Willunga Primary School Newsletter

Term 3 Week 3

From the Principal

Willunga Primary Spaces for Learning

You may have noticed that many of our classrooms look different from your experiences as a student.  The days of groups or rows all facing the white board while the teacher stands at the front to share their knowledge are swiftly moving into the past.  Classrooms today require dynamic learning environments where students could be working at a variety of tasks and have space for student collaboration to be the main activity. 

So why is the furniture so important? 

Standard classroom setups leave very little space for moving around.  In fact, their very structure ensures students will spend the majority of their day sitting in the one spot, and only communicating with the few people around them.  They tend to have a teacher directed style of working (one you may remember from your own childhood) and not allow flexible groupings or activities.  These spaces only work if all students are working on the same task at the same time (often with the same outcome for all!).

So what are we doing at Willunga?

We have recognized the importance of spaces for learning to encourage participation in the learning environment.  We started in most class spaces by clearing out as much excess furniture as possible to ensure there is enough room in classes to work collaboratively.  We then searched for furniture options that would enable classes to work through our school focus on collaboration and developing oral language.  In each classroom, we have begun to replace old style oblong desks and chairs with a variety of furniture in each space.  We have also tried to grab back some space in our often crowded classrooms (they are not big spaces for 30 people to share!) with some clever furniture choices.

Our focus for doing this is not just on making attractive classroom spaces (although that is important) but in providing learning environments in which students will have an opportunity to work in different ways and with different people over their school day.

This is a work in progress as we are using fundraising money to purchase and update  our furniture.  However, the changes we have made so far are exciting and it is delightful to walk through classrooms and see students communicating ideas, sharing plans and being actively involved in their own  learning. They look very different to the classrooms I remember from my time at school! 

Grandparent's / Special Persons day

On Thursday 22nd August from 9.00am to 9.40am

Families, relatives and special friends are welcome to come and visit classrooms.  This is a great opportunity for people to see the school at work and our students undertaking their learning. 

Please invite your special people to attend, there will be helpers available to direct them to the classrooms and assist them with any queries. 

Important Dates Term 2

  • 9th August - Assembly
  • 13th August - Governing Council 7pm
  • 14th August - Principal Tour 9:30am
  • 19th - 23rd August - Book Week
  • 20th August - Special Food Day
  • 21st - 23rd August - Book Fair
  • 22nd August - Grandparent and Special Person Morning (9.05am)
  • 27th August - Father's Day and Special Person Stall
  • 29th August - WHS Transition Visit - year 7

The SMS absence line: Text only 0429 632 559. Must include name, date, reason and class. Please check you are sending SMS to this number for absences.

Library News

  • PRC

PRC for 2019 closes on Friday 6 September. To be eligible for an award, completed forms have to be in by this date. Please deliver them to the class teacher or the library.

  •  BOOK WEEK 'Reading is my secret power'

Our parade assembly is on Friday 23 August in the gym starting at 9:05am. Students love dressing up for this event and it can become one of their best memories of primary school into adulthood. Costumes do not have to be expensive or time consuming - sometimes it just needs the addition of one item!

Come dressed as a favourite book character, or use the theme to give you some ideas – you could be a super hero, in a disguise, a spy, or just use your secret power to take you anywhere or be anyone.

Book Fair - new books to buy with a range of prices - in the library - cash or card 

Wed 21/8    3-6pm

Thurs 22/8   3-4pm

Fri 23/8    straight after the parade assembly and also 3-4pm

 

Parade assembly - Fri 23/8    9:05 start

Students are encouraged to dress up as a book character or associated with the theme

Reminder - The schoolyard is NOT supervised until 8.30am, and OSHC have use of this space before this time. Students on the school grounds before 8.30am may be sent to OSHC at a cost to parents.

Great Book Swap

Willunga Primary Promotions Student Action Team is hosting a Great Book Swap!

The Great Book Swap is a fantastic way to celebrate reading locally, and raise much-needed funds for remote communities. Schools, workplaces, libraries, universities, book clubs, individuals and all kinds of organisations can host one. The idea is to donate a book (or two) and then purchase a new book with a gold coin donation.

Here at Willunga Primary School we will be running a Great Book Swap event on Wednesday 4th of September (Week 7)

You can start sending in books to donate now and then can go straight to your child's classroom.  We are happy to take baby and toddler books, and books for children and young teens.  Fiction and Non Fiction more than happily accepted.

(If anyone has a contact who would like to take any leftover books at then end, please see Ali Colbeck :))



Scholastic Book Orders

The closing date for Scholastic book orders is Thursday 8th orders.

Please ensure your orders have been made by this date to ensure you receive your books.

Volunteers

We value volunteers at Willunga Primary and if you would like to volunteer you just need to drop in to see Carmen in the front office for a volunteer booklet.  This booklet clearly shows the process and online courses that need to be undertaken.  Carmen will also arrange a meeting with Karen Matthews at a convenient time for an induction. 

From July 1, the new Working with Children Check (WWCC) comes into being. Volunteers who have a current Relevant History Screening through DSCI / DHS are still clear to work with children. When this screening expires, you will then apply for the new WWCC. If you are applying for the first time, it will be a WWCC through the Department of Human Services. Further information is available at school.

A reminder that anyone on site after 9.00am, must be signed in through the front office and have completed the volunteer process

Do you have our apps? Skoolbag, Seesaw and Qkr

Sue Camac's News

Recently I have attended a number of training days.  At the end of last term, I attended a professional development called - The Wellbeing Classroom, completed the refresher on Disaster & Recovery Chaplain Training and attended my yearly two-day conference at the beginning of this term. 

One of the areas that was covered was the Five Steps of Emotion for Coaching For your Child by Dr. John Gottman from the Gottman Institute. 

Step 1: Be aware of your child’s emotions.

Step 2: Recognise emotion as an opportunity for connection or teaching.

Step 3: Help your child verbally label emotions.

Step 4: Communicate empathy and understanding.

Step 5: Set limits and problem solve. 

 

Masterchef finished last term.  Winners will be announced in week 6 Assembly. 

This term we will be showcasing the wonderful talents of our students in Willunga’s Got Talent!  If you are in year 2 upwards, you can enter.   You need to pay 50c to Mrs Camac by the end of week 5 - Friday 23rd of July. A number of students have been practising since Term 1.  Performances will start Week 7.  You will be notified when your performance is on!  

Spare Clothes

Do you have any school uniforms that your children have grown out of?

We are getting low on the spare clothes (especially bottoms)  that we provide to students if they need a change of clothes due to accidents. If at any stage your child is provided with spare clothes can these please be laundered and returned to the office.

We suggest that all younger students have a change of clothes in their bags as sometimes accidents do occur.

So, if you have any pants, leggings, skirts or skorts that are in good condition that your children have outgrown and you wish to donate, please drop to the front office. 


Students who will be away from school for more than 3 consecutive days need to apply for an exemption. This is a Department for Education requirement and application forms can be collected from the front office.

OSHC News

Our focus this term is creating a mosaic out of painted rocks for the garden. This will be the centre piece for the campfire seating area. We have already started painting and the children have shown some fantastic artwork on these already.

Also in our garden you may have noticed lots of sprouting with all the rain we have had. Can you see what vegetables are starting to form. Take a look the next time you are in that area. OSHC will be using the produce during snack times, giving the children the opportunity to taste home grown veg.

Please remember to provide your child with a hat for OSHC. Hats are to be worn when the UV rating is 3 and above, we check this daily. No hat - no outside play.

Belinda Filkin - Director 

Students doing great things

Congratulations to Natalie W on her B+ grade three flute exam and her First grade music theory exam 99%.  She has also been accepted into Brighton Secondary School specialist music program.

 Henry C has been invited to attend 8th West Ham United Oceania Academy National Camp in the Gold Coast in September.

Well done!

Parent Morning Tea is on every Tuesday! Come to the OSHC room after dropping off your children for a coffee and a chat. This is a great time for parents to connect and get to know each other.

A reminder that as a Department for Education site, dogs are not allowed on school grounds. This includes the football oval between 8.30am and 3.30pm, and at drop off and pick up times.

Rock Around the Clock with 23E

For the Almond Blossom Performance we learnt some 50's moves for our dance.

We had lots of guitar and Elvis style moves. 

  • I liked the 'punch' move the best - Noah
  • I was trying not to laugh my head off the whole time! - Lilly
  • Many of the kids in our group looked like they were from the 50's - Lucas
  • The performance was fun, especially when we fanned ourselves and pretended to be Elvis. - Zoe

Criminal History Screening Update - helping keep children safe through new screening laws

Helping keep children safe through new screening laws 

 Stronger, more effective and transparent screening laws for people working or volunteering with children have been introduced in South Australia. The new screening laws were recommended as part of federal and South Australian royal commissions, to help keep children safe in our communities. The new laws mean that from 1 July 2019 everyone working or volunteering with children must have a valid child-related check.

 Also changing from 1 July 2019 is the state’s current system for child-related employment screenings, which will be replaced with a working with children check (WWCC). This new check is coming in to better protect your children and make sure that people working or volunteering with children are suitable. It does this through a monitored and more robust assessment of a person’s eligibility to work or volunteer with children. Because the check is monitored, immediate action can be taken if a person is charged with a concerning offence. The new check covers off on a person’s national criminal history including all spent convictions, pending and non-conviction charges, and other disciplinary and child protection information.

 A WWCC is valid for five years and is portable across roles and organisations throughout South Australia.

 Current, valid child-related employment screening checks done by DHS/DCSI will be recognised as a WWCC until they expire. There is also a 12 month transition period for anyone with a National Police Certificate assessed by their organisation, with the certificate valid till 1 July 2020.

 For most people, this means they don’t need to do anything to be ready for the new law starting on 1 July 2019.

 For more information about the new check visit the DHS website.