Newsletter – Week 10, Term 1, 2022 – Message from Admin Team, Important Dates and Information, Interschool Swimming Carnival – Champion School, Canteen, Entertainment Membership Fundraising, Wembley Cook Book, Wembley Family Fun Day, Tennis Term 2, Young Engineers Club Term 2, Chess Club Term 2, Community News – Wests Scarborough Rugby Club, YMCC Junior Hockey – Girls in Years 5 and 6

Message from the Executive Administration Team

Dear parents and caregivers

As we approach the holidays, we can reflect on a very different start to the year. There have been significant challenges which have impacted on student, staff and community wellbeing. I know the school community is tired and fatigued and will be welcoming the chance to reset and regroup as families. While COVID has been a large part of the term, we have also had a very productive term in classrooms with our students continuing to be engaged in high quality learning planned by our teachers and EAs. We look forward to another term of creativity and engagement in Term 2.

Farewell Mr Ramsey

This Friday is Mr Alan Ramsey’s last day at Wembley PS after almost 13 years at the school. While we would normally hold a farewell assembly with the community invited to attend, with the current restrictions we have had to modify how we say goodbye. At 2:50pm on Friday, we will gather for a brief farewell on the basketball courts, physically distancing our Year 3-6 students around the basketball court to say goodbye and acknowledge Alan for his service to our school over many years. Mr Ramsey has always had the community and your children at the heart of everything he does, we would like to send him off in a special way to thank him. The community is welcome to come along as it is just before pick-up time and outdoors but please wear your masks.

Holiday reporting – positive cases:

As you will hopefully have seen, a new positive case reporting system has been established to improve the way the Admin team process communications about students and household members testing positive for COVID-19. Over the holidays, the Admin team will be taking a break and the school email address will not be monitored regularly.

During the holiday break, please report positive cases of WPS students only via this link here, which is also on the school’s COVID-19 tab. We will need to report positive cases to the Department at the conclusion of the holidays. During the school term, please also use this form to notify the school if a household member tests positive. It is not necessary to report household members during the holiday break.

If your child does test positive on the first weekend of the school holidays, a notification will be sent directly to affected families, as the 48 hours before a positive test is classified as the infectious period.

Thank you to all families for how you have engaged with the school throughout this term. The positive culture at Wembley PS has ensured we have weathered the bumps in the road and kept our students learning and engaged, whether it be at home or in class. We greatly value this community partnership and thank the School Board and P&C for their unwavering support and understanding. While it’s not over yet, we feel prepared and ready to keep responding to the pandemic in the coming months and will continue doing all we can to keep learning but also the health and wellbeing of both students and staff at the centre of all we do.

Teaching and Learning

Poetry:

As we approach ANZAC Day and our own school service on Friday, the Year 6s in Room 18 have been exploring poetry around this important commemorative national event. This original poem bv Drea, Jessie and Juliette in Room 18 was written for our school service. What a powerful piece of creativity from these talented students. I’m sure you will agree that the imagery and vocabulary is seriously impressive. Thank you Drea, Jessie and Juliette for sharing your poem, which will be read aloud by Drea at the service on Friday.

Engagement and Relationships

School Board:

A link to the election has been sent to all parents and carers with an email address registered for the school. The email has been sent using School Survey, which is the Department of Education WA’s platform for these types of elections. Each nominee has provided a short bio and you have a unique election link for voting. The election closes this Friday 8 April at 8pm. It is hoped we will be able to announce the successful parent representatives by the end of Week 1, following verification of the results.

ANZAC Day:

This Friday 8 April at 9am, the last day of Term 1, we will be holding a COVID safe ANZAC Day event to pay our respects to those who have protected our country’s way of life in years gone by. Students will be in their classrooms watching the live event, with Year 6s reading poems and The Year 6 Petite Chorale singing. Former WPS student Ethan Turnbull will also be returning to play The Last Post and Reveille.

While we can’t have parents and special guests attend this event, we are glad that we can pay our respects ahead of the official day on the 25 April.

Two students from each year level in Years 1-6 will lay a posy of flowers at the base of the flag pole during the service. Thank you to the P&C and parents who have volunteered to assist with this. A huge thank you to Julia Foulsham who has volunteered to make a wreath for the service.

Have a safe and wonderful holiday break.

Yours in learning

The Senior Leadership Team

Tamara, Milani, Alan, Rachel and Natalie