Warrandyte Primary School - Alert

Principal  Message

We have begun the term running full sprint, which always seems to be the way of things. There have been teeball competitions, soccer excursions, pancake making mornings, kinder transition and parent/teacher interviews in the last two weeks alone. We enjoy being busy at WPS and it is the sign of a thriving school. 

Toilet Refurbishment

As I wrote about in our last newsletter, we are going to undertake a mini makeover of our student toilet block in a bid to enhance the aesthtic look of these blocks. We have begun by asking our Junior School Council to talk to their peers about the looks they would like to see happen. 

 

We were told that motivational quotes on the walls/doors were a popular choice, murals either on the wall outside the toilets or inside and new hand basins, hand dryers and mirrors. A repaint of the walls also was discussed. As such we have narrowed down their ideas and the students will pick from 3 final looks and students will be given a chance to give feedback on their preferences. Thanks to Claire, who is doing a great job running our JSC, her enthusiasm has helped to move this project forwards.

Out of Hours School Care fee changes

We are now at the final stage of our implementation of the OHSC program and full operation of the KidSoft portal. The School Council and I thank you for your patience as we navigate this system to open our own program. 

 

It is so rare that a school runs their own OHSC that implementing and registering the school for the Childcare Subsidy rebate program became a very difficult task, requiring a great deal of personal information for each School Council member as the system is catered towards Directors of a company seeking to make a profit from the service. This is not the case for us. We seek to run a program that is viable and not for profit.

The result of this difficulty has led to the School Council and the OHSC Sub-committee to agree to reduce our long term rate significantly while not offering a CCS rebate. 

 

From 11th August the fee schedule is as follows:

 

Afternoon Session Fees – After School Care

Bookings and payment is made via Kidsoft Portal

  • Casual Booking: $33.00 (inc GST) per child, per session
  • Permanent Booking: $30.00 (inc GST) per child, per session(Permanent bookings are defined as ongoing weekly bookings on set days.)

Before School Session Fees

  • Permanent Booking: $20
  • Casual Booking: $22

The school will assist with the financial commitment to keep the program operational as the council recognises the social importance of offering a service for children and families working. The rate that we were operating at currently was a temporary rate and not sustainable. 

 

At that date all bookings and payments will need to be made via Kidsoft parent portal. The School Council Sub Committee will oversee the management of this program and allocate any resources as required to continue the service. The hours of operation remain the same with Monday - Thursday afternoon sessions open and Tuesday and Thursday morning sessions operating. All aspects of the daily running of the program remain in place with Fran continuing as our OHSC co-ordinator. 

 

We will send around new information regarding using Kidsoft. Elisha will send through the accounts for up to 11th August. Thereafter all fees will be paid through Kidsoft. Thank you for your patience as we navigate setting up an OHSC program. We have been learning on the job in relation to the process to run this program, which has a huge amount of red tape and slow moving cogs between each step.

Guest Psychologist Speaker - Emma-Rose Parsons

 

We are excited to announce another parent workshop on offer at WPS on 12th August at 7pm - 8:30pm.  Emma-Rose is a clinical psychologist who works closely with children. She is also a speaker and provides PL sessions to schools and leaders. This session will focus on Emotional Wellbeing of children and how to manage anxiety in children, build resiliance and promote self-regulation. Attendance is free and she will have time to take questions. I encourage you to come along as Emma-Rose is a great speaker . I have heard her speak many times and I always learn something new from her. 

Movie Night - Thursday 21st August - 6pm start

FOWPS will be running a Movie Night on the 21st. Ticket can be purchased via Flexischools. Each ticket comes with popcorn and a juice pop. Pizza slices are avaialble to pre order via Flexischools. Thanks again to our FOWPS team who are always planning something.

 Whole school focus on Assembly behaviour

 

Attending a primary school assembly is an important  part of the curriculum for our students, as it supports the Speaking and Listening components of the Victorian Curriculum as laid out by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. Assemblies provide a real-world context for students to practise active listening, show respect to speakers, and engage as part of a larger audience. These experiences help develop key communication skills such as understanding and responding to verbal and non-verbal cues, interpreting different types of presentations, and recognising the purpose and audience of spoken texts. By observing and listening attentively, students also build empathy, patience, and an understanding of the wider school community, all of which are integral to their personal and social capability development.

 

Participating in assemblies also gives students opportunities to present and speak in front of their peers, developing confidence, clear expression, and audience awareness. Appropriate audience behaviour ensures that all speakers are heard, respected, and valued, and it models the listening expectations set by the VCAA English curriculum.

 

When we are in the audience, we:

  • Sit quietly and still, with our eyes on the speaker.
  • Listen carefully and show respect for all presenters.
  • Keep our hands and feet to ourselves.
  • Clap at the end of items or when invited to.
  • Follow teacher/school captains instructions straight away.
  • Show pride in our school by being a positive audience.

We will promote these behaviours by:

  • Practising expected behaviours in class before assembly.
  • Using visual reminders and clear routines in the assembly space.
  • Praising and acknowledging students who demonstrate positive audience participation. 
  • Encouraging older students to model appropriate behaviour for younger students.

Emergency Management

Our school plans for a range of hazards, such as bushfire, severe weather, medical emergencies, building fires. We have once again been allocated Catergory 1 on the Bushfire Risk Register in relation to bushfire emergency management. This means we will continue to relocate on Extreme weather forecasts and close for Catastrophic.   We develop specific response procedures to address these risks. 

 

We also conduct drills regularly, ensuring that our core procedures of on-site and off-site evacuation, sheltering-in-place, and lockdown/lockouts are well-rehearsed and understood by staff and students.  We will be running a drill next Tuesday at 2:30pm. This drill will be for an internal fire scenario. In this instance we evacuate to the green court. 

 

If we enact our emergency management plan, we will notify you by Compass notification with updates on our actions. If there is anything we need you to do, we will let you know.  During emergencies, we will work with emergency services and the Department of Education for safety advice and support. Please know that keeping our students and staff safe is our top priority.  We will take into consideration students who may become anxious during the drill and provide support with our Education Support Staff.

 

Have a great weekend!

Nieta