Every day at school I am proud of how our children have settled into their new classes and are diving into new learning with enthusiasm.  It feels like we have been back at school for longer than 4 weeks – we are almost halfway through the term already!

We had a wonderful turn out for our Prep Picnic a couple of weeks back.  It was a beautiful afternoon for families to meet and get to know each other, with their children running around the playground and having a ball.

School Council

Our School Council is made up of 7 parents, 4 school employees, and 1 community member. All members of council provide important viewpoints and skills that help shape the direction of the school.  Parents and employees nominate for the role; the community member is co-opted to join council because of that person’s special skills, interests, or experience. 

The School Council does not manage the day-to-day running of the school, for example, it does not employ teaching or support staff, decide which classes students are placed in, sort out issues relating to individual teachers, students and/or parents. Such issues are of a management nature and therefore the responsibility of the Principal. School Councillors are not appointed to represent specific interest groups or permit special interests or personal agendas to dominate council business.

Decisions made by the School Council reflect the best interests of the students and support the core business of the school - teaching, learning and student wellbeing.

Each year about half of the positions on council become vacant after councillors end their 2-year term.  Councillors often re-nominate but it is also a time for other members of the school community to express their interest in nominating. If the number of nominations exceeds the vacancies, a ballot is conducted after nominations have closed.

This year we have four parent vacancies and two Department of Education employee vacancies.  Parents are invited to nominate themselves or another parent for the Parent category.

Nomination forms are on the website and at the office and need to be returned to the school by 4pm Thursday 29^th February.

Thank you to our retiring councillors – School Council President, Finance, and Events Committee Kris Daw; Sally Emery, Community, OSHC and many others over the years; Janine Wiggins, from the Events sub-committee; Fleur Dow, ex School Council President, treasurer, Finance, and Buildings and Grounds; Didem Brennan, Community, and Buildings & Grounds; and Ian Gilbert, Events.  

I thank all of these staff and parents for their commitment and energy in supporting our school.

If you would like more information about the work of School Council, you can contact our now retired President Kris Daw, other councillors, and myself.  Information and contact details can be found here: School Council (ywps.vic.edu.au)

Community Welcome Picnic

Friday nights for many families and staff are a bit of a relaxed night off to end the busy week.  Come along to our Welcome Picnic / takeaway night on Friday 1^st of March.  BYO food and drinks, camping chairs and picnic rugs.  It’s a great way to socialise and meet other parents and the kids have a ball playing in the senior play area.  Gates open at 5pm and we’ll be there till around 7pm.  Please note that at this time the school is not responsible for students and that all students must be with a parent or supervising adult. For safety reasons, children in Prep – 2 can play on the lower rung of the tall space net only.  I hope to see you there and fingers crossed for a warm evening.

Warm Regards,

Karen

Welcome to Term 1, 2024. I extend a warm welcome, especially to our new students and families joining our community.  I know it has been a busy start with the swimming program, and I hope all the students and the new preps are settling in well.

Term one is a busy one, with lots of events. Firstly, we have the Welcome Picnic on Friday 1^st March. This is an excellent opportunity to come and meet parents and students and start the year with new friendships.

We have the upcoming enjoyable Wacky Walkathon, and I look forward to seeing all the costumes.  We have an extremely talented group of bakers at the school and thank you in advance for your cupcake donations.

The Events Committee are already busy organising the Movie night at the Sun Theatre, on Thursday 21st March.  A message will be sent via Compass, and we hope to see you on the night.

With Easter Eggs already in the stores, we will hold our annual Easter raffle at the end of the term. We welcome donations (eggs, books, arts and crafts etc.) for this raffle, and tickets will be sent home with the students. The draw will be on the last day of term at assembly.

Coming up in March, we have Naplan for Grade 3 and Grade 5 students. I wish all the students all the best.

Earlier this week, we had our first Council meeting. Our Annual Implementation Plan has been finalised, with an enormous effort by Karen, Sally, Jayne and the YWPS leadership team, with invaluable input from parents and the student body. 

This meeting was my last as School President. I have thoroughly enjoyed the last two years, especially working closely with Karen, Sally and other teaching staff. I am very fortunate to have worked with such a fantastic group of people and thank you to all the teachers, students and parents for your support over my journey.  

With the term of several Council members finishing, thank you all who have offered so much to our school.  I warmly invite new parents to the school to join the Council and our sub-committees as we work together to provide further opportunities for our students.  Please get in touch with the school for more information.

Thank you again for all your support.

Term 1 Parent Teacher Interviews will take place on Tuesday, March 19th from 3:45 pm - 6:45 pm and Wednesday, March 20th from 3:45 pm - 5:45 pm. The purpose of Parent Teacher Interviews is to discuss how your child has settled into their new class for 2024 and their social-emotional and academic progress throughout Term 1. 

Parents will be able to book one 10-minute timeslot, per child, with the classroom teacher on either night via Compass. These bookings will open on Monday, March 4^th, 2024, and close at 9 pm on Sunday, March 17^th. Specialist teachers will be available on a drop-in basis, like in previous years, and do not require a booking. 

More information including how to book a Parent Teacher Interview and a map of where to locate each teacher will be posted on Compass in the next few weeks.

CSEF is provided by the Victorian Government to assist eligible families to cover the costs of school trips, camps and sporting activities.

If you hold a valid means-tested concession card or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible for CSEF.

The allowance is paid to the school to use towards expenses relating to camps, excursions or sporting activities for the benefit of your child.

The annual CSEF amount per student is:

• $150 for primary school students
• $250 for secondary school students

New applicants should contact the school office to obtain a CSEF application form or download from the website below.

If you applied for CSEF at your child's school last year, you do not need to complete an application form this year unless there has been a change in your family circumstances. 

You only need to complete an application form if any of the following changes have occurred:

. new student enrolments; your child has started or changed schools this year.

. changed family circumstances; such as a change of custody, change of name, concession card number, or new siblings commencing this year.

Check with the school office if you are unsure.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information about CSEF visit:
https://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/Pages/csef.aspx

Wacky Walkathon News:

We are excited to announce that the YWPS Wacky Walkathon school fundraiser event will be on Wednesday 6^th of March, on the oval at 9.15-10.45am. Family and friends are welcome to join us. 

The theme this year is: ‘Our hobbies, interests and passions’. Students may want to focus on things they love to do and their favourite things and passions. This could include artistic, sporting and leisure pastimes. Favourite books, food, idols, movies and stories could also be represented. 

It will be great to see the wonderful dress ups and raise some money to support our school. Sponsorship forms have been given to each student. However, if you need another Walkathon sponsorship form please use the one included with this newsletter.

Looking forward to a great Wacky Walkathon! 

Thanks everyone.

Anna and Samanda

School Photos 2024 – Yarraville West Primary School

Annual school photos including sibling photos will be taken by Arthur Reed Photos on Wednesday 28th & Thursday 29th February 2024.

There is no need to return any forms or money to school.

Unique image codes will be issued to all students on/after photo day so families can register online to view images when they become available in the webshop.

Registration is simple, just follow the 3 simple steps on your child’s personalised flyer once you receive it and remember to add the codes for all your children attending this school.

Even if you registered last year, it’s important that you do again this year using your child’s 2024 image code to link their images for the current year with your contact details.

When images are ready to view and in the webshop, all parents who have registered will be notified by SMS and email.

Once registered, please wait for notification that 2024 images are online to view before making your purchase. 

Our Smoothies are healthy & delicious-gluten free, dairy free & served in a biodegradable cup-what's not to love!

The very popular Jojo features a mash up of fresh strawberries, mangoes, peach & banana-the Jojo will add some fun to your day.

Lucy Liu, is a berry explosion with raspberries, blueberries, banana and acai.

Did you know Acai (ah-sigh-EE) berries are a grape-like fruit native to the rainforests of South America. They contain antioxidants that help boost your hearts health and improve memory-perfect for school days!

And the Paisley, has mango, banana, passionfruit & pineapple. Close your eyes and this will take you out of the classroom and straight to the beach.

Remember, bring your straw back to the canteen to collect your smoothie. Your straw will be located in the classroom basket.

Enjoy these refreshing drinks this week