Principal's Message

Dear Families,

Term four is now in full swing and staff continue to plan fun and challenging learning activities for students. 

Foundation transition

Parents of students who are commencing school with us in Foundation in 2024 will have received communication about our upcoming transition days.  These valuable sessions give the youngest members of our school community  a chance to experience school and gives teachers a chance to begin to establish what teaching plans would be best suited to individual pupils.  Children who have not yet been enrolled will not be able to join us for these sessions.  If you have, or know of, any young child who will be starting school with us next year and they are yet to enrol, please contact our office for enrolment information without delay and this ensures we include them in our plans.  This is inclusive of families who already have other children at the school.  We cannot assume that your younger child will attend just because they have older siblings here.  

2024

Student placement

We have already started planning for the next school year.  This is inclusive of staffing, class sizes and compositions, and room placements.  In mid-November we will be asking children for feedback on five children they believe they work well with – and would therefore like to be in a class with next year.  We encourage you to have a conversation with your young person about this at home.  Note that we are asking children to identify people they work well with – this may or may not be a best friend.  Best friends are sometimes a distraction! Children will be given at least one of the people on their list, although many will get more.  I’m sure you can appreciate this is a big jigsaw puzzle, and can be very complicated to organise.  

From time to time parents may have comments about their child’s placement for the upcoming year.  Should you wish to share some information in regards to this it needs to be put in writing, placed  in an envelope marked confidential and addressed to the Principal or emailed to the school with ‘class placement – CONFIDENTIAL’ in the subject line so that it can be considered.  Correspondence  received after Friday, November 10 WILL NOT be considered.  Please remember this as we need time to set up the classes and late adjustments are sometimes impossible.  NOTE:  requests for a particular gender or teacher will NOT be considered.  

Students moving to other schools

From time to time parents feel a need to move their child’s school.  This is a natural part of the ebb and flow of any student population within schools, and we totally understand that family circumstances sometimes have evolving needs.  Therefore, we do ask that if you know that your child will not be at WVPS next year you please inform the office as soon as possible – it would also be helpful if you could let us know the name of your son or daughter’s new school (if known) so we can send the correct paperwork on to them.  Your child will NOT be disadvantaged in any way if you let us know that they will not be with us in 2024.  

Hats

With the commencement of term four a reminder that children need to have a hat on when they are working or playing outside.  This needs to be a school hat or navy blue bucket hat.  Caps or other coloured hats are not a part of our school uniform policy and are, therefore, not permitted.  

School council

Tonight is the October meeting of our school council.  School council makes decisions and provides oversight in relation to the school’s finances and policy.  The majority of members on school council are from our parent community.  These are open meetings, generally held online,  and you are welcome to attend – although you would have no speaking or voting rights unless                                                  agreed to by the chair – contact the office if you wish to get some                                                more details.  

School oval

You may have noticed that the oval is fenced off and work has commenced on the upgrade of our oval.  We have waited a long time for this and look forward to the finished product being available for student use early in the 2024 school year.   

Referendum day barbeque

Did you take the opportunity to vote in ‘The Voice’ referendum last weekend?  If you did you may have enjoyed a tasty treat cooked on the barbeque by members of our Parents and Friends group.  Thank you to everyone who donated their time to help out on this day.  Following the barbeque a profit of $615.00 was made.  

Thank you

I would like to thank Jodie Gauci who was Acting Principal during most of term three and early term four when I had need to take an extended period of personal leave.  Jodie was well supported by the rest of the

 Principal Class team and I was very confident that the school was in good hands during the time I was away.  

I trust you enjoy your upcoming weekend everyone, although the weather turns a bit colder again on Sunday!

Sue Seneviratne

Principal