FROM THE PRINCIPAL

We are now over halfway through the term with staff and students working hard and enjoying school. We are very mindful of the importance of continuing our teaching programs ensuring any interruptions are minimal and don’t significantly impact on the learning of students. I must congratulate all students on the level of courtesy and manners on display as I walk through the grounds of the school. It is great to be part of a happy school community where there is a positive vibe in all that we do. I want to reassure parents and carers that we want the very best for your children and are keen to work with you in ensuring all children have the opportunity to work to their potential. Please contact your child’s teacher as early as possible if you have any concerns or issues about their schooling.

UNIFORMS

Just a reminder to parents that all students are expected to wear the school uniform wherever possible. I do understand, from time to time, there are issues with lost hats or not having the availability of clean clothes and that’s okay. However, currently we have a number of students who are not wearing items of the school uniform on an ongoing basis. I would like to remind everyone that students should be wearing the following:

• The school black hat with the school emblem.
• School polo and school jacket
• Black skirt / Skort
• Black Tracksuit Pants
• Black shorts – these need to be long enough so they can clearly be seen under an untucked t-shirt.

We are more than happy to work with families under financial hardship so all students have the same opportunity as others. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you would like to discuss this. Also, students with hair below their collar are expected to have it tied up at all times. This is for both boys and girls.

P&C MEETING

Our next meeting will be held on Monday 20^th March (Week 8) commencing at 1.45pm. 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 next assembly (Pink) for the year will be conducted by Miss Ballard’s Year 4 class (Rm 17) commencing at 8.50am this Friday 10^th March. Rooms 7 (Miss Roper Yr 1) and 8 (Miss Fry Yr 1) will perform their assembly (Blue) the following Friday 17^th March.

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 has been moved from Term 2 to Term 1 commencing on Wednesday 15^th March.

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.  The testing dates for Year 3 & 5 students are outlined below:

• Wednesday 15^th March: Writing
• Thursday 16^th March: Reading
• Friday 17^th March: Conventions of Language (Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation
• Monday 20^th March: Numeracy

If your child is absent from school, there will be an opportunity for them to catch up on the tests they have missed the following week.

WEBSITE/NEWSLETTER IN YOUR FIRST LANGUAGE

Many parents are unaware that you are able to access our school website and indeed the newsletter through your first language. You must ensure you use CHROME as your search engine and then click on your language that appears at the top right of the website page. This will then automatically convert all text into your first language. Copy and paste the link below into CHROME and try for yourself.

https://wellardps.wa.edu.au/

 

NO PARKING IN BERTRAM FAMILY MEDICAL CENTRE

We have had a request from the Medical Centre asking that parents DO NOT park in their carpark when picking up and dropping off students. By parking in the centre there are less parking bays for their patients.

KISS AND DRIVE

Thank you to everyone who has been using the Kiss and Drive service. It has been working relatively smoothly and has saved parents a significant amount of time in the morning and afternoons. Parents are asked to remind their children about pickup arrangements at the beginning of the day for the end of the day. Students no longer wait outside the office after school but are asked to gather at the Kiss and Drive area. Parents are also reminded that if they enter a car park they need to park in a car bay when dropping off their children.

PICK UP TIME OF STUDENTS

We are having an increasing number of students who are not being picked up at 3pm at the end of the day. This places our office staff in the difficult position of having to supervise students, contact parents as well as carry out their daily duties. I do acknowledge the issues associated with parking but it is most important that students are picked up on time. I ask that you make appropriate arrangements if you are going to be late in picking up your child. This includes organising for someone else to pick up your child or have them access OSHClub. We also ask that you provide the office staff with sufficient notice when needing to leave a message for your child. Calling us at 3pm does not give us any chance to get to your child’s class to deliver a message.

PUNCTUALITY YEAR 1 – 6 STUDENTS

Being punctual is an important attribute that we all require through life. I do acknowledge that many students have appointments at the beginning of the day and of course this is quite acceptable. I am asking parents to make every effort to get your child (Yr1-6) to school at 8.30am and certainly before 8.45am. The first siren goes at 8.50am.

I do understand that families are very busy and that it can be very difficult to get some children organised for school. However, being late to school results in the following:

• Students think that it is okay to be late. This has implications for high school.
• Students miss out on the Before School Reading Program.
• Teachers have to repeat their instructions as late students wander in.
• The learning program of other students is interrupted.
• The Attendance Register has to be re-entered.
• Office staff are interrupted to process late students.
• Some students are very anxious about being late which impacts on their ability to learn.
• Students do not have time to organise themselves for the day.

As you can see the implications for your child are significant when they are late to school.

ALL STUDENTS (YR 1 – 6) WHO ARRIVE AFTER 8.50AM MUST OBTAIN A LATE NOTE BEFORE ATTENDING CLASS.

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 1 & 2 (Group 1) and Weeks 9 & 10 (Group 2) of Term 2. More information will become available next week.

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

Regards

Geoff Miller

Principal

geoff.miller@education.wa.edu.au

_________________________________________

YOUTH CARE - CHAPLAIN

I hope you are all getting into your term and starting to feel established in your new routines! Having a routine can be an important thing to practice, or re-look at this time of year as a way to:

• Support healthy habits such as sleep and exercise
• Feel less stressed and reduce feelings of being overwhelmed
• Help create and support positive mental health
• Bounce back from bumps in the road, or troubles that can come up

For parents, families, and individual kids, routine is an important part of life, and can truly help thrive in busy times. Raising Children.net is full or resources on ideas for daily routines and I have included some below that you may want to have a look at

Kindy Kids:

• getting ready in the morning
• eating meals
• spending time playing and talking together
• reading books or telling stories
• having quiet time and going to bed at night.
• Play Groups
• Visiting family

School-age

• getting ready in the morning and going to bed at night
• doing after-school activities like hobbies or sport
• doing chores – for example, setting the dinner table, unpacking the dishwasher, helping with the laundry, or caring for pets
• doing homework.

Kind regards

Sinead O'Dea
Chaplain

_________________________________________

GILMORE COLLEGE TOUR

Join in on one of our Principal’s Tours – Thursday 30 March, 9:00–10:30am

We warmly invite families of current and prospective students to visit our school for a Tour of the facilities and gain an understanding of the opportunities available for our students.

The 45 minute Tour will commence at 9:00am from the Administration Office at the front of the school. Morning tea and a Question & Answer session will follow the Tour in the conference room. We will answer your questions honestly; explaining our ethos and our passions.

College Tours provide prospective and current families the opportunity to visit the school during a normal day, visiting the places where learning and engagement take place and to provide a true sense of Gilmore College. The student leaders in particular are a great source of authentic information about what it means to be a Gilmore College student day to day.

Please note, this is a ‘parents only’ tour. (Students who enrol at Gilmore College will visit the school for their orientation later in the year.)

Please view flyer attached to the end of this newsletter for more information

RSVP Tour of the College essential before Monday 27 March to the Administration office on 6595 2700 or Gilmore.college@education.wa.edu.au.

 

MERIT AWARDS
Term 1 Week 4 Pink Assembly
EC5	Alice	Room 14	Pehar	Room 25	Leila
	Zac		Ronana		kaylan
EC7	Connor		Hudson		Michael
	Addison	Room 15	Colyne	Room 27	Saffron
EC8	Caleb		Cena		Branden
	Evelyn		Gabriel	Phys Ed	Mahin
	Addilyn	Room 17	Joy		Shiloh
Room2	Ollie		Isabella	Science	Marian
	Lillie-Grace	Room 19	Ayaan		Jasper
Room 5	Mutsa		Breiden	Music	Kanishka
	Elijah		Arsema		Willow
	Chris	Room 22	Aleyah	Bounce	Catalyia
Room 10	Te Rehu		Willow	Back	Joypreet
	Jasper	Room 23	Reggie	Art	Nicole
	Jaxus		Ava		Jaxon
Room 12	Elzie
	Terry
Term 1 Week 5 Blue Assembly
EC4	Anaya	Room 8	Riya	Room 24	Cooper
	Connor		Nand		Penelope
EC6	Tabitha	Room 9	Nathaniel	Room 26	Ryder
	Preston		Henna		Arianna
Room 1	Orlando		Tavleen	Phys Ed	Finley
	Lena	Room 13	Scarlett		Indi-Rose
Room 3	Vivaan		Jayden	Art	Johnny
	Aela		Alice		Zarah
Room 4	Marlee	Room 16	Ruby	Bounce	Mio
	Harley		Devanj	Back	Bonnie
Room 6	Lucas		Malachi	Music	Jonathan
	Dhieeyia	Room 18	Aylah		Jaiyeshan
Room 7	Evan		Arvis	Science	Arianna
	Ava	Room 20	Caressa		Guransh
			Alexis