Newsletter 2 – Week 2, Term 4, 2021 – Message from Admin Team, 2022 Class Placement, 2022 Enrolment Planning, Unavailable Trafffic Warden, Mental Health, Canteen,Uniform Shop, Fundraising Tea Towels, Bogan Bingo, Canteen Survey, Canteen Prep Chef Job, P&C Auditor Required, Gifted and Talented Secondary Programs

Message from the Executive Administration Team

Dear parents and caregivers

Our students have returned with a positive outlook and are very settled. Thank you for the way in which you are setting the foundations for that at home. For a child to focus and learn, it always needs to be a partnership between home and school. I encourage you to keep routines consistent, prioritise sleep and wellbeing and ensure there is a good balance outside of school with extra-curricular activities and free play. Time outside is so important for our students when they have been working hard to learn and focus throughout the school day. Towards the end of the year, students can tire, so by keeping these strategies in place consistently, we will have a relaxed and enjoyable end to the school year.

Teaching and Learning

Term Overviews: By this Friday afternoon, teachers will post the term overviews to class blogs. In these overviews, we aim to provide you with a snapshot of the concepts to be taught through learning programs across all curriculum areas. You will also see pre-planned important dates relevant to your child’s year level. I encourage you to connect with the overview and refer back to it throughout the term. Again, the home-school partnership is a priority and by being aware of the learning, you will be able to have those discussions with your child and ask them questions. For example, in Year 1 this term our students will be exploring past and present technologies. I’m sure many of you will have some ‘ancient’ technology around the house, probably lying dormant in the bottom of a draw if you are anything like me! I recently found a cassette player from when I was in primary school. To our students, items like these really are ancient artefacts! So, please use the overviews to support your child’s learning and continue the conversations to deepen their knowledge and skills, it really does make all the difference.

Learning Environment

Early Childhood: Our kindergarten students returned to a fantastic improvement to their learning environment this term, with the addition of a custom built mud kitchen in a very underutilised part of the kindy playground. I thank our kindy/PP P&C subcommittee for their tireless fundraising work to support improvements to the early childhood area. The subcommittee has set aside a significant amount of funds towards these improvements which will be matched by the school. The next stage will be the upgrade to the existing Pre-primary jungle gym area. The pandemic is having an impact on shipping, as we are all aware, so this has delayed the commencement. The project is likely to begin late Term 4. It will include additions to the existing jungle gym including a double slide and further climbing nets plus a partial soft fall replacement. In coming years, we will need to replace the rest of the soft fall and that will form part of future commitments. Your support of the P&C is crucial to these types of upgrades so thank you for your ongoing assistance and to our P&C executive. We are very lucky to have a high quality learning environment due to this partnership.

 

 

Leadership

Deputy Principal role/s: I am pleased to announce that Mrs Kerry Skillen has joined the senior leadership team as deputy principal. Following my appointment to principal last term, I advertised for a deputy principal pool. Kerry was successful in being appointed to the Deputy Principal pool, which was competitive and attracted a high standard of applicants. Most recently, Mrs Skillen has been deputy principal at Beaumaris Primary School and comes to us with a wealth of experience and knowledge in student services, curriculum and coaching. Kerry has been appointed for Term 4 and will be supporting our teachers and students in Year 3 and 4 but will have roles and responsibilities across the school. I’m sure you will join me in welcoming Kerry to the school community. Mrs Milani Grace will return to the deputy principal role from maternity leave in Term 1, 2022. I would also like to acknowledge the work of Hannah Cox who stepped into the deputy principal role mid-Term 3. Hannah did a wonderful job supporting the students, teachers and senior leadership team. Hannah has now returned to her regular role as classroom teacher in Room 15, Year 6. She will also continue in her leadership roles across the school including student leadership and community engagement.

 

Wembley Primary School is committed to developing our aspirant teacher leaders through the WA Future Leaders Framework. Mrs Natalie Mueller who leads our learning support in literacy and is a Level 3 classroom teacher, will be supporting our kindy and pre-primary year levels this term. Natalie is highly respected for her knowledge in early childhood and will be working with the senior leadership team to support upcoming orientations and transitions that will occur as we prepare for 2022.  Mrs Rachel Cusack will have oversight across kindy-Year 2 as deputy principal but specifically to support Years 1 and 2 while Mr Alan Ramsey will be leading Years 5 and 6. The deputy principal role is a complex balance of both strategic and operational duties and with the high number of students requiring a case conference approach, our deputy principals will be sharing this aspect of their role. If your child does require a case conference, the leadership team will communicate with you which deputy principal will be working in partnership with you.

 

Community Engagement

Assemblies: Starting today we will be returning to face-to-face assemblies for the remainder of the term (scheduled for Weeks 2-7). Our assembly time is 2:40pm every Tuesday afternoon. There is no assembly scheduled in Weeks 8 and 10.  In Week 9 we will hold our annual student leadership assembly when we announce the Year 6 leaders for 2022 and thank our graduating student leaders.

To maintain equity, classroom items will be presented via a video presentation on the big screen as has been the case all year via WebEx. We will be presenting merit certificates in person, Year 6s will present their reports and we can sing together. We invite you to join us for assemblies; there will be some seating at the back of the undercover area. Please be mindful that the seating along the sides are for staff. We look forward to welcoming back the community to assembly.

Connect, Collaborate, Communicate

Yours in learning

Tamara, Alan, Rachel and Kerry