Newsletter Week 8 Term 4 – Message from Administration, Family Fun Day, AMC Awards, Basketball Champions Cup, Library Book Returns, Picture Plates, Canteen

Message from Administration

Dear parents and caregivers

What an incredible event on Saturday for our Wembley PS P&C Family Fun Day and Carols by Candelight! The community effort in staging this once every four years event can’t be underestimated. It revealed what a wonderfully supportive, dedicated and giving community we have at Wembley.

Leading up to and on the day of the event, so many parents and caregivers worked on sourcing donations and items for hampers, cultivating plants for the plant sale, collecting books, creating gift packs, planning the sausage sizzle, baking for the cake stall, money collecting…the list goes on. When you stop to consider the time, effort and generosity of our community, it is just astounding. Thank you to every parent and caregiver who gave their time and energy to support our P&C and therefore our school, ultimately for the direct benefit of your children.

Overseeing this whole event has been the P&C Fundraising sub-committee of Victoria Martelli, Therri Tay, Bec Guy, Susan Havlin, Honor Borg and Bailey Stewart in conjunction with the P&C President Danielle Clyne and Executive Committee of Abhishek Baxi, Delvene Mercer, Ashe Seaton, Lauren Barendrecht, Jake Delaney, Nat Ramsay and Lauren Riley.

Getting closer to the day, Victoria Martelli worked tirelessly coordinating this event, working almost a full-time role as a volunteer and countless hours liaising with stallholders, the council, school and class reps and P&C members to ensure the day was successful. Thank you Victoria for your work on making the day so successful. Bec Guy also made an enormous contribution by organising the highly professional musical entertainment for the day and the Carols by Candelight. It was such a terrific way to end the night and I thank Bec for all her work in adding this special element to the Family Fun Day.

Our staff also worked away in the background to bring attention to sustainability through the Eco Warriors stall. Kate McWilliams, Jessica Stacey and Leila Sugden worked with students on bee baths, bee hotels and beeswax wraps for the stall and gave their time on a weekend to staff the stall. Thank you also to Emma Jackson, Kelsey Edmondson, Laura Smith, Simone Brown and Toni Whitaker who also helped out on the day at the stall.

Let’s not forget the dunking tank too! Mr Bowman, Mr Tait, Ms Sugden, Mrs McCarthy and myself all had a thorough dunking on the day. Our students were quite enthusiastic about taking their turn to dunk us and we hopefully raised a few funds along the way! All great fun!

The P&C will update us soon on the final fundraising figure and we will share this with community before the end of term. Thanks again to everyone for showing your support.

Student Leadership:

This afternoon, our new student leaders for 2023 were announced at a special assembly. Our outgoing Year 6 student leaders welcomed in our new leaders in front of our Year 3-6 students, parents and staff. We look forward to welcoming our new student leaders into the role next year. We have no doubt they have all the qualities needed to succeed and be great role models for our younger students in their final year of primary school.

Mike Harrod Retirement Assembly:

This Friday afternoon at 2:40pm, we will be holding a special assembly for Year 5 teacher Mr Mike Harrod, who is retiring from teaching after 15 years at Wembley PS and a total of 34 years with the Department of Education. Our Year 3-6 students will be at the assembly as will current and past staff and Mr Harrod’s family and friends. We would love for the community to join us at 2:40pm in the undercover area for the event, particularly if you or your child has been taught by Mr Harrod over the years.

Mr Harrod has had an enormous impact on our school community in his time at Wembley. A calm, considered and knowledgeable educator, Mr Harrod has an incredible rapport with students, staff and parents/caregivers. We will miss his wonderful sense of humour and quick wit. It would be wonderful for parents and caregivers to come and show their appreciation as we officially farewell Mike into retirement. Our students will be singing and I will be thanking Mr Harrod on behalf of the Director-General for his lengthy service to public education.

Teaching and Learning

Artist Spotlight:

Year 5 students in Room 24 have created some wonderfully imaginative mixed-media creations this term. What an interesting and diverse range of sculptures they created to fit the ‘Art of the Strange’ theme!

Junior and Senior Talent Quests:

Over the past two Fridays, starting with our senior students and followed by our junior students last week, some very talented and courageous students took to the stage to entertain their peers, staff and the community.

For those families with younger students or not familiar with the talent quest model, students can nominate to perform a short musical item in front of an audience. This year, we had singers, pianists, guitarists, drummers and more. Students can opt to perform solo or with friends. It is an opportunity for creative expression but also the chance to gain experience in front of a crowd. What energy and talent we have in our school! Thank you to Mrs Kate Humphreys for supporting our students to harness this talent and share it with the world. There is so much organisation that goes into these events and we are so grateful for our staff and parents for supporting the talent quests. I also thank our adjudicators Mrs Mary-anne Goyder and Mrs Patricia Hawkes.

A huge thank you to parent Bec Guy, who works with many of our students and assists Mrs Humphreys to stage the event. Thank you for supporting our budding musicians.

Community Engagement

Business Plan:

Thank you to the School Board and parent focus group participants who have worked with the school leadership team this term to provide input and feedback on the school’s new Business Plan. After months of reflection and collaboration, the plan is nearing the final stages of being in draft form.

The new Business Plan sets out the school’s strategic directions for the next three years and will focus on; excellence in teaching and learning, a positive school culture, ensuring all students are supported to achieve success and a connected community.

Early in Term 1, 2023 we will launch the new Business Plan to the community and share these improvement strategies and targets which will drive professional learning for staff, resourcing, recruitment and partnerships with the community.

Connect, Collaborate, Communicate, Care

Yours in learning

Tamara, Milani, Stacey and Natalie