Principal's Report

Welcome (Wominjeka) to another brilliant year at Wollert

I would like to begin by welcoming back our 2022 families and officially extend this welcome to our many new families who join our Wollert community.  Each year brings new excitement and a contagious energy that creates a positive feel across the school. Our 'village' is getting bigger which brings us immense joy and and an extra buzz.

Moving into our second year together we have doubled in student population (approximately 400 students) and our staff has tripled in size (close to 70) which naturally brings a level of challenge in maintaining the steadfast approach to community building and learning focus we achieved last year. Despite this challenge, we remain as passionate, driven and learning focused as our very first day of opening. We look forward to strengthening our partnership and connection with you this year.

Community Communication - where does the iNewsletter fit?

Clear, concise, timely communication is our best friend in building the strong learning partnerships that will see 'our' kids flourish. Our iNewsletter is one communication platform that families will have access to twice a term. The communication you find within each edition will compliment the communication families receive via our Compass notifications and Seesaw posts. We are firm believers that communication is critical in building any good relationship however too much communication or irrelevant communication kills the intent, especially in time poor, pressure loaded homes. 

Compass provides operational/compliance tasks to complete, reminders of events or key information that will impact the way our community and or homerooms function. Seesaw is our digital reporting platform providing more intimate communication between families and their child's homeroom teacher, with the sharing of learning growth and achievement, celebrations and year level reminders. Our iNewsletter will provide an insight into what Wollert looks like and feels like day to day. It will contain key messaging around our values and beliefs, share photos and images that bring our vision to life but importantly, provide threads of information to build community knowledge and connection into why we do what we do and how we can partner in this. Our February iNewsletter thread is ROUTINES and why these are so important in achieving our goals together.

ROUTINE supports SCHOOL READINESS

The moment we started planning for our return to the 2023 school year, our mental and physical state began to change. While we always long for holidays and breaks to rejuvenate and return to a sense of balance, it doesn't take long before we begin yearning for the routines that school life brings. We often hear parents express that they couldn't wait for their children to return to school after an extended break due to the calm, order and predictability school routines bring. It is this order that we work hard to establish and continue each year because of the positive impact on our wellbeing.  

Each day we consider whether a child has stepped into the school gates and then the classroom school ready. Let's be honest, we as adults wake up in the morning fully understanding if we are feeling work ready or not and in that moment choose how we are going to approach the day to bring success. Stepping into trusted routines provide the momentum needed to move into our work day (or school day) and function as best we can until we're reaching our optimum level. We also know somedays we will just not be ready to engage in the day as expected and other strategies and tools need to be used. 

Our focus this term (and all year) is to support strong routines in your home and develop strong routines in our school that allow your child/ren to be school ready most days.  We look forward to working together on cementing the routines and structures that help our little people navigate the ups and downs each day can bring. Strong routines are connected to school ready children which you will see throughout this iNewsletter edition.

School times and our Duty Of Care

Our school year has started with a change to our start and end times. Setting up our school routines begins with being at school on time. We have started very positively with most children arriving before the 9.00am bell. We know the morning home routine can be one of the most hectic and stressful experiences for families and we appreciate the effort you take in getting your children to school. Late to school does mean late to learning and while we expect late arrivals to occur from time to time, we know consistent late arrival has a profound impact on a child's learning growth and wellbeing. Keep chipping away at that morning routine - it helps your child's 'school readiness' success every day. 

Our gates open at 8.40am each morning. Department policy, which includes our Duty of Care policy, does not require any staff to be on duty to supervise students before 8.45am each day. When any community member (child/adult) is allowed access on our site, our staff Duty of Care responsibilities extend to them. If students are allowed access on site without supervision and something happens to them, our school and staff become liable. For this reason, our gates remain closed until 8.40am to support the safety of all. When the gates open, it indicates that staff are onsite and in an active supervision role. 

Annual General Meeting (AGM) , School Council 2023 and Annual Privacy Reminders

Tuesday 21st February our 2022 School Council met for the last time before we move to an election process for our 2023 School Council. A Compass notification to all families outlining the School Council Election Process and the upcoming AGM should be accessible to all. The AGM is scheduled for Tuesday 21st March at 5.00pm in the Learning Hub of our school. If you have not received information about this and are interested in the School Council election process please contact our Reception on 9002 0500. 

Each year schools have a responsibility to open the year with a reminder of the School Privacy Policy in place. Schools collect a range of family information each year, updating this annually to ensure we have relevant information to support families. We value your privacy and are committed to protecting information we collect, adhering to our policy strictly. This policy will be a part of the Community Compass notification coming to you this week in support of the iNewsletter content discussed.

I look forward to working with you in a learning partnership this year.

Leanne