FROM THE PRINCIPAL

As we come to the end of Term 3, I would like to say a big thank you to all members of the school community for your contribution and support throughout the term. Once again, we experienced ongoing challenges regarding high absenteeism of students and staff that challenged all of us from time to time. Hopefully with the warmer weather almost upon us, there will be a decline in general illness across the school providing us all with a more positive outlook as we move towards the end of the year. I would like to acknowledge Mrs Shailey McGinty who will be going on Parental Leave as of tomorrow. I would like to wish Mrs McGinty and her husband all the best and hope all goes well with the new addition to their family.  It is hard to believe that we will be commencing Term 4 in a couple of weeks, this being the final term for our Year 6 students at Wellard Primary School.  I would like to wish all of these students all the best and hope they continue to work hard throughout the term. 

KISS & DRIVE/NEW CARPARK

Just a reminder that we have a new Kiss & Drive in operation located on McWhirter Promenade which is the street on the western side of the school. You need to turn off Johnson Road to access the 11 bays. Once you have dropped or picked up your child you can drive along McWhirter Promenade to the roundabout on Millar Road where you can turn left, right or travel back onto McWhirter Promenade. There is also a new gate that allows students and parents to enter the school grounds adjacent to the new carpark. By using this Kiss & Drive it will save you significant time when compared to using the Kiss & Drive on Jaspar Bend. At the moment, we only have 10 - 15 vehicles using this facility of a morning and afternoon. Drive by and have a look and arrange for your child to be dropped off and picked up on McWhirter Promenade, you won't regret it!! I will inform the school community when the new carpark is open for business. Currently they are rectifying a few defects so I am hopeful it will be open sooner than later. This carpark is to be used by parents who wish to park and leave their vehicle to pick up a child. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any queries.

OPEN NIGHT

A reminder to everyone that tonight is our Open Night at Wellard PS where parents can visit their child’s classroom and have a look at the work they have been doing throughout the year. Classrooms will be open between 4.00 – 6.00pm. Please note there will not be sufficient time for you to organise a meeting with your child’s teacher during Open Night. This is to be arranged for another time. Don’t forget to visit the Library, Art Room, Science Room, Bounce Back Room and the Intervention Room if your child has been involved in this program. The School Choir will be performing at 5.45pm in the Assembly Area. We do hope that parents (particularly Dads) take up this opportunity to visit Wellard PS. Special thanks to all staff for presenting their rooms for this evening.

EATING TIMES

As a school we continually reflect on what we do in relation to what the latest research outlines. Recently, there has been discussion around the advantages associated with students eating lunch after they play. Schools who have gone down this path have observed the following:

• A decrease in the number of behavioural issues across the school.
• Students are more settled when they return to class.
• More students are eating their lunch as they are not in a hurry to run off and play.
• There is less litter in the playground.
• There are fewer accidents.

The teaching staff at Wellard Primary School would like to trial this change for the duration of Term 4. This would mean students (Pre-primary – Yr 6) would go out to lunch at the normal time of 12.40pm and play until 1pm. They would then go to the toilet, have a drink and make their way back to class to eat their lunch. They would begin the afternoon teaching and learning session at 1.20pm. Kindergarten students will continue with the current arrangement. Parents who are concerned their child will find it difficult to delay their eating time are encouraged to provide an extra piece of fruit/vegetable to get them through. “Crunch & Sip” will remain in place prior to recess. The canteen will move the sale of some items to recess to accommodate this change.We will monitor this change throughout Term 4, and I will provide ongoing updates to parents via the newsletter. The purpose of this trial is to determine if this strategy has a positive impact on students and maintains the smooth operations of the school. Should this be the case, we will then look towards making the appropriate changes in 2024.

SCIENCE WEEK

A big thank you to Mrs Singleton for organising all activities associated with Science Week. Students have had the opportunity to participate in a range of science activities through an incursion held in the Assembly Area. Don’t forget to drop into the library tonight to view the many different science projects constructed by students across the school. Well done Mrs Singleton!!

HOUSE JUMPS AND THROWS AND K/PP CARNIVAL

Congratulations to all students on the level of sportsmanship they displayed throughout the days and the way they conducted themselves particularly supporting each other. Well done Mr Paparone and Mr McIntyre on the organisation of the days. I would also like to thank and acknowledge the efforts of Kindergarten and Pre-primary staff for preparing their students for their carnival held in Week 8. A reminder that we will be conducting out Yr 1 – 6 House Athletics Carnival on Wednesday 11^th October (Week 1, Term 4).

PHOTOGRAPHS OF STUDENTS

In recent weeks we have had events where it has provided the opportunity for parents to take photographs of their own children. We have a number of parents who have requested their child’s photograph not be used by the school on Facebook, Instagram etc. for a range of reasons. I request that when taking photographs of your own child, please do not post them on social media if the identity of other students can be determined.

SCHOOL PHOTOS (KAPTURE)

Parents are reminded that our school photos will be conducted between Monday 16^th to Thursday 19^th October (Week 2, Term 4). Parents are encouraged to order online, however, an envelope with payment can be brought in on the day. Please refer to a Connect notice sent home on Friday 15^th September for more information.

YEAR 6 ART TILES

For the last 4 years, Mrs Protzman has worked closely with Year 6 students in having them design their own tile which is then displayed on the library wall on the western side. As you are walking around the school this evening, please have a look at this great artwork focussing on the theme of “Australian Deserts”. It is anticipated these tiles will be on display for many years to come so that students can visit the school in the future and reflect on their time at Wellard PS. A big thank you to Mrs Protzman who gives up much of her time in overseeing this project every year. We are so fortunate to have such a talented artist as Mrs Protzman as she adds so much value to our school in many different ways. Thanks Mrs Protzman and well done Year 6 students.

THE LOCAL FARMERS MARKET

A reminder to parents that the P&C has organised another twilight Local Farmers Market on the school oval this Friday 22^nd September. Operating between 5pm – 8pm, families are encouraged to come along and enjoy browsing the Artisans & Market Stalls along with grabbing a bite to eat from the Food Trucks.

VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTIONS

Payment of Voluntary Contributions is now due. Funds raised through these contributions are used to purchase resources etc. to complement the educational programs we run throughout the school. Thank you to those families who have already paid their contributions. As a school we are always conscious of the costs we seek from parents in relation to educational activities.

Kindergarten – Year 6 - $60 per child per year.

Our preferred way of payment is by using our Qkr App, please see attached PDF for details.

School contributions can also be paid at the office or

by direct deposit:

Account Name: Wellard Primary School

(Please use the student’s surname as reference)

BSB: 066 040    Account Number 19901412

END OF TERM DATES

The last day of term is Friday 22^nd September with students returning on Monday 9^th October. There is no School Development Day on the first day of Term Four.

Have a great break everyone!

Kind regards

Geoff Miller

Principal

Physical Education Update

The long jump, triple jump, shot put, vortex, turbo javelin, 200m, 400m and 800m events from the House Carnival athletics program were completed last week on Tuesday and Thursday. Also, the Kindergarten/Pre-primary Carnival was completed on the previous Friday. All events went well due to the wonderful support of parents and staff, and the excellent behaviour of the students. There were many fantastic performances across the individual events with 12 school records broken. The most pleasing aspect of the events was to see every student giving their personal best for themselves and their Houses – Koolbardi, Waardong, Doornart and Karak. Well done to all students who participated. Competition for the overall House title and Individual Championships now takes a hiatus until next term, when the Wellard Primary School House Carnival will take place on Wednesday, October 11, which is the first Wednesday of Term 4.

We would like to thank all of the Wellard Primary School staff, and all of the parents for their support in regard to the athletics events. It is all the support that makes it a special event. To the parents who performed a role during the various individual events or helped pack away, we would like to say a big thank you for your help.

Kind regards,

David McIntyre and Matthew Paparone.

Physical Education Specialists

Wellard Primary School