Friday 29th November

• Book Club orders due back!

Monday 2nd December

• P/1R Cooking session - parent helpers welcome (need WWCC)

Tuesday 3rd December

• 2025 Prep Transition #3 - 2:15pm-3:15pm

Thursday 5th December

• End of year performance & picnic dinner!
• Please fill out this survey to indicate numbers :)

Monday 9th December

• Grade 2/3 Bike Hike - 10am-2pm - see Xuno for more details

Tuesday 10th December

• 2025 Prep Transition #4 - 10:00am-12:00pm
• Whole school Step-Up Day - 10:00am-12:00pm
• Grade 6 students will undertake Step Up at their future high schools

Thursday 12th December

• Year 6 Graduation - 5:30pm-8:30pm - more details to follow

Monday 16th December

• Assembly 2:45pm - Year 6 Students presenting
• Mangoes arriving this week!

Wednesday 18th December

• Student reports available on XUNO

Friday 20th December

• Last Day of Term 4 - 1:30pm finish
• SLC end of year pool day - 10:00am-1:30pm - see Xuno for details

SWPBS

This week we are celebrating the following students who have received 20 Care Crow Cards. Their achievements were announced at Monday’s assembly, and they have each received a certificate. They are also entitled to select a reward acknowledging their individual achievement.

Congratulations to:

• Angus 1J,
• Ivy 1J
• Jamie 2H
• Harriet 2H
• Ella 5B
• Athene 5B

WORKING BEE THIS SUNDAY 1^st DECEMBER 11:00am – 1:00pm

BYO snacks!

PLEASE NOTE LATER START TIME :)

This is the last Working Bee for 2024. Our main priorities are:

• weeding the front of the school and along the side of the main building ahead of Thursday’s concert night.
• Staining the remaining five picnic tables, which have already been sanded and prepped

To accurately gauge our numbers to expect, could you please let me know directly via email: Suzanne.Kinnersly@education.vic.gov.au if you are able to come?

Dean Nendick will be coordinating the jobs on the day. Please check in with Dean when you arrive.

END OF YEAR CONCERT AND GATHERING

Next Thursday 5^th December at 6:00pm we will have a concert involving all classes and we encourage everyone to be there! The concert will last about an hour, followed by a BYO picnic. A Christmas craft stall will be available for unique, affordable gifts.

We have invited local kindergartens to come along for the dress rehearsal from 11:30am. Special thanks to Athene Goonan for her wonderful promotional poster, which is attached to this Newsletter.

NEW STAFF FOR 2025

Congratulations to the following new staff appointments!

Hannah O’Keefe is our Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader (MHWL) funded through Mental Health in Primary Schools (MHiPS). Developed by paediatricians, educators, psychologists, researchers, and teachers, the MHiPS program upskills experienced teachers to become Mental Health and Wellbeing Leaders, and aims to increase the capacity of Victorian primary schools to support the mental health of their students. Hannah has been our wellbeing coordinator for some time, but will have new responsibilities and an increased time-fraction next year.

Elizabeth Arnott is a passionate teacher with ten years’ experience working in the Macedon Ranges. She will be teaching our Year 1/2 composite class next year, replacing Tina Radcliffe (Gordon) who is taking family leave. Elizabeth is also a parent at the school - her son, Sid, is in Year 2!

Emma Ragheb is joining the Education Support Staff team. Emma did her pre-service placement here and was a casual staff member before taking a position at Chewton Primary School. We look forward to welcoming her back to Winters Flat!

BIRTHDAYS

Happy Birthday to you…

Michelle has a birthday at the weekend

Lenny C turns 11 next week

Hip Hip Hooray

Hip Hip Hooray

Hooray Hip Hip

BREAKFAST CLUB – WE STILL NEED VOLUNTEERS

Any time you could spare before school would be amazing! The food is provided – it’s just a matter of being available to serve kids who come to the kitchen. Times will ideally be 8:15am – 8:45am on a day that suits you. Please let the office know!

Family home care packages are also available. Please see Karen in the office for further information.

VOLUNTEERS

Volunteers are welcome in every classroom as well as the Kitchen/Garden and specialist areas. Reading partners for the junior school are always welcome.

If you have the time and inclination, please let us know.

Volunteers at school must have a Working with Children Check. You can apply for a volunteer one here.

Suzanne Kinnersly
Principal

Mango Fundraiser Update – Important please read!

The Mango Fundraiser has informed us that their crops have matured earlier than expected this year. Our original delivery date was going to be December 16th but will now be the week before (beginning 9^th December). We understand this is very disappointing as some of you were wanting your mangoes closer to Christmas. We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience this may cause you..

School Saving Bonus (SSB)

Families with students enrolled at Winters Flat PS next year should soon receive emails regarding the School Saving Bonus with your unique login details. The money is held by the school and sits in your account until it is used. Please see the attached SSB guide on how to access this money and what you can use it for. If you have any questions please contact the office.

school_saving_bonus_system_guide_for_parents_and_carers_2975_1_.pdf

Chicken and Watering helpers for over the school holidays

If you are able to help us out with watering the gardens or looking after the chickens over the school holidays, please let the office know!

Grade 2/3 Bike Hike

To celebrate the end of their year together, Grade 2/3 students will be going on a bike ride from school to the Castlemaine Botanical Gardens, on Monday December 9th.

Parent volunteers to accompany the group by bike or on foot would be much appreciated! Please contact the office if you can help.

If your child is not a confident or competent bike rider, please get in touch, as we can arrange for alternative transport via cargo bike or walking.

Sausages in bread and ice-cream will be provided for students at the Gardens.

Please see Xuno for more details, and to approve and pay for this excursion.

SLC Pool Party

As part of their end of year class party, students in Years 4-6 are going to the Chewton Pool! 

Students will leave school at 10.00am and travel by bus to the pool.

Parents will need to collect their child/ren from the pool at 1:30pm.

Please see Xuno for more deatils, and to approve and pay for this excursion.

Student Absences

Before the end of the school year, please pop onto XUNO and check if your child/ren have any unexplained absences and provide reasons for them. Recording attendances and reasons is a legal requirement for schools and we appreciate your support in recording these accurately.

Karen Mahoney & Rosie Annear

Office

Hello all! It has been a while between Wellbeing Newsletter entries... we are so busy, in the best possible ways!

Four Bush School groups are running weekly. Snake season has prevented us from heading to our usual beloved creek spot, so we have been trying our hands at whittling, ochre painting, and rainbow ribbon movement. However, after the rain this weekend we just had to venture to the creek, take off our shoes and socks, and paddle in the shallows. It was the best!

We are also back to running our Loose Parts Play sessions on Mondays, at lunchtime. Ang was away for a couple of months and is back with her power tools and legendary energy. Thanks to Ang and the awesome kids who come each week to create with wood, wool, beads, and glue and who explore the machines and gadgets on offer for deconstruction.

On Monday arvos, we also have our Drumbeat group of 4/5/6 kids, who show up each week ready to learn a new rhythm. We’ll be shooting a video to share with a limited group of parents. We are so proud of our drumming skills, but also the relationships we’ve created and nurtured during our time in the group.

Until next time :)

Hannah

This week in the Kitchen and Garden..........

.

What we're cooking in the kitchen this fortnight...

Yum!!!

Chefs of the week:

.

Kitchen volunteers:

We always love kitchen helpers in our cooking classes!

They are held fortnightly on Mondays (even weeks - 4/5/6C), and every Wednesday (even weeks - 4/5/6B; odd weeks - 2/3H), between 11:25am & 1:25pm.

The Prep/1 classes will have a special cooking class each term.

P/1J has had their final cooking class for the year.

P/1R has the last cooking session NEXT Monday December 2nd!

Kitchen helpers for these classes would be particularly helpful - please let the office know if you'd like to volunteer!

What you can expect from a class:

Students work in groups to make seasonal dishes, using produce from our garden. Once a group finishes preparing their dish, they clean up their bench, do dishes, and set the tables. Around 1:00pm, we all sit down together and share the meal.

Volunteers will need to sign in via the visitors log in the office and show their WWCC. Please contact the office if you have any questions or would like to volunteer! 

.

We've been lucky to receive some lovely new books lately!

Lisa Chesters visited us a while ago to donate some new books to the school.

She chose:

• 11 Words for Love written by Randa Abdel-Fattah and illustrated by Maxine Benebo Clarke
• My Strange Shrinking Parents written and illustrated by Zeno Sworder
• Zadie Ma and the Dog Who Chased the Moon written by Gabrielle Wang
• The Dunggiirr Brothers and the Caring Song of the Whale written and illustrated by Aunty Shaa Smith with Yandaarra
• Open your Heart to Country written and illustrated by Jasmine Seymour (in dual language)

Thanks, Lisa!

.

Then, on Monday, we were visited by representatives of the Old Castlemaine Schoolboys Association who generously donate $100 worth of books to each local primary school, every year (and have been for many years).

We chose:

• The Dictionary Story by Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston
• Australian Animals: From Beach to Bush by Brentos
• Christmas is... by Phillip Bunting
• Big Book of Animals by the Taronga Conservation Society Australia

Thanks, Old Castlemaine Schoolboys Association!

And thanks to our School Leaders, Ava M, Ginger, Aurora A-F, Jasmine, and Freya for representing the school at short notice!