From the Principal
Dear Waddington Families,
As we move towards the end 2024, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to you all for your ongoing support and commitment. This year has been my fifth year at Waddington, but the first as Principal. It has been such a rewarding, challenging, exciting year. I look forward to working with you all in 2025 to continue our journey on making this school the best learning environment that we can for our students.
There have been so many highlights for us all this year. We welcomed the Perth Wildcats into our school to support goals set by the Year 3 / 4 students. We had the school excursion to Brownes Dairy, began the Family Afternoon Teas, forged links with East Kalgoorlie PS working in alignment with best practice standards set by the Department of Education’s Quality Teaching Strategy, Teaching for Impact. Mr Longman has changed the physical environment through the creation of a mural that represents, through plants and animals, the country of origin of those who responded to our survey.
Our Artist in Residence, Jodie Davidson, has brought change into our art room through incorporating natural materials in sculpture that you would have seen displayed at our Christmas Carols on Friday.
We welcomed TheirCare OHSC to Waddington this year, but sadly they will not be continuing to provide this service moving forwards. The numbers of students registered for the program have not been sufficient to make the program financially viable. Families in need of Out of Hours Care can approach the Hangout in Mirrabooka who drop off and collect students to our school.
I wish you all a Happy Holiday and send best wishes. I am sorry that I cannot be here for Week 9, I have had to travel overseas following a family bereavement.
With warm wishes,
Ms Katherine Chivers
Principal
From the Administration Team
Colour Run
We held the Colour Run on Friday, November 22nd. It was a very successful afternoon with the children having a wonderful time. Thank you to the P&C for organising this event and to the staff who helped set up and man the stations around the obstacle course.
Community Christmas Carols
What a beautiful evening we had on Friday! Thank you to all of our families who came together to share this special event with us. It was wonderful to see so many of you enjoying the activities, delicious food supplied by the P&C and the children’s concert.
Thank you to the Girrawheen Lions Club for bringing their popular ride-on train, the Balga Junior Football Club for running their skills clinic, Helen Burgess who represented the Smith Family, the City of Wanneroo waste education team for providing the pop-up stand, students who ran their own craft stalls and our Artist-in-residence, Jodie Davidson, for setting up the Art Exhibition showcasing the wonderful work the students have completed with her this year.
The children and their families enjoyed face painting, giant games, basketball, soccer, Christmas Art and Crafts, a special visit from Father Christmas and were able to view our new mural all manned and completed by our talented Waddington staff!
Thank you to local Noongar Elders Dot Henry, Donelle Slater and Dulcie Donaldson who performed the Welcome to Country to begin our concert. We also appreciated City of Wanneroo Deputy Major and our School Board Chair, James Rowe, for attending and celebrating this special time of the year with us. A special thank you to our P&C President, Hasija Oreb, for coordinating the amazing food stall with her band of supporters.
Last but not least thank you to the students and staff of Waddington who worked so hard to put on an entertaining evening and concert for our community to enjoy. It was worth all of the hard work to see the smiles on the faces of our children and their families!
Term 4 Planner and Term 1 2025 date reminders
The term planner is updated regularly and below are some important dates to be aware of for the remaining two weeks of Term 4.
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).
Term 1 2025 commences for students on Wednesday 5 February. On Monday 3 February and Tuesday 4 February 2025 we have our Staff Development Days and students do not attend.
The front office will re-open Wednesday 29 January 2025 for any families who require information, new enrolments or wish to purchase new uniforms.
Wishing all our families a safe and relaxing holiday and we look forward to seeing you all back in 2025!
Important Dates
2 December 2024 – Newsletter
4 December 2024 – Reports sent home with students
5 December 2024 – Year 6 Outback Splash Excursion
6 December 2024 – Wildcats evening game
9 December 2024 – End of Year Book Awards and Year 6 Graduation
11 December 2024 – Graduation Dinner
12 December 2024 – Term 4 ends for students
13 December 2024 – Staff Development Day – Students do not attend (Please note the office will be closed from 12pm on this day).
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.
Everyday counts!
From TheirCare – Before and After School Care
Look what our students have been up to with TheirCare this term.
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
Healthy Eating
Healthy Eating For Families
In our modern society, very few of us use up enough energy to take on the extra calories of ‘treat’ food and drinks. The Australian Dietary Guidelines provide up-to-date advice about the amount and kinds of foods and drinks that we need regularly, for health and well-being.
By providing your family with the recommended amounts from the Five Food Groups and limiting the foods that are high in saturated fat, added sugars and added salt, your family will get enough of the nutrients essential for good health, growth and development. A healthy diet reduces the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity and some cancers.
The amount of food your child will need from the Five Food Groups depends on their age, gender, height, weight and physical activity levels. For further information go to www.eatforhealth.gov.au
What Should Children Eat?
Try and follow these basic guidelines when deciding what to feed your children:
- Include 2 fruit and 5 vegetable serves into the daily routine.
- Serve lean meats, fish, chicken and dairy. Remember eggs and nuts!
- Choose wholegrain bread and cereal.
- Limit saturated fat intake and reduce total fat intake.
- Limit fast food like chips and pastries.
- Limit sugary drinks and offer water or low fat milk instead.
- Limit lollies, chocolate, biscuits, cakes and other foods with a high sugar content.
Following these guidelines will help our children to be healthy children. For further information go to www.eatforhealth.gov.au
Healthy Food Children Will Love!
- Blend fruit with milk and a spoonful of low fat yoghurt to make a smoothie.
- Freeze fruit (such as grapes, pear or banana).
- Top toast with ricotta cheese, banana slices and cinnamon.
- Cut vegies into bite-sized pieces.
- Mix chopped tomato and green capsicum with baked beans. Put the mixture on toast, or in a baked potato, and sprinkle with low-fat cheese.
- Add cooked vegetables to lightly beaten eggs. Melt some polyunsaturated margarine in a pan and cook the mixture gently over low heat until eggs are firm.
Remember to use a cool bag or put a bottle of frozen water in the lunch box to keep food cool at school. Keep lunches interesting by including salads, wraps and dips with cut up vegies. For more recipes children will love, go to www.freshforkids.com.au
Ms Mel Arnson
School Nurse
Room 9 – Learning and Building Confidence everyday!
As another year comes to an end we in Room 9 are taking time to reflect on the amazing achievements and progress we have made across the school year. We cannot believe the milestones we have reached. It really is something to be celebrated and we are so proud to share what we have learned.
Over the last Term our confidence has grown and we have been practising how to use big voices that can be heard by an audience. We employed our new confidence to perform the Wanjoo song alongside Room 4 at assembly. In class we have been telling object-based news. We can now describe an object as well as ask thoughtful questions related to it.
As part of Talk For Writing, we refined our researching skills to gather information about sheep, which we then formulated into a short non-fiction text. We learned about their features and painted a sheep to display alongside our writing. We even used our ever-evolving design skills to make a sheep out of carboard using our ‘Make-Do’ kits. Our narrative focus was The Three Little Pigs. We particularly enjoyed acting out the story in our dramatic play area, and had fun changing our voices to suit the little pigs or nasty wolf character.
In Science we have continued to build on our knowledge of the living world and how it impacts us. We explored features of animals and discovered the magic of shadows. We considered how we can change the position of our hands to make it look like various animals. We considered how an animal’s features makes it recognisable, and how our hands could create these features. We also conducted numerous experiments. Our favourite explored how plants take up water. To do this, we put flowers in coloured water and observed the colour travelling up the stems to the petals.
In Health we have been learning how to solve friendship problems that can arise when playing. We have learned it is important listen to each other, say how we feel, try a solution, then seek help from safe adults if we are still having trouble.
In Geography we have learned all about ‘place’. We have explored the features of our local area, as well as other special and important places we know. Recently, we have taken a closer look at the features of our wonderful school and have really enjoyed learning how to draw maps of our playground and classroom.
Being the final term of school there have also been so many extracurricular activities which have been listed as our highlights of our year. First, swimming lessons, where we showed persistence to ‘just keep swimming’. This also helped us explore our local area in person, and lead us to search up Balga pool as a feature in our local area. We showed great courage at the Colour Run, where we tried some things which gave us good nerves. Activities like sliding down the slip and slide and climbing obstacle course equipment had us feel butterflies at first but then we realised we loved it. We are very appreciative of all the effort that goes into organising events at our school as we get to have so much fun participating. We have been practising hard for Christmas carols and cannot wait to share one last special event of the year as a connected community.
Community Notices
WA Rent Relief Program
Please see below a new program created by the WA Government, Anglicare WA and Vinnies. Call 1800 979 777 for further information.
METRONET ‘Hello Ellenbrook’ Community Fair!
Join us for the Hello Ellenbrook Event on Sunday, 8 December, from 9:30 am to 2 pm!
This free, family-friendly event celebrates the opening of the new Morely-Ellenbrook Line with activities across all five new stations: Morley, Noranda, Ballajura, Whiteman Park, and Ellenbrook.
Come explore Perth’s latest stations, discover unique public art, collect limited edition Ellenbrook Line cards, and enjoy a variety of food options, including free sausage sizzles and ice cream at select locations. There will also be face painting, roving entertainment, and live community performances lighting up the main stage at Ellenbrook Station.
Travel is free for SmartRider holders on the day. Special Event trains will be running throughout the event, with the first train to Ellenbrook departing Bayswater Station at 9:58 am and the first from Ellenbrook leaving at 10:13 am.
Be part of the celebration! Find out more at Hello, Ellenbrook Line! – METRONET
Public Transport Authority
Summer Reading Quest – City of Wanneroo Libraries
The City of Wanneroo Libraries invites your students to have fun reading in the holidays and join champion reader Cam the Chameleon as he reads some fabulous stories.
We would love it if you would encourage your students to drop into their local library to find out more and register to pick up a bumper activity booklet. There’s one for early years, primary school, and middle school age groups.
As well as some super prizes on offer, there are a range of fun events and activities for our reading questers.
Check out wanneroo.wa.gov.au/srq for more information.
To order a promotion pack, call your local librarians and lovers of literacy and learning:
• Girrawheen Library – 6 Patrick Court, Girrawheen, 9342 8844
• Wanneroo Library – 3 Rocca Way, Wanneroo, 9405 5940
• Clarkson Library – 27 Ocean Keys Boulevard, Clarkson, 9407 1600
• Yanchep/Two Rocks Library – Lisford Avenue, Two Rocks, 9561 1110
Thank you for assisting Wanneroo Libraries and working with us to support children’s literacy and prevent the possible dip in reading ability that can happen during the long summer break.
Have a fabulous holiday and happy reading!
Better Health Program – FREE Government Funded
Please see below details of a free 10 week program for families, just register via the details in the flyer.
Saver Plus Program
What is Saver Plus?
Saver Plus is a program for people on lower incomes. It’s about enhancing financial skills, to develop (and keep) good savings habits. Since 2003, Saver Plus has supported more than 60,000 people to start saving. This program can assist in saving for educational expenses such as books/supplies, uniforms/shoes, sports fees/gear, lessons/activities and camps/excursions.
Families can check their eligibility and receive a call back please include our enquiry link – Saver Plus – Enquire Now or they’re welcome to call our national number 1300 610 355 and a local coordinator will contact them directlly.
Saver Plus has helped overcome the barriers around education expenses. And sets families up for a brighter future.
To be eligible You must have all of the following:
- A Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card
- an eligible Centrelink payment*
- Be studying yourself OR have a child in school (can be starting school next year)
- Have regular income from work (either yourself or your partner)* including Carers Payment / Child Support / Cash in hand
- Be 18+ years old
- Agree to join in free online financial education workshops called MoneyMinded
- Not completed Saver Plus previously
* Many types of income and Centrelink payments are eligible, see the Saver Plus terms and conditions for more information.
