School Newsletter -Vol.17_30th October

From the Principal

Return External School Review Outcomes 

I'm pleased to share the results from our recent Return External School Review, held Monday 21st and Tuesday 22nd.  After a thorough evaluation of our school's practices, data, and interviews with students, staff, and parents, the review panel concluded that Waverley has met all four recommended areas of development within just two years—a truly outstanding achievement! 

We expect to receive the complete report shortly, which I will share with our staff and school association. The panel also identified areas for growth, which we look forward to focusing on over the next two years as we prepare for our next review. 

The review team particularly noted Waverley’s growth in learning, leadership, and streamlined processes, all of which align closely with our school's goals. This accomplishment highlights the dedication and teamwork of everyone at Waverley, with our school fostering clear expectations and a culture of learning. 

Here are some wonderful quotes from families interviewed by the panel: 

• “My child expresses a love for the staff – this is where he feels safe.” 

• “Since joining the school, we’ve encountered staff who genuinely listen.” 

• “Teachers hear my input and actively respond to it.” 

• “My children are happy and love school.” 

• “The school has been great at supporting students who need it most.” 

• “My child loves the extra hands-on learning opportunities.” 

Congratulations to our incredible community! Your efforts have made these milestones possible, and I’m so proud of what we have achieved together. Here’s to an exciting journey ahead! 

Surveys 

The 2024 Staff and Parent Satisfaction Survey and the Student Wellbeing and Engagement Survey (SWES) results were released on October 21. Our quick analysis reveals fantastic news—we’ve reached our School Improvement targets! Some key highlights include: 

• Loved, Safe, and Valued – School Climate: 9% growth in student responses. 

• Family Satisfaction: The question "Staff encourage me to participate in literacy and numeracy activities" showed a growth of 0.3. 

• Student Wellbeing: 92% of students report having an important adult at school. 

• Wellbeing Gains: 

• 10% growth in happiness. 

• 11% growth in emotional regulation. 

• 8% increase in the absence of worry (high wellbeing rating). 

• 78% of students report emotional engagement with teachers (up from 54% last year, our highest rating since 2020). 

• Significant improvements in engagement, perseverance, cognitive engagement, and resilience. 

• A jump in school belonging to 44% (from 25% in 2023). 

These results reflect the incredible work we’re doing, though we remain committed to addressing physical and verbal bullying as a top priority. 

Hon Minister Jo Palmer 

On Friday at 12:30 pm, Minister Palmer visited Waverley to announce the 2025 Food Matters Program to the media. Our Prep-3 students demonstrated outstanding manners and behaviour, and it was heartwarming to see them engaging with the Minister. You may have caught our students on the news or in The Examiner!  

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World Teachers’ Day – October 25 

On World Teachers’ Day, we celebrated the commitment, care, and passion of our teachers. They provide our students with a safe and supportive environment that fosters growth and learning. We are incredibly proud of their dedication and the positive impact they have on our children’s lives. Thank you for all that you do! 

 Children’s Week Celebrations 

Children’s Week gave us a wonderful opportunity to focus on children’s rights, as outlined by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also having fun! Our open playgroup last Friday was a success, thanks to our Early Childhood team, who organized activities for all age groups, from babies to Kindergarten children. Thank you to everyone who participated! Thank you to Mrs Foley, Mrs Allen and Mrs Salter for their organisation and meticulous planning of the event. 

 Basketball Update 

Our 5-6 girls' basketball team had an exciting weekend of games: 

• Saturday Morning: The girls won against Youngtown Primary by 4 points. 

• Saturday Afternoon: A tough game against St. Anthony’s resulted in a loss, although our team held their own. 

• Sunday Morning: Another challenging game, this time against Launceston Church Grammar School. 

• Sunday Afternoon: With renewed determination, the girls achieved a fantastic win against Scotch Oakburn College. 

 A special thank you to Rotary Tamar Sunrise for our team’s new uniforms, which created a strong sense of unity. Mr. Symes, along with Mrs. Matuska and Mrs. Pel, supported the team with coaching and encouragement, and we appreciate the families and staff who came to cheer us on. Your presence was noticed and valued by all! 

 Thank you all for your ongoing support and dedication to making Waverley a thriving, nurturing environment for our students. Let's keep this wonderful momentum going! 

 Kind regards, 

Katie Wightman 

Principal 

Principal Awards

Congratulations to the recipients of Principal Awards received at the assembly held on Wednesday 23rd October.

• Athena C
• Shaylah D
• Mrs Kim Ewart
• Miss Gemima Hindrum

Merit Certificates

Congratulations to the recipients of Merit Certificates received at the assembly held on Wednesday 23rd October.

• Harley C
• Hamish O-C
• Avah-Rose P
• Leah R
• Lucas C
• Cas P
• Daniel C
• Alydia P
• Ava G
• Mason R
• Tyrell R
• Elliott M
• Jed J
• Maetell S
• Beighley W
• Nate F
• Harper O-C
• Lucas S-B

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Children's Week

On Friday 25th October, our Waverley Early Years team hosted an event titled “Children have the right to a clean and safe environment”. Children’s week is a nationwide celebration that acknowledges the talents, skills and accomplishments, and the rights of children. Our children celebrated by getting messy with goop, exploring their chef talents by getting creative with lemons and even showing off their artistic abilities with lots of drawing resources. Thank you to all the families who joined us, we enjoyed celebrating with you.

Mrs Sally Foley, Mrs Ky Salter and Mrs Laura Allen

Early Years Team

Progressive Achievement Testing 2024 (PAT)

In Week 2, 3, and 4 of Term 4 students at Waverley Primary School will be taking part in Progressive Achievement Tests known as PAT. Students from all around Australia complete these important tests every year in Reading, Maths, and Vocabulary. 

Classroom teachers will use the information from the results of PAT tests to assess how students are progressing, their strengths, and areas where they need more support for improvement. This important data will also be used to support students at the beginning of 2025.  

The tests are delivered in a supportive environment with the teacher and TA’s available to support students. Students who require additional support and adjustments based on their learning plan will receive this support during the testing period. Tests are spread across the three weeks so students can focus on one learning area at a time.  

As always, attendance is very important for your child to improve in their learning. During the testing period there will be opportunities for catch-up tests if you child does miss their test session. Please remember to communicate any absence or illness with the office on 6339 1455 or via the Schoolzine app. 

Mr Sam Millwood

Quality Teaching Coach

Halloween Disco

LiFT Term 4

During Term 4 we will be running reading afternoons in classrooms. We currently have three dates scheduled:

• Thursday 31st October, Prep/1 2.30-3.00pm
• Thursday 7th November, grade 1/2 2.30-3.00pm
• Thursday 14th November, grade 2/3 2.30-3.00pm

Mrs Ky Salter

LiFT Co-ordinator

Home Fire Safety Program

A firefighter from the Tasmania Fire Service (TFS) is visiting our school next week to present a Home Fire Safety Program to our Prep to Grade 6 students.

Kindergarten students, whilst not receiving a structured lesson, can expect a visit from the firefighter who will leave some free fun activites for the students to complete.

The age-appropriate program is designed to raise fire awareness in children and includes fun in class activities, videos, activity books, website www.tfseducation.com.au and giveaways.

Parents and other family members are also encouraged to participate by reading the information and assisting your child with the after-school activities.

The TFS aims to deliver appropriate fire safety education to every primary school child in Tasmania and is  part of the TFS’s ongoing commitment to create a fire safe Tasmania.

Key Fire Safety Messages include,

Wake up - Install a smoke alarm in every bedroom

Plan and practice a home fire escape plan with the whole family

In a fire crawl low and go, go, go to the nearest exit

In an emergency call triple zero  

Keep flammable material at least two metres from the heater

If your clothes catch fire, stop, drop, rock and roll

Keep matches and lighters away from children

Cooking - Turn it off before you turn away

Cool a burn under cool water for at least 20 minutes

Most house fires can be avoided. Make your home fire safe

More information www.tfseducation.com.au

EARLY CHILDHOOD

TFS receives regular requests from preschools and child care centres asking for firefighters to visit and teach children about home fire safety.

TFS does not deliver structured fire safety programs to children below primary school age. This decision was made based on research carried out by the Mental Health Services of the Royal Children’s Hospital and the Metropolitan Fire Brigade in Melbourne. This research indicated that:

• Children under the age of five had low retention of the information they had learned; and
• In some children, the information had actually stimulated their curiosity about fire and they had begun to play with fire.

TFS believes that parents and caregivers are the best people to make sure that very young children are safe from fire. To help with this, TFS has a fire safety website for parents, carers, teachers and students

TFS has also developed resources for young children that introduce them to the friendly firefighter characters that they will meet when they receive the School Fire Education Program including a colouring book and stickers with home fire safety messages for the whole family.

Queechy High School Orientation Day

Safe School Zone Parking

We need your help to keep all our students safe, especially in the P-1 class. 

Please do not park on the grass nature strip outside Prep - 1. This is not permitted and is very dangerous. Parking there blocks the view for drivers and makes it harder to see children crossing the road. Always use the designated parking areas to keep everyone safe. 

 The Tasmanian Road Rules prohibit parking on a nature strip. Vehicles parked on a nature strip may be fined by City of Launceston officers or Tasmania Police if they are determined to be breaking the Road Rules. 

Remember, our school zone speed limit is 40km/h during busy times. Please slow down, stay alert, and watch for children walking near cars, crossing roads, or getting in and out of vehicles. Children can be unpredictable, so staying focused is essential. 

Please speak with your children about road safety. Remind them to:

• hold hands with and adult when crossing the road;
• to look right, left and right again, before crossing the road;
• to get out of the car on the kerb side; and
• to follow traffic signals.

These habits help keep everyone safe. 

 Thank you for helping us make Waverley Primary School a safe place for all our students. Let's work together to ensure safe drop-off and pick-up times for everyone. 

 The City of Launceston has shared resources for Parking Rules (see below) and Safe School Zone Parking, which can be viewed here: Safe School Zone Parking. The City of Launceston will also be conducting patrols of the area to encourage safe and legal parking. 

Sun Smart

Kindergarten Enrolments 2025

Children born in 2020 are required to enrol in Kindergarten for 2025.  More information about Kindergarten in Tasmanian Government Schools can be found by following the link below. 

We have a pre-kinder program that takes place every Friday morning the year prior to starting Kinder.  We invite families with pre-kinder age children to our Friday program. 

Any families that are yet to enrol their child in kindergarten are invited to do so as soon as possible.  If you have family or friends who would like to be considered, please encourage them to contact our school.  

Pre-Kinder

Early Years

LiFT (Learning in Families Together)

Today’s fun activity is a Memory Game!

This activity helps your child develop thinking (or cognitive) skills. 👏🏼

We use these important skills every day to help us make decisions, think, plan, read, do maths, concentrate, and understand things.

How you can help at home. 🏠

Play this game (and others like it) lots of times, it helps your child learn and practice these skills.

Tray Game: Arrange household items on a tray, let kids study it, then remove an item for them to identify.

Object Hunt: Hide small objects (like toys or kitchen items) around the house. Give hints or use a list of items for kids to find, testing memory as they recall and locate each one.

 #BrightLivesPositiveFutures 

LiFT (Learning in Families Together)

Today’s fun activity is Music and Dance!

This activity helps your child develop social and self-help skills. 👏🏼

We use these important skills everyday when we play and work with others, solve conflicts, take turns, understand feelings, and feel like we belong.

How you can help at home. 🏠

Play this game (and others like it) lots of times, it helps your child learn and practice these skills.

Freeze Dance: Play music and let everyone dance until the music stops. Freeze in funny poses or try to balance until the music starts again!

Dance Scavenger Hunt: Hide musical notes or tiny instruments around the house. Dance between rooms to find each one, and celebrate with a mini performance at the end.

Family Dance-Off: Have a dance battle! Each person picks a song, and everyone tries to out-dance each other.

Musical Statues: Dance while the music plays, but freeze in a statue pose when it stops—fun for all ages!

#BrightLivesPositiveFutures

Reading Club

Our Reading Club occurs in the Rainbow Room every Wednesday from 8:30am. We hope to see you there.

Working Together

School Association News

Uniform

A reminder to please ensure your child(ren) are dressed in school uniform for their day at school. Our school has very high expectations for our school uniform and many visitors to our school give extremely positive feedback about how smart our students look. We ask that any long sleeves under polo tops are gold keep to with our school colours. We ask that students please wear black trackpants/trousers or shorts. 

A reminder that our Waverley Primary School jackets are great for an extra layer over a school jumper. Uniform items can be purchased at the main office or through our Qkr! app, with items being delivered to students within a day. 

Please note: branded leggings and very short hot pant style shorts are not part of our school uniform.

Communication

Newsletter access

Please note the following information: 

Schoolzine SZapp and our Text message service are our main source of communication. 

The newsletter is published every second Wednesday through Schoolzine and can be viewed through the SZapp.   

The Waverly Primary School Facebook page is a great way to stay informed about what is happening in and around our school. 

Attendance

At Waverley Primary students attendance and safety are high priorities.  If your child is absent or late please phone our school office ph: 6339 1455 or send a note via the SZapp.  All lateness and absence must be explained.  This is a legal requirement by the Department for Education Children and Young People.  

An SMS text message will be automatically sent to the mobile phones of parents/carers explaining that our records show that your child is absent from school.   

The message will arrive on the phone displaying the number: 0407 580 106. Please save this number as ‘WPS Absentee’ so that when the message arrives you are aware is has come from our school.   

You can reply to the text to explain the absence please add: your child’s name, reason they are absent or late.   

Messages from you to school

To ensure your messages are received and actioned in a timely manner and without error, please use the following:

• Absentee notifications - Enter details using the SZapp by 9:00am to notify the office of student absence.
• End of day messages - Send a message using the SZapp or call 63391455 before 2:30pm.
• Queries and other messages - Send a message using the SZapp or email waverley.primary@decyp.tas.gov.au
• Uniform & icecream/icypole orders - Order and pay on the Qkr! app

We endeavour to respond to enquiries within 2 business days during school terms.

Messages from us to you

In an effort to reduce our carbon footprint, we will push information out to you via the SZapp.  It is very important that all of our parents have signed up to the Schoolzine app to receive notices and information. 

If you require assistance in setting up or using the SZapp or the Qkr! app, please contact the office. 

Allergy Aware

We are an allergy aware school.  We discourage the use and consumption of nuts and nut products as well as eggs and egg products. 

Ice Cream Sales

A reminder that we have ice cream sales on a Monday at lunch time.  All proceeds support our Year 6 celebration activities.  You can order your ice cream or icy pole on the Qkr! app or you can bring cash on the day.

Important Dates

5/6 Sport Roster

Advanced Safeguarding Training

Working With Vulnerable People Registration

Parents and carers if you remain with your child in their classroom beyond school drop off, or volunteer for parent help, or would like to attend a school excursion we must see a copy of your registration card.  When you sign in at the office please enter your RWVP number.  

It is against the law for a person to work or volunteer at any DECYP School without a current working with vulnerable people registration. 

If you would like to volunteer at Waverley Primary School we would love to hear from you.  To apply for registration please follow the link below:

Staff Information

Staff – Student Support and Wellbeing Team

Staff - Teacher Assistant

Administration Team

Education Facility Attendant

Move Well Eat Well

A reminder to everyone that we do not bring energy drinks to school.  

Digital Skills for Families

Working Together-Free Education and Care in 2025

Would you like your child to have the opportunity to make friends, play, learn and build confidence? 

 Working Together: 

• Is free 

• Offers 2 – 3 days of early learning per week for children 

• Is available to children in their year before Kindergarten 

• Provides support to families to participate in the program  

• Is delivered through Tasmanian Early Childhood Education and Care services (also known as childcare centres) in the following locations: 

• North West – Burnie, Ulverstone, Devonport and Smithton 

• North – Launceston, Legana, George Town, Cressy, Perth and Scottsdale 

• Midlands - Bagdad, Campbell Town and Oatlands 

• East – St Marys, Bicheno, Swansea, Triabunna and St Helens 

• South - Brighton, Bagdad, Glenorchy and Kingborough 

If you have any questions please call Sally Foley at  

How can I take part? 

Referrals are now open for 2025, with limited places available. 

Learn more about Working Together and the eligibility criteria for children’s access at https://www.decyp.tas.gov.au/working-together/ or contact: 

• Email: wt@decyp.tas.gov.au   

• Phone:  0457 050 478 

Community Notices