Weetangera Primary School Newsletter

From Julie

Dear Families

This newsletter will be shared with you via a platform known as SCHOOLZINE. Schoolzine provides us with an innovative platform to share the news and ‘goings on’ at school. The ability to inform, update and connect with our community of families and students is further enhanced as there is the ability to translate our message into over 75 various languages. Additionally, the introduction of class-based reports, written by teachers will provide an opportunity to read about and view photos of the learning focus in many classrooms. Please let me know what you think of Schoolzine.

In the previous newsletter I introduced the Weetangera Primary School staff to all of you and by the end of this week almost 100% of families will have taken the opportunity to speak with their child’s classroom teacher through the online parent meetings. This is an excellent opportunity to share your child’s strengths, interests and home story with us so that we develop a deeper understanding of your children. The teachers I have spoken to have enjoyed learning just a little bit more about your children and the opportunity to meet with families. And if you haven’t already, please take the time to make contact with teachers so that you too can share the background story of your child/ren.

Previously I have mentioned the new transportable that will be in place for the beginning of Term2 and the electronic sign that is almost up and ready. Last week Patricia Duffy (Business Manager) and I had a meeting to discuss some enhancements we would like to see at Weetangera. In walking the members of the visiting Infrastructure Team through the school mention was made that we could be a candidate for an outdoor covered area. And then on Wednesday we had early confirmation that a covered outdoor area that would provide shade over the basketball area is in the planning and financing stages. This will be an asset to our school, providing shade and additional learning areas that will enable classes to spread out and make the most of their learning times within and outside of the classrooms.

On Wednesday 16 February the ACT GOV announced an extension to the Rapid Antigen Tests in Schools. This has been extended until the end of Week 8, Friday 25 March meaning that there will be a further 4 weeks of RA Tests dispensed to students and staff. We did breathe a sigh of relief when the ball game was changed, once again, enabling the tests to be placed in students’ bags. This appears to have been the smoothest path and we will continue to dispense the RA Tests in this manner. Of course, we will always inform you of the next date that RA Tests will be sent home to you.

I am including within the newsletter information regarding the payment of BOOKPACKS and Voluntary Contributions for the period of 2022 for all students Preschool to Year 6. Please read the information carefully and action the payments accordingly. We appreciate your payment of these amounts.

As a school community we do miss the usual interactions and connections that are a part of being at school. I think we all remember the excitement of showing our mums, dads and others where our classroom is, the displays of learning, what our teachers look like up close, where we hang our bags, where we sit, what the place looks like where we do our daily learning. We are endeavouring to ensure that we can provide families with a picture of a day in the life of a child at school. And fingers crossed that at some stage, in the not-too-distant future, our school will be able to do some if not all of these things. Until then we have SEESAW messaging, stories form the classroom, newsletter updates and family introductory meetings.

We’ve had three weeks of settling into school, of making new friends, of remembering all  the bits and pieces that make a day at school a successful and enjoyable event.

My thought for the week is:

Around here, we don’t look backward for very long.

We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things

because we’re curious…

and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.

Have an excellent, forward-thinking year and continue to be curious.

Regards

Julie

Julie.cooper@ed.act.edu.au

An introduction to Tyler Beltrame and Shamim Sabetraftar:

My name is Tyler Beltrame and Mr Beltrame to the students. This year I will be teaching physical education (PE) to the students across the years 3-6.

I had previously been doing relief teaching at a few schools including Weetangera and when an opportunity arose last year I accepted the role as the PE specialist for the year 2022.

Sport has always been a major part of my life. Growing up in a country town, there was always local sport happening and I loved to be involved in it as much as I could. I played soccer, Aussie rules and tennis, but my favourite has always been rugby league. Playing sports from a young age has shown me the importance of being physically active and how being part of a team environment and trying new things can give you skills that you can use for the rest of your life which is another reason as to why I am passionate about teaching PE to all students.

For the year 2022, I am looking forward to being able to provide the students with an opportunity to learn different skills and hopefully get the chance to see the students participate in carnivals and other school sporting events.

Dear Caregivers, Parents and Students,

Bienvenue à l'école – Welcome back to school

My name is Shamim Sabetraftar and I am the French teacher at Weetangera School. Most of the students know me as Mademoiselle S (Miss S). 

I previously worked at Aranda Primary teaching Year 5/6, before transitioning to my current role at Weetangera School as the language specialist teacher. 

I was born in Iran, where I lived with my family until moving to Australia in my schooling years. Growing up immersed in two very different worlds, has taught me the importance of languages and how the spoken word and literature, helps bring people together, and more importantly different societies and cultures. I am fluent in both Persian and English and have been learning the French language since high school. I have always been passionate about languages and love learning new languages as I understand the influence that learning a language has had on myself and on other individuals.

In the year ahead, I am very excited to share my love of the French language with all the students at Weetangera. I hope by the end of the year the students will have been challenged and learned something new about the language as well as the beautiful culture.

If you ever have any questions about the learning in class feel free to email me at Shamim.sabetraftar@ed.act.edu.au

Shamim Sabetraftar

Updating Student Information

Student Supplies and Voluntary Contributions

This document outlines the 2022 arrangements for student supplies packs and voluntary contributions. 

ONLINE PAYMENT FACILITY: Quickweb

Weetangera PS parents are able to access a service on their Website for parents/carers to be able to make secure online payments to the school, via a link to Westpac. Payments can be made using either a Visa or MasterCard credit or debit card. The payment page is accessed through the school's website by selecting the Payment link.

Items which can be paid include voluntary school contributions, library and building trust contributions, subject contributions, excursions, in school activities and sport. 

When you access the Quickweb payment screens you must enter the mandatory fields.

1. Student details: Given name and Surname
2. Payee details: Payee full name and contact details
3. Description of payment
4. Student Class/Year Level - this assists the school in receipting funds to your account more efficiently

These details will need to be entered each time you make a payment.

This is a secure payment system hosted by Westpac to ensure that your bank-branded credit/debit card details are captured in a secure manner.  These details are not passed back to the school. You will have the ability to check and change any details of the payment before the payment is processed. Receipts can be emailed and/or printed from the web site.

All Information you input will be held by Westpac subject to the Privacy Policy available at http://www.westpac.com.au/privacy/.

Westpac’s payment system will supply all information apart from card details back to the school on a daily basis to enable the payment to be reconciled against your family’s account. As a receipt will be issued from the payment website by Westpac, a further receipt will not be issued by the school. If however, you require a tax receipt, please contact the school office.

For any enquiries regarding the Online Payment process, please contact the Front Office at Weetangera PS.

Class Updates

Each fortnight, our teachers will be sharing some of the interesting things that are going on in their classroom. This edition we are focusing on writing in our classrooms. We hope you enjoy the update!

This year, classes are named according to certain authors and their books. You might like to check out these authors and talk to your child about their books. 

Magic Hats update

In KLO, The Magic Hats, our writing program is supported by the classroom itself and areas around the classroom have been set up specifically to support the children in all areas of their learning. We have a resource centre where all the writing supplies are kept so the children can access them whenever needed. The children especially love having access to sharp pencils at all times and being able to swap out their blunt pencils for sharp ones as required.  Simple classroom management routines like this ensure that I am better able to support children with their learning while encouraging the children to be resourceful and independent learners. The writing zone is one of the most popular investigation areas in our classroom and is a place where the children can experiment with different writing materials to create their own books. There are also lots of engaging learning spaces in The Magic Hats classroom that reflect the personal areas of interest of the children and that encourage the children to write about the things they are interested in. They are so proud of the books they are making at the moment and we have a lengthy sharing session each afternoon when the books are admired and celebrated. This ensures the children feel encouraged by their effort and achievements as they develop their skills as emergent writers. 

~Leanne & The Magic Hats~ 

Koalas Update

In the year 1 Koalas class, we have been working hard to develop our independent writing processes and skills. This is so we know what to do when we need to complete writing tasks on our own, when the teacher is conferencing with students. To begin a writing task we collect our writing tools - a white board and a marker. Then we use a seed to prompt our thinking. As a class we discuss our ideas using a discussion scaffold and the teacher writes down some of the vocabulary we are using. We use a colour coded table to collect vocabulary so if the Koalas want to use a particular word, they can be given a colour clue and find what they need. 

First we start our writing or drawing on our whiteboards, and when the teacher sees that a student has an idea, she sends them back to their desk with their writing sheet. Once we are at our desk the steps to follow are: Complete your writing, share with a friend, use an editing pen to make changes. We have practised this process twice already, and are getting better at it every time!

Galahs Update

2T Galahs are off to a flying start. We have enjoyed getting to know our new classmates and teachers as we explore some of our strengths and interests. The first few weeks have focused on setting up good learning behaviours and expectations that keep us safe and happy at Weetangera Primary School. In week one, we read the book Magic Beach by Alison Lester. We then discussed all the things we did in our holidays. The children then had the challenge to summarise what they did and carefully select single words or short phrases to create acrostic poems. It was a fun way to get back into writing after having such a long break. We look forward to showing you some more quality writing as we progress through the year. 

Pugs Update

In setting up the new school year we decided as a unit to come together and discuss the Acknowledgement of Country and what it means to us. We looked at the word Weetangera and how historians think it comes from the local word ‘Wittanjirra’, meaning spring water or drinking water. As a unit, we discussed how this land makes us feel, what we do on this land and what do we love about living here. Then moving outside to connect with the land, we independently answered those questions.  

How does this land make you feel?

It makes me feel safe, protected, happy and it’s not too cold, not too hot. Excited for many things. - Ben

What things do we do here?

Swim in the water, play, live here and grow plants. Learn. - Isla 

What do you love about living here?

I can see my family and friends. I have pizza on Sundays. - Audrina

We then used our responses to create a combined Acknowledgement of Country special to year 3.

Year 3 Acknowledgement of Country

The students and teachers of Year 3 acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land that we are learning on, the Ngunnawal People. We are grateful to come together in a space that makes us feel safe and happy.

We are part of a community that is dedicated to looking after this land. We love living here and are thankful that we can learn and play together at Weetangera Primary School.

As we drink fresh water, listen to birds sing and enjoy the nature around us, we remember to pay respects to Elders past, present and emerging.

The Pugs (3MF) have also started looking at procedures in writing. Before we had a go at writing one, we made a picture of a paper house. We then had to write instructions on how to make our picture for someone else to follow. After that we switched our writing and gave our written instructions to a peer in another class to follow, without the assistance of the picture. This was to see if they could follow our instructions. After completing the houses we needed to compare them to see how well the pictures matched. This then gave us an opportunity to reflect upon the instructions we were given and offer some feedback to the writer.

1. Were their instructions specific enough?
2. How could they improve their instructions?
3. What did they need to include in their instructions? (List 3 things)
4. List 3 things they did well. (3 stars)

Giving and receiving feedback helps us improve our writing. It helps us edit and revise our work. Answering the questions also allowed us to reflect on our writing.

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Billionaires Update

We’ve had lots of fun the past two weeks in our writing sessions. We have been writing about ourselves, and also writing about what and how we can make our place of learning a happy, positive place for all of us.

As part of this writing, we came up with a class mission statement based on the ideas and expectations we have of each other:

‘In our class, we are a team of learners that work sensibly, actively and respectfully. We use a growth mindset to learn from our mistakes and always strive for progress. We will never stop being proud of our work and will support each other to make our class an inclusive place of learning.

Furthermore, we have started using our writer’s notebook. A writer’s notebook is a space to record ideas and capture thoughts or things of interest which may begin as ‘seeds’ before growing into written pieces of any style. Students have started creating their own written pieces and will have the ongoing opportunity to come back to their writing to revise and craft their work. We will also start looking at graphic novels and comics to widen our knowledge of writing styles in the coming weeks. 

Thingamabobs Update

5/6H have been busy investigating Shaun Tan’s book The Lost Thing. After analysing clues about the characters and setting,  predictions and questions were discussed. This journey inspired us to be known as the Thingamabobs. It also helped us to generate ideas to use during our writing session.

The Lost Thing is about a boy finding a unique looking creature who doesn’t seem to fit in. The boy tries to find out where the creature belongs. This leads them to a door.

They press the doorbell, not knowing what they will find behind it.

This is where the Thingamabobs took control of the narrative…

 We created our own lost worlds.

We constructed our own lost things.

We wrote character profiles about our lost things.

We then brought our ideas to life through stories, job advertisements, wanted posters and so much more.

We celebrated our achievements!

P&C News

P&C AGM - 16/2/2022

The Weetangera Parents and Citizen’s Committee (P&C) held their annual AGM on Wednesday night and there were many new and old faces joining in this year which is outstanding.

Congratulations to all those who put their hand up to hold a position on this year’s committee. Unfortunately our new 2022 P&C President and Assistant Treasurer forgot to join our Zoom meetings, so if this is you please reach out to the committee (email Weetangera.pc.secretary@gmail.com) and nominate for one of these important positions.

The President’s role is to conduct meetings twice a term and ensure all agenda items are actioned, they will also help to drive the strategic direction of the committee and they will be supported by a wonderful team of committee members.

The Assistant Treasurer will support the Treasurer with paying bills, banking money and developing reports for the committee. 

Please consider joining the P&C this year, we really rely on community participation to function.  The two roles above do not take much time and are important in helping the committee run smoothly, so if you can please put up your hand!

Congratulations to all our new members, this year’s committee includes:

President – TBD… Maybe you?

Vice President - Kate Donaldson

Treasurer - Anna Hemmings

Assistant Treasurer – TBD…. Again, maybe you?

Secretary - Heidi Varis

Assistant Secretary - Susan Trainor 

Public Officer - Akshay Gupta

Other members - Ben Morrison, Emma Morrison, Jessica Olivia, Olivia Rogan

Second Hand Uniform Store

The Second Hand Uniform click and collect option has been overwhelmingly popular with over 25 orders in the first 2 weeks.

Thank you to Lucy McDevitt, Angelina Anthoney, Kate Donaldson and Helen O’Shaughnessy for packing orders, cleaning up lost property, washing clothes and sorting the mounds of donated goods.  Just a reminder, please only donate goods that are good quality. We cannot sell stained, torn or texta marked items.  If you have items to donate or would like to order items please email Weetangera.uniforms@gmail.com

Save the Date

The next P&C meeting will be on Tuesday, 15 March at 6:30pm, once again online via Zoom.  If you would like to attend please watch for notices via Seasaw or our Facebook page for the link to the meeting.