Upcoming School Council Election

We have had five nominations for four positions on School Council this year. This means we will require a ballot and families will be notified and ballots sent home this Friday. All ballots will need to be returned by Friday 2^nd March. Please note as there are only four positions available you can only nominate up to four people on your ballot paper. Thank you to those parents/carers who have nominated. Our nominees are Darlene Barbinall, Tracey Brunswick, Victoria Mahoney, Samara Renton and Emily Travers. Please keep an eye out for the ballot information which will come home with your child this Friday.  

Kind Regards, Tami-Jo Richter Principal

Message from the Principal

A couple of reminders from the Principal:

Monday 26^th February is a student free day as it is a curriculum day for our teachers. The teachers will be engaging in professional development with Berry St for the four curriculum days this year which is focusing on behaviour management and engagement for students. The program encourages teachers to teach students how to self-regulate and manage their own behaviour and emotions.

Tuesday 27^th February is our whole school picnic night. This runs from 4.30-6.30pm. You will have the opportunity to meet other families and the staff in an informal way. You are encouraged to bring a blanket and picnic basket to share with your family during this time. The year 6 captains and school leaders will be announced during the evening. There will be a sausage sizzle (limited sausages available) at $2.50 each and cans of drink from the canteen for $1.50. We look forward to seeing you there.

School Photos

School Photos were taken today.

To order your child's school photos (without late fees) go to

www.advancedlife.com.au  and enter our unique school code TCZ JXQ JAZ

Online ordering is available up to 5 days after photo day and after this time late fees will apply.

Curriculum Day Reminder

Monday 26^th February is the first of our scheduled curriculum days provided for further staff training.  Please note this in your diaries as it is a student free day at Westgrove Primary School.

Class Photo Day

Parents and carers are reminded that Wednesday 21^st February is school photo day.

Please ensure that all

• Image approval forms are filled in, signed and returned to school

• Students are punctual as the photographers will be starting on time

• Students are in full school uniform

The photographers will be taking class, family and individual photographs.  Note also that your child can not be included in the class photograph if you have not returned the signed images approval form.

Wyndham Central College

Wyndham Central College Information Night.

CLICK HERE

School Council Elections 2018

We would like to invite enthusiastic members of the community to nominate for the 4 parent vacancies on our school council for 2018-2020. Nominations open this week and forms can be obtained from the office from this Friday 9^th February. Parents can be nominated by others or self-nominations can occur. Nominations close 4pm Friday 16^th February. Depending on the number of nominations, details of the ballot will follow if required. We look forward to hearing from you.

Tami-Jo Richter

Principal

Message from the Principal

Beginning of Term 1 Newsletter

Welcome back everyone! It has been a very busy start to the year. We have had a lot of new, unforeseen enrolments this week along with the delivering of book packs to students; new equipment and furniture arriving and the welcoming of a new cohort of Preps on Thursday.

We welcome some returning staff,  Vanessa Nobrega(1N)  and Emma
Barger (Art) as well as some new staff Grace Thiry (PG), Rebecca Turnbull (1T), Elise Clark (2E), James Stephens (3S), Emily Hamilton (4H), Emily Parsons (4E) and Joshua Fairey (5F).

We look forward to some exciting events over the next few weeks. The Year 6 students attend camp at Anglesea next week. Parent/Carer/ Teacher Interviews will be held on Wednesday February 14^th and the students will be required to be picked up at 12.00pm on this day. You will see that more information about booking interviews etc has been sent home today with your child.  We are also holding a whole school picnic night which we hope you can all attend on Tuesday February 27^th from 4.30-6.30pm. We will be announcing our school captains and leaders at this event.

It is important that all children have a sun smart hat to wear whilst outside or they will have to play under cover in the courtyard so please ensure that they all have a hat and follow up regularly to make sure they are wearing it as will we.

We welcome all our new families to the school. We have enjoyed meeting you all and look forward to building long, happy, productive relationships. To our returning families, we also welcome you back and hope you will continue to work with us to provide our students the best opportunities possible.

Thank you to our staff for all their work in having school and programs ready for the students and thank you to our volunteers with Helping Hands and the School Council who have been very supportive of the start of the year.

Tami-Jo Richter

Principal

Term 2 Swimming

Notes for term 2 swimming programs for Year 2 and Year 4 students were sent home on Monday 12^th Feb.

Please note that the remaining year levels will swim in the following terms:

Year Prep – term 3

Year 1 – term 3

Year 3 – term 3

Year 5 – term 4

Year 6 – term 4

Students Being Released From School Early

The school is changing procedures around early release of students.

Parents/carers will still need to report to the office for the early release of students,  however

• The office will not issue a release slip

• Parents/carers will not be able to collect students from classrooms

• Parents/carers will not be able to request early release of students during recess times

• 11.21 am – 11.50 am  (morning recess)

• 1.47 pm- 2.17 pm  (afternoon recess)

• The office will phone classrooms requesting that the child is released to the office

• The child will take their bag to the office where they will meet their parent/carer

• The office will record the early release on Compass

If you require further clarification around this please do not hesitate to speak to

Mrs. Morgan, Miss Slaymaker or Ms Richter.

2018 CSEF (Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund)

Do you hold a Health Care Card which was valid on 29th January 2018?

Then you may be able to apply for CSEF. (Camps, Sports and Excursion Fund)

Please come the office for more information or to fill out a form.

There have been some changes made for the 2018 CSEF.

Please take note:

If you applied for the CSEF at your child's school in 2017, you do not need to complete an application form in 2018 unless there has been a change in your family circumstances. Your child's school will apply for the CSEF on your behalf.

You will only need to submit an application form in 2018 if any of the following changes have occurred:

•        new student enrolments: your child has started or changed schools in 2018 or you did not apply at the same school in 2017 or
•       changed family circumstances: such as a change of custody, change of name, concession card number, or new siblings commencing at the school in 2018.

Schools are able to accept and process applications up until the end of term two each year.

Bell Times

Please note the new bell times for 2018.

9.00 am                Bag bell– children enter classroom

9.10 am - 11.06 am                          Sessions 1 & 2

11.06 am – 11.21 am                      eating time in classrooms

22.21 am – 11.51 am                      Morning Recess

11.51 am- 1.47 pm                          Sessions 3 & 4

1.47 pm- 2.17 pm                             Lunch play

2.17 pm – 3.15 pm                           Session 5

2018 Information and Permissions Pack

Every student will be taking home an information and permissions pack.  It is vital that parents and carers read these thoroughly as they contain important information relating to the first 3-4 weeks of term 4.

There are also a number of forms that need to be filled in and signed.  They relate to

• Student images approval for 2018

• Westgrove BYOD iPad Parent/carer Agreement (years 3-6)

• Digital Technologies Acceptable Internet user agreement

• Permission to participate in local excursions

• Year 1-6 Parent/Carer/teacher Interviews - Wednesday 14^th February (2 pages)

Backgate

The back gate adjacent to Quantin Binnah is locked during the day in the interests of wellbeing and security for our students.  Generally it is unlocked by our year 6 student monitors at 3pm each afternoon.  Every effort is made to be punctual however at times due to matters beyond their control, the students are a little late getting to the gates.

Whilst we realise that parents and carers are keen to get to get to their designated meeting places, the school expectation is that parents and carers remain patient and respectful towards the year 6 students who have volunteered for this and for the best part, have been doing a great job with this each day all year.

Heidi Morgan

Assistant Principal

Student Learning Essentials Charges

Thank you to all the parents/carers who have paid for their students learning essential charges for 2018 by the due date.  Your children will have received their essential learning stationary component in their classrooms this morning.

All student essential stationary packs will be sent to students in their classroom when payment has been finalised at the school office.

School Traffic

School Traffic Safety - Pedestrian

All parents, carers and students are urged to put the safety of themselves and others

first when crossing the roads, especially in the heavy before and after school traffic times.

The school has two crossing which are supervised during those times and we strongly urge

our whole school community to use them.

The adult members of school community are ultimately role models to all our children and if

parents and carers take children across the road in non- supervised crossing areas,

they are inadvertently modelling unsafe practices that children will copy.

The school encourages everyone to put safety first and be diligent in using the supervised school

crossings at all times during school pick up and drop off times.

School Traffic Safety - Driver

Parents and carers are urged to be very diligent in adhering to parking restrictions around the school area.

In particular, cars are not to park in the drop off zone (with or without a driver) for any amount of time.  It is

strictly a drop off and pick up area.  The school also encourages parents and carers not to park on the nature strips

or in no standing areas.

Please show your consideration of others by adhering to this. 

In the past Wyndham City Council Traffic Infringement Officers have issued fines to offenders.