A Word from the Principal 

A Warm Welcome to our Weeden Heights Community

It has been terrific to see the return of our students to Weeden Heights PS over the past week and this week we welcomed back our final two grades; grade 3 and grade 3/4.  It has been heart-warming to watch friends reconnecting in the playground and hearing the sounds of children and their learning filling the corridors.  As of next Wednesday after Cup Day, we will be all back onsite and working full time in all classrooms.

I would sincerely like to thank all of our parents who are managing the drop offs and pick-ups so well. Entering and exiting school is seamless and thank you for remembering to distance yourself and wear a mask.   Thank you also for your encouragement and support in having your children wear their masks to school.  We all know how hard this was for us when we started wearing them last year but our main goal is to protect our unvaccinated.  All staff have received both vaccinations and the school has a Covid Safety Plan that forms a part of our emergency management plan.  This includes: mask wearing, sanitising, managing visitors to the school, QR codes, communication and lockdown/contract tracing. 

Restrictions will begin to be lifted and we will have to re-consider all school operations.  Once I receive official notification of how schools are opening up, I will let you know. 

2022 Parent Contributions 

The parent contributions are slightly different for the upcoming year due to a change in the Department of Education’s policy and procedures.  School Council are currently finalising the parent contributions for 2022 and they will be available for early next year.  We will provide you with notice of the anticipated costs and we are very happy for our families to pay these next year after the year that we have all had.  One major change is that schools can no longer offer book packs and on sell them to you.  As a result, we will send home a book list for each year level in December and parents will have to organise their child’s book list materials over the school holidays and prior to the school term commencing in 2022.  This will be a change for every parent in every school for 2022.  We will keep you updated through the newsletter and notices as the parent contributions are finalised.

Hay fever and Asthma

Just a reminder that grass pollen season is between October and December.  During this time there is an increased risk of seasonal asthma, hay fever and epidemic thunderstorm asthma.  It’s more important than ever for families to manage any hay fever or asthma symptoms of their children, as these conditions can produce symptoms that are similar to coronavirus (COVID-19) such as runny nose, cough or shortness of breath.

The best way to reduce and prevent symptoms of asthma or hay fever and reduce unnecessary absences from school is to follow an up-to-date asthma action plan or hay fever treatment plan. If you have any coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms, even mild, please stay home and get tested.  Also, if you have a new Asthma Plan then make sure that school has a copy.

Newsletter

We often ask the students if they saw their work in the newsletter and they generally say no which really surprises us.  I-Newsletter has allowed us to include a lot more of the visuals which the students love.  I have also placed the newsletter in the Google Classroom but as we return to onsite schooling, students may not look there as often.   I encourage you to read the newsletter with your children and celebrate the work from the grades together.   It is always important that they know upcoming events as well.  Enjoy!

Curriculum Day - 1 November and Cup Day - 2 November

Next week there is a curriculum day on Monday and a public holiday on Tuesday for Cup Day.  Students are not required to attend school on either of those days. 

On Monday staff will be involved in professional learning in the area of Assessment and Reporting.  Teachers will be moderating the whole school writing assessment pieces and are extremely busy bench marking students to accurately assess their learning and future learning needs.  This day will be invaluable to develop future teaching directions and assessing the needs of individuals. 

After being in lock down for so long, I really hope that you and your family are able to get ‘out and about’ to enjoy a long weekend!  You all deserve it. 

Until next time…… continue to be optimistic, safe and strong

Kylie Campbell

Proud Principal

Futures are Bright at Weeden Heights!