Principal's Message

.At Wembley Primary School, we acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which our school sits, the Woi-wurrung and Boonwurrung people of the South-Eastern Kulin Nation. 

We celebrate and respect the oldest continuing culture and recognise the importance of education in truth telling, equity and justice.

We pay our respects to Elders past and present and recognise and value the learning that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, colleagues and community bring into our schools.  

Term 3: Week 3-4 Update

We start this edition of the newsletter by acknowledging the delay in it's publication - the majority of its content was written in Week 4 and will read as such. Thank you for your patience in waiting for its finalisation. 

Firstly we wish to extend our congratulations to Vassie who announced that she has taken on the role of Acting Principal at Melton Primary School for the remainder of term three, with a likely extension into term four. Vassie sent out some correspondence via Sentral Notification in Week 4 - so please check this if you are yet to read. 

We celebrate Vassie's long-standing presence and achievements at Wembley and of course, wish her well in this opportunity. We will ensure that we update families towards the end of this term, and again in Term 4, should this be required. 

Before we get to the extra-curriculuar items, we wanted to share with you some of the academic pieces that have been happening around the school so far this term: 

Academic Enrichment

VHAP

The Victorian High-Ability Program for Years 5 and 6 is in full swing this term!

We’re proud to have seven students participating in the Mathematics extension program and two students in the English extension program. Each week, these students log in via Virtual School Victoria to connect with their online teacher and take part in engaging, challenging learning tasks that extend their thinking and skills.

A big congratulations to Luka, Harry, Arlo, Annabelle, Srivaths, Lenny, Harry, Abigail, and Charlotte for their nomination, commitment, and enthusiasm this term.

Student nominations are determined by the Department of Education through the VHA Program. Families of students nominated for Term 4 will be contacted later this term with further information about enrolment.

ICAS

Last week marked the beginning of the ICAS school competition assessment window. 

ICAS is a historic academic competition that has been sat by over 10 million school students from 16,000 schools across 41 countries since 1981.

It recognises academic performance in a way similar to sports or the arts, with engaging, fun questions designed by psychometricians, education measurement experts and experienced teachers to test students’ higher-order thinking skills.

Enrolled students sat the Digital Technologies test last week and the English test this week. In Week 6, students will participate in the Mathematics test, marking the end of the assessment window. 

Results for all ICAS subjects are released online approximately 8-10 working days after the official sitting window has closed. Certificates are dispatched to schools approximately 2 weeks after results are released. Schools, parents, and students can access results approximately 8-10 days after testing via the ICAS portal: https://www.icasassessments.com/results-portal/ 

Well done to all students who have already participated and completed testing, and all the best to those sitting Mathematics in Week 6! 

Prep 100 Days 

On Monday, our Prep students celebrated 100 days of school. The day was filled with excitement and plenty of learning opportunities, with activities themed around the number 100. Students enjoyed tasks that encouraged counting, creativity, and teamwork, helping them see just how much they have learned and achieved in their first 100 days. They even had a visit from the Principal, who read an old favourite to them: 'Centipede's 100 shoes'. 

They came to school dressed in creative outfits representing 100, which sparked plenty of conversations and laughter among friends. 

Of course, no celebration would be complete without a special treat, and the students enjoyed fairy bread together as part of the fun. It was a wonderful way to acknowledge the hard work, friendships, and learning that have taken place since the start of the year, and we are so proud of how far our Prep students have come.

~ Renee Johnson ~

Wembley Sign

If you have visited us in the last 24 hours you will have spotted a new addition to our wall space in the atrium of the new building. Grant has been working exceptionally hard behind the scenes to hand-craft a backlight frame, within which the old Wembley sign has been hung. 

Linking Our Heritage to Our Future

 

Wembley Primary School’s original hand-painted 4788 State School sign is more than a relic — it’s a piece of our identity.

 

Rescued by from the demolition and now preserved and displayed in our modern new building, it connects today’s students with generations past, reminding us of the dedication, community spirit, and learning that have shaped our school since its earliest days.

 

In the midst of fresh walls and contemporary spaces, this sign made in 1958 stands as a proud symbol that while our surroundings evolve, our heritage endures.

 

~ Grant Hobson: Facilities Manager ~

Book Week 

Book Week is nearly upon us! This year's theme is: Book an Adventure! 

We are excited to celebrate Book Week next week with a range of special activities for our students, staff, and families.

From 9am Monday, parents and carers are warmly invited into classrooms to share in reading activities that celebrate the joy of books and literacy at Wembley, followed by our Book Week Parade at 10am on the Basketball Court. Students are encouraged to come dressed as their favourite book character. There will be prizes for creativity and effort, and parents/carers are welcome to stay and enjoy the parade. 

Thank you to Carmel Manning, who secured our Book Week authors for 2025. Our Prep-Year 2 students will have an hour session with author Corinne Fenton on Friday, and our Year 3-6 students will meet with author Emilie Zoey Baker on Wednesday. 

Don’t forget to take a stroll around the school to enjoy our Book Week decorated doorways, a creative highlight of the week!

We look forward to seeing our school community come together to celebrate the magic of books!

~ Katie McClue: Acting Principal ~

Year Two Camp 

Our Year Two students recently enjoyed an incredible camp experience at Sunnystones Camp, where they embraced a range of exciting activities and showcased our school values.

The students enthusiastically participated in bush cooking, learning how to make mini chocolate cakes over a campfire and worked together to build amazing huts using natural materials. They demonstrated respect and resilience as they collaborated on their building projects, problem-solving and helping each other along the way.

The adventure continued with a challenging low ropes course and an archery session. The students showed amazing inclusion as they cheered on and encouraged their peers, creating a supportive and positive atmosphere for everyone. It was a memorable day filled with teamwork, learning and fun, and we are so proud of our Year Twos for their outstanding efforts!

~ Melanie Irons ~

Philanthropy Day 

On Wednesday, 13 August, our Year Six students hosted Philanthropy Day. Students from Prep to Year Six were treated to a range of exciting activities and food stalls, all organised and run by our Year Six students. Students were excited to spend their tokens on games such as corn hole, basketball shoot out and bowling, while enjoying snow cones, pop corn and freshly made lemonade.

We are thrilled to announce that, thanks to the incredible generosity of our school community, we raised over $8 000. In alignment with our AIP goals of strengthening partnerships with the community, and enhancing student engagement and belonging, Wembley is currently exploring using these funds to launch a Wembley Community Cafe. This project would see us work alongside parents and local business, Small Batch Coffee Roasters & Patricia Coffee to create a community café where a select cohort of students are taught to make coffee/hot drinks and manage a small hospitality business. 

If this idea successfully comes to fruition, then the café would be open to our staff and the Wembley community for coffee on select mornings during drop off, and to our staff at lunchtimes. The money subsequently raised through this initiative will be allocated to school fundraising, to support other mental health and wellbeing programs. With there being significant potential for the program to evolve and expand over time.

Thank you to everyone who supported this wonderful day with donations that were used in the stalls such as the lemonade stand. Your contributions have made a significant impact and will help us bring this exciting new project to life for our students and wider community.

~ Simon Zammit ~

Year 6 Films

The Year 6 cohort were incredibly lucky to have a special guest for an incursion recently… Cesar Salmeron, Director of Photography! Cesar is a parent in our school and offered to share his wealth of knowledge around the movie-making process. We watched films that he had made, and discussed all the jobs (and costs!) involved in movies. Need to know what the 'key grip' does? Ask a Year 6 student!

The students are now inspired and energised around their upcoming Movie project, based around our school values. They are currently script writing, and we look forward to filming their short films later this term.

We also look forward to welcoming Cesar back to help out with the techniques of filming and seeing his cameras in action! More to come once our films are complete! 

Upcoming Events & General Reminders