A warm welcome to our community

I hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend and had the opportunity to relax, spend time with family, and enjoy a well-earned break.

With the colder weather now well and truly upon us, I have been reminding students to wear their jackets and raincoats when outside to help keep warm and dry. This is also a timely reminder that students should now be wearing the winter uniform. Please note that shorts, skorts and summer dresses are part of the summer uniform and are not intended to be worn during the winter months. We also ask that tights are not worn underneath skorts or summer dresses.

It has been wonderful to see so many students wearing their school beanies, which not only help keep them warm but also look very smart. The sleeveless polar fleece vest is another great option for added warmth during playtimes and can be comfortably worn over the maroon bomber jacket. These uniform items are available through the Uniform Shop should you wish to purchase them for your child.

Curriculum Day

Tuesday was a highly productive and informative day for our teaching staff, with a strong focus on literacy and reading instruction. Ongoing reflection, refinement and review of our practices are essential as we continue to align with the Victorian Curriculum and the updated reading position being implemented across Victoria. This work ensures that we are providing the best possible support for every student’s learning and development. Throughout the day, teachers engaged in the OzLit professional learning modules and participated in valuable discussions about effective teaching practices and approaches to literacy instruction.

Working with Children Clearance (previously Working with Children Checks)

A friendly reminder that all parent helpers (including the classroom, kitchen/garden program and those who attend excursions/camps as a parent helper) are required to obtain a volunteer Working with Children Clearance Card. Please bring into the school office your card/confirmation as proof and you will be added to the Working with Children Register. A huge thank-you to the parents who have already presented the school with their WWCC or updated WWCC.

It is very easy to apply so please apply via the following link:

http://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au/home/applications/ and will not cost you anything as you are a volunteer. If you require any support to do this then please contact the office.

Volunteer Induction

We appreciate and value the contribution of volunteers to our school such as parent helpers in the classrooms or attending excursions, sport and camps. However, we do ask that our volunteers are familiar with our policies and procedures relating to the child safety standards and understand the important role that they play in maintain and promoting the safety of our students.

Volunteers will need to complete a volunteers form and read Weeden Heights PS policies and procedures if they are volunteering at school when students and children are likely to be present. We will be sending home, our volunteer packs for an upcoming excursion but will also make them available online. They will be completed annually.

Just a reminder that anyone who volunteers at school must have a Children’s Clearance Card.

Late arrivals to school

Arriving late each day is very disruptive to a class and the student arriving late. We have had an excessive number of students arriving late on a daily basis and often they are unaccompanied by an adult. Please make sure that you bring your child to the front desk and sign them in as it is a Child Safety requirement and expected by the school and Department of Education.

You will have also received notification this week that we are trialling a message alert for late students for a month. If we have not received notice that your child will be absent, you will begin to get a message alert.

Reporting to Parents against the Victorian Curriculum

Mid-year reports will come home via COMPASS at the end of term and teachers are currently completing mid-year assessments. I look forward to reading each student’s reports over the next few weeks and celebrating the growth in their learning.

Further information about your child will be provided during the student specialist/teacher interviews (weeks 1 & 2 of term 3) and led conferences with classroom teachers (week 3, term 3) and the work completed in your child’s portfolio after you receive the semester one report. The conferences will be conducted in person or via a video conference in the Google Classroom. Student portfolios will be shared at home, after the conference however, students have unlimited access to their online portfolio any time through the Google Classroom.

Our student led conferences are highly successful and support the development of student voice and agency which also includes setting future learning goals.

Whole School Camp Information Session – Monday 22 June

Please look out for a flyer regarding the camp information session in the last week of school. We are really excited to be in a position to offer a camp for every one of our students and it is definitely the ‘Weeden Way’ to be connected as a whole school. It should be incredible!

Weeden Heights PFA Disco

It’s time for your children to get their dancing shoes on as next week is the school disco! Don’t forget it has a glow theme and if you are looking for something to help your children glow then we do have a few items on sale at the office. A notice was sent home last week and the items are on display in the foyer in the office.

A huge thank you to the PFA in advance for organising a disco for the whole school. We appreciate everything that they do for our students and our community. I hope that everyone takes the opportunity to come along and have some fun. It is wonderful to have the whole school involved in an event!

Until next time……

Kylie Campbell

Principal

Community