Newsletter 8 – Week 8, Term 4, 2021 – Message from Admin Team, Student Leaders 2022, Library, Canteen, Thank You Wembley IGA, Wembley Netball Club, Triple P Positive Parenting Program, Christmas Carols Lake Monger

Message from the Executive Administration Team

Dear parents and caregivers

As we head into the last few weeks of Term, the school is a hive of events and festive cheer. The Christmas countdown will officially be on tomorrow (if it isn’t already on) and as a community we begin to reflect on the year that was 2021. Thank you to the endless list of parents and caregivers who are making our school a community hub by volunteering their time. The Year 5 and 6 parents are busily preparing for the graduation events, the School Board and P&C are working away in the background and contributing and we still have so many parents who are giving their time in the canteen. We can’t do it without you and I genuinely thank you so much for giving your time. I encourage you to consider a formal P&C Executive role if you are able to in 2022. I greatly value the skills and expertise in our school community and know there are many people who would do an amazing job in the role. Schools are at the heart of the community and if you would like to get involved more in 2022, it is a great way to be part of that engagement and community spirit.

Teaching and Learning

Year 3 & 4 Talent Quest: If you were at the Junior Talent Quest, you’ll know I’m not exaggerating when I say that the musical talent at Wembley is mind- blowing. Mostly Year 3 & 4 students (and some Year 6s) took to the stage singing and playing a multitude of instruments including the violin, piano, Guzheng and drums. They played Beethoven, traditional Chinese music, Coldplay, Rolling Stones, The White Stripes and more. The dedication and talent was simply amazing. Georgia N (Year 6) even sang an originally composed song of hers.

Mila R and Indy St-J, Jennie T, Patrick N, Claire T, Daniel J, Jeremy J, Ben T, Ollie T, Lewis S and David C were the highly commended students. However, all students deserve a huge amount of congratulations for their efforts. It takes so much courage and bravery to stand up on the stage in front of your peers, parents and staff. You should all feel so proud.

Big thanks to Mrs Goyder and Mr Jon Bowman for adjudicating. Both talent quests show the depth of musical talent in our school. I look forward to the grand finale of our musical program next Thursday night at the All Stars Concert. Thank you to Miss Kate Goyder and Mrs Mary-Anne Goyder for the opportunities you provide for our students in music. I also thank you as parents for valuing The Arts and encouraging your children to pursue their musical passions and practice.

 

Leadership

Student Leadership: Congratulations to our new student leaders for 2022. Later in this newsletter you will see the list of Year 5 students who have officially been announced as the 2022 Year 6 student leadership team. Today, we held our handover assembly as we officially thanked our 2021 student leaders and introduced the new position holders. It is likely there will be some disappointed students and some very excited students. We have emphasised the need to be humble and resilient but that all students going into Year 6 are leaders in our eyes. I look forward to working our new group in 2022.

Our outgoing student leadership group have been simply outstanding, led by Head Girl Juliet K and Head Boy Lachlan P. They have been mature, flexible and collaborative throughout the year and consistently taken the initiative. They have handled last minute changes, volunteering to help whenever needed, shifted from virtual assemblies to face-to-face with ease and represented our school with integrity. On behalf of the staff, students and community, I thank the entire 2021 Year 6 student leadership team for their efforts this year.

 

Learning Environment and Community Engagement

Junior Play: A few weeks ago, Wembley PS parent Natalie Cox approached me about volunteering to create some additional play opportunities in the Year 1 & 2 playground after being inspired by some different fairy gardens and small play worlds she had seen. We both agreed it would be a wonderful addition to the area for our students. After consulting with Mrs Tammy Misson and Mrs Chrissie McGovern, Wembley PS parent Caroline Read also came on board and the idea has come to fruition and a pop-up fairy garden and small world play-boxes are now being enjoyed by our Year 1 & 2 students during the school break times.

Natalie and Caroline have done a wonderful job creating this pop-up addition to the playground and have used many sustainable items in its creation through our school subscription to Remida Creative Reuse Centre in West Perth. Our school Business Plan has a focus on student-centred play and creating innovative learning spaces, both inside and outside and I am so thankful to Natalie and Caroline for engaging with the school in this way to benefit our children. The pop-up play spaces are being set up and packed away each day by Caroline and Natalie to prevent damage outside of school hours. What a brilliant contribution to the school grounds. We are so appreciative, thank you Natalie and Caroline.

Peace Pole: Last Tuesday, we held an assembly to officially be presented with a Peace Pole by Jeremy Wood from Rotary Cambridge. The Peace Pole program which had its beginnings after the Second World War in 1955, was developed by the World Peace Prayer Society Founder, Masahisa Goi.

Now, more than 250,000 Peace Poles stand in approximately 200 countries around the globe, symbolising the common wish for a world at peace. To mark the Centenary of Rotary in Australia, the Rotary Club of Canberra Burley Griffin, ACT, set a goal to see 100 Peace Poles donated to 100 Schools to recognise 100 years of Rotary service in Australia. This goal has been achieved through collaboration with schools, organisations and Rotary clubs around Australia.

Our Peace Pole now stands proudly beside the State, National and Aboriginal flag near the basketball courts. Each side of the pole says, “May Peace Prevail on Earth’ in four languages important to our community; English, Noongar, French and Mandarin. I thank Rotary Cambridge for their support of this important project and engaging with our school in 2021 through the Public Speaking program and the Peace Pole.

Community Engagement

Jersey Street Pedestrian Crossing: Last term, I distributed a survey link for the community to have their say on a proposal to the School Board on the potential re-location of the Jersey Street pedestrian crossing. The Town of Cambridge requires school endorsement for there to be any changes considered. Following a proposal to the School Board, the survey was communicated through the school newsletter. You will see at the conclusion of the summary, that the School Board postponed any endorsement of the proposed change until further information is obtained from the Town of Cambridge on potential changes to traffic flow due to the planned Ruislip Safe Active Street plans. It was also noted that the opinions were quite mixed and there was not a very high response rate with 63 families responding and 580 families in the school. The survey summary can be  found here. I look forward to working with the Town of Cambridge and the community to keep children’s safety as a top priority.

Connect, Collaborate, Communicate

Yours in learning

Tamara, Alan, Rachel and Kerry