Connected

As I reflect on the past fortnight, it's evident that our school community is buzzing with excitement as we dive into the end-of-year activities. The walkways  echo with laughter, classrooms hum with creativity, and our students are fully immersed in their learning. As we approach the culmination of this wonderful year, staff continue to foster an environment of enthusiasm, respect, and commitment to excellence whilst maintaining familiar routines for the children. I am looking forward to many fun-filled moments over the remainder of this busy term!

Colour Run Winning Classes Celebrate 
K Yellow, 3 Canary and 6 Magenta celebrated their colour run winning fundraising efforts with a pizza party last week! These three classes raised the highest amount of sponsorship money for the Colour Run. The students enjoyed their delicious lunch along with a lolly bag to take home. A perfect way to wrap up our Colour Run event. Thank you again to our P&C's Colour Run Team and our whole community for your amazing support, making our first colour run a great success.  

Disco Fever
A huge thank you to our amazing P&C fundraising committee,  Katelyn and Alicia, for organising a very successful disco last Friday night. The dance floor was alive with joy as the students danced and enjoyed delicious treats with their friends. This magical evening wouldn't have been possible without the dedication and support of our incredible P&C, parent volunteers and staff. Your hard work and commitment truly made the event a resounding success. Thank you for creating lasting memories for our students and fostering a sense of community through this wonderful celebration. 

Grandparents’ Day a Huge Success
Last week we welcomed over 300 visitors to celebrate Grandparents’ Day. It was truly a joy to have so many grandparents join us in our classrooms and assembly, creating unforgettable moments for our students. 

The classrooms were filled  with excitement as grandparents and friends interacted with their grandchildren, sharing stories, laughter, and love. The assembly was a grand success, with numerous students showcasing their talents in dancing and singing. It was heartening to witness the enthusiasm and confidence displayed by our students, and your applause and encouragement undoubtedly played a significant role in boosting their spirits. 

Thank you to our visitors for taking the time to be a part of this special day and for contributing to the vibrant atmosphere. Grandparents play a crucial role in shaping the lives of our students, and their presence served as a beautiful reminder of the profound impact grandparents have on the development and wellbeing of our children. 

Thank you to Mrs Robinson and Mrs Valensise for leading this special day, staff who led performance groups, teachers for opening up their classrooms and those who helped behind the scenes to set up morning tea.  

Congratulations Abby
Congratulations to Abby who received a major prize at the 2023 Liverpool Young Achievers Awards last week. Abby won the category for Sport, taking away a certificate and $500 which was presented to her by the mayor of Liverpool City Council, Ned Mannoun. A very well-deserved award for Abby, well done! 

Remembrance Day Ceremony 
On Friday 10 November we held our Remembrance Day Service. It was a beautiful service, run by our school captains, Oliver and Abby. Talan and Ariel, two of our defence students each read a poem, and did an amazing job. The choir also performed a beautiful song and some students laid wreaths. Thank you to Mrs Dorr, our Defence School Mentor, for her leadership and organisation. 

A Day of Celebration
Last week, Aralia, our School Ambassador, represented Wattle Grove at the Ambassador Day of celebration. This day was held at the Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre. Each group presented their Ambassador Project to an audience of proud parents, teaching staff, directors and the Executive Director, Mrs Kay Rigas. Aralia’s group focussed on student wellbeing. I would like to acknowledge Mrs Dodd for supporting Aralia through her ambassador journey this year.  

Semester Two Reports
Teachers are currently engaging in preparing and writing student reports. A lot of time and effort is given to this process to ensure our parents/carers are presented with valuable information about their child’s progress. Our reports provide information about your child’s achievements and future learning goals.  Reports will go home Tuesday 12 December. If you are planning on finishing school early, could you please advise the office in writing, and we will do our best to prepare your child’s report in time for your departure. If you have any concerns or questions about the report, you are more than welcome and encouraged to meet with your child’s teacher to discuss the report. 

Intention to apply for Year 7 placement in a selective high school in 2025 (Repeated) 
Selective high schools cater for academically gifted students with high potential who may otherwise be without sufficient classmates at their own academic standard. Selective high schools help these students to learn by grouping them with students of similar ability, and by using specialised teaching methods. 

If you would like to have your Year 5 child considered for Year 7 selective high school entry in 2025, you need to apply on the internet using a valid email address (not the student’s email address). 

The Selective High School Placement Test will be held on 9 May 2024. 

Applications opened on 9 October 2022 and close on 20 November 2023. You must apply before the closing date. 

You must submit only ONE application for each student. 

More information has been posted on our Audiri APP. If you have any questions, please contact the school office. 

2024 Planning (Repeated) 
It is that time of year again where the school must start planning for next year. It is extremely important we have accurate information about enrolment numbers for 2024, as these impact on staffing levels and the general organisation of the classes we will have. Can I please ask that anyone who knows that their children won’t be at Wattle Grove next year or families, who have a child to start kindergarten in 2024, please contact the school office with your details. If new people move into your street, please encourage them to contact us here at school if they have primary school aged children. 

2024 School Plans (Repeated)
The school structure and the formation of classes at Wattle Grove Public School is governed by the Department of Education staffing formula. A school structure that best meets the needs of students and teachers will be designed by staff and ratified by the Principal. Students will be allocated to classes by the teaching and executive staff, with the assistance of the Learning Support Team.  

If you feel there is information of educational reasoning that should be considered when planning for 2024 classes, you are welcome to put this in writing to Miss Cameron by Friday 17 November. Requests for particular teachers will not be considered and is highly discouraged. The classroom teachers who have in-depth knowledge of your children’s abilities and school behaviours are experienced professionals in making these decisions. We appreciate that you trust our professional judgement considering the multitude of factors that influence the placement of 500 students. 

B 5 Winners
Congratulations to our winning B5 teams who placed first, second and third at Tuesday's Gala Day. The children showed great sportsmanship and we look forward to the top 2 teams having  a playoff on Monday as a demonstration for our children. B5 is an emerging sport where students run between bases but there are no bats involved! 

Have a great fortnight!

Miss Nicole Cameron
Principal

Last week I zoomed into Stage 3 Creative Arts group, where 6 Magenta were performing plays, they had been studying. The groups were so well prepared from memorising lines to their costumes and props. The students displayed outstanding collaboration working beautifully in their groups. I think there just may be a few or more actors amongst us! 

What a great turn out we had at the P&C organised school disco on Friday night. It always gives me a real sense of pride as I see our community come together to support our school. Great to see new faces joining our P&C and jumping in to lead fundraising events like this. It is greatly appreciated by the staff of our wonderful school.

2024 Student Leadership Speeches
Congratulations to the twenty, Year 5 students who delivered their speeches in front of their peers on Monday. I can honestly say that the students delivered speeches of the highest quality. They came prepared and shared with the audience what attributes they have that will make them an outstanding leader for 2024. I congratulate all candidates for coming this far. I would also like to thank Mrs Cabrera for overseeing the student leadership process.

Loud Shirt Day- Supporting the Shepherd Centre
Well done to our school community for supporting the Shepherd Centre on Tuesday. Our students and teachers came to school wearing their loud shirts. A special thank you to the SRC for organising the event and a shout out to Monty in Year 4 who showed his appreciation for this fundraising event which is close to his and the Pickford family’s heart. We raised $493 which is a great effort. Days like this are a great reminder that we can do things to raise awareness and to pay it forward.

Holsworthy Cup
Well done to Charlie, Isla, Alex and Leah who represented Wattle Grove at the Holsworthy Cup Challenge. Miss Keroulis, our Notre Dame student teacher worked with these students on their plan and design. The efforts of the team paid off as they came away with the Holsworthy Cup. Well done team!

Presentation Day Assemblies
A reminder that the annual Presentation Day assemblies are in the process of being organised.

All parents are invited to the Presentation Day assemblies to celebrate the successes and accomplishments of our students. However, we will also send letters home to students who will be receiving an award to help parents in organising time off work. We ask that this information is not shared with your child to keep an element of surprise on the day. These letters will be mailed out later this week. If you have changed address please let the office know so we can make sure all our information on our system is correct.

Presentation Day dates to lock in your calendar:

Monday 4 December

9:30am: Years K-2 (inclusive of Kindergarten Graduation)

Tuesday 5 December

9:30am: Years 5 and 6 (inclusive of Year 6 Graduation)

12:00pm: Years 3 and 4

Infants Assembly
Our last Infants assembly will be next week in Week 7. Merit awards being traded for Principal awards can be carried over into next year. K-2 Athletics Ribbons will also be presented at this assembly.

Helping your Child with their Reading
When engaging in conversation with your child’s teacher about their learning, you may have heard the teacher talk about reading fluency. Fluency is the ability to read quickly, accurately and with expression. Fluency is closely linked to reading comprehension. If children read very slowly with little expression then they may not understand what they are reading. Poor fluency leads to reading fatigue and disengagement. Fluent readers are able to focus on reading for meaning because their decoding is automatic and almost effortless.

So what can you do to help your child develop good reading fluency?
Encourage your child to read the same selected pages for 2-3 consecutive days, from the text they bring home. Repeated reading of a familiar text allows your child to focus on the pace, expression, intonation. Model what good reading sounds like. Being too fast is not always good reading and can impact the meaning. For students in K-2, make sure you put time aside every afternoon/evening to read aloud the words they bring home with a specific phonic focus. Practise is key to consolidation!

Have a great fortnight everyone, 

Mrs Vicky Valensise
Deputy Principal

On Tuesday 14 of November, 4 of our Year 5 students represented Wattle Grove Public School in the ‘Freakshake’ round of the Holsworthy Cup. Isla, Leah, Charlie and Alex, travelled to Holsworthy High School to bring their creative milkshake designs to life! All creations from all teams were excellent and we’re proud to say that we came away with the trophy! Congratulations to Charlie and Alex for creating the winning ‘Freakshake’! Thank you also to Miss Keroulis for guiding our students through the creative process. Our bellies were full after this challenge!

Miss Cascio

We took 3 Year Six teams to the B5 competition on Wednesday 15 November. They played exceptionally well, showing great sportsmanship and amazing skills. We came 1st, 2nd and 3rd!

Mrs Brook and Mrs Casdas are very proud of all the team members.

We held our Remembrance Day Service on Friday 10 November, which our students proudly attended, showing great respect. Our School Captains did an amazing job leading this service. During the lead up, students helped to put the poppies on the front fence of the school and added some of these around the playground. 

To support students learning, I organised a Memorial Box from the Australian War Memorial featuring items from WWI. This included a mannequin which was dressed up in soldier attire from WWI. The students visited the display to learn about the contents of the Memorial Box with myself. The students were able to touch and try on some of the items which they really enjoyed. I also bought some items in from my own collection for the kids to enjoy.

A huge congratulations to Abby for not only being nominated for the above award  but for winning the category for Sport for primary schools in the Liverpool City Council area.

Abby was presented with her certificate and $500 from the mayor of Liverpool City Council, Ned Mannoun, at a special awards ceremony on Monday. 

We are very proud of Abby and all her achievements this year.