Newsletter – Week 5, Term 1, 2022 – Message from Admin Team,P & C News, Canteen, Uniforms, Swimming,Community

Message from the Executive Administration Team

Dear parents and caregivers

It has been an eventful week at Wembley with the impact of COVID cases beginning to be felt in our school community. Parents and caregivers will have received direct communications by email in relation to cases associated with the school. In a school the size of Wembley, it was inevitable that cases would begin to emerge. However, we have not experienced any transmission within the school environment and will continue to ensure that all possible strategies are in place to help mitigate risk.

I empathise with every family who is currently isolating at home. Our students want to be at school, learning with their friends and going to community sport and activities. It’s difficult to be isolated and stuck at home, for both parents/carers and our students. Many of our isolating students have started home learning. For one class, their teacher and EA is at home too and able to interact and respond throughout the day. However, for most students their teachers are at school teaching the remainder of their classmates during the school day. We understand that it’s harder for your child to feel connected in this instance.

Keep your child’s day balanced with lots of opportunities to play, get out into the garden and have regular breaks. You could supervise a Zoom or FaceTime after school so your child can connect with their friends face-to-face online. Keep your own self-care at the top of the agenda. It’s a lot to absorb and manage as a parent/carer. Be kind to yourselves. Put aside anything non-essential, you have enough to focus on right now in keeping your family connected and calm. Quality family time and connection is so important right now so lots of walks in nature and time at the park for everyone. Do what you can to stay healthy, emotionally and physically.

We are walking with you on this journey and want to support you as best we can. Please be patient with us as we navigate the changing guidelines and mandates. Families will have received specific communication about the upcoming mask mandate which commences Thursday. I know that this will present a challenge for some. It is important to note that as we approach the predicted escalation in cases, mask wearing will help limit transmission in the school setting and lower the need for those year levels to be deemed close contacts in the event of a positive case. We want our students at school to learn and see their friends. Your support with approaching this change positively is so appreciated.

Learning Environment

PP Playground Upgrade: The upgrade is finally complete following a few delays. Our PP students are loving the new double slide, letter panel, shop front and extra climbing nets! Thank you to parents for your P&C voluntary contributions and support of fundraising which helped this upgrade go ahead in partnership with the school.

           

 

Engagement and Relationships

P&C: Last week, the P&C Annual General Meeting was held online with an excellent turnout from the community. I thank everyone for their engagement and commitment to keeping our P&C active. Congratulations to our new corporate executive. We also have a number of other parents who have volunteered their time as convenors for the various sub-committees that are so important for the various fundraising and community engagement roles that the P&C performs.

President: Danielle Clyne

Vice President: Susan Havlin

Secretary: Lauren Barendrecht

Treasurer: Abishek Baxi

We also have a number of other parents who have volunteered their time as convenors for the various sub-committees that are so important for the various fundraising and community engagement roles that the P&C performs. You can find all these members listed on our website here. Thank you to these people for their time and efforts. We couldn’t do it without you!

I also wish to sincerely thank Tiffany Fox, Helen Gotjamanos, Bailey Stewart and Sally Coomes for all their hard work on the P&C in their corporate executive roles until now. We appreciate all the time you have put in. Volunteering on the P&C is a big commitment, particularly in an executive role. Special mention must go to Tiffany for the amazing job coordinating the AGM online. It was no small feat to coordinate. Thank you again for your work as President on behalf of the whole community. We wish Tiffany and her family all the best for the future.

School Board Community Member Vacancy: Last week, I called for expressions of interest for the community member category for our School Board. Please note that current Wembley PS parents are unable to nominate for this category. If you are interested in the School Board as a parent, please see the newsletter next week for information about upcoming positions as a parent representative.

The community member category is quite separate to these elected positions and ensures a diverse voice and skillset informs school directions.

We are seeking expressions of interest from ex-students/Wembley PS alumni who may be interested in joining the School Board. You may know of an ex-student who graduated from one our local high schools who has or is pursuing a career in education or fields important to our school priorities (see Business Plan) and/or has a desire to stay connected to their local community and contribute to the school’s directions.

If you know of a community member (16 years plus) who may be interested in this opportunity, please ask them to complete this short form here to indicate interest in the position. The principal will then make contact with each nominee to discuss next steps. It is important to note that an election is not required for community member vacancies, the School Board may appoint a suitably qualified person by vote in a meeting. Thank you for helping promote this opportunity with your networks.

 

Yours in learning

The Senior Leadership Team

Tamara, Milani, Alan, Rachel and Natalie