Code of Conduct annually. The office will have spare copies of this form or you may wish to download it from our website. The 2023 Code of Conduct will remain on our website until the 2024 School Council is elected.
Homework
All homework set by teachers will be:
- purposeful
- curriculum-aligned
- appropriate to students’ skill level and age
- designed to help students develop as independent learners
- monitored by the teacher
- where appropriate, provide opportunities for parents/carers to partner in their child’s learning.
The Wonga Weekly is communicated with parents and carers on a weekly basis. It contains information about curriculum being covered, it also contains questions that parents/carers can ask their children to prompt discussions about learning at home. The publication also contains diary dates for the various levels in the school.
Please read our homework policy to understand the type of homework that will be asked/set for students.
Dogs on school site
Whilst we understand that many families in our school community keep dogs as pets, to ensure that our school remains a safe and inclusive place for everyone, pet dogs are not permitted on school grounds during school hours unless a prior arrangement has been made with the principal.
Our school community is diverse and may include people that are allergic or uncomfortable around dogs. We are also conscious of the health hazards that may be posed by dogs. We ask that families please leave their pet dogs at home or safely tethered outside school grounds (they should be not be tethered on school property - including, but not limited to, school fences and gates) when attending our school or school events.
Please refer to our Dogs on School Premises Policy for further information.
CCTV at out school
We have had a closed-circuit television (CCTV) system at our school.
Our school has an obligation to ensure the school environment is safe and secure, and fulfil our duty of care to students, staff and visitors. The CCTV system will assist our school to fulfil these obligations and to prevent and manage other inappropriate behaviour on school grounds. CCTV will also provide enhanced capability to protect our school’s assets against vandalism and theft.
We will follow Department of Education and Training policy requirements for the design, installation, management and use of the CCTV systems. This policy is available at: CCTV in Schools – Installation and Management.
We will also place a CCTV Privacy Notice on our school website with more information about our school’s use of CCTV.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the office on 97221325.
Class Representatives
Many thanks to the parents who have been appointed to the role of class representative. We have the class rep positions filled for every grade, and it's the earliest I can remember this happening - thankyou. Class Representatives help liase with other parents in their respective classes. A meeting for class representatives will be organised soon.
Disability and Inclusion
Term 1 SSGs (Student Support Group meetings) are underway and will be held over the next two weeks. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or require support in the area of Disability and Inclusion. Please continue to share any reports from allied health professionals with me via my email address adele.brice@education.vic.gov.au
eSafety – Office of the eSafety Commissioner
The eSafety Commissioner is a wonderful resource to make yourself familiar with. This space was established in 2015, it's Australia's national and independent regulator of online safety. It is dedicated to keeping people safe online.
Safer Internet Day
Safer Internet Day was recognised Australia wide on Tuesday 6th February.
Safer Internet DayExternal link is a global initiative to raise awareness of online safety issues.
The eSafety Commissioner leads the initiative in Australia. They educate people about online safety risks, like online abuse, how to be safe online and where to go for help.
This Safer Internet Day we're encouraging you to take three simple actions when approaching online safety: Connect. Reflect. Protect.
Connect safely by keeping apps and devices secure and reviewing your privacy settings regularly.
Reflect on how your actions online may affect others or your safety.
Protect yourself and others by visiting eSafety.gov.au to find out how to stay safe online and report online abuse.
By doing these things and sharing the Connect. Reflect. Protect message, they work towards making every day a Safer Internet Day.
Sign up for the eSafety Newsletter to receive the latest online safety news, resources, and advice.
eSafety Commission online workshops for 2024
The eSafety's provide free webinars provide parents and carers with the knowledge, skills and tools to support their children to have safe, positive online experiences.
The schedule for 2024 can be accessed via this link.
Cyber Safety Project
The Cyber Safety Project excited to have our community join them for the 2024 Parent Webinar Series! Their first webinar is just around the corner, so please register for this event.
PROTECTING CHILDREN ONLINE6 MARCH 2024 | 7.30PM – 8.15PM AEDT
Our Protecting Children Online webinar will empower families with the knowledge required to safeguard children from the risks they face online. In a fast-paced digital landscape, adults have access to children online through gaming and social platforms, bringing about the necessity for robust protective strategies.
- Discover the risks of child exploitation in digital spaces
- Know how to meet the online safety needs of your family
- Explore protective behaviours and parenting strategies to overcome risk
- Learn to recognise grooming and red flags
- Combat online child exploitation and sextortion.
Kristy McVeeA retired Detective Senior Constable and child abuse prevention expert, Kristi founded CAPE-AU and authored “Operation KidSafe.” Her 9 years as a Specialist Child Interviewer and 4 years in child abuse investigation, coupled with an Advanced Diploma in Public Safety, underpin her expertise in this field. Kristi now dedicates her work in building awareness of child exploitation and online safety.
Registration Link for Parents & Guardians:
https://cybersafetyproject.com.au/parents/The on-demand webinar recording will also be available at this link 24hours after its conclusion.
Supervision before school
Our school yard is supervised from 8.35am in the morning, please ensure that your child is supervised in the yard if you arrive before this time. Students who arrive early will be asked to wait in the office until 8.35am. We will follow with parents if students are arriving early.
Wonga Park BYOD portal
Comp Now provides a portal for families who wish to purchase an iPad, the portal can be accessed via this link
Casual Relief Staff (CRT)
We are looking to expand our CRT list. If you are a teacher and are willing to join our list, or know someone who would be suitable please let me know - I would love to hear from you/them.
WPPS Preloved Uniform - Facebook Page
Our community has a WPPS preloved Uniform page on Facebook. Please visit this page if you are wanting to buy or sell 2nd hand uniforms.
Adele Brice
Assistant Principal