Dear Families

REMINDER: Monday, September 5 is a common professional practice day for all staff and no students are required at school. Parents will need to arrange alternative supervision of their children on this day. Our out of school hours program will be running – please contact them should you need to book your child in for care.

Foundation – 100 days of school

It was wonderful to celebrate 100 days of school with our youngest students a couple of weeks ago. There were some fabulous costumes and a lot of fun, and it was a great opportunity to reflect with the children how far they had come over the course of the first one hundred days of their formal educational journey. Take a peek at some of the photos about this wonderful event.

More photos under the School News tab

Long service leave

From next Thursday, though until the end of third term I will be taking a period of long service leave, and hope to enjoy some time travelling – fingers crossed I manage to avoid the COVID bug. For this period of time John Pickett will be Acting Principal, and Andrew Casey will move into the position of Acting Assistant Principal, years 3-6. Thank you to both of these staff who have been prepared to step up during this time.

Bunnings Werribee Barbeque

Last Saturday a faithful group of parents from our school community worked together to run the barbeque at Bunnings, Werribee. This was a a fundraising initiative on the part of our Parents and Friends group, and a lot of fun was had by those in attendance. My personal thanks to these people for the giving of your time to support the school in this way.

Book Week Parade

August 20 – 24 is Book Week and we will be celebrating by inviting students to come dressed as their favourite book character on Tuesday, August 23. A parade to enable children to show their costume to the others of the school will be held at 8.50am for foundation – year two and 9.30am years 3-6. Parents are welcome to stay and watch this parade, which will be held on the basketball court.

NAPLAN reports

Reports which indicate student achievement for children in years 3 & 5 following student participation in the NAPLAN tests back in May are expected in the school in early September. We will forward these to you as soon as we receive them. Please file these carefully when you receive them as they are often asked for when children are entering secondary school – particularly if your child is hoping to attend a private school.

Athletics Carnivals – years 3-6

In our last newsletter we were able to share details of our athletic carnival held over two days of that week. Following a tallying of points the winners were announced at assembly on the following Monday, inclusive of the winning house on each of the athletics days as well as the overall winner; boy and girl age group champions and the Spirit of the Athletics awards: given to children who demonstrated excellence sportsmanship throughout the day of the carnival. Full results are later in the newsletter. Students who placed in their event may be given the opportunity to represent the school at the district athletics carnival later in August. Further details about this have been given to those involved today.

Fathers’ Day Stall

Some advance notice: our parents and friends are holding a father’s day stall to enable children to purchase gifts for dad, or other special adult in a child’s life, which they will be presenting on Father’s Day. This stall is scheduled for Thursday 1st and Friday 2nd September and gifts will range in price from $1 - $6.

Art Show

A reminder about our upcoming art show. This event is scheduled every two years and is the opportunity for children to showcase some of their creative talents. This year the art show is being held between 3.00 – 7.00pm on Thursday 15th September . All children will have a piece of art on display; entry is via gold coin donation at the door, and our parents and friends group will have snack available for purchase on the night: along with the opportunity for children to have their faces painted. I would like to publicly thank Lynnette Palmer for all her work in organising this whole of school event.

Student contact details – these need to be accurate in case of an emergency

There are times when we will need to contact you, particularly if your child is unwell. It is therefore important that we have your most up to date contact details. If you have recently shifted house, or jobs, or wish to change the names of your emergency contacts please email the school on Wyndham.vale.ps@education.vic.gov.au

Face masks

It is strongly recommended by the Department of Health that face masks are worn in indoor settings, with face masks mandatory for those aged 8 and over who are household contacts and attending school. This is because the wearing of masks is effective in reducing the transmission of COVID-19. It is the Department’s recommendation that, through to the end of winter, students aged 8 and over and all staff will wear masks when in class, noting that exceptions to the recommendation apply to teaching circumstances when clear communication or when a particular activity requires the removal of a mask. Masks are not required to be worn outdoors but can be worn when physical distancing is not possible. This expectation should not constrain student participation in the full range of school activities, including music, sport, and performances. Household contacts of a positive COVID-19 case who are attending school and are over 8 years of age are required to wear face masks indoors unless they have a valid exception.

We are aware that some of our families will, in 2023, be in the enrolment zone for the new school in the Manor Lakes Estate: Holyoake Parade Primary School (interim name). Please note that should your child already be a student at WVPS they DO NOT NEED TO CHANGE schools, even if you are now in the boundary for the new school. Similarly, siblings of current students are also permitted to enrol with us, despite their residential address. However, we do understand that some of our families would be considering this option for a range of reasons and if this is the case we will be supportive of your family moving to this new community. Details for this new school are contained in the flyer below. Naturally, we would appreciate if you advise us as soon as you know if your intention is to move schools as this will assist us with our planning.

Have a fabulous weekend everyone.

Sue Seneviratne

Principal

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