From the Principal
Dear Waddington Families,
Welcome to Term 1, 2025!
The year has started with settled classes and learning happening from Day One. Waddington Staff spent time at the beginning of the year reviewing our data from 2024, and setting targets for students accordingly. It is important as a school that we have clear direction and, in alignment with our vision, provide the quality learning opportunities that all of our students need in order to reach their highest potential. The Western Australian National Curriculum (WANC) is going through a period of change, with some updates to learning areas and some of the language used in describing these strands of learning. We have met as a whole staff to review these changes and will be implementing the updated English and PE WANC from this year.
The Waddington P&C will be holding their AGM in the coming weeks. I will advise you of the date and time when it has been confirmed. If anyone is interested in joining this, please could you let me know. We are needing more parents to help run this, otherwise we may need to cease operating. The P&C has played an important role in facilitating events at Waddington, and provides much needed funds to purchase resources for our school. They meet once a term for an hour to discuss general business, and then more frequently when an event such as the Mothers or Fathers Day Stalls, or a Sausage Sizzle are being planned.
Waddington Staff will be continuing their own learning journey through the Berry Street Education Model work. This is whole school community trauma-informed practice to create a culture where all of us are, and feel safe and ready to learn. The current focus is on consistent and predictable routines, students and their classroom creating a Ready to Learn chart, and a daily Yarning Circle. This provides structure and tools for students to reflect on their own feelings, work out how to settle themselves if they are not feeling to great, share feelings and exchange ideas in a safe space.
Thank you for your understanding around our change in the car park use. It has been a much safer place for our students, particularly at the end of the day. If you need to access the school during the day, the pedestrian gate will not be padlocked; just unlock the bolt, but please remember to close it behind you.
Thank you also, to those who have purchased a Faction colour T shirt. If you have not already bought one, you can see an example in the front office. Our new Factions are Marloo (blue, was Meeka) and Kawlool (green, was Kala). These examples will also be shown during the parent information sessions being held after school this week. Messages of the schedule have been sent out on Class Dojo and via School Messaging Service. Faction t-shirts can be worn on Mondays only. Only plain t-shirts, please with no patterns, badges or hoodies.
Unfortunately our school uniform shop has run out of stock in some sizes, hence the delay in filling the orders that families have placed. We apologise for this, and hope the uniform delivery from the supplier will be arriving this week. We will keep you posted regarding any updates regarding when the order arrives.
I look forward to seeing you all at the Parent Information Sessions this week. As always, if you have any questions, please telephone or come in and have a chat.
With warm wishes to you all,
Ms Katherine Chivers
Principal
From the Administration Team
Term Planner
Please see below important dates for Term 1 2025. They are subject to change so please keep up-to-date by checking the school website calendar regularly.
Important Dates
17 February 2025 – Newsletter 1 published
17 February – 21 February 2025 – Parent Information Sessions (as per Class Dojo and MGM Outreach text messages)
21 February 2025 – GRIP Student Leadership Conference (Student Leaders)
24 February 2025 – Ear Health Screenings (Library)
28 February 2025 – Schools Clean Up Day
3 March 2025 – Public Holiday – Labour Day – Staff and Students do not attend
10 March 2025 – Newsletter 2 published
12 March 2025 – NAPLAN testing commences
21 March 2025 – Harmony Day
24 March 2025 – NAPLAN testing ends
28 March 2025 – Staff Development Day – Students do not attend
9 April 2025 – ANZAC Day assembly
11 April 2025 – Term 1 2025 ends
28 April 2025 – Term 2 2025 commences – Staff and Students return
Uniform Stock Update and New Sports T-Shirts
Unfortunately our school uniform shop is still waiting for stock to arrive from our supplier, hence there has been delay in filling orders that families have placed in the past few weeks, particularly for polo shirts. We apologise for this and will let families know as soon as the new stock arrives. We will distribute those orders with items on back order as a matter of priority.
As another reminder, Waddington have changed their faction names and colours this year. Our new Factions are Marloo (blue, was Meeka) and Kawlool (green, was Kala). Faction t-shirts can be worn on Mondays only. The t-shirts must be plain with no patterns, badges or hoodies. For families who have not already bought one, you can see an example of both faction t-shirts in the front office. These examples will also be shown during the parent information sessions being held after school this week.
Schools Clean up Day – 28 February 2025
Clean Up Australia inspires and mobilises communities to improve and conserve our environment, eliminate litter and end waste. More than 22 million Aussies have participated in Clean Up Australia activities and events over the past three decades. Today our focus is as much on preventing rubbish entering our environment as it is removing what has already accumulated.
A School Clean Up is a great way for our students to learn about the impact of rubbish on their local environment while playing an active role in their school.
Waddington PS will work together to Clean Up our school grounds on Friday, February 28th.
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.
Attendance – Everyday counts!
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
Welcome to the new school year. My name is Melanie Arnison and I am the School Health Nurse who visits your school.
School Health Nurses work in schools to promote healthy development and wellbeing so students may reach their full potential. A major part of my work is focused on early intervention and the School Entry Health Assessment program. Additionally, the nurse can be contacted at any time throughout primary school if you have concerns about your child’s health, development or wellbeing.
School Health Nurses serve as a health contact point for children and their families, providing information, assessment, health counselling and referral. They also work in partnership with schools to support teachers in health related curriculum and can assist in the development of health care plans for students with complex and chronic health needs. The services provided are free and confidential.
My work days are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 8.30am – 4.30pm (except Mondays when I finish 2.30pm). Please contact me on 0439 061 628 or my email is Melanie.Arnison@health.wa.gov.au if you would like to discuss any concerns/issues regarding your child(ren).
Ms Mel Arnson
School Nurse
Room 5 – Learning and Growing as School Leaders
Welcome back to a brand-new school year in Room 5!
We have had a wonderfully calm and settled start, getting back into routines, organizing our belongings, and reconnecting with friends after the holidays. It has also been great to welcome new classmates and begin building strong friendships. Our classroom is already coming to life as we decorate different areas to make it a space that reflects our learning and creativity.
One of the highlights of the term so far was the Chinese New Year Lion Dance performance. The energy, colours, and rhythm of the performance captivated our class, and it was a fantastic way to celebrate cultural traditions and start the year with excitement.
A big part of our mornings in Room 5 has been our Yarning Circle. Each morning, we greet each other with eye contact and take part in activities like sharing our strengths or talking about special celebrations. This has been a wonderful way to build stronger connections and start our day with a sense of community and respect.
We’ve also kicked off Morning Fitness with some exciting new activities, including balloon volleyball! These sessions have been a great way to wake up our minds and bodies, while also having fun and working as a team.
A key focus for our class early in the term has been preparing for Student Leader speeches. We have been working on building confidence in public speaking, learning how to present our ideas clearly, and practicing in front of our peers. This week, students will be delivering their speeches, and we are looking forward to seeing their leadership skills shine.
To top it off, our newly elected Student Leaders will have an exciting excursion at the end of the week, attending the GRIP Leadership Conference. This will be a fantastic opportunity for them to develop their leadership skills, collaborate with students from other schools, and bring back valuable ideas to our school community.
We are off to a fantastic start and cannot wait for the exciting year ahead, especially with Camp later this year! It’s going to be a year full of learning, growth, and memorable experiences.
Here’s to a great 2025 in Room 5!
Community Notices
KidsSport
KidSport enables eligible Western Australian children aged 5 to 18 years to participate in community sport by offering them financial assistance of up to $500 per financial year towards club fees.
Eligibility
All Western Australian children aged 5 to 18 with a valid Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card.
Amount available
- KidSport application: $500
How Kid Sport works
Parents and guardians can apply for KidSport online.
KidSport applications are assessed by the local government in which the child resides or by the KidSport team at DLGSC. If an application is approved, the KidSport team will email you a voucher (unique to the child). The voucher code needs to be provided to your KidSport Club when registering. Vouchers can be used as payment for registration, membership or participation fees. Where the KidSport Club has opted in, vouchers can also be used for essential uniform and equipment costs. All vouchers are valid for 90 days.
KidSport can be applied for online and applications are assessed within 10 business days.
If an application is approved, the parents will receive a code (unique to the application) via email.
The code needs to be provided to the club so that the approved amount can be deducted from the registration fees.
Contact the KidSport team on 61 8 9492 9911 or emailing kidsport@dlgsc.wa.gov.au.
For more information about the program and to apply go to the KidSport website – http://www.dlgsc.wa.gov.au/kidsport.
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.
City of Wanneroo Programs
Please see below flyers for various programs and activities around the City of Wanneroo that may be of interest to families.
Roseworth Child and Parent Centre – Term 1 2025 Timetable
Please see below flyers for the Roseworth Child and Parent Centre Term 1 2025 activities.
