Principal's Message
Julie Crawford
So many wonderful things happen every day but a recent delight was attending the annual buddy Teddy Bear's Picnic! Our Grade 6 students are such beautiful and caring buddies to our Preps and were thoroughly spoilt with treats galore provided by their special Prep friends. The Preps loved the opportunity to set up their own picnic rug and lay out the amazing lunch they had brought along to show their buddies how much they love them! Sharing their favourite teddy was very special too - with many looking very loved! Our Grade 6s return the favour at the end of the year with a special buddy Christmas lunch. Such a lovely WPPS tradition!
Another amazing highlight was the 'new look' Mother's Day morning! What a beautiful community event to celebrate all of our mums and special people! Thank you for all the lovely feedback and kind messages - we were so pleased how much our mums enjoyed being pampered and sharing this special time with their child/children. I think our 'new look' mother's day celebration is definitely now a new tradition at WPPS!
National Sorry Day is held each year on 26th May and National Reconciliation Week (Monday 27th May, until 3rd June) has been an important part of our work in Challenge Based Learning on Country. The 'Deadly Door' challenge has been an engaging collaborative task for each class to dAt its heart, reconciliation is about strengthening relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous peoples, for the benefit of all Australians. It is about coming together and acknowledging the past so that we can look forward to a brighter future. This year's National Reconciliation Week theme is “Now More Than Ever”, a reminder to all of us that no matter what, the fight for justice and the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will - and must - continue.
Education Support Staff Appreciation Day
A big thank you to all of our amazing Wonga Park Education Support (ES) staff! Recently ES Appreciation Day was celebrated across Victorian schools, and we certainly appreciate all of our ES staff at WP! ES staff include our amazing Business Manager Kerry, our wonderful Administration Officer Lesley, our fabulous First Aider Julie E, our Grounds and Maintenance team Russ and Peter, our remarkable SAKG facilitator, DImi, our super Library Technician Georgette, our incredible classroom assistants; Georgette, Julie E, Dani, Wendy, Jess, and Ellie, our superstar IT Technician Izzy and our amazing student wellbeing support Laura. Our ES team really are the backbone of our school and we would be lost without them. We loved celebrating them all and showing our appreciation for the wonderful support they provide every day!
Creative Play Space – Opening this week!
We are very excited that the Creative Play Space will be opening this week. This beautiful space has only been possible through the generous support of the Warrandyte Community Bank who contributed $45,000 to the project and the amazing support of our families through various fundraising efforts. We also thank the families who have donated towards greening our new space with trees and understorey plants. It's not too late if you would like to make a donation - please go the TryBooking link. We are still hopeful for a sponsor or sponsors for our curved seating – if there are any families or businesses who would like to sponsor this special part of our new space we would love to hear from you!
Coping with change
With winter upon us there will more than likely be an increase in absences – both students and teachers. Sometimes these absences can be for an extended period of time, which can be challenging for some students. There may also be other instances where circumstances, such as a school lockdown, create a change to the normal routine and could also be a challenging scenario for some. Parents sometimes ask for more information hoping this may relieve some anxiety, however privacy and confidentiality considerations do not make the sharing of this information appropriate, and in some instances, too much information could increase anxiety. The natural human tendency to create a narrative in the absence of information could also be unhelpful.
We appreciate that it can be a challenging time for students and families when facing change – I hope there are some ideas here that may be helpful.
1. Focus on the Present All children and their parents will face changes and situations beyond their control. Focusing on the present situation and identifying where your child's anxiety lies can help facilitate helpful conversations. Discussing what your child can do and how they can think positively can empower them to cope with changes. Emphasizing how to manage the situation and the learning opportunities it presents can foster a positive mindset, potentially revealing some 'silver linings'.
2. Use Conversation Prompts Keep conversations focused on the present and what can be controlled. Prompts such as:
- “What is happening right now?”
- “What is the same?”
- “What might be different, and how can we manage that?
These prompts help children stay grounded and focused on manageable aspects of the situation.
3. Celebrate Resilience Congratulate your child for showing resilience in the face of change. Encourage them to use their voice to express any worries. Having these conversations is an important life skill that can help them navigate future challenges.
We hope these suggestions are helpful as we navigate this winter season together!
Curriculum Day - Wednesday, June 26th
Our final curriculum day for the year is on Wednesday, June 26th. This is a pupil-free day. Care is available through TheirCare if required by families. The focus of the day will be continuing work on the implementation of our School Wide Positive Behaviour program.
Planning has begun for an open afternoon planned for the last Thursday of term - June 27th from 2:00 - 3:15pm. Please put the date in your diary - more details to follow.
Hoping you are able to come along and see the amazing learning that our students have been doing around the big idea of 'Country'.
Best wishes,
Julie Crawford