Across Oliver's Desk 

Dear Parents,

TRIAL CHANGE TO OUR CLASS STRUCTURE NEXT YEAR

After discussing at length the class structure for next year with School Council, our Consultative Committee and Staff. We have decided to go with the following structure.

2024

3 grades of Prep/foundation 

3 grades of grade 1

3 grades of grade 2

5 grades of 3/4’s

4 grades of 5/6’s

There are positives and negatives in having straight grades or composite grades. However, the main reason we have decided to go with a trial of straight grades in the junior school next year is because of the big jump for our prep students when going into a 1/2 class. We don’t feel there will be much of a difference in the individual goals or attention our students get, because our teachers already do that exceptionally well. The trial is more about the social and emotional aspects of our grade one students who sometimes become anxious through their grade one year. 

I am happy for parents to come and raise any concerns they may have about this change. We will, as we do with everything, gather data and determine if the trial is successful or not. By this time next year we will have surveyed parents as well as staff and also have academic results to decide what we will do for the 2025 year. We will of course let parents know about the data we gather before further decisions are made. 

PREP ENROLMENTS FOR 2024

The new building will be finished before the end of the year and therefore, we will have 8 new classrooms. That only replaces what we already have in our old building (although we do gain a new library). Having only 8 classrooms in the new building was not a school-based decision, I assure you. Unfortunately, that means we only have room for 3 Prep grades next year. The number of students wanting to enrol is well over the number we will be able to accept. The number of applications has actually really surprised me. I thought that we would have less enrolments for Prep 2024 because, well the place looks awful due to all the construction that is going on.

The current DET rules to gain a place is:

• If you live in the Woori Yallock School Zone, you are guaranteed a place.
• If there is a sibling already at the school, you are guaranteed a place.
• Any places left go to families that live outside the zone but are the next closest to the school in terms of distance.

Families successful or unsuccessful will be advised through a letter before the 11th August. Having families miss out on a place here is not something I ever thought would happen when I came to the school in 2011. I apologise in advance to any of the families that do miss out, we simply don’t have any extra classrooms to have a 19th grade. 

OUR WOORI FOOTY STARS

TREE PLANTING

Janna Rodriguez is our student environment leader this year and she helped organise the day below. The following was posted on the Yarra Ranges Council website. Janna is going to try and get a follow up day organised where more of our 5/6 students will get the opportunity to do some planting along the trail. 

Council partners with local schools to plant 37,000 seedlings

Published on 26 July 2023

Yarra Ranges Council is teaming up with local schools and community groups as part of this year’s revegetation program, which aims to plant over 37,000 native plants across the municipality.

On 25 July, Students from Woori Yallock Primary School teamed up with Councils Bushlands team and participated in planting 900 plants along the Warburton Rail Trail.

Yarra Ranges Council Mayor, Jim Child emphasized that the program is vital for improving the conservation of important sites and supporting native plants and animals.

“Revegetation offers multiple benefits, such as improving biodiversity, creating habitats, managing stormwater, filtering water, sequestering carbon, and preventing erosion. Working with local indigenous nurseries and schools further benefits the community,” Cr Child said.

Students from various schools including St Patricks Primary in Lilydale, Healesville Primary and Wesburn Primary are also joining with Council to participate in future planting events.

Speaking at the planting day on 25 July, Woori Yallock Primary School Grade 5/6 Teacher, Lisa Syme, said the students really enjoyed working on such a positive project that contributes to their community and neighbourhood.

“It’s great that they are able to do something that benefits their local community over the long term. So many of them live in this community and in 10 years’ time they’ll be able to walk down here and see the difference they made,” Lisa said. 

Mayor Jim Child highlighted the collaborative effort between Council staff, schools, and community groups.  “It’s great to involve local schoolchildren and show them how to plants trees and help teach them the importance of regeneration projects, but it’s also an opportunity for them to make a lasting contribution, one that they can visit year after year to watch the trees grow,” Cr Child said.

“Sometimes we’ll have an entire school actively involved in enhancing the biodiversity of their nearby Bushland so it’s pretty special and reflects the commitment these schools make to connecting their students to the natural environment, which is a part of what makes our area so unique.”

NEW BUILDING UPDATE

Natalie Potter and I have been having fortnightly ‘build’ meetings for around 3 years. These meetings will come to end early next year, because we really are getting to pointy end of finishing the whole project.

The timeline has changed many times, which is not really anyone’s fault. The new building will be handed over sometime in fourth term. It is exciting to think we will have it before the end of the year. Over the January school holidays the old building will be demolished, and the new basketball courts will go in, ready for day 1 of 2024.  The hall renovation and some of the finishing touches to the landscaping will be the last things to be completed. 

We have taken a few of the staff members through the building site which has totally excited them about the beautiful facilities we are about to get. Our school is full of students because of the great education our kids are getting which, has nothing to do with facilities. But how nice is it going to be to match the great teaching with the great facilities.

 MORE WOORI HISTORY

In 1986 a competition was held to find a school motto. The winner was Craig Graham from 3/4B, with TAKE PRIDE AT ALL TIMES. The school continues to use this great motto and has no plans to ever change it.

Have a great week!

And remember when life gets a little difficult, escape to the wonderful world of a book!

Oliver Thockloth

Principal