A Warm Welcome to our Weeden Heights Community

The countdown is on until the end of the year! I am sure that everyone is ready for a well-earned rest and catch up with families and friends over the holiday period. We all deserve a bright and happy 2022 full of fun and ‘normality’.

2022 Whole School Structure and the Bright Beginnings Program

Today and next Monday, students are involved in our whole school transition sessions. They have had the opportunity today to meet with their new classroom teacher as a part of the Bright Beginnings Program. The whole school transition program at Weeden Heights is outstanding and by starting the year before, our students are well ahead and beginning to develop solid relationships in order to be ready for learning at the start of the year.

Students were also able to meet some of the new students whom are starting at Weeden Heights PS who will be a part of their class next year. As a result, I am now able to release the structure for 2022.

The 2022 structure for Weeden Heights is as follows:

Prep: Mrs Melinda Michalski– Room 2
Grade 1: Mrs Anne Lee– Room 3
Grade 2:– Miss Samantha Walls Room 4
Grade 3: – Mr David Saville Room 6
Grade 4: Ms Sarah Crookes - Room 7
Grade 4/5 : Mrs Aarti Arya– Room 8
Grade 5/6 : Mrs Beth Alter– Room 9
Extension and Enrichment /Tutoring – Mrs Solange Nancarrow & Mrs Jennifer Watts
Physical Education: Mrs Solange Nancarrow
Performing Arts: Miss Belinda Davis
Visual Arts: Mrs Jennifer Watts
STEAM: Miss Belinda Davis
Language (French): Mrs Delphine Todd
Garden Specialist: Miss Belinda Davis
Kitchen Specialist: Miss Alice Carter

Ms McLaren will be taking leave and Mrs Watts will take a month of leave at the start of the year as she will become a grandmother at the end of January. Exciting news Jenny and we hope it all goes well!

Warm Welcome to an EAL(English as an Additional Language) teacher:

We have just been given amazing news. Weeden Heights application to house one of the teachers from the Blackburn English Language School was successful so we will warmly welcome on staff Ms Jiran Kim for term 1. I’ve had to promise to give her back but I’m excited at the expertise that she will bring for our students in developing language skills and specifically for our EAL students. I know you will make her feel welcome

Class Structure and Considerations for 2022

Considerable planning has gone into creating a structure for 2022 after experiencing remote learning again for 2021.

My priorities for our school are:

To keep all class sizes as low as possible across the whole school (not just Prep to year 2) so that our students can all have greater tracking of their learning and of their individual learning goals. Our senior classes have around 22 rather than up to 30 students
To reconnect cohorts of students who have been separated during the pandemic and other grade structures from previous years
Maintain the staff’s working teams to build on from the new learning in 2021 and strengthen their working capacity

Each year I also like to remind our families about multi-aged classrooms as we have always operated this way; not just due to our size but for the philosophical belief of the school

Weeden Heights operates with multi-aged classrooms. We do not have ‘composite’ classes. They are two completely different approaches and I explain this on school tours. Our approach at WHPS is ‘personalised learning’ so students are tested to find out what they already know and understand and then students have programs and approaches developed for them based around their next learning stage.

Composite grades only teach to the level curriculum of the grade so only two curriculum levels are taught in that classroom. If we only taught to a specific grade level, students would never be able to achieve results beyond their year level because we simply would not teach that curriculum.
Personal learning in a multi-aged classroom allows us to teach a child above or below the expected level of the curriculum. It is irrelevant what grade a child is in however grades simply group students who are roughly around the same age and stage in development. We have many year 6 students who are completing secondary school curriculum but this would not be possible if we only taught to the year 6 curriculum. There are many prep students who will receive results well beyond their expected level. This is only possible with our personal approach to learning. We should never have to say to a child that they are ‘only in grade 2 so you only get grade 2 work’. In a composite grade the two year levels are only given work of the year level.

At Weeden Heights our programs are based on student’s achievement levels which is how our students achieve the results that they do.

Grade construction takes hours. Students are asked about their choices for best learning partners and friends. Parent are consulted and requests considered as they are based on personal, social, physical or academic grounds. Grades are balanced between boys and girls and academic and social needs. Teachers also have requests and professional needs that need to be considered. We have to manage their roles in the school along with the grade they are allocated. There are so many considerations and this process involved the whole staff so it is not taken lightly. Every students is guaranteed at least one of their choices so it is difficult to hear from a parent that their child has no friends when they have received at least one person they named.

Please always be reassured that extensive thought goes into school structures and placements. Our focus is our students at all times and it is paramount that we work with you at home to ensure that we all cater for the learning needs of each learner in our school and not a ‘grade’.

School Production: We’re All Going on an Aussie Holiday

Our amazing production is finished and we are madly packing the family packs that you have all purchased. It has really come up a treat and I’m sure that you will all be impressed. As there is no big round of applause at the end where the students would be able to gain your reactions, we will be looking for feedback to share with the students. Included in your pack is a comment card that we hope your family will take a moment to fill out. We will share your comments with all of our students.

School Magazine

Today, you should all be receiving the amazing 2021 Weeden Heights PS School Magazine. Please look out for it in your child’s school bag. It looks absolutely incredible and I would like to give a MASSIVE thank-you to Delphine Todd who has co-ordinated the entire project. I can’t imagine the hundreds of hours that has gone into the planning, designing, writing, layout, and preparation of the students work for the magazine. The students work looks incredible and it was terrific to see that we still had the opportunity to conduct many of our exciting whole school events.

Camping Program: Prep Breakfast and Year 1 & 2 Late Stay

A massive thank you to Mrs Michalski, Ms Crookes and Mrs Lee for making the Prep and Year 1 & 2 camping program happen this year. It would have been easier to let these events slide as all other camps for the rest of the school had however, our staff were committed to ensuring they could do what they could for our students so at least they would not miss out. Thank you staff!

While we were not able to run our 3 – 6 camp (twice!) teachers have conducted long day excursions which the students really looked forward to. The 5/6’s have not stopped talking about their surf lesson and yesterday the year 3 and 4’s headed off to a swimming park for the day. Thanks so much to Miss Walls, Mrs Nancarrow and Mrs Arya, along with Mr Saville and Ms Mclaren for making this happen.

Friendly reminder

Just a reminder that parents are not to use the teacher's car park for drop offs or pick ups and they can not use it for OSHC pick ups and drop offs either. Please don't walk up the staff carpark driveway as it is way too dangerous. There should be no pedestrians in the carpark.

Year 6 Graduation

Good luck to our year 6’s as they head towards their graduation next Monday. They have

been extremely busy preparing for this very special night. I would also like to especially thank Ms McLaren for overseeing the ceremony and thank the team of parents/guardians who have worked behind the scenes to make this a worthy event with a twist in 2021. The students will have a very special event and we will replicate as much of the original ceremony a possible.

Christmas and Awards Night Celebration

Our Christmas Concert being held on Thursday 16 December (next week) from the Google Classroom! This will be our second Christmas concert held remotely and features performing online in pre-recorded grade presentations. The students will be leading us through some Christmas songs to get us all in the spirit of Christmas. Please feel welcome to sing along from the comfort of your home!

We would really love your family to sit around the computer or a smart TV and enjoy the concert together. You might even consider a picnic dinner for all while you enjoy the night.

I would especially like to thank all the staff for putting together their class items as videos and coming up with a class performance. Thanks also to Miss Davis who worked on putting the whole production together to produce a concert. She has learnt many new skills!

The senior leadership team for 2022 will be announced and be ready for some exciting twists! There are also a few awards including our highly respected Eroll Linke Award and a few year 5’s will have the opportunity to join the leadership ranks as house captains. It’s exciting!

Final Assembly

The school will hold a final assembly outside on the basketball court on Friday 17 December. We will say a final farewell to our exiting year 6 students and wish everyone a happy holiday break.

Unfortunately, parents will not be able to attend the assembly as we cannot monitor everyone’s double vaccination certificates. We can allow parents on site for around 10 minutes without checking in so you will need to be there to pick your children up at 1.30pm. Please exit the school grounds safely from your collection point and maintain social distancing at all times.

If you are not available to pick up your child at that time then you will need to book them into the OSHC program for the afternoon.

I always thank our community on the final assembly for their incredible work and support over the year. I have included this in my speech for the Christmas Concert. Fingers crossed next year will be very different for us all.

If I don’t catch up with you before the end of the year, I would like to wish you all a safe and happy holiday break. Enjoy spending time with your family and friends. Merry Christmas!

I look forward to seeing you all back again next year for another ‘action packed’, ‘covid normal’ year.

Until next year…..

Kylie Campbell

Principal

Futures are Bright at Weeden Heights!

FRENCH