FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Thank you to all parents and carers for being tolerant and patient when dropping off and picking up their children. Please ensure you drive slowly through the carparks, follow the directional arrows of the car park and park your vehicles in the bays provided.

Please DO NOT drop off or pick up your child by stopping in the middle of the carpark. With the additional number of cars around the school this increases the danger for all pedestrians particularly from those vehicles reversing out of a bay. We now have a Kiss and Drive on Jaspar Bend and McWhirter Promenade so parents can drop off and pick up their child (Yr 1 – 6) in a safe environment.

ENROLMENTS

As we move towards the end of Week 4 our enrolments have settled at 881 students, 46 more enrolments than the beginning of last year.

PARENT INTERVIEWS – EARLY CLOSE

Wellard PS has gained approval from the School Board and the South Metropolitan Regional Office to close the school early (11.45am) on Wednesday 20^th March (Week 8) to conduct parent interviews. Parents will be able to book a 10-minute time slot online with your child’s teacher. You may also make a time to meet with specialist teachers including, Music, Science, Visual Arts and Physical Education. This interview will provide an opportunity for the teacher to provide you with an update on your child’s progress and achievement. OSHClub will open during this time to provide after school care for those parents who have work commitments. Parents/carers who are unavailable this day can arrange a meeting on another day that is convenient to both parties. More information to follow.

P&C AGM

Yesterday the P&C conducted its Annual General Meeting to fill all office bearing positions for 2023. Thank you and congratulations to the following:

President: Mrs Nasim Khoshdel Salakjani

Vice President: Ms Melissa Allegretta

Treasurer: Mr Tony Johns

Secretary: Mrs Teegan Kirk

P&C Executive: Alix Adriani, Sarah Peterson, Linda Horsten, Aisyah Rozi, Satinderpal Singh Sidhu, Regis Poirot, Tracey Poirot, Karina Evans, Jagpreet Kaur, Tamara Hutt.

Our next meeting will be held on Monday 18^th March (Week 8) commencing at 2.00pm. The P&C is always looking for new members so please come along, have a cup of coffee and become involved in fundraising at Wellard PS.

NEXT ASSEMBLY

Our first assembly (Blue) for the year was conducted by Miss Alden’s and Mr Simmons Year 5 classes on Friday 23^rd  February. Rooms 14 (Miss Barrett Yr 4) and 15 (Miss Foster Yr 4) will perform their assembly (Pink) this Friday 1^st March commencing at 8.50am.

NAPLAN (THE NATIONAL ASSESSMENT PROGRAM – LITERACY & NUMERACY)

All students in Years 3, 5, 7 & 9 across Australia in both public and private schools will participate in the NAPLAN tests in Weeks 7 and 8 of this term.  As per last year, students will participate in online testing other than Year 3 Writing which will still be written. NAPLAN will be conducted between Wednesday 13^th March (Week 7) to Monday 25^th March (Week 9)

I would like parents and guardians to note that as a school we try to play down the importance of these tests to students. We are conscious of the impact these tests may have on the anxiety levels of some students and for that reason we don’t make a “big deal” about them. The major purpose of NAPLAN is to provide schools, parents and caregivers with information about student performance in relation to nationally-agreed proficiency bands and benchmarks.  The results also allow schools, parents and caregivers to monitor students’ achievements over time. 

SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST

The school has also provided additional funding to increase our School Psych time to three days a week. Mrs Keelley Bradshaw works Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Referrals to the School Psych are done through the class teacher.

SCHOOL CHAPLAIN

The school continues to access funding to employ a School Chaplain, Miss Sinead O’Dea. The school is providing additional funding so that we can provide this service for three days per week – Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Parent permission is obtained from parents prior to students accessing the Chaplain.

SWIMMING LESSONS TERM 2 (PP – Yr 6)

Students in all public primary schools have the opportunity to attend swimming lessons for two weeks of the school year. These lessons are very valuable and provide students with the opportunity to become competent swimmers over time. I strongly recommend that all students participate so they have increased confidence around water and are able to help themselves (and others) if they get into difficulty. It is well known that children who do not learn to swim as a child do not take the time to learn as an adult. Having your children learn to swim as a child is doing them a favour for later in life. Students from Wellard (PP – Yr 6) will be participating in swimming lessons in Weeks 4 & 5 (Group 1) and Weeks 6 & 7 (Group 2) of Term 2. Last year’s cost was $56 so it may be a slightly higher amount for this year. Feel free to contact the office if you would like to begin a payment plan. More information will follow outlining when exactly your children will be attending later this term.

KINDERGARTEN/PRE-PRIMARY BIKE RACK

I want to make parents aware that we have a bike rack behind the Kindergarten and Pre-primary area where younger students can place their bikes or scooters. The entry is in between the oval and the early childhood area. The external gate is locked early in the day but I do suggest you lock up your child’s bike or scooter to ensure no one is able to remove it.

BEFORE SCHOOL READING

We have a wonderful program in place where adults throughout Wellard PS listen to children read before school. This begins after children unpack their bags and organise themselves for the day. The program begins around 8.40am and concludes at 9.00am. I strongly encourage parents to have their children at school by this time so they have the opportunity to participate. When we listen to students read we focus on fluency, accuracy, expression and comprehension. Over the years I have seen children develop in confidence and gain real interest in reading for enjoyment. This becomes noticeable as children move through the grades into upper primary. A child who accesses this reading time will experience approximately an extra 12 hours of reading time a term which equates to 48 hours over the year. A Year 6 student leaving our school after completing all years of school at Wellard will have had the opportunity to read for a maximum of 336 hours (51.6 school days of reading)!!

ON ENTRY ASSESSMENT

Over the next few weeks our pre-primary students will be doing the On-entry Assessment Program. Conducting this assessment early in the year ensures that the teachers have information about the current skills and understandings of each child to assist in the planning and delivery of targeted learning programs that address the needs of each individual, especially those who may require early intervention or extension. The assessment period is during Weeks 3 – 6 of Term One.

STATIONERY ITEMS

Parents are asked to ensure that students come to school with all of the stationery items as per the booklist.  If students do not have the appropriate items they are at a disadvantage and become anxious because everyone else has the right equipment and they don’t.

PUBLIC HOLIDAY (LABOUR DAY)

As Monday 4^th March is a Public Holiday, students do not come to school. Labour Day, also known as Eight Hours Day in Tasmania and May Day in the Northern Territory, commemorates the granting of the eight-hour working day for Australians. It also recognizes workers’ contributions towards the nation’s economy. It is an annual public holiday and its date varies across the states and territories. Enjoy the long weekend everyone!!

SCHOOL UNIFORMS – HATS AND JACKETS

It is great to see all of our students wearing the school uniform to school. Parents are reminded they need to purchase the school jacket prior to the arrival of the cold weather. Hats are now available to be purchased online. ALL students are expected to wear the school hat with the emblem.

CRUNCH AND SIP

The Crunch & Sip program is an easy way to help kids stay healthy and happy! Crunch & Sip is a set break to eat fresh fruit or salad vegetables and drink water in the classroom. Students re-fuel with fresh fruit or vegetables during the morning or afternoon, assisting physical and mental performance and concentration in the classroom. This gives kids a chance to refuel, a bit like putting petrol in a car. Each day students bring fresh fruit or salad vegetables to school to eat in the classroom at a set time. Each child has a small clear bottle of water in the classroom to drink throughout the day to prevent dehydration. Through Crunch & Sip, schools demonstrate their commitment to nutrition education in the classroom, by making links with the curriculum and creating a supportive school environment. The Crunch & Sip break gives children the opportunity to eat the piece of fresh fruit that might otherwise be left in their lunchbox or not be eaten at all.

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

Account: Contributions are as follows:

 

 

 

 

STRANGER DANGER

As it is the start of the school year, I urge you all to talk to your child or children about walking safely to and from school. Following are some suggestions to help your child/children stay safe.  Please ask your child to:

• Always travel in company
• Walk on the right hand side of the road so you face oncoming traffic
• Wherever possible, leave space between yourself and the roadway
• Stay in areas that are well lit
• Stay in view – avoid going into areas that are hidden from view (such as parkland bush or behind shopping centres) and plan trips to avoid such locations
• Be alert – earphones and headphones can reduce your awareness considerably
• If you have a mobile phone, have it turned on and ready to dial an emergency number
• If a passing car stops nearby never get too close
• Do not hesitate to run from a situation in which you feel at risk
• Provide this advice to brothers and sisters, especially if younger
• Report suspicious behaviour to parents, school and the police, noting number plates of cars and/or clothing or distinguishing features of individuals.

Remember to call 131 444 or the local station to report an incident to police or 1800 333 000 to reach crime stoppers. Only call 000 in case of an emergency.

 

Geoff Miller

Principal

geoff.miller@education.wa.edu.au

_____________________________________________

SUSTAINABILITY

WELLARD WASTE WARRIORS

The following students have been chosen to be this year’s Wellard Waste Warriors. They will be involved in running sustainability programs within the school such as recycling, Energy Mites, and Waste Free Wednesdays, as well as conducting regular waste audits to monitor our progress.

Year 4

Marian, Everly, Castiel, Stella, Bethany, Kruze

Year 5

Ryder, Caitlyn, Sophie, Cash, Joyce, Ian, Phillip, Harper

Year 6

Tamika, Umar, Aishi, Riley, Emily, Millie

WASTE FREE WEDNESDAYS

On Wednesdays students and staff are encouraged to pack a waste free lunch. This is to help reduce the amount of waste that Wellard Primary School sends to landfill. It will also help teach the students about the importance of stopping the use of single use plastics. Each week the students that bring a waste free lunch on Wednesdays will be given a raffle ticket and go into a fortnightly draw to win a prize. Class data is also collected each week and the class that has the highest average percentage of students bringing a waste free lunch will be rewarded at the end of term.

SUSTAINABLE GARDEN

The sustainable garden is up and running. Semester 1 will see Years 4 to 6 looking after the garden beds. Each class will be responsible for all aspects of growing their own vegetables, from planting, to watering and weeding, and then picking and using their crop. They will then hand over the garden beds to the Year 1 to 3 classes to repeat the process. Students from Kindy and Pre-Primary also have gardens in their play area where they will be planting vegetables and flowers. Classes will also be posting progress updates on their class CONNECT pages.

WORM FARMS AND COMPOSTING

Worm farms have been placed in each of the garden beds and classes will be collecting their crunch and sip scraps to feed the worms. This will provide a great source of nutrients for the growing vegetables. Classes who are not currently using the gardens will collect their crunch and sip scraps to be placed in our compost bins once they have been installed.

COMMUNITY RECYCLING

Outside of the Science room you will see a recycling station where we collect used batteries, old mobile phones and accessories, bottle tops, and markers. The recycling station is for the use of the whole school community. If you have any of these things at home, please feel free to send them to school with your child to place in the collection bins, or drop them off before or after school.

FROM THE CHAPLAIN

Welcome back to our amazing students and a big hello to new ones! My name is Sinead O’Dea and I am the chaplain here at Wellard Primary.

 This is my third year as chaplain here at Wellard and I am VERY excited to be back at our amazing school.

For those students who do not know me, I am happy to share a few fun facts:

• I have a dog called Bonnie
• My favourite colour is yellow
• When I am not at Wellard I like going to the beach
• My AFL team is the Dockers

 What is a chaplain? A chaplain is a safe adult that students can talk to about what is happening in their life, and provide help for them and families. If you have any concerns for your child, please speak with their class teacher to see what support the school can offer to best help your child.