From the Principal, 

Diana Ellis

Carlsruhe Fair

Our Carlsruhe Fair is just over a week away and the excitement is building. We had another meeting this week and everything is on track. I would like to express my greatest gratitude for all of the members of the committee that have been working tirelessly behind the scenes, despite each one of the members also juggling busy work, family and community commitments.

Parents on site

We continue to enjoy having parents back on site engaging with our students and their learning experiences. We would also like to inform you that parents are welcome at our Friday afternoon assemblies in the Multi-purpose Hall. The Foundation to Year 3 assembly starts at 2.45 and the Year 4 – 6 assembly starts at 3.05

Assembly is a great opportunity to celebrate staff/student/parent achievements and become more aware of the learning experiences and events that occur at W.P.S

Prep classes/class structure

In my previous newsletter before I went overseas, I announced that we would be having two Foundation classes in 2023. I can now announce that we will be having 3 straight Foundation classes with around 18 students per class.

Hats

Although our weather has been very fickle of late, this is another gentle reminder of the need for our students to wear hats at this time of the year. Whilst you might be thinking they need beanies to keep warm, the UV levels are quite high at the moment and in the interest of being sun smart, all students are required to wear their wide brimmed hats. Students without hats will be required to play in a sheltered/covered area. 

Policy

This week at School Council I presented the updated Attendance Policy. Once a few minor amendments are made and school Council has approved the policy it will be shared with our school community via the newsletter and on our website where our other policies can also be found.

Staff update

Sadly we have a few staff that will not be returning to Woodend Primary School next year for reasons such as travel, accepting positions at schools closer to their home or to take up careers in a different field.

We will be saying goodbye to Mrs. Sutton and to Mrs. Bretherton. Miss Bronchinetti will be taking  leave for the year.

We currently have a number of teaching positions advertised and myself and our leading teachers (Kylie Minchew and Jordan Chamerski) have interviewed a number of applicants. 

At this stage we can confirm that a number of applicants have accepted the positions offered to them. We would like to welcome Dannielle Dawes from Kyneton Primary, Breanna Smith from Bolinda Primary, Ashleigh Dodds (a current staff member at W.PS.) and Jonathan Swain from Mt. Eliza North Primary School. 

Playground

Many people are wondering about the completion of our playground and unfortunately so are we. As a result of the flooding, we still have a lot of water under the surface which requires drainage to be put in place. We are working with the playground company and our plumbers on solutions, therefore our playground has not been finished and signed off. Unfortunately, the hire company that own the fencing needed their fencing and removed it before the completion of the project. We have informed our students that the playground is not available for use yet. We realise we cannot patrol the space over the weekend but we hope you will help us by not letting your child/children use the playground until it is inspected and signed off and we give the go ahead.

Principal

Diana Ellis