Willunga Primary School Newsletter

Term 4 Week 6

From the Principal

Currently we are finalizing the term 4 rounds of the Governing Council sub committees, and I think it is timely to reflect on the huge amount of work undertaken by parents in these groups.

Finance 

- has overseen the huge amount of funds that we have put towards our ICT, flexible furniture and grounds.  They have made sure we are on track with our spending, and that our Site Improvement goals are well resourced into 2020.

Parent Connection

- have run numerous fundraising activities including Mothers' and Fathers' Day stalls, and are currently putting together the Christmas raffle.  They also discussed and provided feedback for policy reviews; this year updating our behaviour code and antibullying policy along with our school sport policy.  They also approved our 2020 major fundraiser.... COLOUR RUN!!!

Canteen 

- the committee worked on menu development and ensuring it fits the Right Bite policy requirements.  They also worked towards levels of sustainability by changing over our packaging to be recyclable or compostable.  Jackie has taken a lead on this and is now our recycling champ!  They are currently considering ways to increase parent volunteers for 2020.

Grounds

- have a sustainability focus particularly waste reduction.  The new gabion stations are working really well and we have decreased from 14 mixed waste bins, to 4 per week utilising the Council garbage service!!  The grounds committee also focused on our garden areas and nature play.... it has been a hard process (we are up to our third contractor) but has now started with the improvements to the JP sandpit.  They also facilitated a gardening club in the vegetable garden which runs each Friday lunchtime.

OSHC 

- provide oversight of the service, ratify and provide feedback on the policies and programs for Vacation Care and OSHC.  They also consider spending options and upgrades for the service. The new garden beds out the front look fantastic and a bench seat will soon be installed outside that will provide extra storage.  

Learning 

- have considered site data, contributed to Site Improvement Planning and discussed the effectiveness of our current strategies.  They supported the development of our new reporting document and are an excellent sounding board for the core work of the school and assist us to understand the needs of our community. 

The sub committee structure of Governing Council work works well to support us to maintain a clear focus on our core business at the school, improving literacy and numeracy outcomes for all students.  Thank you to all the participants for the time and energy they put into caring for our school.

Ali Colbeck  




Reminder - The schoolyard is NOT supervised before 8.30am or after 3.20pm. OSHC has exclusive use of the grounds outside of these times.

Important Dates Term 4

  • 22nd November - Assembly
  • 26th November - Yr 7 Footsteps
  • 28th November - Christmas Twilight Picnic 5:30pm
  • 29th November - School Closure Day
  • 2nd December - WHS transition
  • 3rd December - Yr 7 Footsteps,
  • 3rd December - Governing Council Christmas Dinner 6pm 
  • 6th December - Casual Clothes Day
  • 10th December - Yr 7 Footsteps
  • 12th December - Yr 7 Graduation
  • 13th December - Final Assembly, 9.05am AND

Last Day Term 4, 2:05pm Dismissal

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.

Are you leaving WPS in 2020??

If you are planning on leaving Willunga Primary School in 2020 please notify Student Services as this information is crucial for our future planning of classes.

Also if you are planning on attending in 2020 and you are in the Willunga Primary School zone please let us know.

Seeking Flat Pack Assistance!!

As you would know, we have been updating furniture in our classrooms across the school to ensure more space for learning and furniture that facilitates conversation and collaboration.  The rooms are looking fantastic and we have much more furniture on the way.  

But we need help!!  A lot of the furniture arrives in flat packs..... if you are handy with an Allen key and have a bit of spare time to assist, please contact Michelle Collins in the Finance Office. 

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 a site leader at a convenient time for an induction. 

The new Working with Children Check (WWCC) cis in place. 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.

Students leaving school grounds

It has come to our attention that children who are on site either before school or after school (and waiting for buses) are leaving the school grounds to go to the service station across the road. Once students are on site, they are not permitted to leave the school grounds without teacher supervision under any circumstances. This is the same for children waiting for the bus after the 3:05pm bell. They must wait in the designated area until they are collected by the bus, not go to the servo then return to the bus area. This is a Duty of Care issue.

Students who choose to disobey this will be given consequences.

Bike Ed

All the year 4s at Willunga are doing 6 weeks of a Bike Education program. Each Tuesday they bring their bikes and helmets to school or borrow a Bike Ed bike and helmet. On week one the RAA gave all our bikes a bike check for safety and made sure we had good brakes, a bell, tyres etc.

 In weeks one to three we stayed on the school grounds and did skills training and then in weeks 4 and 5 we cycled around the back streets of Willunga. This week, our final week, we rode on the Shiraz trail bike path towards McLaren Vale and we were excited.

 We have learned a bike safety check that we do before we ride its the A,B,C, D, H, L check.

A is for air, is there enough in your tyres? B is for brakes, are your brakes working? C for chain, is your bike chain on and not loose? D for Drop test, lift the bike a little and drop and listen and look for anything that's loose or rattling. H for helmet, is it fitting right? (we learned the way a helmet should fit) and L for laces, are your shoe laces tucked away?

 We have learned important riding skills like left and right hand signals, scanning back and how to turn on the road. The instructors made pretend roads for us to practise on before we went on a real road.

 We love Bike Ed and we especially loved the game dodge. It's a game where the instructors say stuff like, ' Left hand signal, right hand signal, give a high five,' and you have to keep riding, if your feet touch the ground you're out They even say, 'All remaining riders turn around,' and the funny one, 'A bird pooped on your helmet, wipe it off!' We also loved riding on the road.

 OVERALL BIKE ED IS ABSOLUTELY AWESOME!

 By Clara and Myles 

Bike Ed Images

School Sport SA (SAPSASA)

District Tennis Team

Natalie W from our school was again selected in team. Thanks for playing some great tennis at the SAPSASA State Carnival.

Your enthusiasm and participation ensured that the Onkaparinga South SAPSASA District Tennis Team retains its Division 2 Status.

All the best for your future sports and education. Enjoy it!

District Selections in 2019

Over the year, a number of our students earned selection in the Onkaparinga South District teams.

Athletics

Softball

Football

Netball

Cross Country

Hockey

Tennis

10

2

1

2

2

5

1

Two of our students were also selected in state teams for Rugby League and Netball.

 2020 Calendar

The calendar of sports has been released for next year. Any parents or community members who are interested in coaching a school team to compete in the carnivals or knock-out competitions, is asked to see Karen Matthews for a calendar and to discuss the possibilities. Students over 10 years old are eligible for team selection.

Sue Camac's News

Last year in Julie Giffen’s class we worked on ‘Random Acts of Kindness’  lessons where the students, as a class, came up with ideas of kindness that could be shown to people in the class, school, family and wider community.  Then they made envelopes, wrote one of these ‘acts’ inside of it and then pinned the envelopes on the wall.  Students then picked out one random act from an envelope and had a few days to perform it.  In a little booklet they recorded what the act was, who received the act and how it made them feel.  As it was in Term 4  Julie also sourced a Santa ‘Random Acts of Christmas Kindness’. At this time of year when there are many chocolate advent calendars to choose from, why not print out one of the ‘Random Acts of Christmas Advent Kindness’  from the Net to do as well?

 

Here’s a story of how one simple act of kindness changed someone’s life:

You may have heard of the Archbishop Desmond Tutu, but have you heard of Trevor Huddleston? I hadn’t until recently. For Desmond Tutu, growing up as a young boy in South Africa, apartheid was in full swing.  In those days, when a black person came across a white person in the street they had to step off the sidewalk into the gutter and nod their head in respect.  One day however, when Desmond Tutu was about 9 years old, he remembers walking along the street with this mother and a white man came towards them.  Before they had a chance to step off the footpath the white man stepped off the footpath and nodded at them in respect!  This man was Trevor Huddleston an Anglican Priest bitterly opposed to apartheid. Tutu attributes this simple act as a defining moment that changed his life.

Team effort – the year 6/7 Fleurieu Folk Festival Singers

Part 2 article about the participation in the Fleuriueu Folk Festival..

As the students gathered behind the stage ready to go on stage for their opening set of songs, I spoke to them about enjoying the moment.  I also wanted to thank them for their commitment from the word go.  I told them that they were a credit to themselves, their parents and their school.  Their contribution went further though than learning songs and performing them so well.  Without singling out individuals, it was as much about their ideas and suggestions – with regard to song arrangements, choreography and improvements to the script.  And when changes had to be made on the night, they sensibly went about making the adjustments themselves while I was busy with off stage preparation.  I was very proud of them.

 

Dave Greenslade

Do you have our apps? Skoolbag, Seesaw and Qkr

OSHC News

 It is that time for OSHC to start looking at our permanent bookings for next year. If you are needing permanent bookings for your children for 2020, please complete and return a booking form with your required OSHC sessions. Your permanent bookings do not automatically continue for next year, a 2020 booking form needs to be completed.

Please keep in mind that all current outstanding fees need to be up to date for your bookings to be accepted for next year. As stated in our policy: all fees need to be paid within 7 days of your invoice.

You can get your copy of the OSHC booking form from the school's Front Office and the OSHC room.

 

Belinda Filkin, Director

2020 bookings

2020 Year 6/7 Senior Windcheaters

We are currently taking orders for Year 6/7 Senior Windcheaters for 2020.  If your child is going into these years levels in 2020, they will have ordering information with them and had the opportunity to try on sizes.  These sizes are a guide so you can alter the estimated size if you wish. 

Year 6 Jumpers will be priced at $52.00 ea and Year 7 Jumpers at $63.00.  Year 7 students who purchased a jumper in 2019 will have the opportunity to pay $12.00 for the Year 7 names on the back.

All orders must be made by Friday, 13th December 2019 to ensure delivery of the jumpers in Term 1, 2020.  As these are made-to-order, we are unable to take late orders after this date.

From the Library

The last day for students to borrow is Friday 6 December. This also means readers will stop going home around that time. We then ask for everything to be returned in the last week of school. This is the only holiday break that we do this, as it enables us to make sure all our resources are accounted for and organised, for the new school year. If you want to maintain your child's reading habits, and set a good example, then make sure you visit your nearest public library. It is free to access and they offer a huge selection of material for all the family. If you do happen to discover any school resources at home during the break, then please drop them back to the Front Office or the school library next year - no questions asked!

AR

The last day for AR and also to qualify for Millionaires' Club this year is Thursday 28 November.

WPS Christmas Raffle

It’s on again!  The annual Willunga Primary School Christmas Raffle.

To make this raffle a success, we are asking for donations from families to make each of the themed hampers, which will be raffled off at the final assembly Friday 13th December 2019.

Each class has a designated hamper theme, donations of your class theme can be delivered to the class or brought to the Front Office.

Raffle books can be returned to the Finance Office by Wednesday 11th December.

Extra raffle books are available from the Finance/Front Office.

 

Good luck & thank you for your kind donations.

Sahara's Poem

Students doing great things

The following students were selected to participate in the Instrumental Music Concert Band Workshop, which was held in week 4 over two days at the Ridley Centre, Wayville Showgrounds. 

 Alex G (trumpet) and Chris P (saxophone)          

 The students worked with Department for Education Instrumental Music staff over the two days to learn a repertoire of pieces ready to perform a concert for their families. Pieces included, ‘Hooked on a feeling’, a medley of Abba songs ‘Abba on Broadway’ and the Best of Queen’.

The boys felt it was a fantastic experience which helped them learn even more to improve their playing. 

Neve and Lilly competed in the State Target Championships for archery at Mylor. This was the first time they've competed against each other and it was Neve's second tournament in as many weeks (She won her first tournament two weeks ago).  It was a long day with 144 arrows being shot over the course of 6 hours. Lilly came first and Neve 2nd. This now ranks them as 1 and 2 in the state.

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.

Parent Morning Tea

Twilight Family Picnic

Please join us for an evening of celebration and community

28th November from 5:30pm

Bring a deck chair or a rug, pack a picnic dinner and join us as we sing our  Christmas Carols for family and friends.


The next day is a School Closure Day, Friday 29th November

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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.

2C and 2D Willunga Diggers and Nurses Project

For the first half of this term room 2C and 2D learned about the Willunga diggers and Willunga nurses from World War 1. Firstly, we visited the Willunga War Memorial. Then we picked a soldier or nurse to research. We visited the Cheer-up girls’ Collage in the Show Hall with Chris Horsman. On the way back from the collage we visited the Basset Tree. This is a memorial tree planted 100 years ago to remember Fred Farmer Bassett.

After we finished our research we had to create a short diary or letter from the point of view of our soldier or nurse. The letter had to correspond with the events that happened in the nurse or soldier’s time. Then we cooked ANZAC biscuits with Allie Reynolds. We made some crispy and some chewy. We took some home, but then left lots for when we went to the RSL. Just before Remembrance Day we went to the RSL and laid out crosses in the lawn to remember the fallen soldiers. We shared our stories in the RSL and the members there talked to us about the RSL and about service in a war. We enjoyed a juice box and a few ANZAC biscuits together.

Doing this project has been interesting. The links to modern day life are amazing, such as road names and the tree. Although it was hard researching a lady it was great fun. We have learnt information and respect for the past and with the added bonus of eating ANZAC biscuits.

By Abigail, Kadence, Jakayla and Audio

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