Reports
We hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable Easter break. Term 2 has started smoothly, and all classes have settled in well. Staff have been working on several new initiatives, including trialling our whole school work program templates and developing our new school report format. School reports this year will be different from our previous format. Parents/guardians can expect to see the following:
· An English report including subject overview, a 5 point A-E grading against the Victorian Curriculum, work habits, skills checklist and individual comment covering Reading, Writing and Speaking/listening for all students.
· A Mathematics report including subject overview, a 5 point A-E grading against the Victorian Curriculum, work habits, skills checklist and individual comment covering Number & Algebra, Measurement & Geometry and Statistics & Probability for all students.
· A Shared Inquiry report including subject overview, a 5 point A-E grading against the Victorian Curriculum, work habits, skills checklist and individual comment covering the Humanities and Sciences for all students.
· A Generalist report including school overview, work habits, individual comment covering each child’s day to day experiences at WNPS.
· Specialist reports for the subjects undertaken by each year level (Physical Education, STEM, Visual Art, Performing Art and Japanese) including subject overview, a 5 point A-E grading against the Victorian Curriculum, work habits, skills checklist and individual comment for all students.
A subject overview and individual comment for all students undertaking the Tutor Learning Initiative and/or Social Thinking Program.
Reports will be live on COMPASS on the last day of term and parents will have time to read through these over the holidays as well as the first week of term 3. Parent teacher interviews in week 2 of term 3 to discuss the reports and any other issue regarding your child. We remind families that teachers can be contacted via COMPASS at any time for 1:1 meetings regarding your child/ren. I trust that the new report format will be informative, individualised and offer parents/guardians a greater insight into your child/rens social, emotional and academic learning during semester one. I would like to thank our teaching staff for their flexibility and hard work involved in this change to our report format.
Bike Shed
It has been brought to my attention this week that there have been some issues in and around our bike shed. I am disappointed to report that some of our younger students have had their bikes moved or touched and that they have felt overwhelmed by some of the behaviours demonstrated before and after school in this area.
We ask families to please discuss the importance of everyone feeling safe and everyone’s property being respected particularly at the bike shed. In the meantime, beginning next Monday, we will be assigning an additional yard duty area for the bike shed both before and after school where a staff member or school leader will be present from 8.50am-9.00am and 3.30pm-3.45pm. New signs have been erected in the bike shed for where bikes are parked for Foundation to Year 2 and Years 3 to 6. Please ensure you remind your child/ren that they park their bike in the appropriate areas.
COVID
We have had several staff come down with COVID at the end of last term and beginning of this term. We remind families to please be vigilant with hand sanitising, mask wearing if required, RATs if you are experiencing COVID symptoms and isolating if testing positive. In the event of staff absences we will endeavour to replace the teacher with a casual relief teacher, but these replacements are becoming increasingly difficult to recruit as we enter the cold and flu season.
Staffing
In staffing news, we have several staff members who are currently on or will be taking long service leave throughout term 2. Affected classes will be notified of replacement teachers and adjustments.
We congratulate Bethany Johnstone who has accepted an 18 month teaching position at the Victoria International School of Sharjah beginning in Term 3, 2023. Bethany's last day at Williamstown North Primary School will be Friday 23rd of June. We wish Bethany all the best for this chapter of her teaching career and look forward to seeing her back at WNPS in 2025.
I would also like to congratulate Georgie Petty who will be taking family leave from the beginning of Term 3 to have her first baby. We are thrilled for Georgie and her partner Dylan for this exciting journey. In the meantime, both of these positions are currently advertised on Recruitment Online and once finalised we will advise families of the replacement teachers.
Curriculum Day
Each year school councils may schedule up to 5 student-free days (when student instruction does not occur) for professional development, school planning and administration, curriculum development and student assessment and reporting.
School councils may only schedule the student-free days subject to the following requirements:
· the first day of Term 1 each year must be a student-free day in all government schools
· one student-free day must be used for assessment and reporting
· school councils have the flexibility to schedule 2 student-free days based on their school needs
· principals and school councils may schedule an additional, fifth student-free day, for use as a common professional practice day.
As you are aware, the initial 4 student free days at WNPS were determined for:
Friday the 27th January
Friday 10th March
Monday 7th August
Monday 6th November.
Staff, leadership and school council would like to advise families/guardians that our 5th student free curriculum day will be held on Friday 9th of June 2023. As per usual OSCH will be operating throughout the day onsite for families requiring this service.
Please place Friday the 9th of June 2023 in your calendars as a student free curriculum day. All staff will be onsite on the day but there will be no programs or supervision for students.
Have a lovely week,
Richard Buckingham—Principal
Mother’s/Special Person’s Day Stall
In helping to celebrate the upcoming Mother’s/Special Person Day, we will be hosting a stall next Thursday 11th May from 9:00am—1:00pm, whereby students will be able to purchase a small gift for mum or someone special in their lives. We recommend that students bring along $5.00 to spend at the stall (for junior students, money placed in a clearly marked envelope with their name and class is suggested).
A huge thank you to Jasmyn Keane, Maria Lewis & Rina Sutherland (parents), who have once again volunteered to coordinate the stall. They would be grateful to any parents who may be available to assist during the morning of the stall. If you could spend an hour or two assisting, please email Jasmyn at: markandjas@me.com
Student of the Week - Specialist Awards 28th April
Missing Bike and Helmet - Blue Bike—”HOOT” with a Black Gyro helmet. The bike was left in the bike shed before the holidays.
SWAP SHOP
The Swap Shop will be open on Tuesday 9th May from 3.00pm to 3.30pm.
Swap Shop is located in Room 33 at the far end of the school grounds near the Year 3 portable building.
Please bring small notes or coins for purchase of items and a bag to place the items in.
SCHOLASTIC BOOK CLUB
Our school participates in Scholastic Book Club. Up to twice a term, during the school year, a Club catalogue will be sent home with a different selection of books offered for all ages. You’ll find award-winning books and bestsellers, as well as old and new favourites. The books span a wide range of children’s reading levels and interests (some books cost as little as $2.00). It is easy to order. The Book Club LOOP platform for parents allows you to pay by credit card. Your child’s order is submitted directly to school safe and sound and the books will be delivered to class. You can place your child’s order at scholastic.com.au/LOOP or using the LOOP app, which can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play.
Book Club is cashless and paperless, orders are to be lodged only through LOOP. Order forms are not required to be sent to school.
If assistance is required, please do not hesitate to contact me. Each order helps earn free books and teaching materials for our classroom, however there is never any obligation to order.
Sincerely, Sue Smith, Organizer, Resource Centre
CLOSING DATE FOR ISSUE 3 IS FRIDAY 12TH MAY 2023
Williamstown Tree Group
The Williamstown Tree Group is asking you to nominate your favourite Williamstown tree.
We’ll list and publicise the community’s top five trees given everyone’s responses. Nominations close at the end of July. Private resident property nominations may not qualify if there are privacy concerns.
Criteria for nomination: -
* Tree size and canopy * Age and history * Ecological value * Special species * Place/memories *Character through the seasons Perhaps as starting examples: -
The large Eucalyptus at corner of Melbourne Road and Pasco Street, or The historical Peppercorn between Pelican’s and Custom House, or The Golden Elm outside the Williamstown library. To nominate your tree – go to our website and click on the ‘quick and simple pro-forma’. https://www.williamstowntreegroup.org/home
Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge
The Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge is now open and Williamstown North is excited to be participating.
The Challenge is open to all Victorian children from birth to Year 10 in recognition of the importance of reading for literacy development. It is not a competition; but a personal challenge for children to read a set number of books by 8 September 2023.
Children from Prep to Year 2 are encouraged to read or ‘experience’ 30 books with their parents and teachers. Children from Year 3 to Year 10 are challenged to read 15 books.
All children who meet the Challenge will receive a certificate of achievement signed by the Victorian Premier and former Premiers.
The PRC online application offers a range of exciting features including:
· access to a library catalogue (including book images and blurbs)
· a modern user-friendly interface
· rewarding students with badges as challenge milestones are achieved
· the option for students to mark books as a favourite, give them a star rating or complete a book review
All students have been given a unique username and passcode. Please contact your child’s classroom teacher if you require another copy of your child’s login details.
To log on to the Premier’s reading challenge:
· Click on this URL: https://vprc.eduweb.vic.gov.au/home
· Click on the VRPC login.
· Fill out your child’s log in details
· Log any books that your child reads.
To read the Premier’s letter to parents, view the booklist and for more information about the Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge, visit: https://www.vic.gov.au/premiers-reading-challenge
Interschool Swimming - State Final:
A massive Congratulations to Bonnie M from Year 6 who competed in the State Event for Interschool Swimming! She won a silver in Freestyle & Backstroke, and also a Gold medal in Breaststroke!
This is an amazing achievement where she represented herself and the school very proudly. Well done Bonnie!
