Principal's Message

Dear Parents

Election Day barbeque

No doubt many of our families would have taken advantage of the opportunity to vote at our school as it was a polling place.   Whilst you were here you may have also purchased a sausage at the barbeque provided by our parents and friends group.  A VERY BIG THANK YOU to our small group of volunteers (parents AND staff) who assisted with this fundraiser on the day….some of them were here for most of the day.  Information about the day and amount raised is listed later in the newsletter.  

Reminder:

Monday June 6 – pupil free day

As previously advised this date has been approved by the school council as a common professional practice day for staff so NO STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED AT SCHOOL.  Our out of school hours program will be running if this is of assistance to you. 

Camps

A very successful year six camp returned a fortnight ago with students sharing many stories about the fun times they had and new skills mastered.  Some even managed to stand up on a surf board – which is way ahead of what I can do! Next week we see our year four students head off to Lady Northcote and staff are now finalising the last details of this experience.  A huge thank you to all attending staff who give up their own time to provide this opportunity for the children.  Particular recognition is also given to Sarah Stewart and Linh Loi who were the respective main organisers of each camp. 

Class splits

We thank you for your continued patience as we redistribute children to other classes when their teacher is away.  This is not our preferred way of managing staff absence, but in the current climate we are finding it very hard to get replacement staff, and the staff are facing more illness than usual as you would understand.  We are hopeful that this situation will begin to improve in the near future.

URGENT REMINDER: CSEF (Camps, Sports and Excursion Fund) – deadline approaching

Are you eligible for this money?  Have you applied yet?  Once the deadline has passed you will not be able to receive the money. Applications MUST be finalised before the end of second term.    

Every year parents who hold a health care card, or are temporary foster carers are able to apply for CSEF which assists them to pay for the cost of camps and excursions.  Primary school students receive $125, and the money is given to the school which is then held for any upcoming camps, sporting events or excursions. If you wish to apply please contact the front office to get an application form.  Further information can be found on the C.S.E.F tab within the newsletter.

Consistent Late Arrivals 

We have a number of children who are continually late to school.  If a replacement staff member is marking the roll, the rest of the class will often chime ‘they are always late’ about individual children.  Our school day begins at 8.35am with gates open at 8.20am. All children are expected to enter the classroom at this time.  The first part of the school day is the most important part. Every class has a morning routine where students prepare themselves for the day ahead (unpacking their bags, talking to their friends and handing in notes and messages, etc). Students also get valuable reading practise as they get ten minutes dedicated reading time every morning.  This part of the day sets the children up for a successful day of learning. Instruction in literacy and numeracy commences at 8.45am, and children arriving after that will be marked as late.  These children will also miss the teacher’s demonstration at the start of the lesson which means the rest of the session will not make a lot of sense to them.  This also interrupts the learning of the rest of the group as the teacher needs to stop and try and catch up the child who has just shown up.  Adults who are continually late to work risk losing their job – let’s get children in the habit of being punctual early in their lives so that they are well placed when they begin employment.

Buildings and Grounds

We continue with our commitment to maintain our school facilities to the highest standard and, as a consequence we have recently:

• Commenced work on some cricket nets at the back of the oval for students to use  

• Spent may hours removing graffiti from buildings: which was added overnight.  If you know any details about the person(s) responsible we would appreciate it

Parent-Teacher interviews

Some advance notice:  the next round of parent teacher interviews, for all students in foundation and years one – six are currently scheduled for the afternoons of Monday, June 20 and Thursday, June 23.  An invitation to book an interview will be issued via COMPASS later in the term.

Enrolments open for 2023

Wyndham Vale Primary School accepts enrolments from its designated neighbourhood boundary only, and we are now accepting enrolments for the 2023 school year.  This boundary can be found at www.findmyschool.vic.gov.au  Parents may call into the office to collect an enrolment form, or utilise the one on our school website. 

Most people would be aware that there is a new school opening in the Harpley estate in 2023, currently known as Lollypop creek. This may well become your nearest neighbourhood school.  If, however, your child is a current student at our school, you do not need to move them to this new school even if you now fall into their zone.  Similarly, siblings of current WVPS students will continue to be welcome at our school.  Of course, should families choose to shift schools as this new school is closer then you are also welcome to take advantage of this opportunity.  If you know of someone who would like to pursue an enrolment at Lollypop Creek, encourage them to contact the principal, Joel Riddle on 0407 579 041, or via email on joel.riddle@education.vic.gov.au 

Last day of term

The last day for term two is Friday, June 24.  School will finish at 2.30pm following a whole school assembly. 

Sue Seneviratne

Principal