School Newsletter -Vol.19_27th November

From the Principal

We are delighted to announce the results of the Year 6 Leadership Board 2025 election. After a rigorous selection process, our students have chosen a team of exceptional individuals who will step into vital leadership roles in our school community. 

The newly elected leaders recently participated in an orientation meeting, where they were introduced to their duties and responsibilities. To prepare for their first official address to the Year 3-6 students, they attended a speech writing workshop. This gave them the opportunity to refine their public speaking skills and articulate their vision as leaders for the coming year. 

We are thrilled to share that Jayda and Dominic have been elected as School Captains for 2025. Their commitment, positivity, and enthusiasm have been widely recognised, and we are confident they will lead our school with integrity and inspiration. 

The Year 6 Leaders for 2025 also include: 

• Hope  

• Phoebe 

• Bethany 

• Shayla 

In early 2025, the student leadership team will appoint additional roles, including House Captains, Literacy Leaders, and Nutrition Leaders. We look forward to announcing these appointments and seeing how our leadership team grows into their responsibilities. 

The investiture assembly, officially conferring leadership roles, will take place early next year. This event marks the start of an exciting chapter in our school’s leadership journey, and we are eager to see the positive contributions our leaders will make. 

The School Captains-elect will perform their first official duty at the Presentation Assembly on Wednesday, December 11th, 2024. We have full confidence in their ability to represent our school with pride and professionalism. 

While we celebrate the achievements of our elected leaders, we also acknowledge the resilience of those who were not selected this time. True leadership is often demonstrated in how we handle setbacks, and we encourage all students to view this as a learning opportunity. At Waverley Primary, we value empathy, humility, and a commitment to personal growth. 

We encourage our school community to continue fostering an environment of support and encouragement. Every student has the potential for leadership, and we are excited to see how all of our students grow through this process. 

Congratulations again to our 2025 leaders, and thank you to all students who participated in the election process. Here’s to a year filled with leadership, collaboration, and growth! 

Term 4 Updates 
As we approach the end of 2024, our focus is split between concluding this year and preparing for the next. One key aspect of this planning is staffing. At this stage, we are not anticipating significant changes to our team, ensuring consistency and continuity for our students. 

Looking ahead, the 2025 National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) will take place in Term 1, from Wednesday, March 12th, to Monday, March 24th, 2025. This early scheduling allows us to maintain focus and momentum as we start the year. 

We remind families that every school day matters. Regular attendance and engagement remain critical, even as we near the holiday break. Let’s finish the year strong! 

Volunteer Morning Tea 
On Wednesday, December 4th, at 11:00 AM, we will host a special morning tea to thank the wonderful volunteers who have supported our school this year. Invitations will be sent out soon, but if you know someone who has anonymously contributed and deserves recognition, please let us know by contacting the office. 

Community Feedback Celebrating Outstanding Leadership and Sportsmanship

As Principal, I am always proud to hear about the positive impact our students have in the community. I would like to share some wonderful feedback we received about one of our students, Shayla.

Recently, during a community sports event, Shayla showed exceptional character and leadership. While all of our students were described as "excellent, lovely, and without any issues," Shayla truly stood out. Recognising that the team they were playing against from another school were struggling for numbers, she took it upon herself to step in and help, even playing against her own teammates for a bit of fun.

Community Feedback Celebrating Outstanding Leadership and Sportsmanship

As Principal, I am always proud to hear about the positive impact our students have in the community, and today, I wanted to share some wonderful feedback we received about one of our students, Shayla.

Recently, during a community sports event, Shayla showed exceptional character and leadership. While all of our students were described as "excellent, lovely, and without any issues," Shayla truly stood out. Recognising that the team our school was playing was short on players, Shayla took it upon herself to step in and help, even playing against her own teammates.

Not only did Shayla bring energy and humor to the game demonstrating kindness and encouragement throughout she balanced friendly competition with support for everyone.

It fills me with pride to see our students living the values we hold dear, both in school and in the wider community. Well done, Shayla and the basketball team—you’re a shining example of what it means to lead with kindness and have fun along the way!

It fills me with pride to see our students living the values we hold dear, both in school and in the wider community. 

Thank you for being part of our vibrant school community! We look forward to ending the year positively and welcoming another successful year ahead. 

 Kind regards, 

Katie Wightman 

Principal 

Principal Awards

Congratulations to the recipients of Principal Awards received at the assembly held on Wednesday 20th November.

• Indigo R
• Mateo W
• Brendan Dixon
• Mel Lade

Merit Certificates

Congratulations to the recipients of Merit Certificates received at the assembly held on Wednesday 20th November.

• Bethany W
• Hope C
• Taleah S
• Mason M
• Alistair N
• Esmae L
• Ronan F
• Zane R
• Shayla W
• Beighley W
• Zavier B
• Hunter T
• Amarli K
• Agnes W
• Amora K
• Kaidan T

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Remembrance Day Acrostic Poems

On November 11th, 1-2Meallin spent the day learning about Remembrance Day. We talked about soldiers, pilots, and other heroes who helped protect our country. We learned that poppies are special because they grow in the fields where soldiers once fought. The poppies remind us to say thank you and to never forget. 

To honour these heroes, we wrote acrostic poems. We picked words like poppy, bravery, and hero. Our poems  illustrate our gratitude. It was good to think about how we could say thank you in a special way through our poems. We also learned that Remembrance Day is important because it helps us remember all the people who worked hard to keep us safe.

Miss Liv Meallin

Teacher

End of Year Reports

A reminder to families that end of year reports will be sent home with students in Week 9 of this term. 

The report will show your child’s learning achievement on a 9-point visual scale for students in Prep to Year 6. The 9-point scale shows where your child’s learning achievement is against the expected standard for their year level.  

Students will receive a rating for their learning achievement against the Australian Curriculum for Health and PE and Visual Arts.  

Students will receive a rating for their work habits across all subjects, including specialist areas such as Health and PE, Visual Arts, Digital Technology, and Music, based on the SHINE learning behaviour rubric.

If your child is assessed against their Individual Learning Plan, they will be assessed against their personal goals. 

Open Classroom Event 

On Thursday 12th December, between 2:30-3:30pm we will be hosting an open classroom session. This is an opportunity for you to visit the classroom teacher and celebrate student work from across the year. 

More information about this event will be available with the student report.  

Mr Sam Millwood

Quality Teaching Coach

LiFT Reading Afternoons

Over the past four weeks, the LiFT reading afternoons in our lower primary classes have been a tremendous success! It was heartwarming to see so many families join us to celebrate and support their children’s reading journeys. The classrooms were filled with enthusiasm as parents, grandparents, and siblings engaged in shared reading activities, exploring picture books, or playing literacy games together.  

The children were thrilled to showcase their developing literacy skills, and the collaborative atmosphere created a sense of community among families and staff. These afternoons have not only fostered a love of reading but also strengthened connections between home and school. Thank you to everyone who participated! 

Mrs Ky Salter

LiFT Co-ordinator 

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Book Fair

Last week, we hosted our school book fair, and it was wonderful to see so many families come along to support this event. Many students left with beautiful books to enjoy, sparking excitement for reading across our school community.  

Thanks to your support, we’ve been able to acquire valuable resources for our school library, ensuring all students benefit from a rich variety of books.  

Happy reading, and enjoy your new books!

Mrs Amanda Colgrave and Mrs Lisa Johnstone

ESS and Teacher Assistant

Respectful Relationships and Consent

Building Healthy Relationships from an Early Age

Waverley Primary School is committed to helping students develop the skills they need to build healthy, respectful relationships from a young age.

Respectful Relationships and Consent Education at our school teaches children about:

• Understanding and respecting personal boundaries
• Identifying safe and unsafe situations
• Seeking help when needed

Families can support this learning at home by having age-appropriate conversations about respect, consent, and body autonomy.

Building respectful relationships starts early and lays the foundation for positive interactions throughout life.

The Conversation Guide has been developed by the Australian Government and is a useful resource for discussing these topics with children and young people.

If you have any questions, contact the school office on 6339 1455.

Keeping our Crossing Guards Safe

We are lucky to have a dedicated crossing guard at our school. Every day, they work hard to keep our students and families safe. Let's keep them safe by:

Slowing down, staying alert and being ready to stop safely when asked.

Driving in a safe manner when travelling through a school zone.

Always following their instructions.

By respecting our crossing guard and the road rules, together we can create a safe journey for everyone to and from school!

Safe School Zone Parking

We need your help to keep all our students safe, especially in the P-1 class. 

Please do not park on the grass nature strip outside Prep - 1. This is not permitted and is very dangerous. Parking there blocks the view for drivers and makes it harder to see children crossing the road. Always use the designated parking areas to keep everyone safe. 

 The Tasmanian Road Rules prohibit parking on a nature strip. Vehicles parked on a nature strip may be fined by City of Launceston officers or Tasmania Police if they are determined to be breaking the Road Rules. 

Remember, our school zone speed limit is 40km/h during busy times. Please slow down, stay alert, and watch for children walking near cars, crossing roads, or getting in and out of vehicles. Children can be unpredictable, so staying focused is essential. 

Please speak with your children about road safety. Remind them to:

• hold hands with and adult when crossing the road;
• to look right, left and right again, before crossing the road;
• to get out of the car on the kerb side; and
• to follow traffic signals.

These habits help keep everyone safe. 

 Thank you for helping us make Waverley Primary School a safe place for all our students. Let's work together to ensure safe drop-off and pick-up times for everyone. 

 The City of Launceston has shared resources for Parking Rules (see below) and Safe School Zone Parking, which can be viewed here: Safe School Zone Parking. The City of Launceston will also be conducting patrols of the area to encourage safe and legal parking. 

Sun Smart

Kindergarten Enrolments 2025

Children born in 2020 are required to enrol in Kindergarten for 2025.  More information about Kindergarten in Tasmanian Government Schools can be found by following the link below. 

We have a pre-kinder program that takes place every Friday morning the year prior to starting Kinder.  We invite families with pre-kinder age children to our Friday program. 

Any families that are yet to enrol their child in kindergarten are invited to do so as soon as possible.  If you have family or friends who would like to be considered, please encourage them to contact our school.  

Pre-Kinder

Early Years

LiFT (Learning in Families Together)

oday’s fun activity is Games with Family and Friends! 

This activity helps your child develop social and self-help skills. 👏🏼 

We use these important skills everyday when we play and work with others, solve conflicts, take turns, understand  feelings, and feel like we belong. 

How you can help at home. 🏠 

Play this game (and others like it) lots of times, it helps your child learn and practice these skills.   

Try engaging in ball games with your child, like throwing, catching, or kicking. You can toss the ball to each other or aim for a target, such as a hoop or basket. You could also explore clapping games together, like "Pat-a-Cake," or discover more fun options by watching tutorials on YouTube. These activities are great for building coordination and having fun! 

 #BrightLivesPositiveFutures 

LiFT (Learning in Families Together)

Today’s fun activity is Wallaby Tails! 

This activity helps your child develop physical (or gross motor) skills. 👏🏼 

We use these important skills everyday when we run, jump skip, ride a bike, play sport, or kick a ball. 

How you can help at home. 🏠 

Play this game (and others like it) lots of times, it helps your child learn and practice these skills.   

Wallaby Tails is a fun and active game perfect for playing at home! Here's how: 

1. Choose a scarf or tea towel and tuck it into the back of your child’s trousers, letting it hang like a tail. 

1. Have your child hop around the house like a wallaby while you chase them, trying to grab their "tail." 

1. Once you catch their tail, swap roles! You become the wallaby, and your child gets to chase you. 

1. Keep taking turns for endless fun and laughter! 

This game is great for burning energy and encouraging imaginative play. 

#BrightLivesPositiveFutures

Reading Club

Our Reading Club occurs in the Rainbow Room every Wednesday from 8:30am. We hope to see you there.

Working Together

School Association News

Uniform

A reminder to please ensure your child(ren) are dressed in school uniform for their day at school. Our school has very high expectations for our school uniform and many visitors to our school give extremely positive feedback about how smart our students look. We ask that any long sleeves under polo tops are gold keep to with our school colours. We ask that students please wear black trackpants/trousers or shorts. 

A reminder that our Waverley Primary School jackets are great for an extra layer over a school jumper. Uniform items can be purchased at the main office or through our Qkr! app, with items being delivered to students within a day. 

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.

Important Dates

5/6 Sport Roster

Advanced Safeguarding Training

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:

Staff Information

Staff – Student Support and Wellbeing Team

Staff - Teacher Assistant

Administration Team

Education Facility Attendant

Move Well Eat Well

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

Digital Skills for Families

Working Together-Free Education and Care in 2025

Would you like your child to have the opportunity to make friends, play, learn and build confidence? 

 Working Together: 

• Is free 

• Offers 2 – 3 days of early learning per week for children 

• Is available to children in their year before Kindergarten 

• Provides support to families to participate in the program  

• Is delivered through Tasmanian Early Childhood Education and Care services (also known as childcare centres) in the following locations: 

• North West – Burnie, Ulverstone, Devonport and Smithton 

• North – Launceston, Legana, George Town, Cressy, Perth and Scottsdale 

• Midlands - Bagdad, Campbell Town and Oatlands 

• East – St Marys, Bicheno, Swansea, Triabunna and St Helens 

• South - Brighton, Bagdad, Glenorchy and Kingborough 

If you have any questions please call Sally Foley at  

How can I take part? 

Referrals are now open for 2025, with limited places available. 

Learn more about Working Together and the eligibility criteria for children’s access at https://www.decyp.tas.gov.au/working-together/ or contact: 

• Email: wt@decyp.tas.gov.au   

• Phone:  0457 050 478 

Community Notices

ST LEONARDS AND WAVERLEY NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN

Do you LIVE, WORK or VISIT St Leonards and Waverley?

The City of Launceston  want to hear from you!

We are preparing a Neighbourhood Plan:

• To guide how the local area will develop and evolve over time.
• Your input will help create liveable communities..

Complete the quick survey here: St Leonards and Waverley Neighbourhood Plan | Tomorrow Together Launceston

Survey open until 6 December.

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