From the Principal
Dear Waddington Parents/Carers,
We have had an excellent start to the term and our students have been actively engaged in their learning. We received the preliminary results for NAPLAN and we are exceptionally positive about our students results, with a large majority of our students being in the ‘Strong’ category, especially in Year 5. Our commitment to Explicit Direct Instruction with daily reviews happening every day in Maths and Literacy has meant our students are making solid progress. We have also invested in an assessment program called Elastik which is utilised by a number of schools in WA. Elastik use our school data to help our teachers look at the gaps in student’s knowledge. We are then able to ensure we fill these gaps which may be prohibiting them from progressing. At Waddington PS, we want to ensure all of our students are making progress, no matter their starting point and this is another way to ensure this occurs.
We greatly appreciate everyone’s understanding with the change in date for swimming lessons which will be for 2 weeks commencing Monday 14th August. The weather is still very cold, so please ensure your child has a warm towel packed and jumper. Thankfully, the lessons are in the afternoon. Swimming is an essential part of our lives here in Australia and swimming lessons are mandated by the Department of Education for students in Western Australia.
On the 16th August we will be celebrating SuperHIRO Wednesday. This is where students get to dress up as their favourite superheroes for a gold coin donation to bring awareness to National Bullying Prevention Week. We take the issue of bullying incredibly seriously and we work tirelessly to foster a safe and nurturing environment for all our students. We firmly believe in promoting a culture of respect, empathy, and kindness, where every individual feels valued and protected. Our dedicated staff are trained to recognize and address bullying promptly, working closely with students, parents, and the wider community to prevent and address such behaviours. By fostering open communication and fostering a supportive atmosphere, we aim to empower our students to stand up against bullying and cultivate an inclusive school community where everyone can thrive without fear. Together, we actively work to create a positive and uplifting environment that nurtures the potential of each and every child. I have included some information in our Friendly Schools Plus section about how to talk to your child about bullying.
Our staff are currently working on our Good Standing Policy which will be implemented alongside our Behaviour Management and Bullying Policies to assist with ensuring positive behaviours across our schools. Last week, Education Minister, Dr Tony Buti, announced a new initiative outlining how families can help to keep schools safe by preventing violence. Connect and Respect is a guide that clearly outlines what is expected when parents and school staff engage. It was sent home last week with students and you are encouraged to read through the information.
Our Ready! Set! Kindy! program is set to start in WEEK 5 Friday, 18th August. We encourage families who have a Kindy aged child in 2024 to enrol as soon as possible to ensure they are able to access this excellent program run by Mrs Ruthven. This is another way Waddington PS is ensuring our students have a strong foundation for their schooling life. We are committed to giving our students the best opportunities in their education.
Lastly, a reminder that students are required to wear their school uniforms to school. There are a number of students who are wearing hooded jumpers instead of school jumpers. We would appreciate it if parents could ensure students are wearing school jumpers or a plain red/grey jumper with no hood. Students are able to wear hooded rain jackets over their jumpers as these are taken off before class. A reminder that you can put an order in for our uniform shop at the front office or it is open every Friday in Block 3 from 2:50pm.
Kind regards,
Jemima Tomlinson
Principal
Friendly Schools – What to do about bullying
From the Administration Team
Interm Swimming
Just a reminder that swimming lessons commence Monday 14th August at Balga Leisure Centre. Notes went home last week and we ask families to please return their forms and make payments by no later than Friday 11th August. The cost for the bus this year will be $64 per student and if families need to make payment in instalments please come and see Mrs Jones in the front office.
Thank you in advance for your cooperation with this matter.
Term 3 Planner
The term planner is updated regularly and below are some important dates to be aware of for this term.
Please refer to the Term Planner page under the ‘Community’ tab for the most up-to-date events for term 3 (but this may be subject to change so please check regularly).
Important Dates
31st July 2023 – Balga SHS excursion (11.45am – 1pm)
1st August 2023 – EduDance
3rd August 2023 – Science Incursion
4th August 2023 – Assembly – Room 1
7th August 2023 – Balga SHS excursion (11.45am – 1pm)
8th August 2023 – EduDance
14th August 2023 – Interm swimming lessons
15th August 2023 – Interm swimming lessons
15th August 2023 – EduDance
16th August 2023 – Interm swimming lessons
17th August 2023 – Interm swimming lessons
18th August 2023 – Interm swimming lessons
18th August 2023 – Bullying NoWay Day!
18th August 2023 – Ready! Set! Kindy! transition program 10.30am – 12.30pm
Active Body, Active Mind………
Room 9 – Our Future Leaders
It’s been a wild time in Room 9!
There is never a dull moment for us in Room 9. How fabulous it is to share our learning, which is coming along in leaps and bounds.
This term our dramatic play corner has been turned into a Vet clinic, with the class helping our sick animal friends from all over the world with their illnesses. The phone rings off the hook as we take calls and bandage up our patients.
We have found our creative flair, as we become more familiar with constructing creations. Our engineering skills are constantly evolving in the block corner, as we explore ways we can be sheltered from the weather. Without a doubt our favourite centres are playdough, maker table and painting which always produce fantastical inventions and fabulous food creations.
In Literacy we recounted a Teddy Bear’s picnic. We wrote the bears an invitation, brainstormed the type of sandwiches they would enjoy and made these all by ourselves. Sitting together eating lunch that we made ourselves made us feel very proud and independent! We explored how to use a ruler and made a patterned picnic rug artwork, which combined different mediums to depict our picnic.
In Maths we have been exploring 2D shapes and we created some amazing mobiles that hang in our room and often whirl in the wind with the weather we have had lately.
In Science we have started to explore weather, the seasons and what changes we see. We enjoy making cumulative artworks, and our latest project is sure to impress with each of the collaged elements being individual and unique. We chose clothes that we could wear in Summer or Winter and giggled together as we tried to fit into adult versions of these!
We have learned some new life skills from incursions with St John Ambulance and Bullying No Way, listened to stories, and made new friends with our visitors. We even got to try on some Ambulance uniforms! Our turn taking and sharing skills have come such a long way that we are now able to play a board game with a few friends which makes us very proud.
Community Notices
Saver Plus – The Smith Family
Like many families in WA, your family may also be experiencing the impact of cost-of-living challenges. Saver Plus helps empower families with money skills and assist with school expenses by rewarding them for saving.
What is Saver Plus?
Saver Plus is a free online community money skills program funded by ANZ and the Australian Government, and delivered by The Smith Family in WA:
· helping people to hit their savings goals,
· develop life-long savings habits, and
· receive up to $500 in matched savings from ANZ to assist with school expenses.
Please note an Eligibility criteria applies.
It takes a village!
Please see the flyer below with some information for families with children aged 0 to 5 years who have been living in Australia for less than 5 years.
