Principal's Message -

Julie Crawford 

What a busy Term 2 we have had with so many opportunities for  for our community to re-connect.  The whole-school cross country and the Mother's Day breakfast saw so many of our parents catching up and enjoying the community events that make Wonga Park such a special place.  The election day BBQ and cake stall was another example of the great support our community provides and what an important community hub our school is for the wider community.  It was fantastic to see so many dads, especially our new dads, attend the first event for Fathers of the Oak - our Fathering Project group at WPPS. The plan is that the next event will be dads and kids so watch out for information that should be coming soon.

It has also been wonderful that so many events and programs for students have been able to run again.  There have been many opportunities in particular for our students to be active including sports clinics, cross country running, dance incursion, the Kids Disco and interschool sport.  They have been highlights throughout the term for our students who love the opportunity to have fun together while they learn.

Enrolments for 2023

We have been busy with tours for 2023 prep families. If you have a sibling starting school next year could you please complete an enrolment form and drop it off at the office.  Thank you!

NAPLAN

Congratulations to all of our Year Three and Year Five students who completed the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) over the last couple of weeks. NAPLAN is an annual assessment for students across Australia in Years Three, Five, Seven and Nine. We are very proud of how our students gave their best effort. NAPLAN is a snapshot of student knowledge on a given day and is a piece of data that teachers put with all the other observations and assessments they gather, to build a comprehensive picture of each child as a learner. Well done to all of our Grade 3 and 5 students! 

From 2023, NAPLAN will move to earlier in the school year and be held nationwide in March, during Term One. 

Upcoming Working Bee

Thank you to the many families who have registered that they will be attending the working bee this Saturday, May 28th.  We greatly appreciate any time families can give to help keep our grounds and facilities safe and attractive.  If you are able to give even an hour of time, the working bee starts 8:30am and finishes with a food and refreshments at 12:00pm.

Shining Star Awards

This term we have introduced our new Shining Star Award that is presented to a student in each class at our fortnightly assembly.  At our next assembly students may also receive a Shining Star award from the leadership team or a specialist teacher.  The award is given to students who demonstrate the values of our learning community.  Please go the Shining Star tab to see the list of students who have received an award this term.

Staff Absences

We are currently experiencing high numbers of staff and students absences, some with COVID and many with influenza. Wherever possible we endeavour to use CRTs (casual relief teachers), however there is currently an extreme state wide shortage of CRTs making this space very challenging. With every staff absence, much thought and consideration is made, to ensure we can have a continuity of learning for students. If a CRT is not available the redeployment of specialist and other teaching staff is often our next strategy. Class splits or different replacement teachers over an extended leave are a last resort, however at times are a reality.  We sincerely thank families for keeping children home when they are sick and are hopeful that we see a decline in the large numbers of students and staff who are absent due to flu, colds and COVID. Thank everyone for their understanding and support.   

PP Day – Moderation and Student Reports

At our Professional Practice day this week, teachers took the opportunity to work in teams to moderate data and student work samples as part of the monitoring of student progress.  Teachers are busily writing mid-year reports at the moment and these will be available via the Sentral parent portal in the last week of term.  Three-way conferences - parents/students and teacher- will take place at the beginning of Term 3.

Education Week – 150 Years of Education - 22nd - 28th May

The theme ‘150 years of Public Education' commemorates the past, celebrates the present and imagines the future of education in Victoria.  

This year, our school turns 127 years old and has always had such a wonderful and rich history in providing public education to our community!

For more information and to access the calendar of free activities, visit Education Week 2022.

Annual Report 

Each year schools prepare an Annual Report to the school community.  It provides the school and school council with an opportunity to share the year's achievements and progress with the school community.  This includes reflecting on the school's performance and explaining the positive impact of school improvement efforts on students outcomes.  We are extremely proud of the progress and achievements made in 2021 and invite you to read the report in full at the following link -  2021 Annual Report

Have a fantastic weekend everyone and stay safe and well. 

Kind regards

Julie