News

Swimming Carnival

Mon, 03 Feb 2020 13:48:10 AEDT

Wellington Public School will be holding their annual Swimming Carnival on Friday 14 February 2020. To be held at Wellington Aquatic Centre.

Coronavirus - Department of Education statement

Tue, 28 Jan 2020 18:59:24 AEDT

The department is working with the Ministry of Health to monitor and respond to the unfolding international novel coronavirus situation.

Get up-to-date information about the department's response to novel coronavirus.

#Ready2020 – a great year starts here

Tue, 21 Jan 2020 13:14:57 AEDT

Starting school is a big moment in a child’s life. Here’s how to make the most of it.

We can’t wait for you to join us for a great year – the first step towards a lifelong love of learning.

Visit the department’s primary school resources for hints, tips and checklists to make a great start to the new school year, whether your child is starting Kindergarten or Year 6.

You’ll find:

Getting ready for primary school booklet – everything you need to be #Ready2020
Daisy’s First Day – the story of Daisy the koala’s first adventure at Kindergarten
advice from teachers – they’ve been through this before.

Video – #Ready2020: First day of Kindy

Duration – 1:00

Staying healthy into the new school year

Fri, 20 Dec 2019 16:31:05 AEDT

Immunisation is a simple, safe and effective way to protect your family from harmful diseases this holiday season and into 2020. Visit your doctor for general health and vaccination advice.

Immunisation not only protects you and your family but also others in your community, by reducing the spread of preventable diseases.

Children starting school in 2020 must have up-to-date immunisations to enrol.

These vaccinations help protect children from highly infectious and severe diseases including whooping cough and measles.

Travel health

If you’re travelling overseas during the school holidays, you may need vaccinations or medication – both for general health protection and for region-specific diseases.

If you’re travelling to the Northern Hemisphere, you may even need a flu shot.

Find out more about staying healthy while travelling.

Carols Night

Fri, 13 Dec 2019 15:47:01 AEDT

Wellington Public School

Carols Night

Tuesday 17^th December, 2019

6pm-7pm

Under the main cola.

All family and friends are welcome.

Bring along your picnic rugs, chairs and picnic dinner.

A BBQ will be available on the night. $3 for a sausage sandwich and $2 for a drink.

Drought Drive

Thu, 05 Dec 2019 19:36:08 AEDT

Students at Wellington Public School have been busy writing letters to show their support to the Drought Drive.

NSW schools respond to bushfires

Mon, 11 Nov 2019 16:55:30 AEDT

Many schools are responding to the catastrophic fire rating that is affecting communities across the state this week.

We are continuously updating the School safety page with a list of government and non-government schools, as well as TAFE NSW campuses that are currently non-operational.

While some schools are temporarily non-operational due to localised fires, many others in high-risk areas are non-operational as a precautionary measure.

Schools in some areas are being used as emergency evacuation centres at the direction of the Rural Fire Service.

For schools that are currently operational, school pickups and dropoffs will continue as usual. If your school is currently non-operational, it will likely remain so tomorrow.

Large scale distressing events affect our school communities in many ways. Headspace’s mental health support resource (PDF 100.52KB) is available to help students, teachers and school staff respond to the bushfires.

Visit the School safety page for updates. The department’s Facebook and Twitter accounts will also provide updates during this period.

Meet the Real Madrid Captains

Mon, 04 Nov 2019 12:56:48 AEDT

Each week a Real Madrid student is selected for displaying the values of the Foundation. Congratulations Abigail!

Meet the Real Madrid Captains

Mon, 04 Nov 2019 12:59:14 AEDT

Each week a Real Madrid student is selected for displaying the values of the Foundation. Congratulations Theo!

Preschool Open Day

Mon, 04 Nov 2019 13:04:51 AEDT

Enrolments closing soon!

Grab a ticket to Schools Spectacular 2019

Tue, 22 Oct 2019 14:21:56 AEDT

Will you be joining us at Schools Spectacular 2019? Tickets are on sale now. Experience our live show featuring a cast of thousands of public school students from across metropolitan, rural and remote regions of NSW.

Students from different ages, cultures and backgrounds will share the spotlight as they dance, play and sing for you. Choose from one of our four massive performances at Qudos Bank Arena on Friday 22 November and Saturday 23 November.

This year's events will feature:

more than 380 schools
5,500 performers
a 3000-strong choir
2,300 dancers
an 80-piece symphony orchestra
a world-class stage band.

Group bookings

Need to make a group booking for over 10 people? Complete the Schools Preview Order Form 2019 (PDF 110KB) to attend the discounted 11am Friday matinee. The Friday matinee is discounted for school students and accompanying teachers.

If you’d like to grab a spot at one of the other three remaining shows complete the Group Booking Form 2019 (PDF 110KB).

Tickets for you and your family and friends

Save you and your family a spot online or by phone on 132 849.

Video – Schools Spectacular 2019

Duration: 0:26

Cupcakes for Cancer Research

Thu, 19 Sep 2019 13:27:51 AEST

All money raised from the sale of the cupcakes will go towards cancer research.

Have your say on before and after school care

Fri, 13 Sep 2019 13:35:56 AEST

We want to better understand your needs for before and after school care in NSW.

Have your say today on before and after school care.

Fill out the survey by Service NSW to share your specific care needs and to register interest to stay informed of new developments.

Your input will provide insights into where there are gaps in service availability and help us to deliver extra places where they are needed.

You can also contact the team responsible for rolling out the before and after school care commitment at BASCreform@det.nsw.edu.au.

Book yourself in for Reading Hour

Thu, 12 Sep 2019 11:22:29 AEST

This Australian Reading Hour, encourage your child to discover or rekindle their love of a good book. Take the time to learn, escape and relax on Thursday 19 September and read for one hour.

Get involved at home

Join in at home and read your child a bedtime story. Studies show that reading a bedtime story six days a week can give kids almost a year’s head start when they begin school. Reading has also been shown to develop empathy, promote critical thinking and help children find a sense of self.

Join in from the classroom

Bestselling children’s author and illustrator Matt Stanton will broadcast live to primary school children across the country from the Sydney Opera House on Tuesday 17 September. We invite schools to register for the livestream of this free event.

Stanton’s author talk is among more than 140 events happening across the country involving more than 50 authors.

Take the Book Swap Challenge

We all have favourite books that we come back to again and again.

To help celebrate Reading Hour take our Book Swap Challenge. We want students, teachers, staff and parents to try reading something new on the day. To get involved, simply pair up with someone and swap your favourite books.

Take a photo and tag it with #ReadingHour so we can see how you got involved.

Video – #ReadingHour authors talk about their favourite place to read

Duration: 0:38

Looking for a good spot to open a book? We asked authors Benjamin Law, Morris Gleitzman, Jacqueline Harvey and Mick Elliott about their favourite place to read.

How to be smart and safe on social media

Thu, 05 Sep 2019 11:41:56 AEST

Use our new Digital Citizenship toolkit to empower your child to understand how their online behaviour affects themselves and others.

You and your child can find information on:

how to ‘be positive’ by understanding online behaviour and its effect
'be smart’ by thinking critically and being digitally aware
'be safe’ by protecting your security, privacy and wellbeing.

A toolkit to empower you and your child

You can find articles and videos to equip and empower your child to minimise the risks and maximise the opportunities in our digital future.

We’ve partnered with leading researchers to produce a curated toolkit – aligned to the curriculum – which teachers and you can share with the young people in your lives.

Guide your child through important concepts such as:

managing privacy settings in social media
collaborating online
avoiding scams and hoaxes
understanding the law when it comes to online speech
Internet banking, shopping online and much more.

Keep your child safe and happy online

Visit and bookmark the Digital Citizenship website. We’ll continue to add articles and resources to ensure the best possible tools are available to help you guide your child to be positive, smart and safe online.

Tell Them From Me Survey

Fri, 30 Aug 2019 12:37:19 AEST

The Tell Them From Me Survey asks questions about factors that are known to affect academic achievement and other outcomes. It aims to help improve the learning outcomes of students. The survey is designed to measure, assess and report insights from the student point of view at the school and system levels.

INSIDE THE NEWSLETTER THIS WEEK

Mon, 26 Aug 2019 17:26:00 AEST

AN OVERVIEW OF THE NEWS ITEMS IN THE WHISPER THIS WEEK.

Inside the Whisper This Week

Tue, 20 Aug 2019 14:18:52 AEST

A look at what is inside this week's Whisper

INSIDE THE WHISPER THIS WEEK

Mon, 12 Aug 2019 15:39:26 AEST

A GUIDE TO THE WHISPER WEEK 4

Education Week – Every student, every voice

Thu, 01 Aug 2019 14:05:23 AEST

We are celebrating our students and their powerful voices this Education Week Monday 5 August to Friday 9 August. Every year Education Week celebrates the achievements of public schools, our students and the value of public education.

This year, the theme is Every student, every voice.

Join us for #EdWeek19 as we celebrate our students and their power to shape the world.

Video – #EdWeek19 – Every student, every voice

Duration: 0:34

Canteen Price Changes

Mon, 22 Jul 2019 16:13:47 AEST

Please see the following changes to some of the items available at the canteen.

Canteen Update

Tue, 18 Jun 2019 20:52:46 AEST

No yummy drummies available in the canteen until further notice.
Chicken nuggets will now be available.

Creative and Active Kids vouchers now available

Fri, 14 Jun 2019 11:36:55 AEST

Creative kids can now put a $100 voucher towards extra-curricular creative activities outside of school.

Together with Active Kids, this program aims to encourage more NSW children to participate in a range of extra-curricular activities such as coding, languages, circus, performing arts and visual arts.

Parents can apply for one $100 voucher for each child enrolled in school on the Creative Kids website and use it towards the cost of registration, participation or tuition. You just redeem the voucher with a registered provider in your area when making your payment.

This is a great opportunity for your child to become involved in a range of activities that will build on their education, growth and development.

Service NSW is working with industry bodies to deliver the program.

For more information, contact Service NSW on 137 788 or creativekids@service.nsw.gov.au.

PSSA Soccer Match

Tue, 04 Jun 2019 12:33:54 AEST

Soccer match: Wellington played Dubbo South in the PSSA Soccer Knockout. Dubbo South defeated Wellington 5-1 in a great game of soccer. Well done boys!

The Game Changer Challenge is back

Fri, 31 May 2019 12:23:06 AEST

It’s not too late to become a Game Changer with applications for the Education Week challenge due by 7 June.

The Game Changer Challenge brings 16 teams from public schools across NSW – eight from primary and eight from secondary – to Sydney during Education Week in August for a three-day, intensive design-thinking workshop.

The Game Changer workshops, which start on Tuesday 6 August, includes teacher training in the use of design thinking as a teaching methodology and its application for school planning.

It also includes a team competition where schools will work under the guidance of experts from industry and academia to develop a solution to this year’s critical question: How might we humanise technology?

Department of Education Secretary Mark Scott has encouraged students and teachers to get behind the event as it highlights the critical thinking students will need to develop to succeed in the future.

“The Game Changer Challenge is an exciting initiative that helps educate and inform our students and teachers on how to integrate the problem-solving methodology of design thinking into the classroom,” Mr Scott says.

“It embraces the 21^st century skills our students will need to thrive in a globalised world such as collaboration, creative thinking and communication.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for our students at all levels to be involved in discussing and addressing a real-world issue that will affect their future lives. I encourage every school to get involved.”

The challenge is designed to make strong learning and teaching connections to the NSW syllabus specifically in the area of developing general capabilities such as critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, communication and problem-solving.

The challenge also provides teachers with an opportunity to gain exposure to the design thinking process and includes teacher resources to introduce this creative problem-solving methodology into the classroom.

Finalists will be selected based on a 60-second video that showcases your team’s vision around the question of humanising technology.

For more information email edweek@det.nsw.edu.au or visit the Game Changer Challenge page.

Your NAPLAN questions answered

Thu, 09 May 2019 15:11:46 AEST

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a point in time assessment for students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. The tests assess the foundational skills in reading, writing, spelling and numeracy that are essential for every child to progress through school and life.

This year NAPLAN takes place between 14 and 16 May for paper tests and between 14 and 24 May for schools participating in NAPLAN Online.

NAPLAN data is used to help monitor student progress over time against a national measure and to identify areas of strength and improvement. It is used in combination with other school assessments to guide and support student learning.

Watch students ask an expert the tough questions about NAPLAN.

Video – Kids ask the hard questions

Duration – 3:45

Mother's Day Stall

Tue, 30 Apr 2019 16:51:08 AEST

WPS P&C will be running a Mother's Day Stall on Thursday 9 May.

Apply now for My Community Project funding

Mon, 29 Apr 2019 15:09:13 AEST

Do you have a great idea to improve your area?

My Community Project is a new NSW Government funding program that is all about local ideas, local projects and local decisions.

You can apply now for grants from $20,000 - $200,000 for projects that will make a difference to your community. Projects could include new playground equipment, sports facilities, paths or ramps to improve access, public art or a community service.

The local community can vote for their favourite projects in July and successful projects will be announced in September.

Project applications close 15 May 2019.

Apply for My Community Project funding

Easter Hat Parade and Raffle

Wed, 03 Apr 2019 14:29:05 AEDT

Easter Hat Parade and Raffle Friday 12 April

Bring back memories, not measles

Thu, 11 Apr 2019 15:13:08 AEST

With school holidays just around the corner, it’s time to visit your doctor to check that you and your family are fully protected against measles, before you travel overseas.

Measles is a serious, highly contagious, viral illness that is easily spread through the air when an infectious person coughs, sneezes or breathes. If you and your family are not fully vaccinated, or have never been vaccinated, you are at risk of contracting measles.

Not sure if you’re fully protected?

In Australia, the measles vaccine (MMR) consists of 2 doses. If you’re not sure whether you’ve had 2 doses of the measles vaccine, visit your doctor. It’s safe to receive another dose.

Children born in Australia

If your children were born in Australia, they may have received the measles vaccine at 12 months old and the second dose at 18 months, in accordance with the National Immunisation Program.
If you have a baby under 12 months old, consult your doctor about getting their measles vaccination.

Adults born in Australia

Born before 1966 – you were most likely exposed to measles as a child and are generally considered to be immune. If in doubt, ask your GP.
Born between 1966 and 1994 – you may not have received 2 doses. Talk to your doctor about the free vaccine if you’re unsure.
Born after 1994 – the National Immunisation Program offers 2 doses, and you can check your vaccination status using the Australian Immunisation Register.

For more information about the measles vaccination, visit NSW Health or consult your local doctor.

Easter Hat Parade

Wed, 03 Apr 2019 14:18:39 AEDT

Join us for the Easter Hat Parade on Friday 12 April at Wellington Public School.

Easter Egg Raffle

Mon, 18 Mar 2019 11:58:16 AEDT

The P&C will be holding an Easter Egg Raffle this term and are asking for donations of Easter Eggs to support this fundraiser. Any donations can be dropped at the school office. We appreciate your support!

P&C Working Bee

Sun, 10 Mar 2019 14:16:28 AEDT

All welcome to attend the P&C Working Bee on Saturday 16 March to install new playground equipment.

2019 Swimming Age Champions

Tue, 26 Feb 2019 14:30:05 AEDT

Congratulations to Abigail Milgate, Tyrese Mafi, Mason Hill, Sienna Sullivan, Kate Deshon and Karl Tasker.

5 road safety tips for parents and carers

Mon, 25 Feb 2019 13:19:04 AEDT

Now that students are back to school after a break it’s a good time to chat with your child about safe behaviours when you walk or commute to school.

Here are our top tips to help our students make a safe trip:

1. Be alert and aware

Take note of the dangers you come across on your walk and bring them to your child’s attention. Point out dangers, such as vehicles coming out of driveways. Talk to your child about being alert in a road environment.

2. Hold hands

When on the footpath, at a crossing or in a car park always hold your child's hand. It is advised to do this up to the age of at least 8 years old and closely supervise until at least the age of 10.

3. Choose a safe crossing

Lead by example and choose a safe place to cross the road. Explain why it is the safest place to cross.

4. Set a good example

Your child watches everything you do, so if you cross at the crossing they will too. It is also important to share these messages with other carers who may walk with your child to school.

5. Stop, Look, Listen, Think every time you cross the road

Discuss this important road safety message. STOP! one step back from the kerb. LOOK! continuously both ways. LISTEN! for the sounds of approaching traffic. THINK! whether it is safe to cross.

Practise makes perfect

The more supervised practice your child can get the better, so why not make Term 1 the start of a new routine to walk with your child to school more often.

Older children may be ready to make the journey to school independently. Before they take this step, observe if they are road safe and reinforce the road safety messages.

For more information, check out the department’s pedestrian safety advice for students, parents and carers.

Family and Friends

Tue, 19 Feb 2019 07:26:39 AEDT

Wellington Public School will be hosting a Family and Friends afternoon on March 12 from 3pm to 6pm to discuss goals for 2019. All Welcome. There will be a FREE BBQ and activities for the whole family.

Swimming Carnival

Mon, 18 Feb 2019 17:30:40 AEDT

Students from WPS will be competing in the swimming carnival on Thursday 21 February at Dubbo Aquatic Centre.

Back to school

Fri, 25 Jan 2019 14:57:35 AEDT

The first day of Kindergarten and the return to school in the new year are busy times for your child – and for the entire family. To help you make the most of this time and enjoy the experience, we’ve compiled some useful tips and checklists. We want every student to be known, valued and cared for in our schools.

Our film #FirstDay2019 captures the excitement – and the nerves – of the rite of passage that is the first day of Kindergarten.

Video – Back to School 2019: First Day at Kindy

Duration – 1:00

STATE CHAMPIONS

Tue, 04 Dec 2018 16:24:04 AEDT

Congratulations to Ms J and our Girls‘ Cricket team who are PSSA State Champions for the second year running. The girls defeated Tacking Point PS in the final after defeating South Wagga PS in the semi earlier in the day.

Tacking Point PS - all out for 63

Wellington PS - 1 for 67

Carols Night

Tue, 27 Nov 2018 13:27:13 AEDT

Planning is well underway for the carols night and the Christmas raffle. This year the major reward will be an outdoor cinema. If you know of any businesses who would like to donate major prizes for the raffle please ask them to contact the school on 6845 4080.

Cricket team makes State Finals

Tue, 27 Nov 2018 13:12:54 AEDT

What an outstanding result for our Girls Cricket team who have earned the right to defend their title with a hard fought 10 run win against Newport PS. They will now travel to Sydney for the final next Tuesday. Well done to Miss J and the girls.

Scooters

Wed, 14 Nov 2018 10:10:11 AEDT

We continue to remind everyone that if scooters or skateboards are used to get to school they need to be walked with inside the grounds. If students ride them they will be confiscated and we may need to ask students not to bring them to school in the future.

2019 school budget allocations

Mon, 12 Nov 2018 16:23:31 AEDT

Like all NSW public schools, this week we will receive a School Budget Allocation Report with our funding for 2019. The report will help us manage our total budget delivered through the Resource Allocation Model (RAM).

The RAM supports schools through needs-based funding to ensure a fair, efficient and transparent allocation of funds. Our school has the flexibility to make local decisions based on the specific needs of our students.

We will use our 2019 funding to support students and improve educational outcomes. The school executive will continue to work with the school community as we implement the school plan using this needs-based funding.

Learn more about the 2019 RAM funding.

Ice Cream Day

Tue, 30 Oct 2018 13:00:26 AEDT

This week our Kids Matter team have organised an Ice Cream Fundraiser on Wednesday. At $1 a scoop, the biggest decision will be vanilla, chocolate or strawberry!

Ready, Set, Kinder!

Wed, 24 Oct 2018 10:47:09 AEDT

Today sees the first day of our Kinder Transition program. It is amazing to see so many children already enrolled to attend. It is definitely not too late. Best wishes to all our new students in their first days at Big School.

New SRC reps for Term 4

Wed, 24 Oct 2018 10:55:44 AEDT

Our new SRC representatives received their badges on Monday. We wish them all the best in the important role they play as leaders within our school.

Crazy Hair Day

Tue, 16 Oct 2018 13:32:09 AEDT

It is also excellent to see so many children prepared to put their efforts behind the Crazy Hair Day on Thursday 25th October. Please support this important fundraiser.

K-2 Athletics Carnival

Tue, 16 Oct 2018 13:28:24 AEDT

The K-2 Athletics Carnival also proved an excellent way to finish activities for the week and the energy and enthusiasm was very special.

P & C Meeting THIS WEDNESDAY

Tue, 16 Oct 2018 13:37:17 AEDT

The Term begins with some key dates to remember, starting with our P&C Meeting this Wednesday night at 6pm in the staffroom.

NAIDOC SOCIAL

Tue, 25 Sep 2018 13:54:23 AEST

Our NAIDOC social is tomorrow night. Please support our staff by dropping all children at the external gate. This is important so that we are sure who is entering and leaving the school. This is an important request as our hall is too small for extra adults and it also assists with supervision and safety at these events.

Western Athletics Carnival

Tue, 18 Sep 2018 17:13:02 AEST

Our athletes acquitted themselves very well in Dubbo last Friday at the Western Carnival. As a result Naylise, Jia and our Girls Relay Team are all heading to Sydney for State Athletics. We wish them all the best at Homebush.

Quota Club Art Show

Tue, 18 Sep 2018 16:52:49 AEST

Friday is the evening for the QUOTA Club Art Show from 7.30pm at the Services Club. Funds raised from this event are kindly being donated to our Breakfast Program. It would be great to see as many people there as possible to support this event. We thanks the Quota Club for their generous donation to our school.

NAIDOC 2018

Tue, 18 Sep 2018 17:05:22 AEST

With us rapidly approaching the end of this Term it is important to support our NAIDOC social and day next week. Please see the school newsletter (Weekly Whisper) for further details about the NAIDOC social next Wednesday evening. Our NAIDOC committee have been working hard to put together a full program of activities for next Thursday. SEE YOU THERE!

Book week parade

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:55 AEST

We will be holding our annual Book Week dress-up parade on Thursday 9th August at 12pm. Students may dress up as their favourite book character or to suit the theme of ‘Reading is out of this World'. We will also be holding a Book Fair (book sale) during all of Week 3 from 6th to 10th August 2018. The Fair will be in the library and open from 9am - 4pm each day.

Healthy lunch boxes

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:59 AEST

As a part of our support of healthy eating across the school we will be holding a meeting on Friday 17^th August at 10.30 to 11.30am to discuss the impact of lunchbox nutrition on student learning outcomes. We will be working in partnership with Charles Sturt University and would very much welcome community feedback to set our direction for this project.

Term 3 SRC and Bodangra Wind Farm donation

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:07 AEST

We had an excellent assembly on Monday welcoming our new SRC members to their classes. It was interesting to see a few brother and sister combinations across the school.

My thanks go to the Bodangora Windfarm who, with the presentation of vouchers for $500, have joined the long list of supporters for our breakfast program.

P&C Meeting this Wednesday, 6pm

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:03 AEST

A rescheduled P&C meeting will be held this Wednesday evening in the staffroom from 6pm. We'd love to see you there.

Footy Colours Day - Buy a Bale

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:58 AEST

On Thursday 16^th August we will be holding a Footy Colours day. The gold coin donation for this event will go toward the Buy a Bale support for the local farming community. We are also taking donations from staff and families of $20 to fill a trailer load of donations of our own.

Staff changes for Term 3

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:09 AEST

A number of staff changes have occurred over the break. Mrs McCreadie has taken up an opportunity to relieve as the leader of a program that supports schools across our local area. Mr Eather will be relieving as Deputy Principal during this time. Miss Stapleton will be teaching 1/2E as well as filling the role of Assistant Principal for Stage One.

Local hockey comp

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:00 AEST

It is great to see the start of our own local hockey competition at Pioneer Park this week. Please be sure to support this event each Monday.

Major events this term

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:00 AEST

Our major events to begin the term are our Year 6 excursion and the Eisteddfod so I encourage all students to make the most of these activities and enjoy an energetic start to school as we head towards the warmer weather.

Holiday Road Safety Tips for WPS parents

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:59 AEST

IMPORTANT ROAD SAFETY REMINDER FOR PARENTS AND CARERS THESE HOLIDAYS

As the school holidays approach, it is important to remember when walking near roads, on footpaths, near driveways and in car parks always:

hold your child's hand. Until they are at least 8 years old children need to hold an adult's hand. Until they at least 10, children should be closely supervised by an adult and hold hands when crossing the road.

talk to your child about road safety. Talk about how to be safe when near roads. Be a good role model.

point out road safety dangers and differences in new environments. This is especially important when on holidays in different surroundings. Roads, footpaths and pedestrian facilities may look different in holiday areas.

The best way to keep your child safe on or near the road is to hold their hand.

Talk with your child daily about road safety.

Remind other adults and carers about this too.

You can find out more at Transport for NSW.

http://roadsafety.transport.nsw.gov.au/stayingsafe/children/pedestriansafety.html

Year 6 Farewell

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:11 AEST

For parents and carers of our Year 6 students don't forget the Farewell Dinner and Presentation is on 7 December at 5:00pm.

Week 9 News

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:09 AEST

Week 9

So many positive things have been happening at school. Our beautiful Preschooler's performed at our assembly on Monday. We can't wait to get them into Kindergarten next year.

A Certificate of Excellence was awarded to the school for outstanding student achievement in the Write4Fun 2017 schools writing competition.

Our Kitchen Garden received two awards in the 2017 Rotary and Wellington Times Garden Competition. One for Best Garden managed by a child and the other; Best Garden in a non-residential area. Well done and a big thank you to Sue Nicholas and Deb George. Every time we look the garden has expanded.

Presentation Day and Carols Evening

Please remember next Tuesday is our Presentation Day and all students are hopeful of receiving an award rewarding them for their efforts and achievements throughout the year. Please come to the Civic Centre in Swift Street to help us celebrate. The event starts at 9:30am. Tuesday is also our Carols evening and this is always a special family event. Please come and share in the Christmas spirit with your family.

For those children receiving awards, a letter will be sent home with children on Thursday.

Student Reports

We plan to have the Semester 2 student reports ready for distribution this Friday. Please read the reports with your child/ren and offer praise for what positive things they have achieved.

The school year ends next Friday 15 December. There is still the expectation that students will be in attendance until Friday. Class rolls are marked every day and recorded absences are made against everyone's name if they are not in attendance.

!!WPS GIRLS CRICKET - STATE CHAMPIONS!!

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:11 AEST

Congratulations to our Girl's Cricket Team and Supercoach Ms J who defeated Bolwarra PS in the final of the PSSA girl's cricket knockout. The win is a testament to the hard work put in all year by all of the girls who participated in the team and their coach Liz Jeffery.

A fantastic achievement!!

Week 8 News

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:09 AEST

Intensive Swimming commenced yesterday in the rain. The children were very happy to see Mr Eather and the school bus ready to take them to the pool because of the rain. Intensive Swimming will continue over the next two weeks.

Hear Our Hearts: A big thank you to the Hear our Hearts Team who are in our school today carrying out hearing tests. The team does a wonderful job and we are very fortunate to have them with us.

Kindy Transition: Tomorrow will be the final day for our children participating in our Kindergarten Transition Program. The past seven sessions have enabled children to get to know the school and Kindergarten staff and the time has also allowed teachers to get to know the children. We are looking forward to working in partnership with families over the coming years to ensure all children are successful and do the best they can. Don't forget our Parent Session tomorrow morning at 9:15 in the Gould League Hall. We are looking forward to seeing you there.

Skate Park: Parents are asked to remind their children that they are to come straight to school each morning. It has been reported to our office that some of our students are visiting and using the skate park on their way to school. Teachers will also be reminding their students of the need to come directly to school each morning after leaving home, especially with regard to personal safety.

We thank you for your support in this matter.

WPS Cricketers into the State Finals

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:10 AEST

Next week our wonderful Girls Cricket team are off to the State Finals in Maitland. They have done a great job to get to this point and will play two games on Tuesday. A big thank you to Ms J who has done a fantastic job as coach. We will be thinking of you.

Week 7 TOP STORIES

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:09 AEST

Swimming Scheme

Term 4 is flying by! Over the next two weeks Year 2 children aged 8 and all children from Special Education will be attending Swimming School.

Student Reports

School Reports are currently being completed by teachers and will be forwarded home on Friday 8th December.

Annual Presentation Day

Don't forget to keep the morning of 12 December free for our Presentation Day Assembly at the Civic Centre. It starts at 9:30. For those children receiving awards on the day, a letter will be sent home over the next two weeks.

Year 6 Farewell

Our Year 6 children have begun preparing for their Farewell Dinner and Presentation will be held on Thursday 7 December from 5:00 until 9:00pm at a cost of $30 per student. Families need to RSVP by 30 November. This is a wonderful experience for the children and a great way to end their primary schooling. Students have been reminded that attendance and participation in the activities is dependent on them continuing to be safe respectful learners.

Books 4 Outback

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:55 AEST

An organisation based in Newcastle called "Books 4 Outback" has delivered to us 4 boxes of books to our school.

The idea behind "Books 4 Outback" is to deliver books to children who may not have access to quality books at home. These books can be used in the classroom as a resource, or students may even take books that they are particularly keen on home to keep. Many of these books will end up at our school reading roost.

Use the link below to access and like their Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/Books4Outback/

Week 5 already!

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:09 AEST

We can't believe that we are in Week 5 already. Preparations are well under way for our End of Year Presentation Day, to be held on Tuesday 12th December. We always see a large number of families, which is wonderful.

The School Executive is currently looking at our budget for 2018 as we develop our School Plan. Information that you provided through various surveys is assisting us with our planning. An overwhelming number of families have requested that we look at new and improved ways to communicate with you about various school wide and classroom activities. We are hoping to have a Facebook Page up and running sometime in Term 1, 2018.

Students were also surveyed and many requested more things to do in the playground. We are also looking at this with the support of our wonderful P&C.

We will keep you informed as we continue our planning.

3K artwork brightens canteen

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:52 AEST

‘Bottle Top Artwork' which has recently been hung in the canteen area by Scott Reid.
We decided to hang them in the canteen area because Di has been madly collecting bottle tops for us all year!
The one on the left, "Wellington Waterholes", won 1st prize in the Primary section of last month's Wellington Arts & Sculpture Festival which was held at Hermitage Hill.
They certainly brighten up the canteen area and Di and the canteen ladies are all thrilled to have a bit of colour covering the brick wall.

Latest news

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:00 AEST

A big thank you to those families who completed the Tell Them From Me Survey. Our results are back and 72 families responded. As stated in previous newsletters, all families who responded went into a draw for a school uniform to the value of $96.00. This was drawn today and the winner is Jessee Dutfield.

The school also sent out a paper survey in partnership with the High School for those family and community members who were not able to access the online version. Children have also been asked to comment on what they like about our school and what we can do to make our school a better place for them.

Results from each of these surveys are currently being collected and analysed to inform our School Plan for 2018-2020. We will also provide feedback to you in the next few weeks.

The PBL School Social held last week was a great success. Money raised will be used to update PBL signage around the school.

Wellington Public School also recognised A Day for Daniel last Friday. Students took part in discussions about Safety Awareness and raised $326.85 Well Done!!

Have a wonderful week.

Cricket success bats on

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:56 AEST

Big congratulations to the Girls Cricket Team on their win against Mortdale PS. They are now off to Newport PS within the next 3 weeks and we need to raise some money to help with expenses. We will be holding a casual clothes day this Friday, 3 November. Children can dress up as their favourite sports person and bring along a gold coin donation.

Well done Naylise!

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:09 AEST

We are very proud of Naylise Thompson (5M) who will be representing our school in the Department of Education's Pacific School Games in Adelaide in December. These games provide an opportunity for approximately 4000 students aged 10 to 19 years and from 15 countries to participate in 11 different sports at the highest level. We are very proud of Naylise.

To support her family with the cost of uniforms and travel, Naylise is selling tickets in a raffle with the first prize being a Smart TV.

Tickets are $2:00 and can be purchased from the school office.

Tell Them From Me Survey

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:07 AEST

Thank you to those families who have completed the Tell them From Me survey. It closes on Friday. A further survey will be sent home with children today. Some of our families expressed a wish for a paper survey rather than an online one. This should not take too long to complete. Please return to your child's class teacher as soon as possible. Our aim is to get as much information as we can from our school community to inform our planning for 2017.

PreSchool to Kindy Transition

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:04 AEST

Each year, Wellington Public School runs an engaging and exciting Transition to Kindergarten program. This innovative program runs each Wednesday morning throughout Term 4 from 9am to 11am and is staffed by current and incoming Kindergarten teachers and School Learning Support Officers. This provides an excellent opportunity for our incoming kindergarten to get to know our teachers, staff, school and basic classroom and school routines so that the children are ready for school right from day one.

The program also gives teachers the opportunity to assess children for school readiness and to flag any special programs such as speech pathology or occupational therapy that may need to be in place at the beginning of the school year.

Please contact the school office on 6845 4080 for further details.

Plenty happening this week!

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:03 AEST

This week we have a number of children out and about.

Our Year 5 students are enjoying three days at Aussie Bush Camp.

Today some of our children with additional needs are attending Dream Cricket in Dubbo which is organised by Rotary. This day allows all children to learn some skills and have a great day with children from other schools.

On Wednesday Stage 1 students will be attending a theatre production of ‘Room on the Broom'.

Our Year 6 students will begin their transition to high School tomorrow, which is very exciting. This will run from 9:00- 11:00 and will give the students an idea of what High School is all about. This can be an anxious time for some students so if you are concerned please don't hesitate to speak to your child's teacher. The next transition being Wk4 31st October from 8:55am – 3:08pm.

Welcome back to Term 4

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:09 AEST

Last term ended on a sad note with Mr Anderson announcing that he was going on leave and would not be at school for the remainder of the year. We will miss him as we head into busy times.

As a result, Mrs McCreadie will relieve as Principal for the remainder of the year. Mr Brent Eather will relieve in the Deputy Principal role during this time. Mr Eather is well known and respected in the Wellington community and comes to the role with a wealth of knowledge and experience.

Our NAIDOC Day on the last Tuesday of Term was a great success. Thank you to everyone who came along and supported the celebration. The children not only had fun but learnt more about Aboriginal culture.

Kindergarten Transition begins next Wednesday. We are looking forward to getting to know our new students for 2018.

Mr Leeder Retires

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:01 AEST

After almost 30 years of dedicated service to Wellington P.S. Mr Leeder has called it a day and has decided to retire.

Not wanting to engage with pomp and ceremony Pete wanted to leave with a minimum of fuss and bother. (We will, however, catch up again because after 30 years the school is indebted to him for the work he has done and the things his creativity and skills have allowed him to do for us – from secured garbage bins to bag hooks, from flagpoles to wooden shelves – so many things). Pete is the keeper of much of the school's history and has always been an integral part of matters pertaining to school grounds and buildings – he will be missed! Mr Scott Reid will be relieving in Mr Leeder's vacant position until the Department determines how the position is to be filled.

Year 6 Excursion to Canberra

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:11 AEST

This week our Year 6 students are off to Canberra for a week of educational experiences as well as sight seeing and a bit of fun. They will be accompanied by Mrs Blackhall, Mrs Styles, Miss Tracey and Trent. Everyone going on this year's Canberra / Snowfields excursion was up bright and early to be packed and ready for Monday morning's 7:00 am departure. The students were seemingly very excited to be on the coach with their parents left standing on the footpath as they prepared to drive off.

They will be seeing the same old things students always do on this excursion but nevertheless it promises to be a wonderful educational experience. I'm sure they will have lots to tell us when they return.

Olympics 2016 at Wellington Public School

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:02 AEST

Book Week 2016

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:54 AEST

5/6B Science & Engineering

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:52 AEST

Easter Bunny Hop

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:57 AEST

All Parents and Friends are invited to Wellington Public School's exciting

The National Young Leaders Day

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:08 AEST

On Sunday 28th February Mrs Styles took our school leaders Josie Taylor, Evan Colliss, Emmerson Humphries and Charlie Edwards down to Homebush to attend the National Young Leaders Conference. Artie Taylor was already down there and met us at the conference. Thank you to Louise Taylor for bringing Artie over for the conference. Everyone was very excited to see Artie.

The conference started at 10am on Monday 29th February at Allphones Arena. There were over 6000 students in attendance from all over NSW. Our leaders were able to catch up with their friends from St Mary's and Yeoval Central.

The four guest speakers for the day included Nathan Want a young motivational speaker, Melanie Lee an author of a children's book, Commander Andrew Scipione the police commander for NSW and Wellington's own Ben Austin a Paralympian. All speakers told us of what they think a leader is and how they came to be where they are today. At the end of the day there was a small panel of 4 young leaders including Leticia Lentin who works for Google, Scott Tweedie a TV presenter, Rebecca Kerswell who is a world renowned chocolate maker and Veronica Morland who started the 1st cat café.

The biggest message we all took home was that if you master the little things big things can be achieved. Also leaders are people who do what they say they are going to do.

Swimming Carnival

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:07 AEST

Wellington Public School's Annual Swimming Carnival was held on Friday 19^th February. The weather started off pleasant but well and truly heated up by lunch time. Despite the heat a great day was had by all and there were lots of children who entered the 50m and 17m races while others were happy participating in the novelty races.

A big, big thank you to all staff who were at the pool nice and early on Friday morning to help set up and especially those still there at the end of the day to help pack up the tents, Mrs Petrovic, Mrs K Wilson, Mrs Fitzsimmons and Mrs Styles. Thank you to Mr Bullock and Brad for setting up and returning the tents. Also a huge thank you to Mrs Eather who was outstanding on the microphone throughout the day and contributed to the smooth running of the carnival.

I would like to thank Mrs Penny Deshon for rallying parents to help time keep, the wonderful parents she managed to con and also to the staff who helped with this. A huge thank you to Wellington Amateur Swimming Club for the use of their tent and equipment. Your generous support means a lot to us. A massive thank you to Mrs Taylor for preparing the fruit cups for officials and also to her mother Mrs White for the delicious homemade biscuits, your support is valued.

Thank you to all of WPS staff who were fantastic in their roles. Also to the students of our wonderful school who were brilliantly behaved.

To our great House Captains and Vice-captains:

Evans Captains Mitchell Captains Oxley Captains Sturt Captains

Aisha Sullivan Jorja Beavis Gypsy Cox Jody Holmes

Charlie Edwards Blake Ryan Cecil Stanley Coran Blackhall

Evans Vice-Capt. Mitchell Vice-Capt. Oxley Vice-Capt. Sturt Vice-Capt.

Edwina Barton Charlotte Ryan Kelly Hodgkinson Jayleigh Elemes

Hew Jones Harry Pike Aaron Horan Taylor Stewart

You were great leaders and organised your houses well.

The overall house winner for the 2016 Swimming Carnival was Mitchell house with a total of 225 points, followed by Sturt with 152, closely followed by Evans with 132 and Oxley with 106. Entry points definitely make a big difference to the final score.

The 2016 Pedron Medal was awarded to Isaiah Hill and Jacob O'Brien for their participation in all events and their team spirit.

The 2016 Swimming Age Champions were as follows:

Junior Boy – Harry O'Donnell 11yrs Boy – Rusty Taylor Senior Boy – Patrick O'Donnell

Junior Girl – Samantha Thompson 11yrs Girl – Bronte Runciman Senior Girl – Emerson Humphries

Congratulations to all the ribbon receivers, the Pedron Medal winners, the Age Champions and Mitchell house on their success.

District Swimming Carnival

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:57 AEST

District Swimming Results

On Thursday 25^th February saw 40 keen swimmers travel to Dubbo to attend the Twilight District Swimming Carnival. It was rather warm and the best place to be was in the water. Congratulations to all the swimmers who attended, you all swam very well with many swimming personal best times. You did yourself and WPS proud. Thank you to all the families who were there to support and cheer on WPS representatives.

A huge Congratulations to Harry and Patrick O'Donnell, Isaiah Hill, Callee Black, Naylise Thompson and Karl Tasker who have all advanced to the next level and also to the Junior Boys Relay team; Harry O'Donnell, Isaiah Hill, Lochlan George and Shep Taylor and the Senior Boys Relay team; William Deshon, Noah Brien, Rowan Klein and Blake Ryan who also made it to the Western Swimming Carnival to be held on Friday 4th March in Dubbo. To make it to Western is a great achievement and we wish you all the best of luck.

Junior Boys Relay Team

Harry O'Donnell, Lochlan George, Shep Taylor & Isaiah Hill

Senior Boys Relay Team

Noah Brien, Blake Ryan, William Deshon & Rowan Klein

Western Swimming Carnival

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:10 AEST

A great day was had by all who attended the Western PSSA Swimming Carnival on Friday 4^th March. Callee, Isaiah, Harry, Naylise, Karl, Patrick, William, Rowan, Blake, Noah, Lochlan and Shep represented Wellington Public School with great pride and were an asset to the Dubbo District team. They all swam their very best and should be extremely proud of their efforts. Congratulations to Naylise Thompson, Karl Tasker and Patrick O'Donnell who are set to represent our school and the Western Region at the State Swimming Carnival in April. Well Done Naylise, Karl and Patty on this great achievement!

Wiradjuri Language Lessons

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:10 AEST

Wiradjuri Language Lessons

Mrs Ruth West and Mrs Judy Burns teach Wiradjuri language lessons each week. Fourteen classes learn Wiradjuri words for animals, the places you would find them and body parts. Learning activities include songs, stories, movement, bingo and other games.

Induction of School Leaders

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:59 AEST

On Thursday 19 February our school leaders were inducted. The Captains Will Eather, Charlotte Boland and Vice Captains, Cooper Taylor and Hannah Petrovic did a wonderful job leading the assembly. The prefects and house captains were also given their badges.

Presentation Day

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:04 AEST

Link to Wellington Times WPS Presentation Day Gallery

Presentation day allows us to recognise students who have performed well academically, as good citizens, as specially recognised people in their classes, achievers in sporting endeavours and as school leaders.

Congratulations to all who received awards yesterday as individual or teams/groups and to all students who have demonstrated their preparedness to attend school every day and try so hard to achieve their personal best.

Our sincere thanks go to all who were able to share this day with us and give our school their support.

We also say ‘thank you' to our special guests who added importance to this significant occasion and/or to those who offered donations to assist us in celebrating student success.

Towards the conclusion of proceedings we gave our appreciation for our school's student leaders who not only were responsible for the smooth running of the presentations but who have also represented the school so well and so consistently throughout the 2014 school year. Well done Jake, Kiara, Talisa and Tyreek!

Congratulations to our Leaders Elect for 2015, Charlotte Boland, Will Eather, Hannah Petrovic and Cooper Taylor. These children can look forward to their official induction early next year.

At an individual level we must specifically recognise our Sportsperson of the year, Kiara Sullivan and the Dux of the school, Rebecca Dutfield. These are very significant awards and both have been made to very deserving, outstanding students. Again, our heart-felt congratulations! Other major award winners were: AECG Award —Hayley Mohr; Peachey Family Award—Erica Brydon; Natalie Towney Award—Kya May; Home Reading—Will Deshon; Conn Family Award—Lochlan George; Lions Club Award—Josephine Taylor; Runciman Family Award—Ella Gregory; Marg Goninan Memorial Award—Angela Donnelly and Outstanding Effort in Music Award to Ngara Kennedy. Sporting Blues were awarded to Rylee Blackhall, Mason Humphries, Keiran Hart, Mark Stanley, Lewis Stanley, Jordan Blackhall, Will Eather, Justin Hetherington, Justin Walker, Kyle George, Cooper Taylor, Taylor Cubby, Kyla Tasker, Ryan Kong, Patrick O'Donnell and Hannah Petrovic.

Well done to our school band and thank you too for helping us celebrate on this special day. It was terrific knowing that you had this opportunity to share your collective talent with our school community.

Click on this link to see the picture gallery from the Wellington Times.

Link to Wellington Times WPS Presentation Day Gallery

WPS Yearbook 2014

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:11 AEST

The fabulous WPS Yearbook for 2014 is now on sale from the school office for $12 per copy. We thank Mrs Batho for her tireless work in coordinating, designing and arranging the printing. This is our first yearbook since 1992!

Carols Night 2014

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:56 AEST

Once again our annual Carols under the COLA night was a huge hit with many families attending to enjoy the wonderful singing and to soak up the festive family atmosphere. The P&C raffles were very popular, we congratulate the winners and thank you all for buying tickets and contributing to its success as proceeds go to the purchasing of resources to support the many wonderful programs and initiatives that happen at our school. As usual, the P&C BBQ team kept the steaks and sausages coming. Many thanks to Stella May Miller and the P&C as well to Mr Leeder for his technical support and Mrs Blackhall for coordinating the event.

No hat - play in the shade

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:02 AEST

Is being actively promoted at school. Please make sure that your child/ren has/have a hat that provides good protection from the sun.

Children are more likely to accept this rule for school if it is discussed and practised at home and in everyday life.

Student reports - semester 2

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:06 AEST

Following our class assessment cycle, teachers are now preparing student reports for Semester 2 (Terms 3 and 4). These should be ready to hand to executive supervisors by the end of Week 8, come to the Principal a week later and then ready to be sent home on Friday, 12^thDecember in Week 10.

Please share these reports with your children and give praise where praise is due.

Unless there has been significant ill health issues, also be very proud if semester absences are less than 10. If they are down to 3, 2, 1 or zero this is definitely worth celebrating.

We have expectations of every student. Firstly we want to know that they are trying very hard. Every student can try to do their best. If the effort ratings are showing that your child is trying hard please share your pleasure.

If their assessment is ‘Sound' the performance level is appropriate to the grade expectations.

Where they are below this ‘ Sound' rating, then you are probably aware that the teacher has made special provision and adjustments for the difficulties they may be experiencing.

If their performance levels are above ‘sound' then this is certainly something to be proud of. These are the students for whom teachers have high expectations and this is the key to drive them to further academic success. Teacher comments are nearly always positive and relate to the things students can do and because they have achieved the intended outcomes appropriate to their abilities.

If there are ever negative comments parents should share the concerns that the teacher is trying to convey to you. We need parents to value education and talk-up their reasonable expectations and join the parent–teacher partnership to know that we are playing on the same side and want the best for their child/ren.

Assessment and rating - Preschool

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:53 AEST

In week 8 we expect our Preschool's Accreditation and Rating to occur. The Assessment and Rating cycle provides an important opportunity to

demonstrate how our service delivers quality education and care for young, preschool children.

An authorised officer from the Early Childhood Education and Care Directorate, Western Region, will undertake the assessment visit to our service to discuss practice with staff and sight relevant documentation.

Touch Football State Quarter Finalists

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:08 AEST

Congratulations - We are very proud of our boys who made the State finals in touch football. The finals were held in Sydney yesterday. The team went down narrowly to Anna Bay PS in the quarter finals before going on to defeat Wamberal PS 3—0 in the back draw match. This was a fantastic achievement and although there would be some disappointment about not winning every team player must know that we are immensely proud of them. Thank you to Ms Thompson, Shirley and Trent who made all of the transport and accommodation arrangements and supporting our team. Thanks also to Bryan Johnson who drove the bus for the boys and also to Mr Eather as well for he made a special trip to take Lewis McCarthy to the football after Lewis had been declared the C Grade Golf Champion on the weekend. This was an amazing feat and congratulations to Lewis on this outstanding sporting achievement.

Life Education Van

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:00 AEST

The Life Education van has been providing exciting programs to our schools for over thirty years. These lessons are aimed at promoting good health habits and lifestyles that will support their wellbeing. The knowledge shared encourages and enables children to make sensible choices about the way they care for themselves about finding the correct balances in living and avoiding things that would be detrimental to their health. We hope all parents realise the importance of this program and pay for their children to attend the van. The cost is heavily subsidised by the very generous donation of a Wellington citizen who realises the value of this education and donates money every time the van visits to help make the opportunity affordable to everyone.

New Books on Display

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:55 AEST

On Monday the 27th of October an afternoon tea was held to formally thank Wellington Public School's P&C for their generous donation of $2500 to the school library. With this money we were able to purchase 165 books to replenish the picture book section of the library. This year due to some fantastic literacy programs running in our school such as Daily 5 and L3, children from each class have been borrowing 1-2 books each week to read independently in their classroom. Introducing our 'frequent borrower cards' has seen an increase in the number of students borrowing books to take home. This great donation from the P & C has allowed us to put some great quality literature and well know authors on the shelves for the students to read. These books are now available for children to borrow for both the classroom and home.
Once again we thank the P & C for their generosity and allowing us to purchase a great selection of books for the whole school to enjoy.
Mrs Blackhall and Mrs Legg

PSSA State Athletics Carnival

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:04 AEST

Patrick O'Donnell, Hannah Petrovic and Kyla Tasker went to Homebush last week to participate in the State Athletics Championships. Hannah competed in the discus and Kyla competed in the shot put. Patrick competed in the shot put and 100 metres, making the final in the 100. Making a State carnival is a great achievement and we congratulate these children on their efforts. Well done to these students.

Warrumbungles Excursion

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:08 AEST

Last Thursday, 92 students from Years 3 and 4 travelled to the Warrumbungles for an overnight excursion. Activities included visits to the Warrumbungle Environmental Education Centre (EEC) in the National Park, Siding Spring Observatory and the Coonabarabran Visitors Centre to look at a Diprotodon skeleton which was found in the area. While at the EEC, students participated in various activities including boomerang throwing, GPS tracking, using binoculars, exploring the National Park and dip-netting for water bugs. Students were able to get a glimpse of Saturn, Mars and some common constellations through some telescopes as well as listening to the history of the Warrumbungles and its various animal species in a slideshow presentation. All students are to be congratulated for their excellent behaviour over the two days.

Yr 5 & 6 at the Aussie Bush Camp

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:06 AEST

Last week, 52 Year 5 students and three staff members (Mrs Styles, Miss Pedron and Mrs Batho) attended an excursion to The Great Aussie Bush Camp in Tea Gardens. Students were eager to leave Wellington at 6am for their 3 day excursion. All students had an enjoyable time participating in numerous activities such as: Archery, Indoor Rock-climbing, Flying Fox, Damper making, Low-rope obstacle courses and the Giant Swing. These activities encouraged students to step outside their comfort zones and try new things. Teamwork, using initiative, cooperation, trust, accuracy and many other skills were the main focus of all activities. Students also participated in games nights, camp fire stories and a group disco.

Although the weather was not desirable only one of the scheduled activities was cancelled. Students were able to bunk with their friends and learn to become responsible for their own sleeping areas. The food was fantastic as were the outdoor instructors for each group. All students were extremely well behaved and this will be a memorable experience for all involved!

SRC Reps for Term 4 2014

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:06 AEST

Our SRC (student representative council) students for term 4 were presented with their badges of office at our school assembly on Monday morning. Congratulations to all the nominated students.

Children from year 5 will be presented with their badges at next Monday's assembly.

TERM 4 Begins

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:08 AEST

Welcome back to the final term of 2014. The year has flown by but there are still many important events taking place during Term 4.

Next week Year 5 will be off to the Port Stephens area to spend some time at the Aussie Bush Camp, whilst Years 3 and 4 will also be on tour visiting the Warrumbungles.

Kindergarten transition begins this week with our 2015 kindergarten children visiting each Friday morning for a variety of activities and experiences. The orientation program for High School also continues with our Year 6 children spending the whole day at WHS on November 4th.

This Friday many of our students will be performing in the WATS performance of "Peter Pan" This is the day for local schools to view the performance, a permission note has been sent home to attend this. Cost is $5.

PSSA Sport also commences again this Friday. Notes have been sent home regarding this.

Lewis is Sand Greens Golf Champion

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:00 AEST

Lewis McCarthy took home first place in the annual PSSA Yeoval Sand Green Championship held on the last day of term 3. Lewis was the 18 hole Primary Scratch winner, rarely missing a fairway from the tee and was impressive around the difficult sand greens. The team of Tom McCarthy and Brad O'Brien came second in the nine hole Ambrose event, closely followed in 4^thplace by Mason Humphries and Taylor Cubby. Lewis, Brad, Taylor, Tom and Mason demonstrated fantastic sportsmanship throughout the day and must be congratulated on how well they represented Wellington Public School. Another thank you must go to the Wellington Golf Club for supplying golf clubs for the boys to use.

NAIDOC 2014

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:01 AEST

NAIDOC took place on Thursday 18^thSeptember. It was widely praised as a tremendous day. We had a number of special guests attending to run numerous activities. A highlight of the day was the Aboriginal dancing in the hall following the lunch break. It was great to see a large number of students perform so well after only a short rehearsal. We must thank Shirley Thompson, Chantelle Thompson, Trent Forrest, Simone Smith and Sissy Baxter for their The program for the day was very successful. As always, we had great support from the local community and organisations such as WACHS. A huge thank you to all who helped make the day a wonderful success.

Touch Football Champions

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:08 AEST

Congratulations to our Touch Footballers who defeated Oberon PS 6-3 yesterday to become regional champions. Well done to coaches Miss Thompson and Trent, thanks also to Johno for driving the bus providing advice. The state finals will be held at St Marys in western Sydney on Monday 27^thOctober.

Premier's Spelling Bee

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:04 AEST

Wellington Public School held their annual School Spelling Bee last Tuesday. The competition comprised of two divisions – Junior for Years 3 & 4 and Senior for Years 5 & 6. Congratulations to all of the students who competed in the Spelling Bee.

Our successful applicants were:

Seniors: Erin McQuade and Ezekiel Turaga

Juniors: Aisha Sullivan and William Dimmick

The successful four applicants will be attending a Regional Finals knockout to be held on Wednesday 10^thSeptember 2014, at Dubbo West Public School.

We would like to congratulate and wish our students all the very best at the Regional Finals.

PBL Classroom rules

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:03 AEST

Teachers are currently working with students implementing our new classroom rules. This is a common set of rules that applies to all classrooms and teaching spaces across the school. The idea is to provide consistency in expectations and the language used to express these expectations across the school. Our 5 rules are:

#1: Hands and feet to yourself

#2: Look and listen to the speaker

#3: Be polite and kind to others

#4: Follow instructions

#5: Stay on task

Teachers will be issuing Buzzies based on the positive application of these rules by students.

Wonderful Book Parade

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:10 AEST

Last Friday saw our school's Book Parade where children were encouraged to come to school dressed as their favourite book character. We are extremely grateful for the huge effort that many children, parents and families went to make the parade the success that it was. The children obviously enjoyed "rocking" to the music and parading their outfits in front of their peers. Reading is the most important skill that children will learn at school and it was wonderful to see so many of our students fully engaged in this activity.

At the conclusion of the assembly, many families returned to their children's classrooms and participated in D.E.A.R (Drop Everything And Read). Our students enjoyed having visitors in the classroom and were excited to be showing off their reading skills to their parents and relatives.

Children need to remember to keep borrowing and to get their "frequent borrower card" stamped and filled so that at the conclusion of term 3 they can collect their reward!

Many thanks to Mrs Blackhall and Mrs Legg for organising a fabulous event.

Regional Athletics

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:04 AEST

A fantastic effort by all our Wellington Public School athletes at the Western Carnival last Friday. Georgia Veech and Shep Taylor both ran exceptionally well in their 100m events. Emerson Humphries jumped well in the long jump and Mark Stanley was a great help being a runner. Four of our athletes made it to State; Patrick O'Donnell in the Para athlete shot put and 100m, Hannah Petrovic in the Discus and Kyla Tasker and Ryan Kong in the Shot put. Well done to all of you, it is a great effort to get to Western.

A big thankyou to all the family members and teachers who were there to support the students.

More debating success

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:01 AEST

On Monday 25th August Wellington Public School experienced another wonderful win in the third round of the Western Challenge debating competition. A big group of Stage 2 and Stage 3 students were a captive audience and witnessed their peers in a very close competition. Both teams performed remarkably well and should be incredibly proud of their efforts.

The adjudicators were Mrs Chick Jones and Mrs Jenny Conn.

The Wellington team is now officially the winner in Zone F of the Western Challenge and will compete in the semi finals at Bletchington Public School on Wednesday 17th September.

We congratulate these keen students who have shown much initiative and dedication to progress to this level and wish them luck at the next stage.

Manly Sea Eagles trip report

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:00 AEST

Last week we travelled to Royal Far West in Manly. When we arrived we were greeted by Dee who works for the manly Sea Eagles and she had a bag of goodies for each of us. Wednesday morning we were taken to Narrabeen where the Manly Sea Eagles were training. We went for a swim In the indoor pool before watching the players train for their big game on Friday night. After this we met Jorge Taufua, Manaia Rudolph, Tua Transvaal Tualima, Josh Starling and Jesse Sene-Lefao whilst we played Tenpin Bowling. When we arrived back at our accommodation we were also lucky enough to meet Steve Matai and Kieran Foran who joined us in a game of footy. Later that night we had a talk about healthy food followed by a trip to Coles to purchase a healthy snack each. Thursday morning we headed to Taronga Zoo with Tua and Manaia, we seen plenty of amazing animals throughout our walk around the zoo. Following the trip to the Zoo we went to the movies and watched How To Train Your Dragon 2 this was exciting as we were joined by Matt, Tua, Jesse and Manaia. That night we were treated to a meal of Hungi. This was a beautiful meal, it consisted of chicken, pork, potato, pumkin, sweet potato and topped with a seasoning. After dinner we had a visit by Don Singe (the head trainer for Manly) who gave us a talk about leadership and looking after our bodies. On Friday morning we headed to Manly Beach for a surfing lesson. This was a fantastic experience all of the boys were able to surf. We went back to Royal Far West and had a game of tips and footy with Matt and Manaia before hitting the showers and getting ready for the big game. When we arrived at Parramatta Stadium we seen the end of the under 20's game. Before the game started we were able to get a wave from Jesse, Manaia and Jorge. Both Manaia and Tua joined us in watching the manly Sea Eagles play. Saturday morning we were up bright and early ready for our trip back home.

"My favourite thing was watching the Sea Eagles and Parramatta play at Parramatta Stadium"Mark Stanley

"My favourite part was going to watch the footy game with Manaia and Tua and all of the other boys"Warren Powell

My favourite part was when we watched the footy game and when Tua came over and sat with us"Rylee Blackhall

"My favourite part was at the football game when Jorge Taufua scored the try and smiled at us"Mason Humphries

"The highlight of the trip was meeting the NRL players"Chris Merritt and Lewis McCarthy

"My favourite part was surfing and Tenpin Bowling"Brodie Hyde

"My highlight was meeting the NRL players and playing Tenpin Bowling with them"Mark Walsh

"I liked meeting the NRL players especially Manaia"Jye Elemes Carr

"I liked when we went surfing with the players"Robert Gilbert

Ear Bus

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:57 AEST

Because of the support our school has shown to the Hearing Team and a special initiative (The Ear Bus project) we were one of the first schools to be visited. Although the actual bus is yet to be purchased, The Ear Bus project is gaining momentum as a number of western communities see the need to provide hearing screenings for their children.

Over two days (last Thursday and Friday) the team, joined by WACHS on Friday, were able to assess 104 students. That was the good news and the not-so-good news is that 42 of the 104 tested were in need of follow-up medical attention. Without these tests ear and hearing problems in many cases can go undiagnosed and this can have very serious consequences for some children. Of the 42 students in need of attention a few of these require immediate attention.

Immediate attention is not always available and this is the next problem because the urgent attention is often linked to private health care or the ability of parents to pay the medical and hospital fees. Normal wait time can be excessive for public patients, time some children don't really have.

Canteen upgrade

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:55 AEST

Our P&C have been working towards upgrading the canteen facilities at our school. Luckily we have been successful in being offered a State funded grant to the value of $72 000. Today (Tuesday) we will be having a meeting with Public Works and Assets management to determine the best time for this work to take place and of course discuss the tendering process.

We approached Assets Management in the first place to ensure that our proposal would meet with Departmental Specifications and to determine what would be expected. Public Works were brought in to discuss the design changes as well as the overall scope of works.

It is anticipated that we will be trying to have as much of the work completed over the Christmas holiday period as possible. Tradespeople usually take a period of their annual leave at this time so we will have to see what we can arrange. It is likely that there will be some disruption to the canteen's service either before or after the end of year holiday period.

Book Week Parade Friday 22/8

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:55 AEST

Book Week - Friday 22nd August, 10am Parade Gould League Hall

This is Term 3, Week 6 and it's BOOK WEEK!

The theme this year is Connect To Reading. There is a definite message in the theme because connecting to reading is something everyone should do on a regular basis. It is important especially to students while they are improving their reading skills and developing a love of reading.

Children should enjoy their ability to read and engage with a text so that they can use this valuable tool to read stories; grow their knowledge; help them understand the world they live in; research and find answers to questions; understand how other people think; to

expand vocabulary, broaden their imagination; and see that reading is or can be integral to nearly everything they do. The list of things you can use or need reading for is endless but it's all about the structure of language and the way it is used correctly.

Parents have an important role in developing a love for reading by making sure that from the youngest age children are surrounded with books. They can read to their children and as the children get ready they can share the reading and get the children involved in the text to expand their understanding of what they are reading. If you want to help develop that love of reading adults have the responsibility of developing favourable attitudes so that their children grow a confidence in reading. With skill and confidence children are well on the road to become independent in their reading habits and read for their own reasons of engagement and purpose. Reading should never be made to be a task to labour over nor should it ever be used as a punishment. Encouragement, recognition and praise will go a long way to help children become life-long learners.

If you can, Support your children by helping them to dress up as their favourite book character. Join them as they parade their costumes to everyone at Friday's Parade and perhaps (weather Permitting) bring a morning tea to share as a family picnic at recess time.

After the parade, students will go back to classrooms for 30 minutes of DEAR – Drop Everything And Read. As parents you might stop to read your book, magazine or newspaper to help demonstrate the importance of reading. I'm sure that if you were to do this you would be welcome in classrooms providing there is room.

DEAR in some schools is called USSR. This acronym stands for Uninterrupted Sustained Silent Reading and the meaning is clearly conveyed in the words.

SNAICC Children's Day

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:05 AEST

SNAICC day celebrates the Aboriginal and Islander Children's Day. The day is coordinated by Helena Stanley and Jenny Slack-Smith. Children from Kindergarten, as well as visiting children from local preschools and daycare centres participated in a variety of activities including face painting, healthy eating advice and samples and traditional games. Activities were provided by various agencies including Barnardos, Uniting Care Burnside, WACHS, Mission Australia, Wellington Lands Council and others. A highlight was a visit by the "Snake" Man!

SRC Reps for Term 3 2014

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:06 AEST

Our SRC (student representative council) students for term 3 were presented with their badges of office at our school assembly on Monday morning. Congratulations to all the nominated students.

5/6M and Year 6 will be choosing their representatives this week, badges will be presented at next Monday's assembly.

More pictures of this event can be found in the albums section of the website.

Debating Team succeeds again

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:56 AEST

On the last Friday of Term 2 our debating team went up against the school team from Orana Heights PS. The topic of the debate was that students should be allowed their own Facebook page and our team drew the affirmative argument. It seemed as though it would be a lot easier to bring up an argument from the negative side, however our Wellington students did extremely well and were the day's winners. A great team effort!

Many thanks are extended to Mrs Tickle who has taken an active interest in debating and in coaching our students to do so well. Their next debate will be round three in the 2014 challenge.

Staffing news

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:06 AEST

Some Staff Changes

Mrs Batho has extended her leave and is away for two more weeks. Mrs Bull will be teaching 3/4T during Mrs Batho's absence.

Mrs Goodworth has also extended her leave and 2G's teacher will be Mrs Peckham.

Mrs Knowles will be away for the remainder of the 2014 school year and 1K will be taken by Mrs Wilson (Mondays) and then by Mrs Taylor for the remainder of each week. We have been extremely fortunate in being able to set up our classes with relieving teachers because spare casual relief teachers are not readily available in our Wellington area.

Mrs Grayling will soon going off on maternity leave and we have Mrs Legg teaching 1C/G on Mondays and Tuesdays, joining Mrs Campbell who will remain on the class and be teaching the Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

This week Mrs Anemaat is away with the Year 6 excursion and Mr Eather is fulfilling the role of Deputy Principal.

Senior students join "Soundscape"

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:54 AEST

STUDENTS RECORDED FOR "SOUNDSCAPE" AT ABC STUDIOS

A draw from the hat literally saw ten lucky student from Mrs Morley's 5/6M travel to the ABC Studios in Dubbo last Wednesday to record the names of soldiers who had fought and died serving their country in World War 1.

The exercise was the initiative of the Australian War Museum in Canberra. They encouraged schools from all over Australia to have 11 and 12 year old students record the names of the fallen soldiers. Each student had to record 5 names and ages.

At the ABC in Dubbo our students met Andrew Dunkley , the Manager of ABC Western Plains who gathered the Wellington Primary School team in the main studio to record the names. Andrew was impressed with the reading and there were very few "fluffs". Cleverly, Wellington had rehearsed the names beforehand!

When the recording session had finished a former Wellington Primary student , Alison Plasto who is the presenter for ABC OPEN, came in and took photos. She then broke into song, singing what she thought was still the school song. Alison was swiftly corrected, and told that the school had a "new" song which the team then spontaneously started to sing. The result of all this singing was the school song was recorded in full and played on the ABC breakfast program the next morning. For those who didn't hear it, the song sounded fantastic .

Also, the Wellington team watched an interview being recorded with the astronomer, Professor Fred Watson from the news booth. Finally, there was a demonstration of what all the buttons do in a radio studio and then off to Maccas for a well earned late lunch.

The recorded names will be played at the War Memorial starting in November and they will be played until November 2018. The 100 schools who took part in this event will be recognised as well.

The 10 readers were, William Eather, James Hynch, Craig Wheatley, Taleah Stanley, Kiara Sullivan, Tom Kiss, Bethany Bell, Kyla Tasker, Bryn Thomas and Hannah Petrovic

School holiday return dates

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:05 AEST

Lessons resume on Tuesday 15th July.

Year 6 children attending the Canberra Excursion need to be at school by 6:30am on Monday 14th July.

Girls soccer team wins PSSA.

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:58 AEST

Certificates have been handed out to all the girls in the Wellington PSSA junior soccer team because they were the overall winners of the Term 2 competition. Well done girls and thank you to Miss Thompson for her ongoing guidance and support.

McCarthy Wins at Mudgee

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:58 AEST

Lewis McCarthy has been crowned the Western Grass Greens champion for 2014 after claiming the title last Tuesday at Mudgee Golf Course. Lewis handled the quick Mudgee greens better than the other competitors to win the 18 hole competition by more than 11 shots.

Early Tuesday morning the WPS golf consisting of Thomas and Lewis McCarthy, Mason Humphries, Brad O'Brien and Will Eather travelled to Mudgee to compete in the annual Western Grass Greens Classic. To begin the day the boys were treated to a chipping and putting clinic run by local pro Peter Mayson. Thomas McCarthy was a wizard with the sand wedge in hand and selected by pro Peter Mayson to demonstrate to the rest of the field how to chip correctly. With the clinic over it was time to hit the course. Mason Humphries was ripping massive drives down the fairway all day with his biggest over 190 metres. Brad O'Brien started strongly with some beautiful iron shots and some nicely timed putts, bar the "one" that cost his score card (you know what hole I'm talking about Brad!) Will Eather sunk a difficult 20 foot putt on the 8^thhole which was a highlight of the day. Thomas, Brad, Mason and Will all finished outside the top ten. A great day was had by all and a special thanks to Trent Forrest for giving up some of his beauty sleep to make the early start.

Thanks, Mr Bullock.

Local Speakers for Stage 2 Students

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:05 AEST

The students of Stage 2 at Wellington Public School have been enjoying their unit of study in HSIE entitled 'People and their Beliefs'.

This has involved learning about different religious groups and forms of spirituality in our community.

As a way of extending the students' knowledge and understanding, numerous local people were invited to our school to share their religious journey.

The first focus was the Christian religion and the invited speakers were able to speak about their particular denomination and their shared beliefs.

As well as our visitors addressing the group individually, Charlotte Frankham, a student at the local Christian School, sang while accompanied by her mother, Helen on the piano.

Last week, a group of Aboriginal elders visited us and discussed their aboriginal heritage, customs and spirituality.

In both cases, the students asked some very thoughtful questions and were a most receptive audience.

A special thanks to all speakers who were so generous with their time and who connected so positively with their audience.

Year of the Horse - Wellington Show

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:11 AEST

The Year of the Horse was the theme of this year's Wellington Show that went off in spectacular fashion just over a fortnight ago. Wellington Public School contributed to this year's festivities by creating a spectacular display of artworks based on all things Equine.

Colourful drawings, paintings, prints and 3-dimensional designs depicting show jumping, horseshoes, miniature ponies and even horse-themed carousels made for an impressive display of artistic talent.

Special mention should be made to this year's kindergarten classes who each produced a phenomenal amount of art for the display and from all accounts were a crowd favourite on the day.

In addition to the art display, a number of individual students from Wellington Public submitted entries into the Visual Arts competition, the Baking competition and the Fresh Produce competition. We congratulate all students who entered this year's show and encourage all students to participate in next year's festivities. Well-done WPS!

Thank you to all of the students who contributed to our school's show display, it looked wonderful. It goes without saying but the teachers too, all deserve a special "thanks" for getting their students to want to be part of such an important event. Again, Mrs Batho needs to be credited for coordinating and organising this year's display and providing the information for this report.

Temporary Fencing

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:07 AEST

The fencing that has appeared around the grounds has been provided to section off the trees that have been identified in an arborist's report as potentially high or extreme risk. The fences will stay in place until the necessary remedial work is done. Some of the trees are to be removed completely while others need the dead wood to be removed.

Our Assets Management Unit is in control of the tender process and hopefully it will not take too long to engage the contractors who will complete the necessary work.

Our famous Gould League Tree is listed for an aerial inspection and the remedial work should only necessitate the removal of dead wood.

School Canteen

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:56 AEST

The school canteen provides a vital service to our students. We are extremely lucky to have a canteen that runs five days a week. This is because it is operated through the P&C and is able to sustain Diane as a paid canteen manager. Many schools have had to limit their canteen's operation and in some cases even close them down.

Like all canteens we need the assistance of voluntary labour and in our canteen there are very few who are willing to donate their time. The P&C work hard as does Diane and her limited staff and it would be really good if other parents would consider approaching Diane to volunteer their assistance, preferably on a regular basis.

The P&C have had meetings with the DEC's Assets Management and Public works to plan a possible upgrade. Everyone wants the canteen but no-one seems to want to help! Can you?

With limited staff it takes a long time to process lunch orders that come in every day. To be fair students and parents are asked to have all lunch orders placed at the canteen before 9:30 am each day. Late lunch orders will not be accepted after this time from the commencement of Week 7 (Monday, 9^thMay, 2014.)

Tree Assessment

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:08 AEST

Following the death of a young girl attending Pitt Town Public School earlier this year due to a falling tree branch, The Department of Education and Communities (DEC) instructed all schools to engage a qualified arborist to inspect all trees in all schools to rate their safety and where necessary the remedial action would follow. It has taken a long time but the suitably qualified arborist we were eventually able to engage last Friday arrived for his tree inspection.

His report has been received and forwarded to our Assets Management people who will organise quotations for the necessary remedial work to be done. Nine trees were recognised as a potential risk and five are recommended for removal. The remaining trees need various pruning and in the majority of cases need the removal of dead wood.

Evans wins Athletics Carnival 2014

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:53 AEST

On Thursday 22^nd May, Wellington Public School held its annual Athletics Carnival. A great day was had by all and the weather was just beautiful.

A big, big thank you to all who arrived early to set up and those who were there at the end to pack up. Thank you also to Wellington Little A's Association for the use of their equipment.

A huge thank you must go to our wonderful P & C and small band of parent helpers for running the canteen and providing the staff and officials with lovely cake. Thank you, your hard work and dedication to our school is appreciated.

I would also like to give my personal thanks to the wonderful staff of WPS, you were fantastic in your roles and without you the carnival would not have been as successful as it was. Mrs Eather once again did a superb job on the microphone – thank you.

Congratulations to all the students of WPS who attended the carnival. Your behaviour and sportsmanship was to be commended. Numbers were up on previous years and I'm sure they will continue to increase.

A huge achievement was made by 4 WPS students who broke records. Hannah Petrovic broke the 11year girls Shot Put Record. It was 7.89m and Hannah threw a huge 8.40m. The 8years girls 100m record of 18.90 was broken by the speedy Georgia Veech who ran a fast 18.39. The 9years girls 100m record of 17.60 was broken by the talented Aishat Kareem. The 8years boys 100m record of 17.09 was broken by Asher Rootes who ran like the wind running a 16.60. WELL DONE to these athletic students, what a fantastic achievement!!!

Well Done to Evans House who were overall winners of the carnival with a total of 754 points. Oxley House were a close second with 733 points. Sturt were a very close third with 731 points and Mitchell had 697 points. It just goes to show that entry points can make all the difference.

Our wonderful champions were outstanding on the day showing their athletic ability. The 2014 Athletic Age Champions are as follows:

Junior Boy –Arthur Taylor 11yrs Boy – Justin Walker Senior Boy – Lewis McCarthy

Junior Girl –EmersonHumphries 11yrs Girl - Shannagh Chatfield Senior Girl – Sharmeakah Riley

Congratulations to all the ribbon receivers, the Age Champions and Evans house on their success.

The Dubbo District Athletics Carnival is on in August. A note will go home if your child will be representing WPS in this carnival.

Thank you

Kate Boland

Waterwatch

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:08 AEST

On Thursday this week Mrs Eather, Mrs Nicholas and Miss Mavis will be supervising a group of Stage 2 students when they walk to the John Oxley Reserve. In class the students have been learning about wet and dry environments and when they get to the Macquarie river they will be taking water samples and analysing the samples to see if they are sustaining living organisms and check to see that the river is healthy and free of pollution. This work will be in conjunction with the Western Local Land Services. The children should have a fun time and learn a lot about this important local river system. The follow-up work and the discussions they share should show all of the things they have learnt.

Welcome back – We’re Into Term 2

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:09 AEST

It's amazing to think that almost one third of the year is over at the end of April – although this seems a bit funny when we still have three school terms to go.

We hope that everyone enjoyed sharing important times with their children and managed to fit in some exciting experiences into the two weeks while not at school.

KidsMatter NEWS

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:59 AEST

This term our School will be starting a new program called PATHS (Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies). These lessons will be conducted in the classroom on a weekly basis and will focus on themes such as friendship, feelings, thinking skills and problem solving. Some of the goals of this program are:

To help children think and solve problems for themselves.

To help children better understand themselves and others.

To help children be more aware of feelings.

To improve children's self esteem.

To help children learn more effectively in the classroom

environment.

Results from Schools that have been using the PATHS program have seen an improvement in the social and academic climate of the classroom and school and also show a huge reduction in behavioural issues in the playground and classroom. This program teamed with our existing PBL program aims to benefit our students in the same way.

ANZAC March

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:53 AEST

What A Proud Experience!

We would like to acknowledge how proud we all must have felt on ANZAC Day to be part of the Wellington Public School contingent representing our school on such an important occasion. Thank you to all of our students who participated, to all of the parents who helped make this so special and to all of the school staff who were able to attend. It is well recognised that the importance of the memories be perpetuated by young people and this is happening across Australia and certainly in Wellington.

Well Done Patrick!

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:09 AEST

Patrick O'Donnell went to Homebush to swim in the Olympic pool back on 9^thApril to compete in the state swimming championships. Patrick

swam very competitively in his backstroke, freestyle and breaststroke events. It was fabulous to see that Patrick that came third in his breaststroke event and was awarded a bronze medal. The competition at state level is all about swimmers who are the best in NSW and so Patrick achievements are very impressive.

Term 2 Start Date

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:07 AEST

Term 2 begins for ALL students on TUESDAY 29th APRIL.

The school office will be open on Monday 28th April for all enquiries.

Grandparents & Friends Day

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:58 AEST

Students are asked to invite their grandparents to share a picnic lunch and share the afternoon. We will celebrate this special day on 10^thApril ( second last day of Term 1)

The suggested itinerary will be as follows. 1pm combined picnic lunch until 1.45pm. This time will be for families to have a picnic with their grandchildren and watch a DVD (in Gould League Hall) with assorted snapshots of students talking about what they love to do with their grandparent/significant older person. 1.45 pm until home time will be open classrooms with activities such as drawing with grandparent/s, reading, showing samples of work, photos with ipads, creative writing, family shield art and bookmark making (activities will vary from classroom to classroom).

Attendance Rates

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:53 AEST

We would like to reach 95% attendance and maintain this throughout the year. Many thanks to the students who try really hard to be at School every day and thank you to all the parents who ensure that they show their value for a good education and send their children every day.

Unfortunately, a capture of our attendance data reveals that we are achieving an aggregated figure across all classes of 89.5%, well below our target. Our mainstream enrolment, however, is sitting at 93% which means that we can achieve where we want to be if every student comes to School every day that they possibly can.

District Swimming Carnival Success

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:57 AEST

The Dubbo District swimming carnival was held last Thursday at the Dubbo pool. Everyone swam well. Thankyou to all parents and carers who came along to support their children, especially Mr Jason Ryan who took up time keeping duties. Wellington PS once again has several children who have qualified for the Western Region Carnival that will be held this Friday in Dubbo. Kyla Tasker, Patrick O'Donnell, Harry O'Donnell and George Parkes are in individual events whilst Rusty Taylor, Arty Taylor, Rugby Taylor and Harry O'Donnell will be swimming in the junior boys' relay.

We wish all of our regional swimmers the best of luck.

Captains' Induction

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:56 AEST

Our School Leaders Induction Assembly was held on Wednesday 26th February. The 2014 School

Captains, Prefects, House Captains and the School Band Captain were officially presented to the school community and special guests Mr Michael Cronk, Director of the Macquarie Network of Schools; Councillor Rod Buhr, Mayor of Wellington and Mrs Stella-May Miller, President of our School's Parents and Citizens Association.

The leaders did an excellent job showing why they were chosen to represent the students at our school. Well done! I would like to thank our special guests, families and friends who were able to attend. I would also like to thank our canteen for providing a lovely morning tea at the conclusion of the assembly.

More photos from the event can be found on the WPS website.

Please use Maxwell St to Pick Up

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:03 AEST

Percy Street at 2:45 pm to 2:55pm can be a dangerous situation for some students when parents continue to pull into the bus area in their vehicles, or park over the road and wait for their children to cross the road, often stopping on the roadway, or even pulling into the school gateway (where the bus lines operate) to turn their vehicles around.

Please, if you pick up your children from this very congested area, think about the dangers for all children. Would it be better to park that little distance away and walk to pick up your children? Would it be better to meet your children at the Maxwell St exit near the Gould League Hall?

School Photos

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:05 AEST

Our envelopes should arrive at school very shortly but when they come home you will need to be aware of a change of dates. We expect the envelopes used for ordering will show that photos were to be taken on Wed/Thurs the 2^nd/ 3^rdApril, 2014. These dates have had to be changed.

Photos will now be taken on Tues / Wed 8^th/ 9^thApril, in the next week. This is now in Week 11, the last week of Term 1.

The change was necessary because one of our senior classes and two teachers will be away on an excursion to Sydney Mon – Thursday of Week 10.

This year we have changed photography companies. In conjunction with our School P&C we have engaged Cliff Dykes Photography (CDP). This company serves many schools and has a great reputation spanning many years in the business.The company is very progressive and forward-thinking. Cliff is moving with the times and adopting many new technologies in his trade.

Safety First when leaving school grounds

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:05 AEST

Please Be Careful

A near miss was reported to me recently where a small child, in the afternoon after school, ran out between parked cars and straight onto the road to cross to meet the awaiting parents on the other side of the road. This child was lucky that the approaching 4 Wheel-drive was only travelling at a reasonable speed and was able to stop in time to avert a tragedy.

Children of a young age are not necessarily capable of perceiving dangers and although told many times how to cross a road safely don't necessarily take the time to think.

Parents picking up children are asked to park their cars and walk across the road to meet their children either within the school grounds or on the footpath away from the road.

Students, other than the bus students, exiting the school should avoid the bus duty area and leave via the Mitchell Highway gate where the lolly-pop supervisor is present, by the Maxwell Street exit or through either of the Percy Street pedestrian gateways (near the anchor or the pathway leading down from the Office).

Bus duty teachers and support staff are not designated to be on duty outside of the school grounds except when conducting bus lines to the appropriate stationary school bus.

Well done Kiara

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:09 AEST

Some time ago Kiara was selected for trials to further select a squad of players to make up the Western team which will go on to play in the State finals in Girls' Cricket Championship. This seems to be quite a rigorous process as Kiara will be travelling to Barooga to the trials and then play cricket for the week (next week). We wish Kiara all the best and keep our fingers crossed that she does well.

Unfortunately this means she will miss the Captains Induction which is to be held on Wednesday, 26^th. We are unable to change the day as our special dignitaries have already accepted for this day. This means we will have a special induction for Kiara when she returns.

Swimming Carnival

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:07 AEST

The carnival was already underway when I walked through the gate into the Wellington pool last Friday. The first thing I noticed was a hive of activity and everything seemed to be happening in a very orderly but relaxed manner. It was a nice feeling because everything was going so well.

Although the day was overcast and there was the occasional shower of rain, the weather was perfect for the carnival. It was warm yet not like the scorching hot days we had been experiencing.

Lots of children were in the small pool participating in their novelty events, while others were swimming their races in the heats of their age divisions in the various strokes.

I had to admire the loyalty many students showed to their Houses and their eagerness to participate. Lots of children were doing it tough yet they kept trying their hardest to make it to the end.

Butterfly was definitely the hardest stroke for a lot of swimmers and very exhausting yet everyone was determined to make it to the end.

"Well done, to everyone. Our swimmers seemed to be trying so hard and congratulations to all of the many place-getters, many of whom may get the opportunity to go on to swim at the District carnival later this (27^thFebruary) month in Dubbo.

Many "thanks" to all of our teachers who took on the various roles to ensure the carnival's success.

It takes a considerable amount of time and effort to organise this carnival and while there are always willing helpers, much of the credit must go to Kate Boland. Most, if not all of this work, Kate puts into the organisation before, during and after the school carnival is done in her own time and we think she is fantastic - Never forgotten and always appreciated!

This wouldn't have happened as successfully either, if parents weren't there to help. So to all who lent a hand, please know that you being there to help our students have such an enjoyable day, was much appreciated.

We have celebrated the Winning House and the age champions at both the carnival itself and at our Monday assembly so now it is important that we publish these details.

Aisha Sullivan won the Pedron individual medal for trying so hard in all of her events.

Kiara Sullivan and George Parkes were our Senior Girl and boy swimming champions,

Hannah Petrovic and Brad O'Brien were our 11 Year girl and boy swimming champions, and

Kyla Tasker and Arthur Taylor were our junior girl and boy swimming champions.

Evanswas the overall points- winner and claims the Champion House award for this year's swimming carnival. Congratulations to all swimmers in Evan House for your contribution of points to make Evans the winner.

Swimming Carnival Friday 14th Feb

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:07 AEST

Wellington Public School will be holding its annual Swimming Carnival this Friday, 14^th February 2014.

Students in Years 3 to 6 are to go directly to Wellington Pool in Warne Street. Students need to be there by 9:00am and no earlier than 8:45am. If your child catches a bus, it will take them straight to the pool and will be there to pick them up from the pool to take them home. Pool entry is $1.90 or a season ticket.

Students in Year 2, 8 years of age or turning 8 this year THAT CAN SWIM A LENGTH OF THE POOL may attend, otherwise classes are as normal back at school for the remaining Year 2 students.

The Medley race will be swum Wednesday 12^th February. Nominations for this race were taken at the House Meetings last Friday.

The Swimming Carnival is a school day and your child will be marked absent if they do not attend.

If you are able to assist on the day please contact the school on 6845 4080 and leave your name, or see Mrs Boland on Friday morning before the carnival begins. Many parent helpers make light work and a smooth sailing carnival.

The staff of Wellington Public School hope to see as many students and parents at Wellington Pool this Friday 14^th February for its annual Swimming Carnival.

Future Moves

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:58 AEST

This program will continue in 2014 for Stage 3 students. The Charles Sturt University will continue to offer our students, background information as it relates to their planning around their chosen career aspirations. Mrs Morley and I have a meeting with the University's new co-ordinator tomorrow. We hope that opportunities will grow out of our partnership. Last year such an opportunity was the project titled ‘Indigenous Sky Stories' and this proved to be a fantastic learning experience.

Well Done!!

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:09 AEST

Kyla Tasker (5/6M) – Represented Wellington in the Western District's Country Swimming Championships at Dubbo on the weekend. Kyla also swam in the heats of the Speedo Carnival and has now qualified to swim at the Homebush Olympic Pool in Sydney in the finals. Kyla qualified in the 50M freestyle and butterfly events and will be swimming on the 8^thMarch.

Harry O'Donnel (3OB) will also represent Wellington at the Speedo finals in Sydney.

Patrick O'Donnel had a successful swim, coming 3^rdin his Multi-Class event and walked away with Bronze.

Homework Centre Begins Monday 10th Feb

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:59 AEST

Homework Centre Permission (pdf 132 KB)

Homework Centre and Active After Schools begins on Monday 10th February.

Homework Centre and Active After-school communities activities operate school from 2.45pm–3.45(Homework Centre) and 3.45pm-4.45pm (ActiveAfterSchools) on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays this term. Please ensure that your child is picked upon time.

If your child is given Homework by their class teacher, please ensure that your child has their Homework each day ready to complete at Homework Centre.

On Thursdays Active After Schools activities are held at Market Fitness gym, the students are required to walk from school to the gym with a teacher and are to be picked up from Market Fitness by 4.45pm sharp.

There will be no costs involved for students who attend the Homework Centre and AASC activities and a piece of fruit and a light snack will be provided each day.

Please note that poor behaviour at after school activities WILL NOTBE TOLERATED. If your child receives three written warnings about their poor behaviour, you will be contacted to come and collect your child. They will no longer be allowed to participate in Homework Centre and/or Active after School activities.

Please complete the attached reply slip to give permission for your child to participate in Homework Centre and/or AASC program. Your child will not be able to attend Homework Centre/AASC program the permission slip is signed and returned. Please take the time to discuss behaviour expectations at AASC programs with your child.

Student Return Dates

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:07 AEST

Students from Yr1 to Yr6 return Wednesday 29th January.

Kindy students start Monday 3rd February. (Best Start appointments are 29th, 30th & 31st January. Please refer to your appointment letter).

School office is open from 28th January.

Presentation Day

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:04 AEST

This was another reason to celebrate. Presentation day allows us to recognise students who have performed well academically, as good citizens, as specially recognised people in their classes, achievers in sporting endeavours and as school leaders.

Our sincere thanks go to all who were able to share this day with us and give our school their support.

We also say ‘thank you' to our special guests who added importance to this significant occasion and/or to those who offered donations to assist us in celebrating student success.

Towards the conclusion of proceedings we gave our appreciation for our school's student leaders who not only were responsible for the smooth running of the presentations but who have also represented the school so well and so consistently throughout the 2013 school year. Well done James, Elizabeth, Heidi and Elijah!

Congratulations to our Leaders Elect for 2014, you can look forward to your official induction early next year.

At an individual level we must specifically recognise our Sportsperson of the year, Harriet Taylor and the Dux of the school, Elizabeth Eather. These are very significant awards and both have been made to very deserving, outstanding students. Again, our heart-felt congratulations!

Indigenous Sky Stories Project

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:59 AEST

On Tuesday evening a good gathering of students, parents and other adults came to share with Year 6 students the work they have undertaken in the Indigenous Sky Stories Project.

This was where the Bathurst Campus of Charles Sturt University offered a number of schools the opportunity to work together on a project relating to astronomy and the stories of indigenous local people that related to the skies above. To participate in this project each school was given an 8" telescope, computer, ancillary equipment and internet time to communicate with schools in North America and to share indigenous stories.

The evening started with a Welcome to Country given by Paul West followed by three Aboriginal dances and then a BBQ. Two telescopes were set up outside the hall (one lent to us from the High School) so that interested people could look at the sun, the moon and Venus all of which were interesting to see in the early night sky.

A short video followed in the hall depicting what the students had learnt in regard to some of the stories they were looking to collect.

Nick Rudell from the university was very impressed with the evening and the outcomes our senior classes have achieved. He is so impressed that he suggested Wellington Public School will feature highly in his thesis as he analyses and documents the overall worth of the project and the relevant data he has collected. A ‘huge thanks' to Mrs Morley, and to all the teachers supportive of the project and to those in attendance last night. The project was also a success because of the input from our Aboriginal Education Officers Shirley and Trent. Both have been involved with this project and given freely of their time. Shirley introduced the school to Ruth West who has been the primary source for our indigenous storied and we appreciate all the time Ruth has given to our students. This has been a fabulous effort on Ruth's part and we are very appreciative.

Thank you to everyone who came along last night.

Are you extending your Summer Break?

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:53 AEST

Please remember that if you expect to extend the school summer holiday break for your children please put this in writing and bring it to the front office if you intend your youngsters to return to Wellington Public School next year. Our enrolment census day is usually early in February and our staffing levels are determined by the number of students enrolled on this particular day. Children who have not had any 2014 attendance cannot be counted.

Year 2 Intensive Swimming

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:11 AEST

Sadly we are hearing of young children drowning in creeks, rivers, dams, back-yard swimming pools and in the ocean as the warmer weather entices people to the water wherever it may be. It is very important that people know how to swim if they are to engage in water activities and sports. The best time to learn is when you are very young. If your child has water confidence and can swim it means that they can enjoy water activities as a recreational pastime and if they can't swim then they are particularly vulnerable. Children need to learn how to swim but it is also very important for them to have lots of opportunities to be in water to develop their skills and become competent swimmers. No one should swim alone and this holds true for young children. We all need to be alert to the potential dangers in and around water and always be watchful and alert so that drowning does not become a tragedy that touches the lives of any of us.

Semester 2 Student Reports

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:10 AEST

Reports follow class assessments and this time will capture the learning outcomes that have been achieved in the second half of the year. At the moment, reports are in the hands of the Stage Supervisors before coming to me next week. All reports will be finalised and ready to be sent home on Friday, 13^thDecember.

Please take the time to share these reports with your children and praise them for the positive comments and discuss anything that may be of a concern. Many students have learning plans and teacher programs reflect the adjustments made for individual students. Please look also at the absences. Where students have a lot of absences this generally has a less than desirable effect on a student's level of achievement. Another thing to celebrate is good attendance and congratulations to all students who haven't missed a single day.

Joseph Brilliance!!

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:59 AEST

I am sitting here feeling very inadequate in trying to write something worthy of our school's production of "Joseph And The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat".

The word superlative keeps popping into my mind, as I try to find the best way to describe the amazement I felt and the pride in our staff, students and community in achieving absolute theatrical success.

How am I to capture and express my sincere appreciation and give a fair appraisal of just how much time, effort, creativity, talent, determination and collaboration went into bringing such a fabulous presentation to the stage?

We can only marvel at the myriad of challenges that would have presented themselves and the coverage of every detail in moving the raw beginnings into a complete production that had everyone fascinated at the professional quality of the finished performance.

The cast was inspirational in that everyone had put one hundred percent of themselves into rehearsals, endured many hours of striving to make the good better and the better best. Piece by piece the story had to be pulled together and make every student important in the role they played. Every student has to be congratulated for their perseverance in perfecting their role within a setting where the standard was so high.

This was a concert that focused on the talents of our students but full credit has to be given to everyone who supported the preparations and assisted to make it as spectacular as it has been. For those who were part of one of the four opportunities to be in the audience you would have had the chance to see the program and read all of the acknowledgements. Twenty two special mentions

exemplified the scope of nearly everything that had to be part of the total product and demonstrated the level of cooperation given by so many people. Everyone can bask in being an important part in enhancing our school's reputation, for this experience showcased how wonderful our students can be when they have a goal and try so hard to make it happen. This was a fantastic team effort.

To captain the team we had at the helm Mrs Marlene (Chick) Jones and Mrs Kate Boland. Marlene was the producer and musical director while Kate was director and choreographer. Both of these wonderful ladies, however, were much more. I think the simplest way of putting this is to say they were the inspiration, the driving force and the dreamers of what could be achieved collectively for our students and they made it happen.

I would assume that it is obvious that I want to thank everyone who has shared in the vision and helped to achieve what will be a school experience shared and remembered by so many. Please understand that I appreciate the sheer volume of work that it has been for all concerned and be proud of what you have achieved because it will certainly remain a significant event in the lives and memories of so many talented students.

How did they all remember their parts? Wasn't the singing fantastic.? What about the dancers? Wasn't it clever how the story was retold? I really enjoyed the whole thing. It was a credit to everyone. The children were all wonderful. Who ever thought that a school concert could be that good? Didn't Joseph have a beautiful voice? I thought the narrator did a wonderful job and you could see how she looked after lots of the littler kids. I just thought the whole thing was amazing. I really enjoyed the night…………… were but some of the comments heard after the final curtain.

To the stars of the show and everyone in the cast, the designers and makers of props and costumes, to the stage crew, the musicians, the lighting and sound technicians, the make-up people, the parents, the P&C, the high school, the sewers and painters, the poster/ticket designers, to our neighbouring schools for their attendance, support and assistance, our sponsors, the theatre company, the transport people, the teachers and office staff, the ushers, all who attended the many rehearsals etc., etc., we are truly grateful.

One thing is sure, it would not have happened without dreams of what could be.

I have heard people reference time by saying "before Joseph" and we are now in the "after Joseph" phase and…….."Who knows what the future might bring?"

Joseph News

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:59 AEST

So much effort is going into preparing for this major event on our school calendar and everyone involved is to be congratulated.

This production is a fantastic experience for students and it will last for a long time in their memories. At the moment it is getting to the final rehearsals and everyone is feeling the excitement, as is always the case when the cast, producers and support crew think about their public debut. Everyone wants it to be terrific!

We hold high expectations to get the very best from everyone and the performances will be terrific.

We hope you have your ticket because the seats are selling quickly.

Numbered tickets are available at the school's front office. Adult seats for the 23^rd/ 24^thare $10 and $5 for children occupying a seat.

Kindergarten Transition

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:00 AEST

Our young students who will be enrolling for Kindergarten have the wonderful opportunity of joining our school for two hours every Friday morning commencing at 9:00 am bell time. It's great to see them all so excited and happy as they experience what it will be like when they come next year. These young boys and girls can familiarise themselves with what it's going to be like in a classroom, learn their way around the school, join in with their friends in different learning experiences and meet many of our teachers and our school learning and support officers.

Public Image /Undesirable Use of Social Media

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:10 AEST

It would be hard to understand why anyone who has children at our school would want to hurt our public image. At Wellington Public School we are proud of what we achieve and we care about every child who comes here to learn.

We have an amazing staff, dedicated to the children they teach. We practise the values of public education and we are there for all students without discrimination.

Our school is well funded and supported by programs, resources and initiatives that are not necessarily available in all schools. Teachers and support staff strive to optimise learning opportunities and often give freely of their time and labour to enhance the engagement of students, in activities not otherwise readily available to them. We strive to remediate deficits in learning and strengthen academic achievement for students who are really switched on.

Our students own our school because primarily it is here for them. We constantly look upon our Positive Behaviour for Learning strategy to guide us in being respectful, safe learners. Many of our students work hard and do everything we can ask of them. Many need support and encouragement and learn after gaining knowledge and confidence. It is only a smaller number of students who cause us concern with little motivation or enthusiasm for learning as well as perhaps having poor behaviours that challenge the routines and wellbeing of others.

Our parents should be our partners as we should share the same ideals and aspirations for their children's happiness and for their education. At school we try every day to promote the great things that are happening andit is very deflating when people work against what we are trying to build in our community for the betterment of all associated with our school.

Bullying in the school, in the workplace and in the community can be a contentious issue. Whenever we are aware of students having problems at school we would like to work with our parent partners in a proactive way to build student confidence and resilience so they are empowered to deal with difficult situations. As principal, executive staff, teachers and support personnel, we all try as a team to do the best for everyone and most people appreciate our efforts.

Why am I writing this? The answer is that bullying is often covert and cowardly where the perpetrator is seemingly manipulative or perceived as powerful and the victim is powerless and possibly out-numbered. Victims are often quite innocent and unaware of the reasons why the bullies attack them so unfairly. Do the bullies really think about what they are doing or even care how damaging their actions can be?

Social media gives people power to say whatever they like. Most of the time nice people use it in a sensible way. Sometimes it is used by bullies to be defamatory, cruel and unjust. There can be useful communication or it can cause grief and trouble. Why would anyone with pride in our school want to risk harming its good reputation by using a form of social media as their tool?

People who have anything they feel should be brought to the school's attention are always welcome to bring it to the table for discussion as partners in the wellbeing of our community's children.

For a long time I have said we serve our community and what we are, is a reflection of the community we serve. It is important that we promote the choice of good decisions and work together to value education as the key to the future for your children.

PSSA Sport Term 4

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:10 AEST

This Friday sees the resumption of Friday PSSA Sport in Dubbo. We have entered teams in Cricket, Touch Football, Softball and T-Ball. Notes have been distributed to all students who have nominated for a team. They must be returned before Friday 11^thOctober. The cost will be $8 per week which can be paid weekly or in a lump sum at the beginning of the term. We have had to increase the fees this term to assist us in covering the costs associated with travel and PSSA. Competition will run for 9 weeks so the total cost will be $72. This is an important part of our sporting program and students are encouraged to consider getting involved in PSSA Sport. Sport is all about having a go, learning new skills and making new friends.

Joseph Camp a Triumph

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:59 AEST

During the first weekend of the holidays the cast and crew of our production of "Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat" attended a two day camp to refine their performances. The reports from those who supervised at the camp were glowing. The students worked tirelessly over the two days to nail down their lines and vocals for the production. My thanks to the staff who attended the camp as events such as this cannot take place without your support. The performance dates are coming up very soon and the production will be nothing short of outstanding. Mrs Kate Boland has dedicated a huge chunk of her time to ensuring the show is a success and has been tremendously supported by her Musical Director, Mrs Chick Jones.

NAIDOC Success

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:01 AEST

NAIDOC Day took place on Thursday 19^thSeptember. It was widely praised as a tremendous day. We had a number of special guests attending to run numerous activities. A real highlight of the day was the Aboriginal dancing in the hall following the lunch break. It was great to see a large number of students perform so well after only a short rehearsal. Another highlight of the day was a visit by Waratahs and Wallabies star Kurtley Beale. Kurtley was at ease with the students talking with them about his journey in professional sport. He may well have had to ice his hand on the way home signing his autograph a thousand times. We were very appreciative of his time and Kurtley himself said he enjoyed the visit and would be keen to visit again when his schedule allows.

We must thank Shirley Thompson for her efforts in coordinating the day with the assistance of Trent Forrest, Ali Beale and Shawn Todhunter. Shirley and her team scheduled a fantastic program for the day and it was very successful. As always, we had great support from the local community and organisations such as WACHS. A huge thank you to all who helped make the day a tremendous success.

Spelling Bee Champs

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:05 AEST

On 22^ndAugust we held our School Spelling Bee finals and through an elimination process contestants were ruled out as the complexity of the words they had to spell increased. All class representatives were chosen as being the better spellers from their classes.

In the end two Junior and two Senior Champions were chosen to go on to the next level, the Regional level.

The Regional final will be held this Wednesday at Dubbo West Public School. The finalists at Region will go on to the State final in Sydney.

Our four Regional Representatives in the 2013 Premier's State Spelling Bee are: Shayarnee Burns, Erin McQuade, Laura Harris-Kelly and William Edwards.

The Junior competition will start at 9:30 am and run until 11:30 am and the Senior level will commence at 12:30 pm and possibly run to 2:30 pm. Contestants are asked to be present half an hour before their respective finals. Good luck Shayarnee, Erin, Laura and William.

National Partnerships

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:01 AEST

We have been the recipients of considerable Commonwealth funding through the National Partnerships program. This has allowed us to employ additional staff and run programs that would not be possible otherwise. Our funding finished at the end of Term 2 but we do continue to spend planned funding to the end of the 2013 school year. This will leave a significant hole in our funding in the future and we wait anxiously to see what our 2014 financial budget will look like.

Thank you to all parents, staff and students who completed the evaluation monkey surveys. This will be some of the data used for the evaluation report which has to be completed shortly.

Week 3, Term 3

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:09 AEST

Yesterday, we welcomed back to school our Year six students who had spent the previous week away on their excursion to the snow and to Canberra.

What an exciting experience it had been and from this time away, each of these students will have lots of memories, many of which will stay with them for a life-time.

They will remember the cold as they stepped from the coach at Cooma and the brief sunny time they had in the snow a Blue Cow before the blizzard conditions struck. It wasn't intentional, but they were experiencing particularly cold and wintry conditions that were to take the morning conditions in the nation's capital to minimum temperatures as low as minus six degrees.

With the cold mornings, however, came some beautiful days to be off exploring many of Canberra's famous tourist destinations. Lake Burley Griffin, Parliament House and its older counterpart, the impressive buildings like the National Library, the Art Gallery and the High Court, the Australian War Memorial, the Water Jet, Carillion, Questacon, the Australian Institute of Sport, Telstra Tower on Black Mountain, Mount Ainsley and the Brindabella ranges were but a few of the attractions that would have caught their inquisitive eyes. All of this, the excitement and social experience of doing things together made for a fantastic five days. Reports were of great kids enjoying themselves and displaying commendable behaviour. It was great to have them back safe and sound and knowing that they had enjoyed their time away.

Playground Cleanliness

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:57 AEST

Our Positive Behaviour for Learning is founded on the statement that at Wellington Public School we are safe, respectful learners. Being respectful of our school is prominent in our discussions and it is really pleasing to see so many students striving very hard to practise what being safe respectful learners looks like in different contexts and locations around the school. Our focus this week is looking to keep our playing areas clean and tidy and free of rubbish. So many children try hard to look after what belongs to them and those who make the big efforts are rewarded for doing the right thing. It's good that far more of our students do the right thing and that it's only a smaller number who let us down. There has been some concern about rubbish in the playground but hopefully, if we keep teaching and encouraging acceptable behaviours, we will gradually have everyone doing the right thing. The standards we achieve can be enhanced by having high expectations of children trying to do the right thing at home and having higher standards set within our community.

I was driving to school the other morning and couldn't help noticing how beautiful Wellington was looking in the morning sunshine. Everything seemed groomed and looking good until I saw where someone had obviously thrown rubbish out of their car and it lay strewn on the roadside in front of Cameron Park. I suppose if we have some people like this in our community it stands to reason that some children perhaps don't know any better and it's harder to educate these girls and boys in doing the right thing.

There is a commonly accepted saying, "It takes a community to educate a child".

Creating the Future

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:05 AEST

This is the theme of this year's Education Week being celebrated this week. This is just what should be happening for our students who are working hard and equipping themselves in preparation for pursuing their future career options. We see education as the means by which students will be able to pursue their dreams and access jobs that they will enjoy and assist them achieve happiness with friends and family.

Please remember to try and visit your children in their classrooms this Wednesday between 12:00 and 1:00 pm before finding a nice place in the school playground (weather permitting) to share a nice picnic style lunch together.

Year 6 Canberra Excursion

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:56 AEST

Many excited Year 6 students and their parents were up early yesterday morning to be ready for the departure of their excursion to Canberra. Accompanied by Mrs Anderson, Miss Thompson, Mrs Reid and Mr Conn our senior students were very excited to board the coach and head off for our National Capital. Parents were there to wave good-bye as their children left on their fantastic week-long excursion that is to bring to life much of what they have been discussing in class relating to the commonwealth government and the significant places of interest dotted around the capital's landscape. It should be a wonderful educational experience. Let's hope everyone really enjoys their time away.

Rail Safety Week – 2013

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:05 AEST

Wellington P.S. is one of three Primary schools in NSW to be selected to receive a short presentation around the issue of rail safety. This was in part due to the fact that we are in close proximity to the Wellington rail line.

This is a safety campaign drawing attention to railway level crossing safety and trespass and publicly sharing safe practices. Two representatives from John Holland Country Regional Network will come and address our school assembly on Monday, 12th August. On the day of our presentation, John Holland will also distribute a colouring and/or slogan competition for Rail Safety Week 2013 for the students to work on at home.

Stewart House

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:10 AEST

The 2013 Stewart House Program has been giving students a break since 1931 on the beach at Curl Curl in Sydney. Stewart House provides students with opportunities for a healthy lifestyle, for building self-esteem, coping and social skills and a sense of wellbeing. Attendance at Stewart House is organised only through a nomination from a public school principal. Our Network camp is being organised for 21st October to 1st November, 2013 I Term 4. This means that schools from the Dubbo, Warrumbungles and Bourke areas will be able to apply for this 12 day dormitory style stay and places therefore are quite limited. We will hope that we are lucky enough to secure one or two places for students from our school.

The 2013 Wellington Eisteddfod

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:10 AEST

Once again, the much celebrated Wellington Eisteddfod is drawing closer. Next week will see our Kindergarten, Years 1, 3 and 6 entries in the Verse Speaking category. Rehearsals will be conducted on Monday, with the competition commencing on Tuesday. As in previous years, our school has a number of entries preparing for the different categories and divisions. It is fantastic to see the high levels of participation with so many students involved and showcasing their many talents. Hopefully we will come back with some very proud achievements.

Creativity Abounds

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:10 AEST

Under Mrs Batho's guidance a number of students submitted art-works in this year's "IVisualise" Art competition. Alex Barton and Tamia Murray are to be congratulated for their outstanding creative works, both of which will remain on display in the regional art gallery as winning entries.

Well Done Mae!

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:56 AEST

Congratulations to Mae Clout who recently represented Western NSW Region in the State finals of this year's Cross Country Carnival event. From all reports May gave a 100% effort and was quite competitive managing to maintain a position in the middle of the field of this gruelling event. Mae, your school is very proud of you.

Interagency Support Services

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:10 AEST

Through our community partnerships we will be having four organisations meeting with our teaching staff this afternoon to discuss local services supporting children and families. With this we will strengthen our partnerships and better understand who can help us address particular needs and how we go about referring to a particular service for assistance.

We will have representatives from Mission Australia, Barnardos, Communities For Children and WACHS. We thank all of these organisations for coming on board with us to coordinate support services.

DEC Structural Changes

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:56 AEST

A Change Of Leadership

Last Term I advised that we no longer have a Regional Director, Western NSW following changes within the Department of Education and Communities. Instead, what was NSW Western Region now has grown to absorb much of what was previously the Riverina Region and the South Coast Region. Our new Executive Director is Dail McGilchrist. This means that NSW, with these changes is now divided into four geographic areas where previously there were ten. Our immediate Line supervisor was our School Education Director. This position has been replaced by a Director of Public Schools NSW, Mr Michael Cronk (Previously a School Education Director of the Warrumbungles School Education Group). Mr Cronk comes to us with a highly commendable reputation and wide experiences and we will look forward to benefitting from his professional support and guidance.

Where, previously we belonged to the Dubbo School Education Group, we now belong to the Macquarie Network of Schools. Our previous School Education Director, Ann-marie Furney, chose not to reapply for a new position preferring to pursue a new career option.

Ann-marie was a fabulous leader. She was passionate about supporting our Region's goals and aspirations and always kept children uppermost in her planning, care and expectations. Her intelligence and her passion made her an outstanding leader and I pay my respects for having had the privilege of working with her and a vested interest she held for the Wellington community and our school.

Welcome Back - Term 3 commences

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:09 AEST

Yesterday saw the return of teachers and support staff.

Teaching staff engaged in three sessions of professional learning in areas of Positive Behaviour for Learning, Information Communication Technology and the implementation of the new English curriculum and English – programming for quality teaching and assessment.

Today we welcome back our students and their families. Everyone is hopefully returning to us refreshed and happy after their Winter vacation. Term 3 will be a ten week term with the last day being 20th September, 2013. Already things are looking very busy and we will all have to keep our heads down and work hard to further build on our successes.

All parents are encouraged to be active in our shared partnership for building a solid educational experience for our students and to nurture and care for all things pertaining to the welfare of children. Please continue to help foster a love for learning, a respect for the need to have a good education and to ensure students maximise their daily attendance. Our data shows we are improving in our overall attendance rates so let's keep it up.

Looking Ahead – the first four weeks

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:57 AEST

Looking Ahead – the first four weeks

Today and tomorrow we will see the introduction of sound systems to all classrooms which will assist all students, especially those who may have a hearing deficit. Staff will receive training this afternoon as to the capabilities and use of this new equipment.

Today we also expect to see the Royal Far West speech team returning, and to assess the progress being made by some of our students following the support they have received from the specialists in Manly where the lessons have been delivered using internet communication.

Next Monday we will farewell 46 students and 4 staff as they head off on their week-long excursion to our National Capital, Canberra. This is always exciting and a valued educational experience for all of those taking part. Have a great time and be fine ambassadors for our school.

Next Tuesday, in Week 2, we hope to have a number of community interagency support groups presenting to staff and discussing their services and how they might best support our school. This will follow our parent partnership meeting scheduled for the morning.

Week 3 is Education Week and also National Literacy and Numeracy week. An Open Day invitation is extended to families to visit students in their classrooms on Wednesday, 31st July between 12.00 noon and 1.00 pm. Following this we hope parents will be able to stay and have lunch with their children. You might start planning your picnic–style lunch for that day.

Wednesday, 1st August is the next scheduled meeting of the Wellington Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (AECG) and we will be able to discuss a fabulous middle-school program offer that has been made to the High School and ourselves called "Indigenous Sky Stories".

Winter Holidays. All Students Return Tuesday 16th July 2013

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:10 AEST

Have a happy and enjoyable winter break. All Students Return Tuesday 16th July 2013

Winter Holiday Break

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:10 AEST

This Friday marks the last dayof Term 2 (28/06/13).This has only been a nine week term and it seems to have passed by very quickly. Our students are away for two weeks and one day. Students return to schoolto commence Term 3 on Tuesday, 16^thJuly, 2013.

The Monday before the students return, is a School Development Day for staff only.

We wish that our students all have a terrific holiday and have plenty of things to do to keep them busy, safe and engaged in learning opportunities. Whatever time you are able to spend together can be terrific.

Well Done Year 2!

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:10 AEST

Very positive comments came back about our Year 2 students who participated in their excursion to the Wellington Caves last Friday. Attentive, enthusiastic, happy, well-behaved are all descriptive words we like to hear about our students while they are actively engaged in their learning.

Education Week

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:57 AEST

This year Education Week in NSW will be celebrated in Term 3 Week 3 ( 29.07.13 to 02.08.13). National Literacy and Numeracy Week coincides by being the same week. Our school focus is always about Literacy and Numeracy so we will showcase what we do all the time. At this stage we are planning to have an open time to visit classrooms before lunch on the Wednesday, 31^stJuly followed by a picnic lunch with parents sitting with their children (this is likely to be weather dependent).

The theme for this special week is "Creating The Future".

Student reports sent home this Friday 21st June

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:07 AEST

We are on track to have reports completed and printed ready for distribution to our families this Friday.

I am very appreciative of all the work our teachers and executive have committed to the planning, assessment and reporting phases of the learning cycle to be able to give parents valuable feedback on how their children are applying themselves in class.

Overall, I have been very impressed with the effort ratings because they show a large proportion of our students trying very hard and this is commendable. The teachers describe the outcomes individual students are achieving and these too, on the whole, are quite impressive. Thirdly, I can see an improvement in attendance. We do not seem to have quite the same high incidence of extended absences. The boys and girls who are making a big effort to attend school every day is very pleasing.

An invitation is extended to all parents to talk to classroom teachers in an interview situation. A schedule has been sent home to request suitable times next Tuesday.

Teachers are ready to add praise or where appropriate discuss any concerns they have in regard to application and the levels of progress being achieved.

We ask again, for all parents to value education and to help instil this in their children. We need all children to love learning and realise that a good education is a key to opening future success and their personal goals to be happy in life and to be prepared to use their positive work ethic to contribute to the community they live in. Children who maximise their time at school are the ones more likely to succeed.

L3 a big success

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:00 AEST

Language, Learning and Literature (L3) is a professional learning opportunity that has been taken up by our Kindergarten teachers this year and it has resulted in the English curriculum being delivered by a significant change in classroom organisation and lesson delivery. It has challenged teachers and excited them and now over some of the initial hurdles, is very satisfying. Students are engaging and learning with enthusiasm. The Professional Learning coordinator has just sent back graphs depicting the positive difference being made in the areas of student writing and reading. The results are very pleasing and this spurs us all on to improve our practice and our learning every day. It is very exciting!

School Disco Next Wednesday 19/6

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:05 AEST

Mrs Boland is having a lot to do with our end of year production (Joseph And His Technicolour Dream Coat) along with our musical director, Chick Jones and is assisting to off-set some of the costs involved by planning Term 2 school discos. Having the support of her colleagues, there will be two separate discos on Wednesday, 19^thJune. Entry will be $2 per student. The k -2 (Junior) disco will be from 5:00pm to 6:00 pm and the 3-6 (senior) disco will start at 6:00 pm and finish at 7:30 pm. Students should be dropped off and picked up on time by their parent/s or nominated responsible adult.

Athletics Carnival a success

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:53 AEST

Friday last week it rained, so we were lucky to have held our school athletics carnival last Thursday. Although a bit on the cool side the scene was set for a wonderful day and that is what it turned out to be. Our students all had the opportunity to participate in a number of track, field and novelty events. The atmosphere was highly competitive in many of the events yet the carnival had quite a relaxed feel about it. Thanks to the thorough organisation and everyone lending a hand everything ran quite smoothly. Congratulations to everyone who participated and especially to those who did so well in both heats and finals. Apart from one or two students who couldn't manage to follow instructions everyone else was demonstrating excellent behaviour and we were proud of the way the children made this such a terrific Thursday.

Our thanks to everyone who assisted, both prior to, and on this day, it was a great team effort! I must also recognise the tremendous time and effort given by Mrs Eather, Mrs Boland and Mrs O'Brien in organising these carnivals.

Wet day for District Cross Country

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:10 AEST

Today (Wednesday) school representatives from all over the great expanses of Western NSW Region are coming to Wellington to compete in this year's cross country carnival. With so many students travelling so far, many are already in Wellington for this big event and others would be travelling great distances today and so, even with the bad weather, it is not possible to cancel or postpone this event. Organisers will be left with the decision to run events dependent on any electrical storms being present but the rain alone will not be a deterrent.

Next P&C Meeting

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:03 AEST

The June meeting of the Parents and Citizens Association will be held this Wednesday (tomorrow) commencing at 6:30 pm. The meetings are held in the school library and new faces are always welcome.

School Photos Distributed

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:03 AEST

After what seemed a long wait our school photographs arrived last week and were distributed immediately. We trust everyone was happy with the quality of the photos this year.

The Parents and Citizens Association determines the company we engage for school photographs. Any feedback you would like to offer can be directed to one of the members or why not attend a meeting yourself and get more involved in supporting the students of our school?

Royal Flying Doctor Car Rally – Bathurst to The Gold Coast

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:04 AEST

Early Sunday morning about 140 cars (including about 30 support vehicles) gathered at Mount Panorama in Bathurst for the start of this year's rally. This rally is a navigational exercise and drivers and navigators find their way from place to place along back roads that can be quite difficult to negotiate. It is not a race and drivers, while they test their skills, are not competing against the clock.

Competitors are involved because of their love of their cars, the mateship between teams and all are keen to help raise much-needed funds to keep the Royal Flying Doctor Service in the air. Even before the event started they had amassed just over $1.5 million for this worthwhile cause.

The first leg was made quite challenging after reasonably heavy rains during the night before the event. Roads were sticky and slippery but with care, everyone arrived in Wellington without mishap.

We were lucky that the organisers had approached our school P&C to cater for their drivers and support crews by providing a much-needed lunch break.

It was wonderful how parents, community members and school personnel came together to offer a warm welcome and lots of their country hospitality.

No one went hungry with a choice of soups, bread rolls, slices, cakes, tea and coffee.

Our visitors were very appreciative of what the community had put together for them and words of praise flowed freely.

The hall had been set up and everything was waiting when the first cars started to arrive about midday. The cars kept rolling in for the next two and a half hours and so there was lots of opportunities to talk to the car crews and look at their vehicles.

Most of the competitor's cars were pre-1973 and came in a variety of makes, colours and themes. Some of the crews went to a lot of trouble dressing up and a big favourite with the kids were the golfers with their give-away lolly-pops, the undertakers and the cockroaches.

Our students were not to be outdone because collectively they had produced a colourful mural depicting the Wellington Valley with its rolling hills and with hundreds of rally cars, all making their way to Wellington Public School.

This had been a fantastic fundraising event and everyone who helped to make the day such a success is to be congratulated on a job well done!

Special mention must also be made of our school's student leadership team. Our Captains, Vice-Captains and Prefects all had a significant involvement in the planning of the day and seeing it right through to the actual event. What a terrific learning experience.

ATHLETICS CARNIVAL POSTPONED UNTIL Thursday 6th June

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:53 AEST

The WPS Athletics Carnival set down for tomorrow 23/5 at Rygate Park has been POSTPONED until Thursday 6th June.

ATHLETICS CARNIVAL THIS THURSDAY 6TH JUNE AT RYGATE PK.

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:53 AEST

Our Athletics Carnival will be going ahead this Thursday 6th June at Rygate Park. Buses will be dropping off and picking up from the venue.

Should the weather turn nasty, alerts will be made via the school App and the website.

District Cross Country

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:57 AEST

This exciting event is to be held here in Wellington, at the race track, tomorrow, 29^thMay, 2013.

We are lucky to host this event because we have teachers who are enthusiastic about Public Schools Sports Association participation for all students. This always starts at a school level but goes on to offer higher levels of competition as successful students engage with other schools and potentially right up to State level.

Mrs Eather is a teacher who puts herself forward for the responsibility of organising and running this carnival for our Dubbo District schools. Thanks to Mrs Styles also who is co-ordinating the canteen on the day.

Good luck to all of our students who have been selected from their performances at our school carnival and who are now going on to represent Wellington Public School at the District level.

Student Reports for Semester 1

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:08 AEST

Classroom teachers have been busy assessing and collecting progress data to write student reports for Semester 1. The end result will be an appraisal of student performances across all key learning areas.

As parents you will, no doubt, be wanting to see how your children are going at school and have the opportunity to discuss their progress with their teachers.

The schedule is looking like this:

Draft reports are to be completed by Friday of next week (Week 6) and available to stage supervisors. As Principal I should be receiving the reports electronically by Week 7 and, in turn, they should be printed and ready to send home by the end of Week 8. The Tuesday of Week 9, the last week of Term 2, is when we will offer parent / teacher interviews. An opportunity for parents to book a suitable time will be made a little bit later as the time approaches.

Healthy Ears at WPS

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:58 AEST

Last week all classes were offered time to learn about healthy ears and the problems associated with Otitis Media and not blowing your nose properly. Our visiting hearing time assisted us with determining our needs to determine the number and type of sound systems we would need to purchase to have one in every classroom. These systems are designed to deliver clear and audible sound to all parts of the classroom and assist children with some form of temporary or mild to moderate hearing loss. Statistics show that there could be a significant number of children with some hearing loss and research has shown that these sound systems have been beneficial in learners in engaging more meaningfully in their lessons. It stands to reason that children who can't hear properly aren't going to learn as well as they should and this can flow on to speech and language difficulties as well. We hope to have sound systems in every classroom as soon as we can have them ordered, delivered and installed.

Bathurst to Gold Coast Bash

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:53 AEST

Sunday, 2^ndJune.

This would be a great day to come to school, have a look around, grab a bite to eat or to come and assist the P&C in an exciting fund-raising venture. The P&C will be catering for about 150 car crews that are participating in a car bash starting in Bathurst and ending up on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. On this particular Sunday, the cars will be on their way and planning to have a lunch-time stop-over here at Wellington P.S. The cars are expected to be here from around midday and stay for about two hours. Many of the cars will be parked in the school grounds and car enthusiasts shouldn't find it too difficult to strike up a conversation with one of the drivers or their companions. The organisers are running this event to raise money for the Royal Flying Doctor Service and our P&C are raising money for our school. Everyone's assistance would be welcome and appreciated and be reassured that financial support was going to a very worthwhile cause. (For additional information please see a separate article in this edition of the Whisper.)

Attendance improvement

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:53 AEST

Last term it was pleasing to note that we had broken the 90% target and actually achieved a 91.2% attendance rate across the school. We are asking all parents to do what they can to achieve an even higher figure this time despite the fact that Winter is on its way. It is a pity that sometimes it is because we have a small number of students with chronic absenteeism that we see the grade averages tumble.

Students need to attend if they are to grasp new concepts and learn lesson content. The students with a poor attendance record are the ones that generally perform poorly. We need parents to help foster a positive work ethic in their children and to value the need for a good education so that they increase their chances of ultimately being valuable in the contributions they make to the communities in which they live.

NAPLAN News

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:01 AEST

NAPLAN Next Week

Well it's almost time! Next week will see the administration of the Year 3 and Year 5 National Assessment Program in Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN). On Tuesday students will have a test on Language conventions and Writing. On Wednesday the test will be on Reading and Thursday, Numeracy. Friday is designated as a catch-up day should any students have missed their tests due to illness or misadventure.

It is vitally important that all Year 3 and 5 students are here to complete each paper wherever possible.

Term 2 off to a flying start

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:10 AEST

Busy, busy, busy and it's only the second week of a nine week term.

This week we have the normal run of meetings, work experience students, six students at an overnight Lake Burrendong camp, a visit from our relieving School Education Director, our Cross Country carnival on Wednesday, three days of lessons on "Healthy Ears" presented by ladies from our hearing team, a Year 4 Red Hill excursion, a Mother's Day stall, and a Stage 3 Yarn-Up for parents.

We welcome Mrs Dee Keirle on Kinder Blue replacing Miss Nicole Matheson. Nicole was offered a permanent position with the Department which was something most casual teachers wait anxiously to have offered to them.

Also returning to our staff following maternity leave is Mrs Jenny Grayling. Jenny is returning part-time and will share with Simone Campbell who has taken their Year 1 class from the commencement of the school year.

Our two school development days last Monday and Tuesday were used to look at an introduction to a National School Improvement Tool, system changes and directions in our Positive Behaviour for Learning, learning about hearing loss in students with Otitis Media, upgrading our training in cardio-pulmonary resuscitation and anaphylaxis health care procedures and a comprehensive look at the new National Curriculum for English which becomes mandatory for implementation in 2014.

Stage 3 Yarn-Up

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:10 AEST

We are hoping to see a large number of Stage 3 parents at our Yarn-Up this Friday. We will all meet to start with in the Gould League hall at 12:30 pm. Following a ‘Welcome To Country' we will be entertained by a Wellington High School dance troupe performing an indigenous dance. After a few short words about the purpose of the Yarn-Up our visitors will go outside and begin their informal discussions, meet staff and talk about education and their important role as parents. The students are not involved this time and parents will be able to enjoy a free BBQ and the opportunity to win some fabulous prizes.

Cronulla Public School Visit

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:56 AEST

Cronulla Visit

The biannual Cronulla P.S. visit was another great success. Accompanied by two teachers, the School Principal and 47 students visited our School last week as part of their visit to the Central West. Included in their local tour was a visit to a working farm, the Wellington Caves and a night's stay at the Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo. The visit coincided with the SRC's successful socials run for both the junior and senior sections of the School. Our visitors joined in and had lots of fun before settling down to sleep in the Gould League Hall overnight when everyone else had gone home.

So many of our staff gave freely of their time to ensure everything ran smoothly for both the visiting excursion and the socials that it is important to recognise the time and effort given to supporting our students. Thanks to the key organisers and to everyone who supported what was going on. Even at first light on Thursday morning we had our staff in attendance making sure that cereal and a cooked breakfast would be ready to feed our visitors.

Every bit of extra time given by staff is voluntary and I would really like everyone to appreciate how generous many of our staff are in making Wellington P.S. such a terrific, active and engaging learning environment.

Next year senior students will have the chance to travel to Cronulla P.S. where it will be their turn to look after us and give our students the opportunity to experience something of city life and living near the coast.

TERM 1

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:07 AEST

Term 1

As we near the end of the term we remember that it has been a busy but very successful term. This term was 11 weeks and Term 2 will only be 9 weeks concluding on Friday, 28^thJune, 2013. We managed to settle our classes quickly and established 21 mainstream and 5 Special Education classes. We have had some changes in personnel but only a relatively small number considering the size of our staff inclusive of teachers, support and ancillary staff. The preschool is running its full complement of students with names on a waiting list. The operation of our Instructional Leader position is in full swing with the support of our Literacy and Numeracy coach across the Infants School. Our Learning and Support teachers, under the Every Student, Every School strategy are also working tirelessly with teachers to identify and develop personalised learning plans and making program adjustments to cater for a wide variety of learning needs. Our Kindergarten teachers are involved in intense professional learning in L3 (Learning, Language and Literacy) and 3-6 teachers have given a two year commitment to their professional learning in "Focus on Reading". Our management planning and the Annual School Report (2012) are available on our website and everything is geared to making a difference to achieving learning outcomes that are appropriate to our students' development. The School's Learning Support Team continue to meet weekly to coordinate support for students with a focus which monitors the social / behavioural, emotional, academic and general wellbeing of students. The Department of Education and Communities is undergoing a major realignment and soon we will see the implementation of new Learning, Management and Business Reforms (LMBR).

Our teachers and support staff, again, deserve recognition, for many program and system changes impact on our everyday functioning. We are hopeful that when the dust eventually settles, teachers will feel less pressure or at least accept that we belong to a profession that expects so much of our energy, time and resources. Yet the teaching and learning continues at a high standard, six key learning areas are still delivered in classrooms and great care is taken in looking after the welfare of our students.

Reminders

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:59 AEST

Next week is Youth Week 9^th– 14^thApril.

Advanced School Photography here for school photos 10^th/ 11^thApril

ANZAC Day 25^thApril. 10:15am assembly at Market Square in Gisborne St for the march to the Cenotaph for the 2013 commemorative ceremony.

PBL School Discos – K-2 5:00 – 6:00 pm and 3-6 6:00 – 7:30 pm. (Gould League Hall)

P&C meeting, 7:30pm Wednesday, 3^rdApril.

3^rd/ 4^thApril – Cronulla P.S. annual visit – includes a farm visit and a visit to the Wellington Caves before moving on to the Dubbo Zoo on Thursday.

NAPLAN 2013

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:01 AEST

NAPLAN (National Assessment Program – Literacy And Numeracy) 2013

Parents of students in Years 3 and 5 will receive a letter this week informing them of this year's NAPLAN. Three days are set aside for all students in all schools across Australia to sit for these assessments. In Primary schools, Language Conventions and Writing will be held on 14^thMay, Reading on 15^thMay and Numeracy on 16^thMay. Friday, 17^thMay is a ‘Catch-up' day for any students who may have missed a test due to an unforseen absence.

It is really important that parents ensure that all Year 3 and 5 students are at school and able to participate in their assessments wherever possible on these days.

Farewell to Anne Smith

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:57 AEST

After a number of years as our Canteen Supervisor, Anne has decided it's time to hang up her apron and retire to move to Port Macquarie. Anne has been employed by the Parents and Citizens Association and has worked very hard to deliver quality food appropriate to the Department's healthy eating strategy and maintain a reasonably high level of profitability. Anne has achieved this and the canteen has put considerable funds back into the P&C account which ultimately comes back to fund a variety of resources for our students' learning.

Congratulations Anne on your retirement and best wishes for good health and happiness in your move to a new home in a lovely part of coastal NSW.

Anne's replacement is Diane Donnelly. We extend a warm welcome to Diane and trust that she enjoys her new role.

ANZAC Day March

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:53 AEST

ANZAC Day takes place in the holidays this year. ANZAC Day is the last Thursday of the April holidays. The school will once again be marching in the ANZAC Day parade. The parade will be conducted in a similar manner to previous years, with all organisations gathering in Gisborne Street near Market Square. All those who are participating in the march should arrive at Market Square at about 10.15am. We encourage as many students as possible to participate in this important day on the nation's calendar to reflect on those who have helped preserve our way of life in Australia.

Young Leaders Conference

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:11 AEST

Yesterday our school leaders attended a conference in Sydney aimed at inspiring our leaders of the future. James O'Brien, Elizabeth Eather, Elijah Collis, Heidi Parkes participated in workshops and listened to inspiring speakers including Nathan Hindmarsh, Brett Lee and Jessica Fox. The Captains and Vice-Captains enjoyed the day and found the experience very valuable. It certainly provided many things to consider in regards to being a leader in our schools, amongst peers and in the local community. I'm sure some of the influences and ideas will be taken on board and play a role in the leadership development of our school leaders.

Attendance

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:10 AEST

It's almost time for our various reward programs to crank up with only a few weeks to go until the end of term. The class with the least number of absences in each grade will be having a Pizza Party late in the term. There will also be awards for students who have no unexplained absences and 100% attendance. Make sure your children come to school every day they can! They can help their class win the Pizza Party and get a reward for themselves.

On the downside, if your children have poor attendance we will be placing them on Personalised Attendance Plans. You will receive letters advising you that this has occurred because of poor attendance at school. This can lead to quite serious interventions. Poor attendance is often associated with lower academic achievement. This alone should be motivation enough to send your children to school every day they are healthy enough to come. We are working closely with our Home School Liaison officer and Aboriginal Community Liaison officer to assist families to improve their children's attendance. If your children are away for any reason please send in a note explaining their absence. Students are required to be at school at least 85% of the time to avoid possible legal action.

Teacher Professional Learning

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:07 AEST

The Department of Education and Communities requires teaching and non-teaching staff in schools to upgrade their qualifications on a regular basis to be able to deal with anaphylactic (severe allergic reaction) or other situations that can be life threatening. Each school is to arrange for annual face to face CPR training to be conducted by appropriately qualified external providers. CPR is necessary for accompanying students on overnight excursions or activities that involve water.

At the moment staff are completing on-line ASCIA anaphylaxis e-training and the face to face training component will occur on the next School Development day with our annual CPR upgrade.

Personalised Learning Plans

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:10 AEST

Under the Every Student Every School strategy and in accordance with the Disabilities Anti-Discrimination Act data collections are being analysed to identify students in need of significant support for them to engage with age/grade appropriate learning outcomes. Our Learning and Support Teachers are working with classroom teachers to make learning adjustments to best suit the developmental needs of individual students. This will mean that Personalised Learning Plans will need to be developed and the associated learning adjustments made in teaching programs.

There is an expectation that the development of these plans will need to start very soon because there will be a National audit in August relating to their implementation. Parents of students involved in the development of these plans will be invited to share in their development especially by giving teachers a closer insight into the idiosyncratic nature of their child's learning traits and interests.

Support from parents is essential in assisting to accelerate learning development.

High School EOI Forms

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:59 AEST

These forms have been sent home and some have been returned already. Please note that we must have these returned no later than Friday, 22^ndMarch, 2013.

All Year 6 students should return these forms whether they are intending to transition to Wellington H.S. or not. All students go onto a tracking sheet and if any intend to go to a non-local or selective H.S. setting we need to know to maintain the tracking sheet.

The Local Government will always be the default secondary setting whether parents are seeking other placements for their children or not. Not all students necessarily get their first or second preferences and the outcomes as they become known are also recorded on the tracking sheet to know where all students are going in 2014.

Swimming Success

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:07 AEST

Firstly, an omission last week saw me fail to acknowledge that Patrick O'Donnell was one of our District Swimming Finalists who would be taking part in the Regional Finals last Friday in Dubbo.

Apparently our five swimmers swam exceptionally well. This time we are congratulating Harriet Taylor and Patrick O'Donnell because both of these students go on to be finalists representing NSW Western Region (and of course Wellington Public School) in the State finals to be held in Sydney after Easter.

School Photos

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:05 AEST

School photos are scheduled for 10^th/ 11^thApril, just before the Term 1 holiday break. Envelopes will be sent home for photograph orders and payment about three weeks before the photos are taken. When completed, these envelopes will need to be returned to the school office for collating into class groups.

When the time comes, please ensure the envelopes contain the right money as no change will be given at the office.

As in the past we do not expect to have spare envelopes so please do not misplace your envelope when it comes home.

Children will be expected to wear full summer uniform for their school photographs.

Chick Jones - Volunteer Service Award

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:56 AEST

Last year, our school responded to a National call to nominate someone very special in our community who gave freely of their time as a volunteer.

There was no hesitation as to who this should be in our school community. We chose to nominate the person who gave so freely of her time to broaden the cultural experiences of our children through bringing the value of music and performance into their lives. This is someone who has a tremendous work ethic and in return expects commitment from her students and time to put into practice and rehearsals. This may be through the band, a choir, an eisteddfod item or a major performance.

Of course we are speaking of Mrs Marlene Jones, known fondly by students and staff as "Chick".

Yesterday (Monday), we held a special assembly so that Chick could receive her National Volunteer Award. To present this award was our Federal Member for Parkes, Mr Mark Coulton. Mr Coulton and his wife had travelled a very long way to be here especially for the presentation, and Chick, although very modest about all the work she does for our students, was very pleased and honoured to accept the award.

Chick, this year has taken over the management of the school band to ensure this valuable opportunity remains as an extra curricula activity for children who have a talent for playing a musical instrument. Chick is also slowly working away at preparations for a major school musical production in Term 4 this year. What a fabulous asset she is to our school and very deserving of a National Volunteers Award.

District Swimming Carnival

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:57 AEST

The District Swimming Carnival was convened at Dubbo last Thursday evening. This twilight carnival was reminiscent of the carnival held at the same time last year when the weather was not so kind. The carnival went ahead despite the rain and our school swimmers tried hard in their respective events.

We had four girls who swam with times qualifying them to represent their district at the Regional carnival. These girls were Harriet Taylor, Heidi Parkes, Tyra King and Nikkita Poulton-Fluke. Congratulations to each of these girls for their magnificent swims and an extra congratulations to Harriet for she was named the District Carnival's 11Year, Girl Champion. Well done to all swimmers for their school representation and their participation.

New Sick-Bay

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:02 AEST

Last year, before repainting the foyer to the Administration area we bricked up a doorway to what had been a toilet. The doorway was then reconstructed on the other side of the toilet into what had been the School Counsellor's room. This room is in the process of being converted into the school's sick-bay for times when children are unwell or before they are sent home. We have a sick-bay bed on order and when it arrives the room will be operational. There was no direct line of sight to this room for supervision so we have had a closed circuit camera and monitor installed so the office staff can monitor the room at all times.

School Maintenance

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:05 AEST

As part of our regular maintenance schedule, we are currently having room painting in E and F blocks occupied by Stage 2 and 3 classes. Each classroom will take a few days to complete. Disruptions are being kept to a minimum as the painters go about their business. The paint is an acrylic and does not smell as much as the old oil based paints that would have been used originally. These two buildings were originally built back in 914 and 1923. Unfortunately we will not see a total internal paint job, only a selection of rooms considered to be in poor condition.

Attendance

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:53 AEST

It was a delight to see so many hands go up at this week's assembly to indicate that students had not missed a single day of school so far this year. While we have only been back at school for four weeks we can say that it looks like we are off to a better start. Please try to make it your goal to see that your children attend every day where possible. A good education is a strong link to future success as adults so please support your children, value their education and do everything possible to join in the genuine partnerships that can exist with the school to enhance their learning opportunities.

School Leaders Induction

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:05 AEST

Our induction of our school student leaders is to be held at a special K-6 assembly this Wednesday at 10:30am in our Gould League Hall. These student leaders will have responsibilities as either school captains, vice captains, prefects, house captains and vice captains and captains of the school band. The elected students will receive their respected badges in a formal ceremony to which their parents are warmly invited to attend. We are all getting excited about this special event.

Teacher Professional Learning

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:07 AEST

We have now been successful in brokering for two new literacy programs. One is called "L3" and the other "Focus On Reading". Teachers will begin the intensive Professional development very shortly. All Kindergarten staff, our Instructional Leader and our Literacy / Numeracy Coach are to train in L3 and initially Mrs Eather and Mrs Morley as Stage Leaders, will train in Focus On Reading. Mrs Eather and Mrs Morley will become accredited trainers to train other members of our staff. The professional learning commitment is over two years and will involve a lot of work and professional discussion. We only hope that the Department's realignment does not jeopardise the training support for these programs.

Yarn Up

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:11 AEST

This Friday is when we hope to see as many K-2 parents as possible coming to school for the first of this year's yarn-ups.

The purpose of the yarn-up is to encourage parents to come to school to talk about their children's education and then want to become actively involved. We are about forging meaningful partnerships where we share the responsibility for the education of our students. We need parents to encourage their children to always do their best, to foster a love of learning and to appreciate what an education will mean for their future.

At the moment numbers are pretty good but we would like to see everyone attend. For practical reasons though, tomorrow has to be the cut-off for notes being returned because we have to know how many people we are catering for.

We will have refreshments and the BBQ going. The afternoon will have lots of free lucky prize draws to make things a little more exciting. Mr Conn has organised some fabulous prizes that people will certainly be happy to win.

We will start at 12:30pm and conclude at 2:00pm – that's this Friday, 22^ndFebruary, 2013. Please come and talk about being actively involved in your children's education and feel very welcome to be part of what we share at school.

Unwelcome visitors

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:08 AEST

Sadly, in contrast to wanting people to come to our school we had a large number of unwelcome visitors at the school last weekend. These were both current and past students with nothing better to do than make nuisances of themselves. If they had been here solely to practise cricket in the nets that would be fine, but unfortunately, they were all over the place and we had lots of bottles and rubbish left behind. We know also that some of these young people were right up on the roofs of the Gould League Hall and on F Block. This is potentially a very dangerous thing to do and we are glad nothing serious happened to any of them. You have to wonder why they don't think of the risks and why they are not under some sort of parental control. With a couple of broken windows the police were called. The police have also been asked to up the number of patrols around the school after hours and on weekends. No one should be on school grounds after school hours without permission.

Swimming Carnival Success

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:07 AEST

Congratulations go to everyone who participated, to the race winners and the age champions. Congratulations also to Evans, the winning house and well done to all house captains for the support of their teams.

Full Carnival results are available in this week's Whisper.

No Bike Helmet - No Ride

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:54 AEST

Bike Helmets

It is disturbing and illegal to see students who ride bikes to school without helmets. Students who do not wear a helmet will not be allowed to ride their bikes to school. If students continue with this unsafe practice, parents will have to be called to bring their child's helmet or to take the bicycle home.

Welcome back!

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:09 AEST

Welcome Back to the 2013 School Year

We have started the school with a current enrolment of 521 students and we have set up 27 classes (including our preschool). This is two classes more than our entitlement and the two extra classes are taken from special program funding. This reduces the overall teacher to student ratio, giving every student greater access to individual teacher time.

Our classes and their teachers are as follows:

KB - N. Matheson KG - K. Hardwick

KR - B. EatherKY - D. Milgate

1B – J. Blackhall1C – S. Campbell

1K – F. Knowles1S – R. Stanley

2G – K. Goodworth2J – N. Johnston

2M - A. Mara3E – M. Eather

3K- S. King 3/4J – J. Bullock

4H – J. Heydon 4OK – K. O'Brien & K. Boland

5P – K. Pedron 5S – A. Styles

5/6M – C. Morley 6A – L. Anderson

6T – C. Thompson 5/6H – T. Batho (Rel.)

3/4H - T. Pascoe (Temp) K/6K – M. Keeffe

K/6N – F. Nolan & K Harvey K/6H – R. Hall

Preschool Director – N. Stapleton

Instructional Leader – P. Davis

Literacy / Numeracy Coach – K. Hawke
Learning & Support teachers T. Petrovic and L. Everett

Teacher Librarian - C. Conn

RFF – D. Walsh, S. Nicholas, A. Paola, Z Martin and K. Kiss

Sport – B. Johnson

School Counsellor – R. Mutton

Deputy Principal (Rel.) – G. Conn

Teachers in bold print are Assistant Principals / Stage leaders.

Some staff changes are expected during the year and the current vacancy on class 3/4H will be filled by merit selection.

Wambinya and Norta Norta

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:08 AEST

These are two other funding sources aimed at explicit teaching to support Aboriginal students who have been identified as being at risk and in need of accelerated learning in Literacy and Numeracy. Wambinya has been in operation for last year's identified kindergarten students and the current funding ends at the end of this term. At that time an evaluative report will be written around the levels of improvement that students have achieved. No further advise has been received for this funding. A new allocation for this school year has been received through Norta Norta targeting support for students identified through last year's NAPLAN results. Targeted support for these Aboriginal children will start shortly as they are now some of the students in Years 4 and 6.

Focus on Reading

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:58 AEST

Focus on Reading is an intensive professional learning program for teachers to support the explicit teaching of the key aspects of reading in the middle and upper primary years namely comprehension, vocabulary and reading text fluency. It encourages teacher reflection on their practice, the purpose of the texts presented, student engagement and motivation. We brokered for this program and have been successful. Our Stage 2 and 3 supervisors will commence their intensive training shortly and then guide the professional learning of their staff here at school.

We have brokered for other professional learning opportunities but with changes within school regions and the realignment strategies within the Department, we are yet to find out whether we will be offered other opportunities this year but we are hopeful that we will.

Homework Centre 2013

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:59 AEST

Homework Centre and Active After-school Communities (AASC)

Mr Bullock in his role as coordinator, heads up a team consisting of Miss Mara, Miss Heydon, Miss Thompson, Mrs Nolan and Mr Walsh in providing this service to up to 30 of our students on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons. The homework centre operates for one hour at the conclusion of the school day (2:45pm – 3:45pm) and the Active After-School care, the following hour (3:45pm – 4:45pm).

No costs are involved and places but numbers are limited and priority goes to students who are committed and attend regularly. A piece of fruit and a light snack are also offered each day to attending students. Continuation in the program is dependent on good behaviour.

First P&C meeting for 2013

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:58 AEST

Please Come to our first P&C Meeting for the year

Our first meeting of the school's Parents' and Citizens' meeting will be held tomorrow night (Wednesday, 06.02.13) in the library commencing at 7:00pm. Parents are reminded that if they want to vote at next month's Annual General Meeting they need to be financial members. The cost of being a member is minimal.

On the agenda so far are: the swimming carnival, opinions on bus safety, solar panel installation at WPS and fundraising ideas. The work of the P&C is of tremendous value to the school and we appreciate the support of all parents who come along to share their efforts and opinions.

Yarn Up

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:11 AEST

Yarn-Up

A number of strategies are being used to achieve the primary purposes of our school partnership brokerage. Broadly speaking we want to further encourage the support and involvement of families in the education of their children. This is to promote the importance of a good education and aspirations to achieving high standards in their learning. It should also see a marked improvement in student attendance.

Our first initiative is to invite all K-2 parents / care-givers to a Yarn-up on Friday, 22^ndFebruary from 12:30pm to 2:00 pm. It is anticipated this will be a social occasion to assist us to make more meaningful connections with our school community. Lunch and refreshments will be provided at this event. K - 2 parents have been invited to this event and have been asked to return a slip to their class teachers indicating numbers of people intending to join us in this special event.

Wellington PS Mobile Phone App

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:10 AEST

Great News! Wellington Public School now has a mobile phone app. What's that you may ask? It is a little application that sits on your phone and gives you instant access to our school information when you click on it, 24/7. The app is going to give parents the ability to instantly access newsletters without going to the website, or to send in a sick note while you stand outside the school because you forgot to write a paper note! We will be sharing many of the other features with you over the coming weeks, but for now download it to your smartphone by going to either the Apple App Store or Android Google Play Market and search for our school name. Once you have found it press install or download.

Electronic "Whisper" in 2013

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:57 AEST

The End Of A Chapter In The Life Of The Whisper.

This is to be the last publication of the Whisper this year and the last edition produced on mass on hard-copy form.

In 2013 we go digital and the whisper will be able to be accessed electronically.

Clear instructions and options will be communicated to coincide with the first publication of the Whisper in the new year. A few hard-copies will continue to be printed for those who cannot access the electronic options. These will be available at the front office.

2012 draws to a close....

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:10 AEST

The End Of The 2012 School Year Draws Near…. and we look forward to 2013.

Wednesday, next week, will mark the last day of the 2012 school year for students and Friday, 21^stDecember will be the last day for teaching, administrative and support staff.

Since my arrival this year, it has been an absolute pleasure being part of the staff team bringing a quality education to the students at Wellington Public School.

The staff are very professional in their various roles and responsibilities. Most importantly, our staff care about our students and work together to do the best for every child.

As well as tending to the learning needs of children the staff are about providing experiences that help build essential skills to cope with the rigors of an ever-changing world. We attempt to equip children for the uncertainties and technologies of the 21^stCentury and give them experiences that will remain as special memories for the rest of their lives.

Some new initiatives we hope to add to our already comprehensive list of programs and learning tools will be, ‘L3', ‘Focus on Reading', ‘Kidsmatter' and the ‘8 Ways of Knowing'.

L3 is a quality Literacy program specifically for Kindergarten classes and we are very excited about the possibilities for improved student outcomes.

Focus on Reading is a 3-6 program aimed at improving reading and by reading's very own definition, this means that it is a program focusing heavily on reading comprehension.

The 8 Ways of Knowing belongs to the pedagogy (the science and art)of teaching indigenous students. This will potentially change teaching philosophies where we fit it in with our quality teaching framework and constantly look for models of best classroom practice.

Kidsmatter, is not a program, but rather a strategy, used to promote positive mental wellbeing in students. This strategy is supported nationally and is now very popular in many schools across the country. Testimonials bear witness to the widespread success of incorporating Kidsmatter into the way schools operate. This certainly doesn't take the place of Positive Behaviour for Learning but they will complement each other.

2013 should be an exciting year in our professional learning.

All of this couples with the following mean that we are going to continue to function better than ever.

Our Learning Support team will continue to identify social, emotional, behavioural, welfare and academic needs of students.

Our Learning and Support teachers will work tirelessly to support students and their teachers within the context of the classroom.

Additional support will again be available to close the gap in the performances of our indigenous and non-indigenous students and foster improved outcomes that will push more students up into the competency bands in an array of school and national assessments.

Our instructional leader and our extra coaching role we have created will enhance professional learning and growth in exemplary teaching practice. This well-resourced position will focus on K-2 as prescribed by our guidelines but we will draw changes from this experience that will benefit the whole school.

We have established two extra classes again next year through the continuation of National Partnerships funding and Equity funding, so as to effectively reduce class sizes and improve the ratio in teaching to more effectively engage students.

We are also able to continue to release teachers on stages so that they can continue to have regular discussions around planning, programming, assessment and evaluation and reporting – all integral parts of the learning cycle.

…. and there will be more as the year unfolds for the future holds many unknowns.

Year 6 Farewell and Transtition to High School

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:11 AEST

Year Six Must Be Getting Excited.

With only twelve school days left, Year 6 students must be looking forward to their transition to High School in 2013 with great excitement. To celebrate their seven formal years of learning in grades from the time they entered Kindergarten, we have a special Farewell planned for this Thursday evening. Our shared evening will involve having a sit-down meal together at the RSL club, reminiscing over some favourite memories, viewing a visual review of some of their past special times, dancing and having a formal presentation. The boys and girls will come dressed and looking their best as they show that they are maturing and ready for what lies ahead, beyond this significant crossroads in their journey forward.

Separate instructions have been sent home for what is happening after our meal and Year 6 parents are invited to join with us at 8:00pm for the formal presentation.

Wellington AECG re-formed

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:09 AEST

Yesterday a large number of people supporting the reforming of a Wellington Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (AECG) met at the High School to discuss their plans to make this happen. The interest was very pleasing and the willingness of people to take on executive positions was very commendable. With this group in operation we can look forward to sharing our responsibilities for reducing the performance gaps between indigenous and non-indigenous students and providing improved teaching and learning to see a greater number of Aboriginal students achieving competency levels, particularly in Literacy and Numeracy through increased engagement and improved attendance.

We hope that this will involve strengthening partnerships with parents and having parents take an increased interest and involvement in the learning of their children. We need to discuss and be reassured that all parents want the best for their children and work with us to achieve this goal. We want to create the best learning environment for all children.

This is your community school and it takes a community to raise a child.

Student reports

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:07 AEST

Semester 2 Student Reports.

Teachers have completed end of year reports for their students. The reports have been to the Stage Supervisors and now they are with the Principal. All going to plan, parents should receive these reports this Friday.

It is a pleasure reading the hundreds of positive comments attesting to the way the majority of students are working so well in class. Many are obviously improving because of the energy, effort and attention they are applying to their work. Having the right attitude and being positive about themselves, assists children in their learning and in building confidence and in turn this enables them to move from success to success.

Please share these reports with your children and offer praise where praise is due. For students who are not reaching their potential, still share in the positives and encourage and support future endeavours.

Generally speaking, there is obviously a strong correlation where students who attend school without absences achieve better than their counterparts who miss a lot of learning time. Good attendance is encouraged because it is hard to learn when you don't come to school. The foundations for learning and the connections children need to make are more readily available to them if they are present for every lesson. Mostly attendance is quite good with attendance levels above the minimum requirement of 85%. Sadly some students have attendance levels that are much lower than this. Next year it would be fantastic if parents try to have their children have very few absences in the entire year.

Great results in Mathematics

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:58 AEST

Looking Good In Mathematics.

This week's assembly was one for awards in Mathematics. Dozens of students received silver and gold awards in Mathletics and that wasn't even counting students who would have also received bronze awards for their efforts in completing their self-paced computer tasks.

Especially pleasing was to see how many students who had taken part in the 2012 International Competitions and Assessment for Schools in Mathematics. 20 students entered the competition. Eleven children received Participation Certificates , three with a Credit, four distinctions and two with High Distinctions. Congratulations to all those achieving so well in Mathematics.

Tuesday 11th December - A Big Day!!

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:08 AEST

It's Going To Be A Big Day!

We hope you have the 11^thDecember noted as a significant day on our school calendar.

First thing in the morning we will be heading to the Civic Centre as it is our Presentation Day. This is the day when we acknowledge and celebrate student achievements across a range of endeavours.

So many students will be recognised and it is important that they are able to share this special time with family and friends looking on. Please feel welcome to attend and to applaud all the children who will be recognised for the efforts they have made and the successes they have achieved.

That same night, commencing at 6:00 pm we will be at school joining together to sing Christmas carolsunder the big COLA. My, how the year is passing by so quickly! Again, please come along and lend your presence in a joyful Christmas spirit and join in as we sing many Christmas favourites. These are the special times that children will hold as treasured memories for a long time to come.

Perhaps you might win our terrific raffle prize. The raffle fundraiser will be to have a chance in winning a 16 GB Apple i-pad 2. This magnificent prize will be drawn on the night before we head for home when the evening concludes with the last of our carols expected to finish around 7:00 pm. Tickets are included with today's newsletter and they will only be $1 per ticket. Someone's going to be a lucky winner.

Intensive Swimming Scheme is on again

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:59 AEST

Our Intensive Learn to Swim starts next week for Year 2 students and some children from our Special Education classes. Classes will run all week with the second half of the program restarting on 11^thDecember, in Week 9.

This is a wonderful chance for non-swimmers and those lacking in water confidence to get some of the skills and knowledge for further development each time they have the opportunity to get into water and practise with a responsible adult supervising. Young children should be taught to swim and have regular times when they can practise and develop competence. With summer approaching all parents are encouraged to make sure children know how to access the water for recreational pleasure in a safe manner.

Future Moves

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:58 AEST

Throughout yesterday a number of workshops were presented to Stage 3 students focusing on educational requirements for future career planning. The workshops were presented by a team from the Charles Sturt University. Feedback indicates that it was very worthwhile so we will attempt to have these people visit us again next year in their round of schools. Perhaps we will be able to expand the opportunity to other grades as well for I believe they have programs to deliver in the junior school as well.

School Band

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:05 AEST

The functioning of the school band is under review and consideration given as to whether it can be sustained. The band is a terrific experience to have in our school and it offers students with musical interest and ability the chance to come together and learn to play an instrument and play as a collective group under the direction of a qualified tutor. Unfortunately, the only way we can sustain this program is to have it as a ‘user pays' system and unfortunately the school has had to underwrite the cost this year to the tune of thousands of dollars.

All parents involved with their children playing in the band are asked to bring their fee payments up to date or there is a very real chance the band will not be able to continue. We are looking at a new schedule of fees for the 2013 school year and trying to make it as affordable as possible.

Year 6 Parents are invited to help

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:11 AEST

At 6:00 pm, at the PCYC, this Thursday (22.11.12) there is to be a working bee for this year's Year 6 farewell. Interested parents are invited to come along and be a part of this preparation for the function that will mean so much to students who are moving on to High School next year. The Year 6 Farewell is to be held on Thursday, 6^thDecember, 2012 at the RSL Club. The function will start for students at 5:30 and parents are invited to attend from 8:00 pm for the presentations.

Some important upcoming events

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:05 AEST

Some More Important Dates..

14/11 Opening of the WHS Trade Training Centre; Module 2 Learning and Support (professional development) for Learning Support team members; WHS E-Test for Year 6.

15/11 Life Education commences

19/11 ‘Future moves' Stage 3 – looking at career options; PCYC "Wellington Way" empowerment camp (Lake Burrendong Camp for 6 WPS and 9 WHS students to 21/11).

20/11 Year 6 WHS Literacy / Numeracy assessments – Gould League Hall; Integration Review.

21/11 Western NSW Leadership Forum (Principal)

22/11 Working Party – PCYC – for Year 6 Farewell 6:00 pm

26/11 Intensive Swimming commences (First Week)

30/11 K-2 Reading Benchmark data sent to Area Office

06/12 Community Christmas Service (Scripture); 5:30 pm Year 6 Farewell (RSL) 8:00pm for parents to attend – formal presentation

07/12 Student reports go home

11/12 Presentation Day 9:00 am Civic Centre; Christmas Carols evening 6 to 7:00pm

17/12 Class Christmas parties

19/12 Last day of school for students.

Year 6 News

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:11 AEST

Year 6 Are Looking Forward….

After nearly seven years of attending Primary School Year 6 students are approaching the end of the year with excitement as the next significant crossroad in their educational career looms closer. Soon they will be the little fish again finding their way in the word of the secondary years that lie ahead. For parents too, this can be a completely new experience as they watch their children face different challenges as they negotiate their way through adolescence into the period of becoming young adults and preparing to contribute to the society in which they live. Let's hope the years ahead are happy and full of individual achievements and lots of happiness and pride.

School Leaders Elections

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:05 AEST

Nominations and pre-selections have occurred paving the way for the next process of having nominees giving their candidate campaign speeches. This is a democratic process in action. Congratulations to James O'Brien, Elijah Collis, Patrick Hardwick, Kaine Goodlad, Nicholas Campbell and Kenny Bell who make up the boy's list of candidates and to Lizzy Eather, Harriet Taylor, Heidi Parkes, Laura Kelly, Max-ann Whittaker and Kelly Chown who are the field of Girl candidates.

Speeches will be delivered by our candidates on Thursday, 15^thNovember, 2012 in the Gould League Hall, commencing at 12:00 pm. Parents are extended a warm welcome to come along and be part of the audience as each speaker gives their campaign speeches. We wish each candidate the very best and will listen eagerly to their pledges for how they will best serve our school and its constituents. The election will follow the speeches back in classrooms and then the votes will be counted. The outcome of the elections will be made known at our annual presentation day on Tuesday, 11^thDecember, 2012 with the naming of the two girls and the two boys who will become our new student leaders for 2013. The formal induction of the new school leaders will be announced early in the new school year.

Good Luck Kiara

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:58 AEST

This Wednesday, Kiara Sullivan, will be representing the NSW Western Region, and our school, in the junior section of the 2012 NSW Premier's Spelling Bee Competition which is to be held in Sydney. This is a marvellous experience for Kiara and it puts her among the best spellers in her age group from schools across the entire state. Having already won at the school and regional levels, Kiara has proven her spelling ability and we will be very anxious to see how she goes as the complexity of the words increase with each successive round in this highly contested final. Win or otherwise, Kiara's family, friends and school will be very proud to see her participate at such a high level.

Planning for 2013

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:03 AEST

Planning is well under way for the 2013 school year. We have started planning a class structure, which includes our ability to use some of our additional special program's funding to support the ability to provide two additional classes above our normal staffing entitlement. This allows for an improved teacher to student ratio and means we will not have crowded classrooms and be able to give additional attention to students. Our National partnerships funding ceases at the end of the first semester, but by carefully planning of our expenditure, we can guarantee one of these teaching positions for the whole year. The other position will come from additional equity funding allocated to our school. We will also continue to employ our additional School Learning Support Officers in each of the kindergarten classes.

Our School Learning Support Team and our two specialist Learning Support Teachers will continue to identify, support and monitor student progress where special needs are identified.

We have brokered for two new exciting Literacy initiatives for next year as well as professional learning around a well-recognised Aboriginal Pedagogy.

Our PBL team will lead us into Tier 1 (Classroom settings) and explicit teaching will occur around our statement of purpose to be ‘Safe, respectful learners'.

Three executive staff also were recently introduced to a highly effective, national, strategy called ‘Kids Matter' which fosters positive mental health and a caring learning environment. This, when introduced successfully, better enables improved engagement, attendance and accordingly, better levels of student performances.

With lots of exciting new initiatives and enthusiasm we can look forward to another exciting year. All of this too, will be improved substantially, if we are able to achieve our aim and build stronger partnerships with parents and the wider school community.

Instructional Leader

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:59 AEST

Pam Davis will join our staff this month in a position where she will collaboratively work with classes and the teachers from Preschool to Year 2. The role is to guide professional learning and shared discussions around improving teaching practice which will lead to improved student outcomes in Literacy and Numeracy. The achievement of all students will be recorded from data collected and value added will be measured over time as students acquire new knowledge and skills. In addition to this position we will receive additional teacher time and funding to resource the position and provide relief for teachers to engage in professional learning. It is exciting to be part of this new strategy provided by the NSW Department of Education and Communities.

Touch Football Success

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:08 AEST

Our Boys touch football team have achieved fantastic results throughout the year culminating in an appearance in the NSW PSSA finals in Warnervale yesterday. The boys were knocked out in the state quarter final but won their play-off match to finish in the top 6 touch football teams from the hundreds that began the season all across NSW. This is a fantastic effort by our young touch players. A great team effort from all involved. Thanks must go to Miss Thompson, Mrs Shirley Thompson and Trent Forrest for all their efforts in coaching and managing the team. We must also acknowledge various organisations in Wellington that assisted the boys with expenses to get them to the state finals including Wellington Touch Football association, Wellington Soldiers Memorial Club and the Wellington Public School P & C. Your support is much appreciated.

Premier's Spelling Bee Competition

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:03 AEST

In the coming weeks, Kiara Sullivan of 3/4J will be travelling to Sydney as a Western Region representative in the Premier's Spelling Bee competition. Kiara has had success at school and district level to become a regional champion and will take on the best spellers from other regions around NSW. I wish Kiara well on behalf of the school and know she will be a tremendous representative of Western Region and Wellington Public School!

21st Century Whisper

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:52 AEST

As educators we are constantly looking to be at the cutting edge of technology to give our students the best opportunities to be able to master the skills they will need in their futures. This means that we as a school community also need to embrace these technologies. The school executive is discussing the possibility of making "The Whisper" electronic only in 2013. This will mean that the school newsletter will be emailed to you directly or downloadable from the school's website. This will also mean that the paper ‘hard' copy that is currently distributed on Tuesday each week will no longer exist. Using electronic format distribution will save the school a significant amount of money to direct towards other programs which will ultimately benefit our students. More news to follow.

Busy Times

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:55 AEST

Teachers in the next two weeks will undertake professional learning in using the DEC professional learning website and the regulations around teacher accreditation, as well as finding out about the National standards for profiling students against the new Literacy and Numeracy continuums. This will allow a new way of measuring student achievement levels and for the setting of outcomes and incremental targets.

It is also busy because the focus is ramping-up for ongoing assessments as a precursor to writing class reports. The executive too, are heads down preparing a major program report, beginning the review of the school management plan, brokering for professional learning support next year, requesting the introduction of new learning programs and planning what classes and staffing might look like for 2013. All of this too, is to be in tandem with our financial means so there is a lot to do.

Instructional Leader

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:59 AEST

We have been advised that, as of week 4 this term, we will have an "Instructional Leader" appointed to our staff under the new "Early Action for Success" strategy. This person's role is yet to be defined clearly to us but primarily it will be their job to plan professional learning, monitor student achievement and assist teachers in the K-2 area of the school. With this comes resource funding, a significant training grant for teachers, and a further intervention support allocation equivalent to an extra one and a half full time teacher position. I believe a briefing begins for these Instructional leaders this week and Principals will join a forum later this month.

Our National Partnership funding concludes at the end of Semester One next year but with our sizeable equity allocations we will continue to be able to offer innovative programs focusing on all students.

Sun Safe - No Hat, Play in the Shade

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:07 AEST

Following on from PBL it is time to say that extra emphasis is being placed on our "No hat, play in the shade" policy. Students are expected to wear a hat when outside in the sun. It is naturally preferable to have a broad-brimmed hat affording maximum sun protection to the shoulders, ears and the back of the neck as well as to the face. Please make sure that children have hats to wear otherwise duty teachers will have to see that they play under the shelters where they are afforded sun protection in the shade.

PBL Leading the Way

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:03 AEST

Last week we had our Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) coach, Rosalee Whiteley, come to our school to assess our continued progress in the implementation of PBL. Her job was to ask questions of students, teachers, PBL team members and myself.

Rosalee scored our responses and I am pleased to say that the result was fabulous. Our score was 100% so naturally, we are all very pleased. This means that team representatives can now engage in further training and when they decide we are ready, we will be able to move on. Up until now our PBL has focused mainly on non-classroom settings. This means that teachers have focused their explicit teaching about being safe, respectful and being a learner in the playground, on the asphalt moving around the school and has included things like being sun-safe, sharing playground spaces, using good manners, lining up correctly at the canteen and playing fairly.

The PBL teams' job is to collect data, identify any problems and where these problems are most likely to occur and implement changed systems to make things safer and ensure students are respectful of the school and other people.

Future staff training will move into classroom settings but when this happens is yet to be determined.

Congratulations! 100% - you can't do better than that! (this means that everyone who was interviewed could give the right responses to the coach's questions.

NAPLAN

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:01 AEST

The National Assessment Program for Literacy And Numeracy SMART Data results have been released to schools. Parents of students in Years 3 and 5 have received individual student reports. The data the school has received will be analysed carefully in terms of our existing learning targets and in looking at particular strengths and weaknesses. From this we are able to look at in-depth interpretive data from grade groups to specific class or group samples or right down to individual student performances. In this we are able to analyse responses right down to individual questions in the assessments and where necessary alter our teaching programs to address any deficits and support students in their learning. Our findings will be documented in special program evaluation reports, in the school annual report and they will form the basis of planning in our school management plan for the 2013 school year.

Transition to Kindergarten 2013

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:08 AEST

On Friday we had a great turn out for the commencement of our 2013 Kindergarten transition program. Parents and children attended an information session, had a tour around the grounds, participated in a lesson and capped off the day with a barbeque lunch. It is always a very exciting time when our children experience "Big School" for the first time. I know my daughter was very excited. Our transition program has been widely recognised as one of the best in the region. My thanks go to a very dedicated team who ensure this program continues to achieve the very high standards they set themselves in meeting the needs of our students and their parents. Congratulations must go to Mr Eather, Mrs Hawke, Mrs Hardwick and Mrs Milgate for a very successful day.

NAIDOC 2012

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:01 AEST

Next Thursday 20^thSeptember 2012 is NAIDOC Day. The organising committee has been working hard with a range of community organisations to ensure that a tremendous cultural experience will be offered to our students and all visitors to the school. Our 2011 NAIDOC day was widely praised as an excellent celebration and demonstrated the value the school places on its links with the indigenous community. The 2012 NAIDOC Day promises to build on the success of last year. We encourage all members of the community to come and celebrate this day with our school.

Sports News

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:06 AEST

Our Boys touch football team has been enjoying tremendous success and have made the Western Region final for the second consecutive year. The boys defeated Middleton Public School in a close encounter 8-6 last week. They will now face the winner of Calare Public School and Wallerawang Public School. We wish them well for the final and know they will represent our school with pride and show great sportsmanship. We also had a number of students attend the Western Region Athletics Championships in Dubbo recently as part of the Dubbo District team. All performed well on the day and several were very close to gaining selection to attend the NSW carnival in Homebush. As always, our students were excellent representatives of Wellington Public School and Dubbo District. Thanks must also go to Mrs Milgate who was my Co-Manager for the Dubbo District team.

SASS Recognition Week

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:05 AEST

School Administrative Support Staff (SASS) Recognition Week – Their Jobs Support EducationSASS are the backbone of the school and provide support to the Principal, Executive, teachers, parents and students. Every one of our SASS deserve to be recognised for their professionalism and dedication to education. The Public Service Association (PSA) acknowledges all SASS in schools and commends them on the extraordinary work they do in supporting public education.

Do you know who does what at our school?

Our School Administrative Manager (SAM),Bev Conn, manages the school office, supervises School Administrative Officers (SAOs), monitors work output and quality, provides high quality, professional customer service, assists with parent enquiries and is responsible for the financial management of the school.

Our School Administrative Officers, Dixie Hyde, Alanna Stone and Margaret Lewisenrol students, perform banking and procurement procedures, maintain effective communication systems, assist the SAM and Principal with various administrative duties and provide a professional and welcoming environment for students, parents and community members.

Our School Learning and Support Officers (SLSO) Mary-Lee Batho, Kaylene Brien, Tracey Reid, Marion Conn, Deborah Reid, Kara Staggs, Brad Rodgers, Kim Miller, Shawn Todhunter and Simone Smith assist teachers and students in implementing individual learning plans and programs, assist in the care and management of students with disabilities, behaviour difficulties and additional learning needs, support teachers in providing opportunities for students to develop personal, social and independent living skills, assist in timetabling and playground activities and help prepare learning materials and resources. Our Preschool and Kindergarten SLSO Catherine Whiteman, Lyn Dowton, Cheryl Stanley,Mavis Hannelly, Michelle Staggs, Debbie George and Narelle Goninan, assist teachers in helping children become capable and competent learners, set up activities in the learning spaces for class activities, support teachers with the day to day organisation of work and resources and assist students with personal care where needed.

Our Aboriginal Education Officers (AEOs) Shirley Thompson and Trent Forrest assist aboriginal students in all activities and settings, work with teachers to discuss students' educational progress with their parents, assist in identifying and develop learning resources to support positive engagement, help maintain effective relationships with Aboriginal parents and encourage in Aboriginal students their participation, attendance and retention.

Our General Assistant, Peter Leederhelps to enhance students' safety and their school environment, performs minor maintenance of buildings and equipment, maintains and beautifies playing fields and the school grounds, assists in keeping the school secure, assists with the management of resources and their storage and responds to requests for assistance with operational management as required. The tasks our SASS perform every day are too numerous to mention individually but it is certain that the school would not be able to operate without the efficiencies and support they give – together we all make a positive and effective team! We appreciate our SASS and say thank you for all that you do.

Community Partnerships

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:56 AEST

This week we have our second Professional Learning experience with the Regional Aboriginal Education Team assisting us in bringing together our interagency support groups. As mentioned last week, we have a special guest, Tyson Yunkaporta who will talk about his background research used in documenting the "Eight Ways Of Knowing". This Pedagogy (the art and science around good teaching practice) is related to how generations of Aboriginal children have continued to carry the traditional learning of their forefathers. We are looking forward to an interesting session and an opportunity to discuss what the implications are for our teaching at WPS.

Crazy Hair Day

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:56 AEST

This Friday (31^stAugust) the Student Representative Council (SRC) is inviting students and staff to join in the fun of coming to school with a crazy hat or a crazy hairdo. For the privilege the SRC is asking for a gold coin donation to boost their funds. The funds raised go to support projects they plan and implement to improve things at our school.

Special Awards

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:02 AEST

At this week's assembly, a number of students received certificates for having taken part in three of the assessments offered by the NSW University's Global Competition. Awards were issued for the Computer, Writing and Spelling tests administered last term. Congratulations to all of these students and with special mention if they received a credit or distinction ranking. Well done also to those many students who received ‘Mathletics' Certificates especially to those presented with Gold Awards. Thank you to the teachers who take so much time in seeing that our students have access to these learning tools.

Anti Bullying Team Update

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:52 AEST

As a result of our most recent questionnaire "Have Your Say" it was clearly evident that parents would like to be better informed about the behaviour of our students. We operate a pink slip system to make notification about inappropriate behaviours. These behaviours are recorded on a school database for the purpose of tracking individual students. Students are usually required to attend a planning room session following their receipt of a pink slip so that they can reflect on their behaviour and discuss how they might have behaved differently. Receiving a number of pink slips may lead to a referral to the Learning Support Team for further action or come to the Principal for the consideration of a school suspension.

Parents will now receive a pink slip notification when their child has received one at school for inappropriate behaviour. This needs to be signed and returned to the class teacher the next day, acknowledging that you have been informed and that you will discuss this with your child. No response will generate a phone call to ensure that parents have been informed. In partnership with the home, we are hopeful that we will see some of these offending behaviours diminish and eventually be eliminated.

The school alone can not own bad behaviour. Parents are asked to support the school because of poor behaviour both in and out of school.

This of course will not let us forget that the larger proportion of our students come to school to learn, are well mannered and are a reflection of responsible parenting.

High School Orientation Visits

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:52 AEST

The first of a series of orientation visits for our Year 6 students transitioning to Wellington H.S. in 2013 occurred on Wednesday, 15^thAugust. Two more Wednesday visits will occur on 29^thAugust (Week 9) and 12^thSeptember (Week 9). Students will have the opportunity to attend some classes and meet some teachers during their afternoon visits, which are scheduled for 1:45 pm to 3:10 pm. Students will catch the bus or walk home. The school will assist by sending a list of bus children to the High School to help them catch the correct bus. The final ‘Orientation Day' will be Tuesday, 6^thNovember, 2012 (Term 4 Week 5) – Further information will follow from the High School at a later time.

Kindy Transition Information Session and Welcome BBQ

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:00 AEST

Families with children starting in Kindergarten next year are invited to attend a ‘Meet and Greet' information session and shared BBQ on Friday, 7^thSeptember, 2012 at 11:30 am. We will start at 11:30 sharing information about our exciting transition program by meeting together in the Gould League Hall. This will be a wonderful chance to learn about what 2013 will look like for 8 Friday mornings next Term, these young students will go to classes and learn about Wellington P.S. and what it will be like when they come to big school next year. We realise that these students come from different early childhood settings where they have been attending a preschool, or perhaps a Day Care Centre, a less formal play group or perhaps from home. This is why our program is so good because it gives students a chance to adjust and teachers the opportunity to get to know the children. Knowing the children gives us a head start when we commence the school year in 2013.

Premier's Spelling Bee

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:04 AEST

Last Friday the finals were held at our school level to find two junior and two senior representatives to go on to represent us at the Regional level of competition in the NSW Premier's Spelling Bee. This next final will be held at Dubbo West P.S. on the 13^thSeptember, 2012 with the Regional finalists moving on to the State final later this year. The words the contestants have to spell increase fairly rapidly in their order of difficulty and it was good to know that so many of our students had been involved. Congratulations to our two younger representatives, Kiara Sullivan and Erin McQuade and our two seniors Caitlin Stubberfield and Nathanial (Nate) Thomas who will be representing our school at the Regional level.

Wellington Eisteddfod

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:09 AEST

We are well represented with students competing in such things as verse speaking, percussion groups, choirs and instrumental ensembles in this year's Eisteddfod that it's turning out to be a very busy week. For most of our students it's all about being involved and enjoying their participation. Let's hope it makes for another memorable experience and everyone has fun while giving their best performances.

WPS Olympics

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:11 AEST

In conjunction with world events ,Wellington Public School will be the venue for our own Olympic events this Friday. The whole school will share an early recess from 10:30 am and an early lunch at 12:00pm. At 12:30 students will go to their country (Classrooms) where they will prepare for the opening ceremony. Starting under the big COLA, countries will follow Greece in a magnificent parade of colour to the central grass and then the Olympic torch will enter the arena and all assembled athletes will say the Athletes' Oath. Thirteen events are on the program and a points score will determine which countries will win the gold, silver and bronze medals. It will be exciting!

Regional Aboriginal Education Team Visit

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:04 AEST

Peter Macbeth and Yvonne Hill, of the Regional Aboriginal Education Team, will be visiting our school tomorrow afternoon to lead us in the first, of what will be a series of professional development sessions. We will be examining what we are already doing well and then planning around teaching and learning experiences that will aim at improving student outcomes for Aboriginal students. We will also be going through the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Plan and the data collections that schools will be asked to collect. The main focus will be an attempt to strengthen links with our school community and ensure that everyone feels welcome and valued as parents and friends of our school. In turn, this will hopefully allow our students to be more actively engaged in their learning and we should see improved outcomes across the board.

State Cross Country and Horse Sports

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:06 AEST

Look in this issue of the Whisper to see a photograph of Mae Clout (left) and Harriet Taylor who both performed really well in the State Cross Country carnival recently. The second photo was taken at last weekend's Coolah Horse Sports day. Wellington's five riders were named as overall winners and out-performed other teams even when they were outnumbered. The Coolah team had twenty eight riders so our WPS team were amazing. Notable achievements included: Nick Campbell – 11 Years Reserve Champion, Mae Clout – 8 Years Reserve Champion and Artie Taylor - 8 Years Champion. The photo, L to R, shows Mae Clout, Nick Campbell, Harriet Taylor, Artie Taylor and Rusty Taylor.

Speech Therapy at WPS

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:05 AEST

Lucy Spora, has brought speech pathology to our younger children. With a caseload, previously, of twenty students she was only able to address the needs of a small percentage of our students. We decided to expand Lucy's time to double the case load to reach more students and offer them help, taking referrals from Years 1 and 2. Yet another increase will come from Stacey Marshall who has a practice in Dubbo. Stacey will address some of the needs where language experience and development will help with students' communications. Stacey will only be able to come about six times before the end of the year but teachers will be able to continue to implement some of her programs. We are grateful for whatever assistance we can get.

Anti Bullying Strategy

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:52 AEST

Following the Department's Anti-bullying plan, Our School Team has commenced to relook at the strategies we employ to tackle the problems associated with bullying behaviours.

To develop our plan we need to involve the thoughts of our school and community. We will capture these thoughts through consultations with individuals, by conducting group discussions and by offering survey options.

The first of our surveys is being sent home with this newsletter. Participation is certainly not mandatory but we would like input from as many people as possible. Separate talks will be held by class teachers when trying to capture what our students think about what bullying looks like and the methods we should employ to deal with situations recognised as bullying.

We intend to ask interested people in our community over a range of factors and we will keep everyone informed as we look at the significant subsections of our school plan. By the time we publish and share our completed document everyone will have had opportunities to contribute.

Surveys can be anonymous but where you feel really strongly about something you might include your name so that we can get back to you if we need further clarification. Ongoing reporting will keep you informed as to how we are progressing.

Education Week

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:57 AEST

Education Week is next week. Our school community celebration of learning at Wellington Public School will be held on Friday, 3^rdAugust, 2012. This will involve all students in a ‘Parade of Champions' (taken from the Book Week theme of being Champion Readers), open Classrooms and a shared morning tea between 11:00 and 11:30 am. Parents can bring a special morning tea to have with their children and we hope to have as many mums, dads and family members attending as we can.

The Importance of Attendance

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:08 AEST

Lots of students have excellent attendance. Many have fair attendance but the attendance of a large number is poor to disgraceful. Where students are away, they are obviously missing significant learning connections. There is naturally a strong correlation between high levels of absenteeism and the students who perform at low levels in their classroom assessments.

The one thing parents can do, and have a responsibility and a legal requirement to do, is to maximise their children's attendance at school.

Our attendance is at a level where class rolls are being scrutinised regularly by the Home School Liaison Team and some students have personal attendance plans and at worst, some are on a mobility tracker to see where the students are and why they are not attending school.

If there are problems, please work with the school to improve attendance and thus assist in increasing the chance of a good education for your children. A positive work ethic would mean that any absences would only occur in very significant circumstances.

Again, the best place to start in shaping positive attitudes, is when children are young.

Kindergarten classes are about to launch an attendance strategy called "Spot On". Please read the article on this strategy in this issue of the Whisper, written by Mrs Hawke, our Early Stage 1 supervisor.

School Staff Development Day

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:05 AEST

Teachers and support staff were back at school for our School Development Day. Or Agenda included:

The initial process of looking at developing a new plan around the issue of Bullying. We are adhering to a new Departmental document entitled ‘Preventing and Responding to Student Bullying in Schools'. This developmental process is expected to take a number of weeks and will include lots of community consultation. The policy requires schools to develop protection, prevention, early intervention and response strategies for student bullying. The policy relates to other departmental policies relating to such things as discipline and student wellbeing. Each week we will include updates in the Whisper.

A visit from our Area Home School Liaison Team where discussions revolved around the high number of absences form some of our students at Wellington Public School. Looking at the bottom line, attendance at school is mandatory and every day away means that students miss valuable learning time. Anything less than 85% attendance comes under the watchful eye of the HSLO team as do unexplained absences. We ask that parents communicate with class teachers immediately after a student's absence. Written explanations are preferable.

A mandatory review of the ‘Code of Conduct' that applies to all school staff. This is a framework to make decisions around personal conduct preceded by a statement of ethics that relate to the values that underpin the Department's expectations of its employees. These values include fairness, respect, integrity and responsibility.

Corporate, Stage-based planning time for term 3 and a look specifically at the resourcing of ‘hands-on' materials needed to conduct effective teaching and learning in Mathematics. We are going to look at upgrading our resource needs in this important curriculum area.

Canberra Excursion

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:55 AEST

Our Year 6 Canberra excursion departs on 16^thJuly, 2012 for the five days of Week 1 Term 3. Visiting the snowfields and the many tourist attractions in our National Capital will be a fabulous learning experience. Our students will have a terrific time and come back with some wonderful memories that are likely to last a lifetime. Everyone on the excursion too, is likely to come back exhausted after a week of being very busy and on the go most of the time.

Farewell Miss McDermott

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:57 AEST

Miss McDermott also leaves Wellington P.S. this term and says goodbye to her colleagues, friends and students past and present. Rebecca is taking a giant step forward and travelling overseas to work abroad. This sounds fabulous for Rebecca and we wish her well in the future. Good Luck, we will miss you!

The students in 5M will have Miss Anderson as their teacher for the remainder of the year.

Miss McDermott is a fabulous teacher and is well respected for her quality teaching and passion for her job. We thank Rebecca also for her tireless work as Co-ordinator of our After School Care Program. This is yet another service provided to the children in our school and is available because of the dedication and commitment shown by teachers.

Farewell Peter Aird

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:58 AEST

This Friday we say a sad farewell to Mr Peter Aird.

Prior to my arrival last month, Mr Aird had been relieving as Principal since the beginning of this year. In this short time Mr Aird has brought to the position a lifetime of experience in Public Education and with that came a vast knowledge as a school leader enabling him to move the school forward in a very positive way.

Peter has made many significant changes to the school's physical environment, to operational systems, to the acquisition and installation of technologies to support classroom teaching and learning, to build and maintain staff morale, to improve program delivery to students and to make essential links with the Wellington community and manage some difficult situations. At the core of all of this has been his dedication to providing the best for students.

His drive and commitment to improving educational opportunity has endeared him to many who come to our school every day. It is natural that his legacy will be remembered in the years ahead.

We join together to express our appreciation to Mr Aird for a job well done. Collectively, we wish Peter and his wife health and happiness in the future and continued joy in all that they choose to do. Peter wouldn't be where he is today without knowing where he is going so we are very confident that together Mr and Mrs Aird will have lots of good times ahead.

Mr Aird is reaching the end of his career at Wellington P.S. and we hope he takes away some fond memories of the staff, students and school community. Mr Aird we will certainly have our memories of what you did for us. We say good-bye and offer our best wishes.

PBL Focus

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:03 AEST

The Positive Behaviour for Learning focus this week is about being safe and respectful in hall settings within each of the classroom blocks. Things that relate to different school settings and what the correct behaviour looks like in those settings are discussed and explicitly taught every week in classrooms. This weeks Buzzie Patrol awards will focus on being sunsafe in the playground. We hope that all students will remember to wear their hats while playing outside.

K - 2 Athletics Carnival

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:59 AEST

Giving their best war-cries for their sporting houses set the scene for a fantastic carnival last Friday. From under the COLA the house groups marched up to Central Grass, divided into three large groups and began the events. Excitement was in the air! One group were competing in sprint track events, another in the novelty carnival while the third group, as spectators, cheered on their respective houses. This was followed by two more group rotations so that every student could have a go at everything. The carnival was very well organised by our K-2 staff and everyone seemed to be having a great time. Thanks must go to the members of the P&C who helped cater for the students with food and refreshments and thanks to Mr Leeder for his efforts in getting everything ready on the field and for cooking the BBQ.

Congratulations

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:56 AEST

Participation in sport at a school level is fantastic for everyone. Being chosen to go on to a district carnival is special and it means that the challenge is just that more competitive. For those who represent their school at a regional level in any sport there will be some stiff rivalry. If students have been selected to represent their region at a state level, they know that they are really good at what they are doing. Our region is the biggest geographical region in NSW and for children to go to Sydney to compete against the other nine school regions is a great accomplishment.

We are very proud of our footballers and our two cross country runners who earned the right to compete in their respective carnivals. See our separate reports in this week's newsletter.

Transition to High School

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:08 AEST

Yesterday afternoon we had a meeting with the High School transition coordinator to discuss plans for the exchange of student profiles and other relevant information aimed at enhancing the move for our Year 6 students into their secondary education next year. These discussions also included visits and educational experiences which will make the latter part of this year really exciting for our senior students.

Athletics and Cross Country

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:53 AEST

Last week we saw the successful running of the District Cross Country event and our school Athletics Carnival. Thank you to all staff who contributed to these carnivals and to the parents who were able to attend to support their children. Congratulations to all of the children who participated and to those who were successful on the day.

Preschool Accreditation

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:03 AEST

Naomi Stapleton, our Preschool Director, has also just completed a further three days training in Sydney recently. Naomi has been learning of the changes being made to the administration, management and teaching programs required to meet the new accreditation standards for preschools. This involves a huge amount of work and some very significant changes that challenge old-school perceptions and teaching philosophies.

We do, however, know that we will end up with an early learning centre that will equip children for a seamless transition into kindergarten. I would like to thank Naomi and her team for their professional commitment and hard work.

First Aid Certification

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:58 AEST

Professional learning is an expectation of all staff. There is a constant need for teachers, support staff and our school administration personnel to stay abreast of new sets of knowledge and skills necessary to perform their duties effectively.

Very often, this professional learning is consistent with our school management plan. We share Regional, and State driven goals when setting our school targets. These targets are best achieved at our school when the focus is placed on experiencing models of best practice and expanding our knowledge base and experiences.

Many of the changes being undertaken have a National input to produce transparency and consistency in what we achieve. We are about catering for the needs of our students, diminishing the gap between our higher and lower performing students and raising the overall standard into the proficiency bands in National assessments.

Technology is changing the face of teaching and learning as is the case of new business, management reforms being introduced by the Department of Education and Communities.

I am amazed at the dedication of our staff. Currently, the majority of our staff is engaged in a 16 hour course to maintain our accredited qualifications in First Aid. The certificate issued will satisfy WorkCover requirements. This is aimed at the overall welfare, safety and wellbeing of our students. The qualification will remain valid for three years.

My First Week

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:01 AEST

I have now been here as Principal of Wellington P.S. for one week and already, in that time, I have been able to establish some very favourable views on the way the school operates. Headed by a very capable executive staff, and working with very capable and caring staff I can see the commitment given to the students of our school. I am sure I a m going to enjoy being part of the team.

Denis Anderson

Principal

Learning Support Team

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:00 AEST

Did you know that every Wednesday morning our school's Learning Support Team (LST) meets to discuss the needs of any students who are identified as causing concern? These discussions can be about social, emotional, behavioural, developmental or achievement needs and relate to remediation or possible extension in learning. The task is then to identify and implement support for these students. Any teacher can bring their concerns to the LST to collectively plan the best ways to help a student.

I applaud the level of care and dedication of our staff.

Message from new Principal Denis Anderson

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:01 AEST

My name is Denis Anderson and I am introducing myself as the newly appointed Principal of Wellington Public School.

My career with the Department of Education began in 1971. Since that time I taught in a number of schools, moving to my first executive leadership in 1987 as an Assistant Principal. This position was attained under the old inspectorial system and a promotions list placement. While at this school with an approximate enrolment of 600 students, I had the opportunity to relieve, as Principal, for extended periods of time over seven years, with the last two years continuously in this role.

Next I accepted a Principal position at Katoomba Public school. The process this time involved a merit selection process. Success came to me again when selected in a promotional position involving a transfer to Lithgow Public School four years later.

Following a very rewarding five years, my next move was a lateral transfer to Hazelbrook Public School where I was Principal for a further five years before retiring in September 2010. At this time my wife and I sold our house at Wentworth Falls in the Blue Mountains and moved to the south coast to be closer to our adult children and their families.

In retirement, and following a career spanning almost 40 years in Public Education, I had an intense yearning to return to what had been an essential part of my life for so long. I applied to be re-employed by the Department of Education and Communities and after negotiating a challenging course, made it back to be placed as a Primary Principal 2 at Wellington Public School. I was delighted because this placed me at the same level as I had been in the ten years prior to my separating from service in 2010.

I was even more delighted to find a warm and welcoming reception waiting when meeting students, teachers, support staff and some of our parents for the first time.

In my letter to the School Education Director and the selection panel, I said, "I have the energy, integrity and determination to continue to move Wellington P.S. forward. I give my strongest undertaking to ensure the school's children and their overall welfare will remain the focus in everything we share. I will continue to bring a transparency to what we do and what we achieve in ‘providing exceptional learning opportunities for all' in partnership with the school's community."

I went on to say," My years of experience equip me for the rigors of this larger, complex school setting. I know this involves an ever-increasing demand, as changes in schools are occurring at a rapid rate. I can only suggest that we will achieve great things by being a team, collective in our aims and determined in our diligence."

We will look forward to growing effective partnerships with our parents and community so we can further improve quality teaching and learning in our school environment and in being respectful, safe learners.

I would also like to thank Mr Peter Aird for his excellent leadership as Relieving Principal at Wellington Public School.

Denis Anderson

Principal

Cross Country Carnival

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:56 AEST

Our Cross Country Carnival was held last Thursday and was a great success. Children who were successful will attend the District Cross Country Carnival on Wednesday the 30th May in Wellington. A big thankyou to Michelle Eather and her helpers who organised a great carnival.

NAPLAN Testing

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:01 AEST

NAPLAN test days are Tuesday 15th May, Wednesday 16th May, Thursday 17th May and a catch up day for missed tests on Friday the 18th May.

It is important that all students in Years 3 and 5 attend on all days. Those in PSSA sporting teams will be doing catch up tests on the Friday and not participating in sport if tests are missed.

It is to the child's benefit that they do all the tests, as data collected assists the school to put in place programs to strengthen areas of weakness.

School Photos are also being taken on the Wednesday and Thursday. A timetable has been done that allows NAPLAN classes to be scheduled for photos out of test times.

OC Class Placement (West Dubbo PS)

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:02 AEST

Government schools use a range of strategies to meet the educational needs of gifted and talented students. One strategy is opportunity class placement which provides intellectual stimulation and an educationally enriched environment for gifted and talented students.

OC Classes for our school district are located at Dubbo West PS.

Offers for opportunity class placement will be made on the basis of the Opportunity Class Placement Test results and school assessment. The Opportunity Class Placement Test will be held on Wednesday 25 July 2012.

If you would like your child to apply for opportunity class placement in Year 5 in 2013, you need to do so soon.

1. Apply on the internet and submit your application online. You will need to have an email address (not the student's email address), access to the internet and a printer.

Detailed instructions on how to apply online will be available from 30 April 2012 at:

http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/ocplacement

2. If you do not have internet access, complete a commercially printed application form and return it to this school by 18 May 2012.

Please contact the school office if you are considering applying. I can then provide you with more information.

ANZAC March

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:53 AEST

We had a fantastic turnout for the ANZAC Day march held last Wednesday. Thankyou to all parents/carers who supported their child/ren by dropping them off and then collecting them after the service. A big thankyou also to the school's staff that turned out to march with the students.

New Principal

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:02 AEST

Interviews were held yesterday and the position was offered to one of the candidates. An announcement will be made following the 10 day withholding period.

ANZAC March

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:53 AEST

Wednesday 25^th April

Children are requested to march and wear summer school uniform.

Assemble in Gisborne St – Market Square at 10.15am.

March commences at 10.45am.

Ceremony 11am.

Children to be collected from Cameron Park at the Cenotaph.

Staff will be in attendance.

School Photos

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:05 AEST

The P&C have decided on Advance Photography to again take the school's photos. They will be taken over 2 days on dates to be finalised in Week 4 next term. It should still be warm enough to wear summer uniform and if the weather is inclement then the hall will be used.

Naplan Test Dates

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:01 AEST

NAPLAN Test DaIn May 2012, all students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 will complete the National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN).

In 2012, the NAPLAN tests will be administered on Tuesday 15 May, Wednesday 16 May and Thursday 17 May. Students who are absent on a scheduled test day may complete the test on any afternoon after the test or on the 'catch-up' day, Friday 18 May.

It is important that children attend on all of the test days.

Any application for exemption must be discussed with me prior to any decision being made.

P & C Executive for 2012

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:03 AEST

There was a good rollup of parents and community at last week's P&C meeting. A big thankyou to outgoing president Sheila Brien for doing such a great job. New president, Kaylene Brien will front an energetic team over the next 12 months.

PSP Survey Return

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:04 AEST

PSP Survey 201

Thankyou to every family from Kinder to Year 3 for completing the survey. I will let you know as soon as it is released the result of whether we will be funded for a further 4 years.

Term 2 PSSA Sports

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:07 AEST

As mentioned last week the school will be participating in next term's interschool winter sporting activities in Dubbo. The cost is kept at the same as last year of $7 per week. School teams will be organised over the coming weeks on Fridays.

Sports offered will be:

· Rugby League Senior and Junior,

· Girls Netball Senior and Junior,

· Soccer Senior and Junior Boys,

· Soccer Girls

· Hockey Mixed.

Teams will be entered only if there is enough players who are going to be consistently participating.

Also it is important to note, that participation in excursions and representative activities will always be dependant upon a student's ability to behave in an appropriate manner and not constitute a safety concern for themselves or others,

Appointment Process for New Principal

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:53 AEST

Principal Appointment

The position of Principal will be advertised shortly. Hopefully the position will attract a good number of applicants and be resolved this Term. It would be good if all is in place for a start at the beginning of Term 2.

Canteen closed this Friday 16th December

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:55 AEST

For a range of reasons beyond our control we will need to close the canteen on Friday.

Please ensure that your children bring their own food with them on Friday.

My thanks go to Anne and the team for a great year!

Other major events this week

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:03 AEST

Other Major events before the end of Term

Presentation Day is on todayTuesday 13th December. As is the tradition the Captains and Prefects will be announced on Presentation Day. This will be followed by our Carols in the COLA from 6pm in the evening.

Class Parties are planned for Thursday 15th December.

The last day of Term for students is on Friday 16th December.

Teachers will be at school on Monday 19th and Tuesday 20th December participating in School Development Day activities.

Principal Thompson moving on

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:04 AEST

New role in Dubbo

This week I have been advised that I have been appointed as Principal of Dubbo College—South Campus.

One of the hardest things I have had to do in this respect is explain to the children why I am leaving the school.

This step would not have been possible without the support of a great staff, outstanding kids and a wonderful community. Being the Principal at WPS has been the best job I have ever had. I just hope the next step back into Dubbo is as rewarding.

With such a great team I am also confident that the school will continue to thrive.

Student Reports go home Friday 9th December

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:05 AEST

It has been pleasing to read all of the reports over the last week. The progress made and wide range of programs that students have completed are a credit to both staff and students.

Year 6 Farewell

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:11 AEST

Our Year 6 Farewell is on Thursday 8th December.

My thanks go to the large group of parents who have volunteered to assist with preparations for the night.

Major events before the end of Term

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:00 AEST

Our Presentation Day is on Tuesday 13th December and will be followed by our Carols in the COLA from 6pm in the evening. As is the tradition, the Captains and Prefects will be announced on the Presentation Day.

In the week preceding this, on the Tuesday 6th December, we will be having our iKi Live concert.

All going well Braith Anasta and Anthony Minichello from the Roosters will be here on the same day to promote a reading program the club has designed.

Our Year 6 Farewell is on Thursday 8th December. My thanks go to the large group of parents who have volunteered to assist with preparations for the night. If you are able to assist, and have not volunteered, new helpers are most welcome at a working bee this Wednesday 30th November.

Class Parties are planned for Thursday 15th December. The last day of Term for students is Friday 16th December.

Teachers will be at school on Monday 19th and Tuesday 20th December participating in School Development Day activities.

School Social with a focus on Positive Behaviour for Learning

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:05 AEST

This Thursday will see our final social for the year.

All funds raised will go towards programs that will be linked to PBL for 2012.

In many ways the PBL approach has been a revelation for the school. It has taken us from a very extrinsically based student welfare approach into a system that supports students making their own positive choices in behaviour.

It has featured a significant drop in poor behaviour and a more consistent understanding, and teaching of, appropriate behaviours across the school.

I have enjoyed starting each week, at the assembly, with a summary of the focus area for the week.

An active PBL team meet each week to organise and plan the work of the process. They have done an outstanding job!

Hot weather

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:59 AEST

Please be sure that your children are well prepared for the hot weather.

A hat and drink bottle are very important to ensure that they do not overheat.

Please encourage them, as the staff will do, to slow down and stay in the cool areas if they are feeling the heat!

Memorabilia still available

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:00 AEST

If you missed out on any of the items from the celebrations, especially our book, there are still some available for purchase at the office.

Most are $10 with copies of the Pictorial History Book available for $30.

School Captain Elections

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:05 AEST

This week will see the process finalised to elect our Captains for 2012.

Each candidate will have their chance to present their ideas for improving our school with an explanation as to why they will be the best leaders of our school next year.

All have my best wishes and I would ask all students who will vote for our Captains to take the opportunity very seriously.

School Captain Elections

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:05 AEST

This year the election of captains will begin with a pre selection process in Week 5 where prospective candidates will be able to put their name forward on the 7th November.

Elections, with speeches, will be held in the school hall on Thursday 10th November.

Academic Enrichment Program

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:52 AEST

The success of our enrichment programs will see them continue next year.

This will include a Year 3 and 4 class and a Year 5 and 6 class. A transparent selection process will be outlined soon. Because places in the Year 3 class will be limited, and many more students will meet our high academic standards this year, quality enrichment opportunities will be provided next year for ALL students not just those in the 3/4 class.

To assist in this process a number of days will be arranged for students to spend time in the Grade they will join next year. A focus will be on Year 2 students going to Year 3 classrooms and Year 4 spending time with Year 5.

NAPLAN

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:01 AEST

As mentioned last Term there has been much to celebrate with excellent NAPLAN results. This year we have continued the excellent growth of students from Year 3 to Year 5.

In Reading our students achieved a Scaled Growth Score of 82.6 compared to the State which achieved only 72.24 meaning our students achieved better growth than the rest of the State. The same was true for Grammar and Punctuation, School 84.4, State 82.16 and Numeracy, School an excellent 105.2, State only 94.3. Results to be very proud of.

Unfortunately Writing could not be compared this year as a Persuasive Text was examined whereas over the last three years a Narrative Text was used. School-based data tells us we are making pleasing progress here as well!

Forbes Visit success

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:58 AEST

A return visit from Forbes PS went very well last week.

Athletics at Rygate Park got the day started followed by a range of team sports at Pioneer Park.

The day concluded with a sausage sizzle and tug-o-war at Pioneer Park. A great day was had by all.

Home Readers

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:59 AEST

Remember that it is OK to read the same book ALL WEEK. The important thing is to be reading each night!

Return rates are down so please remember to swap your book each week.

Reading is Rad

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:04 AEST

Reading progress over the Christmas/January holidays is a vital part of overall reading development. As a result students are encouraged to take part in the Reading is Rad program this year.

I view this program with such importance that as a school we subsidise participation for all of our students who register.

Mrs Hawke is coordinating the program this year.

NAIDOC Day

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:01 AEST

Our annual NAIDOC Day will be held next Wednesday 21st September.

The program includes cultural and sports activities.

The format will be similar to previous years with the very popular Red Faces competition held at the end of the day.

150th Celebration Update

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:52 AEST

Tickets for the Dinner Dance on the 5th November are now on sale. They are available from the school or Darrell England Real Estate. At a cost of $60 each they include dinner, a night of dancing and a 150th celebration gift. Why not get a table of 10 people together.

Wrist bands for the amusement rides will go on sale at the beginning of Term 4. They will go on pre-sale for $25.

NAPLAN Results

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:01 AEST

This week all students in Years 3 and 5 will receive their National Testing results.

We have continued on our successful growth from Year 3 to 5 of previous years. This has included a reduction of students falling in the lowest skill bands.

If you have any questions please contact the school.

Kindy Transition BBQ & Info

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:00 AEST

Come along with your child to have a tour around the school, enjoy a classroom activity and have a look inside the Kindergarten rooms.

There will be a BBQ provided on the day with the opportunity to meet

the Kindergarten teachers, parents and student leaders.

Friday 2nd September 11:30am to 1:00pm – Block A Hall

For more info contact the school office on 6845 4080

Canberra Excursion Report

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:55 AEST

I received a phone call from Mrs Morley on Friday afternoon and was extremely pleased to hear from her that they had had a fantastic time and that this was the best group of children that she had ever taken away.

It's great to hear that children on an excursion, particularly one over 5 days are so well behaved. This certainly boosts teaching staff's enthusiasm to take children away in the future.

Mrs Morley, Mrs Woolstencroft and Mr Johnson did a great job and I personally thank them for their time and commitment. Excursions can only occur if there are staff willing to give up time with their families to take them.

The cost of excursions are increasing and it is important for parents/caregivers to budget in the long term for them, particularly if you have a child in Years 5 and 6.

Plans are underway to organise the excursion for next year and a cost will be made known as soon as possible.

Bus Zone

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:55 AEST

Please be aware that the bus zone times in Percy Street are enforceable. If you park in a bus zone and your car is hit by a bus you may not be covered for insurance. Also it creates a safety issue when students are trying to get on and off the buses. Assist the school in maintaining a safe bus pick up and drop off by not parking in the bus zone.

Eisteddfod Grand Concert

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:57 AEST

Outstanding Performances at Eisteddfod Grand Concert

On Sunday afternoon, children from three of our school eisteddfod performance groups took part in the Wellington Eisteddfod Grand Concert. Kindergarten, Year 3 and Year 5 reprised their performances in excellent style, highlighting the breadth and quality of experiences available to our students. All students are to be congratulated on the high quality of the performances.

Many thanks to Miss McDermott, Mrs Bullock & Mrs Eather for organising, rehearsing and leading the groups and our extreme gratitude to parents for bringing the children out in full school uniform on a Sunday afternoon. Well done!!

Supermarket vouchers

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:07 AEST

This year both Coles (Sports equipment) and Woolworths (Reading Books) have a voucher program. They can be both returned to boxes in the Front Office.

Canteen Help Needed

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:55 AEST

Why not consider helping out in the Canteen. We are always on the lookout for volunteers.

Have a look at the Canteen Menu at:

www.wellington-p.schools.det.nsw.edu.au

Don't forget to take advantage of the Thursday $5 Lunch Specials. These specials for next Term are included.

Sports News

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:06 AEST

Our Touch Football teams went down yesterday to Gilgandra. Yamirra Talbot was the star for the girls with two run away tries.

Best wishes to the boys Softball team tomorrow.

Staffing update

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:06 AEST

Miss Anderson has commenced maternity leave this week. We welcome back Anne Styles who will be teaching 5A until the end of the year.

This week is also Kathy Coon's last week before her retirement. After more than 30 years of distinguished service to our school I wish her all the best for the future.

Sports News

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:06 AEST

Well Done to Harriet Taylor at State Cross Country. Both her and Mrs Eather survived some horrific weather in Sydney.

Best wishes to our softball sides who enter competitions again in the next few weeks. It was too cold and wet last week so games were postponed.

Both Boys and Girls touch football teams have games coming up.

German Measles

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:58 AEST

A case of the measles has been reported in the school. If your child is not up to date with vaccinations you need to keep an eye out for the following symptoms: mild fever, runny nose, pink blotchy rash.

Your child needs to be at home for 4 days after the rash appears.

Dinner Dance tickets on sale

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:56 AEST

150th Dinner Dance tickets now on sale

Major Raffle

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:00 AEST

Major Raffle

Raffle tickets will be sent home this week.

Monies raised will provide additional resources for the students. The tickets are $2 each.

Any that are not sold MUST come back to school.

The raffle prize is for seven (7) nights at the world famous 4 ½ star Sea World Resort & Water Park on the Gold Coast for two (2) adults and two (2) children including two days entry to Sea World, one day entry to Warner Bros. Movie World, one day entry to Wet ‘n' Wild Water World, and also including a $200 Caltex Cash Card and $300 credit for food and beverage at Sea World Resort & Water Park. Book sellers' prize – everyone who sells a complete raffle book of 10 tickets will go into the draw to win an MP3 player and speakers.

Staff moving on

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:06 AEST

Best Wishes to a number of staff

This week we farewell three members of staff.

On Friday Kath Glawson retires. As one of the long term cleaners at our school I wish her well. In an often thankless task Kath has always provided a happy face in her role cleaning the top ash areas of our school. Best Wishes for the future Kath.

Miss Erin from Kinder Yellow is moving away. We wish her all the best and thank her for being such a great support for our Kinder program.

Emma Dickson has been successful in gaining a permanent position on a Special Education class at Dubbo South PS. I know that she will do a great job there and I thank her for the range of skills she has brought to our school. Our boys in the ED class will miss her!

Student Reports

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:07 AEST

Student reports will be sent home this Friday, 24th June. Parent / teacher meetings will be held on Tuesday 28th June from 3pm until 6pm.

Kindy, Yr1 and Yr2 will be in the school library.

Years 3 & 4 will be in Block E.

Years 5 & 6 will be in Block F.

K-2 Athletics Carnival

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:59 AEST

Friday 17th June

The K-2 Athletics Carnival will be held on Friday the 17th of June (week 8) between 11.30am and 1pm.

The P & C will be holding a BBQ. Every child will be participating in novelty events and a sprint race.

Come along to Central Grass to cheer on and support our little athletes!

More information will appear in next week's Whisper.

Successful Canteen

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:07 AEST

Many thanks to Anne and the Canteen staff

At our P&C meeting last week the canteen announced an $8000 profit. 80% of this goes back into the school to benefit our students. The rest is used to update equipment etc.

This outcome is a result of sound management from Anne Smith and outstanding leadership from Kaylene Brien and her committee. The students and staff of our school thank you.

Why not consider helping out in the Canteen. We are always on the lookout for volunteers.

Have a look at the Canteen Menu at:

www.wellington-p.schools.det.nsw.edu.au

Don't forget to take advantage of the Thursday $5 Lunch Specials.

Sports News

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:05 AEST

More great results were recorded at the District Cross Country last week. The Western carnival is on next week the 15th June.

Please contact the school if you are able to assist with the canteen. This Western Carnival is a great fundraising opportunity for our school.

The Winter PSSA competition continues in Dubbo this week.

Students need to remember to pay their $7 each week.

Home Readers

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:59 AEST

It is great to hear that so many students are involved in the Home Reading program this year.

The feedback from Kaylene regarding borrowing of readers has been positive. If you are not taking home a reader at the moment you need to see her about getting one.

Students in Years 2 to 4 are reminded to return their books even though there are a lot of other activities on over the next few weeks.

A great Athletics Carnival

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:52 AEST

Our thanks to Michelle Eather and Kate Boland for their organisation of an outstanding carnival last week.

A great team effort saw the Lions Club caravan become our canteen on the day. To all families who supported the P&C I pass on the thanks of all our staff.

It has been pleasing to have feedback commenting on the sportsmanship and participation on the day. A summary of the results are included.

Best wishes to all athletes who will progress to the District Carnival in Dubbo.

You Can

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:11 AEST

Please return old mobile phones to school and we will be rewarded with electronic equipment. All funds raised from recycling the phones goes to the kids cancer organisation CanTeen.

Sports News

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:05 AEST

The range of sport continues this week, don't forget our Athletics Carnival on Thursday.

Our Rugby League team were defeated by Mudgee PS yesterday. The team, made up of many Year 5 students, put together a brave effort.

It was a similar story in Molong for Rugby where the team came up against older and larger students.

Best wishes to all competitors who prepare for the District Cross Country tomorrow 1st June or Western carnival on the 15th June.

Please contact the school if you are able to assist with the canteen on either of these dates.

Six teams competed in the Richardson Cup and Peachey Shield last week. The weather was appalling but the boys played well. One of our junior sides missed the finals by one try.

The Winter PSSA competition continues in Dubbo this week.

Students need to remember to pay their $7 each week.

Date for your Diary

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:56 AEST

On Wednesday 29th June the Sydney Grammar School Band will be visiting the school. They will conduct a workshop for our music students and perform a FREE concert.

150th Celebration

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:52 AEST

Plans continue for our 150th celebration

Contributions continue to assist us in publishing a pictorial history of Public Education in Wellington.

With community assistance Carole Gass and her team from the museum plan to put together a collection of photographs that document the 150 years. Please continue to bring any photos or memorabilia to the school.

Home Readers

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:59 AEST

It is great to hear that so many students are involved in the Home Reading program this year.

Some students have already completed 30 books!

Students in Years 2 to 4 are reminded to return their books even though there are a lot of other activities on over the next week.

Wellington Show

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:10 AEST

Excellent contributions to the Wellington Show

Our sincere thanks go to all of the members of our school community who support the Show.

A number of people put in many hours of their own time to arrange exhibits and collect work. I would like to acknowledge the excellent work of Kate Kiss and Tammy Hill from our staff. A job well done!

Sports News

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:05 AEST

A huge range of sport continues over the next few weeks, with the focus shifting to our Athletics Carnival tomorrow.

If the weather is poor and the Carnival needs to be cancelled an announcement will be put over the radio stations.

My thanks go to the Lions Club who are supplying their caravan to be our canteen on the day. A BBQ will be available with Hot Dogs. No pies or sausage rolls this year.

Our Rugby League team had a good win against Narromine last week.

The Cross Country results that are included show that an excellent day brought some pleasing results.

Please consider assisting with the canteen at the District 1st June or Western carnival on the 15th June.

Today six teams are competing in the Richardson Shield and Peachey Cup.

On Thursday our Rugby team will compete in Molong.

The Winter PSSA competition continues in Dubbo this week.

Students need to remember to pay their $7 each week.

Sorry Day

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:05 AEST

This Thursday 26th May is National Sorry Day.

This year our school will be hosting some of the activities.

To symbolise the fact that this day works as a bridge to reconciliation our students from Years 3 to 6 will assemble at the Town Library Car Park from 10.45am and walk back to the school hall. At 11am the rest of the school will join us in the hall.

Each student will decorate a hand that will join a sea of hands.

A short ceremony will be held to commemorate this day and start Reconciliation Week.

Some classes will view a documentary on the 2008 apology rather than any movies that were mentioned last week.

It will be great to see as many community members participate as possible. Everyone is most welcome. A BBQ will be held from 1pm at the school.

Sports News

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:06 AEST

Our girls cricket team had a good win against Mudgee on Thursday.

Both boys and girls hockey teams acquitted themselves well and were narrowly defeated in Parkes on Thursday also.

Great reports have been received from Friday which saw the commencement of the Winter PSSA competition in Dubbo. 120 students took part. Some did miss out due to poor behaviour.

The fee will be $7 per week to cover the cost of transport.

Don't forget that the school cross country and athletics carnivals are on soon.

Welcome Back

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:09 AEST

We trust everyone had an enjoyable Easter break.

The Term begins with two teachers going on maternity leave with Karen Harvey being replaced by Emma Dickson (Marty Keeffe will now be Assistant Principal, Special Education) and Debbie Milgate being replaced by Zoe Martin. Best wishes to both for their second child.

Exchange teachers from Canada

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:57 AEST

For the past three years the school has hosted Charles Sturt University teachers in training from Canada.

This year Krystina Coleman (2H) and Connor Marien (5/6M) will be here for three weeks.

I wish them a happy stay. Our students always enjoy a splash of Canadian culture in their classrooms during the visit.

NAPLAN Tests this week

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:01 AEST

These tests will take place next Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for Years 3 and 5.

All students need to respect the fact that they will be taking place in the Stage 2 and 3 halls. Please keep the noise down in these areas.

I ask for your support for children who may be sitting the tests by ensuring they get plenty of sleep and continue to eat well during this time.

Outstanding Term

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:03 AEST

Many thanks to all for an outstanding Term

Be sure to enjoy the school holidays.

As I have explained to the children it is very important that no one enters the school grounds during the break. As a result of issues over the past month there will be an increased number of police and security patrols.

Cronulla PS Exchange

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:56 AEST

Cronulla Public School participated in a great visit last week. Special thanks need to go to Mrs Morley who planned and put in place a great week.

Thanks so much to the Barton family for hosting a farm visit. The excellent behaviour of our students at the school social was a highlight and to the many people who cooked, cleaned and donated food and time a huge thank you.

All going well our students will visit Cronulla in the near future.

Anzac Day March

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:52 AEST

This year Anzac Day falls on the last Monday of the holidays.

Each year we have an excellent representation from across the school.

We look forward to meeting with students, dressed in their Summer uniform at 10.30am near Market Square on the day.

University of NSW competitions

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:08 AEST

Don't forget to get your applications in for the various subject based tests run by UNSW.

These are not compulsory. They are international tests that will give good feedback as to where your child ranks across a range of subject areas compared to other children of the same age.

Wellington Learning Community

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:09 AEST

This week we have included the WLC Banner in the Whisper. It will remain a regular feature of the newsletter.

Today is our regular meeting of the Learning Community where all of the educational and employer organisations meet regularly to assist students make the important transition for school to work.

If you have any practical ideas to help us promote this work please let me know.

Close the Gap Day 24th March

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:56 AEST

World Vision are highlighting the gap between health outcomes for indigenous and non-indigenous Australians this week.

Amongst the initiatives is a petition to all levels of government to make a concerted effort to ‘Close the Gap' in health outcomes over the next generation.

I have some balloons, wristbands and tattoos promoting the day for the first people who come and see Mr Thompson.

Sports News

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:06 AEST

Our Boys cricket team were defeated by Orana Heights on Thursday. The Girls Cricket side has moved through to the next round with a forfeit.

The Tennis Team put up an excellent effort against Dubbo South PS. Most were playing their first game for a while and Mrs Nicholas was very proud of the effort from everyone. Well Done!

Sports News

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:06 AEST

Well Done to our Junior Girls Relay Team at Western Swimming last week. Harriet Taylor also continued her great form with PB's in all her events.

Our Boys cricket team play against Orana Heights on Thursday this week. The Girls Cricket side will be playing their game against Condobolin this week. Best wishes to both of the teams.

Our Tennis team also put up a good fight against Dubbo South PS yesterday (Mon 15th Mar).

Kindy Best Start Data

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:00 AEST

Families of Kinder students will receive their Best Start feedback on their children this week.

Be assured that this information was collected in the first few weeks of Term and that all students will have progressed from this point of assessment. We are very pleased with the results and have support in place, where it is needed, as a result.

World Down Syndrome Day

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:10 AEST

Monday the 21st of March is World Down Syndrome Day. We will be celebrating this day at our Monday assembly. Children can make a donation to the Down Syndrome Association on the day. For more information go to:

http://www.dsansw.org.au/index.php

150th NEWS

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:52 AEST

Plans taking shape for our 150th celebration

Our planning meetings will now be held at 6pm on Wednesdays before the P&C meeting. Our next meeting being on the 6th April.

Friday 4th November will be a school-based focus on the history of our school with classrooms coming alive with memories from the past. The official ceremony for the weekend will be held at midday and include activities such as the opening of a time capsule.

On Saturday 5th November we will be booking amusement rides and opening the school to the public to view displays and performances. It will be a chance for ex-students and teachers to get together and remember days gone by. A Dinner Dance will be held in the evening at the Civic Centre.

Please contact me at school or on the email if you have any other ideas for the days.

www.wellington-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Feel free to join our committee and we are seeking representatives from all of our Year groups.

We are already getting pleasing feedback from ex-students and staff. Please pass the word around.

The quiz answer from last week reads as follows:

The first Public School was opened at Montefiores by "Daddy King" then mid way through 1860 Henry Lambert and some other men made a formal application to the Board of Education for a "national school" at Wellington on 18th July 1861 and approved in September 1861.
A tiny slab building with a bark roof comprising of 2 classrooms was offered in Gisborne Street.
Then there were changes made in the following years the above building disappeared but a new brick building was erected on the corner of Lee and Gisborne Street (now site of Woolworth's Petrol Station) which had a residence. This closed for a short while and reopened on 25th March 1867.

Parent Info Lunches conclude

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:03 AEST

Thank you to all of our families who have supported our Parent Information Lunch Meetings.

Stage 3, Years 5 and 6 will complete the meetings this Friday 18th March from 12.30 to 1.30pm.

Please confirm your attendance by joining the lucky draw and ensure we are aware of numbers for catering. Parents are encouraged to stay for lunch with your children.

Sports News

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:06 AEST

Well Done to Harriet Taylor, Age Champion at District Swimming!

Our Boys Cricket team had a good win against Gulgong last week and the Girls Cricket side will be playing their game over the next few weeks. Our new nets are now finished and will be a great resource for cricket at WPS.

New P&C Executive

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:02 AEST

There has been a change of leadership in our P&C.

Congratulations to our newly elected team. These are:

Sheila Bryant, President, Juanita Parkes, Secretary, Kim Miller, Treasurer and Vice Presidents Angus Gregory and Harold Baker. Thanks also to those new and experienced faces who will support them on the P&C Committee.

Many thanks go to Noella Baker and Angus Gregory for their work on the P&C. Each will maintain contact in other roles this year.

Leaders Induction

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:00 AEST

Our Induction Ceremony held today was a great celebration of the leadership qualities of our students.

My thanks go to the parents of all the students involved. Congratulations and best wishes in your leadership roles this year.

Parent Lunch Meetings

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:03 AEST

Once again we will be conducting Parent Information Lunch Meetings.

Stage 1, Years 1 and 2 will be first off the mark on Thurs 3rd March in the hall from12pm.

Stage2, Years 3 and 4 will be on the 11th March from 12.30 to 1.30pm.

Stage 3, Years 5 and 6 will complete the meetings on Friday 18th March from 12.30 to 1.30pm.

Please confirm your attendance by joining the lucky draw and ensure we are aware of numbers for catering. Parents are encouraged to stay for lunch with your children.

Voluntary Contribution

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:08 AEST

The general operation of our school requires a range of funding that can exceed the allocation provided from Government sources.

Additional funding will assist us to develop a range of extra curriculum options such as our circus program, Science and Technology resources, chess club, games and school band.

Our contribution for this year has been set at $20 per student and $50 per family. These are due by Friday 18th March and a form to attach with the contribution is included in this Whisper.

Evans Swimming Champions

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:57 AEST

Our swimming carnival was a great success.

Evans were the Champion House and this was because student participation was high with a large percentage of swimmers earning points for their house.

Thank you to the many volunteers who assisted on the day including the P&C, our wonderful staff and many parents who kept time and prepared food etc on the day. Thank you so much.

P&C AGM

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:03 AEST

Our next P&C Meeting will be held on Wednesday 2nd March.
As it will be the AGM anyone who intends to vote on the night will need to be a financial member. It will cost you $5. A membership form is provided in this Whisper.
A number of office bearers will be stepping down this year so we are looking for some people to support the school by accepting positions on the executive. Please consider joining our dedicated P&C if you have the time.

WPS 150th Birthday

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:10 AEST

Volunteers needed to help organise our 150th Birthday Party

If you are able to help or have ideas please contact Darryl Thompson through the school office or by email at:

wellington-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au

The date has been set. The celebrations will take place on Friday 4th and Saturday 5th November.

Thank you to those people who have provided feedback so far. This will include us working with the Anglican Fete that will be held on the same Saturday. In the evening our Birthday Dinner Dance will feature ‘Dancing through the Ages' and is booked to be held at the Civic Centre.

We are also looking for the oldest living ex-student to attend the days. If you have other ideas I will be looking forward to hearing from you. Our first meeting will be before the P&C AGM at 6pm on the 2nd March.

Swimming Carnival

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:07 AEST

Our swimming carnival takes place next Friday 11th February at the town pool for children in years 3, 4, 5, 6. It will be great to see as many family members there as possible.

Due to the hot weather the P&C is looking for donations of fruit for the day.

A focus on correct Uniform

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:52 AEST

All items of our school uniform are now available for purchase either at school or from stores in Wellington. Orana School Uniforms, in Dubbo, also stock these items.

To support the wearing of correct uniform I am also asking for anyone with spare or unused uniforms to donate them to our clothing pool. This will allow us to support the goal of having every child in uniform. These can be left at the office.

Hats, stationery and school bags can also be purchased from the canteen.

Staffing 2011

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:06 AEST

This year we have consolidated our staffing as a result of targeted funding from the government for our school.

We welcome Peter Aird as our Deputy Principal, we welcome Naomi Stapleton to our Kinder team, Martine Keeffe has transferred from the High School, Amy Mara has been appointed to our school until she is allocated a permanent position in the area and Trent Forrest will join us soon as a relieving Aboriginal Education Officer.

Our class structures will be the same as in 2010 with the addition of a Year 6 class, enrichment activities will operate in classrooms this year. Students from Kinder to Year 6 will be included. If you would like your child involved in these programs please advise their teacher.

P&C celebrations delayed

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:03 AEST

Our Christmas P&C Meeting was postponed from last week due to the wet weather. It will now be held next week at the Lion of Waterloo Hotel on Wednesday 15th December.

Any new parents are most welcome to the dinner and meeting to commence at 6.30pm. Be sure not to miss out on the Principal's Drinks which get the night started.

Latest Sports News

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:00 AEST

Our Girl Cricketers are in Maitland today to compete in the inter school finals. I wish them well!

The PSSA competition concludes this week. Unfortunately it has been affected a lot by the weather. With most grounds in Dubbo under water there will be no play again this week.

My thanks go to the staff, students and the High School for supporting the successful PSSA program this term.

We look forward to some better weather conditions for the winter sports next year where we plan to enter the league, netball, soccer and hockey competitions.

Presentation Day 14/12/10

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:04 AEST

It will be great to see as many families as possible attend our Annual Presentation Day next Tuesday 14th December.

All children will come to school at the normal time and then make their way to the Civic Centre with their teachers for a 9.30am start.

This year the school will host a BBQ after the Presentation.

Latest Sports News

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:00 AEST

Our Girl Cricketers had a great time as part of the Western Team last week at the State Titles. They all showed great improvement with many describing great shots or bowling exploits to me this week.

Yet again Miss J has done a great job preparing the girls. Our school team travels to Maitland this week to compete in the inter school finals. They can take some inspiration from Mike Hussey this week. I wish them well!

The PSSA competition continued last week. I had the chance to visit most of the teams

The excellent reports from staff regarding behaviour and sportsmanship continued in Dubbo.

I must pay a particular vote of thanks to our High School students who are travelling to Dubbo to assist with the teams. All of these students and our staff are making this a great experience for the students.

Wii Christmas Raffle Tickets

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:10 AEST

Our raffle tickets for this year are attached to this weeks Whisper.

The first prize this year is a RED Wii with four games including Wii Sports, Super Mario Bros, Just Dance and Turtles Smash Up. Each family will receive one book of five $1 tickets. If you need more please ask at the office.

Second prize is a Family Pass to the Wellington Caves and Third Prize is a Dinner Voucher at the Soldiers Memorial Club.

The raffle will be drawn at the Christmas Carols Concert which will be held in the COLA on Tuesday 14th December from 6pm. More details next week!

Facebook and Internet use

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:57 AEST

Our School Liaison Police Officer attended school today to discuss a range of issues with students related to the use of Facebook and the Internet.

Marty Paice explained the legal aspects of social networking for students who are under 13 years of age. He gave a number of examples of the problems that can result from the inappropriate use of these websites.

Please contact the school for more information.

School Planning for 2011

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:05 AEST

The Wellington Public School Community will provide

Exceptional learning opportunities for all

in a well-resourced, engaging, supportive and inclusive environment.

The final structures for staffing in 2011 are being put in place this week.

All of our classes that have been in place during 2010 will be maintained next year. An extra class will be added in Years 5 and 6 to support the increased numbers in Stage 3.

Next year we will maintain enrichment support. It will be delivered in class rather than children moving to other places. This will reduce disruptions and provide more focussed support. Smaller class sizes will also allow for extra time to provide learning support.

We will have a new Deputy Principal, but at this stage we are unsure of who this will be.

Three teachers will be commencing maternity leave.

We are speaking with all staff individually about their situation for next year it will take some time before I can finalise arrangements. These will be available to publish soon.

Latest Sports News

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:00 AEST

Our Girls Cricket Team are away at the State Titles this week.

Yet again Miss J has done a great job preparing the girls and I am sure that they will put in another great performance this year. I wish them well!

The PSSA competition is progressing well after a lot of wet weather at the start.

What is most pleasing are the excellent reports from staff regarding behaviour and sportsmanship in Dubbo. We are also seeing a big improvement in behaviour during the week before PSSA Sport. Well Done!

Wellington PS 150 in 2011

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:10 AEST

Wellington Public School 150 years celebration.

We are looking for volunteers to join our committee to begin preparations for the 150 year celebrations of the school.

We plan to hold these in November next year.

Each year group in the school will be given a period of time in the school's history to research and to collect any memorabilia from this period.

At the moment these will be:

Years 5 and 6 (and Year 7 and 8 from the high school) the first 50 years 1861 to 1911, Years 3 and 4 1912 to 1961, Years 1 and 2 1962 to 2011, Preschool and Kinder the next 50 years!

Any other ideas or volunteers are most welcome.

If you are interested please contact the school.

Club House Hotel Donation

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:56 AEST

Yet another kind donation has been made to our Special Education students for the purchase of much needed equipment.

The Club House Hotel Social Club has kindly donated $300.

Many thanks go to Pam Hayes and Deb Perrin who visited the school to present us with their great donation last week.

P&C to celebrate successful year

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:03 AEST

Our Christmas P&C Meeting is to be held at the Lion of Waterloo Hotel on Wednesday 1st December.

Any new parents are most welcome to the dinner and meeting to commence at 6.30pm. Be sure not to miss out on the Principal's Drinks which get the night started.

Everyone is welcome!

The dinner will be a great chance to celebrate a great year for the P&C who have raised funds for the following areas:

· Royal Far West $500

· Stage 1 Sports Equipment $1000

· Western Rugby Rep Players $200

· WPS Rugby Gernseys $1000

· Pre-school Paints and Tree $200

· Western Girls Cricket Reps $350

A total of $3250

Thank you for your great support of our school!

Schools World Kindness Day

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:05 AEST

Friday 12^th November.

The Youth Interagency has negotiated with the Wellington Times to publish evidence of Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) in the paper during the lead up, in the week and following our activities.

A focus is for younger people to deliver a RAK to an older member of the community in the week.

The following are some examples:

· Ask your class to write a nice letter to an older relative or neighbour, saying that it is World Kindness Week.

· Visit a retirement centre, old people's home or hospital and sing or play music.

· Class writes stories for school newsletter on Kindness.

Planning Day

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:03 AEST

Our Planning Day went very well yesterday to develop our directions for 2011 and beyond.

The planning team worked with Elizabeth Gortschacher, a local business woman, to construct a school plan and situational analysis by the 3rd December.

Thank you to everyone who attended the meeting. The plan and future directions will be discussed with staff and families over the next two weeks before I submit it to our School Education Director on the 22nd November.

More building works

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:01 AEST

Over the next week more fences will go up across the school to complete a number of smaller projects. These include new cricket nets, a new fence and stairs between the Central Grass and Bottom Ash as well as new asphalt (including a half court basketball court) and seating near the new classrooms.

There will be some disruptions to normal movement so please be mindful of these changes.

Remembrance Day

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:05 AEST

We will hold our Remembrance Day in the hall at 11am on Thursday.

All classes will assemble by 10.45am to be seated. There will be some changes to Scripture to allow for this.

On Thursday we will have a combined Recess that will begin at 11.30am.

World Kindness Week

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:10 AEST

World Kindness Week or RAK it up in Wello

The Wellington Youth Interagency has decided to choose a practical activity each school term to focus community interest on the young people of our town.

World Kindness Week is being celebrated across the State from 8^th to 13^th of November 2010.

World Kindness Week aims to promote acts of kindness between students, staff and parents in schools.

Our school will celebrate World Kindness Week culminating in World Kindness Day for schools on Friday 12^th November. The Youth Interagency has negotiated with the Wellington Times to publish evidence of Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) in the paper during the lead up, in the week and following our activities.

A focus is for younger people to deliver a RAK to an older member of the community in the week.

The following are some examples:

· Ask your class to write a nice letter to an older relative or neighbour, saying that it is World Kindness Week.

· Visit a retirement centre, old people's home or hospital and sing or play music.

· Class writes stories for school newsletter on Kindness.

P&C Meeting postponed

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:03 AEST

For a number of reasons we have had to put our P&C Meeting back until next Wednesday 10th November.

Sports News

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:06 AEST

PSSA sport finally went ahead. All teams played very well and by all accounts the students enjoyed the morning of competition. We need to be sure to leave school no later than 8.40am on Fridays. Any student who is not on the bus at this time will need to stay at school. They will be back by approx. 12pm.
Great news also with our Girl's Cricket team securing a close win over Dubbo South on Monday.

School Planning Day 8/11

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:05 AEST

Our school will be holding a Planning Day on Monday 8th November to develop our directions for 2011 and beyond.
The planning team will be working with Elizabeth Gortschacher, a local business woman, to construct a school plan and situational analysis by the 3rd December. The day will begin at 1pm and we will work into the evening until about 8pm. Dinner will be provided.
We already have a number of people who have asked to join the team. If you are interested and have not spoken to me please do so this week.

Sports news

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:06 AEST

State Athletics

Simon Slack-Smith finished in the top 20 at the State Athletics carnival last week. Mrs Eather also did an outstanding job as Team Manager.

Boys Touch Football

Our Boys Touch team were narrowly defeated in the Regional Final. Thanks to all the families and staff who supported the boys this year. This is a great result!

Cultural Gathering a big success

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:56 AEST

Last week a group of 60 students and staff represented our school at a Cultural Gathering in Dubbo.
The celebration at Apex Oval marked the opening of the Aboriginal Learning Centre that is based in Dubbo and serves all of the schools in Western NSW Region.
Wellington was well represented with Evelyn Willie and Bruce Carr performing. Jackson Mohr joined Bruce on stage to become one of the highlights of an enjoyable day.

Student Health Checks

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:06 AEST

Pauline Wicks, the Aboriginal Eye Health Coordinator from Wellington Aboriginal Corporation Health Service, along with a Doctor from WACHS and the Healthy for Life workers Anita, Lai and Trish will be coming to Wellington Public School on Mondays the 1^st, 8^th and 22^nd of November 2010 to do Eye, Ear testing and child health checks on students.
With your consent, your child will be seen to make sure they can see/hear properly and their general health is OK.
If you would like your child to be seen please fill out the permission form in the Whisper, sign and return it to the Wellington Public School office as soon as possible.
A permission note is also available by clicking on the link below.

WACHS Health Check Note (pdf, 32 KB)

PSSA Sport this Friday

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:04 AEST

We are going for third time lucky to see 60 kids travelling to Dubbo on Friday for PSSA sport. They will leave at 8.35am and be back by 12pm.

If students have paid in advance we will arrange for money to be returned to families.

Commonwealth Games Sports Day

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:56 AEST

Next Tuesday 26th October, at Pioneer Park all of our students will be competing in a tabloid sports day that will be run like the Commonwealth Games.
Each student from Kinder to Year 6 will represent one of 16 countries. Their will be an Opening (at 9.30am) and Closing (at 2pm) Ceremony and a range of sports played on the day.
The event will be coordinated by the Be Skilled Be Fit organisation. The school is sponsoring the overall costs for the day.Teams from Geurie, Yeoval and Stuart Town will also be joining us. Recess will be held from 11 to 11.30am and Lunch from 1 to 2pm. Our school canteen will be available at the ground. Volunteers should see Mrs Morley.
Families are most welcome to attend and support the children. The day will conclude at 2.30pm so that children can make their way back to school in time for buses.

Healthy Harold arrives

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:58 AEST

The Life Education van arrives next week.

Although the admission is subsidised all students will need to return the reduced entry fee for this important activity. Cost is $3

The permission note is attached.Life Ed Permission Note (pdf, 92 KB)

Gould League Celebrations

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:58 AEST

Despite some of the worst weather of the season our Gould League Centenary Celebrations were a great success.
All of our guests had a great time, many returning to Wellington for the first time in a long while.
We have received many very positive comments about the ceremony in the new hall and the exceptional behaviour and respect shown by all of the children. The student performance has been given rave reviews.
As mentioned on the day our thanks go out to our dedicated P&C, the exceptional staff of our great school and our wonderful students. The passion of Carole Gass and Alice Newton in preserving the history of our community were a key to the success of the event.
Congratulations to all of the award winners.

Bandanna Day

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:53 AEST

The charity CANTEEN will be holding its annual bandanna day on Friday 29th October.
Bandanna's will be available for purchase from next Monday 18th October.

PSSA Sport Starts Friday 15/10

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:04 AEST

This week a group of 60 students will travel to Dubbo each Friday for nine weeks to participate in the Summer PSSA competition. The sports the teams will play are touch football, cricket and T-Ball.

Notes will go home today. Each student will need to pay $5 per week for the bus. Students can pre-pay $40 for the term and save $5.

Gould League Centenary

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:58 AEST

CELEBRATIONS THIS FRIDAY 15TH & SATURDAY 16TH OCTOBER. See this story and this week's WHISPER for full details.

Each Grade will be operating their own stall at our Mini Fete on Friday 15th October.

These are:

Preschool: Cupcakes and Animal Nursery
Kinder/Preschool: Face Painting
Year 1: Helium Balloons
Year 2: Drinks
K/6 P: Lolly bags
K/6E: White Elephant
3/4 H: Show bags
Year 3: Helium Balloons
Year 4: Tattoos
Year 5 and 6: Cakes and Biscuits and Novelties.

Any parents interested in supporting a stall should speak with their children about the activity that their class may be involved with.

Any donations to assist with these stalls would be most welcome. We are accepting pre loved items for the White Elephant stall. These can be left at the school up until Friday morning.

The P&C have booked a bucking bull, jumping slide and tea cup ride for the weekend.

You can pre-purchase wrist bands from today for $18 and you will get unlimited rides for the whole of the fete. The bands can be purchased on the day for $20 or children can take a ride for $4 each time.

A map of where to find the stalls is included in this Whisper.

We are expecting rain so the hall will be used if there is inclement weather. All going well the Official Ceremony will be held under the Gould League Tree.

Most of the stalls will be in the COLA with the rides on the Central Grass. If the weather turns the rides will move to the COLA and the stalls will be set up in the E and F Block Halls.

Students return Monday 11th Oct

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:07 AEST

As Term Three draws to a close I would like to thank all families and staff for their efforts in contributing to so many events.

From sporting events to parent meetings to following up on classroom activities every little effort, no matter how small, have made the term a success.

Students return to school on Monday 11th October.

Kindy Transition Begins 22/10

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:00 AEST

Begins Friday, 22nd October at 9am
Runs each Friday for a total of 8 weeks
Sessions 2 hours – 9am to 11am
Children will participate in a range of activities that develop both social and academic skills
Children will learn school routines and rules
Opportunity to get to know teachers and staff before formal schooling begins
Peer Buddy Program
Opportunity to assess children's readiness for school
Parent courses – Reading at home, Dealing with separation anxiety, Healthy lunch boxes, Maths hints, BBCCW
Letters will be sent home during the second week of the holidays outlining the group that your child is in for transition and its location
For further info, please contact Debbie Milgate or Brent Eather through the school office

Sports News

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:06 AEST

Our boys touch team defeated Narromine last week. They play against Parkes PS at Rygate on Friday.
Well Done to Cirque du Smirk who spent last Friday in Mudgee training other students as a part of the Active After Schools Program. Thanks to you all. It was definitely bigger and better than last year.

NAPLAN results

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:01 AEST

All Year 3 and Year 5 children will have received their NAPLAN results this week.

Overall the results are pleasing with steady growth shown in all of our students from Yr 3 to Yr 5, especially in Numeracy.

If you have any questions regarding the parent package please feel free to contact your child's class teacher or arrange to see the Principal.

Outstanding NAIDOC Day

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:03 AEST

Many thanks go to everyone involved in our annual NAIDOC Day. Well done to Megan and Shirley who put in an extraordinary amount of work to get the day organised.

Many of the children have commented to me that it was the BEST NAIDOC DAY EVER!

Our Eisteddfod performances were excellent and a great way to finish the day.

The High School NAIDOC Day will be held Wednesday 15th September, followed by a celebration concert that will feature acts from our school as well.

Please try your best to support the concert which starts at 6.30pm tomorrow night. There will be a $2 entry fee and a canteen will be operating.

Sports News

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:06 AEST

WPS boys touch team plays at Rygate Park on Wednesday against Narromine PS in the regional quarter final. We wish the boys luck.
Cirque du Smirk are also off to Mudgee on Friday to participate in a circus workshop being conducted by the Active After Schools Program. All of those who participated last year had a great day so I am sure that it will be bigger and better this year.

Sports News

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:05 AEST

Regional Athletics: Congratulations to Rhianna Sutherland (discus), Aiden Bestwick and Simon Slack-Smith (shot putt) for their success at the Regional Carnival last Friday. All will progress to compete in Homebush at the PSSA Carnival.
Boys Touch: Our boys touch team had a narrow win over Gilgandra last week. All played very well.

Excellent Kindy Transition BBQ

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:57 AEST

Thanks to all the current families who supported our Kinder Transition BBQ on Friday. Don't forget, our Transition Program begins on Friday 22nd of October and runs each Friday morning finishing on the 10th December. Please contact the school office on 6845 4080 for more details.
With many new families attending our numbers for Kinder are looking very similar to previous years.
It is definitely not too late to enrol for next year so please be sure to encourage friends and relatives to collect an enrolment form and join the BEST KINDER PROGRAM IN TOWN!

NAIDOC Day 8/9/10

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:01 AEST

Don't forget our annual NAIDOC Day will be held on Wednesday 8th September. It will follow the same format as previous years.
Most of our Eisteddfod performances will take place during the day if you missed these.
The High School NAIDOC Day will be held on Wednesday 15th September, followed by a celebration concert that will feature acts from our school as well.
Any volunteers to assist on the day are most welcome. Please contact Megan or Shirley through the school office on 6845 4080.

Gould League Centenary News

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:58 AEST

Each Grade has now settled on a stall that they will run at our Mini Fete on Friday 15th October.
Any parents interested in supporting a stall should speak with their children about the activity that their class may be involved with.
The P&C have booked a bucking bull, jumping slide and tea cup ride for the weekend.

Sports News

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:05 AEST

SOFTBALL: A third placing in the Western Region Softball has seen Kotoni Staggs chosen in his third Western team for the year. Jeremy Barton and Sam campbell will also represent Western adding this sport to their Rugby selection. Thanks to Mrs Morley and Shirley for their work with the team.
TOUCH: The boys touch team travels to Gilgandra today.
REGIONAL ATHLETICS: Our successful athletes are now preparing for the Regional Carnival which takes place this Friday 3rd September.

Excellent Athletics Performances

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:57 AEST

Our athletes performed with distinction at the District Athletics Carnival held last Friday in Dubbo.

Jeremy Barton was awarded age champion, Simon Slack-Smith recorded a record throw in the shot putt and both our senior boys and girls relay teams finished the day on a high. Our school was narrowly defeated by Dubbo South PS for the overall title.

Thanks also go to Sim Campbell who assisted in the canteen on the day and to Shirley who always does such a wonderful job of keeping the team organised.

More Eisteddfod Success

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:01 AEST

In one of our most successful Eisteddfods ever our choirs excelled. Stage One achieved second place, with the Stage Two and Three awarded first place.

Along with a range of pleasing individual performances the school band performed well and our Special Education percussion group stole their session with the top mark for the section.

Our staff provided outstanding support and instruction in all of these areas. A HUGE thank you for your efforts.

Eisteddfod Success

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:57 AEST

What a talented range of students we have at WPS!

All of our verse speaking choirs were excellent. I was so proud of all of them. As the chairperson I had the best view in the house.

Year 1 and Year 3 were awarded 1st place. Preschool and Year 5 being very unlucky in my biased view not to be placed higher.

Our teachers have provided excellent support to the best behaved students I have seen at the Eisteddfod. All of our groups had large numbers of children and their preparation was first class.

A front page photo in the Times yesterday was the reward for our Hip Hop Dancers. Some confusion surrounds their placing but their energy and enthusiasm are infectious. Thanks so much to Emma Trudgett for lending her expertise to the group.

Darryl Thompson - Principal

NAIDOC Day

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:01 AEST

Our annual NAIDOC Day will be held on Wednesday 8th September. It will follow the same format as previous years.

The High School NAIDOC Day will be held on Wednesday 15th September, followed by a celebration concert that will feature acts from our school as well.

Please put these dates in your diary.

New Hall Ready to GO!!

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:01 AEST

Our hall is ready to go!

A few finishing touches over the next few days will see us holding our first function.

It will be a great resource for our school.

BEST KINDY PROGRAM IN TOWN!

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:54 AEST

Kindergarten Transition BBQ.

Please be sure to collect your Kindergarten enrolment forms as soon as possible. Enrolment forms will also be available on the day.

Our Kinder Transition BBQ will take place on Friday 3rd September from 11.30am to 1pm starting in the Block A Hall.

This is an important day for finalising enrolment details and finding out information about our Kinder program for 2011.

Be sure to encourage friends and relatives to come along on this day and join the BEST KINDY PROGRAM IN TOWN!

Transition BBQ Invite (pdf, 148 KB)

Learner | Respectful | Safe

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:00 AEST

P Bee L is beginning to poke his head up in all sorts of places, including our school website. Mr Bee is our PBL mascot and is helping to remind students at WPS of our behavioural expectations

Gould League Centenary News

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:58 AEST

As advertised we are still interested in speaking with anyone interested in assisting us to conduct a Bird Calling competition at the Centenary Celebrations.

This week each Grade will be choosing a stall that they will run at our Mini Fete on Friday 15th October.

Any parents interested in supporting a stall should speak with their children about the activity that their class may be involved with.

The P&C have booked a Bucking Bull and some other amusement rides for the weekend.

Students visiting from China

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:07 AEST

A number of students from our school are hosting students from a school in China as they visit Wellington and Dubbo for the week. During their visit the students will be given a taste of life in the Central West including a trips to the Western Plains Zoo and an afternoon at the Barton's Farm.

Later in the year our students will get to travel to China and complete an outstanding exchange opportunity.

Many thanks to Mr Mutton and the host families for their support of this program.

WPS Debating Team

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:11 AEST

On Monday 21st of June, the debating team from Wellington Primary School travelled to Cowra to debate Mulyan Primary School. The team, consisting of Yamirra Talbot, Thomas Swainston, Alex Francis and Andrew Murray made a valiant effort to debate the topic, but were defeated by the Mulyan team.

The students conducted themselves very well and were a credit to our school.

Parent-Teacher Interviews

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:03 AEST

TUESDAY 29TH JUNE 3PM TO 6PM

Kindy, Year 1 and Year 2 will be held in the School Library.

A booking request form will be sent home this week for Kindy, 1 and 2 ONLY.

Year 3 and Year 4 will be held in the Block E Hall.

All teachers will be set up in E Block hall to enable parents to speak with their child's class teacher and Literacy group teacher as well. There is no need to make an appointment as you can speak with the teacher required as they become available.

Year 5 and Year 6 will be held in the Block F Hall.

All teachers will be set up in F Block hall to enable parents to speak with their child's class teacher and Maths group teacher as well. There is no need to make an appointment as you can speak with the teacher required as they become available.

We look forward to discussing your child's progress during semester 1 of 2010.

POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR for LEARNING

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:03 AEST

Be a Learner | Be Respectful | Be Safe

This document, along with iKi training for staff, will be the focus of our school development day on Monday 19th July.

All changes that are developed will be taken to the first P&C Meeting for Term 3 on Wednesday 4th August at 7pm.

Peachey Shield Victory

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:03 AEST

Our Peachey and Richardson league teams acquitted themselves very well in Dubbo last week.

With two teams of Year 3 and 4 students our focus was very much on building experience for our teams at this level of competition. Both sides were defeated by the eventual finalists in the early rounds of the competition. All the boys played very well.

What can be said about our Peachey Shield team?

For the past three years we have been defeated in the semi finals by Dubbo South who have then gone on to win this Regional Competion.

This year an outstanding team effort turned the tables on our opposition and we go to the Finals this year as the Dubbo winners. It is a credit also to the work of Mr Johnson and Mrs Thompson who have developed the boys with their skills on the field and there attitude off it!

Best wishes for the Finals on the 30th June.

A great K-2 Athletics Carnival

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:52 AEST

This year we have been very lucky with the weather for both of our Athletics Carnivals.

We thank Jody Blackhall and Karissa Pedron for their organisation of a great day last Friday.

The spirit of this event is all about participation and fun. By all reports this is what the day was all about.

Thanks also go to Mr Leeder and Noella Baker for their efforts in preparing the BBQ.

It is also pleasing the see so much support for the children from families on these days. Well Done!

iKi crew in classrooms

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:59 AEST

Last week Mr Conn, Mr Sharkey and Mr Thompson visited schools in Walgett and Lightning Ridge who are working with the iKi Program.

Useful feedback was gained in how to support our older students working in other classes to implement the principles of being happy, healthy and strong.

This step will be supported by the development of our Expected Student Behaviours which are being refined and will focus on all students to:

Be a Learner, be Respectful and to be Safe!

Maths Matters training

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:00 AEST

All staff in Stages Two and Three continue their training today and tomorrow to develop classroom strategies that improve the teaching of ‘place value' in maths lessons.

This builds on training from last term. Our school is focusing on improving student performance in Numeracy and working with our consultancy team from Dubbo to do this.

Vibe Alive

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:08 AEST

A small but talented band of students achieved a marvellous result for our school at the annual Vibe Alive celebration in Moree.

Their performance of the George Michael hit ‘Faith' saw them awarded first prize in the singing section. A 3rd place in the Indigenous Games section saw them in contention for the overall medals. The need for an early departure resulted in them narrowly missing a Bronze Medal.

Along with the High School they were great representatives of our community.

Many thanks to Miss Megan, Mr Hoy, Miss Chantelle and Jason Carr for their excellent support and development of this group, the Wellington Wedgetails!

WPS to use old Police Station

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:11 AEST

We are receiving a lot of media coverage regarding the school's use of the old Police Station.

As Mr Thompson has explained in a few forums the building will provide a great space for us to run literacy and numeracy development programs.

We are also very keen for the area to be a focus of community training and support.

If you have any ideas or thoughts on how we can use this space please do not hesitate to contact the school.

Outstanding Athletics Carnival

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:03 AEST

What a tremendous carnival.

Thanks go to Michelle Eather, Kate Boland and their team for such a well planned and run event.

Many thanks to Dugald Campbell for setting up and doing such a great job as starter all day.

Thanks to the P&C led by Noella Baker who did such a great job in preparing for the day and coordinating a great team of parents who assisted in the canteen.

Well Done to Oxley in being awarded Champion House.

The K-2 Athletics Carnival will take place in a few weeks on Friday 11th June.

Gould League Centenary update

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:58 AEST

Preparations for these festivities on Friday 15th October and Saturday 16th October are continuing to take shape.

An enthusiastic group attended the planning meeting last Wednesday, before the P&C meeting.

The general format for the days will be as follows:

Friday the 15th will see a mini fete held at the school. This will include a number of re-enactments of the formation of the Gould League at our school. Around midday a formal ceremony will be held which will hopefully include guests including the Governor of NSW.

On Saturday a range of community events will include history sessions about the Gould League and an environmental expo highlighting how the League led to the formation of many current environmental groups.

In the lead up to the days a number of competitions will be held for students of all ages and the wider community. These details will be available soon. They will include colouring, poetry, writing and photographic competitions.

Please keep these important dates available in your diary.

NAPLAN at WPS

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:01 AEST

Year 3 and 5 will doing NAPLAN on Tuesday 11th May, Wednesday 12th and Thursday 13th.

Friday 14th May is a catch up day should any students miss a day.

If you have any questions regarding the process or your child is concerned in any way please speak with your teacher or see the Principal.

Our school's commitment to the tests is in relation to the valuable feedback that they provide on student progress rather than how our school can be compared to another.

Outstanding Show Exhibit

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:03 AEST

A team of dedicated staff have been rewarded for their outstanding exhibit at the show with the award of Grand Champion.

The ribbon is on display in the foyer. An even more exciting aspect to the display is that it will continue to grow right up to the Gould League Centenary celebrations in October.

Sincere thanks go to the talented and dedicated staff who designed and constructed such a unique and amazing example of what our school can achieve with everyone working together.

ANZAC Day March

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:52 AEST

The Anzac Day March was well supported once again this year despite the inclement weather. Over 60 students and 20 staff participated in the march and the service, whilst our school captains laid a wreath afterwards at the town Cenotaph in Cameron Park.

Many thanks to parents for presenting their children in pristine summer uniform for the march.

PSSA Sport

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:04 AEST

This week will see our school participate in the PSSA sports competition in Dubbo for the first time.

A boys team will play in the Rugby League (coached by Bryan Johnson) and the girls will have a netball team (coached by Tammy Hill).

Transport will be by mini bus and car. Contact the school office for further details.

Welcome back to Term 2

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:09 AEST

Over the break our hall has begun to take shape both inside and out. The large door at the rear of the building was installed last week making it look like a very large garage. Completion is still several months away.

On Monday 19th April, most staff refined planning on our school targets. Our special education staff travelled to Dubbo for a day focussed on the diverse needs of our support classes.

More Interactive Whiteboards

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:01 AEST

A further six electronic whiteboards have been installed in classrooms across the school.

Five of these will be in classrooms (2H, 2J, Kinder Red, 4C and 5/6A) and one is a mobile version we will be trialling in the library to begin with.

This is the beginnings of a process which will see these boards in every classroom over the next three years.

Gould League Centenary Planning

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:58 AEST

The NSW Gould League celebrates its Centenary this year. It was formed under our tree on the top ashpalt 100 years ago.

The festivities will take place on Friday 15th October and Saturday 16th October, so put these dates in your diary.

Some planning has already taken place and a number of people have nominated to join the organising committee. More are most welcome.

I would like to convene the first official planning meeting at 6pm on Wednesday 5th May, before the P&C meeting. The main issues to be discussed are the itinerary for the days and major activities that will take place.

Director General visits WPS

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:56 AEST

On Tuesday 9th March Director General, Mr Micheal Coutts-Trotter, visited Wellington Public School as part of his visit to the Dubbo Group of Schools.

Whilst here, Mr Coutts-Trotter visited our Pre School, Kindergarten Green then saw part of an "IKI" session with Stage 3 children.

He also inspected the famous "Gould League" Tree, under which the Gould League of Bird Lovers was founded 100 years ago, and met with our current school captains.

WPS to participate in Dubbo PSSA

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:11 AEST

Wellington Public School have nominated to field two teams in the PSSA competition each Friday in Dubbo next term.

The school will support a netball and league team in the competition in order to extend the range of games the children have access to over the winter term.

Any families who are able to assist us will be most welcome.

After School Activites

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:08:52 AEST

Homework Centre and Active After Schools

Both of these popular programs will operate again this year.

Both commenced this week.

Some additional permission forms needed from the organisers of the Active Afterschool program will come home this week.

Parent Lunch Meetings

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:03 AEST

This year we are returning to a lunch format for the Parent Information Sessions.

These will begin with Years 1 and 2 on Friday 5th March from 11.30 to 12.30pm.

The sessions will finish in time for you to have lunch with your children at school.

Years 3 and 4 will follow on Friday 12th March and Years 5 and 6 on Friday 19th March.

Both of these sessions will run from 12.30 to 1.30pm.

For further information, please phone the school office on 6845 4080.

Positive Behaviour for Learning

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:03 AEST

Each week this year we will again focus as a whole school on one area. This week the focus is from the Classroom Organisation section. Be organised and prepared to learn and

· Have the correct equipment with you

· Remain seated unless asked to move

· Only use toilets in break times

· Remove hats

Classes during the week will be taught or have modelled for them how to put these expectations into practice.

Welcome Back - 2010

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:09 AEST

A warm welcome back to the new school year.

With a range of new buildings, painted and carpeted classrooms and many new programs we are well prepared for a great year.

WPS School Return Dates for 2010

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:09:11 AEST

Years 1 to 6 return on Thursday 28th January, 2010.
PreSchool and Kindergarten return Monday 1st February 2010.

The Staff and Students of Wellington PS wish you a joyful festive season and a happy and prosperous 2010.