Phone: 9971 8352 Fax: 9982 5617 Email: wheelerhts-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au Website: wheelerhts-p.schools.nsw.gov.au

Congratulations to our team of swimmers at the Pittwater Swimming carnival on Tuesday at the Aquatic Centre. Our team performed very well and showed great sportsmanship and effort in all races. Best of luck to our swimmers who will now compete at the Sydney North carnival. Congratulations to Aiden N (5/6B) who has been selected in the Sydney North Tennis team to compete at the State carnival at Broadmeadow early next term. Special congratulations also to Amber P (4RO) who has been named as a reserve for the Sydney North team. Wonderful achievements Aiden & Amber!! Good luck to our 12 PSSA teams tomorrow in the first round of competition (after last week’s washout) against Elanora Heights. **** Remember PSSA is now on Friday mornings with buses leaving at 9am*** Parent & Visitor Code of Conduct It is disappointing that I have to remind parents at our school about satisfactory behaviour and codes of conduct. Unfortunately, there have already been a number of incidents at school this year where parents have behaved extremely inappropriately to members of staff, often with small children being present. This sort of behaviour is not acceptable and will not be tolerated. Please refer to the table on page 2 which clearly outlines acceptable and unacceptable behaviour. Sadly we (and our impressionable children) often see despicable behaviour in the media, at local and televised sporting events and generally far too often in our 2020 society. I am confident that if we all work together we can ensure that the correct, polite and appropriate behaviour can become the norm and that we do not tolerate or condone behaviour which is nasty, rude, or inappropriate. Welcome to new Parents BBQ – this afternoon….Thursday 12 March from 5-6:30pm The annual welcome BBQ for all new Kindergarten students and their buddies and any new school families will be held this afternoon from 5-6:30pm around the hall and canteen area, organised by our wonderful P&C. School Program Fees A note outlining whole school program fees, expenses and statements was emailed to all families last week. A copy of these notes was included with last week’s newsletter and is on the school website. Prompt payment would be very much appreciated, with a special prize draw for full payment made by the due date. Parent/Teacher Interviews Please be sure to book in for your parent teacher interviews later this term. Please see more details in Mrs Wright’s column. Rotary Raffle Tickets to Win a Car The P&C and school have decided to once again participate in the Rotary Raffle. A detailed information note and tickets were distributed to each child today. The note is printed later in this newsletter. Parents can return the sold tickets to the school leaders in the playground each day and collect more ticket books to sell from the school office. Remember there will be prizes for the classes and students who sell the most tickets. Money raised from the Rotary Raffle will support the school canteen, sustainability and technology resources.

2020 DATES

Thurs 12 March Selective HS test (Yr 6) 5-6:30pm Kindy & buddies & new students Welcome BBQ Fri 13 March PSSA Rd 2 Mon 16 March 7pm P&C Meeting Harmony Day (mufti) Wed 18 March Yr 1 & 2 to the Zoo Interrelate Evening Yrs 3-6 Thurs 19 March PCS Extension Test (Yr 6) Police visit Yrs 5 & 6 Bushlink Yrs 3 & 4 Fri 20 March PSSA Rd 3 Wed 25 March Multicultural Public Speaking. 9:30am & 11:40am Maths Olympiad No. 1 Thurs 26 March DMI Yrs 5 & 6 TBC Fri 27 March Sydney North Swim Carnival Mon 30 March- Thurs 9 April Parent Teacher Interviews Mon 30 March Chess @ Mona Vale PS Fri 3 April Debating workshop Mon & Tues April 6 & 7 Aboriginal Immersion Days Mon 6 April PCS Combined Choir rehearsal Wed 8 April PCS Combined Choir rehearsal Thurs 9 April Easter Hat Parade Term 1 ends. Term 2: Tues 28 April - Fri 3 July Fri 1 May School Cross Country Mon 18 May School Athletics Carnival Thurs 21 May School Photos Term 3:Tues 21 July - Fri 25 Sept Mon 31 Aug Pittwater PSSA Athletics Mon 7 Sept Yr 5 Dance Sport (Ballroom Dancing) at Homebush TBC Term 4: Mon 12 Oct - Wed 16 Dec

Term 1 Week 7

Thursday 12 March 2020

Acknowledgement of Country We must acknowledge and respect the traditional custodians of the land that we stand on

today and the connections and memories the Elders had with the land. I would like to thank the Gai-maraigal and Garigal people for taking care of the land and making our school a calm

and safe learning space. Poppy S – Year 6

Tell Them From Me student feedback survey (Term 1, 2020) – YEARS 4-6 ONLY I am delighted that this term, our school, like many other public schools in the state, will participate in a Department of Education initiative: the Tell Them From Me student feedback survey. The survey measures factors that are known to affect academic achievement and other student outcomes. The focus of the NSW-wide survey is on student wellbeing, engagement and effective teaching practices. More information about the survey is available at: http://surveys.cese.nsw.gov.au The survey is a great opportunity for our students to provide us with valuable and quick feedback on what they think about school life, how engaged they are with school and the different ways that teachers interact with them. More than 6,300 schools in Australia and around the world have used Tell Them From Me to survey 5.4 million students. Capturing the voices of our students will help improve how we do things at our school. I want to assure you that the survey is confidential. The survey is conducted online and will typically take less than 30 minutes to complete. It will be administered during school hours between 20 March and 9 April. Participating in the survey is entirely voluntary. A consent form and FAQs for parents/carers about the survey was emailed earlier today. If you do not want your child or children to participate, please return the form to school by 19 March 2020. Copies of the form and FAQs are available from: http://surveys.cese.nsw.gov.au/information-for-parents. Corona Virus You will obviously have seen and heard much about the Corona virus. We regularly receive updates from our Education Department and NSW Health services. Please be assured that we will always forward relevant updates and information to school families as necessary. Unnecessary Technology Unfortunately, a number of students, often in the younger years, are bringing Apple Watches, cameras and various unnecessary technology devices to school. These are definitely not required at school and only cause angst if they are lost, misplaced or used inappropriately. Please support the school by not allowing your children to bring such devices to school.

David Scotter Principal

Mrs Wright’s Wrap Up

VISIT FROM SENSIBLE, SUPPORTIVE AND SENSATIONAL EX-STUDENTS

How lucky are we? Stage 3 were visited by Northern Beaches Secondary College – Cromer Campus students to work on their tremendous Design, Make and Innovate project. I went to visit our students and was so pleasantly surprised when I walked in to see Fynn B and Oli K who were our captain and vice captain in 2017. My excitement continued when I then saw Ben S in another classroom; who was also a student at our school. Fynn, Oli and Ben along with some peers from their school are coming to assist our students whilst working on their projects. They are studying STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) as an elective in Year 9 and peer tutoring is a component of their studies. It will be wonderful to see what our students come up with over the course of this project. Stand by for further details later this term. Thank you for your assistance boys! It’s wonderful to have you back at Wheeler! TEACHER MANDATORY TRAINING

As mentioned earlier in the year, all teachers are constantly attending Teacher Professional Learning (courses, meetings and seminars), upskilling themselves and ensuring they are equipped to provide quality learning experiences for the children in their care. Part of this training involves mandatory requirements of the NSW Department of Education.

Teachers and school staff are required to annually complete Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Anaphylaxis treatment training with certified instructors. Last Wednesday after school, this course was completed over 2 and a half hours with Royal Life Saving NSW trainers.

This is probably the most important training we undertake each year and ensures all staff are adequately trained and up to date in requirements in case of an emergency. I would like to thank all staff members for giving up their time and congratulate them on their professionalism and commitment to our students.

PARENT/TEACHER INTERVIEWS

As stated last week, we will be holding Parent/Teacher Interviews in Weeks 10 and 11 this term. Interviews will take place in your child’s classroom.

Please note that each booking is for 15 minutes. Teachers attempt to stick to this time limit to ensure people are not waiting for long periods for their appointment. Please be prompt for your interview and allow the teacher to finish within the 15 minute time frame.

Bookings will be opened on Friday at 12pm.

You will need to book your interview online at https://www.schoolinterviews.com.au and the code is 7j6ve

5A and 1J - extra information – Interviews for 5A and 1J students will take place in Week 9 and 10. INTERRELATE

Interrelate courses will be held in our library next week. If you are intending to attend and haven’t yet returned the form, please do so at your first available opportunity. There will be books available to purchase on the night and this will be available via credit card only. Cash cannot be accepted. Apologies for any inconvenience this causes. Have a terrific week everyone and look out for more exciting news next week!

Mrs Priscilla Wright Assistant Principal Instructional Leader

FROM THE OFFICE Sick children To report an absence for your child/children, the school must have written advice. Either complete the absence through the flexischools app, or send a note in with your child when they return. There is no need to ring the school unless your child has been away for three consecutive days. A medical certificate is required for absences of three days or longer. Scholastic Book Club We request orders to be processed online if possible. If you are not able to order online, we must receive your order by Monday 16 March. Thank you Jodie Sly School Administration Manager

HARMONY DAY WHPS will be celebrating Harmony Day on Monday 16 March. Students can participate by choosing one of the options below:

1) Culturally appropriate mufti/heritage outfit. Kids can wear a garment or outfit significant to their cultural heritage.

2) Wear a colour found on a flag that has significance to their cultural background.

3) Bring in a symbol or artefact of cultural significance and share with the class on Harmony day.

It is a day of cultural respect for everyone who calls Australia home – from the traditional owners of this land to those who have come from many countries around the world. By participating in Harmony Day activities, we can learn and understand how all Australians from diverse backgrounds equally belong to this nation and enrich it.

Year 2 Teachers

LIBRARY LANE

We’re happy to announce that our biennial project - Library Lane is coming back next term! For those families who would like to participate this year, information will be coming out early next term. For now we are looking for anybody who has access to scrap plywood and/or anyone able to cut said plywood into book spine size pieces. If you think you are able to help please contact Trish McCombie via wheelerhts-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au or drop into 1M for a chat.

Thank you in anticipation.

SHAKESPEARE CARNIVAL Well done to the following students who participated in our Shakespeare Carnival workshop on Wednesday 4 March: Will B, James P, Charlie B, Leo R, Maya R, Macy M, Sterling N, Maya L, Sofia P, Kirra B, Isaac P, Anna C, Natalia T, Sydney D, Laura H, Zali S, Tyson B, Joshua S, Madison C, Ciara F, Erin H, Poppy S, Erin W and Sienna R. Mrs MacPherson was most impressed with the students’ ability to grasp and perform a Shakespeare scene within the day. Congratulations to Anna C, Maya L, Maya R, Erin W, Isaac P and Madi C who were chosen to perform at the Regional Carnival next term. Miss R Tekampe On behalf of Ms G MacPherson – Drama Teacher Extraordinaire

SRC NEWS

Tomorrow on Friday 13 March we are excited to be celebrating National Ride2School Day. National Ride2School Day is the perfect opportunity to kick-start new healthy habits and promote the many benefits of active travel. We encourage all students and their families to leave the car at home and give riding, walking or scooting to school a go. The SRC are looking forward to giving out stickers at the gates in the morning to participating students. For this day only if your child rides to school as a ‘one off’ they do not need a bike or scooter licence. However, if your child regularly rides to school they should have their licence.

SRC Poster Competition We have registered our school to take part in Interrelate’s annual Say No To Bullying Poster Competition for Australian Primary Schools. This year’s theme focuses on celebrating diversity. Students are encouraged to create a poster to ‘Celebrate our differences and create a more colourful world’. There are some great prizes to be won. All entries must be returned to Miss Earl by 25 March so they can be submitted by the deadline. Entry Requirements

- Entries must be an A4 original artwork and not digitally modified - One entry per student - Entries will not be returned to the school and may be used for promotional purposes - Please see the Interrelate website for more information about conditions

Miss Earl SRC Coordinator DANCE PROGRAM Junior and Senior Dance are in full swing this year. We welcome back Miss Tahlia from maternity leave. She has begun rehearsing the routines for the upcoming dance season.

A few dates for the diary:

The Dance Challenge ‘I’d Rather Be Dancing’ is on Saturday 23 May at Pittwater House School.

‘Extreme’ is on Sunday 21 June at Abbotsleigh School.

The Sydney North Dance Festival dates at Glen Street Theatre will be confirmed once notification has been received.

**Please note Junior Dance rehearsal times have changed. Rehearsals are now from 7:45-8:45am on Fridays in the hall to accommodate PSSA game times.**

If you are away for any period of time, please advise us now as stage positioning is extremely important. It is also very important as performances are approaching that children attend all classes. For absences please email the school or the dance committee - whps.dance@gmail.com

Miss Higgs and Miss Smithies Dance teachers

MULTICULTURAL PERSPECTIVES PUBLIC SPEAKING COMPETITION 2020 Just a reminder that all students in Years 3 and 4 will be presenting their Multicultural Perspectives speech in class next week. Two students from each class will be selected for the Stage finals which will be held Wednesday 25 March Week 9 in our school hall – Stage 3 - 9:30am & Stage 2 - 11:40am. If you have any queries or concerns regarding this assignment, please contact your child’s classroom teacher. Mrs Nadine Young Miss Rachael Tekampe Stage 2 Organiser Stage 3 Organiser SPORTS UPDATE A massive congratulations to our State Knockout Cricket team who played Narrabeen North yesterday at Plateau Park. The boys smashed their way to another victory, 5/165 v 10/59. They will proceed to Round 3 in the tournament. See the following page for a more detailed commentary of the game by Mr James. Well done boys! SUMMER/SPRING PSSA

Unfortunately, our first round of the Summer/Spring competition was rained out. I know there were many disappointed faces on Thursday afternoon when the announcement came over the loud speaker. Fingers crossed for better conditions this week.

8:45am PSSA students meet teachers for roll marking 9am Teams leave school on buses 9:30am PSSA competition starts 10:50am PSSA competition finishes and students return to school

Good luck to all our PSSA teams.

ROUND 2 ~ FRIDAY 13 MARCH ~ WHPS V. Elanora Heights (9:30-10:50)

Team Game

Boys’ Cricket Plateau Park

Girls’ Cricket Narrabeen Reserve

Boys’ and Girls’ Tag Narrabeen North Public School

Senior Softball Rat Park 1

Junior T-Ball Rat Park 2 HOME SPORT All students who stay at school for home sport on Friday will be participating in a round robin of sport activities on the oval between 9:20am and 10:30am. These students need to line up with their Friday morning teacher (Stage 2 – Mrs Owens and Miss Earl, Stage 3 – Mrs Alexander and Mrs Marshall). ZONE SWIMMING CARNIVAL

The zone carnival was this week. Congratulations to all our amazing swimmers who under the spectacular leadership of Mr James and Mr Bennett, LOOKED GOOD, FELT GOOD AND SWAM GOOD! They represented our school with pride, cheering each other on and displaying great sportsmanship! A special mention to Emmy H, Archie H, Evan W and our Junior Boys Relay Team (Jake M, Max C, Bobby W and Morgan P) who will progress to the Sydney North carnival at the end of the term.

PITTWATER ZONE TRIALS

A huge congratulations to Ewan M and Taj S who were successful in being selected for the Combined Pittwater and Manly Rugby League Team. It was a trying day with bad weather and gruelling conditions. We know that they will continue to represent Wheeler Heights and the Pittwater Zone with pride and skill. Good luck boys!

Also, on Tuesday, two up and coming tennis super stars participated at the Sydney North Tennis trial. A massive congratulations to Aiden N who was selected for Sydney North and Amber P who is third reserve!!! Great work!

PSSA Zone trials are for students in Years 5 and 6 who excel in a particular sport. They must have several years of club/representative experience. We are only allowed to send 2-3 students for each sport. Successful students must be able to commit to training and future trial sessions.

Date Sport Location Time Cost

30/3/2020 Netball NBISC 12-3pm $5.00

Please email the school if your child is interested in trialling for Pittwater Zone teams. Please remember that these trials are very competitive and of a very high standard. You will need to include details of your child’s ability (years’ experience and representative teams). Notes will be sent home to students selected to trial.

Please ensure that your Flexischools and Team App are updated for your child's PSSA sport so you can keep up to date with information.

Yours in Sport, Mrs N Young Sport Coordinator NSWPSSA CRICKET KNOCKOUT – ROUND 2: WHEELER HEIGHTS V NARRABEEN NORTH There’s no better feeling than walking out of the school gate, especially when others are entering on their way to class. A few cheeky smiles, winks and fist bumps and the boys knew it was going to be a good day. After a few words of wisdom from our illustrious leader, Mr Scotter, we were on our way. The ‘promise’ of chips and gravy if they won and the rest of the school day off, ensured I had the boys pumped up for the game. Plateau Park was set to play host to the second round clash of the NSWPSSA Boys’ Cricket Knockout between Wheeler Heights and Narrabeen North. After the thrilling finish to our last game, the team was full of confidence and ready to rip in. After losing the toss and being sent in on a beautiful looking wicket and lightning fast outfield, the boys got off to an incredible start. Sitting on 1/71 at the drinks break, we had the early advantage. The next 13 overs saw some outstanding batting, with Wheeler Heights plundering 94 runs at a run rate of 7.2. We finished our innings with 5/165 (Jake B 38, Lennox C 37*, Lewis G 25, Archie H 22). After a quick snack at the innings break, the team was ready to do some damage with the ball. Narrabeen North got off to a solid start, despite some quick and disciplined bowling from Wheeler Heights. At the drinks break the game was delicately poised with the opposition sitting at 3/53. We knew that if we remained disciplined and continued to hit our line and length, the game would be ours. Lennox C and Lewis G took the ball after drinks and the next 6 overs was absolute carnage. The boys closed the game out by taking 7/6 off 6 overs and restricting Narrabeen North’s total to 10/59 (Tyson B 1/10 & 1 catch, Jake B 2/20, Lewis G 3/3, Lennox C 3/3, Hayden L 1 run out, Harry H 1 catch). Player of the match goes to the skipper, Lennox, for his superb batting, bowling and excellent field placements. Our Round 3 opponent and venue is TBC. As always, I’d like to thank our amazing parent support. It’s so lovely to see so many parents at our games and the players love having you there. Finally, I’d like to apologise for not including a team photo. The boys forget their hair gel and therefore faltered in one aspect of our team motto – ‘Look Good, Feel Good, Play Good’. Yours in cricket, Mr James

Welcome to the 2020 Fundraising year. If you are interested in helping the Fundraising Committee for any events this year it would be greatly appreciated. Events don’t run smoothly without parent helpers. Please email us at fundraising@whps-pandc.org to

let us know what you can help with. We are always in need of a helping hand to maximise our fundraising potential. More information will be made available on the below events and responsibilities closer to each event.

Contact Jo, Yvette or Fiona (Year 4 Parents) for more information.

Event Co-Ordinator / Class Helpers Dates

Rotary Raffle Canteen Committee March - April

Mothers’ Day Breakfast Year 3 Friday 8 May

Fathers’ Day Breakfast Year 1 Friday 4 September

School Disco Kindy & Yr 5 Term 4 - October

Trivia Night Year 2 & 4 + Keen Helpers Term 4 - November

REMINDER TO FAMILIES

Rebel Sport & The Athlete’s Foot at Warriewood and Warringah Mall support Wheeler Heights Public School every time you purchase from them and mention our school. If you have a rewards card for either of these, make sure you link Wheeler Heights

Public School to ensure the benefits can be passed on.

CANTEEN NEWS In support of our school environmental initiatives, our canteen is constantly seeking ways of reducing waste and improving our environmental impact.

As of Monday 2 March, we will encourage students to bring a labelled container to the canteen to be used for hot food orders. If you are unable to provide a container, the canteen will be able to supply one for a small fee. You will be asked to select if you require a container when you place your order through the Flexischools app. We will also be adding cups of rice to our recess menu next week. These will be available over the counter for $1. The Canteen Sub-Committee will be meeting on Monday 16 March at 2pm at the canteen. Come along and share your thoughts on how we can best evolve and grow our canteen! All welcome! We appreciate the ongoing support of our school community. The Canteen Team

P&C VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES Canteen Volunteers Required Our school canteen is seeking more volunteer parents. To operate, the canteen needs 1-2 volunteers Monday-Thursday and 2-3 volunteers each Friday from 9:30am until 11:30am and/or 11:30am-1:30pm. No experience is necessary to volunteer – just bring a sense of fun and embrace the opportunity to interact with other parents and friends in the school community. Our canteen Managers, Heidi and Tracey will guide you as much as necessary, and tasks generally include heating and preparing hot/cold lunch orders, cleaning up and working at the window during lunch. Every child loves the feeling of having a family member on canteen duty for the day. Volunteering in the canteen is a direct and easy way of helping make a significant contribution to your child's education at Wheeler Heights Public School. If you are interested in volunteering at the canteen, please sign up using this link https://signup.com/go/gOWjaGQ If you have any questions, please feel free to email our Canteen Treasurer at canteen.treasurer@whps-pandc.org

SECOND-HAND UNIFORMS

ON SALE!

FRIDAY 13 MARCH & FRIDAY 20 MARCH

Second-hand stock will be on sale as marked.

Please consider donating your clean, undamaged uniforms for resale. All money generated goes to the P&C.

We are also looking for volunteers for 2020 to keep our wonderful uniform shop

running smoothly.

Dear Parents & Carers, 12th March 2020

This year, we have again decided to take part in the Rotary Raffle. The money raised will be used towards supporting sustainability initiatives at our canteen and technology upgrades for our school. We are sending home one book of 20 raffle tickets with each child. Each ticket is priced @ $2 per ticket; a total of $40. The more you sell the more the school benefits. If you would like more tickets please ask at the school office.

We ask you to kindly purchase or sell the tickets to friends, neighbours, work mates or relatives. If you do not wish to purchase or sell the tickets, please return them to the school office.

The prize for the raffle is a MG3 Auto 5 door hatch valued at over $16,000. The more tickets you buy the more chances you have to win a car! The winning ticket will be drawn on Wednesday 8th April 2020. You will also see in the newsletter, that there are additional prizes to be won for the top selling students/families and classes. The raffle will work as follows:

1) Tickets will be sent home with each child Thursday 12th March.

2) All sold ticket stubs must be completed in full to be entered into the draw.

3) All money will need to be returned with the ticket stubs, or stubs cannot be entered into draw.

4) Tickets / stubs / money must be back at school by Tuesday 31st March to allow time for processing. Any unsold tickets need to be returned to the school.

5) If additional tickets are required please see the school office. Prizes will be given for the most tickets sold and the class that sells the most tickets will get a special prize!

6) Please return the tickets and money into the boxes marked “Win a Car” in the school office or to the ticket collectors (located outside the office) each morning.

7) The raffle is run under NSW State Government racing and gaming rules therefore ALL tickets must be accounted for. Any tickets not returned must be paid for.

Thank you in advance for your support – David Scotter, Principal and WHPS P&C Canteen Team.

This fundraiser is proudly supported by Nick Duchatel 0430 433 633

COMMUNITY NEWS