Newsletter 6 – Waddington Primary School

From the Principal

Dear Waddington Families

As we fast approach the end of Semester 2, I would like to celebrate our wins so far this year at Waddington. Staff are collaborating with East Kalgoorlie Primary School in the space of cultural responsiveness and Reconciliation. Our Family Afternoon Teas are going well with over 12 families in attendance; we have another afternoon tea booked on Wednesday this week at 1:45pm in the staff room. Bring young children, a dish of food, or just pop in by yourself. All are welcome.

Whole school training on the Berry Street Education Model is planned for the beginning of Term 4; our sports programs have moved from strength to strength after winning the Sporting Schools Grant and being able to engage coaches from AFL, Football, Netball, Table Tennis, Tennis and Golf. The Artist in Residence is providing opportunities for our students to collect natural materials from the bush land around the school and use them to draw, make dyes and create a sculpture.

We have had fun with the Robotics from SciTech STEM club, Bailey our Story Dog listens to individual students read each week. Our student leaders attended a Leadership Conference at the Perth Convention Centre, along with over 200 other Student Leaders from around the Perth area.

This Friday, our Year 3 to 6 students are attending the Lightning Carnival at North Balga Primary School. We wish them lots of luck and will be cheering them on from Waddington!

School reports will be coming home to you in Week 11. Kindy reports will be coming home on Wednesday 26^th June, Pre-Primary to year 6 students will have their reports on Thursday 27^th June. The last day of this term is P&C Crazy Hair Day. There will be prizes for the wackiest hair styles out there, so be creative everyone!

Waddington Primary School may have less students than our neighbouring schools, but we do not lack in experiences and opportunities.

I am happy to be with you on this journey as we grow from strength to strength.

We would also like to welcome back Mr Tait (our school Gardener) from extended leave.

With warm wishes to you all.

Kind regards,

Katherine Chivers

Principal

From the Administration Team

Term 2 Planner

The term planner is updated regularly and below are some important dates to be aware of for term 2.

Please refer to the Term Planner page under the ‘Community’ tab for the most up-to-date events for the term (but this may be subject to change so please check regularly).

Important Dates

12th June 2024 – Multicultural Afternoon Tea – Staff Room 1.45pm – 2.30pm

14th June 2024 – Interschool Lightning Carnival

26th June 2024 – Kindy Reports home

27th June 2024 – Pre-Primary to Year 6 Reports home

28th June 2024 – P&C Crazy Hair Day

28th June 2024 – Term 2 2024 ends

15th July 2024 – Term 3 Commences for Staff and Students

WA Student Assistance Payment (WASAP)

The WA Student Assistance Payment (WASAP) is from the state government. Parents and carers of eligible students can claim the payment to help with the cost of schooling.

The payment for a:

primary school student, including Kindergarten, is $150
secondary school student is $250.

Claims are open. The last date to receive claims is 28th June 2024.

Claim process

The preferred method for claims is through the ServiceWA app. If parents and carers are unable to claim through ServiceWA, there are alternative ways to submit a claim.

In order of preference, a claimant can use the:

Claimants must send the printable claim form to:

Department of Education
Reply Paid 85719
East Perth WA 6892

Everyday counts!

Perth Wildcats Inspire Program

We have been lucky enough to be included in the Perth Wildcats Inspire program. This is a mentoring program designed to help students set and work towards measurable goals. The program is going to run with our Year 3 and 4 students next semester. It involves 2 players attending school twice a week for a month (8 visits) to work with the students. At the end of the month long visits, 5 of the Wildcats players will come and play a game against a representative team from students in the program, the whole school can attend and watch. The Wildcats will bring an MC, music, and giveaways as if it was a real Perth Wildcats Game night!

The dates scheduled are:

Friday 19th July
Tuesday 23rd July
Friday 26th July
Tuesday 30th July
Friday 2nd August
Tuesday 6th August
Friday 9th August
Tuesday 13th August
Wildcats Inspire Game – Friday 16th August.

The Wildcats will check back in with the students for the rest of the semester to see how they are progressing with their goals and provide milestone prizes as students reach their targets.

We are very excited to be part of this program and look forward to welcoming the players to Waddington next term.

Free internet for unconnected families with school-aged students

School Student Broadband Initiative provides free home internet for unconnected families with school-aged students until 31 December 2025.

The Australian Government School Student Broadband Initiative (SSBI) is offering free home internet for eligible families with school-aged students until 31 December 2025.

To be eligible, families must:

have no active broadband service
have a device capable of accessing the internet
live in premises where they can access a standard NBN service
have a child living at home who is enrolled in an Australian school.

The free broadband starts from the day the service is activated with a participating internet provider. Families will not be placed on a paid service by the internet provider at the end of the free service without consent.

For more information and a list of participating internet providers, visit NBN Co School Student Broadband Initiative or call 1800 626 269.

If you think you are eligible and want to self-nominate for the free broadband offer:

call the National Referral Centre on 1800 954 610 (Monday to Friday, 10 am to 6 pm Australian Eastern Daylight-saving Time)
visit the School Student Broadband Initiative website.

For technical support in more than 100 regional and remote communities throughout Western Australia, contact your local Community Resource Centre.

NCCD on School Students with Disability

Please click on the download button below for further information regarding Nationally Consistent Collection of Data.

NCCD-Letter-for-Parents Download

Breakfast Club – Thank you Woolworths Mirrabooka!

We would like to acknowledge with thanks Woolworths Mirrabooka for supporting our schools breakfast club, our students appreciate you!

From the School Nurse

Asthma – What Is It?

As we breathe, air moves in and out of the lungs through branching airways.

People with asthma have sensitive or ‘twitchy’ airways. When they are exposed to certain ‘triggers’ (e.g. cigarette smoke), their airways narrow making it hard for them to breathe.

The three main factors that cause this narrowing of the airways are:

The inside lining of the airways becomes red and swollen (inflamed).
The muscle around the airway tightens.
Extra mucus is produced.

What are the main symptoms of asthma?

Wheezing – a high pitched raspy sound on breathing
Coughing
Shortness of breath
Tightness in the chest

These symptoms vary from person to person, and from time to time within the same person. Some people have all the symptoms, while some may only have a cough or wheeze. Symptoms can also vary considerably in intensity.

For more information visit: http://www.asthmawa.org.au

We don’t really know why some people have extra sensitive airways and others don’t, but we do know that many people are born with a tendency to develop asthma. There is often a history of asthma, eczema or hay fever in brothers, sisters and parents or close relatives. Asthma can occur for the first time at any age.

There is evidence that contact with certain things, for example cigarette smoke during pregnancy and early childhood, increases the risk of developing asthma.

Asthma First Aid

Children with asthma can quickly become seriously ill. Asthma needs to be taken seriously. A child with a serious asthma attack may not sound wheezy, but may be pale, quiet and/or breathing with quick shallow gasps.

If a someone is short of breath and wheezing from asthma, follow his or her Asthma Management Plan, or these first aid steps:

Step 1 – Sit the person upright, remain calm and help the person stay calm. Do not leave the person alone.
Step 2 – Quickly give four puffs of a reliever puffer (blue puffer), one puff at a time. This is best given through a spacer. Ask the person to take four breaths from the spacer after each puff. Use the puffer on its own if no spacer is available.
Step 3 – Wait four minutes. If there is little or no improvement, repeat steps 2 & 3.
Step 4 – If there is still little or no improvement, call an ambulance immediately – 000.
Continue to repeat steps two and three while waiting for the ambulance.

For more information about asthma and asthma first aid, go to www.asthmawa.org.au

Asthma – Tips For Parents

If your child lives with asthma:

Find out and control or reduce trigger factors if possible, for example; by reducing exposure to household dust, or keeping pets outside.
Keep your home and car smoke free.
Watch for signs of asthma when your child has a cold. Be ready to start the asthma management plan as soon as symptoms appear.
If your child is unwell, tired and not full of energy, check with a doctor to assess if asthma management needs to be improved or changed.
Help your child to take as much responsibility as possible for managing his or her own asthma.

Asthma And Exercise

Children with asthma should be encouraged to exercise or take part in sport, in order to strengthen their chest muscles and to keep fit. For some children, exercise may trigger an asthma attack. Children who cough, wheeze or become extremely breathless with exercise should be seen by a doctor.

Using reliever medication, prescribed by your Doctor, before exercise, will reduce symptoms for most children who have asthma.

It is important to teach children how they can prevent their asthma attacks by using a puffer. Guidelines for the management of asthma and exercise are available through the Asthma Foundation of WA website www.asthmawa.org.au.

Room 5 – Learning all about the world

We can’t believe we are nearing the end of Term 2 already. It is a busy term for our class with so many exciting events for our Year 5 and 6 students, including preparing for our Interschool Lightning Carnival, our assembly, the Science incursion, National Storytime.

In the classroom, we have been making significant strides in various subjects. In Maths, we have been building on our goals set during our Three-Way-Interviews, focusing on multiplication and division. The students are becoming more confident in tackling complex problems and applying their skills in different contexts. In English, we have started reading the novel Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Last Friday our class performed a unique version of Holes by Louis Sachar at our assembly. This showcased their creativity, teamwork, and developed their narrative writing skills, connecting to their goals set in our Three-Way-Interviews.

In HASS, the students are engaged in a project about countries around the world. They are researching and summarising information found using the Kiddle search engine, developing their skills in digital literacy and critical thinking. In STEM, we have had some engaging visits from Mrs. London from Balga SHS. During her visits, the students participated in activities that emphasized group work and engineering concepts, such as designing and building structures that can support several books.

Outside of the classroom, we have been diligently preparing for our Interschool Lightning Carnival in Week 9. Our students will compete in netball, AFL, and soccer against other schools. Each team has made remarkable progress in both teamwork and individual skills. We are eagerly looking forward to a fun and competitive day, hoping for good weather.

Leadership is a cornerstone of our class culture. Our students are regularly called upon to support the school with various responsibilities. They lead the recycling of paper and manage our Containers for Change 10-cent recycling program. They also take charge of managing sports equipment, planning and coaching activities for younger students, and making announcements to the school. These leadership roles help them develop essential life skills and contribute positively to our school community.

Community Notices

Dianella Secondary College – Girls in STEM Day (Years 4 – 6)

Dianella Secondary College is proud to announce our Girls In STEM Day, scheduled for Thursday, 20^th June (Week 10) from 9:00am to 2:30pm.

Parents will be required to arrange transport for their child to and from Dianella Secondary College.

If you have any questions or require further information about the Girls In STEM Day, please do not hesitate to contact Kat Salisbury at (08) 9345 9200.

Please see the flyer below with information on how to register for this event.