Contact: Web: www.williamstownps.vic.edu.au Email: williamstown.ps@edumail.vic.gov.au Phone: 9397 1248

Dear Parents, We hope all families had a safe and happy long weekend, providing everyone with a chance to recharge their batteries. This week Mat and I have had two days out of the school as we attended the South West Victorian Regional Principals’ Forum at the Melbourne Convention Centre. This was a forum facilitated by the DET (Dept. of Education and Training) gathering all school principals from both primary and secondary government schools. The two-day program centred on sharing the DET’s state-wide agenda for education. We were addressed by national and international educationalists of the highest calibre from the UK, Canada and the U.S, including: Mary Jean Gallagher, Prof David Woods, Lyn Sharratt as well as our Minister for Education, James Melino, the Secretary Gill Callister and the Deputy Secretary Bruce Armstrong. The program aimed to support principals in our primary role as the lead learners within a Professional Learning Community such as WPS. Our work with teachers is to build and continuously monitor the learning environment we provide here so that the optimal learning growth of students is aspired to. The day’s agenda promoted our learning of evidenced-proven, high impact learning strategies, which we are working to build into the instructional practice at Willy. Whilst Mat and I took away many learnings after spending a good deal of the time sharing and working collaboratively with our colleagues, perhaps the greatest highlight was hearing Rev. Tim Costello. What an amazing person he is! He shared his work with World Vision and divulged his view of the role of education in today’s society. It was refreshing to hear about the importance he places on our children’s learning – both academic and social / emotional – being the crux of a safe and happy, future world. We found our values at Willy aligned so well with many of his beliefs. This week we are also having the pleasure of reading the classroom and specialist reports for all students across the school. These mid-year reports are being finalised and will go home to families next Friday, June 23rd. We know that as parents you will be looking forward to hearing the teachers’ comments on your child’s learning growth, attitude and approach to learning, as well as their social competencies. We recommend you read these reports with your child and celebrate the outcomes.

Dates to

Remember

JUNE Tuesday 13th – Friday 16th

COMPASS Student Learning Conferences open for booking

Tuesday 20th

School Council & AGM

Student Learning Conference – 1T only

Wednesday 21st

JSC Fundraiser – Pyjama Dress Up Day

Tuesday 27th

Student Learning Conferences – all students dismissed at 12:30pm

Thursday 29th

Friday 30th

Prep 2018 Enrolments Close

End Term 2 – Early Dismissal 2.30pm

JULY Monday 17th

Start Term 3 Thursday 20th

Gr3/4 visit to Museum

AUGUST Tuesday 1st

School Council Friday 4th

Curriculum Day – Student free day

Principals’ Comments

Williamstown Primary News

15th June 2017 Supervision in the Yard commences at 8.45 a.m. and finishes at 3.45pm.

Principals’ Comments contd.

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Thank you for logging on to Compass to book in your Student Learning Conferences, which take place on the final Tuesday afternoon /evening of term. Teachers (and students in years 2 – 6) will be keen to share further insights with you and samples of work to support learning achievements as well as future learning goals. Please note that conference booking close tomorrow, 4pm Friday June 16th.

Prep enrolments 2018 As we are now into June, it is important for those families wishing to enrol their Prep child at Willy in 2018 to ensure enrolment forms are returned to the school before the end of the term. Enrolment forms are available from the school office and are due back to school by Friday June 27th. Families with particular needs or requests they wish the school to consider should include them with their enrolment form and make an appointment with myself. Similarly, if your child has additional learning needs please make an appointment to speak to Andrea or Lynne Bourchier (Integration and Inclusion Coordinator). All families will receive confirmation of enrolment during term 3 together with details of our Kinder to Prep Transition program held in term 4.

Essential Educational Items With the middle of the year just weeks away, we have noticed there are a number of families who are yet to finalise payment for the Essential Educational Items used by their child. These items include exercise books, paper, pens, pencils, art materials, printing and the like. The school relies on all families paying for these items. If you have yet to finalise this account we recently sent a reminder. If you have difficulty in meeting this payment we would appreciate you letting us know. If the cost of these items is not shared equitably, the school’s capacity to purchase these items for all students is compromised. We would appreciate for parents to attend to this before the end of term. Thanks. Congratulations! We are delighted to share the news of a new arrival to the Puhar family. Sara and Steven had a beautiful little girl on Sunday, Luna Victoria Puhar. We welcome her to the Willy family and wish them all the very best during this exciting time. Child Wise Parent Forum Earlier this term we hosted a parent information forum about the new Child Wise program being implemented at Williamstown this year. You may like to read some of the encouraging comments parents have written to the staff in support of their teaching of Child Safety. Should you have any questions reading this program, please don’t hesitate in getting in touch with us. Parent Feedback from the forum presented on Monday May 22nd, 2017 @ WPS.

So pleased this program is in our school.

Fully behind the Child Wise program. More than happy for you to pass on your knowledge.

A great initiative. Well done, Willy Primary!

Teach them to be safe.

Thanks for creating a community that truly cares.

Go with awareness and care- sure that each one is ready. You have my support.

Child Wise, really important education. Please keep it going!

I love that the school is embracing the Child Wise message and that my kids are learning this information at school as well as at home. Reinforces the message. Like the animated messages too.

It’s great that Willy Primary is teaching true life skills!

It’s so important to speak openly about this issue and use appropriate terminology. Thanks.

Help me empower my child to say NO when he feels unsafe.

Child Wise is a great program and I am all for body parts being called by their correct names. What a great way to empower our kids!

Thank you for supporting our kids in being empowered.

Every parent in the school would thank you if you prevent even one of our kids from abuse. Please, please empower them to protect themselves – you can do it!

Principals’ Comments contd.

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You have the power to save my beautiful child from abuse. You, dear teacher, can change their life. Thank you!

Fully supportive of the Child Wise program and the benefits it provides to the children.

You’re doing great, teachers. Keep empowering our children!

Speak up! Know who you can trust. Persist with questions if someone doesn’t seem right.

Everyone has a penis or vagina. That is no secret.

Thank you for teaching our kids how to stay safe.

Thank you for teaching our kids how to look after their bodies.

Support them to be confident in what to do. And ‘penis’ and vagina’ are fine!

Thanks for helping us empower and ultimately protect our children!

Great to teach the kids the confidence to speak up! Hard for adults sometimes. Great lessons – so important!

Teaching our children about personal safety may prevent possible harm in the future. Thank you for teaching my son how to look after himself, his friends and stand up for himself. Sincere thanks.

Really grateful the school and teachers are undertaking this and empowering our children to be safe. Thank you!

You are doing a great job!

‘Nice people do bad things” Please empower our children. Great program for our children!

I understand this can be confronting to talk about, but ultimately I want my son to be safe!

Great program! Appreciate your support! RESPECT.

It’s important. Thank you!

All the best for the coming week. Warm regards,

Mat and Andrea

Other snippets of info / reminders:

Don’t forget Friday assemblies commence at 2:45 pm. This week 1R will host us. We hope to see you there!

Williamstown P.S. Annual General Meeting will be held at 6:30pm on Tuesday June 20th prior to the School Council meeting. The 2016 Annual report will be presented at this time. Please note, a copy of this Report, is available online and at the school office.

OXFAM P.J Dress Up Day – Wednesday June 21st. we hope all kids will support this Junior School Council initiative.

Semester one written reports will be sent home on Friday June 23rd. Student Learning Conferences will take place on Tuesday June 27th.

School Council has approved that ALL students will be dismissed from school at 12:30 on this day.

Please check the calendar on our website, Compass or on Flexibuzz for other important dates for term two.

Principals’ Comments contd.

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Willy Kids Are Friendly Kids RESPECT

And next week we’re looking at

Respecting property, yours and others and next week, Around our school, our home and the homes of our friends there are many things we use that make our life more enjoyable. At home it may be the television, the stereo or the computer, at school it may be sports equipment, art materials or some of the play equipment in the yard. Whatever we use, we need to look after, not just for ourselves but because others like to use these things as well. Respecting property means making sure we put it back where it belongs. It means treating it carefully, cleaning up after ourselves and leaving the equipment just as we would like to find it. It means sharing equipment so that others enjoy it as well. Respecting property also means we respect all the property of others even when these things may not mean much to us. One child’s special toy may not mean much to us but it does mean a lot to them. We need to respect this. Willy Kids are eSmart Kids

Look after our Computer Lab

Share equipment

Provide support for each other, when needed

Respect and care for our learning spaces and equipment.

Respecting our School and our environment We all enjoy our school. School means different things to different people, but everyone has their favourite place to be. For some people this may be reading a book in a quiet corner of their classroom or working on the computer in the library. For others it may be sitting with friends under the old trees, playing footy on the oval or climbing on the equipment. Whatever you like to do it is important that we look after our school, both inside and outside, so that it is a pleasant place to be. Respecting our school means making sure we work together as a team to keep it clean and free from litter. It means making sure no-one damages the buildings, furniture or school equipment. The trees and gardens need to be respected too, as they not only make the schoolyard look better, but they also provide shade and shelter. Over the past few years we have made significant improvements to our gardens making the school a more pleasant environment for us all. With this work continuing we again need everyone to take care and respect this work. This is our school. We should be proud of it and work hard to ensure it is a clean, safe and happy environment for everyone.

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Every Friday is

WALK TO SCHOOL FRIDAY

Congratulations to Week 7 – 3/4 K Week 8 – 3/4 J

Green Day

On Thursday 29th June we will celebrate and learn about the environment. This is a chance for everyone to reflect of how well we consider the environment in our everyday choices, including at home and at school. On this day, we would love to see everyone dressed up in either the colour green or something that fits in with Green Day. It will be great to share our costumes with everyone at our whole class assembly in the afternoon at 2:35pm.

Premiers’ Reading Challenge Please encourage your child to log into the Premiers’ Reading Challenge website and add their books. Interschool Sport finals Another exciting term of interschool sports is coming to an end. It has been great to see all of our students putting their best foot forward each week! There will not be training this week (15/06/17). Finals will be happening next week, on Friday 23rd June.

This week you could ask your child about…. In Literacy…. Discuss our intriguing class novel “The Thief of Always” with your child. In Mathematics… How do we add or subtract fractions? In Inquiry…. Our ‘Shark Tank’ project, and what your child will be selling. From Lisa Leydin, Bianca Muraca, Ella Warmington, Steven Puhar, Matthew Scalzo, Rebecca Dorgan.

Excursion notes went home this week for our 3/4 excursion to the Melbourne Museum. This will take place in Week 1, Term 3, on Thursday 20th July. The payment and the signed permission slips need to be back to school by the 28th of June. We have all had great fun, learned a lot and been amazed at the shelters made by the students. They have even had the opportunity to show these off to the Grade 2s and set a high benchmark for them next time. We will be sending the shelters home over the next week so if you would like to keep yours please come and pick it up. All the classes have also been busy writing, editing and publishing their own Dreamtime stories which will be read by the students to the Grade 1s. Finally, we are looking forward to the student led conferences and wish all the best to the Grade 3s who are participating for the first time. This week you can ask your child about… In Literacy… Tell me about your Dreamtime story? In Mathematics… What are equivalent fractions? Why are Keys or Legends useful with maps? In Inquiry… Who are some famous indigenous Australians and what did they do? In Child Wise… What is the ‘My Underpants Rule’? From Emil de Vries, Michelle Jordan, Joel Kitchen, Anna Swan, Matt Eason-Jones, Molly Hedditch and Marcia Evans.

Gr. 5 / 6 NEWS

Gr. 3 / 4 NEWS

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Magazines and catalogues – Do you have any? Thanks to the families who have already donated some magazines and shopping catalogues. We are still on the hunt for more, so if you have any that you are finished with, we’d love you to send them along with your child so we have plenty to work with during our upcoming maths units of work about money and measurement. Many thanks! JSC Pyjama Day – Wednesday 21st June A reminder that on Wednesday 21st, the JSC is hosting a Pyjama Day to raise money for Oxfam. Students are asked to come to school in their pyjamas and bring along a gold coin donation. Grade Two Planning Day– Friday 23rd June Due to some logistical requirements, the Year Two Panning Day has been moved to Friday 23rd June. As always, this will operate with the students undertaking all their specialist classes on the one day (so don’t forget those runners for PE!). Please note that students will still have their regular specialist classes earlier in this week, but not the following week. Green Day – Thursday 29th June – MATERIALS NEEDED On the last Thursday of the term, we will celebrate our annual Green Day. The entire day will be dedicated to activities around sustainability and usually we start the day off with a big assembly in the PE Hall. For one of the activities, we will be making ‘Trash Robots’ – a construction activity where we will use recycled materials to design robots and their features for different purposes. In the last week of term, we will be asking the kids to start bringing along some materials to use for their robots. This could include old boxes, margarine containers, drink bottles, egg cartons, tin cans – any scrap/recycled material, basically! So, please start collecting now. Also, a heads-up/reminder that we always have a dress-up for the theme of ‘green’ or ‘sustainability’.

This fortnight you could ask your child: Reading – What is fact and what is opinion? What clues can we use to identify these in the texts we are reading? Writing – What were the steps in one of the science experiments you undertook this week. Can you tell me the aim, materials, steps, and explanation? Mathematics – Can you read the clock using the language of o’clock, half-past, quarter-to and quarter-past? Kind regards, The Year Two Team - Liz Beasley (2B, Leading Teacher), Zoe Dawkins (2D, Team Leader) & Lauren Cunningham (2C)

Big Write A big thank you to the parents and families who have been involved with their child’s Big Write ‘talk’ homework. The ‘talk’ helps with preparation on the day and is a great way to discuss ideas, punctuation and vocabulary whilst finding out what your child is up to at school. Student Learning Conferences (Parent/Teacher Interviews) Reports will come home Friday 23rd June and the parent/teacher interviews will take place on Tuesday 27th June. Please remember that bookings with your child’s teacher close tomorrow. If you have having any difficulties with making a booking please contact the office. Thank you. The Student Learning Conferences for 1T will be held next Tuesday 20th June. Planning Day for Grade 1 Next Friday, 23rd June will be the Planning Day for the Grade 1 teachers so the students will have specialist sessions at school that day. Pyjama Day Don’t forget the Junior School Council is holding a Pyjama Day next Wednesday, 21st June. We are looking forward to seeing EVERYBODY in their pyjamas! Please don’t forget to bring a gold coin donation for the privilege of wearing pyjamas on this day.

Gr. 2 NEWS

Gr. 1 NEWS

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Assembly Tomorrow, 1R will be hosting Assembly. We are all looking forward to it! Due to a clash with Grade 1 Planning Day on Friday of Week 10, 1C will postpone their assembly performance until Term 3 Week 1. This week you could ask your child about: Literacy – Refer to your ‘take home’ book. What is your story about? Mathematics – Can you find 2D and 3D shapes in your house? Can you name them? Integrated Unit Topic – What happened to the M and Ms in the Science experiment? The Grade 1 Team Tanya Chambers, Marina Robb, Nicki Stutterd, Laura Bartholomeusz and Tracey Evans

Term 4 – Integrated Unit ‘Everyone Has a Story’ Our Integrated Unit for next term will be a history-based unit called ‘Everyone Has a Story’. This unit will focus upon students’ personal and family history. In preparation for the new unit of work, please have a look for a family photo that can be used at school for a class display next term. We would like you to jot down your child’s name and the country of birth of all family members on the back of the photograph, if possible. A great opportunity over the holidays to discuss the different people in your family and some of the special celebrations you enjoy together. Library Books As a large number of library books are overdue, we are asking parents to remind their child to check for library books around the house and to return library books when finished reading them. Just a reminder, that students can have a maximum of four books out on loan from our school library at one time. Terrariums Earlier this term, students each made a terrarium at school to learn about the water cycle and importance of rain. Your child will be able to keep their terrarium, which will be sent home before the end of term. As the terrariums are

made of glass, we will be asking parents to collect them during their child’s parent/teacher interview or in the last week of school. This week you could ask your child about: Literacy – See whether your child can point out capital letters at the beginning of sentences and full stops at the end of sentences, when reading books together. Ask your child, “When do we use capital letters and full stops?” During our Writing sessions, students have been learning that capital letters signal the beginning of a sentence and full stops signal the end of a sentence. (Although, sometimes an exclamation mark can be used instead of a full stop!) Mathematics – Ask your child, “What season were you born in?” You may like to discuss what season the members of your family were born in. Are you a Summer, Autumn, Winter or Spring baby? Integrated Unit: Weather in My World Your child is preparing to write and present a weather report in class during the last weeks of term, in lieu of ‘Prep News’. Some of the statements your child may be responding to are: The weather will be…; I will wear...; Some activities I can do… Encourage your child to be a weather reporter by responding to these questions at home. Ask your child, “What will you wear today?” or What will the weather be like today?” Thank you, The Prep Team Sheena Angus, Merilyn Burgess, Rochelle White

JSC Fundraiser Term 2 – Pyjama Day Families in other countries don't have as much as we do. We forget how lucky we are sometimes and we may take some things for granted, like our clothes, shelter and the food we eat. Other families would love to have such things but don't get them sometimes because of the environment around them, the jobs that are available and the scarcity of fresh food and water. We want to help

prep NEWS

Junior school council

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these people because if you think about it would be horrible if we were in that situation. On Wednesday the 21st of June the JSC are holding pyjama day. We are asking all students and staff to come to school dressed in their pyjamas and to bring a gold coin donation for Oxfam. If anyone would like to add a further donation, you can do this on the donations page that we have set up. Here is the link http://myoxf.am/6023 Thanks, 2017 JSC team

NUDE FOOD MONDAY

Congratulations to Week 8 – 1S

Seaside Fair Great news!! Andy Griffiths has confirmed that he will be at the Seaside Fair from 1pm-3pm so spread the word and come and meet your favourite children's author!! Thanks so much to Joanne Royston and the team at RT Edgar Inner West for being our platinum

sponsor - such great supporters of the school - we really appreciate your donation. Please keep them in mind if you are planning on buying or selling your house. The food co-ordinators are interested in hearing from anyone who might have contacts for donations or good deals on snags, hot dogs, and bacon or chicken skewers. Grocery items such as milk, eggs, bread, chocolate and confectionary, sauces (tomato/BBQ), ice cream, sushi or soft drinks. And finally non-food stuffs like serviettes, paper towels, straws, disposable gloves, bin liners, foil, oven trays and food containers. Phew! What a list! Fingers crossed somebody can help with some of those If you can help please email the team at seasidefair@williamstownps.vic.edu.au Finally don’t forget that the book stall are keen to collect your second hand books - the box is in the library now. Thank you! Platinum Sponsor:

Lost Property Parent Helper Roster Term 2 Week 10 19-Jun 5/6 M Week 11 26-Jun 2C Term 3 Week 1 17-Jul 3/4 K Week 2 24-Jul 5/6 P Week 3 31-Jul 3/4 J Week 4 7-Aug 5/6 D Week 5 14-Aug 1C Week6 21-Aug 3/4 E Week 7 28-Aug 5/6 L

Friends of Willy

LOST property NEWS

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Hi everyone! We've been busy the last few weeks with lots of exciting activities, last week we had Harry Potter week and this week we have Sport week. The Liston Tennis club tennis lesson has been rescheduled for the 20th June. The team from Liston will be holding a tennis lesson for 30 minutes between 4pm and 6pm. We will also have some very exciting activities planned for the 27th of June. We'll start the fun as soon as school ends and close at 6:15pm. We look forward to seeing you soon! Lalliette Lindsay OSHClub Coordinator

OSHCLUB NEWS

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