School Newsletter -Vol.18_13th November

From the Principal

Remembrance Day 

On Remembrance Day, our student leaders attended a service at the Launceston Cenotaph, laying a wreath alongside representatives from schools and organisations across the North, honouring those who served. At school, we held our own commemorative service, fostering reflection and gratitude within our community. A heartfelt thank you to Mrs. Price and Mr. Brown for accompanying our leaders to the Cenotaph and representing our school with pride. Special thanks to Mrs. Pel for coordinating our whole-school assembly, ensuring that students could meaningfully participate in remembering the sacrifices made by past generations for the freedoms we enjoy today. 

 A Special Visit and Donation to our School 

We have an exciting event to share with you! Last week Waverley was honoured to welcome Mr. Neville Grady, a talented model builder who created a stunning, detailed model of the PS Waverley, a Scottish paddle steamer. This model is very special to Mr. Grady, and he has generously decided to donate it to our school! 

The PS Waverley model will be displayed in the admin block, where everyone can appreciate its incredible craftsmanship and learn about the history it represents. The model reminds us of the importance of heritage, creativity, and curiosity – values that we celebrate in our learning community. 

Make sure your child goes to school, every day 

Going to school every day gives your child every chance to learn and grow and connect with their mates and teachers. 

It’s where bright futures start and where they’ll benefit the most. Get them excited for school If you show a positive attitude and excitement towards school, your child will pick up on that. 

The most common thing we hear from students, of all ages, is that school is where they can: 

•  spend time with their friends and teachers; 

•  create new and fun experiences; 

•  find their interests; 

•  learn new things; and 

•  open up their options – for whatever future they want whether that’s their dream job or to travel around the world.

Please share these positives with your child.

Talk to your child about school

Open up a conversation with your child about what’s happening at school. It will help you to better support their interests and confidence in learning. If you show an interest in school, they’ll know that getting an education is important and valued. 

Celebrate the milestones Big and small!

Celebrate milestones such as making it through the first day or week of school. And remember: all milestones look different. If it’s a big achievement for your child, it’s important to recognise it. 

Set up a time to talk to your child’s teacher If you’re struggling to get your child to school, help is available. Please talk to us at school about your situation. We’ll support you, in whatever way we can. 

Know when to seek help There is no weakness in admitting you need help. If your child has completely disengaged with school, and not attending at all, there is support to help you. In the first instance, talk to us at school. 

Absent Days From School – Statistics 

• Classes 2025 

  We are planning the staffing required for 2025. To do this well and with accuracy, we need to be confident about our enrolments. If you know that your child/children will not be returning to Waverley Primary next year, please contact the office staff or your child's class teacher. Under the Education Act it is the responsibility of parents to notify the school in writing when their child is leaving to attend another school.   

  Our staff profile remains very stable as we commence planning for 2025. I am pleased to share that we will once again have seven classes.  

• Kindergarten
• Prep-1A
• Prep-1B
• Year 2
• Year 3-4
• Year 4-5 
• Year 5-6 

School Association Christmas Raffle

Our School Association Committee has been working tirelessly to bring together a wonderful collection of donated prizes for our annual Christmas Raffle, now in its second year! This year, the raffle will help raise much-needed funds to contribute to the building of a long jump pit for Athletics. 

We are incredibly grateful to our School Association Committee members, who have reached out to local businesses, gathered generous donations, and carefully bundled items into fantastic prize packs for the raffle. Tickets are just $1.00 each, and the prize drawing will take place on Thursday, 12th December.

Each student will soon bring home a book of 10 raffle tickets to sell. For families needing additional ticket books, extras will be available at the school office. Thank you for supporting our school community and helping us create a fun and more enjoyable environment for our students!

Thank you to each and every one of you – students, teachers, parents, and community members – for being part of our Waverley journey. Together, we’re making our school a place to be proud of. Here’s to more growth and success ahead!

There were 43 Team nominees and 102 individual nominees in the honour roll from across DECYP.  Waverley Primary was represented in three categories. 

Congratulations to the Waverley Early Years Team who were the recipients of the Bright Futures program! 

Categories

• Known, heard and included – recognising staff who have passionately and successfully advocated for children and young people.
• Safe – recognising staff who have made outstanding contributions to creating and maintaining a safe environment for children, young people and/or staff.
• Well and thriving - recognising staff who have made exceptional contributions to fostering an environment of wellbeing.
• Learning
  • Early learning – recognising staff who have shown exemplary performance in supporting children's learning from birth to kindergarten.
  • Primary school – recognising staff who have shown exemplary performance in supporting children’s learning from Prep to Year 6.
  • High school – recognising staff who have shown exemplary performance in supporting children’s learning from Year 7-12.
• Outstanding early career employee (first five years) – recognising individuals in their first five years who have shown respect, significant growth, courage, or high aspirations.
• Volunteers - recognising volunteers who have made outstanding contributions to the lives of children and young people.
• Care Super’s Secretary Recognition - from all nominees, the Secretary selects the recipient based on their overall collaboration and alignment with the department’s values and goals.

Nominees from Waverley Primary

In the category of Safe –  the nominees from Waverley:

School Support and Wellbeing Team

• • • • Assistant Principal Mrs Anita Price
      • Advanced Skills Teacher Mrs Megan Pel
      • Clerk Mrs Amanda Chugg
      • Learning Support Teachers Mrs Belinda Towns and Mrs Georgie Brown
      • School Social Worker Mr Brendan Dixon
      • School Psychologist Mrs Kyla Milner
      • School Nurse Mr Stu Davidson
      • School Speech Pathologist Mrs Paige Nilsson

In the category of Learning - Early learning – the nominees from Waverley:

Waverley Primary School Early Years Team

• • • • Advanced Skills Teacher Mr Sam Millwood
      • Teachers Sally Foley, Laura Allen and Ky Salter
      • Teacher Assistants Nicole Wager, Kim Ewart, Petrina Evans, and Kayla Frankcombe.

In the category of Outstanding early career employee (first five years) the Nominees from Waverley:

• • • • Miss Liv Meallin
      • Miss Grace Ennis
      • Mrs Siobhan Matuska

We are very proud of our staff who go above and beyond to make exceptional contributions to ensure children and young people are known, safe, well and learning. 

 Kind regards, 

Katie Wightman 

Principal 

Principal Awards

Congratulations to the recipients of Principal Awards received at the assembly held on Wednesday 6th November.

• Tylo W
• Ben L
• Mrs Belinda Towns
• Ms Denni Sulzberger

Merit Certificates

Congratulations to the recipients of Merit Certificates received at the assembly held on Wednesday 6th November.

• Mia R
• Zane W
• Levi G
• Oliver H
• Taleah S
• Toby W
• Indigo R
• Jeramiah H
• Ryder T
• Zara M
• Madalyn M
• Kaspian M
• Zatayah R
• Harvey K
• Harriette G
• Rory P

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Year 3/4 School Basketball Tournament

Congratulations to students from Year 3/4 who participated in the basketball tournament on the weekend. It was wonderful to see the combined schools teams working together and refining their skills across the four games. 

Congratulations to Isaiah and Ryder who were part of the Waverley/Ravenswood team and Zayah, Indigo, Ava and Amarli who combined with girls from St Leonards. We are very proud of your efforts! 

Mrs Siobhan Matuska

HPE Teacher

LiFT Term 4

During Term 4 we will be running reading afternoons in classrooms. We currently have three dates scheduled:

• Thursday 31st October, Prep/1 2.30-3.00pm
• Thursday 7th November, grade 1/2 2.30-3.00pm
• Thursday 14th November, grade 2/3 2.30-3.00pm

Mrs Ky Salter

LiFT Co-ordinator

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.

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)

Today’s fun activity is Pretend Play!

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. 

Encourage pretend play by providing costumes, props, and open-ended toys. Join in their imaginative stories. This helps develop creativity, social skills, and problem-solving abilities, and lets kids explore emotions and roles in a fun, safe way.

 #BrightLivesPositiveFutures 

LiFT (Learning in Families Together)

Today’s fun activity is a Mystery Box or Bag!

This activity helps your child develop language and communication skills. 👏🏼

We use these important skills everyday when we we talk, learn, listen, tell stories, and understand body language.

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. 

To make a Mystery Box or Bag, place everyday objects inside a box or bag your child can't see into. Let them reach in, feel, and guess each item. This boosts sensory skills, vocabulary, and curiosity!

#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