School Newsletter -Vol.8_ 29 May 2024

From the Principal

Winter Sports

Winter sports rosters have now begun for year 4-6. Participating in winter sports isn't just for students who love sport; it's also a fantastic opportunity for everyone to get active, try new sports, and develop important skills like teamwork, organisation, and communication. We hope all our students in the Primary sector take advantage of this wonderful experience and have fun. 

As our students will be competing against other schools and sometimes at external venues, we expect the highest standards of behaviour at all times. We look forward to seeing our school achieving both on and off the sporting field during this term of winter sport. 

Learning Support

The Department for Education, Children and Young People supports the rights of children and young people with a disability to access education on the same basis as their peers. 

There are two documents that tell us about the rights of people with a disability in education. They are called The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education (DSE) 2005. These documents tell us about what schools must do to make sure that students with a disability have the same opportunities as everyone else. The documents say that schools must make reasonable adjustments to teaching and learning. 

Educational Adjustment Disability Funding 

The Educational Adjustment Disability Funding model delivers resources to Tasmanian Government schools to support educational adjustments for students with disability. Educational adjustments are all the things that schools do to help a student with disability. We use adjustments to make sure that everyone can access, participate and engage in learning. 

Structure of the Model 

The model links with the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD) levels of educational adjustment: 

• Extensive 
• Substantial 
• Supplementary 
• Quality Differentiated Teaching Practice. 

 Moderation and Educational Adjustment Descriptor Tool 

Each year a Disability Educational Adjustment Moderator works with each Tasmanian Government school to talk about all students with disability who need educational adjustments. This is called the moderation process. 

During the moderation process, moderators and school staff identify the level of adjustment using the Educational Adjustment Descriptor Tool. The tool helps us to understand each of the levels of adjustment. The Tool helps school staff to make decisions about educational adjustment for students. These decisions are written into the student’s Learning Plan. 

How does it work in government schools? 

The Model gives a base allocation to every school (which includes Support Teacher staffing) for every student in the NCCD from Supplementary to Extensive. 

At Waverley Primary all students that we have evidence of a disability diagnosed by a psychologist or paediatrician are included in the NCCD.  All of these students who require Quality Differentiated Teaching Practice, extensive, substantial or supplementary adjustments, have a learning plan.   

This week two Disability Educational Adjustment Moderators visited our school to review our Learning Plans to ensure the adjustments we are making for students are aligned with the appropriate level of funding. 

If you have any questions in relation to this process please make a time to talk to  your child's class teacher, or Mrs Georgie Brown (Kinder to Year 1) and Mrs Belinda Towns (Year 2-6) in their role as our Support Teachers, or a member of the Leadership Team.  

Mid Year Reports 

As we move into the second half of the term, teachers will be preparing student assessments for the midyear reports. These reports will be sent home during Week 9. It’s important for students to keep up with their work and attend school every day to stay on track with their learning. 

Midyear reports are a great way to check in on progress.  All our students must be responsible and active in their learning. Most importantly, we encourage every student to always do their best. Success leads to more success, and all our students need to keep thriving. 

 Reminder about the Calendar 

Monday, June 10 is a Public Holiday. The Friday before, June 7, is a student-free day. On this day, teachers will be working on moderation. This helps ensure that teachers grading is consistent within our school and compared to other schools. 

Kind regards,  

Mrs Wightman 

Principal 

Simultaneous Storytime

Reading with our students is an important part of literacy development, and our teachers dedicate significant time each day to it. Last week, our students joined young people from all over Australia to read the same beautiful book during the National Simultaneous Storytime. It was an amazing experience to share the exact same book, at the exact same time, with students all across Australia, including those in very remote areas!

Mid-Year Reports

A reminder to families that mid-year reports will be distributed in Week 9 of Term 2.

Reporting format:

The 9-point and 5-point scale shows where your child’s learning achievement is against the expected standard for their year level.

Students assessed against their learning plan will receive a progress report related to their individual learning goals, as well as our SHINE learning behaviours.

There will be no teacher comments in the reports. This term parent/teacher/student conferences will be offered in Week 10. These are a great opportunity to discuss how your child is progressing with their learning, see evidence of their work, and support them to set future goals alongside the teacher.

Parent/Teacher/Student Conference

Appointments can be made by clicking this link: https://waverleyprimary.schoolzineplus.com/2024_Mid-Year

Instructions for making a booking are listed below. Otherwise, see your classroom teacher or Mr Millwood to organise an appointment.

How to book your appointment:

1. Click the link provided above
2. Click “Add New Student” and “Save”
3. Click on the student and their tile will turn green. Press “save and continue.”
4. Select the staff member for the selected child, and press “next.”
5. Select the available 15-minute timeslot and press “next.”
6. Review the appointment time and check the teacher information is correct.
7. Press next to complete the booking. This can then be repeated for another student by repeating the process.

For more information about reports:

• School Reports FAQs
• Understanding the 9-point scale
• Visit the Department’s website at: Reporting - The Department for Education, Children and Young People Tasmania (decyp.tas.gov.au)

Mr Millwood

Quality Teaching Coach

Swimming and Water Safety Program

The Learn to Swim program has commenced, offering our students essential swimming skills. In Australia, where we live, learn, and play by waterways, lakes, and the ocean, swimming is a vital skill. Being an island state surrounded by water further highlights the importance of this program. We are excited to see our students develop their abilities and gain confidence in the water. Thank you to everyone involved in organising and supporting this crucial initiative. Let’s make the most of this opportunity to ensure our children are safe and proficient swimmers. 

When: Monday 27th May – Thursday 6th  June

Where: Launceston Grammar School

Time:  Grade 3/4- 9:30am-10:30am, Grade 5 -10:30am-11:30am

Mrs Matuska

HPE Teacher

Merit Certificates & Awards

Congratulations to the recipients of merit certificates and awards recevied at the assembly held on Wednesday 22nd May.

Merit Certificates:

• Jayde R
• Tora J
• Savannah C
• Cobe B
• Kacie M
• Layla B
• Tylo W
• Gabriel B
• Hamish O-C
• Tyrell R
• Lochee R
• Mahalia P
• Domanic F
• Mason R
• Brax T
• Adalyn H
• Huxley G
• Ezra W

Principal Awards:

• Mia R
• Charlie
• Emily Isles - Staff member
• Georgie Brown - Staff member

Aussie of the Month

Congratulations to our Aussie of the Month recipients for May, Kayden and Kacie.

Kayden is a good friend.  He is kind, caring and helpful in the classroom. They are always ready for learning and listens to instructions. Kayden always has a smile on their face and is an asset to our school, displaying our SHINE learning behaviours at all times.

Kacie is a responsible student who is always ready for learning. Kacie applies their best efforts to all tasks and listens carefully to others. Kacie is a supportive, encouraging friend who is always willing to help others. Kacie upholds our school SHINE learning behaviours and is respectful to others at all times.

Mrs Price

Assistant Principal

Chilli FM's School of the Year

Please vote for Waverley Primary School to win $10,000. Scan the QR Code to vote. The money will be used to purchase a commercial oven for our kitchen renovation, to enhance our cooking programs that we run for our students and community. Voting is now open and closes midnight on Sunday 9th June.

YOU could WIN $500 just by voting for us!

School Chaplain

Last week was National Chaplaincy week (19-26 May).  Our School Chaplain is Tracey Avery and we are very pleased to have a School Chaplain at Waverley.  Tracey is a crucial part of our Student Support and Wellbeing Team, offering essential assistance to many of our students. We are grateful for Tracey's contributions to our school. If you are a student or family who has benefited from her help, it is a perfect time to express your gratitude for the support she has provided.  

Hands-On Learning

We are very fortunate this year to offer the Hands-On Learning Program to a group of selected students. Mrs Matuska (teacher) and Mrs Lade (TA) lead this program.  Every Thursday a group of students work on authentic, creative projects while also developing their social and emotional skills and confidence. The Hands-On Learning Program is structured on four pillars – having a place to belong, people to belong to, real things to do and a chance to give back to community. The group have been working on making stacking blocks for the Prep-1 classroom and pencil holders. 

Recently, Mrs Matuska, Mrs Lade and Mrs Price had the opportunity to attend Professoinal Learning about the Hands-On Learning Program and develop their skills by participating in some practical workshops where they made a wicking garden, decorated biscuits and tried their hand at rendering. 

We look forward to sharing pictures and keeping you updated on the latest Hands-On Learning projects throughout the year. 

Mrs Price

Assistant Principal

Waverely Cross Country

On a bright, sunny, yet crisp day, our Prep-Year 6 students successfully ran our beautiful cross-country course. The vast space we have for our children to run, learn, and grow is the envy of many local schools. A huge thank you to Mrs. Siobhan Matuska for her outstanding leadership of the carnival, supported by Mrs. Megan Pel, our AST. The event was a wonderful display of school spirit and athleticism, and we are proud of all the students who participated and gave their best effort. Congratulations to everyone involved for making this event a great success! 

Mrs Price presented the shield to house captains, Shaylah, and Kacie at our last assembly.

House Captain Report

Our whole school cross country was held on Friday May 17th. We saw lots of children wearing their house colours, blue for laymina which means lake and green for tuwala which means mountain.

All students gave their best efforts on the run. It was great to see some of our older students helping the younger ones, running with them to offer encouragement and support. There was lots of cheering and support from students watching the different age groups running.  It was good to hear the competition between the house groups hoping to win the event.  

We would like to thank Queechy High School for sending a group of students to marshal the event and a big thank you to Mrs M for her organisation of another extremely successful event; your support is appreciated!

Congratulations to laymina house for collecting the most points on the day and winning the cross-country shield for 2024."

Report by Kallee and Maetell

Crazy Hair Day

The Waverley Primary School Association Fundraising Committee is excited to announce Crazy Hair Day on Wednesday, 12 June!

We're looking for the craziest and most colourful hair in the school, and there are amazing prizes up for grabs! Two lucky winners (one from K-2 and one from 3-6) will win a family bowling pass each!

All funds raised will go towards new equipment for our athletics carnival, so let's come together for a great cause. Please bring a gold coin donation on the day.

We can't wait to see all the wild and wacky hairstyles! Let your creativity shine! 

National Reconciliation Week 27 May – 3 June

The theme for 2024, Now More Than Ever, is a reminder to all of us that no matter what, the fight for justice and the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will —and must —continue. 

Sensory Connection is one of a series of artworks created by Jamin and Luke Emmerton for the We Love Country book project. This book was developed for children and families at Birth – 4 years services at Tasmanian Government schools and centres. It explores how we can all connect to Country and understand why thanking Country is important. Both the story and the artwork provide all of us a valuable opportunity to further understand and show respect to Tasmanian Aboriginal People as the Traditional and ongoing custodians of this land.

We all have a role to play when it comes to reconciliation, and in playing our part we collectively build relationships and communities that value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories, cultures, and futures. National Reconciliation Week is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia. How will you?

Article from Mr Bullard, Secretary Department for Education, Children and Young People (DECYP)

Vaping

Vaping continues to be a trend amongst children and young people.

Electronic cigarettes, or vapes, are similar to smoking cigarettes, but don’t use tobacco.

Instead, vapes are a battery-operated device which heats a liquid. This liquid turns into an aerosol and is inhaled.  Like smoking cigarettes, vaping is highly addictive. Research shows that young people are three times as likely to start smoking if they vape.

While Tasmanian law says that a person under 18 can’t use, possess or buy vapes, we know that some young people are doing it because they believe it’s a safer option than smoking cigarettes.

It’s important to work together to educate them about the health impacts of vaping and the harm it can cause on their short- and long-term physical health.

The Department for Education, Children and Young People has a dedicated webpage with information and resources for teachers, parents/carers and young people.  This includes tips for talking to your children about vaping and how you can support them in quitting.  The below fact sheet also has some useful information to help support you in with these conversations.

At a school level, we are approaching vaping as a health issue. We use a range of educational resources to help students make healthy choices and informed decisions.

It’s important that we all work together to nurture the wellbeing of students so they can continue to grow, thrive and succeed.

If you have any questions or concerns, please get in touch with either your child’s teacher or Katie Wightman.

Share your thoughts on school attendance

Help us better understand any barriers that may be in the way, and what supports are needed to help with getting to school.

The Department for Education, Children and Young People is doing statewide consultation on school attendance. 3P Advisory is independently running the consultation. Your answers are confidential, and you won’t be identified.

We want to hear from you. You can take part in an online survey, share or vote for suggestions, or join an online drop-in session via the 3P website. The survey takes approximately 10 minutes to complete.

You can also share your thoughts about what you like or don’t like about our Every school day matters campaign.

As a parent or carer, please have your say. Please encourage your child/ren, too.

Every piece of feedback counts. Thanks for helping shape future DECYP initiatives, school-based engagement strategies and public awareness campaigns.

Early Years Programs

At Waverley Primary School we run a number of Early Years programs for children aged 0-5 years.  We look forward to seeing new and familiar faces at one or more of our progams.

Mini Movers - important update

We would like to inform you that we will no longer be running the Mini Movers program. While we know many families enjoyed the activity, we found that most children were ready to head home after attending Little Steps Playgroup.

In place of Mini Movers, Mrs. Salter will be dedicating her time to working in classrooms and with families to enhance students' reading skills. We are excited to celebrate reading achievements throughout the rest of the year.

If you have any feedback about this change or suggestions for other programs, please reach out to Mrs. Salter.

Thank you for your understanding and support.

Uniform

Hats must be worn by students when outside in terms 1 and 4.  Please check with your child that they have their school hat. School hats can be purchased from our uniform shop.

School shorts or trousers are plain black.  We have some examples of shorts and track pants in our uniform shop that can be purchased from Kmart.  We also have a range of second-hand items to give away or that you can purchase.  Our staff in the School Office are very happy to help you and your child(ren) with all uniform needs.

Please note: branded leggings and very short hot pant style shorts are not part of our school uniform.

Communication

Newsletter access

Please note the following information: 

Schoolzine SZapp and our Text message service are our main source of communication. 

The newsletter is published every second Wednesday through Schoolzine and can be viewed through the SZapp.   

The Waverly Primary School Facebook page is a great way to stay informed about what is happening in and around our school. 

Attendance

At Waverley Primary students attendance and safety are high priorities.  If your child is absent or late please phone our school office ph: 6339 1455 or send a note via the SZapp.  All lateness and absence must be explained.  This is a legal requirement by the Department for Education Children and Young People.  

An SMS text message will be automatically sent to the mobile phones of parents/carers explaining that our records show that your child is absent from school.   

The message will arrive on the phone displaying the number: 0407 580 106. Please save this number as ‘WPS Absentee’ so that when the message arrives you are aware is has come from our school.   

You can reply to the text to explain the absence please add: your child’s name, reason they are absent or late.   

Messages from you to school

To ensure your messages are received and actioned in a timely manner and without error, please use the following:

• Absentee notifications - Enter details using the SZapp by 9:00am to notify the office of student absence.
• End of day messages - Send a message using the SZapp or call 63391455 before 2:30pm.
• Queries and other messages - Send a message using the SZapp or email waverley.primary@decyp.tas.gov.au
• Uniform & icecream/icypole orders - Order and pay on the Qkr! app

We endeavour to respond to enquiries within 2 business days during school terms.

Messages from us to you

In an effort to reduce our carbon footprint, we will push information out to you via the SZapp.  It is very important that all of our parents have signed up to the Schoolzine app to receive notices and information. 

If you require assistance in setting up or using the SZapp or the Qkr! app, please contact the office. 

Allergy Aware

We are an allergy aware school.  We discourage the use and consumption of nuts and nut products as well as eggs and egg products. 

Ice Cream Sales

A reminder that we have ice cream sales on a Monday at lunch time.  All proceeds support our Year 6 celebration activities.  You can order your ice cream or icy pole on the Qkr! app or you can bring cash on the day.

5/6 Friday Sport

There is no 5/6 sport scheduled for Waverley Primary School until Friday June 14th.   A new timetable will be published in our next newsletter.

Important Dates

Staff Information

Staff – Student Support and Wellbeing Team

Staff - Teacher Assistant

Administration Team

Education Facility Attendant

Working With Vulnerable People Registration

Parents and carers if you remain with your child in their classroom beyond school drop off, or volunteer for parent help, or would like to attend a school excursion we must see a copy of your registration card.  When you sign in at the office please enter your RWVP number.  

It is against the law for a person to work or volunteer at any DECYP School without a current working with vulnerable people registration. 

If you would like to volunteer at Waverley Primary School we would love to hear from you.  To apply for registration please follow the link below:

Move Well Eat Well

A reminder to everyone that we do not bring energy drinks to school.  

Community Notices