Willunga Primary School Newsletter

We are moving well ahead in 2020 with our Site Improvement Plans around maths, writing and reading.  The below Student Free Days' support this work, along with our staff meetings and Performance and Development Process.

Student Free Days for 2020 

Term 1 week 10: WEDNESDAY 1st April – Reading Comprehension with Sheena Cameron

Term 2 week 6: FRIDAY 5th June – SIP focus: High Impact Teaching

Term 3 week 8: MONDAY 7th September – Writing focus

School Closure day 2020

Term 4 week 7: FRIDAY 27th November – after Twilight Picnic 

We are moving swiftly through what is always a very long term, and looking forward to a few exciting upcoming events including swimming and aquatics for our junior and upper primary, and our whole school Sports Day on the last day of term.

In term 1 we also start preparing for NAPLAN, and I note that the media has already begun discussing it as a high stakes, high anxiety testing situation.  We value the information that NAPLAN provides, but don't feel it needs to cause the amount of stress the media likes to suggest.  Our students are regular users of technology and we use a wide range of online and paper assessments across the year to effectively target instruction.  We do this with the minimum of fuss and disruption to learning.  Along with this, the online NAPLAN assessment moves with the child, getting easier if they are struggling and harder if they are meeting the challenge.  This differentiation in testing means all children are able to successfully complete the assessment.

The only differences between NAPLAN and our other testing, is that NAPLAN is widely reported in the media. 

NAPLAN is important for us as it provides us with targeted funding.  That means that if students do not sit the test, we do not receive funding to support their learning needs.  If students do not sit the test, we do not get a clear picture of how the school is progressing and how effective our program implementations are. 

Please work with your child to limit the 'test anxiety'.  We are very clear that we want all children to try their best, but also ensure we manage the process with the minimum of fuss.  NAPLAN is a useful measure of school performance, but only works if all students undertake the testing.

If you would like further information around NAPLAN, please speak to a leader.

Alison Colbeck  

Our targeted intervention programs are back up and running for 2020.    

Phonics Fun

There are 30 students participating in this program. Students participate in 4 sessions of  half an hour each week.

Year 1 students are revising all of the letter sounds and practising  blending and segmenting 3 and 4 sound words. There is also a focus on syllables, rhyme and letter formation.

Year 2 students are focusing on the most common digraphs e.g. sh, ch, th, qu and most common long vowel sounds e.g. oa, ee, ai. They continue to practise segmenting when writing words, and undertake reading activities requiring them to match, isolate and identify the 'odd one out' when working with words.

 Toosmart

Ten year two students are involved in the program. These students attend 3 half hour sessions per week in pairs.

Each session the students work on building number sense and fluency. They undertake a range of activities: subitising, identifying addition and subtraction facts using cards with missing facts, identify numbers by place value  (tens and ones), skip count, practise counting forwards and backwards , complete number puzzles and play a strategy number game at the end of the session.

MultiLit

Ten middle primary students are participating in MultiLit (Making up for Lost Time in Literacy). They attend 3 sessions of half an hour per week individually. This program focusses on building 'Word Attack Skills'. Students work through reading a range of blends for speed and accuracy when decoding.  Once a sound set is mastered they move on to the next set. Some students will also undertake a sight word component. Each session ends with a reinforced reading component. Students practise applying the skills taught on a levelled text.

Quicksmart

Twenty year 4 and 5 students are participating in this program. These students attend 3 half hour sessions a week in pairs. During each session they work on a number of activities to develop their number fact fluency. These activities include, strategies for understanding, flash cards, speed sheets,  OZCASS  (a computer program that requires students to answer in under 2 seconds) and finally they consolidate their learning playing a number game.

We had a huge response to our Student Action Teams for 2020 with 60 students from years 3 to 7 nominating for a team.

• The Sustainability SAT is up and running with 21 students! This is major growth from the past two years and we are very excited. The group will divide into sub-teams with an area of responsibility such as the gardens, 10c container collection, Nude Food promotion, sorting recycling / green bins.  We appreciate the support of Trevor Garrard who works with a group each week to propagate, plant and learn about local plants.
• The Learning SAT is focussing on the schools maths goal to 'Increase the number of students attaining high bands in mathematics'. We will start by looking at ways to raise the profile and engagement in maths across the school. Over the next few weeks we will be getting classes 3-7 to undertake a whole school survey to gauge students' values, beliefs and attitudes towards mathematics. Each class will receive a survey report with recommendations.
• The Family Engagement SAT is meeting in week 6 to set directions for the year.  Students who applied for family engagement are eager to help with tours, write newsletter articles and contribute to the promotion of the school within the community.
• Our new Wellbeing SAT meet for the first time in week 6 and we already have a number of events and ideas to discuss and introduce to the school community. The school is registered for the National Day of Awareness against bullying and violence: NDA Bullying. No Way! This happens on Friday March 20th.   Other ideas include, a re-launch of the ‘I Include’ initiative - fresh for 2020 - and Harmony Day. We will be using the ‘Voice It’ Department for Education resource as a frame for developing student voice around wellbeing concerns. 

AR PROGRESS

To see your child/s results at home please go to https://auhosted1.renlearn.com.au/1454824/homeconnect

User name is: first name.last name (no spaces or capitals, and only the first name of a double last name)

Password is: date of birth in the format of ddmmyyyy

Once you have logged in, you can choose to mark the option of receiving an email each time a quiz is undertaken.

AR

Congratulations to Max S for being our first millionaire of 2020!

Judy James

Teacher Librarian

Willunga Primary School

On Monday, 24 February 2020, eight students participated in the Onkaparinga Districts Interschool Swimming Trials at the Marion Outdoor Pool. All of our swimmers participated with enthusiasm and gave of their best effort. Congratulations to Bejay T ( Freestyle, Backstroke and Butterfly), Noah G ( Breaststroke) and Mika F ( Breaststroke) who have qualified to represent  the Onkaparinga District.

Congratulations to Florrie H for making the Onkaparinga South District Girls Team in Cricket. Angus McC, Cameron B, Jack McC and Lennon Roberts also got into the District Boys Team as well. We wish all of these students that represent our school all the best and we are proud of their achievements.

Mogann Nair

At the AGM, the 2020 Governing Council was elected and we said farewell to some 2019 office holders.  A special thanks to Don Leinfelder for his work as chairperson in 2019.  I would also like to thank Jo Allchin and Olivia Auricht for their time on Governing Council.  

 The work of the Governing Council is undertaken through the sub-committees.  Each sub-committee meets two weeks prior to Governing Council meeting. 

ANY COMMUNITY MEMBER CAN ELECT TO BE ON A SUB-COMMITTEE WITHOUT BEING ON GOVERNING COUNCIL.

Finance Advisory Committee: Friday weeks 3 & 7 @ 8:00am (week 7 only in term 1)

To advise and recommend to Governing Council information regarding issues on budgetary and financial matters

Canteen/OSHC Advisory Committee: Tuesday weeks 3 & 7 @ 2pm (week 7 only in term 1)

To determine and implement policies relating to staff, financial and facilities management for the Out of School Hours Care service and canteen services.

Learning Connect Committee: Thursday weeks 2 & 6 @ 9am (week 6 only term 1)

Connect our families to the learning priorities of the school

Grounds Committee: Tuesday weeks 3 & 7 @ 9:00am (week 7 only term 1)

If you are interested in joining a committee, or have an idea of something that could be discussed, please send an email to the front office.

New enrolments

We have put together a new family information pack containing the OSHC Family booklet with all our details, enrolment and booking forms, also medical/dietary forms and more. If you wish to enrol your child into OSHC, you can pick up one of these packs from the OSHC room.

If you are currently using the OSHC service and have not yet updated your enrolment and booking forms for 2020, please pick up a copy from the OSHC room. Please include any updated medical/dietary plans as this is a yearly requirement.

We are open on the student free day which is coming up on Wednesday 1/4/20. If you require care for this day, please send us a text on 0438761656 or write your child's name on the list in the OSHC room.

OSHC is looking for donations of old newspapers for our art and craft activities. If you have any please drop them off at the OSHC room.

Belinda Filkin, Director

Playgroup is run every Wednesday 9:15am to 11:15am in the OSHC building.

Playgroup provides a safe, inclusive, welcoming, caring and supportive environment and encourages social interaction between children through various play based experiences.

Willunga Primary School Playgroup welcomes anyone with children ages 0-5 years.

More information is available at the front office or via the Playgroup Coordinator, Janet Steegh.

Swimming was lots of fun, I learnt how to do backstroke. My favourite activity was going on the boat. - Ryder

We got to build a cool raft out of boards and rings. Cleo

Noah and I had a race and I won! Bejay

Bejay and I had a race and I won! Noah

The obstacle course was fun, it was the first time I did it. Jax

I like making the raft and falling off it! Lexi