Principal's Report

31st May 2024

New Shade Sail

The new shade sails have been installed by the prep building, this should provide more shade for students and parents waiting during pick up, especially in summer. 

Prep Enrolment 2025 - Sibling Enrolments

Applications for Prep 2025 are now open. As per the Department of Education's placement policy, all siblings of students already enrolled in the school are guaranteed a place BUT you still need to fill in an application form.

Information about enrolment and applications can be found on our school website. This year, applications are completed online (not paper).

https://www.wheelershillps.vic.edu.au/enrolments-2

We would appreciate all sibling applications to be submitted by the end of the term, so we have an idea of our prep numbers for next year. Thank you!

Road Safety Reminders

We regularly have feedback from parents to remind the rest of the school community about road safety. Please take note of these reminders below. 

*There is a 40km/h speed limit around the school during pick up and drop off times.

*Take care and be alert at all times as children can be difficult to notice and are still developing their ability to judge the speed and distance of moving vehicles. 

*If you’re driving with children in your car, make sure that they are properly restrained and they are supervised and get out safely when you have parked.  

*Follow the school’s procedures in designated drop-off zones and make sure you do not double park or park over driveways or crossings. 

*You might consider finding a park within easy walking distance of the school and walking for the last few hundred metres. You’ll be just as quick getting to school. 

*Be patient and considerate to others while waiting for a park or when traffic is heavy.

*If crossing Lum Road, use the crossing located to the south of the intersection with Whites Lane. 

Please take note of all these points above to ensure the roads are a safe place for everyone around Wheelers Hill Primary School.

Below is a YouTube link from a nearby local council that gives a good run down on driving safely around schools.

Term 2 Curriculum Days

Please be aware of the upcoming curriculum days in Term 2. Students are not required at school on these days. OSHC will run a program on these dates.

Friday 14th June - Report Writing Day

Friday 21st June - Planning Day for Term 3

Monday 10th June is the King's Birthday Public Holiday 

Attitudes to School Survey 

The AtoSS is a annual student survey offered by the Department of Education to assist schools and the department to gain an understanding of students' perceptions and experience of school. We value student voice as a means to improving student engagement, wellbeing and quality instruction and will be asking your child about their thoughts and feelings in relation to their school, their learning, peer relationships, resilience, bullying, health and wellbeing, physical activity, and life in general.

ORIMA Research Pty Ltd has been contracted by the department to administer the online survey and will provide support to schools throughout the survey period via a telephone hotline and email. This year, the survey will be conducted at your school from 20th May until 14th June for students in Years 4-6. 

What are the benefits?

Young people enjoy having a say! This survey has been running for nearly 20 years and is invaluable in helping schools understand student views to plan programs and activities to improve your child's schooling experience. The survey responses also help the Department of Education understand how student’s learning experiences can be improved.

What will my child be asked to do?

Your child will be invited to complete the survey online during class time using a purpose built secure online survey tool. It is important to note that we are not in any way “testing” your child. Please note:

• The survey is available in a variety of different versions to enable all students to participate.
• The survey will take around 20-45 minutes to complete.

How is my child’s confidentiality protected?

Your child will be provided with a unique login to complete the survey from their teacher. The student login is an assigned identifier that will be used by the department to link data for analysis and research purposes only. Identifiable information, such as student name or Victorian Student Number (VSN) is not used for linking datasets. To ensure the confidentiality of your child’s responses is protected at all times, personally identifiable data will not be recorded in the survey response file that ORIMA Research provides to the department. All data is stored on servers located in Australia and access is restricted to staff who are working on the project.

All information collected about your child will be handled in accordance with the Privacy Data and Protection Act 2014 (Vic), the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic) and the Public Records Act 1973 (Vic), as well as the Department’s Schools’ Privacy Policy. Please note that consistent with the above legislation and our policy, there are instances where we may be required by law to share information provided by your child. For example, where there is a threat to your child’s health and safety.

How will results be reported?

Aggregated state-wide survey data will be used to report on initiatives and may also be used in public discussions of issues relating to student engagement and wellbeing. An example of how survey data has been previously used includes reporting levels of student engagement in the Performance Summary in the Annual Report to the School Community.

The survey results will also be reported back to the school in aggregate form throughout the survey period. Data or results about individual students will not be shared with schools. All survey data that is made available in reports are for groups of students only so that no individual student can be identified. Where there are low numbers of students, the data will be suppressed so that the school cannot view the results for that group.

Your school may share the results of the survey with parents and carers.

Further information about this survey, including the questions your child will be asked to answer, please visit the department’s survey information page.

If you would like more information, please speak to your child’s teacher, or contact the department at school.surveys@education.vic.gov.au.

Michael Ramsey

Principal