Principal's Message 

Julie Crawford 

We have had a busy and exciting start to Term 3 with our Big Idea of ‘Country’ being such an important focus of our work. Our staff have been privileged to work alongside Aboriginal Elder, Arbup Peters who is our regional Koori Education Coordinator who recently facilitated our Community Understanding and Safety Training (CUST) which was an important way for school staff to gather and learn about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge, histories, culture, respect for Country and experience through local story telling. Arbup gave an acknowledgement of Country in the language of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people, explaining how important the acknowledgement is to the Traditional Owners and the importance of acknowledging the original custodians of the land in which we learn on today. Arbup has inspired us to really think about the actions all of us in our learning community can take to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives are embedded in the curriculum and our thinking.

Essentially, our inquiry this term about ‘Country’ is being divided into two parts, with the first few weeks focusing on our students and staff having the opportunity to learn more deeply about the amazing culture of our First Nations people and the importance of their connection to country, language, ceremony and traditions, nature, songlines, science and technology, the role of family and recreation. Take a look at some of this great work in this edition of the newsletter with photos and comments from each of our levels.

The second part of our inquiry will focus, (in an age-appropriate way), on post-colonisation, truth telling and the ways we are working together as a Nation on the journey to Reconciliation.  This will be an important part of our inquiry to support students to build an understanding about the need for change and how they might be part of that.

The final important element of CBL is about action. What can we do now with the deeper understandings that we have gained throughout our inquiry?  We look forward later in the term to seeing how students in each of the levels across the school respond to the ‘challenge to take action’. 

At a school level we will be working closely with our young people to create a ‘Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP)’ to ensure that we continue to ‘Be Brave and Make Change’ – the theme of this year’s NAIDOC Week. Our RAP will include practical plans about how we will commit to contribute to reconciliation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in an ongoing way into the future. Some of our initial ideas include –

• Working closely alongside local Aboriginal Elders to continue to learn and appreciate the culture and knowledge of First Nations peoples.  We will seek their guidance and as we implement our Reconciliation Action Plan
• Ensuring that our learning design and content across all curriculum areas will strengthen the pathway to reconciliation by providing young people with opportunities to deepen their knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, culture and contemporary issues 
• Building up resources throughout the school of texts, picture story books, art, music and artefacts that strengthen the awareness and appreciation of First Nations culture
• Developing and using our own Acknowledgment of Country to reflect our deeper understanding and appreciation of the Wurundjeri land and people
• Creating a Wominjeka sign at the front of our school to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land and welcome community and visitors
• Purchasing three new flag poles so that all three flags of Australia can be observed during our assemblies
• Creating a  garden to acknowledge the traditional custodians of our land, which will include a waterway, yarning circle, sculptures, indigenous plants and information to build awareness of First Nations culture, specifically the Wurundjeri people.
• Inviting our Tribes groups to select an Australian animal or bird as their totem and take on the Aboriginal word for their totem as the name of their group
• Acknowledging and celebrating significant events – Reconciliation Week (27th May – June 3rd), Sorry Day (26th May), NAIDOC Week (early July)

We are also to looking at ways that our families can celebrate this important work with us. We will keep you posted! In the meantime we encourage parents to have conversations with your child/children about what they are learning in this space. I am sure they would love to share their growing knowledge and understandings with you.

Parent Forums – Assessment and Reporting

Many thanks to the parents who took part in our two recent forums around Assessment and Reporting. We gathered valuable feedback about how parents experienced the recent parent/teacher/student conferences, the student report, Individual Learning Plans (IEPs and EIEPs).  We were interested to find out parent thoughts around past experiences with the hard copy student portfolios and digital portfolios as a tool for providing ongoing information about their child’s learning. One of our priorities is to explore how to provide continuous snapshots of learning to parents that provide useful information and opportunities for learning conversations with their child whilst keeping it sustainable for the teachers and students.  We will be working closely with our students and parents as we trial and refine what continuous assessment will look like.  It is an exciting space as we explore together, the most effective way to strengthen the learning partnership between home and school.

Learning In Many Ways

We know learning happens in many ways and that opportunities for students to develop socially, emotionally and physically are equally as important as growing academically. It is so wonderful then to see that many of our programs, that help develop the whole child and that are a highlight for our students, are able to happen again. Just this term we have the P-2 Gymnastics program, the 3-6 Athletics Day, the Grade 3/4 Weekaway Camp heading off next week and the Expressions Program about to start.  The excitement and anticipation is a joy to see!  A huge thank you goes out to all of our dedicated and passionate teachers and ES staff who make these things happen. The planning required, particularly in these COVID times, is extraordinary and without our teachers being willing to put in the time, these wonderful opportunities for our students would not be possible. 

Good Luck Grade 3/4 Campers!

We wish our Grade 3/4s all the best as they head off to Camp Weekaway in Lancefield next week and look forward to hearing about their adventures as they enjoy the flying fox, hut building, canoeing, archery, the maze and having lots of fun with their friends and teachers. Have a wonderful time!

Athletics Sports 

Congratulations to our Grade 3-6 students for their fantastic efforts at last week’s Athletics Sports.  There were lots of smiles and proud moments as students aimed for their own PBs on the day while also cheering on and supporting their friends and peers.  A huge thank you to Sean Holland and Lorin Lewin for organising such a great event and to the teachers, ES staff and many parents and grandparents who came along to help out or cheer and support.  We were blessed with great weather and the chance to be together as a community. Well done to all involved!  And thank you for this lovely message from one of our parents whose comment captures what is special about the culture we have all helped create at Wonga Park………

Thanks Sean and Lorin. 

Congratulations to you both and the school on an amazing, well run, fun day. 

My observation is that the school has created an environment in which each student feels like they can participate securely, to their best potential. 

The culture of cheering on their fellow students and celebrating another's success is rare to see in today's world. However, that's what we observed WPPS achieve today. 

It was a privilege to be part of the day today. 

Master Plan for Wonga Park Reserve

It is very exciting news that the Master Plan for a major upgrade to the Wonga Park Reserve has been endorsed by Manningham Council, meaning it is a step closer to becoming a reality.  The Wonga Park Cricket Club, Wonga Park Netball Club, the Wonga Wizards Soccer Club and the Wonga Park Tennis Club are an integral part of the fabric of our Wonga Park Community.  The role they play in connecting our community and contributing to the physical and mental wellbeing of members of our community is immeasurable. A small dedicated group of representatives from each of the sporting clubs have worked together to lobby for many years to get the funding and government support to improve these important sporting and recreational facilities.  They are to be congratulated on their persistence and vision!  The extensive list of much needed improvements will hopefully see safer, more usable spaces for current and future generations to enjoy, including the school. Please below the Master Plan drawing and how you can provide feedback to Manningham Council.  We encourage you to register your support and feedback about this exciting project either online or at the Wonga Park Community Cottage - 8.00am, Saturday 13th August, 2022.

Masks – helping us stay well

We thank parents for their understanding as we continue to work together to keep our students and staff safe.  As you would appreciate we have a range of parent views regarding the wearing of masks. Some parents prefer that their child/children do not wear a mask while other parents are anxious that there may be an increased risk of transmission if masks are not worn by all.  We also need to consider the challenges if staff become unwell in an environment where all schools are experiencing staff shortages. Whilst we acknowledge and respect that there are varying views and perspectives, we are required to work within Government guidelines which strongly recommend that students over 8 years of age wear a face mask indoors. As you would appreciate, young people do need reminding to follow routines and the reminders about putting their masks on, especially after they come in from an outdoor activity is necessary.  To this end teachers will continue to give a general reminder to their class to put the face masks on that they have brought from home, or if they have forgotten their mask, invite them to take one of the masks provided by the school. Thank you for your continuing support and understanding.

As I reflect on the what I see every day in our school and wider community I feel very proud to be part of such a positive and committed learning community where everyone’s contributions and voices are valued and appreciated.  Thank you to our young people, teachers, ES staff and families for everything that you bring to make WPPS such a special place.

Julie