T3W3 – 28/07/2016 - Williamstown Primary School

Williamstown Primary News
28th July 2016 Supervision in the Yard commences at 8.45 a.m. and finishes at 3.45pm.
Dates to
Remember
Principals’ Comments
Dear Parents,
AUGUST
Monday 8th
Curriculum Day –
Student free Day
Tuesday 9th-Friday 12th
Science Week
Thursday 11th
FOPA
Monday 15th-Friday 19th
Book Week
Tuesday 23rd
School Council
We have celebrated our Preps being at school for 100 days this week and
how proud they were!
Congratulations to every Willy Kid and to all the Prep teachers and staff
for creating a wonderful day of numeracy, based on 100. We saw some
amazingly creative costumes (thanks Mums and Dads), some fabulous
representations of 100 and some very yummy treats! It was a wonderful
day
Monday 29th – Friday 2nd
Sept
Prep – Gr2 Warm
Water Swimming
SEPTEMBER
Thursday 1st
Father’s Day Stall
Saturday 10th
FOW Trivia Night
Friday 16th
Footy Day
End Term 3 –Dismiss
2.30pm
Congratulations!
OCTOBER
Monday 31st
Curriculum Day
Uniform review
As mentioned in our newsletter last week, in response to recent feedback
from both parents and students, the WPS School Council will be
establishing a committee to review our current school uniform. Input
Contact:
Web: www.williamstownps.vic.edu.au
Email: williamstown.ps@edumail.vic.gov.au
Phone: 9397 1248
Principals’ Comments contd.
from all members of the WPS community is most welcome in order to ensure a comprehensive uniform
review, with the objective of determining current perspectives on our uniform and any potential for
future amendments.
Through discussion at committee meetings and surveys of a variety of stakeholders in the WPS
community, the Uniform Committee will specifically address:

Existing uniform items in relation to factors such as: range offered, functionality,
currency of design, colour options, seasonality, fabrics etc.;

Student, teacher and parent attitudes towards the current WPS uniform and any
preferences for change;

Observations relating to our current uniform supplier, particularly in terms of the
quality and cost of uniform items;

How our uniform relates to WPS educational objectives; and

Existing WPS uniform policy and possible amendments for future implementation
following the review.
You can help to shape the future of the Willy Primary school uniform!
If you are interested in joining the committee, please contact Cat Oldham via the school email
williamstown.ps@edumail.vic.gov.au
Please also be on the lookout for other ways to provide your feedback.
Make a Difference Program
We are very pleased to once again be connecting with our Willy Kids once again who have moved on
to Williamstown High School. Students in Year 9 are involved in the Make a Difference Program, a
community action program connecting them with various organisations including schools and
hospitals. Together with a staff member, approximately 15 Year 9 kids will join us at Wednesday
lunchtimes to implement a range of activities with our students in the yard including a Chess Club, a
Drama group, and a Dodgeball challenge.
It is hoped that a similar program will also run in term 4 as well.
We are delighted to form this strong student centred partnership with Willy High and I think we can
be proud of the strong community connection this promotes. Additionally, it’s always great to
reconnect with our older Willy Kids – ‘Once a Willy Kid, Always a Willy Kid’.
Annual Parent Opinion Survey
Approximately 85 randomly selected families would have recently received a copy of the 2016 Parent
Opinion Survey, a DET generated questionnaire which provides us with essential, annual feedback
about our school. The questionnaire explores a wide range of issues and key performance areas of a
school. All schools across the state of Victoria are mandated to participate, as it is an important part of
parent engagement and assists with future planning and improvement of our school.
The survey is confidential and designed to protect the identity of individual respondents. It provides
an opportunity for families to contribute comments on what they like, or what they might like to
change at the school. The families selected for the survey are generated by a computer program, and
are therefore indeed random.
We strongly encourage those who received a survey to offer your thoughts and ideas about how
Willy is tracking for you and your family. Please complete and return the survey to the school office
by tomorrow, Friday 29th July. Many thanks!
School Council discussions
Our council meeting on Tuesday evening lead to discussions about a range of matters including one, of
particular interest to families, the cooling at Williamstown Primary School. As you would be aware, all
classrooms at Willy are provisioned with ceiling fans to help keep the learning environment pleasant
during warmer weather. Only some, however, are air-conditioned. The Bluestone and Redbrick
buildings do not yet have air conditioning. Whilst this doesn’t usually present too much of a problem,
on some scorching days, it would definitely be more comfortable, if these building were able to be
cooled.
There are many reasons why these classrooms are not cooled: the prohibitive cost of installing an
effective system being one, however there are also greater complexities surrounding this issue
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Principals’ Comments contd.
including the design of the building, (the height of the ceilings in particular) and the heritage listing of
the buildings. If we were to install a system it would need to environmentally viable, cost effective and
actually work!
School Council is currently exploring the feasibility of adding cooling to these buildings. We are
seeking cooling advice from industrial cooling companies and engineers, as well as exploring viable
funding models, before then commencing a conversation with Heritage Victoria. Whilst we can give no
guarantees, this project may become a focus of our school in the near future.
Warm regards,
Mat and Andrea
Willy Kids are Friendly Kids – respectful, responsible, courteous and co-operative
Willy Kids winners for this week
Congratulations
Willy Kids Award Winner 22/07/2016
We hope to be able to publish these photos each week, provided parent permission has been granted.
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Principals’ Comments contd.
Other snippets of info

Tickets to our 80’s Trivia Night (Sat Sept. 10) are now on sale!

Don’t forget our next Pupil-free Day (Curriculum Day) is on Monday August 8th. On this
day, all staff will be involved in professional learning related to Science.

Our Year 3/4 Camp dates are now available on the calendar.

Don’t forget our Assembly tomorrow at 2:45pm hosted by Zoe’s 1 D.

Vic. Premier’s reading Challenge – are your kids still reading? It closes in a month and a
half! (September 9th)

A proposed date is being set for another Seaside Fair in 2017! Watch this space.
Willy Kids are Friendly Kids
This term we are working on
CO-OPERATION
Next week we will focus on
Negotiation and Cooperation
Why Learn This Skill?
If you want someone to do something for you, or to give you permission to do something, the best way to get
what you want is to negotiate. Negotiation involves trying to get what you want by firstly working out what
the other person wants and trying to give it to them. This way is called the “win-win” way of negotiation
because both people get something they want. It is different from a “win-lose” approach where someone gets
what they want and the other person doesn’t get anything.
Negotiating needs to be planned and each side has to complete their side of the bargain. For example, you
might want a ride to footy training so you negotiate with Mum to give you the ride and in return you will put
the rubbish out. If you do not keep your part of the bargain you won’t be trusted next time and the
relationship suffers.
Remember You are more likely to get what you want and keep friends if the other person gets something too.
Do’s
Decide what you want.
Think about what the other person might want in return (e.g. they might want to be sure that something they
lend you will be looked after).
Pick a good time to ask.
Make your request, pointing out how the other person will get something that they want too.
Use a friendly tone of voice.
If you can’t work out what they want in return, ask them directly.
If the other person won’t agree to what you want, accept that. You won’t always get what you want.
Keep your side of the bargain.
Don’ts
Don’t ask at an inconvenient time (e.g. when the other person is busy or talking to someone else).
Don’t use a grizzly, whingeing voice.
Don’t threaten, sulk, insult or get angry if you don’t get what you want.
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Gr. 5 / 6 NEWS
Every Friday is
WALK TO SCHOOL FRIDAY
Let’s aim for 100% attendance!
We love having our 5/6 students at school and
each one of them is a valuable member and
contributor to their class. Every day and lesson
is important and helps build your child’s
knowledge and understanding. If your child is
sick please continue to keep them home until
they are better. If they are well, we’d love to see
them here, actively learning and making the
most out of their time with us.
The winner from last week
Prep R
iPads
In 5/6 we use our iPads every day. It is a
valuable tool for communication, reflection,
research and collaboration. As such, students
need to remember to bring them in fully
charged.
Gr. 3 / 4 NEWS
There is lots of excitement in the 3/4 corridors
with camp notes coming home. Early in Term
Four each Grade 3/4 class will be heading off on
a Zoo Snooze at Melbourne Zoo. This is not only
a great opportunity to celebrate what we are
learning this term in our Feathers, Fur, Fins &
Scales Integrated unit, but also to strengthen
relationships and build social skills & resilience.
Each class will be attending on separate days, as
follows:
3/4J Monday 10/10 – Tuesday 11/10
3/4T Tuesday 11/10 - Wednesday 12/10
3/4C Monday 17/10 – Tuesday 18/10
3/4S Tuesday 18/10 - Wednesday 19/10
3/4P Monday 24/10 – Tuesday 25/10
3/4K Tuesday 25/10 – Wednesday 26/10
Please read the notes sent home for more
information. Permission forms and payment in
full are required by Friday 26th August, at the
absolute latest, as the Melbourne Zoo has strict
protocols in place regarding early payment. You
can chat to our lovely helpful office staff if you
would like to make a payment plan, use CSEF
payment or require assistance financially.
This week you could ask your child about….
In class we’ve been looking at shape and
geometry. What does your child know about 3D
and 2D shape?
From
Lisa Leydin, James Barger, Bianca Italiano,
Maria Villani, Helen Thomaidis and Jess De
Bono
Congratulations!
On Saturday 23rd July Kieran Bowles and James
Frisby represented Williamstown Athletics
Centre competing in the Little Athletics State
Cross Country Championships. Held at Cruden
Farm the athletes had to deal with cow pats as
well as the cold and mud on a challenging
course. Kieran came 4th and James came 18th in
their respective age groups.
Kieran also recently competed in the School
Sports Victoria Cross Country Championships
held at Bundoora Park on Thursday 14th July. In
a 3 km race he placed 28th out of 82 athletes
with a time of 10 mins 42 seconds.
Reminders
The children are asked to put their iPads away
when the first bell rings of the morning, then
head back outside to play until the music goes.
Sometimes staff may need to the leave the room
during this time and students should not be
unsupervised in the classrooms.
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circle. When he reached the end he saw a terrifying
robot he hadn’t seen in a very long time…ZURG!
“Well, well, well we meet again” said Zurg. Wham!
Zurg hit Buzz incredibly hard. Zurg was so angry
now he hot Buzz with his weapon and…off went
Buzz’s head!
This week you could ask your child about….
In Literacy…. Discuss scanning a text to find the
main idea, rather than reading every word when
looking for specific information.
In Mathematics… Discuss inverse operations
(12+5=17, 17-5=12)
In Inquiry…. Discuss insects and what makes
then unique. Maybe try to see how many
different insects you can find in your garden.
Cheers.
Liz Beasley, Nicki Stutterd, Molly Hedditch,
Warren Davey
From
Steven Puhar, Tanya Chambers, Joel Kitchen,
Michelle Jordan, Rohan Crowle, Johanne Ford
and Anna Swan
University of NSW – Science Competition
2016 Results
A huge congratulations to all the students who
participated in the University of NSW Science
Competition. As usual, the students did their
very best and shone!
Gr. 2 NEWS
The children are immersing themselves in the “I
Spy in My Garden” science focus. They are
working towards developing green fingers by
planting seeds in containers and sitting them on
window-sills and in cupboards (just like they
did fifty years ago!). Many of the experiments
can be reproduced at home so that the children
can observe the changes that take place in the
germination process. So far it all appears to be a
lot of fun. Please talk to your children about the
plants and minibeasts that exist around the
home.
Keep your child practicing the spelling list
words each night and listen to your child
reading. Ask questions to improve oral
comprehension.
Notes will be coming home this week about the
swimming program later in the term. Please fill
them in and return to school promptly; it would
be much appreciated.
Children have been working on sizzling starts in
their writing and below is a fine example:
Williamstown Primary School has much to be
proud of – we have Friendly Kids, Sporty Kids,
Artistic Kids, Musical Kids and of course, we
have Clever Kids!
I would like to take this opportunity as the coordinator of these competitions to thank each
and every student who gave this a go,
regardless of the result. It is wonderful to
celebrate the academic attempts and
achievements of our wonderful Willy Kids!
39 students in Grades 2-6 participated in this
event with the following results:
2 x High Distinction:
Austin Black - Grade 2,
Callum Patel – Grade 3
2 x Distinction:
Robert (Forbes) Gilmour – Grade 3,
Hugh Berry – Grade 6
13 x Credit
5 x Merit
17 x Participation
Sizzling Start to Toy Story 2
By Heidi Asp 2H
Ka-boom!!! Buzz whizzed through the air, as he did it
turned purple. He landed on a floating rock planet.
Arh! Aliens! “It’s time to attack” said Buzz through
his walky talky Just then Buzz wacked the robot
aliens with his bright red laser. After, he hopped
down onto the spikey triangle piece. Next he
purposely jumped into a deep dark hole. Slowly he
walked towards a dangerous looking door. Suddenly
the door burst open. As he walked through the door
he slowly jumped onto an extremely, spikey and flat
Congratulations and well done to all
participants!
Michelle Jordan
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Gr. 1 NEWS
Today we had a wonderful time at Billo’s Big
Top Show. We look forward to sharing some
photos with you next week in the newsletter
and through the Grade One Dropbox.
Reminders
1D is hosting assembly tomorrow and 1B is
hosting assembly next week. Please note that
ALL Grade Ones will be performing a Circus
Song at 1B’s assembly on Friday 5th August and
we are asking students to dress up as a Circus
performer, if possible. We encourage students to
dress up using the same costume that they wore
to Billo’s Big Top Show. Parents are more than
welcome to attend these assemblies at 2.45pm in
the PE Hall on Friday.
This week you could ask your child about:
Literacy – What is your writing goal for this
week?
Mathematics – Give your child some coins and
notes and ask them to count them. Discuss
change with your child. If you are at the shops
you could pick a few items and ask your child
how much they cost altogether and let them
pick the notes/coins they could use to pay for
the items.
Circus – What did you like about Billo’s Big Top
Show? What Circus performers did you see?
The Grade 1 Team
Amaya Osborn-Macpherson, Roxanne Betts
and Zoe Dawkins
This week the Grade One students had a visit
from some of the staff from the St John's
Ambulance. They learnt about keeping
themselves and others safe during an
emergency, how to tell if it is an emergency and
who to call in an emergency. The children
brought home some information and activities
and will be asking their parents to help them fill
out a 'My Important Information' card and stick
it somewhere obvious in their house. Here are
some photos of the students performing a role
play about what to do in an emergency.
PREP NEWS
St John Ambulance incursion
On Monday, we had a visit from St John
Ambulance and children learnt what to do in a
first aid situation. As a follow-up, you may
wish to fill in the forms that were sent home to
pop up on your fridge e.g. with details such as
phone numbers of important people to call in an
emergency. There were some students who did
not know their address, so if this applies to your
child, you could work on this at home.
100 Days at School
What a terrific day the Preps had on Tuesday
celebrating 100 days at school. It was a treat
visiting each other’s classrooms to see the
creative items that students brought in to
represent 100. The children also gathered for a
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group photo and stood in the shape of 100.
They were also presented with ‘100 Days at
School’ certificates by our Assistant Principal,
Mat Montebello and had a wonderful day doing
activities with the number 100.
NUDE FOOD MONDAY
Curriculum Day
Just a reminder that Monday 8th August is a
Curriculum Day.
Junior School Warm Water Swimming 22nd
August to 2nd September
Notes went home this week regarding the twoweek intensive Warm Water Swimming
Program. Please check the blue bag if you
haven’t received it yet. Your child will attend a
lesson at the same time every day for two weeks
and teachers will put out rosters for parent
helpers.
We would be very grateful for
assistance, but we can only take parents who
have a Working with Children Check.
Congratulations to
Prep R
With 90% of nude lunches
FRIENDS OF WILLY
FOW - 80’s Trivia Night – Saturday 10th
September
Get ready for a fun evening that will also raise
money for our school. The trivia will be
interactive with videos and games and we’ll also
have an 80’s disco at the end of the evening.
Dress is anything 80’s (no heels please) and we’ll
have prizes for best costumes. Tickets selling
fast – half the tables have already been booked!!!
See your classroom rep and get a table together,
before the tickets are all sold.
If you’ve been reading the newsletter in the last
couple of weeks, you’ll have read some of my
tips for costumes. Some of you will want to go
all out, but some may be a bit shy about
dressing up. It’s all a bit of fun, but you can
dress fairly simply and still fit in with the 80’s
theme. But in case you need more inspiration,
here are a few popular fashion items that you
might have hiding in the cupboard, or hiding in
the aisles at Savers:
 Leather jacket – the classic 80’s jacket had
batwing sleeves and shoulder pads
 Leather skirt or leather pants…teemed
with the jacket, what could be more 80’s?
 Denim mini skirt…even better if it’s acid
wash
 Skinny leather tie – let’s hope these never
make a come back
 Flannelette shirt – for classic 80’s bogan
fashion…if you can call it that
 Board shorts – if you dare, the 80’s
version were considerably shorter!
This week you could ask your child about:
Literacy – “What sound does short ‘a’ make?”
“Can you find words that make the short ‘a’
sound in your book?” For example, and, at, as,
can. “Can you think of words that rhyme with
cat?”
Mathematics – “Can you count to 100 by 1’s?”
“Can you count to 100 by 10’s?” “Can you
count to 100 by 5’s?”
Thank you
The Prep Team
LOST property NEWS
Lost property Parent Helper roster
Term 3
week 4
1/8 - 5/8
Prep W
week 5
8/8 - 12/8
Prep A
week 6
15/8 - 19/5 Prep B
week 7
22/8 - 26/8 Prep R
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 Lycra – when aerobics was king
As announced last week, we’ve also been
thinking about holding a competition which will
require some volunteers to dig out their old
photos for a photo wall on the night. The theme
will be “Guess the Parent or Staff Member”, so
I’m hoping to receive some photos of you in
your glorious 80’s best. It doesn’t matter how
old or young you were at the time, as long as the
photo was taken in the 1980’s. We’ll arrange the
photos by grade level. Stay tuned for further
details and dig up some old photos as soon as
you can.
Please contact Gary Poole on 0422 502020 or
garynpoole@gmail.com
to
register
your
donation or your assistance.
oshclub NEWS
Hello everybody!
This week we have been embracing the cold
weather and celebrating Christmas in July. We
have been experimenting with patterns, creating
ornate snowflakes and making cinnamon
scented Christmas decorations, We also made
miniature Santa and elves to be put on shelves
and Christmas trees from scrap paper.
Next week's theme is Caribbean. Hope to see
you there!
We need your help! Trivia Night - music
equipment
We're planning 2 hours of dancing after the
trivia section. We have use of the school
speaker system, which is loud enough to do the
job, but maybe someone can suggest something
better? Are there any parents that have access to
DJ gear/speakers, or know a DJ that might be
available that could do a good deal for the
school? Please contact Fiona if you can help or
have any contacts (email- fbrett18@hotmail.com)
REMINDERS
 Play
On Footy will be starting
Wednesday 3rd of August, make sure
you have booked yourself in if you want
to take part. Otherwise the program will
be cancelled.
 Student Free Day 8th of AugustOSHClub will try to run a whole day
program, to take part just book in for
after School care on that day.
Trivia Night Silent Auction
Hall Of Fame (HOF) Donor Opportunity.
Mums and Dads, here is a great opportunity to
help us and make your kids proud of you. We
are looking for silent auction prizes for this
fantastic FUNdraising social event. If you are
involved in a local enterprise and would like to
donate, then we would love to hear from you.
The fun part of this is that you can also be
creative with your donation. Just to help to put
you in the zone, the donation could be a
weekend down at your holiday house, dinner
for 2 at your home, a personalised rendition of
you and your kids singing Thriller, one dozen
organic eggs from your very own chickens, an
angel delivered 3 hour house cleaning prize....go
crazy, we would love to hear from you.
For your kindness, we will present you with a
Williamstown Primary School Hall Of Fame
certificate signed by Andrea AND regularly
include your donation in our weekly school
newsletter amongst the list of other HOF
champions.
We are also looking for help in sourcing and
collection of donations for the Silent Auction.
Emil de Vries
OSHClub Program Coordinator
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