A Word from the Principal 

A Warm Welcome to our Weeden Heights Community

Welcome back to the new school year!

Happy New Year everyone!  This is our first official newsletter for 2022 and I warmly welcome you back to the new school year.  I hope that everyone has had a safe holiday and spent time with families and friends.   

A special welcome to our new families and we are looking forward to getting to know you better over the coming weeks at the upcoming activities at school.  Please take a moment to say hello and make all of our new families feel welcome. 

After visiting all classes, I would like to thank the teachers for all of their planning and organisation. This has created happy classrooms where students are feeling settled.  A very smooth start to the new school year! 

First Week/Curriculum Days

The start to school was productive and positive for staff with the first curriculum day setting the tone for the year.  The staff looked at the goals and targets set out in our new Annual Implementation Plan so that there is a shared and clear common understanding.  While the bar remains high for our school, we have also accommodated for the disrupted year of remote learning and have also focussed on moving all students forward academically, socially and emotionally.   

Our second curriculum day, Monday 31 January, was First Aid training.  It was really interesting completing our level 2 training in a Covid climate however, the staff have renewed their qualification and this will ensure the safety of our students at school and while on camps/excursions. 

Tuesday was very exciting as the Years 1 – 6 students returned and they settled well with their new classroom and teachers.  The Preps started at school on Thursday last week and they look like they have been attending Weeden Heights Primary for a long time! 

The Bright Beginnings Transition program for all WHPS students and the Prep class is comprehensive and prepares them for their start to in their new class/new school.

Student Supplies

Many thanks to the families who sent along their children’s books and supplies.  Can I please ask that all supplies be forwarded to the classrooms as the students set up their books for the year.  We don’t work in one book at a time and it can be very frustrating when a child has been sent with only one book to work from. Students work in subject books so they do need one for all the subject areas eg Mathematics, Inquiry learning, Writing, Reading groups, English, Spelling, STEAM, French, Projects and then the other books are for when they use these books up.  

Parent Fee Contributions

Last year there were a few changes placed on schools from the government. Several families opted to purchase their own student materials which is terrific however there Are still charges in curriculum contributions section of the fee letter which are outstanding and involve materials directly consumed by the students.  Please read carefully the fee letter that was sent out and the descriptions of what the $430 curriculum contributions section covers (this is extra and in addition to the booklist).  I would like to remind parents that our students use materials in the artroom, STEAM, French, Performing Arts, have access to our ICT (eg. Matific, Literacy Planet, Essential Assessments), receive photocopied materials etc.   If you purchased your stationary and books independently then you most likely have now missed other important items required by the students to learn in their classrooms.    

A massive thank you to the families that have paid their Curriculum Contribution. Unfortunately due to the changes to the new Parent Payment policy put in place by the Government, students who have not paid for certain materials eg Matific which is a user pay item, will not be able to use that individualised computer program when the rest of the class will.  That student would for example, would have to complete their maths work on an alternative format which will be different to the rest of the class.  This point has probably not been made as clear to everyone from past documentation.

If you would like your child to have access to our subscriptions, ICT and receive printed materials then please contribute the remainder of the charge to the school. 

Assemblies

This week we had our  first assembly on Monday where we welcomed all of the new students and our Preps.  We awarded our ‘Students of the Week’ so I hope everyone had a look on our Facebook page to find out who these outstanding students were.  It was fabulous to see the school all together and watching our new captains lead the way! 

We will continue to hold assemblies outside, depending on the weather, and the next assembly will include the presentation of our senior leadership team with their captain badges.  Assemblies are held each Monday morning. 

Parents will be able to attend assemblies when they are held outside  with some exceptions that I do ask you to follow for the safety of staff, vaccinated and unvaccinated students:

• Please QR code in at the front office on the door.  You do not need to enter the building but you are staying longer than 10 minutes so a log in is required
• Wear your mask at all times
• Be current with your vaccinations and booster
• Ensure that you social distance from other parents
• Stand at the back of the basketball court or under the sails.  The school will be sitting on the lower basketball court facing the flagpole and they take up half so stand in the last third of the court. 

I really hope that you all understand about some extra conditions at Weeden Heights.  To be honest, I am very concerned that if several staff members are exposed and need to isolate, the supply of replacement teachers is not plentiful and we will need to start splitting classes.  All staff have not socialised over the holidays so they could manage to be back at work for the students.  I also have many young unvaccinated students here and I need to protect them as much as I can as well.  Thank you in advance for your understanding and I don’t want you all to miss our assemblies. It will be lovely to see you all.

Postponement of the Family Fun Night and New Families Social Night

Unfortunately, we have made the decision to delay our two special annual events, Family Fun Night and the New Family Social event.  We love these family activities so this is really disappointing for the school.  Large gatherings at the moment are challenging for staff and students. Students are still not mixing and are actually separated in the playground during breaks as well.  The Department of Education has asked all schools to delay, hold off events or organise them differently at the start of the year.  Sorry, everyone and I hope that you understand our decision is based around the safety for everyone. 

‘Getting to Know You’ Interviews – 2 Way Meetings

This week our families were involved with a meeting between parents and teachers.  It is a terrific way to start each year so that we can establish a shared understanding of the learning needs of your child.  The interviews went for 10 minutes and they were held via video link in the Google Classroom.   Thank you for sharing everyone.  If you did not book in for an appointment with your child’s teacher, I strongly suggest that you see if you can make another time. This is a critical step in our learning partnership with you. 

School Council 

Very soon I will be calling for School Council nominations.  We also have school council elections every Term 1 and there will be more information in coming newsletters regarding nominations.  Please look out for this information at the end of February.  I only encourage parents (and staff) to come onto council and make a difference for the students at our school on a higher level.

A very important part of our school’s continued development is on our sub- committees and the work that they do for the school community. These committees give all parents the chance to assist in the education of their children without committing to the more formal task of School Council.  We need parent representation as it assists with new thoughts and ideas. 

Please look out for more information in our up-coming newsletters when the new sub-committees are formed.  We would welcome your input.

2022 Class Representatives

Our Class Representatives are an important part of our communication process at Weeden Heights PS and they form an important role in liaising between the class teacher and the parents in the room. Classroom teachers are now looking for volunteers.  Mrs Lee is the coordinator for all of our parent reps this year.  Please look out for a note that will be sent home soon.

The role of the Class Representative includes the following: 

• Organising class/level social activities for parents (e.g. dinner, coffee mornings) 
• Encouraging parents to support social/fundraising and community events 
• Providing a communication link between the PFA and class parents
• Liaising with the classroom teacher to organise volunteers, rosters etc. if required 
• Welcoming new and current parents to the school to develop and foster a friendly, supportive group 
• Preparing a Class Contact List (to assist with play dates and catch-up)
• Participation in occasional Class Reps Meetings (when possible) 

Bright Futures Program 

Students across the school are currently involved in a “Bright Futures Program” which is implemented in the first two weeks of term 1. It has several important goals that classes will be working towards: 

•   Establishing common understandings of the thinking curriculum through Inquiry Based Learning
•   Developing the learning environment with the establishment of classroom routines and procedures and the acknowledgement that students learn in different ways and at different rates. The focus of the program includes the need to respect each other as learners and treat each other in ways that we would like to be treated; the development of co-operative learning strategies that enable students to learn from one another and listen to others viewpoints and ideas 
•   Our School Values of Respect, Personal Excellence, Curiosity and Creativity, Collaboration will be emphasised and the links that these values have with our educational aims and the ways in which we behave. 

Reminders:

Outsourced Service Providers

Our special programs that are provided in our school are now back up and running and being conducted onsite.  This term we currently have:

• Chess
• Wiseones
• Chinese School
• Mad on Music (MOM)
• Instrumental Music
• Sport in Schools

Greek School has also returned on Friday nights and Saturday mornings.  Many families will be relieved to know that these classes are no longer being held remotely and students will have their teachers working along side them again.  It has been a particularly challenging time for the instrumental students so they will enjoy working alongside these service providers.

These visitors to the school must follow the same restrictions as our own staff.  They will have current vaccinations and wear masks at all times. 

Reporting and managing positive Covid results

We unfortunately have had a positive report for the very first time from a new prep this week.  If this occurs then you will receive a bulletin from the school outlining affected classes.  If there is a positive case in your child’s class, there is no need for you to do anything but be vigilant and watch your child for symptoms.  Continue with your testing on a Monday and Wednesday mornings.  No extra testing is required.  Students isolating will return after 7 days. 

RAT kits will be sent home this Friday and will cover your primary aged children for the next 2 weeks (2 tests per week per child).  These kits have been provided to students for the first 4 weeks of term 1.  There is no news yet about ongoing testing.  I will let you know if anything comes through from the department.

Where a positive result is recorded by a student on a rapid antigen test, their parent/carer or student must report that result to the Department of Health via the COVID-19 Positive Rapid Antigen Test Self-Reporting Form  or call centre on  1800 675 398.

The parent/carer or student must also report the result directly to the school, preferably using the new RA Test Portal or by a written note or phone call to the school.  Please try to record the exposure using the portal due to the nature of some of the questions.  The information will come through to the school.

Please stay safe everyone!  Until next time ……

Kylie Campbell

Important information from the Department of Education:

School Nurse Visits – Prep class and referrals

Hayley Beeston, a visiting primary school nurse from the Department of Education and Training, will be attending the school to conduct the Prep health assessments and to see other children as requested by teachers (with parents’ consent). 

The purpose of the visit is to provide children in their first year of primary school with the opportunity to have a health assessment; to link children, families and school communities to services available in the community; and to provide information and advice that promotes health and wellbeing.

The confidential questionnaire will provide important information about your child’s health so the nurse can make an effective assessment. If your child requires further assessment, such as vision, hearing or speech assessments the nurse will see him or her at school.

• If you would like your child to participate in the Primary School Nursing Program please indicate this by ticking the YES consent box (page 5), sign and fill out the questionnaire and return the completed student entrant health questionnaire to your child’s school.
• If you do not wish your child to participate in the Primary School Nurse Program please tick the NO consent box (page 5), sign and return the student entrant health questionnaire to your child’s school.

Parents are invited to contact the visiting primary school nurse if there are any issues they wish to discuss.  The contact number is 0412161473.

Vaccinations

It’s been really fantastic to see such excitement around the return to school and we want to keep it that way. A crucial part of that is getting as many students vaccinated as possible.

Alongside ventilation and other vital COVIDSafe steps such as regular rapid antigen testing, supporting as many students as possible to be vaccinated will help make our school as safe as possible.

Bookings for children aged 5 to 11 to receive the paediatric Pfizer vaccine are open and we encourage parents and carers to get your child vaccinated, if you haven’t already done so. The Pfizer vaccine is safe and recommended for children. The vaccine will help protect your child from getting sick from COVID-19, help to reduce the spread of COVID-19, and help ensure kids can have more time at school and playing with their friends.

Vaccinations for children aged 5-11 years old are delivered at 2 appointments, 8 weeks apart. Children with specific medical vulnerabilities can access their second dose 3 weeks after their first dose.

If you’d like more information about this, you can read a recent statement from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI): https://www.health.gov.au/news/atagi-update-following-weekly-covid-19-meeting-19-january-2022

To book an appointment You can book at your local GP or pharmacy: https://covid-vaccine.healthdirect.gov.au/booking

You can also book at a family-friendly vaccination centre by calling the Coronavirus Hotline on 1800 675 398.

You can also make vaccination centre bookings for your children online, though you will need to use an email address that has not been used in the system before: https://portal.cvms.vic.gov.au/

Helping children to get their vaccination

Vaccination centres understand that children may feel anxious about vaccination or have other support needs. A range of options are available to help children get vaccinated. Please discuss your child’s needs with the vaccination centre when you book an appointment.

Appointments are also available at Aboriginal Controlled Community Health Organisations. 👉 Find out more about vaccination for kids: https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/vaccination-information-children-and-teenagers

Annual privacy reminder for 2022

Our school collects, uses, discloses and stores student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy Policy.

Please take time to remind yourself of our school’s collection notice, which was sent out last week. For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ Privacy Policy — information for parents. This information is also available in ten community languages:

* Amharic

* Arabic

* Dari

* Gujarati

* Mandarin

* Somali

* Sudanese

* Turkish

* Urdu

* Vietnamese.

Kylie Campbell

Principal

Futures are Bright at Weeden Heights!