Friday 29th August

• Wear it Purple Day - gold coin donation

Monday 25th August

• 3/4C Assembly

Tuesday 2nd September

• Full School Dress Rehearsal @ The Phee Broadway Theatre 

Thursday 4th September

• School Production - Matinee 12pm and Night 7pm.

Friday 5th September

• Curriculum Day - no students required at school
• Book Club Orders Due Back

Monday 8th September

• 2/3H Assembly

Tuesday 9th September

• P/1J parent teacher interviews

Thursday 11th September

• 1/2A Bike Ed - During PE

Tuesday 16th September

• Castlemaine Chess tournament

Thursday 18th September

• Whole school excursion - Ballarat Wildlife Park 

Friday 19th September

• Last day of Term 3 - 2.30pm Finish.

STAFFING

Welcome back Fiona. While students in Prep/J were happy to see Fiona no one reacted as excitedly as Sunny! Once again, we extend our sincere thanks to Sashi and Liz D who covered Fiona in her absence.

We would like to welcome Alex Kidd to the ESS team.

We currently have a position advertised for a Performing Arts Teacher via the Department of Education recruitment process. Regrettably Scott was unable to continue in the role.

SUCCESS IN SOCCER

Congratulations to the Winters Flat Soccer team who competed in the schools regional competition at Swan Hill. The team played well and came second overall – a great achievement. Sam was incredibly proud of the team’s good sporting attitude and their behaviour representing the school. We also thank Sam for coaching and supporting the team, as well as the parents who car-pooled to transport them last Tuesday.

TRIVIA NIGHT LAST FRIDAY

I really wish I could have been there! By all accounts those who attended had an amazing time. Special thanks must be given to Helen Vickers who once again organized and coordinated this hugely popular event and raised an astounding $7,100.00 towards the purchase of split systems in the Senior Learning Community. Thanks again to Sam and Sophie for hosting and of course the team of people who made donations, set up and packed up.

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 4^TH PERFORMANCE AND RECORDING RESTRICTIONS

The evening performance has sold out but there are seats available for the 12:00pm matinee. A reminder that due to privacy laws and Department of Education advice, we are unable to permit recordings of the performances. We had hoped to record the show so that the students themselves could see their own performance but even that is not permitted.

A staff member will be taking photos which will only be available if the students in them have parental permission.

REMINDER FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 5^TH TERM 3 CURRICULUM DAY

Friday 5^th September is the Term 3 Curriculum Day following the school performance the night before. Where possible we will try to schedule some SSG Meetings that day.

SWPBS CERTIFICATES

Congratulations to the following students who were awarded their Care Crow Certificates at assembly. They have all been given 20 Care Cards. Well done for demonstrating our school values.

Congratulations to the following students who have all been awarded 20 Care Cards. Well done, for demonstrating our school values!

P/1J: Hugo, Raphaela, Jude, Sid, Arci, Goldie O, Matis, Connie, Marlon

1/2A: Ville, Milly

2/3H: Vanessa

3/4C: Dash, Theo, Izzy

VOLUNTEERS

Volunteers are welcome in every classroom as well as the Kitchen/Garden and specialist areas.

If you have the time and inclination, please let us know. Volunteers at school must have a Working with Children Check.

BIRTHDAYS

Happy Birthday to you…

• Jude S turned 6 this week
• Leto turns 12 this week
• Zhoni turns 7 next week
• Reuben turns 8 next week
• Ruby, Bron and Liz have birthdays this week

Hip Hip Hooray

Hip Hip Hooray

Hooray Hip Hip

COVID SCHOOL PROCEDURES

COVID is active again in Castlemaine at the moment and there have been cases in school families.

Schools will make sure your child is as safe as possible and will focus on:

• washing hands
• physical distancing
• rapid antigen testing
• Outdoors when practical
• Air purifiers indoors
• mask wearing – recommended but not mandatory

Free rapid antigen tests

Free rapid antigen tests are still available from the office.

Testing is strongly recommended for students and staff who are symptomatic.

After doing the tests at home, if it is positive, you are advised to:

• let the school know
• keep your child at home for 7 days
• contact the Department of Health via the COVID-19 Positive Rapid Antigen Test Self-Reporting Form or call centre on 1800 675 398.

Suzanne Kinnersly
Principal

Suzanne Kinnersly
Principal.

Parent Opinion Survey

Our school is conducting the annual Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey and is seeking your feedback. The survey, offered by the Department of Education, is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate, student behavior, and student engagement.

We sent you an invitation to complete the survey via email. If you cannot find the invite, please reach out and we can resend this invitation to you.

The Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey will remain open online until Friday 19 September 2025.

Your opinions are important to us and will contribute to identifying areas for improvement and professional development needs in the school, to target school planning and improvement strategies. The department will use the results from the survey for research purposes and to improve outcomes for students.

The survey is being conducted online and only takes 20 minutes to complete.

If you require assistance in completing the survey, please reach out to your child’s teacher, or the school if you require assistance in another language.   

Parent/carer/teacher interviews for P/1J

Families of Prep/1 J please be advised that interview times are now live in Xuno for Tuesday 9^th September.  Please log on to Xuno to book your times or ring the school to make a booking.

New parent/school platform

The school is switching user platforms from Xuno to Compass.  This will take effect on day one of Term 4.  There are a number of reasons why we have chosen to do this, but the main reason is that it will be more user friendly for the school and families.  More information will be sent out how to use the platform in the next newsletter.

Change of date for the whole school excursion – Ballarat Wildlife Park

We have changed the date of the whole school excursion from the Tuesday 16^th September to the Thursday 18^th September.  This was changed because there was a clash with the chess tournament at Castlemaine Secondary College.  Please make sure that you log onto Xuno to give permission for your child to attend.  You may use SSB or CSEF to pay for this excursion which is $40.

SSB/CSEF

We have had some queries about whether SSB or CSEF monies can be used from other siblings if one sibling has used all of their funds.  It is absolutely fine to use this money between families.

Hats – 1^st September

From the 1^st September all students must wear their hats while outside at recess and lunch time plays.  We regularly consult the UV index and when it is above 3 all students must wear their hats.

Book Club

Book club needs to be ordered by 5^th September, either online or cash/Eftpos via the school. 

Concert Night Refreshments

For the night performance there will be some refreshments for sale in the foyer before the concert commences.  Thank you to our fundraising committee for organising this. 

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Karen & AnneMaree

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BOOK WEEK PARADE

Another interesting array of costumes inspired by book characters were on show at our annual Book Week Parade. It is always exciting to see what kids and their families come up with, not to mention staff. Some students in Year 5 and 6 went next level and dressed up every day of book week.

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

• Spring Onion Pancakes
• Fried Rice
• Spring Rolls
• Greens Stir Fried with Soy and Ginger
• Asian Cabbage Salad
• Passionfruit Yogos

Yum!!!

Prep/1 Menu

• Tzatziki and Pita Chips
• Sweet Potato and  Feta Mini Frittatas
• Margarita Pizza
• Rainbow Fruit Skewers and Yoghurt Dip
• Jam Drop Biscuits

 Yum!!!

Chefs of the week:

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Cath & Terry
Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden

Why We Celebrate Wear It Purple Day

Supporting LGBTQIA+ Youth and Their Mental Health

Wear It Purple Day is a powerful opportunity to show support for LGBTQIA+ young people and affirm that they have the right to be proud of who they are, feel safe in their environment, and be celebrated for their diversity. The theme of Wear It Purple 2025 is simple: "Bold Voices, Bright Futures”.

When schools and communities actively take part in this day of celebration, it sends a strong message of inclusion and visibility to young people who may otherwise feel isolated or misunderstood.

Research tells us that LGBTQIA+ youth are at a higher risk of experiencing anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts—not because of their identity, but because of stigma, discrimination, and lack of acceptance. When young people feel seen, respected, and valued, their mental health outcomes improve dramatically.

By celebrating Wear It Purple Day, we are:

• Teaching children the values of kindness, respect, and inclusion.
• Letting every student know they are valued and supported just as they are.
• Helping  to build strong mental wellbeing by showing children they are not alone.
• Showing our LGBTQIA+ student and their families that they are welcome and supported.
• Promoting safe and inclusive environments for all young people.
• Opening up important conversations about respect, diversity, and mental health.
• Helping reduce the stigma that surrounds gender and sexual diversity.

Ultimately, it's about creating a culture where every young person feels like they belong. That sense of belonging is one of the most protective factors for mental health—and it’s something we can all help build together.

ON FRIDAY THE 29^TH OF AUGUST, YOUR CHILD CAN DRESS IN PURPLE IF THEY CHOOSE. STUDENTS FROM THE WINTERS FLAT RAINBOW NETWORK WILL VISIT CLASSROOMS TO OFFER WEAR IT PURPLE DAY BRACELETS FOR $1-$3. ALL MONEY WILL GO TO THIS STUDENT GROUP TO PURCHASE CRAFT AND OTHER ITEMS TO RUN THE THURSDAY LUNCH TIME CLUB.

Trivia Night

The Winters Flat Trivia night was once again a roaring success! We moved it to the Campbells Creek Community Centre so more people could attend. Our trivia hosts Sam and Sophie were given full creative license to do whatever they liked - and boy did they deliver. Hula Hooping challenges, multiple costume changes, designing a Winters Flat Superhero, films of our aspiring drama student badly acting out film scenes, plus a range of wild and wacky questions that allowed everyone to at least once in the night feel a little bit smart. 

We will do it all again next year, so if you would like to help out - with this, or any of the other weird and wonderful ideas that our fundraising and community engagement committees come up with - please get in touch with the office or a member of School Council. 

Kind Regards,

Brooke

Winters Flat OSHClub Coordinator