Newsletter Week 2 Term 3, 2023 – Message from Principal, 2024 Pre-primary Enrolment, Book Week Parade, Faction Athletics Carnivals, Children’s Crossings, Bike Rack, P&C – Umbrella’s, Cookbooks , Tea Towels and Olive Oil

Message from Principal

Dear parents and caregivers

It was very pleasing to see our students looking bright eyed and enthusiastic on the first day back this Term.

At the end of last Term, we farewelled our Deputy Principal, Mrs Stacey Hunter and as of the first day of Term 3 we are delighted to welcome Ms Jemma Bryan to our Administration Team in the role of Deputy Principal. Jemma brings a wealth of knowledge and has had many years of experience in this role.

At the heart of our drive for continuous improvement is the development of a ‘high performance – high care culture”.

In building on and strengthening such a culture in our school we will continue to embed our core values of courtesy, courage, accountability, respect, empathy, equity and service (CARES) in everything we do. Taking this approach means every teacher-student interaction becomes an opportunity to promote our values and to develop a shared understanding of what each value means. Wembley Primary School teachers are aware of the potential their interactions and behaviour have to influence the mental health and resiliency of our students.

Continually the Staff at Wembley Primary School try to impress upon the students the importance of courtesy, respect and the notion of emotional intelligence. We do this because we strongly believe that one of the most important things we can teach our students is respect and managing their emotions.

“Values such as respect are the seeds from which all behaviour grows.”

This quote drives our agenda to ensure Wembley Primary School is ‘value-centred’ and respect is threefold – respect for self; respect for others; and respect for our place / our school community.

Research clearly shows that students who demonstrate compassion, respect, responsibility, perseverance, initiative, and integrity have parents/mentors who demonstrate these qualities on a regular basis.

The best way for us to teach respect to our students is to show respect. When a student experiences respect, they know what it feels like and begin to understand how important it is.

Respect is a valued attitude. Being respectful helps a student succeed in life. If students don’t have respect for peers, authority, or themselves, it can be difficult for them to succeed.

How can we show respect?

• Be honest – If you do something wrong, admit it and apologise.
• Be positive – Don’t embarrass, insult or make fun of others. Compliment them.
• Be trusting – Make choices and take responsibility.
• Be fair – Listen to others before reaching a conclusion.
• Be polite – Use “please” and “thank you”.
• Be reliable – Keep promises. Show that you mean what you say.
• Be a good listener – Give others your full attention.
• Follow the rules.
• Be caring – Show concern for people, animals and the environment.
• Avoid poor role models – When you see examples of disrespect, discuss them.
• Respect yourself. Self-respect is one of the essential forms of respect. Once we appreciate ourselves, it is easier to respect others.

Every member of staff has a contribution to make to this culture and we will be seeking feedback on how we are going. We will be utilising the Community Culture Survey and will seek feedback from staff and parents. The survey will be available for completion on Monday 31 July and will close on Monday 14 August. Access information will be provided by the 28 July.

Our Term 3 calendar is full of exciting teaching and learning opportunities for our students. Every week has some activities and events scheduled. Pre-primary students have engaged in a Sea Shepherd incursion today and throughout the Term we will have the Book Week Parade, Interschool Sports, Science Week, One Big Voice, Literacy and Numeracy Week, Senior Choir Concert, Art Showcase, RUOK Day and our much loved Inquiry Showcase. The Inquiry Showcase is an event that is valued by the school community, so please make sure you save the date – Friday 15 September 3.30pm to 6.30pm.

Yours in learning

Julie

Julie Woodhouse

Principal