A Word from the Principal 

A Warm Welcome to our Weeden Heights Community

A warm welcome to our community

WINTER IS HERE!  I hope you all enjoyed your long weekend.   Well, the cold weather has hit with a vengeance. I am having to remind the students to wear their jackets and rain coats outside as well.  Please remember that it is time for our winter uniform as shorts/skorts/summer dresses are a part of the summer uniform (and please no tights being placed under shorts and summer dresses).   Remember the classrooms are warm and the junior school are enjoying two split systems in each room.  Senior school are nice and warm with electric heaters at the moment so it is important that students can add layers.

It is terrific to see students in our school beanie as they look smart and are warm.  Don’t forget the sleeveless polar fleece vests add extra warmth out at play time. They also look smart over the top of the maroon bomber jackets.  These are available from the uniform shop if you would like to purchase for your child. 

Working with Children Clearance (previously Working with Children Checks) 

A friendly reminder that all parent helpers (in the classroom, kitchen/garden program and those who attend excursions/camps as a parent helper) are required to obtain a volunteer Working with Children Clearance Card.   Please bring into the school office your card as proof and you will be added to the Working with Children Register.  A huge thank-you to the parents who have already presented the school with their WWCC or updated WWCC. 

It is very easy to apply so please apply via the following link:

http://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au/home/applications/   

If you require any support to do this then please contact the office.

Capital Works Program Update

Well things are now moving forward after all of the asbestos has been removed.  The work has taken longer than expected to ensure the safety of the school.  Works slowed down as the removal could only occur on the weekends.  However, this weekend some of the concreting works started and that means the builders will be able to begin framing the administration space. 

There will be a lot of finishing off works over the holidays.  The junior toilets will be nearly finished and finally, the teacher office in the junior school corridor will (crossing my fingers) be finally finished.  The asbestos removal delays have had trades move onto other jobs and it has made it difficult to have them return to our worksite. 

We will most likely go beyond our September completion date so we are hoping for the end of October.  The most important point to make is that none of the students are majorly impacted and the delays will only affect the office staff and myself.  The staff will be looking forward to their new staffroom and staff toilets though!

Reporting to Parents against the Victorian Curriculum

Mid-year reports will come home via an email early next term and teachers are currently completing mid-year assessments.  I look forward to treading each student’s reports but I have seen the teachers ongoing assessment and I am very happy with the progress being made across the whole school. 

Further information about your child will be provided during the student led conferences and the work completed in your child’s portfolio after you receive the mid-year report.  The conferences will all be conducted in person or via a video conference in the Google Classroom.    Student portfolios will be shared at home, after the conference however, students in years 3 – 6 have unlimited access to their online portfolio any time through the Google Classroom.   

Our student led conferences are highly successful and support the development of student voice and agency which also includes setting future learning goals.

School Review

As I have already made you aware, the school will be involved in a school review in term 4.  Next term there is a huge focus on analysing data and consulting with the whole school community to find out what should be the focus in the next four years at Weeden Heights PS.  Please look out for an upcoming parent questions to help identify what we have celebrated over the last four years.  Students will be involved in protocols to share their achievements, things they are proud of and what they would like to change about their school.

Before the actual review, our school will be assessed in August so that it meets all standards to be a registered school.  This process was previous attached to the school review but is now sitting as a separate audit by the VQRA.  A small part of checks involves ensuring that school policies are up to date.  We have been involved in reviewing many policies recently as they are being refined, based on new guidance released by the department.  We have a few more in this newsletter for you to review before they are ratified by School Council.  Please check the school council section of the newsletter.  Thank you!

Volunteer Induction

We appreciate and value the contribution of volunteers to our school such as parent helpers in the classrooms or attending excursions, sport and camps.  However, we do ask that our volunteers are familiar with our policies and procedures relating to the child safety standards and understand the important role that they play in maintain and promoting the safety of our students.

Volunteers will need to complete a volunteers form and read Weeden Heights PS policies and procedures if they are volunteering at school when students and children are likely to be present.  We will be sending home, for the first time, our volunteer packs for an upcoming excursion but will also make them available online moving forward and on School Stream.  They will be completed annually.

Just a reminder that anyone who volunteers at school must have a Working with Children’s Clearance.  These are free, applied for online and it would be worthwhile if every parent had one. We do require a copy of these filed in our school office as we maintain a register of all suitable volunteers.   It is a way that we ensure that all of our students are safe. 

Weeden Heights PFA Disco

A huge thank you to the PFA for organising a disco for the whole school.  I hope that everyone took the opportunity to come along and have some fun.  The disco is on tonight up in the hall after OSHC.  Have a great time!

Enrolments for 2024

We are now accepting enrolments for Prep 2024.  Please forward all enrolment forms to the office asap. 

I do understand that there are low enrolments in kindergartens this year (and much higher enrolments next year which will flow onto us in 2025) but it is important that parents now enrol at school to allow for staffing and planning for 2024.  As I have previously published, there are now new department timelines but enrolments are low and still many families touring which means they are undecided or delaying enrolling.  If you have a child starting next year or know someone who is enrolling in school next year, please remind them to send in their enrolment forms to our office.  If you know of any friends, family or neighbours still looking for a school then please encourage them to come and tour our wonderful school.  Thanks everyone!

Final Day of Term – Early Dismissal 

The final day for term 2 will be Friday 23 June at 2.30pm.    Parents are welcome to attend the assembly at 2.10pm at the end of the day and it will be held outside on the top basketball.

Please ensure you have made arrangements for the collection of your children at this earlier dismissal time.  If you are unable to make the 2.30pm finish time then please book your children into the OSHC program. 

Well, that’s all from me. While it has been a short term, it has been long and exhausting for all of us.  I hope that you all have a restful term 2 break.  Please stay healthy and safe with all of the illnesses out and about in the community. 

Until next term……

Kylie Campbell

Principal

Futures are Bright at Weeden Heights!