Weetangera Primary School Newsletter | Week 1, Term 2 2025

From Julie

Dear Families

As we settle into the year and Term 2 begins, I would like to share the key areas of focus that inform and drive the WPS improvement agenda.

Last year our school was reviewed, externally, and the progress we have made during the period 2021-2024 was assessed by members of the ACT Education Directorate (ACT ED), Principal colleagues and staff who have expertise in school improvement.

As a result of the review, using the data collected and in consultation with the leadership team, teaching staff and the ACT ED’s school improvement team we set about planning for the next 3-4 years at WPS.

We consistently reinforce these messages when we illustrate what we aim for WPS to be;

1. To foster an environment that focuses upon dynamic and responsive learning, high expectations, laughter & fun and builds pride in everyone’s success and
2. Our students and staff will be passionate, connected and successful learners who have empathy for others and a strong sense of identity, purpose and well-being. 

How will we achieve these goals?

We will improve learning outcomes for all students; in writing, reading and mathematics.

• Through data-driven assessment practices that inform personalised learning. Personalisation in learning, at WPS, is tailoring the educational experience to meet learner’s unique needs, strengths interests and goals. It focuses on building meaningful relationships, understanding the individual and creating pathways that empower our learners to achieve their full potential.
• When learning is personalised: staff collect and collaboratively analyse data and plan explicit learning and teaching that utilises cohort and individualised student data in a targeted and impactful way to ensure all students are catered to at their point of need.
• Students receive feedback. Staff know, understand and apply feedback that improves student outcomes and help students achieve their learning goals.

We will foster an inclusive and safe environment where students feel a sense of belonging, safety and care.

• Through school-designed student surveys, updating of explicit expectations for Positive Behaviours for Learning, agendas at staff and Collaborative Planning meetings with specific well-being reflections and refinement of agreed practices for responding to and following up incidents and behaviour issue.

The planning day on Monday of this week is based on a process that we use each term:

1. Stocktake - Where we are now?
2. Next steps - Where to next?
3. Planning for Term 2 - Sharing Practice and Resources

The first 5 weeks of this term has a Maths focus with clarity being developed through a process of working in broad terms; what is the DESTINATION, looking to the MILESTONES along the way and then stepping out how we arrive at the milestones with details being provided in the footsteps we take to achieve the milestones.

I am incredibly proud of the dedication, commitment and work ethic of the staff at Weetangera. Collaboratively planning out each step of the work they do ensures that our students, your children, are provided with learning experiences that meet their current needs.

I am also incredibly proud of our students, your children. They settle into the work of learning, they have an enhanced ability to get on with their job and they have a commitment to achieving the goals that they set for their learning success. Working in this manner enables the learning at Weetangera to progress in such a way that we can maximise learning time and support student learning needs as they build upon their learning from one year to the next.

In developing common ways of working, we have a clear trajectory of learning for the 8 years that students can, potentially, be in attendance at WPS.

What’s on this term?

• 3/5 – Election Day – P&C Democracy Sausage Sizzle – All helpers welcomed – Bring your cake donations
• 9/5 – Mother’s Day Stall
• 6/5 – 16/5 – Scholastic Book Fair
• 13/5 – P&C Meeting
• 19/5 – School based Rostrum Final
• 2/6 – Reconciliation Day – Public Holiday
• 3/6 – Footy Colours Fundraiser - SRC
• 9/6 – King’s Birthday – Public Holiday
• TBC – Athletics Carnival
• TBC – Various Excursions
• 30/6 – 4/7: Last week of term – Semester One Reports, family meetings and conversations

A rainy day nag: Please take care in the carpark and for goodness sake KEEP CALM! Rain is water, water may make a student wet but it won’t hurt them 😊 What will hurt them is the reckless application of impatience and erratic driving on grey rainy days when everyone is trying to save their children from being wet… the same children who splash about in puddles and slowly walk back into the classroom when we have rain at recess or lunch time.

Your children’s safety and wellbeing is worth more to all of us than a crazy and impatient dash through the carpark. And just remember the EXIT ONLY sign applies Every Day Of The Week. Don’t drive in through the out!!!! Not ever, even if you are in a rush and have spied the last available car park.

Thanks heaps.

My thought for the week,

A great message to lead with for ourselves and our students… ‘lessons learned’.

Have a week of celebrating new beginnings, learning from problems and challenges (inside and outside of the classroom) and embrace the excitement of Term 2.

Have an excellent weekend.

Regards

Julie

Julie.cooper@ed.act.edu.au

Anzac Day Assembly

The Wreaths laid at the Anzac Day Ceremony at the school assembly today. 

Scholastic Book Fair

You are invited to our  Scholastic Book Fair which commences next week. It opens on Wednesday 7^th May and concludes on the morning of Monday 19^th May. It is held in the front office foyer area. Opening times are before school (8.30-9.00am) and after school (3.00-3.30pm). We look forward to seeing you there.

Library News

Scholastic Book Club Issue 3 is out now with all online orders due by 19 May.

Issue 3: ISSUE PREVIEW | Scholastic Australia

2025 Uniform Price List

Workin' Gear Schools is the new uniform supplier for Weetangera Primary School. New uniforms with the new SPW logo can be ordered using the link. Students are still able to wear uniforms with the old WPS logo. There are still limited sizes available for sale at the front office. Please contact the school after 22 January to organise a time to purchase these. 

Parent Portal at Weetangera

News Flash! Our school calendar is now available through the parent portal. Please keep an eye out for upcoming events. 

Parent Portal is a secure online platform to share information between parents and carers and their student’s teachers. It’s available via a web browser and a mobile app.

Parent Portal has been rolled out across all ACT public schools and allows parents to:

• notify the school when their child is sick or to explain an absence
• book parent-teacher interviews (coming soon to WPS)
• receive academic reports
• receive the school newsletter
  
• make payments
• access the school calendar and their child’s student timetable  (coming soon to WPS)
• update their contact details.

One of the many benefits of the Parent Portal is that it is used by all ACT public schools from preschool through to year 12, so there will be no need to use a different system as children change schools during their public-school journey.

If you have children attending other public schools, you don’t need to sign up to the system twice.

Parent Portal is linked to the Student Administration System (SAS) used by the ACT Education Directorate for administering student data at ACT public schools.

How to register for Parent Portal

1. Sign up for an ACT Digital Account if you do not already have one. This is an important step in securely verifying the identity of parents and carers. It will not be possible to set up an account without undertaking this step. Detailed instructions including identification documents required to verify your account are listed on the Education Directorate's website in the Frequently Asked Questions.
2. You will be sent an access key (code) and a Parent Portal registration link specific to Weetangera Primary School via email to enable you to link your ACT Digital Account to your child’s records.

Sentral for Parents app

The Sentral for Parents app is the mobile app version of Parent Portal. You can access Parent Portal through the Sentral for Parents app, or using a web browser on your computer, mobile phone or tablet.

You can download the Sentral for Parents app for free from the App Store or Google Play Store.

Communication at Weetangera

P&C Update

Mother’s Day Stall 
We’re excited to announce that our Mother’s Day Stall is back! We understand that the cost of living is impacting many families, so this year, all items will be priced at $5 or less to help keep things affordable.

To make sure there are enough gifts for all classes, we kindly ask that families send only $5 per child. We know how much our children love the special women in their lives, and this will help ensure that every child has a chance to choose something lovely.

Please note: the stall will be cash only.

Canteen News

Welcome Back, WPS Community!

We are thrilled to get our canteen back in action!

This term, we’ll be running a Canned Food Donation Drive. Our goal is to continue keeping our prices affordable for everyone. We’re lucky to have three incredible volunteers supporting us, and we hope this initiative becomes another way to help sustain our canteen through financial challenges.

We always welcome your feedback and ideas!

Feel free to email us, stop by for a chat, or say hello to any of our team members (including our P&C members) around the school. We’d love to hear from you!

With heartfelt gratitude and a passion to serve our school.

Your Canteen ladies,

George. Belinda & Cantina

Community Notices