Wallington P.S. Newsletter Term 4. Week 2, 2026.
Upcoming Dates
Principal's Report
Dear Families,
Whole School STOMP Performance – ‘Brick to the Future’
The big day is almost here! Final preparations are underway for next Tuesday’s exciting whole-school performance, and we can’t wait to see our students take to the stage!
Important logistical details, including drop-off and collection arrangements and venue information, are available via Compass Newsfeed. Please take a moment to review these details ahead of the evening.
Performance Details:
Tuesday 20 October
6:00pm – 7:00pm
St Ignatius College Performance Theatre
Tickets
Tickets will be sent home this afternoon in envelopes with each family’s eldest child.
Please remember that seats have been allocated, and we ask all families to sit in their designated seats. This is important to ensure everyone can be accommodated comfortably and the performance can run smoothly. Thank you for your cooperation!
Performance Filming – Consent Required on Compass
We’re excited to have engaged a professional filming company to record the performance on the night! Using proceeds from ticket sales, the finished recording will be available free of charge for all families to stream or download.
As filming consent is required for all students participating in the performance, please ensure you have completed the consent form via Compass by Monday 19th October. If your child is unable to attend for any reason, please select Declined. All other participating students require consent to be recorded.
Costumes – Get Ready for the 90s!
Students should arrive ready to perform in their dress-up costumes. We also encourage our audience to join in the fun with some 90s-inspired outfits of their own!
Costume ideas are available on Compass Newsfeed. We encourage everyone to keep things simple and affordable - there is absolutely no need to buy anything new. Clothes from home, hand-me-downs and op-shop finds are perfect! If you need a hand putting together a costume, please reach out to your child’s teacher. We want everyone to feel comfortable, get into the spirit and enjoy this fantastic event!
Strawberry Fair – Volunteer Sign-Ups Open Next Thursday
Our Strawberry Fair Committee meetings are continuing every Thursday at 3:30pm in the school staff room, and everyone is welcome to come along and get involved!
Volunteer sign-ups open next Thursday! Registration will be available through the sign-up online portal. We’ve reviewed and refined the volunteer roles based on the valuable feedback received last year, with a continued focus on making the experience as positive, manageable and rewarding as possible for everyone. Full details will be shared next week, including the activities on offer and the many ways you can lend a hand.
Strawberry Fair promotion is well underway. I’m sure most of you will have noticed real estate boards, posters and corflute signs are appearing throughout the community, alongside social media promotion and community advertising. We also have articles set to appear in the Springdale Messenger, Bellarine Times and Geelong Advertiser to help spread the word!
A big thank you to everyone contributing their time, ideas and energy behind the scenes. Every contribution helps bring this much-loved community event to life, and we’re looking forward to another fantastic Strawberry Fair!
Successful Leopold Community Bank Grant - New Hot House
Our wonderful children's gardens have been in need of some repairs and improvements to ensure they remain sustainable and manageable for our school. The Garden Club recently identified a range of updates, including repairs to the hot house and a need for an improved watering system. With the cost of these works running into the thousands, we were concerned that our plans might be out of reach at this time.
However, following a successful grant application to Leopold Community Bank, we are absolutely delighted to share the fantastic news that we have secured generous funding to complete the rejuvenation of this space. Significantly surpassing our initial hopes, the grant will fund an entirely new glasshouse, complete with an automatic watering system, wick-and-drip-feed garden beds and seedling racks, valued at more than $20,000!
This is an outstanding outcome for Wallington Primary School. These improvements will provide a more sustainable and manageable garden space, supporting hands-on learning and giving our students opportunities to enjoy gardening projects for many years to come.
This wonderful achievement would not have been possible without the initiative and efforts of our Garden Club, Kate and Nicole in the office, and Joel Henderson, who all helped identify and prepare the grant application.
We extend our sincere thanks to Leopold Community Bank and its Spring/Summer Community Investment Program for this generous support of our school community. We can't wait to see our community gardens flourish! Installation is set to take place later this term.
Geelong Cup Public Holiday
And finally, just a reminder that next Wednesday is a public holiday and there is no school. This will support students to rest and relax after the performance on Tuesday night, returning on Thursday feeling refreshed and ready for more learning and fun.
Cameron Edwards
Parents and Friends
WHATS HAPPENING WITH PARENTS & FRIENDS?
Important Dates:
THE NEXT P&F MEETING
New date for our next meeting is Tuesday 13th October 6pm, in the school hall.
New members are always welcome.
Second Hand Uniforms
We have lots of uniforms available. Most sizes available.
Just a Gold Coin Donation. Be sure to check it out.
Special Lunch Term 4
Wallington P.S.
Gardening Club
Garden Club will be on every Friday at second lunch at 1.40pm.
Do you love nature, gardening, or just want to help our school bloom?
The Wallington P.S. Gardening Club is always looking for volunteers!
Ask at the office to learn more
Garden club fun
Last week at Garden Club, our little gardeners had a wonderful time getting creative with potion making and water play! this is a garden club favourite activity.
Enjoy the video and see the magic for yourselves!
Art & Music
Year 3 Art: Insects on Acetate
Combining science and fine motor skills, each student chose an insect and carefully traced its intricate anatomical details onto clear acetate sheets.
To bring their mini-beasts to life, students added bold, vibrant colours using Posca paint pens. The real magic happened when students created the backgrounds: layering overlapping shapes of colourful tissue paper onto A4 white paper. When the acetate insects were placed over the top, the translucent tissue paper created a stunning, stained-glass effect.
We are incredibly proud of how these beautiful mixed-media masterpieces turned out! Be sure to look out for them on display around the school.
Mrs Bishop
Visual Arts & Music Teacher
PE and Dance
PE Snapshot:
This week in PE, students continued developing their flying disc (Frisbee) skills, with a focus on passing and catching on the move, cutting into space towards the disc, and playing collaboratively and respectfully with others.
A highlight of the lesson was the Long Throw Challenge, where students worked in pairs to see how far apart they could successfully throw and catch the disc. If a pass was caught cleanly, both students took a step back to increase the distance. If the disc was dropped, they stepped forward and tried again. Students loved challenging themselves, demonstrating persistence, teamwork, and impressive improvements in their throwing accuracy and catching skills.
Prep Dance Snapshot:
This week, our Prep students had a wonderful time exploring "Dancing Like Farm Animals." Students used their imagination to discover how different farm animals move and then transformed these movements into their own creative dances.
To begin, students enjoyed an Animal Stretching Warm-Up, arching their backs like stretching cats, reaching out like sleepy dogs, and stomping around like elephants. They then experimented with moving like a variety of farm animals and worked on linking their movements together to create simple dance sequences.
It was fantastic to see the enthusiasm, creativity, and confidence students brought to the lesson as they explored movement through play and imagination.
PE Grant:
I am thrilled to share that we have recently received a delivery of new hockey equipment to support our upcoming Hockey Program, from the successful Sporting Schools Grant funding we have received this term. This fantastic addition to our PE resources will provide students with more opportunities to develop new skills, build confidence, and participate in exciting learning experiences. It is wonderful to have such high-quality equipment available, and we are looking forward to seeing students make great use of it in future lessons. This funding not only helped make these new resources possible but also opens the door to a range of additional sporting experiences and programs for our students.
Mrs Ractliffe
Physical Education & Dance Teacher
Wellbeing at Wallington
Wallington PS Sponsors
Thank you to our PLATINUM Sponsor
Thank you to our GOLD Sponsors
Thank you to our SILVER Sponsors
Thank you to our BRONZE Sponsors
Notice Board
Unexplained absences
Please check Compass for any unexplained absences for your child/s for 2026, if you could put an explanation for each one before the end of term.
An unexplained absence in compass us a record indicating that a student was marked “not present” (absent or late) without a reason entered by a parent/guardian. It means that school is aware the student is missing but not why.
How to Fix: Under the "Attendance" tab, the "Unexplained" tab lists these absences. Parents can select the relevant dates and click "Explain with Note/Approval" to provide a reason.
Why It Matters: Schools are required to ensure they know the safety of students and keep attendance records, requiring a reason for every day a student is absent/late.
If you need any assistance please contact the Admin team.
Make it stand out
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
SAVER PLUS
What it is:
Financial Education and Savings:
Saver Plus is a 10-month online program designed to help participants learn about financial management, set savings goals, and develop regular saving habits.
Matched Savings:
Participants who complete the program have their savings matched by ANZ, up to a maximum of $500, which can be used for education-related costs.
Online Delivery:
The program is delivered online, making it accessible to participants across Australia.
Saver Plus is a partnership between ANZ, the Brotherhood of St. Laurence, The Smith Family and Berry Street.
Eligibility: To be eligible, participants need to have a current Health Care or Pensioner Concession Card and an eligible Centrelink payment, have other regular income, be studying themselves or have a child in school, be 18+ years old, and agree to join in free online financial education workshops.
