Connected

As we approach the end of term, I reflect on the wonderful things that are happening at Wattle Grove. Students are making wonderful growth and have been actively involved in a range of experiences both inside and out of the classroom. I acknowledge the outstanding work of staff and the support of our wonderful community in providing a high-quality education for our children.

In the Spotlight Dance Festival
I wish our school dance ensemble all the best as they perform tonight at the ‘In the Spotlight’ Dance Festival. A lot of work has been put in by both the students and Mrs Farah and Miss Cascio. I appreciate all their efforts and am looking forward to enjoying the performance at the Seymour Centre. A big thank you goes to the parents and carers of our dancers for your support with costumes and transport.

External Validation
Wattle Grove is currently engaging in an External Validation. This is a process that all NSW government schools engage in on a five-yearly cycle. It is a massive piece of work where schools are required to measures themselves against a framework of 3 domains, 12 elements and over 40 themes. As part of this process, the school has developed annotated evidence sets which demonstrates our achievements in learning, teaching and leadership. In Week 10, we share this body of work with a panel consisting of a Principal School Leadership Officer and a Peer Principal. I am very proud of the outstanding work we do at Wattle Grove and am looking forward to sharing this with the panel.

Week 8 Professional Learning
This week our Mathematics Project Team continued to their delivery of professional learning sessions focusing on Number Sense. This week we focused on mathematical terminology, and the importance of using this with the children during lessons. We also observed a Number Talk and focused on the planning when using this teaching strategy. Thank you to Mrs Boyes, Miss Cascio and Mrs Cook for their continued leadership of this professional learning.

Planning Week
During Week 10, teachers will be off class for the day with their stage teams to work collaboratively to plan the teaching and learning for Term 3. The support staff will cover classes with work that has been left by the class teachers.

Attendance
I am aware illness is impacting  student attendance, especially as the cold weather has hit. It is important students do not attend school if they are unwell as they need time to rest and recover. I kindly request that all student absences are communicated via the Audiri App, a written note or email to the front office. If students are absent for two or more days with no notification, you may receive a phone call. This is to check in to see if everything is okay and to inquire if the school can support in any way. Thank you for your support. 

Casual Teacher Shortage
When teachers are absent because they are sick, we try our best to cover the class with a casual teacher. However, in recent weeks, we (like many other schools) are finding it difficult to secure casual teachers to cover classes. When this occurs, classes will be split where students will have work to complete, consolidating the learning happening in class.

Upcoming Events
As we head towards the end of term, we have several school events. Please refer to the calendar of events in Audiri.

Monday 19 June – Baseball 5 Interschool Gala Day

Thursday 22 June – Book Fair and Parade (Parents, Carers and Friends Welcome)

Thursday 22 June – 3-6 Assembly

Tuesday 27 June – Semester One Reports go home

Wednesday 28 June – Beanie Day (SRC)

Thursday 29 June – K-2 Assembly

Friday 30 June – NAIDOC Day School Celebrations (please note the change in this date); Last Day of School Term

Kindergarten Enrolments 2024
 If you have a child starting Kindergarten in 2024, could you please ensure your online enrolment application has been completed and submitted to the school and that all supporting documents have been received. This supports our school planning for 2024. We look forward to seeing our 2024 Kinder students at Orientation in Term 4.

Our COVID-smart measures
While the community continues to live with COVID-19, NSW Health has advised that the unpredictable nature of the virus will continue to present a health risk to the community, especially during the winter months while other respiratory illness circulate. As a response, our school will continue to operate with our baseline COVID-smart measures in place throughout this term to minimise transmission while prioritising student and staff wellbeing. These includes a combination of layered safety measures such as:

·         Staying home if unwell and test for COVID-19 if showing any symptoms. Students and staff are advised to stay home until they are well, even if they have a negative COVID-19 test result. Students can be supported to learn remotely if they are well enough.

·         Boosted day cleaning of high-touch areas in our schools.

·         Strongly encouraging masks to be worn by all students, staff and visitors, particularly when indoors or outdoors when physical distancing is difficult to maintain, and if exposed to COVID-19

·         Strongly encouraging up-to-date vaccinations for our students and staff, including COVID-19 booster shots and flu vaccinations for anyone eligible.

·         Maintaining natural ventilation with windows and doors open whenever possible, including when cooling/heating systems are in use.

·         Continuing to provide RATs and other hygiene products to our school community, free of charge.

Our school may be directed to temporarily reintroduce additional COVID-19 measures, including mandatory mask-wearing and postponing events and gatherings, or directing a cohort to learn from home for a short period to minimise transmission risks. The NSW Department of Education’s COVID-19 Health, Safety and Staff Wellbeing team will continue to lead this work when it is needed.

For further information about the COVID-smart measures in place this term refer to the department’s COVID-smart measures at school on our Advice for families page.

Mrs Valensise has been on leave this week, so there is no Deputy newsletter this week. We hope to see her back next week.

Have a great fortnight,

Nicole Cameron
Principal

This week I zoomed into 4 Scarlet who were engaging in a Number Talk. It was great to hear the effective strategies students are applying to solve number problems. Number Talks allows students to further develop their number sense skills through promoting mathematical reasoning, communication, and problem-solving skills in a collaborative and engaging way.  Keep up the great work 4 Scarlet!

I have also been out and about in our playground. It has been great talking to the children and watch them engage and play with their peers, not to mention getting my daily steps up! 

One of our talented students, William from 5 Lilac had his review of a book published in the Top Ender magazine. Well done William. 

We welcomed the Defence Member & Family Services to our school to run a workshop for some of our Year 2-3 Defence students. The ADF Equip program enables students to better manage complexities faced by students due to a parental absence and/or relocation. Our second session for Years 4-6 will be held on the 20 June. We are looking to hold more programs for our students later in the year. 

Wattle Grove Public School debating team participated in the first round of debating on Tuesday 13 June at Padstow North Public School. The topic was 'We need better role models'. The team looked very professional and worked hard on their arguments. They spoke with confidence and did the school proud.
Unfortunately, they did not win this debate, but they should be super proud of their effort. We look forward to another chance in Week 10, where we host the debate and argue that 'Libraries are obsolete'. 

Ms Emma Harris