Connected

As we wrap up the term, we want to thank the whole school community for their support and hard work. We embraced challenges, numerous opportunities and celebrated countless successes. From academic achievements to artistic endeavours, sporting triumphs to personal milestones, our school community has shone brightly in every aspect. This would not have been possible without the collective effort and dedication of our students, teachers, and the unwavering support of our parents.  

We would like to give a shout out to Mr Scholze, who taught 6 Magenta this term, and Miss Standen who taught 5 Indigo. Both of these fabulous teachers did an outstanding job in Miss Watts and Miss Jones’s absence, and we thank them for all their work and care for our students. Miss Standen will be teaching 1 Aqua next term, as Mrs Aronis we be on leave for the remainder of the year. We will also see Mr Scholze who will continue casual work at Wattle Grove next term.  

I hope you have a lovely holiday break, spending time with family and loved ones.  

Thank You 
I would like to acknowledge the support of the school community and the Chipping Norton Network, last week as our school community attended a funeral of a beloved community member. This was a challenging time and the support provided by the community and neighbouring schools was truly appreciated.  

Public Speaking Success 
Congratulations to our three students – Hudson, Emily and Aralia who proudly represented our school at the School Performance South Primary Schools Public Speaking Competition 2023 last week. With 12 competitors in each stage division, the competition was extremely tough. Our students competed strongly in both the prepared and impromptu sections. Thank you to Mrs Bartram for her organisation of this event and attending with the students.   

Footy Fun Day 
What an awesome day was had by both students and staff. The Year 6 students did an amazing job at both planning and implementing this special day for their fellow students. The students displayed amazing skills in leadership and creative and critical thinking.  It was amazing to step back and watch them in action. The students organised a range of fun activities for the students to engage in over the event, ranging from games, face painting, hair spraying, mazes, guessing competitions and much more. The smiles on the students’ faces, and the sounds of laughter left no doubt that the day was a huge success. The students also enjoyed a delicious sausage sandwich, giving them the energy to participate in many activities. I would like to give a huge shout out to Mrs Dodd for her leadership and the Year 6 teachers for their support in making this day happen. Many additional hours went into making this day, the day it was! Thank you also to our parents /carers of Year 6 students who attended the meetings, sourced prizes, helped on the day and supported their children in organising their activity and our other parents/carers for purchasing tokens for their children to participate. Over $8,000 was raised on the day and will go towards the Year 6 Farewell and gift for the school. 

Ready, set, go! 
This week saw our K-2 students enjoying their school athletics carnival. The weather was kind to us (almost a little too kind with the heat), and the children had a ball, competing in races and participating in many activities. It was great to see parents and friends cheering on the children as they tried their best and showed great sportsmanship. A huge thank you to Miss Solo and Mrs Atkins for their organisation of the day and the staff who supported and led the activities. Ribbons for our placegetters will be awarded at our next K-2 assembly, which will be Week 4 next term. 

Congratulations
Charlie is off to Softball Nationals!!!! After 3 days of playing softball, representing Sydney South West Region at the NSW PSSA State Championships at Woolooware, Charlie was selected in the NSW PSSA  Softball Team to compete at the National Championships to be held in Adelaide in November. Charlie was also selected Captain of the Sydney South West Team which won 11 out of their 12 games to receive the Silver Medal at the state championships! What an amazing set of achievements! We wish Charlie all the best.

Sydney South West Regional Athletics Carnival 
On September 13, we had 21 students representing our school at the Sydney South West Regional Athletics Carnival held at Campbelltown. It was an amazing day with our school coming in at second place out of a total of 154 schools. From this carnival, 8 of our students will now compete at the NSW State PSSA Championships to be held next term. See results further in the newsletter.  

Camping Fun! 
This week many of our Year 6 students set out for a camping adventure. The students attended the Sydney Academy of Sport and Recreation at Narrabeen, and this could not have been a better location for the students to have so much fun, not to mention the amazing weather! The students participated in many activities including, bush walking, making damper, orienteering, archery, stand up paddle boarding and much more. I loved receiving the daily updates from Mrs Dodd with photos and messages to say the children were so well behaved and having a great time. I would like to acknowledge Mrs Dodd for her excellent organisation of the camp, and Mrs Robinson, Mr Scholze and Miss Buljubasic for attending the camp along with Mrs Dodd. This is a big commitment from teachers, being away from their families for two nights and I thank them immensely. Thank you also to our families for their support with providing this opportunity for the children.   

A visit to the Opera House! 
We couldn’t think of a better way to spend a Wednesday night than watching our fabulous Cantabile Choir perform at the Opera House with the backdrop of Sydney Harbour. To see our students perform at the Opera House was just amazing. I loved seeing their beaming faces as they sang their hearts out. All performances were just beautiful, showcasing the talents of students in the Public School System. As well as giving an amazing performance, our children displayed exemplary behaviour. A huge shout out to Mrs Ancell for leading, teaching and organising our students in the lead up to this amazing opportunity!  

Collaborative Planning Week
This week, stage teams engaged in collaborative planning days in preparation for Term 4. These days are so important as we highlight our successes and look at where to next in our teaching programs. 

Student Belongings 
We kindly ask that parents and children go through their belongings over the holiday period and make sure everything is clearly labelled. Everyday, there seems to be a mountain of lost property that nobody wants to claim. Parents please check the lost property bin outside the office, in case you find something that looks familiar. Jumpers and jackets sometimes have a funny way of turning up weeks after being lost.  

ICAS Results
The first of the many ICAS Assessment results are starting to come through.  

8 students participated in the ICAS Digital Technologies Assessment and we were awarded 5 Participation, 2 Credit and 1 Distinction. 

Congratulations to the following students who were awarded their certificates at last week’s Primary Assembly. 

19 students participated in the ICAS English Assessment and we were awarded 11 Participation, 4 Merit and 4 Credit Certificates 

Special mention to the students below who achieved a Merit or Credit. These students will receive their certificate at next term’s Primary assembly in Week 3.  

14 students participated in the ICAS Science Assessment and we were awarded 9 Participation and 5 Credit Certificates 

Special mention to the students below who achieved a Credit.  

Nicole Cameron
Principal 

Vicky Valensise
Deputy Principal                                                                                

This week I zoomed into the Stage One the planning day where Miss Solo taught a guided reading lesson to a group of Year 2 students. Following this, the Year 2 team reflected on the lesson and their own teaching of reading. This is part of the school’s focus on the explicit teaching of reading, where teachers reflect on their own practices and the needs of the students in their class to plan future learning experiences. The students, Miss Solo and the Stage One team all did an amazing job. It was a pleasure to observe great student and teacher learning.  

Congratulations Ellie from 5 Lavender.

Congratulations William from 1 Aqua.

Last night our brilliant Cantabile Choir performed beautifully at the Cantabile Music Festival 2023. They represented Wattle Grove with excellence and were complimented by members of the public on their exemplary behaviour, courteous manners, and contribution to the Combined Schools Choir. We look forward to sharing some of the learnt repertoire at upcoming school events in Term 4. Well done Cantabile Choir!

Mrs Ancell

A HUGE thank you to everyone who supported our FOOTY FUN DAY.  The amazing level of organisation and hard work by the Year 6 students, teachers and parent helpers who worked behind the scenes and on the day making it a great success.

There was plenty of entertainment throughout the day and the highlight was the touch footy game played on Australis Park.  Sadly, the teachers need to work on their ball skills, and the ref needs to make an appointment with Specsavers!

Congratulations to the following Guessing Competition Prize Winners:

Milwaukee Radio - Mia -1 Sky

Tik Tocs Play Centre Party - Ryder - 6 Pink

Sydney Giants AFL Jersey - Aaron - K Blue

Raging Waters - Zac - 6 Flamingo

Sydney Giants Netball Gold Pass - Ryder - 6 Pink

Sydney Giants Netball Bronze Pass - Leo - 4 Berry

Sydney FC - GA tickets - Tayla - 5 Indigo

Village Cinema Pass - Eston - 4 Berry

$50 / $20 Bunnings Gift Card winners - Tyler - 3 Canary, Hudson - 3 Canary, Abby - 6 Flamingo, Zack - 5 Lavender, Kristian - 2 Lime, Hendrix - 1 Navy, Rebekah - 2 Mint, Hamish - 1 Sky

$10 McDonalds Vouchers - Abi P - 4 Crimson, Alex P - 3 Canary, Annabel F - 6 Magenta, Everly C - K Blue, Jack C - 4 Scarlet

Welcome to week 10! I hope you all have a great holiday break and return refreshed for Term 4. The students enjoyed paying a variety of board games whilst enjoying the lovely Spring weather. The students show the PBL core values by sharing and including everyone who wants to play. The older students also helped the younger ones to play and understand new board games. 

The students are also working on new artwork for the hall for our three services, Navy, Army and Airforce. They enjoy engaging in art and craft activities and seeing them displayed for all to see. 

Congratulations to our Regional Athletes who had an amazing day of achieving personal bests and giving it their all. 

Their efforts resulted in WGPS coming second on the day from 154 primary schools that make up the Sydney South West Region...an amazing achievement. 

A special congratulations to the following students who will be representing our school at the State PSSA athletics carnival next term:

Josh G - 100m, 200m, long jump, relay

Abby - 100m, 200m

Josh L - long jump

Amilia - discus 

Noah - 100m

Madiu, James and Ryder - relay

Mrs Bartram 

Heba represented Sydney South West at the PSSA Girls Softball Tournament in Newcastle this week. The girls came 3rd in the tournament. Heba had an amazing time and enjoyed every minute of it.

Get ready to embark on an unforgettable adventure with a local theatre company, Fantasia Showstoppers! Our incredible cast is thrilled to present the magical story of The Lion King JR live on stage at The Richmond School of Arts.

The Lion King JR tells the story of the epic adventures of a curious cub named Simba as he struggles to accept the responsibilities of adulthood and his destiny. Along the way, the young lion encounters a colourful cast of characters including spunky lioness Nala, charismatic meerkat Timon, and loveable warthog Pumbaa. To claim his rightful place on the throne and save his beloved Pridelands, Simba must find his inner strength and confront his wicked Uncle Scar. The Lion King JR features everyone's favourite songs from the 1994 film such as “Hakuna Matata” and the Academy Award®-winning “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” and more.

Wattle Grove Public School is represented by Zac.  Zac is Young Simba in the show!

There are multiple shows from the 28th September to the 1st October and are pleased to announce our added Preview show on the Thursday 28th September at 3pm for only $10 a ticket.

Tickets are selling quickly so to book, go to https://www.fantasiashowstoppers.com.au/productions

To purchase tickets for the Preview show, simply visit our website https://www.fantasiashowstoppers.com.au/preview-event and follow the easy steps to secure your seats. We recommend booking in advance to ensure availability, as we anticipate high demand for this exclusive preview performance.