Newsletter 6 – Waddington Primary School

Dear Waddington Families,

As we come to the end of a very busy Term 2, I want to thank all our families for your ongoing support and partnership. This term, we have continued our whole-school implementation of the Berry Street Education Model strategies, which help us create a safe, positive and trauma-informed learning environment for all students. Our staff are also engaging in further training and placing a strong focus on their own wellbeing. Education can be challenging and stressful, so it’s important that our staff prioritise self-care and mental health to be the best they can for our students.

This term, we were also proud to work with the City of Wanneroo and the Friends of Koondoola Bushland to plant over 400 native trees in our bushland area here at Waddington. This special project reflects our school value of Respect — showing our respect for Country and the Noongar people as the Traditional Custodians of the land. By caring for and sharing this space, we hope to protect and nurture it for future generations of students and our wider community.

We are very excited to find out whether the Waddington choir will be participating in the Telethon event – I hope to have more news from Ms Birnie early next term!

Looking ahead, Waddington, along with all other schools in our Network, will be transitioning to a new system called Compass. Some of you may already be familiar with Compass through any older children at high school. This platform will be a one-stop shop for all school communications, the calendar of events, absence notifications and behaviour updates. I’ll share more information with you next term as we get to know the system ourselves.

A big thank you to everyone who has booked in for our Three-Way Interviews this Wednesday, or arranged an alternative time to meet with your child’s teacher. Your support and involvement make such a difference to your child’s learning journey.

A reminder that school finishes at 11:00am on Wednesday. Please collect your child from their classroom as usual, and remember to pack a snack for recess. I hope you all enjoy some family time and a well-deserved break over the holidays. We look forward to seeing everyone back, refreshed and ready for Term 3.

Ms Katherine Chivers

Principal

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From the Administration Team

Term Planner

Please see below important information for the last week of Term 2 2025 and the first 4 weeks of Term 3 2025. They are subject to change so please keep up-to-date by checking the school website calendar regularly.

Important Dates

30 June 2025 – Newsletter 6 published

2 July 2025 – Three Way Interviews 11.15am – 4pm (School Closed from 11am for students)

4 July 2025 – P&C PJ & Popcorn Day (Gold Coin donation)

4 July 2025 – Term 2 2025 ends

21 July 2025 – Term 3 2025 commences – Staff and Students return

25 July 2025 – 2026 Application for Enrolments close

30 July 2025 – STEM Incursion Room 5 (8.45am-10.45am)

4 August 2025 – Staff Development Day – STUDENTS DO NOT ATTEND

6 August 2025 – Year 4 PEAC testing (11am – 12.40pm)

11 August 2025 – Newsletter 7 published

12 August 2025 – Balga SHS Transition Day Room 5 (5pm)

13 August 2025 – Assembly – Room 4

School Photo Day – Save the date!

Our School Photo Day will be next term on Monday, August 18. Envelopes with order information will be sent home approximately 2 weeks before the day. More details including the class schedule will be sent out next term.

2026 Kindergarten Enrolments now open!

For Waddington families who have siblings turning 4 years of age on or before June 30 2026, we are accepting applications for Kindergarten next year now.

Applications (with all supporting documents) need to be submitted by Friday July 25 2025.

If you know any families in the local area with children also turning 4 years of age in this time period, please encourage them to contact the front office to obtain an Application for Enrolment form.

Please call on (08) 9462 9500, email waddington.ps@education.wa.edu.au or drop into the front office between 8.30am – 3.30pm for further information.

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Sing and Grow at Waddington PS!

We are pleased to announce that Roseworth Child and Parent Centre are running ‘Sing and Grow’ at Waddington on Tuesdays afternoons this term. Please see the flyer below on how register for this fantastic progam.

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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!

Why It’s Important to Be On Time for School

Being on time is a key skill that helps students succeed both in school and in life.

Why is being on time so important?

More Learning Time: When students arrive on time, they don’t miss out on important lessons and activities. Every minute counts, and being there from the start helps them fully participate in the day’s learning.
Fewer Disruptions: Late arrivals can interrupt the class. When everyone is on time, the day starts smoothly and everyone benefits.
Builds Responsibility: Being punctual helps students learn to be responsible and manage their time well. These skills are important for their future.
Better Academic Performance: Regular attendance and being on time are linked to better grades. Students who are punctual are more likely to be active in class and do well in their studies.
Shows Respect: Being on time shows respect for teachers, classmates, and the school community. It shows a commitment to learning and the importance of education.

We know mornings can be tough, but with a bit of planning, we can make sure our students start their day right. Let’s make being on time a priority and help our students succeed!

Note: Students who arrive after 10am miss more than half of the morning lessons. This will be marked as an unauthorised absence and will need an explanation.

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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!

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Room 5 – Building connections and making memories!

It’s hard to believe Term 2 is already coming to an end! It has been a busy and exciting term for our Year 5 and 6 students in Room 5, filled with learning, leadership, creativity, and connection.

We have continued to start our days with our Yarning Circle, and it has been heartening to see the genuine connections our students are building with one another. These moments of sharing and reflection help us begin each day grounded and connected as a class community.

This term also brought some exciting responsibility opportunities, including students being given the chance to choose their own seats in the classroom. It has been impressive to see how maturely they’ve handled this privilege, showing they can make thoughtful decisions and work productively in their chosen spaces.

A major academic highlight this term was completing our novel study of War Horse. Building on this, students created and performed their own original assembly item – Joey’s Journey and the Ramen Rescue. This was a huge collaborative effort involving prop and costume making, script writing, sound effect design, and lots of rehearsing. The result was a fun, creative, and entertaining performance that showcased the talents and teamwork of our class. There’s even talk about the possible return of the malevolent Blob Fish later in the year – stay tuned!

Another memorable experience was our Tree Planting Day, where students helped plant native trees in our bushwalk area. It was a meaningful activity, and we look forward to watching the trees – and our students – grow over time.

Our Balga Senior High School Transition Day was a fantastic opportunity for our students to explore what high school might look like. They participated in a range of activities including STEM experiments, Home Economics (making delicious fruit salad), and Physical Education, where they showed great energy and teamwork during dodgeball games.

As we head into the second half of the year, our Room 5 students are now preparing for Semester Two Student Leader speeches. They’ve been working hard on writing their speeches and building their public speaking confidence, ready to step up and take on new leadership roles.

We are proud of everything our Room 5 students have achieved so far this year, and we look forward to more exciting opportunities, challenges, and fun in Semester Two!