Newsletter 9 – Week 9, Term 2, 2021 – Message from Admin Team, Student Reports, Crazy Hair Day, Kindy 2022, Students Leaving 2022, Canteen, Homeless Connect, Redhage Basketball, Young Engineers, Floreat Park Tennis, Wembley Magpies Teeball

Message from the Executive Administration Team

Dear parents and caregivers

What a cold and wet start to the week! With the onset of Winter, there is a lot of sickness in the school. I thank you for continuing to reinforce hand washing and good hygiene such as coughing into elbows as we continue to do at school. Should your child be unwell, please keep them home until symptoms pass. In confined indoor environments, sickness spreads quickly from unwell children to staff and students. Thank you for your support as we aim to keep everyone healthy and happy for the last few weeks of this 11 week term.

Teaching and Learning

Creative Schools

Over the past couple of weeks, Room 22 has been working on applying their biological science knowledge in a hands on task to create Australian animals during Creative Schools sessions with artist and creative practitioner, Jodie Davidson. Using the ‘Austin’s Butterfly: Building Excellence in Student Work’ approach, Jodie has been guiding the Year 4s through a process which reinforces that being good at something takes practice, perseverance and the ability to take on feedback and instructions. By receiving the frequent opportunity to be critiqued to improve their work, the focus is on the ability to keep revising drafts or models to produce a high level of quality rather being happy with the first attempt. This approach can be applied to any learning task, not just hands on design work.

We are very grateful to be involved with the Creative Schools project again in 2021, with the focus being on scaling this approach across the school in our second year. Wembley is one of just 10 schools selected across the Department of Education, which receives funding from the State Government to develop an approach in schools to develop critical and creative thinking. Wembley’s developing reputation as a leading school in critical and creative thinking was instrumental in being the only school selected to be involved for a second year in a row. This year, Room 15 (Year 6) and Room 22 (Year 4) are hosting a creative practitioner every week in Term 2 and 3 to work alongside the teacher and students on strategies that value teaching for creativity and the development of creative habits of learning. If you would like to know more about Creative Schools, you can view a video produced earlier this year here.

Community Engagement

Long Jump Pits

You may have noticed our old long jump pit is no longer operational due to the new transportable on the oval. The long term plan had always been to move the pits and expand to two pits to accommodate our large cohorts and hosting interschool events. While the transportable has made this more urgent, it is an unexpected cost that the school needs to absorb. The cost is quite considerable due to the need to excavate the area and properly reinforce the pits with limestone and soft fall for longevity and safety.

Following a discussion at the last School Board meeting, parent Don Frost proposed a plan to reduce the costs significantly through a community busy bee. Thanks to Don for his support coordinating this. Once the plan has been finalised, we will be asking for parent volunteers to assist with the project. It will be a great way for the community to work together to support our kids. We will advertise widely once dates are ready. Mr Bowman and Mrs Watson will be very grateful to have these in place ready for athletics training in Term 3 ahead of our Faction Athletics Carnival on Thursday 19 August and the Interschool events in September.

Collaborate, Connect, Communicate.

Yours in learning

Executive Admin Team

Tamara, Alan, Rachel and Melinda