A Word from the Principal

Assembly on Monday morning

Unfortunately we will not be able to conduct the school assembly on Monday as conditions have now changed for schools based on the measures the government is putting into place.

We will be conducting our assembly over the PA so you are welcome to listen if you wish. Without classes travelling to the hall it should be able to begin at 9.05am promptly.

Sorry for this inconvenience. It is my favourite time of the week when I see all of my students together and acknowledging their achievements while reconnecting after the weekend.

Coronavirus

I hope that you have been reading my updates about the Coronavirus on Flexibuzz. I was very disappointed to see the students miss out on the 5/6 camp this week. The teachers are working hard to try and put something together as a replacement camp later on in the year. Unfortunately there are no more bookings available this year at the Sovereign Hill camp to reschedule this year. A big thank you to our parents; you are understanding and amazing! We have not even received a phone call over this cancellation. Thanks for trusting us in this difficult time. We will work this out and keep you in the loop.

While we do not see government schools closing in the near future we are preparing just in case schools close. We would have 24 hours notice if this should ever happen. The staff have been working on the back end setting up Google Classrooms where students will be able to receive some work. We would also send activity grids home as well because we have information that access to Wifi internet is tricky during this high demand period. We will design activities that won’t require the use of computers at times. The Government will open up the distance education portal (Learning From Home portal) if they decide to close schools. In preparing for a closure (just in case!), we aim to work with the students to show them the Google Classroom platform which will be very new to them. Fingers crossed, we will be able to stay together, stay connected to our peers for our own health and wellbeing and continue our learning.

There are a couple of families who have chosen to self-isolate for a period of time. This only applies to a few families. Some parents have enquired about class work. You are more than welcome to collect sheets from the classroom that were completed by students during the day. In the mean time if you are looking for work to support ongoing learning then I would suggest:

Logging onto Matific (you should have your passwords as they have been sent home) – the program is individualised at your child’s level and our teachers do monitor this
Reading daily. We also have the Premier’s Reading Challenge coming up so you could get a start on some of the books
Write a story or a play
Act out the play and video it with puppets (make sock puppets or be dress up as different characters)
Play board games particularly if it involves dice and cards
Video chat with friends (after school) so the children don’t feel isolated ie Virtual play dates on Face time
Activities outside to keep fit eg skipping, shooting hoops
Out students love Zumba so download Zumba clips and do them throughout the day
Craft activities or hobbies they love
Puzzles – a big one for ongoing or family contributions
Crosswords and Sudukos from the newspaper or online (cheap books at the junk shops)
Naplan preparation booklets available from newsagents
Cooking to promote maths and reading of recipes – children can help out with meals and meal preparation including setting the table, writing shopping lists
Keep the family calendar updated
Help parents around the house with regular jobs and responsibilities eg cleaning the animal cages, weeding gardens, watering veggie patches, harvesting, wash cars etc

Please be reassured should government schools be directed to close then we will be ready to give you student work and communicate with you. You could also prepare, just in case by:

Set up a ‘learning’ space in your home that can be allocated for the children during the day
Have items ready to complete work eg pencils/pens, coloured pencils, highlighters, paper
Ensure that there is access to an appropriate device to support online learning
Familiarise yourself with Matific and Code.org (older students) and Epic as you will need to support students at home to access these program. Many programs have opened up with free membership for a month so we will take advantage of these as well. For example; Reading Eggs.

https://kidsactivitiesblog.com/135609/list-of-companies-offering-free-subscriptions/

Hopefully none of us will have to enact our plans but it is much better to be ready if a school closure occurs.

Coronavirus Update to Weeden Heights Community.pdf

School Council

On Monday night, School Council inducted its new members through the AGM. Congratulations to the school councillors who were elected into the following positions:

Mrs Kirsty White – School Council President
Mrs Karen Jansen - Vice President
Mr Daniel Rodger– Treasurer
Mr Mayur Deivasigamani – Minute Secretary

We also welcomed our other school council members for our ver first meeting:Mr Simon Billingham, Mrs Shavani Ghosh, Mr Gavin Hodgins, Mrs Aarti Arya and Miss Belinda Davis.

The school council also operates with sub committees and their main role is to advise council through their research and investigations. Parents are more than welcome join sub committees and you don’t need to commit to being on school council.

Please come and speak with us if you are interested in being involved in a sub- committee or to be co-opted onto school council in one of the vacant positions. There is one parent position left and two DET positions vacant.

The council would greatly appreciate input from the wider community.

Prep 2020 Tours and Enrolments for 2021

We have had many calls and visits already for information regarding enrolments at Weeden Heights Primary School for 2020. Tours and enrolment information is available now. Positions are filling fast so if you are an existing family, please complete your enrolment form and hand it in at the office.

If you know anyone who requires assistance with 2021 placements, please direct them to call our office to book a tour date and time. If you are one of our current families then please remember that you also need to enrol early as well. Thank you for helping us with this process.

Parent Helpers Workshops

On Tuesday we had our first group of keen parents in our ‘helping in the classroom’ parent workshops. It is wonderful to hear about an enthusiastic group of parents who are wanting to further support their own child and others. The focus for next week will focus on writing in the classroom. Thanks to Ms McLaren, our literacy leader for running these lessons.

Parent Association/ Parent Group/Parent Association

Thank-you to the wonderful parents who have shown great interest in our PFA. The parents have met and conducted their AGM and have organised all the fundraising events for the year.

The parents welcome anyone who would like to join them to support the school and most importantly our students.

Curriculum Day

The school has a curriculum day on Tuesday 14 April which in your diaries would be the first official day back in term 2. The staff will receive further training on PLC’s (Professional Learning communities) and this time will allow teachers to also develop their work with the students in the area of reading.

Students are not required to attend on this day.

Have a fabulous weekend!

Ms Kylie Campbell

Principal

Futures are Bright at Weeden Heights!

End of Term

Parents are reminded that this term will conclude on Friday 27 March at 2.30pm. Please note the early closing time.

At this point we will be unable to conduct our end of term assembly due to the current situation. Awards will be handed to students in the classrooms and our ‘assembly’ will be completed over the PA system so if you are outside waiting to pick up your child then you will hear the exciting award announcements.

Term two will commence on Wednesday 15 April 2020.

I hope that you all have a very Happy Easter and enjoy a wonderful two week break. Please stay safe and healthy.