A Warm Welcome to our Weeden Heights Community

Congratulations to our New School Council Members

The School Council election process was declared closed last week so I can now officially declare that following parent is an elected school councillor whose role is to represent the parents:

Jean Crewe (Parent Representative 2 year term)
Currently vacant (Parent Representative 2 year term)
Currently vacant (Parent Representative 2 year term)
Currently vacant (Parent Representative 2 year term)

Congratulations also to Anne Lee who has accepted one of the vacancies in the DE representative positions. There also remains one position vacant. Thank you!

The new council will meet for the first time on Monday 18 March 2024. Please remember that if you would like to ever be a part of the meeting you are more than welcome or please speak with your parent representatives.

VACANCIES

With three parent positions left vacant, we are looking to fill those positions. I have emailed all parents calling for more nominations but there were still no nominations. If you have reconsidered and now interested in joining council, then please let me know asap. Please consider and take the opportunity to make a difference at your child’s school.

Family Fun Night and whole school incursion

It was terrific to have the whole school last week up on the oval and mixing with each other as a community. There were some fabulous activities for students to entertain them and most importantly, have fun! Laser tag, Zorb ball, giant slide, basketball and tug of war were the highlights for all of the students (and some staff)! The feedback from the students and staff was incredible so if you loved the night hopefully you have like us on Instagram and Facebook on and of course, all caught up with the photos and videos.

Thank you to those families that came along to enjoy the barbeque with our community. I would like to give a hearty thanks to our fabulous staff who spent the night cooking for you. I truly hope that you were able to catch up with many familiar faces and also make our new families feel welcome.

School Attendance "It's not OK to be away"

As it is term one, I wanted to remind parents of the importance of attending school every day and on time. We absolutely shone in our school review but our poor attendance was highlighted and is now a goal in the new strategic plan. Our school must improve student attendance and it is being tracked. Many students are now being placed on ‘attendance plans’ to help address non-attendance and ensure that learning time is optimal.

Please organise your holidays on the school holidays rather than during school time. Students cannot make up lost learning time and time away from school impacts on results. I have noticed several students arriving late regularly. Late arrival to school is reported to you on the student reports along with absences.

Arriving late to school also creates an issue for students as they miss vital information and then disrupt the learning zone when they enter the classroom, distracting other learners. Classroom doors open at 8.50am to allow students to settle and start work straight away at 9am.

The data for student attendance is collected by the department. You will continue to receive this information on your school reports as attendance will affect the results your child achieves.

Here’s a guide Weeden Heights used to highlight absences & punctuality and was included in the final report for your child:

Gold Star

Less than 5 days absent for the year

Students are likely to be a ‘star’ performer. They will achieve the best results for their ability and have opportunities to achieve success in further education and the world.

Amber – Caution/ Take Care

6 -9 days absent for the year

Students will be missing up to two weeks of schooling and this will make it difficult for them to keep in touch with lessons and their work.

Red Light – Be Alert

9 – 17 days absent

The student is missing so much school that it will be difficult for them to keep in touch with lessons or work. Your child is missing out on significant learning time.

At Risk – Immediate Action is required

More than 17 days

The student is missing so much time from school that it will almost be impossible for them to keep in touch with class lessons or their learning.

We do not expect students to come to school when they are ill and all of our parents appreciate students being kept home until they are well enough so that nothing is passed onto other students. However, I’m sure that we can all be organised, arrive on time and be ready to learn for 9am. Family holidays need to be planned for during school holiday times so that children do not miss vital and essential learning.

Please take a moment to read this article from Michael Grose (psychologist).

Prep 2025 Tours and Enrolments

We have had many calls already for information regarding enrolments at Weeden Heights Primary School for 2025 and beyond. We have several students enrolled for next year and our tours will begin in a couple of weeks so our students can settle into the new year. Our School Ambassadors will also be a part of the tour in their role as a year 6 leader.

Enrolment information is available now so if you have a child starting at Weeden next year or know anyone who requires assistance with 2025 placements, please direct them to call our office to book a tour date and time. Tours are conducted on a Wednesday at 9.30am. Thank you for helping us with this process.

Social Media

Please remember to check out our Facebook page as we have been posting many photos and information up so that you are of what our talented students and staff are up to. You are also welcome to leave a positive comment as students do like to read what you have written to them.

Until next time……

Kylie Campbell

Principal

Parents & Friends Association