Last week we were excited to host our 2nd Annual Parent Forum. We shared and celebrated our achievements in Learning and Wellbeing this year, then gave parents the opportunity to discuss our 2023 WINS, future OPPORTUNITIES and WONDERINGS (WOW) to consider in our planning for next year and beyond. Our ultimate goal is to continue to strengthen partnerships between home, school, and our wider community. We can only continue to work towards our next best and parent and student voice is essential in this process.

During our evening together we also emphasised our focus on students and parents being seen, heard and cared for, and at WEPS we also do the same for our staff. We prioritise staff health and wellbeing so that we are enabling them all to work at their best each day. We shared our 2023 NAPLAN data with pride (see below) and the supports we provide in Learning and Wellbeing to enable every student to thrive.

I would like to thank the 30-40 parents who took the time to attend and work with us for the evening. Your feedback and suggestions are invaluable. The WOW posters have been displayed in our staff for the past week and we will consider all suggestions in our planning. After some thought I decided it was important to extend the feedback to those who could not attend. So, if you have a few minutes to spare, please complete the very short WOW survey using the link below. The survey will be open for 1 week until next Thursday. Survey link - https://forms.gle/asK45fccmSkJqyQ77

WEPS NAPAN Results 2023

Year 4 Camp - Port Fairy

Congratulations to all our Year 4 students who had a wonderful time during their camp to Port Fairy this week. We always appreciate our teachers giving up time with their families to take students on camp – thank you Mr Richardson, Ms Smith, Ms Cuolahan, Ms Lee and Mrs Collishaw for giving our students this experience. The teachers were all very impressed with the exceptional behaviours displayed by all students and I am sure many had early nights when they got home on Tuesday.

Flying Start

This week we have welcomed many of our Foundation 2024 students to our annual Flying Start program. Flying Start is an optional 4-week transition program designed to prepare children for a seamless transition from kindergarten to the Warrnambool East Primary School setting. During the program children will become familiar with the school environment, build relationships with staff and their foundation 2024 peers, and participate in a range of learning and wellbeing activities. The children had a lovely time getting to know staff and peers.

Family night – Thursday 30th November 5-7pm

A reminder our family night is coming up on Thursday 30th November – please save the date!

We are looking for musical talent amongst our school community, as we would love to give parents the opportunity to SHINE. If you are part of a band, have some musical (instrumental or vocal) talent, we would love you to consider performing for us on the night. We will publish a registration form in the next couple of weeks, so please start thinking about being a part of our celebration evening as a performer - get your old mates together, get together with other parents – we would love to have you all involved.

Grade allocations 2024

We are in the beginning stages of planning for 2024. If you have any requests for next year, please email them to marina.milich@education.vic.gov.au by Monday 30th October. We will consider all requests, however there are many factors that influence teacher allocations and grade groupings.

An important message from David Howes, Deputy Secretary, Schools and Regional ServicesAs you know, over the weekend the Commonwealth government held a referendum on whether to alter the Australian Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. Enough votes have been counted for us to know that the referendum did not pass. This referendum is the first that Australia has had in over two decades and it highlights the importance of referendums to our democratic system of government. We know that in a democracy, it’s important that people can express their opinions on key issues, especially those of great national importance. For many people, this referendum has been – and will continue to be – a sensitive topic with deep, personal meaning and it is important that we continue to engage with each in a respectful and considerate way, including in the workplace. There will be different responses to this outcome, including disappointment or distress for many students, staff and communities.

All students, regardless of age and background, will have heard and probably participated in commentary about the Referendum in the media, at home and within their communities, and some may need additional support during this time.

Please notify your classroom teacher, Ann Dwyer (Assistant Principal) or Marina Milich (Principal) if your child would benefit from one on one support or contact the following organisations for further assistance.

External Mental Health Supports

Headspace: 1800 650 890
Kids Helpline: 1800 551 800
Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636
Yarning SafeNStrong (YSNS): 1800 959 563
13YARN: 13 92 76
The healing foundation: (02) 6272 7500