Connected

Welcome back to 2023!
I hope everyone had a fabulous holiday full of fun, laughter and time with loved ones.

I would like to extend a warm welcome to our 2023 Kindergarten students and families, and our other new families starting at Wattle Grove this year. We are very excited to have you as part of our learning community where we learn and work together. I have had the opportunity to meet many of you and am looking forward to getting to know you throughout the year.

I buzzed into many classrooms this week, just like Wattee our school mascot, and was super impressed with the way in which the students have settled back into school life. The students looked all very grown up and ready to take on the challenges of their new grade. It was lovely to hear about the children’s holidays and what they are looking forward to in 2023!

A warm welcome to our newest staff members!  
I would like to officially welcome our newest staff members, Miss Youssef who will be teaching 4 Berry, Miss Tekin, who will be taking 4 Scarlet with Mrs Fulller and Mrs Kairouz, who will be fulfilling an RFF role. We also welcome back Mrs Lyon, who will be teaching 2 Olive with Mrs Styer and Mrs Nuske who will be taking 3 Gold on Thursdays. We also welcome Ms Wheatley, who will be part of the school counsellor team. Ms Wheatley will be working at Wattle Grove on Mondays and alternate Fridays. Mrs Lamb will still be working with us on Wednesdays and alternate Fridays. All our new staff come to Wattle Grove with outstanding knowledge and skills, making them an excellent addition to the Wattle Grove staff. I know they will love being at Wattle Grove and everyone will make them feel welcome.

Congratulations
I would like to congratulate Miss Solo, who was successful in gaining the permanent Assistant Principal position at Wattle Grove Public School. Miss Solo is an outstanding teacher who also demonstrates exceptional leadership skills. She is a welcomed addition to the executive team, and I am looking forward to working with Miss Solo and the executive team in 2023.

2023 Classes
Today we formed 2023 classes, and your child will come home feeling a mix of emotions. Some may be feeling excited, others a little anxious about the change of teacher or making new friends. You may find your child is having trouble separating from you in the morning.  It’s important to remember that all these feelings are normal. However, this can create worry in us as parents, but rest assured our priority is your child’s health and wellbeing and we are here to support your child as they move through primary school. Acknowledge your child’s feelings whilst supporting them to consider the bigger picture and allow them time to settle and transition.

Teachers will engage in a comprehensive handover of student information. 2022 class and student data will be handed over from 2023 class teachers and time has already been provided for conversations between teachers of students with additional needs. Parent/teacher learning conversations later this term will allow you to provide your child’s 2023 teacher with any other information as it is you, the parents and carers who know your child best.

Creating a sense of pride and unity - School Uniform
School uniform plays a key role in promoting pride, self-confidence, and a feeling of belonging within the student body. It is a school expectation that all students wear their full school uniform, which includes white socks and black shoes. Coloured joggers can be worn on sport days. Uniform items are available from our P&C run uniform shop, online. This shop is also open on Thursday mornings. Some items are also available at the Moorebank Uniforms and Embroidery shop, Shop 30 Moorebank Shopping Village, Stockton Ave, Moorebank NSW 2170

P&C is back onsite
We have a very active P&C at Wattle Grove who work tirelessly to provide opportunities for all our students and community. If you are interested in being part of the P&C, our AGM and first meeting is Wednesday 15 February, 7pm in the library. We would love to see you there! Alternatively, a ZOOM option will also be available.

Communication is the key – How do we communicate?
Newsletter - Our newsletter will be published on our SkoolBag App and on our school website every second Friday (even weeks). Please read the newsletter carefully to keep informed with what’s happening here at school.

Facebook - We encourage you to keep up to date with our good news stories on our Facebook page @wattlegrovepublicschool. We will continue with the ‘What’s on’ weekly reminders which are published on Sundays.

SkoolBag APP – There are many features of the Skool Bag App that are used by the school. These include copies of permission and information notes, school alerts, link to Flexischools (online school uniform and canteen system), School Online Payments (POP) and absentee submissions.

Working together for great results
Parent-teacher communication is essential in building positive school partnerships which support and enhance children’s learning experiences at school.  If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your child’s teacher. In most cases the classroom teachers are able to provide the most accurate information and/or advice. They will happily make a time to discuss items if they are unavailable to meet at the time of your initial discussion. If you are unable to come to the school, please call the front office and the administrative staff will make an appointment for you. In the case of questions or concerns around whole school information, policies, processes and/or sensitive issues, Miss Cameron and Mrs Valensise are more than happy to meet with parents and carers. School and class-based items are more likely to be addressed with a positive outcome with clear communication between our families and staff. Thank you in advance for your support in working together.

An update on school routines!
As our student numbers and structures change, it is important the school responds to these. Our student cohorts have become smaller, which many schools in our network are experiencing. In response to this, a decision was made for all students K-6 to have recess together. This has been carefully planned by staff and we are in the initial stages of implementation. In the early stage of any change, it is important to reflect, evaluate and make required changes. This is what we will continue to do until all students are in a routine. Kindergarten will join the rest of the school in a few weeks and by then we will have a lot of role models for our newest students.

Our new recess time is 11:15-11:45am. This provides all classes with an uninterrupted 2-hour morning block, which research shows is prime learning time. All other times remain unchanged.

Keeping our students safe from the sun!
A school policy of ‘no hat, play in the shade’ will be strictly enforced. The hat is part of our school uniform so we would like all children to obtain the correct school hat to wear during play and on sport days. Hats are available for purchase from the uniform shop.

Label, Label, Label!
Please label ALL your child’s belongings clearly and permanently before they are taken to school. This helps any lost items to be promptly returned to the owner. Our office staff sort through all lost property items on a regular basis and having labels makes this job a lot easier and saves lots of money for our families!

Again, I would like to welcome everyone back to the new year. It is going to be a great one! 

Nicole Cameron 
Principal

For the past two years I have been zooming into classrooms and now it is time for a change. This year I will be buzzing into classrooms to see all the fabulous learning which happens in our classrooms daily. I will share my visits in the newsletter over the course of the year.

I buzzed into many classes this week, which also included the library where our 2023 Kindergarten students were participating in their Best Start assessment. It was a joy to see our newest members of Wattle Grove engaging in counting, drawing and many other activities. Best Start provides valuable information for our Kindergarten teachers to plan learning experiences to match the individual needs of students. In a few weeks’ time, parents will receive information which outlines what their child was able to do and what they will be working on. I can’t wait to visit Kindergarten again when they are settled into their classes. 

Welcome Back!
Welcome back to 2023! The calm and ease with which our students started this week was very impressive. The familiar faces of teachers and friends made the transition from holiday mode to school a smooth one.

On Monday morning (6 February), Years 1 and 2 will line up underneath the COLA at the 9:15 am bell. Years 3-6 will line up on the basketball courts and our Kindergarten students who are officially starting school will come through the waterfall gate as communicated to parents.

Swimming Carnival
Blue skies with the sun blazing, made for a perfect swimming carnival day. You know it’s a hot one, when even the teachers jump in the pool, fully clothed. Our students displayed impeccable behaviour throughout the day and our competitive swimmers gave it their all. The water park was a welcome relief for all our students who were able to cool off and have fun. Thank you to the parents for braving the heat and coming out to support their children and to our amazing staff for their diligence. Special mention to Mr Wilson who organised our school swimming carnival this year and will be busy preparing for the Zone carnival which Wattle Grove is hosting in 2023.

School Development Days- Professional Learning
Staff commenced the year with two Professional Learning days for staff. Over these two days, staff completed their mandatory CPR training and engaged in collaborative planning sessions in their 2023 teams. Mrs Heather Boyes and Miss Stephanie Cascio delivered Professional Learning on Mathematics and the research aligned to the new syllabus being implemented for K-2 in 2023 and 2024 for Years 3-6. Mrs Cabrera familiarised staff with how to use digital tools to enhance teaching and learning experiences and Miss Cameron introduced the new Behaviour Policy and what it means for us as a staff and as a school.

Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL)
As a school we have revisited and reviewed our Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) school wide systems to reflect our current context. Teachers then took these revisions and presented these to their classes, encouraging student feedback and voice around our Behaviour Management Systems. In upcoming newsletters we will publish the revised editions and Positive Behaviour Reward systems.

Our Vegetable Garden is Thriving!
Thank you to Mr Bendall who has been looking after our P&C funded vegetable garden. We are starting to see the fruits of our labour. This week some zucchini, beans and squash have been harvested. We are hoping sell these to our community for a gold coin donation, every Friday afternoon. All donations will go back into replenishing the garden. I am so excited to see this project take off.

Safer Internet Day
On Tuesday 7 February, we recognise Safer Internet Day which is a global event that brings together communities, families, schools and organisations from more than 200 countries to help create safer online spaces.

Technology has evolved dramatically in the past two decades and the benefits have been huge. These developments have also exposed us to many risks with real-world impacts, making online safety awareness even more important. This year’s theme is  Connect. Reflect. Protect.  Connect safely and with purpose – by keeping apps and devices secure and using social media in positive ways. 

Reflect before we act – by taking a moment to consider how what we do and say online may affect others.

Protect ourselves and others by taking action – by telling family, friends or colleagues about eSafety and how we can help.    

As parents we need to model these practices to our children so they too can engage with technology in a safe and respectful manner. 

Introducing our 2023 School Leaders
I would like to introduce our fabulous 2023 Leadership team.  They are an amazing group of students who we are looking forward to working with throughout the year.

School Captains: Oliver and Abby   

Vice Captains: Charlie and Annabel

Prefects: James, Ella, Kaitlyn, Ryder, Aiden, Caleb, Marcus and Alexis.

Congratulations also to our 2023 House Captains who were voted in by their peers this week and did a wonderful job leading their houses at yesterday’s swimming carnival.

Have a wonderful fortnight everyone

Vicky Valensise
Deputy Principal

Welcome back to 2023!

I hope you all had a wonderful school holiday break and are ready for another year of learning here at Wattle Grove Public School. I was very excited to welcome our families back to school and meet our new comers. We have exciting times ahead and I am so glad to be part of your school journey.

If you have not done so already, please don't forget to download the Skool Bag App and add yourself to the Defence Group, please find instructions below.

Mrs Kiri Dorr 

Defence School Mentor