Term 1 - Issue 2 2025

Our Vision

Principal's Article

Our senior students have been making waves in the swimming program, participating with enthusiasm and confidence! Next week, it will be the turn of our junior and middle school students to dive into their swimming lessons, which will continue until 28 March. We look forward to seeing them build their water safety skills while having fun.

A big thank you to all the parents who have attended our recent parent/teacher meetings. These sessions have been a valuable opportunity to connect with families, strengthen our school-home partnership, and ensure we are capturing key focus areas for each child’s learning journey.

We are excited to kick off our Football (soccer) Clinics for Birka 4 and Bunuru 4 on 18 March. This program will give students a chance to develop their skills, teamwork, and confidence while engaging in a fun and active experience.

Our first School Board Meeting for the year is scheduled for Wednesday, 19 March, at 9:30 am. We are seeking an additional parent to join our board. This is a low-commitment role with just one meeting per term, usually in Week 7 from 9:30-11:00 am. We would love to welcome fresh faces and perspectives—this is a fantastic opportunity to get involved and gain insight into the inner workings of our school.

We have moved Harmony Day this year to Tuesday, 8 April, ensuring it does not fall during Ramadan. Harmony Day is a highlight of our school year, bringing together our vibrant community to celebrate cultural diversity. Families are invited to prepare and share food from their cultures, making this a truly special event. If you are available to assist, please contact the friendly staff in the front office.

A big thank you to the parents who were able to attend the first Parent Session with our Speechie, Helena. These sessions provide valuable insights and strategies to support our students. Coming up, Helena will be covering topics such as Behaviour, Social/Play, Meal Times, and Independent Skills. If there is something specific you would like covered, please reach out and let us know!

Our PBS whole-school reward will be an Easter Egg Hunt on 10 April at 2:00 pm! During this celebration, we will also be drawing the raffle for a brand-new bike. Thanks to a wonderful partnership with Monarch Management and Epigroup, four students have already received a new bike. I had the pleasure of taking the winners into the city to receive their bikes, and it was a joyous occasion! A heartfelt thank you to Mon from Monarch Management and Epigroup for their generosity.

We still have one more bike to give away! Students can earn raffle tickets for on-task behaviours and for displaying our school values. The winner of this final bike will be announced during the Easter Egg Hunt—best of luck to all our students!

Thank you for your ongoing support in making our school a fantastic place to learn and grow.

Djeran Season

AUTUMN SEASON

SEASON OF ADULTHOOD

APRIL & MAY

COLOUR - DJERAN

To represent in-land travels 

Through the Djeran Season, the initial sign emerges with the arrival of cooler nights, as the weather transitions to a more temperate state. This subtle shift in the atmosphere marks the beginning of Djeran and cool evenings hint at the imminent change in Season.

The morning dew slightly covers the land in a comforting blanket, evoking the knowledge that change is beginning.  Djeran is the Season where the land begins the cooling process and brings with it the south-westerly winds. 

Noongar people initiate the movement towards the heart of the country during this Season, journeying to the serene waters of lakes and estuaries.

The Kangaroos' fur is transforming into a lush fullness coat, a luxurious gift for the Noongar people, fuelling them with nourishment, sustenance, and offering skins as a source of warmth and comfort. Djeran has always been hailed as the Preparation Season, focusing on readying food, shelter (mia mia), and preparing the journey for the wet Season of Makuru.

Aboriginal Six Seasons, Djeran Season, https://www.aboriginalsixseasons.com.au/pages/djeran-season

News from Physical Education

We have a very exciting and busy start to 2025! Our whole-school fitness program kicked off this term, focusing on developing key physical skills across all grade levels. This initiative aims to engage students in a variety of activities that improve strength, coordination, balance, and flexibility, creating a fun and encouraging environment for everyone to get active and enhance their fitness.

For the last two weeks, our upper-year students have successfully participated in a swimming program, which has seen many students build on their swimming skills, water safety, and confidence in the pool in a fun environment.  For our younger students, we are excited to see them participate in swimming lessons starting in the coming week, ensuring that every child gets the opportunity to develop these essential life skills.

Additionally, we have been conducting assessments and participating in the "Kiddo Program," a fantastic, research-based initiative that focuses on teaching fundamental movement skills. This program is designed to help students refine their coordination, agility, and balance, which are vital for a wide range of physical activities. Through engaging and supportive activities and games, the Kiddo Program will provide all children with the tools they need to build physical literacy, confidence and knowledge about movement and their bodies. We are already witnessing the improvement in these skills in our students and the enjoyment and engagement the program encourages in PE lessons.

We look forward to seeing the positive impact these programs will have on our students as we promote healthy habits and physical activity.

Community Partnership with City of Stirling

Community Development – Erika Everitt

We are looking to engage with three key stakeholder groups to understand their priorities and perspectives on Access and Inclusion. We would love the opportunity to meet with you—either online or in person—to discuss how we can best achieve this.

There are several ways to gather input, including:

• Hosting workshops for staff and parents
• Inviting staff and parents to participate in upcoming community workshops
• Distributing a survey link

The voices of young people are particularly important in this conversation. As part of this initiative, we will be running an activity with Bunuru 4 and Birak 4 students, incorporating discussions about access and inclusion.

Please find the link to the City’s Everyone Belongs survey, which will help shape the 2025–2030 Access and Inclusion Plan.

This survey opens on Monday 10 February at 4.00pm and closes on Sunday 23 March at 11.59pm.

If you would like further information about this initiative, please contact: Erika Everitt Erika.Everitt@stirling.wa.gov.au

PBS

Merit Awards

Student Wellbeing

Hi everyone,

It's been a busy start to 2025 that's for sure! It's been great getting to know all our new students.

I just wanted to inform families that WESC have collaborated with the non-for-profit organisation Feed it Forward.

This is a service running in your local community to provide food relief for families in need. Their motto being, "No questions asked, No Judgement passed."

Please take a look on their Facebook page and find a service in your local area. https://www.facebook.com/groups/577861689418823/

Feed it forward have so generously donated fresh fruit, vegetables and bread to WESC on a Mondays and Thursdays. If you are in the office on those days, feel free to grab a bag to take home.

Also, did you know you can receive free Broadband? Any student attending a government school is eligible.   This means free Broadband until 2028.That's a huge saving!

https://www.nbnco.com.au/campaigns/school-student-broadband-initiative

Something of else that may of interest to some of our Indigenous and Torres Strait families is a free event, see below.

I wanted to share with you the details of the next Maaraka Dabakarn (Hands to Steady) sessions Wanslea will be delivering with the Child and Parent Centre Swan, and Ngala’s Ngalang Moort Ngalang Kurlangah team.

The sessions are designed around lunch and play activities to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families who may be worried about their child’s development. Our Term One session at the Child and Parent Centre Swan will be on:

Date:                                      Friday, 4^th April 2025

Time:                                     11.00 am – 1.00 pm

Location:                            Child and Parent Centre Swan

                                                 211 Clayton St, Koongamia

Lunch:                                  Food provided.

Register:                              Scan QR code on the flyer or via this link. Walk ins very welcome.

Transport:            Available for families living in some parts of the City of Swan or Shire of Mundaring. Contact mshub@mundaring.wa.gov.au to find out if you’re eligible

On the day there will be:

·         Speech Pathologist

·         Occupational Therapist

·         Behaviour Support Worker

·         Ear Screening

·         Help to complete referrals

My role is a service run at WESC through Anglicare WA. I'm here to support students and their families in their times of need.

If you would like to know more, please feel free email myself on kellie.smart@anglicarewa.org.au

Warm regards,

Kellie

Parent Training Workshops 2025

Dear Families,

Thanks to everyone who attended the first parent training workshop on Communication & AAC! Details for the next workshop are as follows:

• Topic: Behaviour
• Date: Week 8, Thursday 27^thMarch 2025
• Time: 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM
• Location: Conference Room

Please join me as we explore ways to support your child’s communication skills, enabling them to participate more confidently and reduce challenging behaviours at school and in social settings. I look forward to seeing you there!

Warm regards,

Helena Challis

School Speech Pathologist

Communities Inclusion Connection Team

Kindergarten B Starts Term 2

Uniforms

Term Planner

Voluntary Contributions

School Board Members