From the Principal

Dear families,

Book Week Parade – Tomorrow Morning 

A reminder that we will be celebrating Book Week with our much-loved Annual Book Parade tomorrow morning at 9:15am on the front basketball court.

Students are encouraged to come dressed as a favourite book character and bring along the book that inspired their costume where possible.

Families are warmly invited to join us for what is always a fantastic morning celebrating our students’ love of books, reading and imagination.

We look forward to seeing plenty of wonderful characters come to life tomorrow morning!

The Purple Party Takes Over WPS! 

Next Tuesday 25 August, things will look a little different at WPS as the Willy as One (Purple) Party takes over the school for the day!

The takeover is the culmination of our Grade 5/6 Government Inquiry Unit, giving students the opportunity to see democracy and government in action. After campaigning, developing policies and earning the votes of their fellow students, the Purple Party will have the chance to deliver on some of its election promises.

As part of the takeover, elected Purple Party leaders Yusuf and Joella will step into the Principal and Assistant Principal roles for the day, taking over from myself and Lisa and helping lead the school. Other student ministers will also take responsibility for areas including sport, the environment, arts and culture, social services, health and finance.

Across the day, students can expect some special initiatives, including an extended recess, sporting activities, a whole-school clean-up and opportunities for our student ministers to put their policies into action.

It promises to be a fun and memorable day, but most importantly, a fantastic authentic learning experience for our Grade 5/6 students — demonstrating that their ideas, campaigns and the votes of our students can lead to real action at WPS.

We look forward to seeing what happens when the Purple Party is in charge! 

Building Works Update

This week, we met with representatives from the Department of Education, Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA) and the project consultant to review the progress of a number of important building and heritage works across the school.

A key priority remains the replacement of the box gutter, with the project currently awaiting final heritage exemption approval. Once this approval is received and the gutter works can proceed, it will also allow for the much-anticipated restoration works to Room 7 to be undertaken.

The team is also finalising its review of the spire replacement, following the installation of roofing materials in a colour that did not match the required heritage specifications. The appropriate rectification works and next steps are currently being determined.

Looking further ahead, planning has also commenced for the full replacement of the existing roof tiles across the bluestone building. This is a significant longer-term project and is currently in the early planning phase.

While heritage requirements can add additional stages to the approval and planning process, it was positive to have all relevant parties together to progress these important works. We will continue to keep our community updated as approvals are received and timelines for the next stages are confirmed.

Reminders: 

Parent and Caregiver Opinion Survey

Earlier this week, families were invited to participate in the annual Parent and Caregiver Opinion Survey. This survey provides an important opportunity for parents and carers to share their perspectives on a range of areas, including teaching and learning, student wellbeing, school communication and the overall school experience.

Individual survey links will be emailed directly to selected families, along with information about how to complete the survey. The survey is confidential, and responses are used to help inform our school improvement planning and future priorities.

We strongly encourage all families who receive an invitation to take the time to complete the survey. Achieving a strong response rate is important, as it ensures we receive a representative sample of feedback from across our school community. The more families who participate, the greater confidence we can have that the results accurately reflect the experiences and views of our community.

We sincerely appreciate the time and thoughtful feedback provided by families each year. Your input plays a valuable role in helping us continue to strengthen Williamstown Primary School and provide the very best learning environment for all students.

Before and After School Supervision

A reminder to all families that staff yard supervision begins at 8:45am each morning. To help keep all students safe, children should not be dropped off at school before 8:30am, as there is no staff supervision available prior to this time.

If your family requires an earlier drop-off, students must be enrolled in our Before School Care program, where they will be appropriately supervised until the school day begins.

Students who arrive before 8:30am and remain unsupervised are placed at unnecessary risk, and we appreciate families supporting these arrangements to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all children.

Similarly, after school, students should be collected promptly. There should be no unsupervised students remaining on the school grounds after 3:45pm. Families requiring care beyond this time are encouraged to make use of our After School Care program.

As part of our ongoing commitment to meeting the Victorian Department of Education's Child Safe Standards and duty of care requirements, Williamstown Primary School will introduce a new gate opening and closing schedule from Term 4. The revised schedule will ensure that access to the school grounds aligns with periods when staff supervision is in place, further strengthening the safety and security of all students while on site.

Further details, including gate opening and closing times, will be communicated to families towards the end of this term, providing everyone with plenty of notice before the new arrangements commence.

Thank you for your ongoing support in helping us maintain a safe and well-supervised environment for all students.

Warm regards,

Mat Montebello