A warm welcome to our community

Parent/Guardian Opinion Survey

Just a reminder that all parents were sent a link to the current Parent/Guardian survey via email. I did send out 110 surveys to families but only 4 families have completed the survey. This is your opportunity to participate in the DE survey to find out what parents/ guardians think of our wonderful school. The Parent/Guardian Opinion Survey is an annual survey offered by the Department of Education that is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate, student behavior, and student engagement. We encourage all families to participate in this survey. Our school will use the survey results to help inform and direct future school planning and improvement strategies.

If you would like to help with completing a survey, then please check your email.

School Production time…..Just Imagine!

I hope that everyone is getting excited for the biannual school production on Wednesday 10 September! Don’t forget to purchase your tickets through the office at school. Every student is expected to perform on the night and it is a major event for each student….developing confidence, feeling part of the class, public speaking, singing, working as a team etc. The outcomes to a whole school production are endless. It is an excellent opportunity for each student.

We have a full-dress rehearsal at school on Thursday 4 September (next week) so please ensure that you have all elements of your costume ready for that day. We will be taking photographs on the day which will be available to purchase at a later date.

This event is the culmination of a terms worth of work for our students in performing arts (and visual arts) and the production is the celebration of all the hard work. Apart from having fun, the student’s performance on the night and the production forms a part of each student’s assessment. Thank you, Mrs Phillips, for all your work so far. We can’t wait to see, Just Imagine!

Teacher Absences and Replacements

Unfortunately it is the season where there are alot of illnesses across the community and teachers are not immune to this either. Teachers also take long service leave and take days for professional development and network commitments. Across the state, there are a lot of teaching staff absent each day. I have a bank of excellent replacement teachers whom I employ to ensure learning continues and I also use an agency who have access to thousands of teachers. In term 3, availability is really challenging and we have felt this on several occassions when I have been unable to secure a replacement for an absent staff member at Weeden Heights PS. Please be reassured that I am doing my best to find replacement staff but they are not available. Students do have ongoing work provided by their classroom teacher if there is an unfilled absence. Students still attend specialist classes during these days. Please be reassured that learning is ongoing and the other staff are supporting your child if a grade is split. We are lucky as the staff at Weeden Heights are generally fairly healthy and I know that my staff turn up at work even when they are not feeling 100% so their students don't miss out. Please be patient as we work through term 3 illnesses.

Emma Harper

You may have noticed that our Emma has not been at school since our school camp. She was diagnosed with a brain tumour early last term and has just come out of brain surgery last week. Like a trouper, Emma turned up every day last term for her students but was not able to stay overnight at camp. She was able to make it for the main day with the whole school though. I am pleased to report that her operation was quite successful and she is now recouperating at home and will be working hard to return to Weeden Heights PS soon. I'm crossing my fingers for next term. We are all sending our positive thoughts and best wishes to Emma for a speedy and complete recovery.

Bright Beginnings – Prep transition session

Next week we will have our second transition session. It was lovely to meet the new families who will be attending our amazing school next year. They will also be guided by a few existing families who will be able to support them with the millions of questions that new parents have when a first-born attends school. The session went incredibly well with the kinder children and definitely the parent session, which I hosted. It looks like we have another group of bright and talented students heading our way. Awesome!

Workforce Planning and 2025

Just a reminder that if your situation is changing for next year and you are moving then I would really appreciate knowing now as I am making plans for next year. The number of students at each year level directly impacts decisions that are being made across the school and it is very important that I actually get this right for the good of our sensational school.

Stay warm and well everyone!

Until next time……

Kylie Campbell

Principal

Scholastic Book Fair