Welcome New Staff & Students

The Wedderburn College community would like to formally welcome all new students, staff and families in 2021. We have had 8 new staff members join our team recently and 27 new students including Foundation. Everyone brings with them their own unique enthusiasm which adds to the positive culture of our school.

New staff members include Simon Merritt, Rhys Thompson, Jo Winslett, Moria Moody, Brooke Steptoe, Sophia Herrington, Julie Martin, Haley Smith, Kylie Cunningham and our new school principal Danny Forrest.

Foundation and Year 1

A warm welcome to our 13 Foundation children and Year Ones. We have been blessed with some cooler weather to start the 2021 year. Let’s hope we get some warm weather before we attend the school swimming sports on Friday 12 February.

Our class will be participating in activities in and near the shallow pool. This week, we began our InitiaLit program. An information sheet on this approach to teaching beginning readers was distributed during the ‘Transition Program’ but I have placed another one in your child’s diary. Children bring their communication diaries home each day for you to check and record comments. Starting the week beginning Monday 8th February, a homework sheet for Foundation children will be pasted in the diary. It has daily language activities for you to do at home for that week. These activities reflect what your child has been learning. Children in Foundation only bring home decodable readers when they have mastered certain sounds and can blend these together to form words (normally towards the end of Term One) so supporting your child with these activities is extremely helpful and keeps you informed. Our Year One children are participating in the InitiaLit- One program with Mrs Prevos. They have a special Maths Homework book.

Mrs Tanya Chalmers

Year 1/2

I am very excited to have a classroom full of new faces! We have had a great week getting to know each other.

I also look forward to getting to know the families and working together to help our students make leaps and bounds!

This week I have sent home a timetable to put on your fridge so you can check library days etc. Please check your child’s diary each day and spend some time each night, sitting together reading and talking about their day.

In Inquiry this term we are investigating our emotions and what strengths we each have.

Just a quick reminder to:

Name all clothing
Bring art smock
Bring library bag
Only water in drink bottles
Bring all supplies on booklist to be stored at school (unused items returned at end of year)

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Have a great year!

Mrs Deirdre McKenzie, Teacher

Year 3/4

What a wonderful start to the year, we have had! We have been able to welcome some new student enrolments to our school (Kobe Uddin – Year 4, Archie Derks – Year 3 and Gypsy-Rose Derks – Year 4). It has been wonderful to meet everyone and see all students settle in.

Birthdays for the week – Izayah Edwards finally turned double digits as he was excited to be 10.

It has been wonderful to see that most students have arrived to school with all the materials they need for their learning. Please ensure that you check diaries for any resources that you may need to bring along.

What a wonderful sight to see most students read each night. It is important that we read aloud to a family member and ensure that we practice the skills learned in class. Don’t forget to sign the diary also. It is an easy way to communicate with the teacher each day.

We have had a nice time learning PE with Mrs Steel’s Year 5/6 class. It has been fun to play games and learn skills together.

Miss Jess Higgins, Teacher

Year 4/5

I hope that everyone is looking forward to a wonderful 2021. This year, I will be working four days per week (Monday to Thursday) so the students will have specialist classes on a Friday.

On Wednesday and Thursday, Miss Milne will be teaching Maths and implementing the Maths Pathway program.

If you have any questions about the weekly timetable, please contact me using the student diary, Compass or phone.

Thank you to the families who have already returned the Netbook agreement forms. During term 1, we will be learning about all things digital so this will help everyone to navigate Compass, Maths Pathways, saving documents and so much more!

In 2021, I look forward to working with your child and family.

Best wishes.

Mrs Carlie Turnbull, Teacher

Year 5/6

Term One of 2021 is off to a blazing start! We will be tackling narratives first off. Narratives are made up stories that can be based in complete fantasy or real life scenarios. We already have narratives about werewolf boys, blacksmithing and goblins, floppy rabbits, mazes and robots, dragons, people trapped in schools, Bob and Fred the fish, confused students and the list goes on.

We have also started our Buddies program. The Buddies program gives us the opportunity to be excellent role models, show our leadership and responsibility as well as have good fun with the new Foundation students. For the first term this includes making sure the Foundation students:

have fun,
have extra help in the playground,
know who to talk to in the yard,
have someone to eat with
as well as helping them feel safe and secure on this big new journey

Mrs Steel has already made the mistake of offering chocolate as a prize. We participated in a code breaker challenge and it turns out Mrs Steel underestimated us in a huge way. She now owes the majority of us some form of chocolate prize.

Mrs Annita Steel, Teacher

Year 7

The Year 7 cohort will be attending the Melbourne Experience Camp via DOXA from Monday March 1 until Wednesday March 3. During this camp and as in previous years, students will stay at CYC City accommodation.

Official documentation including permission forms and itinerary will be distributed shortly. However the College requires current information in regards to your child’s medical/dietary needs. A letter will be sent home in regards to this in the coming days and is to be returned by the date noted. At this stage, the approximate cost of the Camp is between $200 – 250 including travel costs, food, accommodation and venue bookings.

Ms Kirsten Graham – Year 6 – 7 Transition Co-ordinator.

VCE & VCAL

Welcome to Term 1 of 2021! It seems like just a little while ago that we were wishing our 2020 graduating students the best of luck with their exam results and tertiary offers! We hope you have all had a relaxing break and are prepared to get into the swing of things for this sure to be exciting school year.

We would firstly like to extend our sincere congratulations to our 2020 Year 12 students who have received a range of tertiary offers and career opportunities. We have students travelling far and wide, with studies in Zoology and Animal Science, Early Childhood and Primary Education, Biomedical Science and Criminology and Psychological Science to name a few!

It is fantastic to know that our students are heading out into the ‘wide world’ prepared and supported by their friends and families. We all look forward to hearing of their many academic and social adventures in the near future!

Edrolo

Edrolo is an online resource designed to provide students with engaging, informative and comprehensive presentations that acts as an additional support alongside classroom teaching to assist students understand and learn all they need to know for their VCE subjects. Edrolo classes are available for most Unit 3 & 4 subjects and selected Unit 1 & 2 subjects.

Student training for Edrolo has begun this week, with Year 11 students undertaking their training in an extended homeroom session on Wednesday. Year 12 students will have their session take place in an extended Homeroom on Wednesday 10 February.

Year 12 Camp:

Our Year 12 students will be heading off on their Leadership Camp to Ocean Grove on 1 – 3 March. Students will take advantage of a few days down the coast to set some goals, discuss their motivations and identify ways that they can support their own learning. Please ensure to consent on Compass for this event as soon as possible.

VET classes at NCTTC:

Students are reminded that VET Health and Hairdressing classes will commence on the 11 February.

With all of these exciting things happening it’s important to remember to start getting into good habits early in the school year. This means using your diary, logging into Compass and your school emails each day, having a regular bedtime and making sure you’re getting enough sleep! Making sure you’re keeping organised and well rested will help you to achieve your best this year.

Mrs Lauren Barker and Mrs Carol Woodman

VCE & VCAL Coordinators

Maths Pathway

Welcome back to you all. We hope you have had a fabulous break and have used this time to rest and reflect on your achievements in a challenging 2020.

Below is a list of Maths teachers for each year level completing the Maths Pathway program.

Year 5a: Mrs Carlie Turnbull and Miss Emma Milne

Year 5b and 6: Mrs Annita Steel

Year 7: Miss Moira Moody

Year 8, 9 and 10: Miss Emma Milne

Students can log into Maths Pathway by selecting their class and using the password as given by their teacher.

https://5amaths-wedderburn.mpclass.com/

https://5bmaths-wedderburn.mpclass.com/

https://6maths-wedderburn.mpclass.com/

https://7maths-wedderburn.mpclass.com/

https://8maths-wedderburn.mpclass.com/

https://9maths-wedderburn.mpclass.com/

https://10maths-wedderburn.mpclass.com/

Now that we are back into the swing of things. It is important to remember to:

Complete your assigned modules at least one day prior to the test.
Ensure your workbooks are neatly presented using the criteria taught within class.
Try your best.

This year, we will be bringing back prizes for the class that achieves the highest average growth. Remember to work hard.

The Mathematics Team

Compass

Don't wait for the end of semester to view your child's progress. Log in to Compass and view teacher feedback and feed forward at any time by checking out your child's Learning Tasks. Children also received regular (every 5 weeks) progress reports on their Organisation, Behaviour, Attitude to Learning and Work Completion. Learning Tasks and Reports can be found on you child's profile page.

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