Issue 1 February 8, 2017

BANK DETAILS TO PAY FEES

You may prefer to pay school accounts through Direct Debit.

The school bank account details are as follows:

Account Name: Wagin District High School

BSB Number: 036 153

Account Number: 139315

(Westpac - Katanning)

Please ensure that the student’s name is used as

the reference for all Direct Deposits

WAGIN DISTRICT HIGH SCHOOL

10 Ranford Street Wagin WA 6315

Phone: 9861 1877 / Fax 9861 1835

Email: wagin.dhs@education.wa.edu.au

Website: www.wagindhs.wa.edu.au

Canteen: 9861 1348

Principal: Mrs Cassandra Harris-Moroney

Primary Deputy: Mrs Robyn Willey

Secondary Deputy: Mrs Jolene Abbott

Manager Corporate Services: Mrs Ann Ward

Term 1 Diary WEEK 2 Thursday, February 9

Parent Meeting Year 3/4 (postponed)

WEEK 2 & 3 In-Term Swimming Lessons

WEEK 3 Wednesday, February 15

Parent Meeting Pre-Primary

WEEK 4 Friday, February 24

Faction Swimming Carnival

WEEK 5 Wed, March 1-Fri, March 3

Leadership Camp

WEEK 6 Monday, March 6

Labour Day Holiday

Friday, March 10

Woolorama School Development Day

WEEK 7 Monday, March 13

WHOLE SCHOOL ASSEMBLY

School Councillors announced

Friday, March 17

Interschool Swimming Carnival

WEEK 8

Thursday, March 23 Hawaiian Bike Ride

WEEK 10 Monday, April 3

WHOLE SCHOOL ASSEMBLY

Early Childhood students this year are in two classes in Rooms 25 and 26.

Wagin’s newest students are already settling in well with Mrs Spooner and

Mrs Montgomery in Room 25 and Ms Bennett and Mrs Quinn in Room 26.

We hope they make lots of new friends and enjoy their first year at school.

From the Principal

WELCOME

Welcome back students, parents and community members to a new and exciting school year. We have

had a smooth start to the 2017 school year, this year we continue to have the overwhelming majority of

our students back to school on time, ready to learn. This is a fantastic improvement on previous years

where we have had many absences at the start of the school year. Students were very well prepared,

dressed in uniform and fired up to start the year.

Welcome to our new Kindy students and families, we hope you enjoy your education journey and

becoming part of our school community.

We also welcome several new staff members, students and families to our wonderful school community.

The atmosphere around the school is very welcoming and everyone is keen to get on with learning and

settling in. We greatly appreciate the involvement of families and community members in your children’s

education and look forward to continuing to foster strong, positive relationships with all families through-

out the year.

Our student enrolment is hovering around 290 - over the next two weeks this number will fluctuate as

students enrol or transfer to new schools.

Our class structures for 2017 are:

Kindy with Ms Bennett

Kindy with Mrs Spooner

Pre-Primary with Ms Child

Pre-Primary/Year 1 with Mrs Gannaway

Year 1 with Mrs Little

Year 2 with Mrs Pangler

Year 3 with Mrs Moffatt

Year 3/4 TBA

Year 4/5 with Mr Mullin

Year 5 with Ms Roche

Year 6 with Ms Reder

Year 7

Year 8

Year 9/10

Art with Ms van Leeuwen

Physical Education and Health with Ms Bennison

Technologies (D&T or T&E) with Mr Harris

Mrs Kellow has returned 2 days per week and will be working across Year 2, Year 3 and Year 4/5

Mrs Parker will take Music with Pre-Primary-Year 2

Ms Pense has returned from long service leave to teach Year 7-10 Maths

Mrs Pieterse is using her long service leave and will work 4 days this year teaching Year 7 and Year

9/10 English along with supporting Digital Technologies

Mrs King is teaching Year 7-10 HASS and Yr. 8 English

Ms Bickers is teaching Year 7-10 Science and Year 4, Year 4/5, Year 5 and Year 6 Science

Mrs Abbott has also returned from her long service leave along with being our Secondary Deputy she

is also teaching an option class, Year 9/10 Careers and Year 7 and 8 Technologies (Home Economics)

Cass Harris-Moroney

Looking for employment?

All vacancies within the

Department of Education

are now advertised on line through the below link.

http://www.jobs.wa.gov.au/

Welcome to our new teachers:

Ms Annette Child - Ms Child will be teaching our Pre-Primary class this year. She is joining the

ranks of teacher after many years as an Education Assistant. Ms Child has moved here from Albany

where she was taking some long term relief in Albany Primary Schools. She is very enthusiastic and

excited to be teaching Pre-Primary at Wagin DHS.

Ms Dayna Reder - Ms Reder will be teaching our Year 6 class this year. She has relocated from

Perth. Ms Reder has fitted in very well with her colleagues and is enthusiastic, positive and looking

forward to becoming part of our school community.

Ms Alexis Van Leeuwen - Ms Van Leeuwen will be teaching art across the school Pre-Primary to

Year 10 this year along with being a Secondary Form teacher. She is joining us from Perth via

Katanning where she worked for part of last year. Ms Van Leeuwen is very talented artist with some

excellent work already in print. She is very excited to be taking on the role of Art teacher at Wagin

DHS and growing our student’s artistic talents.

Mr Steven Harris- Mr Harris will be teaching Technologies (D&T) across the school Pre-Primary

to Year 10 this year along with being a Secondary Form Teacher. He joins us from Narrogin Ag. He

also has 20 years-experience in the building industry as a carpenter/joiner and has taught at Katanning

SHS. Mr Harris is looking forward to becoming part of our school community.

We are looking forward to the 2017 school year, striving to provide an empowering environment for

life-long learning for our students in partnership with parents, carers and the community.

Your child or young person’s journey through school has a greater chance of being successful if there

is a positive relationship between school and home. Please do not hesitate to come and talk to teaching

or admin staff if you have any concerns or questions. The school office can be contacted on 9861 1877.

THANK YOU

CBH have very generously supplied stationary packs for our Year 1 students. These packs are the prop-

erty of individual students and have been sent home with students. This very generous support is a pos-

itive step in supporting our students to Aim High.

BEHAVIOUR

We continue to use our EMUS to help all school members - students, staff, parents and community to

be Engaged, use our Manners, show Understanding and Strive.

From the Principal continued…..

Secondary News

Jolene Abbott

The new year has begun very well for our school community! It has been delightful to see all our students,

from Year 7 to Year 10, back in action at the high school. Our staff are energised and optimistic about the

year ahead and we have much to look forward to. They have been engaged in intensive professional

learning on improving student learning outcomes through the integration of 21st Century Learning Skills.

Already this year we have warmly welcomed our new teaching staff Mr Steve Harris and Ms Alexis van

Leeuwen. Mr Harris will be teaching Design and Technology and Ms van Leeuwen will be teaching Art.

We have had a smooth start to the school year. This term will be very busy with student council speeches,

swimming carnivals, Woolorama, OLNA testing, leadership camps, the Hawaiian Bike ride, Youth Focus

and other incursions. Our pastoral care focus is to create a nurturing and positive environment where each

student is valued. Part of our 2017 curriculum will focus on meeting challenges, empowering lifelong

learning and achieving goals. Our teachers are dedicated to the focus of learning in the classroom. It is our

objective that lessons provide variety, are engaging, have each individual student appropriately supported

and challenged in their learning and finally, ensure students make excellent progress. Working together

with the support of parents, teachers aim to empower students to take responsibility for their learning with

high expectations. Teachers will support students to strive to achieve their academic goals, to ensure they

progress in developing key academic behaviours and are visible learners in our classrooms.

We have four form classes in the Secondary school. If a parent or carer has any issues regarding their child

please contact your child’s form teacher.

Griffin Ms Van Leeuwen

Unicorn Mrs Vanessa Pieterse

Phoenix Mrs King and Ms Bickers

Sphinx Mr Harris

Uniform Standards

I look forward to seeing the students setting the highest possible standard in the wearing of their school

uniforms. The expected standard has been clearly established in meetings held with the Secondary School

students and these standards have been printed in the Wagin DHS Uniform Policy. Secondary students are

encouraged to wear a Wagin DHS school cap when required.

Student Councillors for 2017

All students who are interested in being a student councillor for 2017 will be required to prepare a speech

and present it to the rest of the student body for voting. All students who are considering a leadership roll

will be given assistance and advice to write, prepare and deliver their speeches. Speeches and voting will

take place next week.

Pastoral Care

Being mindful means using our senses and engaging our minds to focus on the present moment rather than

dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. When we are mindful, we are aware and undistracted,

observing life as it unfolds without analysis or judgment. Practising mindfulness meditation can reduce

stress, increase resilience, increase positive emotions, boost self-esteem, and improve attention and focus.

It can also assist with lowering the incidence of depression and anxiety. Improvements in learning,

achievement, memory and emotional regulation are common, along with clearer and more focused

thinking. Practising mindfulness has been found to actively change the functioning of the brain and

ultimately how we think. I encourage you look at smilingmind.com.au to learn more about mindfulness,

the science behind it and perhaps practise some of the meditations available.

I look forward to continuing to be part of your child’s journey at Wagin DHS. If there is anything I can do

to assist you or your child, please be sure to contact me.

Primary News

Robyn Willey

Student of the Week

Congratulations to the following students who were nominated by their teachers and received

this award in Week 2

Year 2P - Sara Ward, Mackirra Williams

Year 3/4M - Zienna Atkins

I would like to thank you all for helping your children make a great start to

the year. It is so wonderful to see the students behaving well and engaging

enthusiastically in their class work. If you ever have any queries, please see

your class teacher. I am also available if you want to come in to speak with

me.

Swimming

Swimming is progressing well despite the difficulties we have had organising

teachers. Thank you to Rachel Martin who organised her paperwork at the

last minute to be able to teach here.

Robyn Webster has said that she has had some parents approach her regarding the levels their children have

been put in. As swimming is dependent on skills being demonstrated correctly before moving onto the next

level, some students may have had their levels adjusted. The Instructor in Charge needs to be able to see the

skills demonstrated correctly so the children can be put into the correct level. Sometimes students can be

quite confident in the water but fail to perform the skills for the required level or have forgotten how to do

them over the break between swimming lessons. It is all about safety. Please be assured that decisions are

only made so that your children receive the most from these lessons.

Crunch and Sip

Each day make sure your child goes to school with a clean clear bottle filled with water, and vegetables or

fruit for the Crunch & Sip break – that’s all you need to do!

CRUNCH: Vegetables such as carrot or celery sticks, cherry tomatoes or snow peas

OR

Easy-to-eat seasonal fruit such as a small apple, a container with hulled strawberries, a mandarin or banana

OR

Canned fruit in natural juice with a spoon

AND SIP: A clean, clear water bottle filled with plain water

Attendance

Please notify the school regarding any absences your child may have. This year daily absences will be fol-

lowed up.

DO YOU HOLD A: CENTRELINK FAMILY HEALTHCARE CARD; CENTRELINK PENSIONER CARD; VETERANS’ AFFAIRS PENSIONER CARD?

YOU MAY BE ELIGIBLE FOR

UP TO: $350

towards school expenses

Secondary Assistance Scheme

Applications Close Friday 7th April 2017. More information is available from the front office.

Moving beyond asking, “What did you do at school?” by Michael Grose

Ever found yourself asking your child the same bland question about school?

―So, how was your day? What did you do at school today? What did you learn?‖

If these are your default questions the chances are that you’ll get a one or two word reply along the

lines, ―Fine!‖ ―Good!‖ ―Okay‖ ―Nothing much.‖

These answers don’t really tell you a lot. On the other hand, these types of questions don’t ask a great

deal.

So how can you move beyond the mundane when you talk with kids about their school days?

The questions you ask to prompt a conversation will often say a great deal about you and what you

value. If you focus only on academic or learning questions, then it indicates that’s what you value. It

helps to take conversations and your questions in different directions to get a multi-faceted window into

your child’s school life but also an indication of your child’s interests, social skills and welfare. Here

are some examples of question starters that may prompt different responses from kids about their time

at school:

1. Tell me what made you laugh today?

2. Who did you play with at recess today?

3. Did you do anything that was brave?

4. If I spoke to your teacher, what would she tell me about you?

5. What did your teacher talk about today?

6. Is there anyone in your class who needs to be in time out?

7. Where’s the best place to hang out/play at school?

8. Tell me one good thing that happened to you today?

9. Who were you nice/kind/friendly to today?

10. Did anyone push your buttons today?

11. What did you do that you were proud of/happy with today?

12. What’s something you learned with a friend today?

13. What’s your teacher’s most important rule?

14. If today was musical instrument what would it be? Why?

15. If you were a teacher tomorrow, what would you teach the class?

Canteen Roster

Welcome Back! Please attend by 9am. Children are not

allowed in the canteen, due to

insurance requirements.

Any queries; ring the canteen on

9861 1348. Thankyou for your time and support.

Term 1

Thursday, February 9

Narelle Gibbs

Friday, February 10

Sarah Whiteford

Monday, February 13

Martina Pascoe

Tuesday, February 14

Mandy Harrington

Wednesday, February 15

Jane Kilpatrick

Thursday, February 16

Catherine Ward

Friday, February 17

Emily Holt

Monday, February 20

Carmel Leary

Tuesday, February 21

Anette Quartermaine

Wednesday, February 22

Karen Thomson

Term Dates for 2017

School Development Days & Public Holidays

Term 1: Wednesday February 1 - Friday, April 7 SDD Monday, January 30 SDD Tuesday, January 31

PH Monday March 6 Labour Day SDD Friday, March 10 (Woolorama)

Term 2: Wednesday April 26 - Friday June 30 SDD Monday April 24

PH Tuesday April 25 ANZAC Day PH Monday June 5 WA Day

Term 3: Monday July 17 - Friday Sept 22 SDD Monday August 21

Term 4: Monday October 9 - Thursday Dec 14 There is NO School Development Day

In Term 4

Whole School Assemblies 2017 Assemblies are held on Mondays

starting at 1.50pm

Family & Friends Welcome!

Term 1

Week 7: March 13 - Year 3 Moffatt

(School Council announced)

Week 10: April 3 - Year 1 Little

When ordering lunches

Please use the

NEW CANTEEN

MENU

Attached!

As kids and parents get back into the swing of school, it’s important to keep safety in mind.

Drivers should remember that as the new school year begins, children will be walking, crossing streets and

maybe even fooling around a bit on their way to school.

Parents should take the opportunity now to talk with their children about getting to and from school safely.

Here are some tips from Constable Care to make the start of the 2017 school year a safe one:

Make safety part of the conversation Talk with your kids about safety and going back to school. If possible do a practice run before schools

starts so your child is familiar with the process.

Remind children not to talk with strangers or anyone that offers a lift home unless it has been pre-

arranged with yourself.

Reinforce with your children that they should avoid walking or riding bikes behind school buses and

other dangerous blind spots.

If you are collecting your child from school, advise them where the pick-up point will be and the safest

way to get to you. This could include using a crossing and not running across the road.

If your child is riding to school ensure they wear bike safety equipment including helmets.

Tell your child to always cross the road at crossings or traffic lights and to look both ways before

crossing.

Don’t talk on your phone or send text messages while you’re driving. Apart from the safety concerns,

it’s important to practice what you preach — don’t text and drive.

School Zone driving safety tips Be on the lookout for school zone signals and ALWAYS obey the speed limits.

Always slow down for school busses that are loading or unloading children.

Watch out for school crossing guards and obey their signals.

Be aware of and watch out for child 'hot spots', such as around schools, near bus stops and bike lanes,

sidewalks, in the streets, in school parking lots, etc.

Never pass other vehicles, make a U-Turn or change lanes while driving in a school zone.

Unless licensed to do so, never use disability parking, emergency vehicle lanes or spaces to drop off or

pick up children at school.

Expect the unexpected.

Riding your bike to school Check with the school to make sure your child is allowed to ride their bicycle to school. Some schools

do not allow students to ride bicycles to school until they reach a specific grade.

Make sure your child always wears a bicycle helmet! Failure to wear one could result in a traffic fine.

Furthermore, in the event of an accident, helmets reduce the risk of head injury by as much as 85

percent.

Obey the rules of the road; the rules are the same for all vehicles, including bicycles.

Choose the safest route between home and school and practice it with children until they can demon-

strate road safety awareness.

If possible, try to ride with someone else. There is safety in numbers.

Going back to school safely

By David Gribble, CCCSF CEO

Walking to school Leave early enough to arrive at school at least 10 minutes prior to the start of school.

Use the same route every day and never use shortcuts.

Go straight home after school. Do not go anywhere else without permission.

Always use public footpaths and streets when walking to school.

Demonstrate traffic safety awareness and pick the safest route between your home and the school, and

practice walking it with your children.

Try and walk to school with other students. There is strength in numbers.

Teach your children to recognize and obey traffic signals, signs, and pavement markings.

Only cross streets at designated crosswalks, street corners and traffic controlled intersections.

Always look both ways before crossing the street and never enter streets from between obstacles like

parked cars, shrubbery, signs, etc.

Always walk and never run across intersections.

Avoid talking to strangers. Teach your children to get distance between themselves and anyone who

tries to approach or make contact with them.

If a stranger does approach your child, make sure they know to immediately report the incident to you

or a teacher.

Teach your children to never get into a vehicle with anyone, even if they know them, without your per-

mission.

School bus safety Make a habit of arriving at the bus stop at least five minutes before the scheduled arrival of the bus.

Make sure your child stays off the street and avoids excessive horseplay while waiting for the school

bus.

Be sure the bus comes to a complete stop before getting on or off.

When riding the bus, make sure your child understands they must remain seated and keep their head

and arms inside the bus at all times.

Do not shout or distract the driver.

P&C MEETING The first P&C meeting for 2017 will be held on Monday 20th February, commenc-

ing at 12:30pm in Room 3. We welcome all previous and potential members to

attend.

At the meeting we will discuss fundraising ideas for this year, so if you are

interested in assisting to raise funds which go directly back in to our school we

urge you to come along. Meetings are of an informal nature and are a great way to keep up to date with what

is happening around our school.

If you are interested in attending but would like further information we encourage you to contact one of our

executive committee members who will happily answer any questions/queries you may have. If you are

unsure of where Room 3 is – the office staff will be able to direct you on the day.

Friday Night Rollerblading

When: 10th February,

10th March AND 31st March!!

Time: 6:00pm – 8:00pm

Age: parents, children, siblings,

grandparents. Bring everyone!!

Cost: $6.90 Junior (under 18), $8.00

Senior (over 18),

$2.00 Blade Hire

If you have any questions, please con-

tact the KLC on

9821 4399.

Born to Move Starting again February 10th !!

Wagin Junior Basketball—Tuesday, 3.45pm at Rec Centre

$30 for Term 1 (unless already paid last Term for 2 terms)

Students turning 9 in this calendar year and above.

Enquiries Mandy Harrington 0409 572 962

Wagin Netball Registration

Players 5 Years and older

Wednesday, February 22, 3.30pm

at the recreation Centre

All enquiries to Mandy

0409 572 962