News

Principal's report Term 1 Week 4

Tue, 18 Feb 2020 04:14:56 AEDT

Dear families of Wollongong West Public School,

Student Leadership Induction Assembly

Yesterday, our school inducted our student leaders for 2020. I extend a warm congratulations to our:

School captains for 2020

Abigail

Beaumont

James

Kaia

Student Representative Council members for 2020

5/6H Xavier and Beh

5/6K Hoe and Komang

3/4B Hunter and Noura

3/4H Ben and Sidra

K/6C Tyreece

1/2D Jude and Eve

1/2H Sienna and Sree

K/1B Lister and Duciel

K/1D Nafee and Jihad

Sporting Captains for 2020

Narara

Captains Darko and Ellie
Vice captains Jai and Tegan

Booroo

Captains Ronon and Emily

Vice Captains Liam and Joseph

Dinewan

Captains Temple and Jayanth

Vice Captains Isaac and Armita

Our school is so lucky to have such a respectful and responsible group of students in leadership positions.

P&C Welcome BBQ

This Friday 21 February, our P&C are inviting all families to a BBQ to celebrate the start of the 2020 school year. The event will kick off at 3pm in our lower COLA. Families are invited to bring a share plate of finger food. We hope many families can join our P&C and staff as we welcome everyone to a new school year.

Life Education – Thank you P&C

Last week, Healthy Harold visited our school to teach all children about the importance of maintaining healthy and safe lifestyles. I sincerely thank our P&C for paying for this initiative. This means that every child at our school accessed this valuable learning at no cost to families. Thank you P&C.

Swimming carnivals

In the last few weeks, children have participated in both the swimming carnival at our school and the trials at Western Suburbs pool. It was delightful to see our children supporting each other, having fun and being excellent sports. Thank you Mrs Hickey your excellent organisation of these school events. Good luck to our competitors who will represent our school at the district swimming carnival this coming Friday.

Traffic safety on Phillips Avenue

Road safety on Phillips Avenue continues to be an ongoing issue both before and after school. In order to ensure the safety of all children and wider community members of our school, it is essential that the following rules and guidelines are followed during school drop off and pick up times.

- The speed limit of 40km/h is to be adhered to.

- Check that no pedestrians are using the pedestrian crossing before driving through it.

- Follow the parking restrictions. At the front of the school, it is a 2 minute parking zone. This zone is simply to drop children off or pick children up. No car is to be parked in this zone. Drivers must remain in vehicles in this zone.

- U-turns on Phillips Ave are to be made at the turning bay past the school.

- No parents/carers are to be using our driveway. The driveway is for staff and contractor use only.

I thank all community members for your assistance in keeping all pedestrians, including our precious children, safe.

Nut awareness

This is a friendly reminder for all families that we have children at our school who can experience a life threatening allergic reaction when exposed to nut products. I ask all parents/carers to be very mindful of this when packing your child’s lunch box each day and ask for your support in ensuring a safe school environment for all children.

Recent rain

The recent rain has caused some minor damage to school buildings and grounds. We have needed to remove some trees impacted by the heavy rain and we have experienced some flooding in our lower basement area. Our school is currently working with the Assets Management Team to resolve the ongoing drainage issues.

Kind regards,

Michelle Barnes

Principal

Trial swimming carnival 2020

Fri, 14 Feb 2020 10:42:56 AEDT

30 children attended the swim trials at Unanderra on Wednesday. This is a combined carnival with Mt Kembla, Mt Keira and Coniston schools pooling resources for the afternoon. At this carnival children are competing against their own school, but in races with children from other schools. The aim is to get an accurate time in the 50m and 100m races and select the top 2 competitors from each school to go through to the district carnival on 21 February at Unanderra. I would like to thank Ronon's Grandma and Jayanth's mum for timekeeping all afternoon in warm conditions on the pool deck. Thank you also to the parents and carers who came along to support the children. All children represented Wollongong West Public School with pride.

Mrs Hickey

School swimming carnival 2020

Fri, 14 Feb 2020 10:47:05 AEDT

We have hit the ground running, or should I say the pool swimming, this year. Last Monday we had the school swimming carnival in our pool. Children aged 8 years and over had the opportunity to swim in 3 laps, 1 lap and across the pool events. It was a wonderful day with all children participating to the best of their ability. They demonstrated excellent house spirit by lifting the roof of the pool with chants for their houses and individuals competing. Children competently completing 3 lap events qualified for the swim trials at Unanderra on Wednesday.

Mrs Hickey

Volunteers at our school in 2020

Mon, 03 Feb 2020 13:59:21 AEDT

All family members who are volunteering at our school in 2020 must complete the annual Working with Children Check through our office. This involves presenting 100 points of identification and signing a declaration. This check is a mandatory requirement of the Department of Education and must be completed each year.

In addition to this, those parents who volunteer to assist children with changing before and after our weekly swimming lessons need further clearance. Those parents must apply for a volunteer Working with Children Check through the Office of the Children’s Guardian at https://www.kidsguardian.nsw.gov.au/. There is no cost to apply as a volunteer. The process involves visiting the website above, producing proof of identity requirements and then visiting a Service NSW centre. When the Working with Children Check is obtained, parents are asked to bring it to our office to be copied and stored on school records. Due the intimate nature of assisting children with changing, this process is mandatory.

All volunteers must visit our office upon arrival at our school to sign-in and collect a visitor’s badge.

We greatly appreciate the contributions of our family volunteers and I thank our entire community for your assistance in keeping our children happy, safe and healthy.

Parent information sessions

Mon, 03 Feb 2020 13:57:03 AEDT

Next week our school will be holding parent information sessions. These sessions will give parents/carers an opportunity to meet your child's teacher for 2020 and also to hear about the learning, procedures and routines for your child's class throughout the year.

Monday 10 February - KC and Kindergarten children in K/1B at 3pm in K/1B's classroom

Monday 10 February - K/1D at 3pm in K/1D's classroom

Tuesday 11 February - 3/4B and 3/4H at 3pm in 3/4H's classroom

Thursday 13 February - 1/2D, 1/2H and Year 1 children in K/1B at 3pm in 1/2D's classroom

Friday 14 February - 5/6H and 5/6K at 8:30am in 5/6H's classroom

We hope many families can attend these informations sessions.

Coronavirus - Department of Education statement

Tue, 28 Jan 2020 19:13:40 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.

Welcome letter - Term 1, 2020

Mon, 27 Jan 2020 12:15:12 AEDT

Dear Families of Wollongong West,

It is with great anticipation and excitement that we commence the 2020 school year. 2020 promises to be a fun, enriching and exciting year at Wollongong West Public School.

This year, we continue our work towards achieving our strategic directions in our school plan for 2018-2020. Our school vision is:

At Wollongong West Public School, we will learn, teach and lead for excellence. We will empower students to be successful learners, confident and creative individuals and active and informed citizens of today and for tomorrow.

We will be working towards the following three strategic directions as identified in our School Plan 2018-2020.

* Excellence in Literacy and Numeracy

* Learning for Today and Tomorrow

* Quality Teachers and Leaders

Our School Plan 2018-2020 can be viewed on our school website.

This year, our children will continue to thrive academically, socially, emotionally, spiritually and physically with many wonderful initiatives being undertaken.

This year our school is joining other local schools in the Wollongong Literacy Leadership team. This team of schools will work collaboratively to raise student growth and achievement in literacy, especially in the area of reading. This means that we will benefit from the wisdom of educational leader Jann Farmer-Hailey through mentoring processes, attending conferences and hosting school visits.

Our school has also joined the NSW Network of Inquiry and Innovation (NOII). NOII is an inquiry-based network of schools across our state with the goal to improve the quality and equity of education through inquiry and teamwork across schools. We will be able to share quality teaching practices with schools across NSW, ensuring relevant, quality and current professional learning for all staff at our school.

Spirals of Inquiry will continue to be a main driver of professional learning at our school in 2020. This evidenced based process involves teams of teachers meeting regularly to work through an inquiry based model to identify an area of teaching practice for investigation. Teachers will analyse data, practice and student achievement to develop a hunch, participate in new learning, take action in the classroom and check the impact of these actions. The main areas of teacher focus for 2020 spirals will be in the areas of reading and numeracy.

Our Instructional Leadership program, led by Mrs Heritage, will continue in 2020. All children will have their progress regularly tracked in the areas of literacy and numeracy and all children will be actively working towards personalised learning goals. Teachers will meet regularly to plan differentiated learning pathways in literacy and numeracy for every child at our school.

Student wellbeing will continue to be a priority as all classes school wide will be engaging in explicit lessons to support positive social skills and relationships, emotional regulation and behaviour expectations. The Zones of Regulation program will continue to be consistently utilised across our school, and we will also be introducing aspects of the Berry Street model to our school framework for student wellbeing. This model is a holistic and positive approach to the wellbeing of every child. Our school wellbeing priorities for 2020 are to promote high expectations of success for all children and also to foster a sense of belonging for every student at our school.

This year also sees the establishment of support classes at our school to support students with additional learning needs. These classes will be small in size and will be taught by specialist staff. We are proud to be able to provide an inclusive and quality curriculum for all children at our school.

Increasing student’s rate of attendance at our school will also be a priority. Our school will be strengthening our attendance monitoring systems to support families in ensuring very child is at school every day unless ill.

Children in Years K-6 will participate in weekly specialist sports lessons with Mr Taylor. Mr Taylor brings great expertise in developing fundamental skills across a range of sports.

Weekly creative arts classes will be provided for every child under the expertise of Mrs Morrissey. Each term will see a different focus in the areas of Visual Arts, Drama, Dance and Music. These specialist classes will allow children to grow, shine and thrive in these different areas. In addition, children will have opportunities to perform in extra-curricular groups, such as dance troupes and choirs.

Our school will continue to provide weekly swimming lessons for every child during Terms 1 and 4.

Our Community Hub will continue operating this year. The hub will provide additional support for all families, particularly those families from a refugee background. Increased community events will promote engagement and connectedness between all families in our school community. More information regarding our hub will be distributed to families soon.

Our school will continue to provide many opportunities for community involvement. Please consider being a classroom helper, uniform shop volunteer, ethics teacher or a participant at special events at our school. I warmly encourage all families to be actively involved in school life.

What an exciting year it will be!

In staffing news, Mrs Carnevale will be taking leave leading up to her retirement in March. I sincerely thank Mrs Carnevale for her many years of service to public education, and in particular our school. We wish her great happiness in her retirement.

At the end of 2019, we also farewelled Mrs Risi who was called upon to join the executive team of Nareena Hills PS for 12 months. She will be bringing experience and expertise to a school who is currently undergoing many changes. Rest assured, Mrs Risi will be returning to our school in 2021.

This year, we welcome some new members to our staff team. We also see some existing staff members taking on new roles at our school. Below is a list of our staffing line-up to start 2020.

Teachers

KC Elena Carling

K/1D Shelley Donaldson, Janet McKnight

K/1B Olivia Bormann

K/6C Sally Clough

1/2D Martina Davies

1/2H Kristy Horner

3/4B Matthew Bell

3/4H Jenine Hickey

5/6H Stephanie Hopper

5/6K Natasha Kandilas Feld

ES1 Literacy and numeracy co-teacher / Interventionist

ES1 Literacy and numeracy co-teacher / Release – Kim Liplyn

S1 Literacy and numeracy co-teacher / Library – Kristy Bennis

S2 Literacy and numeracy co-teacher / RFF (Creative Arts) – Jo-anne Morrissey

S3 Literacy and numeracy co-teacher / RFF (PE) – Ben Taylor

Instructional Leader – Elizabeth Heritage

School Psychologist

Olivia Blackmore

School Learning Support Officers

Nour Al Ahmad

Kylie Beckett

Rachael Ebans

Michelle Greer

Caroline Kettlewell

Renee Leighton

Treigh Stewart

Community Hub Leader

Maree Szalla

Administration

School Administrative Manager - Teresa Trigg

School Administrative Officer - Alison Kirk

General Assistants

Andrew Beattie

John Lochhead

Our children in Years 1-6 will be placed in their anticipated classes for 2020 when they return to school on Wednesday 29 January. Please note that class structures may be changed in the first few weeks as our numbers fluctuate with new enrolments.

On Thursday 30 January, our Kindergarten children will enjoy their first day at “big” school. I warmly welcome our new families of children in Kindergarten and also from the higher grades to our school.

Our main means of communication between our school and families will continue to be through the Skoolbag app. I ask that all families visit the app store on your phone or tablet, search for the skoolbag app, and download the app at no cost. This will help families stay informed about what is happening at our school. Our school website, school facebook site and P & C facebook site are other important ways to keep informed. Your child’s class teacher will soon be sending home information regarding how to download the Seesaw app to stay informed with class learning.

Our P & C generally meets on the first Thursday of every month at 7pm in our community hub. All parents and carers are warmly invited to attend these meetings.

Important dates to commence the 2020 school year are in the calendar on our school website. Please add these dates to your diary.

I am very much looking forward to an exciting 2020 at Wollongong West Public School.

Kind Regards,

Michelle Barnes

Principal

Staying healthy into the new school year

Fri, 20 Dec 2019 17:15:42 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.

Principal's report - Term 4 Week 9

Thu, 12 Dec 2019 04:19:56 AEDT

Dear families of Wollongong West Public School,

It is hard to believe that this will be my final Principal’s report for 2019. The year has certainly flown!

Presentation assembly

Last week, we celebrated the many achievements and growth of our children across all areas of the curriculum. Our children absolutely shone and I sincerely congratulate all award recipients. In particular I acknowledge the recipients of our whole school special awards:

Academic achievement award – Sarah Year 6

Citizenship award – Natalia Year 6

Creative arts award – Kannika Year 6

Sporting award – Jacob Year 6

PSC sporting award – Leonard Year 4

I am also thrilled to announce our 2020 school captains

Abigail

Beaumont

James

Kaia

Our school is in very capable hands in 2020 with such outstanding student leaders representing our student body.

Showcase assemblies

This week all children across our school celebrated their Term Four learning at our showcase assemblies. Our children have certainly had fun dancing with Mrs Morrissey this term! Thank you to our families who attended these special afternoons.

Semester two reports

Semester two reports will be distributed this coming Monday. Please see your child’s class teacher with any queries regarding your child’s report.

Canteen in 2020 and beyond

Congratulations to Taneia who submitted the successful tender recently to operate our canteen in the coming years. This is a huge win for our school community who will reap the benefits of Taneia’s healthy cooking and cost effective meals.

Farewell to Year 6

This week, our school will be holding a Year 6 farewell to celebrate and acknowledge the contributions of our children leaving us for high school at the end of this year. On behalf of the Wollongong West community, I wish our departing Year 6 students great success in high school and sincerely thank them for the many wonderful memories they have provided over the years.

Talent Quest

Next Monday 16 December at 12pm our school will be holding our talent quest. It will be delightful to see our children take the stage and showcase their unique talents and skills. Families are welcome to join us for this afternoon of entertainment.

Thank you P&C

Thank you to our wonderful P&C who enabled all children to attend a performance by Hip Hop Cultural Infusion this week. It was a thoroughly enjoyable performance, enjoyed immensely by our children. Thank you P&C for your generosity in providing this opportunity for our kids.

Thank you and merry Christmas

I sincerely thank our children, families and teachers for a fun, exciting and rewarding 2019. It has been an amazing year.

The last school day for 2019 for our children is Wednesday 18 December.

School resumes in 2020 for students in Years 1-6 on Wednesday 29 January and school commences for our Kindergarten children on Thursday 30 January.

I wish all families a very merry Christmas, happy new year and enjoyable Summer break.

Kind regards,

Michelle Barnes

Principal

Thank you P&C

Mon, 09 Dec 2019 13:06:42 AEDT

Thanks to the wonderful P&C at Wollongong West PS, all students will be attending a performance by Hip Hop Cultural Infusion on Tuesday 10 December at 12 noon.

In this high-energy interactive program students will discover the significance of hip-hop and urban dance culture around the world. Using a variety of super-dance-able beats the presenters will create an atmosphere that will have all students up and dancing.

This will be a perfect introduction to the expressive, powerful world of hip-hop!

We are very grateful to the P&C for paying the $6 for every student to attend this performance as an end of year treat. It is also a fantastic way to conclude the dance program that all students have been involved in with Mrs Morrissey this term.

HIP HOP HOORAY to our P&C.

Principal's report - Term 4 Week 7

Wed, 27 Nov 2019 19:53:24 AEDT

Dear families of Wollongong West,

New enrolments

Over the past few weeks, our school has welcomed many new children and their families to our school. It is wonderful to have new community members joining our ever growing school. I extend a heart felt welcome to all of our new families.

New staff members

This week, we warmly welcomed Ms Sally Clough to our school. Ms Clough is an Assistant Principal from the Campbelltown area who has extensive expertise, knowledge and skills in supporting students with disabilities and additional learning needs. Ms Clough will be spending the remainder of the year preparing our school for the establishment of our support classes in 2020.

Next year, we will also welcome Mrs Shelley Donaldson to our school as the teacher of our class for children with autism. Mrs Donaldson is an experienced teacher, transferring from Farmborough Road Public School.

We have also recently welcomed Mrs Rachael Ebens to our school. Mrs Ebens is a School Learning Support Officer, who is supporting the children at our school with additional learning needs.

I warmly welcome these staff members to our school.

Presentation Assembly

On Monday 2 December we will be holding our annual presentation assembly at 9:15am in our school hall. Parents of award recipients have been contacted. Families are welcome to join us in celebrating another great year of learning at our school

Kind regards,

Michelle Barnes

Principal

Principal's report - Term 4 Week 5

Wed, 13 Nov 2019 10:41:23 AEDT

Dear families of Wollongong West Public School,

School Planning for 2020

Our school is currently working on staffing and class formation for 2020. If you are planning on leaving our school in 2020 please advise our office immediately. Also, if you are aware of any families moving into our area, please encourage them to contact our office as soon as possible to commence the enrolment process. Our school executive team is meeting extensively in the coming weeks to plan for 2020.

School Self Evaluation

As a component of our annual school self evaluation processes, our school is asking parents and carers to provide information regarding you and your child’s sense of belonging at our school. Your responses to this survey will provide us with valuable information that will help shape future directions for our school. I encourage all parents/carers to participate in this survey by following this link - https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SK2HRYZ. Alternatively, a paper copy of this survey will be distributed to all families in the coming days. Families can also choose to complete this survey on paper and return the survey to our office.

2020 Class for students with autism

Our school will have a support class established for next year. This class will be for students with autism in Kindergarten and Year 1. At this stage, we have 5 children enrolled in the class. Staffing processes are underway to find a class teacher and school learning support officer for this class. Minor building works will be undertaken in the coming weeks to accommodate our new class.

Stage 3 camp

Congratulations to our Stage 3 children who represented our school with respect and pride at their recent Stage 3 camp. Our children had fun making rafts, climbing trees and completing other fun outdoor activities at the Wombaroo Sport and Recreational Camp. Thank you very much to Miss Hopper, Mr Bell, Mr Taylor and Ms Ryan for accompanying our children on this camp and providing them with this wonderful opportunity.

Halloween Disco

Thank you to our P&C for their stellar organisation of our Halloween disco last week. Our children had a fun night dancing, bobbing for apples and eating doughnuts and other treats. A fun afternoon was had by all.

Remembrance Day assembly

This week our school leaders led a special assembly to acknowledge Remembrance Day. All children at our school attended this assembly.

Presentation Assembly

Our annual presentation assembly will be held on Monday 2 December at 9:15am in our school hall. At this assembly we will acknowledge and celebrate the growth and achievements of students at our school across all aspects of school life. Parents and carers of award recipients will be contacted in the coming weeks to receive a personal invitation to this event.

I wish everyone a fabulous fortnight.

Kind regards,
Michelle Barnes, Principal

NSW schools respond to bushfires

Mon, 11 Nov 2019 17:29:13 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.

Principal's report - Term 4 Week 3

Thu, 31 Oct 2019 08:47:32 AEDT

Dear families of Wollongong West Public School,

Halloween Mufti day and disco

Tomorrow, children are invited to wear a Halloween costume to school. Please donate a bag of wrapped lollies to be used as treats at our disco.

Children are also invited to a spooky disco 3:15-4:30pm in our school hall. Food and drinks will be available for purchase. All children must have a parent/carer in attendance at the disco.

Thank you to our P&C for organising this event.

WoW Start

Over the past couple of Thursday mornings, our school has hosted our Kindergarten children and their families for our transition to school program. It has been an absolute joy to meet the newest members of our school community. The WoW start sessions will be held over the next four Thursdays as well.

Sporting Colour Day

On Tuesday 5 November, all children are invited to wear the colours of their favourite sporting team to school. Our Stage 3 children will be holding a cake stall at school, so children are invited to bring a small amount of money to school on this day.

Stage 3 camp

Next week, our stage 3 children will be attending a sport and recreation camp at Wombaroo. Thank you to Mr Bell, Mr Taylor and Miss Hopper for providing this exciting opportunity to our children.

Canteen Licence

Our school is currently calling for tenders for the licence of our school canteen. Please read the tender advertisement below for further information.

Tenders are called for the licence of the school canteen for the school year commencing 2019 and for a term of approximately 1 year, with the option to renew up to a combined total of 5 years.

General enquiries and requests for a tender information package should be referred to Michelle Barnes (Principal, Wollongong West Public School). Telephone – 02 4229 2096.

Tenders must be submitted in a sealed envelope and marked “Confidential – school canteen tender” and sent to:

The Principal

Wollongong West Public School

Crown Street

West Wollongong 2500

Tenders close at 3pm on Thursday 21 November 2019.

A tender visit and briefing session is planned to be held in the near future.

All applicants must make themselves familiar with clause 2 of the tender offer.

Kind regards,

Michelle Barnes

Art classes with Violetta

Wed, 23 Oct 2019 13:12:54 AEDT

Art classes with Violetta resume next Wednesday 30 October 2019 at 11:00am for new and returning students.

Booking and payment is essential before attending. The cost is $9.00 per class. Creative Kids Vouchers are accepted.

For more information visit Violetta's website.

Deadly Encouragement Awards 2019

Fri, 18 Oct 2019 14:54:26 AEDT

Congratulations to Talarah and Cassidy for being recipients of this year's Deadly Encouragement Award for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.

The word 'Deadly' is a modern colloquialism used by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to indicate something that is cool, rockin' or fantastic.

Grab a ticket to Schools Spectacular 2019

Tue, 22 Oct 2019 19:08:00 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

Principal's report - Term 4 Week 1

Sun, 13 Oct 2019 10:18:43 AEDT

Dear families of Wollongong West Public School,

I hope all families enjoyed a fun and relaxing school holidays. It is very exciting to be commencing our final term of learning for 2020. It promises to be a fun and very busy term.

Important dates

Many important dates have been added to our calendar on our website. Please note these dates and add these to your diaries. Please be aware that the date for our annual Presentation Assembly will now be Monday 2 December.

WoW Start

This week sees our Kindergarten transition to school program commence. The sessions will be held each Thursday morning for the next six weeks 9:15am-10:30am. All families living in our catchment area with children starting Kindergarten in 2020 are warmly invited to attend.

Enrolment in 2020

Speech pathology

Each Tuesday this term, will see a speech pathologist working at our school supporting some of our children. This is a wonderful opportunity for our school to ensure that all children are being best supported in their expressive and receptive language development.

There is not a school development day scheduled to commence Term 4. I look forward to seeing all children at school tomorrow on Monday 14 October.

Kind regards,

Michelle Barnes

Principal

Wollongong Network Awards 2019

Fri, 20 Sep 2019 08:55:15 AEST

Congratulations to our award recipients at the recent Wollongong Network awards - Mrs Hickey, Mrs McCabe, Mrs Bennis, Mrs Greer and Mr and Mrs Carolan. An extra special mention must be made to Lucy and Vince, our parents, who also received a director's award for their many valuable contributions to our school.

Principal's report - Term 3 Week 9

Tue, 17 Sep 2019 14:29:52 AEST

Dear families of Wollongong West,

End of Term

It is hard to believe that the term is coming to a rapid close. School holidays start on Saturday 28 September. Children return to school on Monday 14 October. Please note that there is no school development day to start term 4.

Student led conferences

Student led conferences will be held tomorrow from 3:15-5:15pm. At the conference, your child will facilitate a conversation with you where he/she will share class and individual learning goals, progress towards achieving them and what his/her next learning goals will be. You will have the opportunity to see what learning expectations are in place for your child, and to see how your child is progressing to meet those expectations. You will also have the opportunity to see your child’s classroom, look through their workbooks and see their work displayed. Other conferences for children will be occurring at the same time as your child’s conference. Teachers will be available to join this conversation that will be led by your child. We hope many families scan join is for this special afternoon.

P&C Colour Run

This Friday, our P&C will be holding a BBQ and colour run. All children must wear old mufti clothes to school on this day. Families are welcome to join us for these fun festivities from 2:30pm. We all have our fingers crossed that the weather improves!

Congratulations

I extend a heartfelt congratulations to the following members of our school community who recently received awards at the Wollongong Network Awards.

Rebecca McCabe

In 2019, Wollongong West Public School acknowledges and celebrates the contributions of early career teacher, Mrs Rebecca McCabe, for her contributions to student learning, wellbeing and engagement. Mrs McCabe displays exemplary care, empathy and understanding for all students, ensuring every child connects, succeeds and thrives. She provides differentiated learning experiences and curriculum adjustments to meet the diverse needs of all students in her class. She leads a weekly homework hub for children after school hours where she has sourced community volunteers to provide additional tuition for students at risk. Mrs Rebecca McCabe is an outstanding early career teacher, making valuable contributions to the lives of our children at Wollongong West Public School.

Kristy Bennis

In 2019, Wollongong West Public School acknowledges and celebrates the contributions of teacher, Mrs Kristy Bennis, for her contributions to student learning. Mrs Bennis plans and implements quality literacy and numeracy programs that are informed by evidence based decision making and strong pedagogy. Formative assessment strategies are expertly implemented to ensure differentiated learning experiences for every child. She implements engaging, inquiry based and future focused learning lessons. Mrs Bennis leads our school choir and dance troupe. In addition, Mrs Bennis is an exceptional L3 trainer who mentors and coaches teachers to be quality classroom practitioners both within and across schools. Mrs Bennis has demonstrated professionalism, dedication and vibrancy as a member of our school executive team in 2019.

Jenine Hickey

In 2019, Wollongong West Public School acknowledges and celebrates the contributions of Assistant Principal, Mrs Jenine Hickey, for her contributions as a valued member of the school executive team. Mrs Hickey readily balances her classroom teaching role, leadership of sporting initiatives both within and across schools and her executive responsibilities as a stage supervisor and mentor. As an Assistant Principal, Mrs Hickey rigorously leads her team to analyse data, plan collaboratively and critically reflect to ensure maximum attainment of learning outcomes for every child. She builds and sustains a culture of high expectations and unwavering support within her team. Mrs Hickey expertly mentors and coaches early career teachers, ensuring differentiated, targeted and relevant levels of support are in place. The principles of ethical and student centred decision making guide her actions at all times. Mrs Hickey is a passionate, dedicated and proactive teacher and leader of Wollongong West Public School.

Michelle Greer

In 2019, Wollongong West Public School acknowledges and celebrates the contributions of School Learning Support Officer, Mrs Michelle Greer. Mrs Greer enthusiastically supports students with diverse needs, ensuring all children are accessing a full, rich and equitable curriculum. She displays kindnness, compassion and empathy for all children in her care. Mrs Greer is learning AUSLAN to further support a child at our school with a hearing impairment and is also a valued member of our school choir. Mrs Greer is an active, passionate and dynamic member of our school community.

Lucy and Vince Carolan

In 2019, Wollongong West Public School acknowledges and celebrates the contributions of parents, Mrs Lucy Carolan and Mr Vince Carolan. Mr and Mrs Carolan are vibrant, active and passionate members of our school community. Each week, both parents spend many hours leading a team of students, teachers, parents and wider community members to care for our school permaculture garden. They lead garden initiatives such as planting, pruning and weeding. Mr and Mrs Carolan model the values of being active and informed global citizens, and readily demonstrate the importance of leading a sustainable and healthy lifestyle. In addition, Mrs Carolan is President of our P & C and both are active contributors to school community events.

A special mention must be made to Lucy and Vince who received further recognition for their contributions to our school by receiving the Director’s award.

I wish our entire community a wonderful Spring school holidays.

Kind regards,

Michelle Barnes

Principal

Have your say on before and after school care

Fri, 13 Sep 2019 13:41:00 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 11:27:16 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 11:49:10 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.

Principal's report - Term 3 Week 7

Thu, 05 Sep 2019 14:37:29 AEST

Education / Book week celebrations

Last week our school held a combined celebration for Education and Book Week. Fun, interactive rotating activities were held in the morning session followed by a character parade. It was lovely to see the joy on our children’s faces as they proudly marched in their book character costumes. A fun day was had by all!

Good luck Joel H

On Friday, Joel will be representing our district at the regional athletics championships. He placed second in shot put at the recently held district carnival. A huge achievement! We wish Joel the best on Friday and know he will represent our school with pride, determination and most importantly great sportsmanship.

Thank you P & C

Thank you to our P & C for another successful Father’s Day stall. I am confident that all of our many Dads enjoyed their special gift on Father’s Day morning.

Sticks and Stones

Today our children were enthralled by our Sticks and Stones performance. Our children found the show about developing and maintaining positive relationships both fun and informative.

Student led conferences

Our student led conferences for Term 3 will be held on Wednesday 18 September 2019. Classrooms will be open between 3:15pm-5:15pm on this afternoon. You are welcome to attend at any time during this timeframe.

At the conference, your child will facilitate a conversation with you where he/she will share class and individual learning goals, progress towards achieving them and what his/her next learning goals will be. You will have the opportunity to see what learning expectations are in place for your child, and to see how your child is progressing to meet those expectations. You will also have the opportunity to see your child’s classroom, look through their workbooks and see their work displayed. Other conferences for children will be occurring at the same time as your child’s conference. Teachers will be available to join this conversation that will be led by your child.

If you would also prefer to book in for an individual appointment with your child’s teacher on this day between 4:15pm-5:15pm, you are invited to do so. A note will be coming home tomorrow with further details. Of course, as always, parents are encouraged to request an individual meeting with your child’s teacher at any time of the year to discuss your child’s achievement and growth.

It is the hope of our school that all children and a parent/carer attend the student led conferences.

Kind regards,

Michelle Barnes

WoW Start - transition to school sessions

Mon, 26 Aug 2019 21:09:25 AEST

Wow Start – transition to school sessions are open to all families with a child starting Kindergarten in 2020 who live in our local area.

Children will participate in play and learning activities to support a successful start to school. Activities will include singing, story time and craft activities. In addition, a specific social skill will be taught each week. Your child will also have the opportunity to form positive and strong relationships with our Kindergarten teachers.

While children are playing and learning, parents and carers are invited to attend a workshop to learn about life at Wollongong West Public School. The workshop will have a different focus each week. Workshops will be fun, interactive and informative.

17 October 2019: Our school and the Kindergarten day
24 October 2019: Literacy learning in the early years
31 October 2019: Numeracy learning in the early years
7 November 2019: Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) learning in the early years
14 November 2019: Formative assessment and wellbeing
21 November 2019: School life – including our P&C, canteen, before and after school care and uniform.

Please contact Mrs Michelle Barnes, school principal on 4229 2096 for further information about our WoW Start transition to school program.
Please contact our office on 4229 2096 to enrol your child in our WoW Start Transition to school program.

Principal's report - Term 3 Week 5

Fri, 23 Aug 2019 15:46:38 AEST

SAS Staff Recognition Week

Next week, we acknowledge and celebrate the dedication, commitment and hard work of our School Administrative and Support staff. Our SASS team make valuable contributions to our school every day in our office, classrooms and playground areas and I sincerely thank each of them.

Thank you very much:

Mrs Teresa Trigg

Mrs Alison Kirk

Mrs Michelle Greer

Mrs Kylie Beckett

Ms Hayley Smith-Little

Mrs Caroline Kettlewell

Ms Lily Husband

Mrs Andrew Beattie

Mr John Lochhead

Support Classes at our school

Over the next six months, it is highly likely that we will be having support classes being established at our school. These classes will cater for smaller groups of students who have additional learning needs or disabilities. This will bring expert teachers to our school with great knowledge and experience in meeting the needs of diverse learners. It will also empower our school to further embrace and celebrate diversity as we welcome new families to our school.

Spirals of Inquiry

It has been a busy fortnight for teachers attending professional learning experiences at our school. Our school executive all attended a two day conference last week to allow us to further refine and develop the spiral of inquiry model at our school. The spiral of inquiry model of professional learning involves teaching determining an inquiry question. This question is informed by analysing student work samples and data analysis and determining the needs of the children in the class. The teachers then participate in learning and action such as lesson observation involving peer feedback to explore the inquiry problem. A review then takes place, before the spiral is repeated. This process occurs every five weeks, enabling each teacher at school to participate in 8 spirals of inquiry each school year.

Choral festival

Last week our school choir performed at Wollongong Town Hall. They sang beautifully and with great pride. A truly memorable evening! Congratulations to our choir and their amazing leaders, Mrs Morrissey and Mrs Bennis.

Pyjama day

Thank you for your support of our SRC at yesterday’s Pyjama Day. Our children had lots of fun dressed in their pyjamas for the day.

Kind regards,

Michelle Barnes

Principal

Principal's report - Term 3 Week 3

Mon, 05 Aug 2019 10:43:03 AEST

Dear families of Wollongong West,

Our school has enjoyed a wonderful start to Term 3.

Staffing news

Mrs Rebecca McCabe has been employed at Wollongong West Public School in a temporary capacity in 2019. She has recently acquired a permanent teaching position at Unanderra Public School. I warmly congratulate Mrs McCabe on her permanency and wish her much success as she embarks on this new stage in her career. Mrs McCabe will be taking up her new teaching position on Monday 5 August 2019. Our school will greatly miss the passion, dedication and care Mrs McCabe displays every day towards the children in 3/4M.

Mrs Natasha Kandilas Feld will now be the class teacher for 3/4M. 3/4M will now be known as 3/4K. Mrs Kandilas Feld is an experienced Stage 2 teacher. She is an excellent teacher of literacy and numeracy and brings expertise in utilising information technologies and supporting creativity, critical thinking and collaborative learning.

We also warmly welcome Ms Martina Davies to our school in the role of support teacher for Stage 2.

RFF lessons

This semester, our classes will be learning creative arts with Mrs Jo Morrissey and Physical Education (sport) with Mr Ben Taylor.

School development day

At our recent school development day, staff completed mandatory training in performing CPR and managing an anaphylaxis emergency. All teachers also learnt about the importance of using visuals to support student learning and these will be used extensively in classrooms from now. Time was also spent in stage teams planning for the term ahead.

Rewarding student achievement

Each Monday morning at our assembly, children will be receiving awards for academic and social growth and achievement. Our first recipients received their awards this past Monday. Our office “star of the week” will continue to be acknowledged.

Education Week and Book Week celebrations

This year our school will be acknowledging both Book Week and Education Week on Thursday 29 August. Families are invited to join us from 9-11am for some fun in-class activities, followed by a book character parade in our hall. Children are invited to come to school dressed as their favourite book character.

Kind regards,

Michelle Barnes

Principal

Accepting enrolments for 2020 now

Fri, 02 Aug 2019 10:57:21 AEST

Our school is currently accepting enrolments for 2020. Please call our office on 02 4229 2096 or pop into our school administration area to collect the necessary paperwork.

Education Week – Every student, every voice

Thu, 01 Aug 2019 14:15:03 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

Community Hub update – Term 3 Week 2

Mon, 29 Jul 2019 22:25:40 AEST

English classes

English classes run across multiple days every week and are a great place to practise speaking English in a friendly and supportive enivronment.

Tuesday – 10am-12pm
Wednesday – 10am-12pm
Friday – 12:30-2:30pm

Welcome to Term 3, 2019

Mon, 22 Jul 2019 15:45:02 AEST

I warmly welcome all families back to Wollongong West Public School for an exciting Term 3. I hope that everyone enjoyed a relaxing and fun filed winter holiday.

I sincerely thank Mrs Nadine Risi for relieving as Principal during my recent leave. Mrs Risi, supported by an excellent executive team, ensured our school continued to excel and shine in the last few weeks of term.

Mrs Risi will now be the class teacher for KR (formerly KF). A through handover has occurred between Mrs Risi and Mrs Farmer, ensuring a smooth and seamless transition for our Kindergarten children.

This term promises to be a very busy term with the Choral Festival, Education Week and Book Week all set to be highlights. I look forward to seeing all of our children return to school tomorrow.

Kind regards,

Michelle Barnes

Principal

Principal's report – Term 2 Week 10 2019

Tue, 02 Jul 2019 22:08:38 AEST

Refugee Week assembly and writing workshop

Our school leaders led a whole school assembly to recognised and celebrate Refugee Week. This assembly included a presentation by Maree, our Community Hub leader. A demonstration was given but the leaders of our Capoeira group. Juvarn and Mestre, along with the children in the Capoeira group, demonstrated some of the music and movement involved in the Afro-Brazilian art form. Mr Ling, the Refugee Support leader for the Illawarra area then interviewed Amro and Sara who are two refugees who completed high school last year and have now received scholarships to continue studying. Thank you to everyone involved in this assembly. The refugee children from Year 3 to 6 then joined Amro, Sara and Mr Ling in a writing workshop in our Community Hub. This was a great experience for the children who then wrote about their own family stories.

Touch football gala day

35 children attended a touch footy gala day last week with Mr Bell and Mrs McCabe. All children had a great day despite the very cold weather.

Athletics carnival

A great day was had by all at our athletics carnival last Friday. Luckily the sun was shining and it was quite a warm day. Thank you to Mrs Hickey for organising this carnival and keeping to the timetable of events to ensure everything was running to time. It was a great carnival and ran very smoothly thanks to the excellent behaviour of all those involved. Students who have qualified for the district carnival will be given further information once the results have been finalised.

Showcase

Our mid-year showcases were a great success last week. Monday saw our Kindergarten , Year 1 and 2 showcase, then on Tuesday it was Stage 2 and 3. Many photos were posted to Facebook after these events and it is worth checking these out. Thank you to the many parents who came along and watched these showcases.

Reports

Semester 1 reports will be sent home with your children this Wednesday, 3 July.

Term 3

The first day of Term 3 for school children is Tuesday, 23 July.
Mrs Barnes will be returning from long service leave at the beginning of Term 3.
Mrs Pezzutto will be on leave for all of Term 3.
Mrs Farmer will not be returning in Term 3 due to health and family reasons. I will be replacing Mrs Farmer as the teacher of KF, which will then be know as KR.

Nadine Risi
Relieving Principal

Creative and Active Kids vouchers now available

Fri, 14 Jun 2019 11:43:46 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.

Principal's report – Term 2 Week 7 2019

Sun, 16 Jun 2019 16:48:33 AEST

Long service leave

Mrs Barnes is on leave until the end of this term. It is my pleasure to be relieving for Mrs Barnes while she is away.

Refugee Week

This coming weeks is Refugee Week. This is a time to raise awareness about the issues affecting refugees and celebrate the positive contributions made by refugees to Australian society. Originally celebrated in 1986, Refugee Week coincides with World Refugee Day (20 June). We will be celebrating Refugee Week with an assembly on Tuesday morning in the hall at 9am. Everyone is welcome.

NRMA Roadshow

On Friday, the NRMA Roadshow visited our school. The Roadshow presented a one hour presentation to each Stage throughout the day. The NRMA Science and Road Safety program is delivered free of charge to school. It focused on increasing the students' knowledge and skills to drive changes in their attitudes and behaviours toward road safety.

Garden team

Miss Horner has started working with a group of children each Friday afternoon in the garden. This group includes 2 students from each class (excluding kindergarten). They are doing a small research project, based on a problem area of the school. The group are working collaboratively to help improve our environment. The 'green' mufti day we held was a great success and many plants and seedling were donated for our garden.

Choir rehearsal

This Wednesday our choir will be attending a cluster rehearsal at Pleasant Height PS. Thank you very much to our wonderful choir teachers, Mrs Bennis and Mrs Morrissey, who will accompany them on this day.

Nadine Risi
Relieving Principal

P&C update – Term 2 Week 7 2019

Tue, 11 Jun 2019 12:34:57 AEST

Mother’s Day stall

Thank you for the generous donations for the Mother’s Day stall. The children thoroughly enjoyed buying a special gift for their mum, grandma or carer. Thank you to all of the volunteers. It was wonderful to see so many dads helping out on the day. A big thank you to Sascha for her hard work in organising the event.

Movie night

It was wonderful to see so many families at the pizza and movie night. A great night was had by all. The pirate theme was a huge hit. We are definitely looking forward to the next one.

Bunnings BBQ – Saturday 20 July

We are holding our yearly Bunnings BBQ event on Saturday 20 July from approximately 8:00am-4:00pm. If you are able to assist please put your name down on the BBQ roster at the front office or contact the P&C at wollongongwestpac@gmail.com. We will need 4 people for each 2 hour shift.

School Colour Run – Friday 20 September

Save the date! We are very excited to be holding this event again. The children have absolutely loved it these last few years. A BBQ will be offered from 2:00pm on the day. We are asking for Volunteers to help throw colour and run the BBQ. Come along and enjoy the colour explosion!

P&C meeting

Our next P&C Meeting is on Thursday 4July in the Community Hub at 7pm. Everyone, including children are welcome. There are toys and activities to keep them occupied.

Mailing list

The P&C would like to invite any parents, carers or teachers to be added to their mailing list.

If you would like to receive P&C meeting minutes, information or important updates, please email Tanya at: wollongongwestpac@gmail.com

Kind regards,
Tanya
WWPS P&C secretary

Movie night

Sun, 16 Jun 2019 17:12:10 AEST

It was wonderful to see so many families at the pizza and movie night. The pirate theme was a huge hit. We are definitely looking forward to the next one. A fun night for all!

More photos can be found in the P&C movie and pizza night – Term 2 2019 gallery.

Principal's report - Term 2 Week 5

Mon, 27 May 2019 13:46:00 AEST

P&C Movie and Pizza Night

Thank you very much to our P&C for organising this special night for our children. It was a fun evening for our families.

Good luck to our Stage 1 dance troupe

This weekend our Stage 1 dance troupe will be performing at the upcoming dance festival at the IPAC. We wish all of our children the best of luck as they dance with pride on stage. Thank you Mrs Bennis and Miss Horner for coordinating this initiative for our children.

Long service leave

I will be taking some long service leave staring Tuesday 11 June 2019. My leave will continue until the end of Term 2. During my absence, Mrs Nadine Risi will be relieving as Principal. Please do not hesitate to contact her with any queries.

Teacher professional learning

The past fortnight has seen many wonderful opportunities for teacher learning. Teachers met for stage data talks where student individual literacy and numeracy was data analysed and short term learning goals were developed for all children. Our teachers also participated in a curriculum monitoring session where teaching and learning programs were rigorously analysed to ensure full implementation of all aspects of the NSW curriculum. This week, our Early Stage 1 and Stage 1 teachers are attending a whole day workshop to further develop their skills in teaching writing. This workshop is being facilitated by literacy guru, Mrs Jann Farner-Hayley. Mrs Heritage and Miss Horner also attended a leadership conference where the speaker was leading educator, Dr Anthony Muhammad. Mrs Greer also attended learning to assist us in better supporting children learning AUSLAN. A busy time for the staff of Wollongong West Public School!

Thank you Figtree Anglican Church

Mon, 20 May 2019 14:34:21 AEST

Volunteers from Figtree Anglican Church generously donated time and energy over the weekend to complete gardening jobs at our school. Our grounds are looking fabulous following their hard work. Thank you to the Figtree Anglican Church's Youth and Young Adults community.

Thank you Surf, Dive 'N' Ski, Wollongong

Mon, 20 May 2019 14:30:22 AEST

Surf, Dive 'N' Ski, Wollongong have kindly donated backpacks, drink bottles and pencils for some children at our school. Our entire school community thanks them for their generosity.

Principal's report - Term 2 Week 3

Tue, 14 May 2019 14:39:58 AEST

NAPLAN

Congratulations to our children in Year 3 and 5 who this week are sitting NAPLAN. It has been a joy to witness the poise, commitment and focus of our children during this week of assessment.

Mother’s Day stall

Thank you to our P & C for your stellar organisation of our Mother’s Day Stall last week. I hope that all of our mums and carers enjoyed a fabulous Mother’s Day filled with love, laughter and happiness.

Professional learning

Over the past fortnight, our teachers have participated in many wonderful professional learning opportunities.

I had the honour of attending a forum where the Secretary of the Department of Education, Mr Mark Scott and the Deputy Secretary, Mr Murat Dizdar spoke about future directions for public education in NSW. Some members of our executive team attended a conference to hear educator, Mr James Nottingham talk about the power of providing children with effective feedback about their learning. Miss Hopper attended an Austswim course. Staff also met in stage teams to develop Assessment and Data Plans for Term 2 and to share strategies for implementing formative assessment practices in classrooms.

District cross country carnival

Congratulations to our team of runners who represented our school with energy and vigour at the recent district cross country carnival. Congratulations to Jacob from 5/6H who will now compete at the regional level.

Term 2 2019 Welcome Letter

Mon, 29 Apr 2019 18:03:24 AEST

It is with great excitement and anticipation that we commence Term 2 at Wollongong West Public School. This term sees many initiatives being implemented to support our children and their ongoing growth and development.

NAPLAN will be undertaken by our children in Years 3 and 5. This will provide valuable data for our school about our children’s learning. Please contact your child’s class teacher with any queries regarding your child’s participation in the assessments. These assessments will be held on 14-16 May.

Families will be invited to attend showcases of student learning this term. The showcase assembly for children in Years K-2 will be held on Monday 24 June at 2pm. The showcase assembly for children in Years 3-6 will be held on Tuesday 25 June at 2pm.

Written feedback to parents/carers about student learning will be provided to all families when our individual student reports are distributed at the end of this term.

Mrs Kandilas Feld will continue to support all teachers in integrating the use of technology into all classrooms across all key learning areas.

All children will participate in our whole school creative arts program led by our specialist art teacher, Mrs Morrissey. In Term Two, the broad area for learning will be in the domain of visual arts.

Our school will shine in extra-curricular activities in the creative arts with our Dance Troupe performing at the Illawarra Dance Festival at the IPAC and our choir performing at the Choral Festival at the Town Hall.

Aboriginal education will be a priority as our school celebrates and acknowledges Reconciliation Week through participation in events such as the community Walk for Reconciliation. A special assembly to acknowledge NAIDOC week will also be held.

Our school will celebrate the wonderful contributions of refugee families to our school and community by acknowledging Refugee Week later this term.

Our community hub initiatives will continue to thrive, including our English classes, swimming lessons and playgroup.

P & C community events, such as a Movie Night and Mother’s Day stall, will be held.

In staffing news, we warmly welcome a new teacher to our staff for Term Two. Mr Ben Taylor will be supporting our Stage 3 children with their literacy and numeracy learning as well as teaching mathematics across all stages.

I am very much looking forward to a fabulous term of great learning at Wollongong West Public School.

Kind Regards,

Michelle Barnes

Principal

P&C update – Term 1 Week 11

Fri, 12 Apr 2019 11:19:42 AEST

Easter raffle

Congratulations to the winners of the Easter raffle. Thank you to everyone for your kind donations.

Mother's Day

Mother’s Day stall will now be held on Tuesday 7 May. A reminder mufti day is on 1 May. Please bring along a small gift to be donated to the stall. If you are interested in volunteering for the stall please advise the office. We especially encourage dads and grandads to help out.

Movie night

Save the date! We will be holding a movie night on Friday 24 May. More details will be sent out in the beginning of Term 2.

Annual general meeting

As you are aware our annual general meeting was held on Thursday 4 April. Congratulations to the new executive members:

President: Lucy
Vice Presidents: Matt and Samantha
Treasurer: Vanessa
Secretary: Tanya
Fundraising coordinator: Monica

Our next P&C meeting will be held on Thursday 2 May 2019. We hope to see you there.

Have a wonderful holiday break and a happy Easter!

Warm regards,

Tanya

Secretary

End-of-term wrap-up

Fri, 12 Apr 2019 11:03:21 AEST

I would like to thank the Wollongong West community for a fabulous term of learning. I wish all families a very happy Easter and a relaxing, safe and happy Autumn break. School holidays commence tomorrow, Saturday 13 April. Children return to school on Tuesday 30 April.

Today, we farewell Miss Olivia Bormann as she embarks on some overseas travel for the rest of 2019. We wish her many fun and exciting adventures. Miss Bormann will be returning to our school to commence 2020. We warmly welcome Mr Ben Taylor who will be replacing Miss Bormann in supporting our Stage 3 children with their literacy and numeracy learning, as well teaching mathematics across our school.

Michelle Barnes

Community Hub update – Term 1 Week 10

Fri, 05 Apr 2019 10:27:10 AEDT

English classes

On Tuesday 2 April, the Community Hub had two students from Bangalay House at the University of Wollongong visit our English class and tell stories from China and Columbia. They were very well received by our mothers who learnt a little more about their culture. The session engaged their listening, understanding and communication skills with lively discussions afterwards.

Free playgroup and music program

Every Friday 10:00-11:30am

Every Friday the Community Hub runs wonderful sessions led by a qualified music and child play teacher. Children have fun with sound, movement and song. Children learn about following instructions, group participation and social engagement which helps to prepare them for school.

This program is open to the community whether your older children attend the school or not. All are welcome to attend.

Contact Maree Szalla: 0417 293 985

2019 canteen menu

Fri, 05 Apr 2019 10:50:11 AEDT

Our school's canteen, Eatability Nutrition Kids' Café, has updated their menu (PDF 507KB).

The canteen has also been awarded the 'great choice – healthy school canteen' certificate for operating a healthy canteen according to requirements of the NSW School Canteen Strategy.

Congratulations and thank you to Mel and Taneia who work hard each day to provide a nutritious and delicious menu for our children and staff.

Garden update - Term 1 Week 10

Fri, 05 Apr 2019 11:15:34 AEDT

Wollongong West Public School has a beautiful orchard and vegetable garden.

Helping in the garden

Many Wollongong West Public School students help in the garden during class time as part of their learning, or before school and at lunch and recess. Parents and carers are also welcome to come and help in the garden, especially on Thursday before school, and on Tuesday afternoons from 2pm. We are very lucky to have Vince and Lucy in the garden at those times most weeks, so if you’re not sure what jobs need doing, talk to Vince or Lucy.

What is happening in the garden

In Term 1 this year we have harvested more than 5 kilograms of sweet potatoes. Some of our sweet potatoes are purple and some are orange in colour, so we can ‘eat the rainbow’. Sweet potatoes make great chips, and delicious soup. We have planted some more sweet potato runners. These runners will take 100 days to grow, so we hope there will be more sweet potatoes later in the year.

We have been harvesting our sweetcorn. We were very lucky that we had some rain just before it was ready to pick, so our sweetcorn is extra juicy. Sweetcorn tastes great as corn fritters, or just as corn on the cob.

Our garden has some Vietnamese cucumber vines growing cucumbers that look a bit spiky on the outside. When they are peeled and cut up they taste delicious in a salad, or on a sandwich. This plant was brought in by a student who has a great garden at home. It is exciting to discover new plants we can grow.

Stage 3 students have planted some sunflowers. Sunflowers look fantastic, and the seeds can be eaten. Stage 3 also planted some coffee plants. They will probably be in high school before the coffee plants produce beans, but maybe one day our teachers will be enjoying a cup of morning coffee made from the coffee beans we have grown in the garden.

We have planted some beans as an experiment. We are not sure if the weather will be warm enough for our beans to grow well, but it will be interesting to see what happens.

We are getting ready for the cooler weather. The citrus trees in our orchard have plenty of fruit that we will be able to enjoy this winter.

While we wait for the oranges, lemons and mandarins to ripen, we have been spreading mulch around the garden. This will help stop weeds from growing, and stop the soil drying out. The mulch will gradually break down into the soil, and then we will need more mulch. We have also been weeding and pruning. This keeps the garden looking good, and means that the work we do watering and improving the soil with compost is not wasted growing weeds. Pruning helps some plants to grow, and also lets more sunlight into our garden. Sunlight helps our fruit and vegetables to grow and ripen.

Learning about ‘Mini Beasts’

Wollongong West Public School students sometimes visit the garden when they are studying ‘mini-beasts’. Mini beasts are the worms, slugs, grubs, insects and spiders that make their home in our garden. We have found ladybugs on the leaves of nasturtiums, worms in the compost bin, ants in the garden beds, grubs in the soil, and even an Australian native bee, the blue banded bee. We have nicknamed this very special bee ‘The Blue Bandit Bee’. We are happy to share our garden with these mini-beasts, because we have learned about all the important jobs they do. Mini beasts help pollinate the plants we need for food, turn our food scraps into soil, and provide food for birds and animals. They are also really cute.

More photos can be found in the Garden update - Term 1 Week 10 2019 gallery.

Ali Smith and Vince Carolan

Principal's report – Term 1 Week 9 2019

Thu, 28 Mar 2019 13:25:57 AEDT

Thank you P&C

In the past week our P&C have supported our school by paying for every child at our school to visit Healthy Harold in the Life Education van. This has ensured that every child has accessed valuable learning to empower them to make healthier and safer choices.

Our P&C have also spent a considerable amount of money purchasing 20 iPads and cases for student use at our school. Thank you to our P & C for your commitment, drive and passion and thank you to our wider community who relentlessly support our P&C.

Attendance

Our school regularly monitors the attendance of each child at our school. If your child is identified as having an unsatisfactory pattern of attendance, an attendance plan will be devised to support you and your child in being at school on time each day. If the unsatisfactory pattern continues, the school will seek further support from the Department of Education's Home School Liaison Officer, Child Wellbeing Unit and Family and Community Services as required. Please support your child in receiving the best education possible, by ensuring your child attends school every day.

Teacher professional learning

This past fortnight has seen many wonderful opportunities for teacher learning at our school.

This week all teachers finalised their 2019 professional goals. These goals are devised annually by all staff and guide the individual and collective professional learning that occurs at our school.

Teachers all participated in valuable planning time to inform the integration of digital technologies into classroom teaching and learning activities for next term. Mrs Kandilas Feld is continuing to provide weekly mentoring opportunities in technology use for all teachers. She attended an ICT conference this week as well.

Mrs Risi, Miss Horner, Miss Hopper and Mrs Heritage attended two external workshops to support the development of consistent and quality whole school spelling, grammar, punctuation and vocabulary programs. These teachers will share their new understandings with all staff at our School Development Day to commence Term Two.

Mrs Risi attended a network meeting to learn more about best supporting our children learning English as an additional language/dialect, especially in relation to the acquisition of skills in grammar.

Michelle Barnes

P&C update – Term 1 Week 9

Fri, 12 Apr 2019 11:12:42 AEST

The P&C gives parents and carers an opportunity to learn about the school’s policies and programs and provides a forum for parent/carer participation in shaping and developing school policies. It helps bring the schol community together to share information and views and raise funds to provide extra resources for our school.

Easter Raffle

A big thank you to all students and their families who donated chocolate and other treats. We are now in the process of putting together the raffle prizes. We are still looking for donations of baskets so we can create beautiful Easter raffle prizes. If you have any unwanted baskets, please bring them to the offfice.

Raffle tickets have been sent home for sale and tickets cost $1 each. Last year's raffle was a great success, as we were able to make many prizes. We hope to have just as many this year. If you are interested in volunteering to wrap the prizes, please inform the administration staff in the office.

The raffle will be drawn on Thursday 11 April and winners will be contacted.

Mother’s Day

We will be holding a mufti day on Wednesday 1 May. Students are asked to donate a small gift for the Mother's Day stall. The Mother's Day stall will be held on Wednesday 8 May, where students will be able to purchase a variety of small gifts.

If you are interested in volunteering at the Mother's Day stall, please inform the administration staff in the office. Fathers and grandfathers are encouraged to help out on the day and suport the P&C.

Annual General Meeting (AGM)

Our AGM will be held on Thursday 4 April at 7:00pm in the Community Hub. During this meeting, executive positions will be chosen. The positions include president, two vice presidents, secretary, an additional Secretary for afternoon meetings, and treasurer. We are in need of a new president and vice president. All community members are encouraged to apply for a position. If you are interested in joining the P&C, or would like to see what the P&C is all about please come along. Everyone is welcome.

Tanya

Secretary

NSW Premier's Reading Challenge 2019

Thu, 28 Mar 2019 14:42:13 AEDT

The NSW Premier's Reading Challenge aims to encourage a love of reading for leisure and pleasure in students, and to enable them to experience quality literature. It is not a competition, but a challenge to each student to read, to read more and to read more widely.

Your child has been given a reading log for the 2019 Premier's Reading Challenge. A copy of the reading log is also available to download (PDF 60KB). The book list which provides the books you can read appears on the Premier's Reading Challenge website. The booklist features over 11 000 titles, with over 1 000 new titles added in 2018.

The booklists cater for four levels: K-2, Years 3-4, Years 5-6, Years 7-9. Your child may have some Premier's Reading Challenge books at home but you will also find them at your school library and local library. Your child can read books at or above their stage level.

Parents and caregivers are encouraged to support the challenge to promote the development of literacy skills and a love of reading in their children.

The challenge runs until 30 August 2019. After this date, reading log submissions will not be accepted.

For further information about booklists, rules and tips, visit the Premier's Reading Challenge webiste, or see Mrs Risi.

Harmony Day 2019

Sun, 16 Feb 2020 23:33:02 AEDT

On Tuesday 19 March, Wollongong West celebrated Harmony Day. It was a day to celebrate the diversity of our community and appreciate and value other cultures. Students dressed in traditional costumes form their cultures or wore orange, the official colour of Harmony Day. Parents, carers and community members gathered in the Community Hub for morning tea, and then the enitre school community enjoyed a picnic and barbeque lunch in the playground.

Thank you to all parents, carers, families and community members who made the day so special.

Uniform shop update

Sun, 24 Mar 2019 23:26:09 AEDT

The uniform shop is now open on Thursday afternoons between 2:00pm and 3:30pm.

Thank you to Dorina for giving up your time to volunteer on Thursdays.

This is in addition to Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings between 8:30am and 9:00am. Thank you to Sascha for volunteering on those mornings.

If you are able to volunteer your time so we can provide additional opening hours for the uniform shop, please see us at the office.

Thank you.

Book Club – issue 2

Fri, 15 Mar 2019 12:47:31 AEDT

Issue 2 Book Club order forms were sent home with students last week. Please see the classroom teacher or the office if you need an order form.

You can place your child’s order at scholastic.com.au/loop or by using the LOOP app, which can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play. Alternatively, you can send the order form along with the correct money into the office by the due date.

Orders are due by Monday 18 March.

P&C update – Term 1 Week 7

Fri, 15 Mar 2019 10:45:31 AEDT

Tea towel fundraiser

Thank you to everyone for your support and positive feedback about the tea towels. The tea towels look amazing and the fundraiser was a huge success.

Welcome BBQ and camp night out

Thank you to those who attended the welcome BBQ and camp night out. I am told it was a wonderful evening and a great way to welcome new and existing families to our community and the new school year.

Mother’s Day

Easter Raffle

We will be holding a mufti day on Thursday 28 March. Students are asked to bring along a chocolate egg or bunny to be donated to the raffle. The chocolate should be fully wrapped and contain no nuts.

Raffle tickets book will soon be sent home for sale and tickets will cost $1 each. Last year's raffle was a great success, as we were able to make many prizes. We hope to have just as many this year. If you are interested in volunteering to wrap the prizes, please inform the administration staff in the office.

The raffle will be drawn on Thursday 11 April and winners will be contacted.

P&C school contributions

The ongoing support of the Wollongong West P&C has meant that we were able to purchase equipment and extra learning opportunities for the students.

Once again, we are covering the cost for the Life Education van this year. We feel that it is important that each child has the opportunity to attend.
We are also pleased to advise that the P&C have bought 20 iPads and cases for the school to be used in the classrooms.

Annual General Meeting (AGM)

Our AGM will be held on Thursday 4 April at 7:00pm in the Community Hub. During this meeting, executive positions will be chosen. We need a new president and vice president. All community members are encouraged to apply for a position. More information about the positions and the role of the P & C will be sent out soon.

Tanya Burville

P&C secretary

Community Hub update – Term 1 Week 7

Fri, 15 Mar 2019 15:04:13 AEDT

The Illawarra Multicultural Services (IMS) Wollongong West Community Hub provides many wonderful programs and activities for the families and community member of our school.

Other Hub services include:

support and referrals;
education sessions;
cooking programs; and
casual conversations.

Tuesday

10am-12pm – advanced English classes

Advance English classes provide participants with the opportunity to extend their knowledge of the English language. The classes are enjoyable, relevant and sociable. Participants can make new friends as they learn English and about Australian culture. Free child-minding is available. Wednesday

10am-11:30m – begginer English classes

Begginger English classes provide participants with the opportunity to develop their knowledge of the English language. The classes are enjoyable, relevant and sociable. Participants can make new friends as they learn English and about Australian culture. Free child-minding is available.

Thursday

10:45am-12:12pm – free beginner swimming lessons for adult women

The Community Hub now offers free beginner swimming lessons for adult women at the swimming pool on school property. The swimming pool is enclosed and private, and the female teachers are kind and encouraging. Swimming is an invaluable life skill and essential when living in Australia. These lessons are for women only.

Friday

9-11am – playgroup

Every Friday mothers and their children take part in a music program and read stories. Playgroup sessions begin with a good morning song and then body percussion. The children explore sounds using egg maracas and tapping sticks. Time in the playgroup is spent learning, laughing and having fun. It is a wonderful opportunity for mothers to interact with their children.

Everyone is welcome to the Community Hub. They are open during school hours Tuesday to Friday. To find the Community Hub, follow the yellow footsteps from the bottom gate on Phillips Avenue.

For more information about programs and activities please contact the Hub leader, Maree Szalla on 0409 717 877, or email mszalla@ims.org.au.

Principal's report – Term 1 Week 7 2019

Sun, 10 Mar 2019 21:49:37 AEDT

Harmony Day

Our Harmony Day celebrations will be held on Tuesday 19 March. All families are welcome to join us on this special day where we acknowledge and celebrate the cultural diversity of the families at our school. A brief outline of our celebrations are below.

9:15am: Whole-school assembly
10am: Light morning tea and orientation to our Community Hub
11am: Picnic lunch

Families are warmly encouraged to bring along some food that represents the culture of your family to share at the picnic. Our Year 6 children will be holding a fundraiser BBQ at 11am. We are currently taking orders for sausages and burgers. The order form is available in our office.

We hope many families are able to join us on this day of celebration.

Teacher professional learning

It has been a busy fortnight of learning for our teachers.

All teachers meet in stage teams to analyse student learning data in reading, writing and numeracy. This enables teachers to identify where each child sits on the learning progressions in these areas and to ensure targeted and informed teaching. Collaborative data analysis and planning is an important part of life at Wollongong West Public School.

All teachers have participated in learning about the importance of quality talk in numeracy lessons. This will be an ongoing priority for our school in 2019.

All teachers have learnt about how to further support students with a hearing impairment at our school.

Miss Hopper, Mrs Risi and Mrs Heritage attended a workshop about spelling. This plan will inform the development of quality and consistent spelling programs across the school.

All Stage 2 and 3 class teachers attended a writing workshop with literacy expert, Jann Farmer-Hailey. Teachers were able to refine their understanding of what constitutes a balanced writing session in the upper primary years. This built upon the extensive learning in student's writing acquisition we have done at the school level in recent years.

Mr Thornton participated in professional learning to empower him to best support our children learning English as an additional language/dialect.

Our school executive met to evaluate school practices that support children and families from language backgrounds other than English. This self-evaluation will inform our plan for targeted support initiatives in 2019.

Michelle Barnes

Stage 3 AFL gala day

Fri, 15 Mar 2019 10:55:14 AEDT

On Tuesday 5 March, a range of Stage 3 students represented Wollongong West Public School at Thomas Dalton Park for the AFL (Australian Football League) gala day. All 28 students participated with fantastic school spirit and represented our school with pride. Both boys and girls teams played 3 games each, which was a fun and challenging day for all.

A big thank you to Mr Bell who coached and accompanied the students at the gala day.

Clean Up Australia Day

Sun, 10 Mar 2019 21:29:01 AEDT

On Friday 1 March, the students of Wollongong West Public School participated in the 30th anniversary of Clean Up Australia Day. The students picked up rubbish from around the school and the SRC students helped others decided whether their rubbish could be recycled or not.

Clean Up Australia aims to inspire and empower communities to clean up, fix up and conserve our environment. Each class discussed the importance of the day and the importance of keeping our environment clean every day and ways to reduce waste.

Mrs Kandilas Feld and Mr Bell

SRC coordinators

More photos can been found in the Clean Up Australia Day 2019 gallery.

Administration of medication

Mon, 04 Mar 2019 13:59:42 AEDT

When a medical practitioner has prescribed medication for a child to be taken during school hours, parents and carers must:

Notify the school;
Supply the medication;
Complete a written request, available through our school office; and
Provide a letter from a medical practitioner stating the type of medication, dosage and when the medication is to be administered.

These are mandatory requirements for schools to administer both prescribed and over-the-counter medication.

Please contact our office with further queries.

Kind regards,

Michelle Barnes

Principal

School band update

Tue, 19 Feb 2019 12:34:13 AEDT

Welcome to another exciting year of music and band lessons!

Lessons will begin in the next 2-3 weeks, once dates are confirmed with our teachers from the Conservatorium of Music and after all Term 1 student fees have been paid. Term 1 fees also include any instrument hire fees.
Students will be invoiced shortly, once the official dates have been settled. We are hoping to start in Week 5, so parents and carers please consider this when making your payments to the office.

Looking forward to a great start to band this year!

Miss Bormann
Band Co-ordinator

Trial swimming carnival 2019

Tue, 12 Feb 2019 14:16:46 AEDT

Congratulations to our students who participated in the trial swimming carnival at the Western Suburbs Pool in Unanderra on Friday, 8 February. Students swam in 50 metre, 100 metre and medley events. Thank you to all parents who supported our team and assisted with timekeeping – your help was greatly appreciated.

Children who qualify will attend the district carnival at the Western Suburbs Pool in Unanderra on Friday, 22 February.

Please contact Mrs Hickey if you have any questions.

Book Club

Tue, 12 Feb 2019 14:21:53 AEDT

Our school is participating in Book Club again this year. Twice a term the Book Club catalogue will be sent home with a selection of books offered for all ages. You’ll find award-winning books and bestsellers, as well as old and new favourites. The books span a wide range of children’s reading levels and interests and are inexpensive.

It is very easy to order through Book Club. The Book Club LOOP platform for parents allow you to pay by credit card. Your child’s order is submitted directly to school and the books are delivered to class. You can place your children’s order at scholastic.com.au/loop or by using the LOOP app, which can be downloaded from the APP Store or Google Play. Alternatively, you can send the order sheet along with the correct money into the office by the due date.

I encourage you to order books for your children. There is no better way to encourage reading than to allow children to choose the books they want to own and read. I am more than happy to keep books a secret if you would like to order something for a present. Please just add a note to the order and I will contact you when the books arrive at school to pick them up. Your child will not know about the order.

Book Club catalogues were given out last week. If your child did not receive one please see the office.

Issue 1 orders due in by Friday 18 February.

Please come and see me if you have any question.

Nadine Risi

Book Club organiser

School swimming carnival 2019

Sun, 03 Feb 2019 22:34:54 AEDT

Congratulations to our students aged 8 years and over who participated in the school swimming carnival. There were 3 lap and 1 lap events, with guided swimming for beginnings. Students encouraged and happily cheered for each other in their sport houses: Booroo (Kangaroo), Dinewan (Emu) and Narara (Snake).

Children who completed the 3 lap events have qualified to attend the trial carnival at the Western Suburbs Pool in Unanderra on Friday, 8 February.