Last Day of Term Thursday 6th April—Early Finish at 2.30pm
NO CANTEEN—on Wednesday 4th or Thursday 5th April—Lunch Orders or Counter Sales
Important Information for the Last Week of Term
In preparation for next week, the last week of Term 1 we have a number of reminders.
On Thursday 6th April our JSC have organised a ‘Free Dress’ day and encourage an ‘Easter’ theme, as a fundraiser for the Royal Children s Hospital Appeal. All participating students are asked to make a gold coin donation. At 9.30am there will be an East Bonnet parade for the Junior school on Tasmania, while the Senior school students have the option to participate as well, or just come in Free Dress. There is also an Easter egg raffle, where children can guess how many Easter eggs are in the jar for 50cents. This will be a fun end of term activity.
A coffee van will be onsite for parents to purchase a hot drink and also consider making a donation to the RCH Appeal when they order a coffee/drink.
Thursday 6th April, is the last day of Term One. A whole school assembly will be held at 2.10pm in the Gym, then all students will be dismissed at 2.30pm.
Student Safety
Please talk to your child/ren about safety practices when coming to and from school.
This week a number of our students who were riding to/from school on scooters were observed crossing roads and intersections in an extremely dangerous manner. Their actions by not using the designated crossing or crossing in a safe and sensible place could have seen one or more of them seriously injured. It is also a timely reminder to have a chat with your child/ren about ‘stranger danger’.
School Facilities/Grounds—Demonstrating our School Values
Over the past few weeks the behaviour/attitude of some of our students across all year levels has been very disappointing.
The huge amount of litter that students are dropping in all areas of the playground is increasing. We have even received a number of complaints from our neighbours about the amount of litter along the school fence lines and litter blowing into their gardens/yards.
Please remind your child/ren to put their litter in the bin. If there is not a bin near them, ask your child/ren to put their papers in their pocket until they get to a bin.
A big thank you to the teachers who encourage students to dispose of litter correctly, and the students who use the buckets and tongs to collect litter and are then acknowledged with tokens associated with our school Values.
Students have also had to be consistently reminded about the correct use of the toilets facilities. Please reinforce with your child/ren about the appropriate use of toilets facilities and that toilets are not places to be eating, drinking, playing, damaging or covering with graffiti.
Enrolments
The Department of Education (DE) have just released details of their new 2023-2024 procedures and timeline for 2024 Foundation enrolments.
Commencing Term 2, from Monday 24th April, schools may distribute the Foundation (Prep) Enrolment Information Pack for Parents/Carers for the 2024 school year resources to prospective families and their school community. Parents/carers will also informed of how to locate their designated neighbourhood school for 2024.
Enrolments for 2024 commence from 24th April, with Friday 28th July being the final date to place an enrolment. Written notification of the enrolment outcome will then be provided to parents/carers by Friday 11th August. Parents/carers acceptance of their child’s placement must be received by the school, on or before Friday 25th August.
School Council Report:
Last Wednesday 23rd March, School Council met for the first time in 2023. At this meeting we heard about each members’ backgrounds and relationship with Williamstown North Primary School.
We held nominations and voted for office bearers and would like to congratulate Martin Gill who accepted the role of School Council President, Elissa Gale who accepted the role of Vice President and Simon Middleton who accepted the role of Treasurer. School Council discussed the school’s finances, staffing profile and endorsed the indicative budgets which will be finalised as confirmed budgets at our next council meeting which is on Wednesday 26th April.
They deliberated and endorsed the Year 6 three day camp to Billabong Ranch in Echuca, developed the School Council meeting schedule for the year, agreed upon completing School Council training and formed the following subcommittees:
· Facilities and Finance (led by Simon Middleton, members include Sarah Nobbs, Bec Harding, Martin Gill, Wendy Emin and Richard Buckingham),
· Education led by Cathy Graham, members include Michael Tracey, Mark Smith, Laura Mahoney, Wendy Emin and Richard Buckingham), and
· Community Engagement led by Elissa Gale, members include Heath Shaw, Amanda Morrison, Wendy Emin and Richard Buckingham).
Members of the school community are invited to be part of these subcommittees. Subcommittees are advisory bodies to the School Council. They assist council with performing their duties and functions and are generally established to support school council in specific areas. Subcommittee membership is open to non-school-council members to provide an opportunity for the school community to be involved in school council matters.
The school council decides the purpose and terms of reference of a subcommittee and has the final responsibility for decisions. Subcommittees cannot make decisions on behalf of the school council and generally meet between school council meetings. Subcommittees must consist of at least one member of the school council, have at least 3 members overall, meet as directed by the School Council and report in writing to school council. Each subcommittee has a nominated convener who is a school council member. Members of subcommittees will maintain confidentiality over matters discussed at the meetings, and recommendations put forward to the school council.
If you would like to become a member of either the Facilities and Finance, Education or Community Engagement subcommittees, please email the school stating your name and subcommittee you are interested in joining by close of business Monday 3rd of April 2023.
Canteen Closed
The Canteen will be closed next week on Wednesday 4th April and Thursday 5th April for stocktake and cleaning. Please ensure your child has been provided with a snack and lunch from home on both days.
Enjoy the rest of your week
Wendy Emin—Assistant Principal
Semester Two 2023 – (Term 1) Assembly Rotations |
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Term 1 – 20th February to 6th April |
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Week 10 |
Friday 31st March—3.00pm |
Junior |
Week 11 |
Thursday 6th April—Last Day of Term 2.10PM Assembly |
Whole School |
STUDENT OF THE WEEK AWARDS FRIDAY 23rd MARCH.
News from the School Captains
As the holidays are around the corner, there is just a few announcements that we have for you.
A few days ago, we, as the Year 6 School Captains, attended a GRIP Leadership Conference in the city. In this program we learnt about how to ‘make others their better selves’ in a fun and interactive way. We focused on what is a leader, the people that leaders can impact the most, how to get everybody on board with an idea and why we lead. It was a truly educational experience and hope that we can use these ideas in future.
On a more serious note, there have been multiple occasions where students have been misusing our bathroom facilities. We advise students to only use bathrooms for the intended purpose and not as a place for mucking around and causing more work for our cleaners.
As Term One is coming to a close, Easter is just around the corner! Our talented group of JSC reps have worked hard to create exciting Easter themed events. One of which is a competition where the winner will receive a jar filled with Easter eggs, only if you are closest to guessing the number of chocolate eggs that are inside the jar.
Foundation to Year 2 students will have their guess on Monday, Year 3/4’s on Tuesday and finally Year 5/6’s on Wednesday. The cost is 50c for 1 guess and $1 for 3 guesses. All donations are given to the Good Friday Appeal who raise money for sick children. We wish all the best of luck in bringing home a jar of chocolate eggs!
As per Willy North tradition, we will be hosting an Easter Bonnet Parade! Our F-2 students have been working hard with their buddies to make some awesome Easter bonnets! On the morning of Thursday April 6th, we will gather on Tasmania for the exciting event. We encourage parents to come along and join in the fun. There will be a coffee van on site .
Sincerely, the School Captain team - (Morgan, Lucas, David, Chloe, Gus, Allegra).
A Day in Foundation at WNPS!
We know that 2024 Foundation families are beginning to investigate local schools and are keen for information on what school could look like for their child next year. One of the biggest questions we get asked on school tours and throughout transition is, ‘What will my child’s day look like?’.
We put this question to our current Foundation children and this is what they came up with.
‘In the morning, we have to put our bags away, get out our reading satchels and get to learn letters’- Beamlak.
You have to make sure you put your bag away so no one trips over.’- Mila
In Foundation, each morning starts with students putting away their bags, following classroom routines, sharing exciting stories with their teacher and getting settled on the mat for instruction time.
‘Every morning, we have to listen with our whole body so you can learn how to read’- Easton
Once students are settled, they participate in a one hour Reading block, where there is a focus on developing their phonemic awareness and phonics knowledge. Students are explicitly taught the English code and taught to blend these sounds together to read words. Teachers and students spend time reading shared texts, where teachers model skills before students have the opportunity to practise these skills using the resources in their reading satchel.
‘After fruit snack, we get to do writing. We write in grey leads in our Special book’- Sonny
Students participate in daily one hour writing session. There is a focus on building confidence, independence and a love of writing. Students are explicitly taught how to construct a sentence, before moving on to create pieces of text. There is a focus on developing early writing conventions in fun and engaging ways, where teachers support students through modelling, mentor texts and high quality instruction.
‘Then we get to play! We go outside with our friends. I like to play tag with my friends’- Flynn
‘I play on the trampolines with my friends’- Phoebe
‘After play, we get to use our whiteboards and practise writing letters from top to bottom.’ - Lawrence
After play, students engage in a further 30 minutes of Literacy instruction where there is a focus on handwriting and spelling through our spelling program ‘Sounds-Write.’
‘We get to do maths. I love maths because I’m really good at it. I’ve learnt how to make patterns.’- Rio
Students participate in a one hour Numeracy block, where they use concrete materials to develop their mathematical knowledge, skills and thinking. We use lots of games to develop number sense and to develop fluency. Students participate in both open and closed problem-solving activities and at all times, are encouraged to explain their reasoning. There is a real focus on building mathematical connections that will support their future learning.
‘Some days, we get to go to our Specialist classes. I love Japanese because I can say konnichiwa’- Archie
‘I like Art because we get to make things like paintings, with straws’- Zoe
‘I like bouncing the tennis balls in the gym’- Noah
Students participate in four one hour specialist classes each week. Our Specialist program consists of Japanese, Physical Education, Performing Arts, Visual Arts and STEM.
‘My favourite thing about school is lunch time because I like the taste of my food’- Lawrence.
Students eat lunch inside with their class and often during this time, students take their turn performing their ‘Show and Share’.
‘At lunch, I go down the slide and go on the monkey bars.’ Sienna
At school, we are learning about the Zones. We played a game to guess which zone people are in.’- Florence.
‘I like playing with my buddy. I love my buddy.’- Georgie
At Williamstown North, we believe that students’ wellbeing is as important as their learning. In Foundation, there is a focus on developing positive relationships, social skills and developing students’ self-regulation and emotional regulation. Students also participate in weekly buddy sessions with their Year Six buddies.
To learn more about Williamstown North and our Foundation Program,
2024 Foundation families are invited to attend an information session on Tuesday 2nd May, from 6.45pm-8.00pm in the Junior Learning Centre (Foundation building).
Literacy Update
Spelling is a complex skill and an important part of writing. Spelling requires students to draw on a range of knowledge about the English language. At WNPS, we take our students from the earliest sound-spellings to a deep understanding of the phonological, orthographic and morphological components of the English Language.
Phonological Knowledge: Phonological knowledge refers to knowledge about the sounds in language. It is an important part of learning to write (and read). In order to spell words, students use their phonological knowledge to segment each word into sounds (phonemes), and accurately match these to appropriate letters (graphemes).
Learn more about how we teach children to take the first steps in reading and spelling by taking the free online Sounds-Write parent course https://www.udemy.com/course/h...
Orthographic Knowledge: To spell fluently, students also need to know the rules about how written letters are arranged in English. English orthography follows a highly regular system of patterns. Even though some sounds can be represented by a variety of different letters or letter combinations, these are regular and fixed.
Morphemic Knowledge: Morphemes are the smallest parts of words that carry meaning, such as bases, prefixes and suffixes. Morphemic knowledge involves an understanding of how morphemes can be used to form words. Spelling requires students to identify and put together the necessary morphemes. Morphemes are important for both reading and spelling, as well as for vocabulary and comprehension.
Etymological Knowledge: Etymological knowledge refers to how the history and origins of words relates to their meaning and spelling. Knowing about the origin of words is helpful to students when learning to spell them.
This week in Spelling at Williamstown North:
Junior School Council Fundraiser
Dear Parents/Guardians and WNPS students, on Thursday 6th April we will be raising awareness and funds to go to the Good Friday Appeal.
We would love it if you could bring a gold coin donation to support the Good Friday appeal. We will be coming around in groups to collect your donations throughout the day. You can come in free dress or in Easter costumes because on the same day there will be the Easter Bonnet parade at 9.30am. Junior students will be wearing Easter Bonnets and parading around the oval. Senior kids will have the option to do the same or may instead choose to come in Free dress and watch the parade.
There will also be an Easter raffle. The JSC representatives will be coming around to classes with a jar full of chocolate Easter eggs and students can guess how many eggs are in the jar. If you would like to participate in the raffle it will cost 50cents for 1 guess and $2 for 3 guesses. This event will be scheduled between Monday and Wednesday of next week.
The JSC representatives will visit all classes to collect money and guesses for the raffle on the following days.
Foundation to Year 2 will be on Monday 3rd April, Year 3 to 4 will be on Tuesday 4th April and the Year 5 to 6 will be on Wednesday 5th April. The person who guesses the closest number of eggs will win all the chocolate Easter eggs!
We will also be coming around during the Easter Bonnet parade to see if parents would also like to enter the raffle. The winner will be announced and will be able to collect the jar of Easter eggs at lunchtime on Thursday 6th April.
Written by Zoe and Charlie, 5H.
Health Hub News
Tooth decay - Australian Dental Association
Tooth decay is one of the most common problems that we can have in our mouths. The good news? It can mostly be prevented by following a healthy diet, regular brushing and flossing and seeing your dentist.
Williamstown North Primary School Sport Update By Lachlan & Teddy
Hello Williamstown North Primary School Parents, Carers, Children and Community. Writing to you are two Sport Captains, Lachlan and Teddy. We will be reporting on the latest WNPS Sport related news.
Swimming: The District swimming event took place back in February where all students did a fantastic job with the school coming in 3rd place. There were approximately eight students that went through to the divisional event who also did a fantastic job. Another five students (approximately) qualified for the Regional event which took place in Kardinia Park, Geelong on Tuesday the 28th March. Everyone who participated in Inter-school swimming, even from the trials for the district team have made the school very proud.
A big well done to all students who have participated in their Swimming program at the Maribyrnong Aquatic Centre as well!
Friday Inter-School Sport: A big well done to all Year 6 students who participated in Friday Sports, where we played against other schools. We thank the Year 6 teachers, Mr M, Mr Rhodes and all Parents/Carers who helped this fun activity operate each week. All teams did a great job and had a great time. The sports that played are: Cricket, Basketball, Teeball, Hot Shots Tennis and Volleyball. The teams that made it through to the District finals are the boys and girls cricketers. The boys haven’t lost a game and are playing against Newport Gardens Primary School. The girls team lost only one game and will be playing against Williamstown Primary School. The venue is to be confirmed, but is most likely to be held at either Bayside Secondary School, Williamstown Campus or at Newport Gardens Primary School.
All Year 5 students have been playing Sport in the 3rd and 4th sessions on a Friday for all of Term One. They have been participating in the same sports as the Year 6 students. The students have been doing this at school across the playing areas. A big thank you to the Year 5 teachers and P.E teachers who helped run this weekly physical activity.
The Inter-School sports for the Year 6’s in Term 2 are AFL Footy, Soccer, Netball and Softball.
Lawn Bowls: Twelve students in Year 6 participated in the Regional Lawn Bowl event on Monday the 27th March. It was an absolute nail biting finish to await which team finished on top of the group. It is with great pleasure and excitement that we are able to announce our 1st place finish, and qualification to the State event! This will take place in Sunbury on 4th May, which is in the 2nd week of Term 2. We thank all the students, parents and carers who came out to this event to support the day. Well done to both other schools who participated and gave us a run for our money. Once again, everyone represented the school in a fantastic manner. We very much look forward to the State event and thank all parents and carers for transporting students to and from the venue.
Thank you for reading this Williamstown North Primary School Sport update and we look forward to more accomplishments. Your continued support of the school really helps us.
Your Sport Captains Lachlan and Teddy
Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge 2023
Hi Everyone, Welcome to the Premiers’ Reading Challenge 2023. Your child should have brought home their unique login details, which can be used to enter their books into the website.
To log on to the Premier’s reading challenge:
· Click on this URL: https://vprc.eduweb.vic.gov.au...
· Click on the VRPC login.
· Complete your child’s log in details.
· Log any books that your child reads.
Number of books students are required to read:
Foundation to Year 2 (Students in Foundation, Year 1 and Year 2 can read books by themselves or with someone else).
• Number of books: 30
• Number of books from the Challenge book list: 20 or more
Year 3 to Year 9
• Number of books: 15
• Number of books from the Challenge book list: 10 or more
Remember all children who meet the Challenge will receive a certificate of achievement signed by the Victorian Premier and former Premiers.
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