From the Principal, Diana Ellis
Inclusion at WPS
With a number of events being discussed at the moment in our school community including Book Week and Fathers Day, it timely that we discuss these events with sensitivity. Whilst the majority of people generally support the activities that we provide, I also encourage people to consider others and show empathy for those who find these days challenging. As parents most of us put our child’s needs first but we at times forget the needs of others. As the majority of us take photos and celebrate our child’s joy we forget about the poor mum who is in tears as they try to peel their distressed child out of the car or watch their child in the corner with their behaviour escalating. Some of these events cause great stress and or distress for a number of families in our school community and are not joyous occasions.
I hope we can be mindful of others when we voice our opinions about what we want for our children.
Book Week
On social media and in the school yard there have been many conversations about Book Week and the lack of a dress up parade. The response has been about 50/50 with some people expressing their disappointment and other parents expressing their joy. A number of parents had communicated that we have too many dress up days. Of course we cannot please all of the people all of the time but we do our best.
I guess the question to ponder is why do we have Book Week Dress Up Parades? The obvious answer is for our students. The reason we are not having a dress up parade is because recently we have had two dress up days and we will be having our Footy Dress Up Day in a few weeks and PJ Day early next term.
It is also important to be mindful of all of our students and recognise that a number of students find dress up days highly stressful. Not all students have access to dress ups and some students struggle with the high level of noise and energy and the change to the normal program.
The main focus is of course to celebrate Book Week. Throughout the school the teachers have planned many fun and engaging activities and already I have witnessed many teachers and students engaging in activities based around the 2019 short listed books.
A big shout out to the many parents who have provided positive feedback about our programs and learning activities.
Parking
I would like to provide another timely reminder about us all working together to keep our students safe. We have observed a number of students walking through the staff car park to get to the footpath and a few parents parking in the car park, taking up staff parking and reversing at peak times. We have also noticed many students walking behind cars in the bottom car park. We cannot stress the importance of taking to your children about safe practices. All staff have been asked to regularly have these safety discussions with students but whilst we educate at school we need you to continue the education at home.
Book Fair
I would like to have a big shout out of appreciation to the parents who have helped out at the Book Fair this week. It is through participation in these events that we build a stronger school community, show our students that we are interested and also an opportunity to build networks with other parents.
Father’s Day Breakfast
Whilst we are looking forward to celebrating Father’s Day with the dads and grandfathers of our community, I would like to acknowledge that this can also be a highly sensitive time for parents that have lost their children or for dads who do not have access rights with their children. This of course can also lead to these events being highly stressful for children who have a father that has passed away or if they don’t see their father. We welcome the opportunity for children to invite another significant male in their life, to come to the breakfast.
Snow
On the weekend many of us enjoyed the heavy cover of snow for at least a few hours. The snow made our already stunning Macedon Ranges into a Winter wonderland.
100 Days of school
Last week there was lots of excitement in our Foundation classrooms as the students engaged in a number of fun activities to celebrate 100 days of school. The highlight appeared to be a writing procedure of how to make a hundreds and thousands sandwich followed up with the real life activity.
Crossing Safety
Our new permanent crossing supervisor Chris has asked that we remind children to:
- Wait for the whistle
- Walk bikes and scooters across the crossing
- Hold balls without bouncing
Visual Arts
Ms Mann regularly changes the displays in our foyer areas and fills them with the art pieces that have been completed by our students. The students are very proud of their work and demonstrate some great artistic skills.
