Willoughby Public School Newsletter

Dear Parents and carers

 Congratulations!

We made it to the end of Term 3 ?

What a term! No doubt we will look back and remember the many positives of online learning rather than dwell on the negative. For me, there have been many positives – teachers flipping the learning almost overnight and then adjusting the learning as we moved into Term 3. A huge thank you to our teachers, student learning support officers, administration officers and executive leadership team for keeping Willoughby PS operating remotely.

A huge thank you to our parents and carers for supporting your children throughout the term with their online learning. I acknowledge it has been a very tough time but we really appreciate your ongoing support and I’m sure as partners in your child/children’s learning you can see the outstanding growth made by the children.

Finally, thank you to every student at Willoughby PS, you have become independent reflective learners, technology wizards, demonstrating enormous maturity and commitment to your own learning. You should feel very proud of everything you have achieved in difficult circumstances.

Thank you and congratulations to the Year 5 students who submitted their application for a student leader position (School Captain / Sports House Captain) for 2022. Your Student Leader Nominee Badges have been posted to you and we look forward to seeing you wear them with pride on your Zooms and then once we are back on-site next term, as you demonstrate your leadership qualities.

Thank You!

On behalf of our staff at WPS I would like to wish you a relaxing, screen free holiday to recharge ready for Term 4.

Jennifer Simmonds

Principal

Students will return to face-to-face learning with NSW Health-approved COVID-safe Level 3 plus settings on school sites in the following order:

• From 25 October 2021: Kindergarten and Year 1
  
• From 1 November 2021: Years 2, 6 and 11
• From 8 November 2021: Years 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 and 10

The return to school roadmap is subject to change depending on new information expected through the Public Health Order and additional advice from NSW Health. You can stay up to date with the most recent advice on our Advice for families page.

Books at Home 

We are so looking forward to welcoming back your students on site progressively from Wk 4 next Term. If you are wondering what your student has out on loan, and what they will need to be returning to us next term, your child has access to this information via their portal. Once logged in, they will see a link to Oliver Library. In Oliver Library use the drop-down menu under your child’s name, to access what they have out on loan. This video shows you how to access the portal from Google. The best thing you can do right now in preparation for your child coming back to the Library, is to collect together the books they have out on loan, place them in their school bag or Library Bag. These can then be promptly returned when the time comes next term. 

Premier’s Reading Challenge 2021 

Congratulations to over 600 of our students who completed the PRC this year!! I have now checked and validated all entries across K-6. Over the next few weeks, the work shifts over to the State Government to organise the preparation of certificates for all. These are emailed and posted out to us in the second half of Term 4. Once we have printed and collated these they will be handed out to students.  

School Holiday Events 

The State Library of NSW is holding a series of workshops for kids and families – all held safely online. More information HERE, by searching under the workshop option. 

Our own Willoughby Public Library is holding an Origami workshop for children on Wed 29th September. Visit this link for more information on this and other activities. Books can also be borrowed via their online options . 

Why Read? 

A funny question for me to ask, but I think sometimes it’s easy to forget what a wonderful part of our lives that reading can be. Whether you are reading fiction or non-fiction, reading allows you to escape the confines of school, work or life for a while, and pursue your own education about the world. It allows you to delve into interests and discover things or parts of things that you didn’t know before. It allows brief visits, or ‘deep dives’ into topics, that can be continued over time. Through reading fiction, we learn about the world through the characters that are living through their own worlds whether realistic or imagined. Through their experiences and interactions, we learn how to be better human beings. As the characters grow and develop through the story, we come along for the journey, and at the end we decide what resonates with our own set of values and experiences, and what doesn’t. We decide which characters we liked, and those that we didn’t, and why. And for the books we just loved – we recommend them wholeheartedly, wish for sequels, and perhaps look for more like them.  

I discovered a great website this week, as I was looking into Australian Reading Hour, which was held on Tues 14th September this year. It is AUSTRALIA READS | MORE BOOKS, MORE OFTEN . All around Australia on this day, people spend an hour reading whatever they want, wherever they are, in whatever way they choose. This site has a page dedicated to recommended reads – worth a look! Lots of titles there to choose from at School Kids - Australia Reads . This event is on my calendar for 2022! 

School Holiday Events 

The State Library of NSW is holding a series of workshops for kids and families – all held safely online. More information HERE, by searching under the workshop option. 

Our own Willoughby Public Library is holding an Origami workshop for children on Wed 29th September. Visit this link for more information on this and other activities. Books can also be borrowed via their online options . 

Mrs Debbie de Silva 

Teacher Librarian 

This week, the WPS Dad's club hosted a zoom night with ALF legend Jude Bolton. 

It was a fantastic night for those who attended. We learnt about Jude's experience as a professional footballer and winning the dual premierships with the Sydney Swans. 

The Dad's Club looks forward to meeting you at our next event - post lockdown, for our 2nd Annual Dinner and Raffle. 

A reminder to WPS dads and special blokes to join our Fathering Project portal page. Please sign up at:  https://thefatheringproject.org/dads/join-a-group/

For any questions, ideas or volunteering for the dad’s club please contact dadsclub@wpspandc.com.au

Congratulations to all those who participated in the WPS P&C Treasure Hunt, we hope you all enjoyed learning about our local area.

We had lots of people correctly complete the Treasure Hunt. These entries were entered into a draw which was drawn by Ms Simmonds and Mr Michaeil.

We would like to announce the lucky winners of the $100 Rebel vouchers go to Madison S Yr 5, Zoe S Yr 3 and Kaori S Yr 2 .

A special thank you to Matt Sharpe for organising the Treasure Hunt.  

At Willoughby Public School we have a number of students with a

LIFE THREATENING NUT / PEANUT ALLERGY.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

Even a small trace of nut, peanut or nut/peanut product may trigger a severe allergic reaction called Anaphylaxis, which attacks the immune system leading potentially to death within minutes.

This reaction can happen by taste, touch and sometimes can be airborne. All of these students have access to an adrenaline injection in the form of an Epipen, which can save lives. Photo posters are displayed in the classrooms, canteen, staffroom, playground bags and sick bay for easy identification of these children.

Willoughby PS works with parents/carers to support students in developing an awareness of their allergies and what foods to avoid. Students are encouraged not to share food and to always check with a parent/adult/teacher if unsure at any time. 

HOW CAN YOU HELP TO KEEP WPS STUDENTS SAFE? 

Please help us by not including peanut or any nut products in your child’s lunchbox. This includes peanut butter and Nutella. 

Please avoid products with any nuts/peanuts listed as an ingredient. 

Explain about nut/peanut allergy to your child and encourage the ‘no food sharing’ rule. 

Please consider what you are sending for birthday treats to share with the class, checking there are no nut products included. 

The school canteen does not serve products containing nuts. 

It is only with the continued support of all parents and staff that we can effectively maintain a safe school environment for these children.  

Thank you for your understanding. We know you will want to support the school and these children.