From the Assistant Principal
Adele Brice
There have been many lovely community events being held in recent weeks. Congratulations to Jess O'Sullivan, Melanie Lambden and the 3-6 students - What a Knight! was an outstanding success. It was wonderful to see the joy that our students displayed on the stage.
Another wonderful event was the 3-6 Athletics Day. Many thanks to Sean Holland and Nathan Percy for organising such an action packed day. There were many personal bests achieved. Good luck to the students who are heading to the District competition.
Many thanks also to Natalia Anker for organising such a vibrant Book Week Parade. The basketball court was a sea of colour! It was lovely to see so many parents supporting the event and helping our young people celebrate the special day.
WPPS staff all dressed up!
WPPS staff all dressed up!
Mobile phones and Smart Watches
We understand that students may bring a personal mobile phone to school, particularly if they are travelling independently to and from school.
Students who choose to bring mobile phones to school must have them switched off and securely stored at the school office during school hours. There are exceptions to this policy relating to specific health conditions.
When emergencies occur, parents or carers should reach their child by calling the school’s office.
In accordance with the Department’s Mobile Phones Policy issued by the Minister for Education, personal mobile phones must not be used during school hours, including lunchtime and recess.
With parent permission, students may wear smart watches, however the watch is not to be connected to mobile phone data or wifi.
Please ensure that you are familiar with our mobile phone policy.
Drop Off/Supervision Before School/Staff Carpark
The car park off Dudley Road is a staff car park. We ask if you are attending activities such as Basketball Training, Joggers Cub and before school tennis lessons, that you please do not park in this space. Parking is available on Dudley Road, Styles Court and some sections of Lantana Drive. Another option is to park at Sam Saii and walk down to the school. Please also observe parking signage, as council parking inspectors do frequent the area.
We have alsonoticed that some children are arriving very early in the morning. Staff are not on yard duty until 8.35am, so parents must supervise their children until this time. Any children arriving early will be asked to wait in the office area.
Volunteer Child Safe Training
As you are no doubt aware, we are mandated (without exemption) to provide annual training for all volunteers working in our school. People who trained in Term 4 2022 are encouraged to update their training so we can continue to have you supporting our students at school.
It's also a requirement that our staff and volunteers are equipped with knowledge, skills and awareness to keep young people safe through ongoing education and training.
Upcoming training sessions are as follows;
Monday 4th September 5.15-5.45pm (online)
Wednesday 13th September 5.15-5.45pm (online)
Links for the sessions are available on the Parent Sentral Calendar.
Cyber Safety Project
The Cyber Safety Project team provides a 4-part Parent and Guardian Webinar Series.
The Term 3 webinar is titled: Gaming and Your Family: 7.30pm
If you are unable to attend the session you can view it at a later time using the link below.
Rewatch Link: www.cybersafetyproject.com.au/webinars
All live webinars will be recorded and on-demand 24 hours after the live date and will stay available via the link for the remainder of the year.
You can register for these sessions via the link below: www.cybersafetyproject.com.au/webinars
TERM 4: Digital Balance & Wellbeing: Tuesday 17th October @ 7:30pm
eSafety – Office of the eSafety commissioner
The eSafety Commissioner is a wonderful resource to make yourself familiar with. This space was established in 2015, and it's Australia's national and independent regulator of online safety. It is dedicated to keeping people safe online.
eSafety Commission Term 3 workshops
The eSafety Commission provides free webinars to parents and carers with the knowledge, skills and tools to support their children to have safe, positive online experiences.
The schedule for 2023 can be accessed via this link - the link can also be used to register for the sessions listed below.
Upcoming sessions include:
Online boundaries and consent
This 30-minute webinar is designed for parents and carers of young people in primary school.
It will cover:
- why the consent conversation is so important to have with primary school aged children
- easy ways to explain online boundaries and consent
- opportunities to discuss and model consent through discussions, scenarios and practising helpful phrases for saying ‘no’.
Term 3 dates (Australian Eastern Standard Time)
- 7 September: 12:30 pm to 1:00 pm
Getting the most out of gaming
This 45-minute webinar provides families with strategies for supporting children and young people to have safe, positive experiences when playing games online. It is designed for parents and carers of children aged 7 to 14.
It will cover:
- when gaming can be beneficial and strategies to promote better in-game experiences
- how to keep children safe online – using safety and privacy settings in games and platforms
- strategies to promote more balanced gaming and how to create smoother transitions from game-play to other activities
- the key online risks and where to find help for things like bullying and harassment in games.
Remaining dates (Australian Eastern Standard Time)
- 12 September: 7:30 pm to 8:15 pm
- 19 October: 12:30 pm to 1:15 pm (AEDT)
Getting started with social media: TikTok, YouTube, Instagram
This 30-minute webinar is designed for parents and carers of young people in primary school. It includes practical tech tips, conversation starters and digital parenting advice.
It will cover:
- creating a positive digital identity
- privacy and sharing online
- managing what you see online
- good practices in group chats
- help-seeking.
Remaining dates (Australian Eastern Standard Time)
- 5 September: 7:30 pm to 8:00 pm
- 21 November: 12:30 pm to 1:00 pm (AEDT)
Adele Brice
Assistant Principal
