FROM THE PRINCIPAL

I would like to acknowledge and thank all staff, students and parents/carers for their ongoing support throughout this term. Our school has experienced few interruptions and we have been fortunate to have had fewer staffing issues resulting from Covid. We successfully navigated through NAPLAN, had the opportunity to purchase books etc. through our Book Fair and provided the opportunity for parent interviews to occur. I strongly encourage parents and carers to keep in regular contact with your child’s teacher so that you are fully informed about their ongoing progress and achievement. I hope everyone has the opportunity to have a break over the holiday period in preparation for a very busy eleven week Term 2. Happy Easter everyone!!

WA STUDENT ASSISTANCE PAYMENT

The new WA Student Assistance Payment will provide parents and carers with a payment of $150 for each primary school aged child, including Kindergarten. A Connect message was sent home yesterday with more information about how to access these funds. You will need a valid WA Student Number (WASN) to be eligible for the payment. This number can be found on your child’s report from Semester 2 of 2023. Parents of Kindergarten and Pre-primary students can see their child’s teacher to obtain this number as neither group have received a report with this number.

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) this Wednesday 20^th March (Week 8) to conduct parent interviews. A Connect message was sent out on the 6^th March explaining how parents/carers can book an interview time. Parents will be able to book a 10-minute time slot online with your child’s teacher. Each time slot will only be allocated 10 minutes so it is most important you are on time. Unfortunately, if you are late for your 10 minute time slot, your time will be reduced accordingly. You can also make a time to meet with specialist teachers including, Music, Science, Visual Arts and Physical Education. This interview will provide an opportunity for teachers 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. I hope all parents and carers will take up the opportunity to meet with their child’s teacher.

GOODBYE AND THANK YOU

On behalf of the school community, I would like to thank the following staff who will be leaving their position at Wellard at the end of this term: Mrs Mel Sayer is moving to another school and Mrs Tanya Stevens and Miss Nina Scheer are taking Parental Leave. I would like to thank and acknowledge all three staff for their recent contribution to Wellard PS and wish them all the best for the future.

HARMONY DAY

Wellard Primary School will be celebrating Harmony Day on Tuesday the 26^th of March. On this day, students will be learning about the amazing diversity of cultures that make up our school community and the Australian society at large. Students are encouraged to wear cultural or traditional dress on the day or the colour orange.

EASTER HAT PARADE

Parents are reminded that we will be conducting our Easter Hat Parade at 8.50am on Thursday 28^th March in the quadrangle area. Kindergarten parents are to speak with their child’s teacher about when their parade will occur if they don’t attend on a Thursday. Students are asked to make their own Easter Hat unless directed otherwise by your child’s teacher.

CAR PARK CONGESTION

No doubt we are all aware of the congestion that occurs in our car parks particularly at the end of the day and how much frustration is associated with this. The increased traffic flow makes it more dangerous for pedestrians moving around the car parks. If possible, I would like parents and carers to reflect on their pickup arrangements and make some changes that may reduce congestion, increase student safety and decrease levels of frustration. Please consider the following suggestions:

• If you child is old enough, have them walk, ride or scooter to and from school.
• Use the Kiss and Drives on McWhirter Promenade and Jaspar Bend (Yr 1 – 6) instead of parking your vehicle.
• Arrive at the school at 3.05 – 3.10pm to pick up your child (Yr 1 – 6) from the Kiss and Drives. The McWhirter Kiss and Drive is virtually cleared by 3.05pm and will significantly reduce your wait time.
• Consider car pooling with neighbours to reduce the number of vehicles around the school.

The City of Kwinana is looking at the current design of the McWhirter Kiss and Drive to increase the safety for students and parents.

NEW PATHWAY TO ACCESS MCWHIRTER KISS AND DRIVE

We now have a path between classes 23 and 24 so that students and parents can access the Kiss and Drive on McWhirter Promenade. It also provides an entry point to those classrooms on the southwest corner of the school.

SIREN TIMES

The school community would be well aware that we changed our siren times so that students would play (11 – 11.20am) and eat their lunch (11.20 -11.40am) earlier than before, followed by an afternoon break from 1.40 – 2pm. Feedback highlights that this has been an outstanding success with students being more settled entering the class after lunch, can focus more in the afternoon session, there are less behavioural issues and less rubbish. We will continue with these times from this day forward.

BOOK FAIR

A big thank you to Mrs Rogers for organising our Book Fair which was conducted out of our Library. The school has registered just under $7000 in sales. Thank you to the school community for supporting this event and to those staff and parents who donated a book to the library.

NAPLAN (THE NATIONAL ASSESSMENT PROGRAM – LITERACY & NUMERACY)

NAPLAN has gone very smoothly this year with minimal interruption thanks to the organisation of Mrs Gibson and classroom teachers. Catch up tests will be conducted until Monday of next week to catch up those students who were absent for some tests.

WELCOME MRS TERRIE TITKO

I would like to welcome Mrs Terrie Titko on her appointment to Wellard PS as an Aboriginal Islander Educational Officer (AIEO). Mrs Titko is currently studying to become a Noongar Language teacher and will take over this role when she is qualified. Mrs Titko brings with her a wide range of experiences and she will certainly add value to Wellard PS. Welcome Mrs Titko!!

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 ENROLMENTS FOR 2025

Wellard PS will be taking enrolments for Kindergarten for 2025 commencing 9.30am on Tuesday 23^rd April (Week 2, Term 2). Enrolments will close on Friday 19^th July (Week 1 Term 3). It is most important that you enrol your Kindergarten child for next year as soon as possible. Please speak with neighbours etc. who you know need to enrol their child. To be eligible for enrolment, students need to be born between 1^st July 2020 and 30^th June 2021. When enrolling your child, you will need to come into the office and provide the following:

• Copy of your child’s Birth Certificate
• Up to date Immunisation Records
• Proof of Address that you reside in our local intake area – preferably a utility bill in your name that is no older than three months.

Please note that students who live within our local intake area will be prioritised for enrolment. Our local intake area can be found within “Schools Online” on the Department of Education’s website.

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:

 

 

 

 

 

ANZAC CEREMONY (PP – Yr 6)

Our ANZAC Ceremony will be conducted on Friday 26^th April (Week 2 Term 2) commencing at 2.15 – 2.45pm in the quadrangle area.  Parents and community members are welcome to attend.

LAST DAY OF TERM

Parents and Carers are reminded that Thursday 28^th March is the last day of term for students. Students return on Monday 15^th April as we DO NOT have a School Development Day.

 

 

Geoff Miller

Principal

geoff.miller@education.wa.edu.au

PHYSICAL EDUCATION UPDATE

Twenty nine students were selected to represent Wellard Primary School at the KSSA Interschool Cricket Carnival on Friday, March 8.  We sent three teams, a boys, girls and mixed team. The selected students gave their personal best in trying weather conditions throughout several matches against other schools in the Kwinana district.

 

 All three teams performed exceptionally well, with all playing off in the final. The boys team won every game, including the final and will now move on to the regional finals at a yet to be determined date. Every participant displayed excellent sportsmanship and resilience when required. They also gave up many a lunch time to train for the event in the weeks prior.

A big thank you goes out to all staff, students, parents and community members who supported this event; with special thanks going to Miss Ashlee Alden and Mr Brenton Simmons, who gave up their time to help organise and run competing teams on the day or helped to train the selected students prior to the event.

The list of teams and their overall results are as follows:

Mixed Team – second overall in the bigger schools division.

Girls Team – second overall in the bigger schools division.

Boys Team – first overall in the bigger schools division.

 

Kind regards,

David McIntyre and Matthew Paparone.

Physical Education Specialists

 

P&C NEWS

“A big thank you to everyone who contributed to the success of our recent Green and Gold dress-up event! Your support and participation truly made a difference, and the gold coins collected will go a long way in supporting our school initiatives.

Our second meeting of the term, held on March 18th, was filled with fruitful discussions about enhancing the canteen menu to planning more exciting events for our school community. Stay tuned for updates on the upcoming Easter raffle!

We're excited to announce that in Term 2 the canteen menu will undergo some exciting changes.

We'll be focusing on incorporating healthier food options and ensuring a better balance of nutrients for our kids. Keep an eye out for more information coming your way soon!”

Feel free to contact me if needed.

Nasim Salakjani

P&C president