We have had a settled start to Term 3. We continue our focus on high expectations in all that we do at WEPS and commend our students for doing their best to follow our school values – Kindness, Respect, Inclusion, Perseverance.

Staffing Update

This term, we welcome Kane Leggett (Humanities 3-6) replacing Karen Harradine while she takes some leave to travel, Melissa Fisher (Humanities F-2) replacing Ellie Clarke who is on family leave, Louise McLean (grade 1H) replacing Bridget Hall while she takes some leave. Lisa Remine will be supporting Allesha Gardner in the Hands on Learning Program (replacing James Chapman), and Lisa Guthrie (Inclusion Leader) has returned to her role with the Department of Education. An appointment to replace Lisa is in progress.

I would like to thank Lisa Guthrie for her work at WEPS for the past 6 months. We were very fortunate to have Lisa work with us in the Disability and Inclusion area and wish her well as she returns to her previous role.

On behalf of the school community, we congratulate Ellie Clarke and her family on the arrival of their little girl Pip Florence who was born at the end of last term.

Next week, we farewell our grade 6 students as they head off to camp for a couple of days. They will enjoy an action-packed adventure camp at The Ranch, Mornington Peninsula. I would like to acknowledge the Grade 6 teaching team for their organisation and the extra workload that goes into co-ordinating a school camp. We thank our team of teaching and support staff who are attending the camp to make sure all students have a safe, fun and memorable experience.

We also have a group of eight grade 5 and 6 students heading off to Somers Camp on Tuesday. Unfortunately, we were not aware of the dates when Grade 6 camp was planned, therefore resulting in a date clash. Somers Camp is a DET residential school providing a small number of students from each Government School (Warrnambool, Moyne and Corangamite) a 9-day program every 2 years. During this time children have the opportunity to develop their personal and social capabilities, to progress their understanding of sustainable practices and to enhance their ability to meet challenge and change by encouraging resilience.

We wish all our campers safe and happy travels and look forward to hearing about all their adventures when they get back.

Fundraising plan

School Council have approved our fundraising plan for our Foundation and grade 1/2 playground upgrades and front of school signage. We have a $100,000 target and a few events planned;

Saturday 11th August – Bunnings BBQ
Movie fundraiser (date to be advised)
School Colour Run – Term 4.

We are seeking your support for the Bunnings BBQ on the 11th of August. Please complete the google form if you are available to lend a hand.

https://forms.gle/2eaYV5GX9VFQMs5CA

The breakfast club is always looking for an extra pair of hands, please reach out to the school office or Jenni Strain if you are available on Monday or Tuesday mornings between 8-9am.

Foundation 2025

Enrolments are due tomorrow! Our numbers are looking healthy for next year and we are excited to send out acceptance information to new and existing families on Monday next week. If you have a child starting school next year, please make sure your enrolment is in tomorrow.

WE WANT OUR PARENTS / CAREGIVERS / GUARDIANS TO TELL US WHAT THEY THINK!

Our school is conducting the annual Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey offered by the Department of Education and is seeking your feedback. The survey is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate, student behavior, and student engagement. The survey is optional, but we encourage and appreciate your participation.

Our school will use the survey results to assist in identifying areas for improvement and professional development needs in the school, to target school planning and improvement strategies.

The Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey will be open online from Monday 29 July to Friday 30 August 2024.

All families are invited to participate in the survey (1 survey link per household). The survey link will be sent to you via Compass on Monday 29th July.

The survey will be conducted online, only taking 20 minutes to complete, and can be accessed at any convenient time on desktop computers, laptops, tablets or smartphones.

The online survey will be available in English and 10 other languages including Arabic, Greek, Hakha Chin, Hindi, Japanese, Punjabi, Simplified Chinese, Somali, Turkish, and Vietnamese. Resources are also available in additional languages to assist parents / caregivers / guardians who speak a language other than English at home. Please reach out to the school directly for survey guides in your language.

2024 parent opinion data focus areas

Green – positive, grey/neutral/black – not positive

Last year we used the survey results to identify areas for improvement (as well as celebrate our work as most areas were 80%+ positive). We focused on all areas less than 80% positive endorsement (shown in the graphs above) and develop a plan to strengthen partnerships between home and school.

We did this by reviewing teacher communication, developing a WEPS parent handbook and re-vamping our school website.

We have also developed a general school improvement plan (outlined in the fundraising information above) for a school grounds revitalization plan.

The parent/carer/guardian opinion survey is an invaluable feedback tool and we strongly encourage you all to share your perspective. We will then dig deeper into the data and hearing your voice at our annual parent forum in early term 4.

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