Newsletter 4 – Week 4, Term 3, 2021 – Message from Admin Team, Faction Athletics Carnival, School Dental Mobile, Book Parade new date Monday 23 August, Picture Plates last chance to order, Fathers Day Stall, Canteen, French Cuisine Recess, Triton Water Polo Flippa Ball

Message from the Executive Administration Team

Dear parents and caregivers

School Dress Code: At our most recent School Board meeting, the Student Dress Code Policy was scheduled for review. All policies are reviewed regularly to ensure they are representative of the school context and community and align to Department of Education policies and procedures. The School Board has agreed to an amendment to this policy review schedule and moved the review to Term 1, 2022. This change has been made to allow for a transitional period for the new online uniform shop and due to ongoing stock issues caused by the pandemic.

It is due to these ongoing stock issues, that the School Board supports an extension to the plan to ‘retire’ the old school logo and uniform items until the end of 2022. Originally, the end of 2021 had been set as a timeframe for these uniform items to be refreshed. However, in light of the outlined issues, please retain old uniforms and continue to wear these should you not have new logo items to wear. I encourage families to do their best to send students to school in their uniform as it creates that sense of ‘team’ and belonging which helps build school pride in students. If a school uniform item can’t be sourced, please do your best to send children in the school colours. You can access the current school dress code here.

COVID-19: Last week a link to a survey was sent to families to assist with school planning for possible home learning, should the need ever arise. The deadline is tomorrow and we would appreciate as many parents as possible completing this.

As home learning would be optimal when there is access to the internet and the use of an internet connected device, we would appreciate you completing this 2 question survey as the information provided will guide our planning, teaching and learning. Through our School Continuity Plan (SCP) we want to ensure all students can access academic work if classes on site are not possible or a viable option for families.

You can access the link here – Connected Home Learning Survey. Please only complete the survey once per family.

Kiss and Drive: As mentioned last week, a working-group is putting the final touches to some parent education resources to make clear the expectations for using the Kiss and Drive areas at peak times. Until these are released, can I please remind the community of the following:

• There is no drop-off or pick-up on the west side of Simper St between 8am-9am and 2:30-4pm. We have seen many near misses recently with children crossing the road, even with parents watching. It’s a no stopping zone at this time to ensure child safety.
• Please stay in your car when using Kiss and Drive and ask your child to keep their bag with them in the car rather than putting it the boot. By exiting the car or taking the extra time to load the boot, this unnecessarily creates queues and often obstructs driveways and intersections.

Admin staff endeavour to be on duty before and after school in Kiss and Drive areas but due to before school meetings and operational matters, this isn’t always possible. Therefore, we must stress how important it is to keep safety paramount and follow the Kiss and Drive guidelines. I thank you for your support with this.

Teaching and Learning

Geography and Inquiry: Room 21 have been learning about the geography of Africa recently as part of their Inquiry and HASS learning. Using the augmented reality sandbox in the STEAM room, the Year 4s recreated the topographical features of the continent, including Lake Victoria. The augmented reality sandbox was purchased through donations from the P&C when the new STEAM room was opened in 2018. The augmented reality sandbox is a 3D interactive educational tool that allows students to experience and understand mapping and topography, water flow and natural hazards. It uses motion sensors and specialised computer software to track how students move the sand with their hands in different modes. Teachers can incorporate the use of the sandbox into their teaching and learning programs to enhance programs and make abstract concepts quite real!

Community Engagement

Tuning into Kids: The first small group workshop series for parents of 5-8 year-olds begins this Thursday with one more spot available. The cost is $150 and is paid directly to Tracy. Please email Tracy ASAP if you would like to join the first workshop series:  HartT@penrhos.wa.edu.au. The workshop series will start Thursday 12 August at 7pm and run at the same time every Thursday for the following four weeks.

Please also email Tracy if you would like to register for the upcoming 9-12 year-old ‘Pre-teens’ workshop series which already has several registered. This is likely to run early in Term 4.

Staff Retirement: Mr Gary Scott, Year 3 teacher at Wembley PS, has made the decision to retire this term after almost 30 years of service to the school. We will be celebrating the career of Mr Scott with students, staff, parents and caregivers and Mr Scott’s invited guests at a special community assembly on the last day of Term 3. Please save the date for Friday 24 September at 1:50pm. Mr Scott has been a dedicated and valued member of staff for so many years and has made such an impact on the lives of thousands of students in his time at Wembley PS, and while we will be so sad to say goodbye, we know he will enjoy this next stage of his life in retirement. Please join us in the undercover area to send Gary off in style.

Collaborate, Connect, Communicate.

Yours in learning

Executive Admin Team

Tamara, Alan, Rachel and Melinda