A Word from the Principal

Welcome to our community

Hello everyone and welcome to the last newsletter of the decade!

This year has flown so quickly and we have much to celebrate including a very successful school review.  Loads of laughs with the colour run and an exciting school production.....the list just would never end.  I am so very proud of this school and our school community.  Thank you for making this year so fabulous!

2020 Whole School Structure and the Bright Beginnings Program

For the last two Mondays, students have met with their new classroom teacher as a part of the Bright Beginnings Program.  The whole school transition program at Weeden Heights is outstanding and by starting the year before, our students are well ahead and beginning to develop solid relationships in order to be ready for learning at the start of the year.  Students were also given the opportunity to meet some of the new students to Weeden Heights PS who will be a part of their class next year.  As a result, I am now able to release the structure for 2020. 

The 2020 structure for Weeden Heights is as follows:

• Prep: Mrs Anne Lee – Room 1
• Year  Prep/1: Mrs Melinda Michalski – Room 2
• 1/2: Ms Sarah Crookes– Room 3
• 2/3: Mrs Aarti Arya– Room 4
• 3/4: Mr David Saville  and Mrs Solange Nancarrow -  Room 7
• 5/6 A : Mr Christopher Anagnostou  – Room 8
• 5/6 M: Ms Allison McLaren– Room 9
• Extension and Enrichment – Mrs Solange Nancarrow & Mrs Jennifer Watts
• Physical Education: Mr David Saville
• Performing Arts and Visual Arts: Mrs Jennifer Watts
• STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics): Miss Belinda Davis
• Language (French): Mrs Delphine Todd
• Garden Specialist: Miss Belinda Davis
• Kitchen Specialist: Ms Sarah Polson

Warm Welcome:

I would like to take the opportunity to welcome our new staff members for 2020.  I know that everyone will make them feel welcome next year.   We look forward to dynamic displays around the school and some creative activities for our students.  Next year, you will have the chance to meet them at our family fun night and please make them welcome by introducing yourself.  They will be a fabulous fit for our school community.

So long for now:

While we welcoming some new staff members, we are also sadly saying farewell to a few others.  We wish them all the very best in their future, careers and family life.

• Jessica Pearse – Jess has taught at our school for five years and was a student teacher at Weeden Heights as well.  Jess is going to further her career with new experiences and we wish her all the very best (she will be amazing!) at Knox Gardens PS
• Kiralee Turner – Kirra has been with us as a student teacher and for the past four years.  We are proud of her achievements and wish her well at Kew East PS. 
• Paul Keeghan has been with us for the past year and three terms.  We thank him for the work that he has done at our school with students and being a member of school council.

I would like to thank these staff members for all of the work that they have done with our wonderful students and for the work they have completed within our school.  Farewell and good luck!  I know they will treasure their time at our school but they take with them, a detailed array of experiences and knowledge that they need to share with other schools.  It is all a part of the learning process. 

Also I would like to say a fond farewell to our school  Wellbeing Officer, Tracey Mc Glashan who will also be finishing up with Weeden Heights PS after two years. The school is changing service providers so a new Wellbeing Officer will be appointed by the new provider next year.   Tracey has made many solid relationships with students, taught social programs in classroom, managed the caring casseroles program and has run some lunchtime activities for students.  We wish her all the very best in the future and thank her for all of her support within our school community.

Class Structure for 2020

This year I appear to have had to speak and meet with many parents about the classes for next year which is highly unusual.  We are a school that has multi-aged classrooms and have always operated this way; not just due to our size but for the philosophical belief of the school.  There are a few things I would like to remind you about:

Weeden Heights operates with multi-aged classrooms.  We do not have ‘composite’ classes.  They are two completely different approaches and I explain this on school tours.   Our approach is ‘personalised learning’ so students are tested to find out what they already know and understand and then students have programs and approaches developed for them based around their next learning stage.  Composite grades teach to the level curriculum of the grade so only two curriculum levels are taught in that classroom.  If we taught to a specific grade level, students would never be able to achieve results beyond their year level because we simply would not teach that curriculum.   Personal learning in a multi-aged classroom allows us to teach a child above or below the expected level of the curriculum.  It is irrelevant what grade a child is in but grades do group students who are roughly around the same age and stage in development.  We have many senior students who are completing secondary school curriculum but this would not be possible if we taught to the year 6 curriculum.  There are many prep students who will receive results well beyond their expected level.  This is only possible with our personal approach to learning.  We should never have to say to a child that they are ‘only in grade 2 so you only get grade 2 work’.  In a composite grade the two year levels are only given work of the year level.  At  Weeden Heights our programs are based on student’s achievement levels which is how our students achieve their results.

Grade construction takes hours.  Students are asked about their choices for best learning partners and friends.  Parent are consulted and requests considered as they are based on personal, social, physical or academic grounds.  Grades are balanced between boys and girls and academic and social needs.  Teachers also have requests and professional needs that need to be considered.  We have to manage their roles in the school along with the grade they are allocated.  There are so many considerations and this process involved the whole staff so it is not taken lightly.  Every students is guaranteed at least one of their choices so it is difficult to hear from a parent that their child has no friends when they have received at least one person they named. 

It is also extremely difficult to be asked to change a child from one class to another when transition sessions have taken place.  Parents are really asking us to tell another child that they now have a different teacher, will be in a different room and no longer be with the students they just worked with.  At all times we follow the school policy which is attached and always available on the school’s website.

Students at Weeden Heights have benefited significantly through lower class sizes.  In most schools, students in senior classes will be in classes of 28 plus students so schools can maintain the class size ration of 21 in the junior school.  We have run classes of 15 – 20 in junior school and average class sizes of 24 in senior school.  This is all to benefit the learning of our students. 

Please be reassured that extensive thought goes into school structures and placements.  Our focus is our students at all times and it is paramount that we work with you at home to ensure that we all cater for the learning needs of each learner in our school and not a ‘grade’. 

Uniform Change

Thank you to all the parents who responded to the uniform survey put out by School Council.  You  overwhelmingly agreed that we are changing colours and going for blue shorts, blue tracksuit pants and blue skorts.  All  items with logos will stay the same.  School Council, via the Education Sub committee will give you more details soon and you will also help select the 'extra clothing' items eg style of a spray jacket.  Stay tuned next year for information. ...how exciting!

Year 6 Graduation

Good luck to our year 6’s as they head towards their graduation next Monday.  They have been extremely busy all year preparing for this very special night.  I would also like to especially thank Mr Keeghan for overseeing the ceremony and thank the team of parents/ guardians who have worked consistently to make this a worthy event.  I’m sure the room will look amazing on the night!  The students will have a very special event. 

Christmas and Awards Night Celebration

Our Christmas Concert is tonight!  The students will be leading us through some Christmas songs so please bring your singing voices so that you can join in and sing along!  Also please bring something to sit on (chair or rug) as the stage will be on the basketball court and the audience will be seated on the grassed area and under the sails.

I am looking forward to announcing the senior leadership team for 2020.  As usual, there will be surprises for our community!

Final Assembly

The school will hold a final assembly outside under the sails on Friday 20 December for a 1.00pm start.  We will say a final farewell to our exiting year 6 students and wish everyone a happy holiday break.

Just a reminder that students will be dismissed at 1.30pm from assembly.  If you are not available to pick up your child at that time then you will need to book them into the OSHC program for the afternoon. 

The Christmas countdown is on!    If I don’t catch up with you before the end of the year, I would like to wish you all a safe and happy holiday break.  Enjoy spending time with your family and friends.  Merry Christmas!

I look forward to seeing you all back again next year for another ‘action packed’ year! 

Ms Kylie Campbell

Principal

Futures are Bright at Weeden Heights!