Wallington P.S. Newsletter Term 3. Week 4, 2026.
Upcoming Dates
Principal's Report
Dear Families,
Camp Adventures
It was such a pleasure to spend the morning at our 3-6 Camp in Anglesea today. What a stunning sunny time, with plenty of smiles, laughter and fun being had by all!
It was lovely to hear about the memories already being created, with success stories from the rock-climbing wall, low ropes, archery and zip line, as well as tales from the campfire, the night walk and some impressive Michael Jackson-imitation dancing!
There is no doubt that plenty of new experiences, friendships and memories are being made, and we look forward to hearing even more about their adventures when they return.
Tomorrow, it is the Prep, Year 1 and Year 2 students’ turn to have their own adventures, with a busy day and night planned for this year’s Bunyip Camp. We know they will have an equally wonderful time.
Thank you to all staff and families in supporting both camps and thank you in advance to families who have signed up to help at Bunyip Camp. We can’t wait!
Curriculum Day - Monday 10th August
A reminder that next Monday is a student-free day. After a big week, we hope that the long weekend provides everyone with a welcome opportunity to rest, relax and recharge. We wish all our families a safe and enjoyable long weekend and look forward to seeing everyone back at school on Tuesday.
NAPLAN 2026
The comparative NAPLAN data for 2026 has recently been released, and we are very pleased to share some outstanding results for our students and school community. While NAPLAN is one set of assessments within the much broader range of assessment and monitoring, the results provide a valuable external measure of student achievement and growth. And our results are well worth celebrating, with our students achieving strong outcomes across Reading, Writing and Numeracy, when comparing to those of state, network and similar schools.
In Numeracy, 80% of our Year 5 students achieved Strong or Exceeding, while 70% of Year 3 students achieved Strong or Exceeding. Our Year 5 Numeracy result also included a particularly strong proportion of students achieving the Exceeding level.
Most impressively, the growth data, which measures the improvement made by students between Year 3 and 5, is especially pleasing. In Reading, 91% of Year 5 students achieved expected or high growth, which was the strongest result among our 41 similar schools (those identified as having similar demographic, size and other characteristics). Additionally, 80% of students achieved expected or high growth in both Numeracy and Writing, also well above similar, network and state schools.
These growth results are an important reflection of the way we approach teaching and learning at Wallington Primary School. Our teachers work diligently to know every student well, understand precisely what they know and need to learn next, and adjust teaching to meet students at their point of need.
Our work, however, does not stop with NAPLAN. We closely track and monitor student learning using a broad range of assessment information across all year levels. This enables teachers to identify where students require additional support, make timely adjustments to teaching and provide appropriate extension and challenge for students who are ready to move further.
We are incredibly proud of the achievements of our students and the work of our teachers. These results reflect the dedication, professionalism and diligence of our staff, the persistence and commitment of our students, and the collective effort of our school community.
There is always more to do, but these results provide further evidence that our continued focus on knowing our students, teaching at their point of need and continually improving our practice is making a meaningful difference to student learning.
Men’s Shed – PE Shed Storage
Thank you so much to the Ocean Grove & District Men’s Shed for their amazing work, building and installing some much-needed shelving in the PE shed this week. Thanks too to Mrs Ractliffe for organising and working with these awesome volunteers!
Annual Report 2025
Our 2025 Annual Report to the School Community is now available on our school website. While the report reflects on the 2025 school year, it provides a valuable opportunity to look back on the progress our school made across student learning, wellbeing, engagement, community connection and the learning environment.
There is a great deal to celebrate. 2025 was a School Review year, giving us the opportunity to closely examine our progress against our strategic goals and evaluate the impact of our teaching and learning initiatives. The review positively endorsed our whole-school approach to literacy, including the systematic embedding of explicit phonics instruction, with strong student outcomes in Reading. Our developing whole-school approach to explicit, evidence-based teaching also produced particularly strong achievement and growth outcomes for our Year 5 students.
Our work in student wellbeing also continued to strengthen. The students’ Attitude to School Survey results showed improvement across every measured domain from 2024 to 2025, including significant gains in School Connectedness, Stimulated Learning, Student Voice and Agency, and Emotional Awareness and Regulation. These results reflect the combined impact of our whole-school wellbeing practices, targeted support and the increasing opportunities we provide for students to build relationships, develop confidence and contribute to school life.
Student engagement and connection remained a strong focus throughout the year. Camps, excursions, incursions, multi-age activities, sporting opportunities, clubs and whole-school events provided students with diverse opportunities to participate, build friendships and develop independence and leadership. The return of our Strawberry Fair was a particular highlight, bringing our community together while raising more than $46,000 to support school programs, facilities and initiatives.
There were also some significant milestones beyond the classroom. Our $2.1 million building project was completed, delivering new classrooms, a dedicated wellbeing space, a meeting room and extensive refurbishment across the main building. Staff engagement was another highlight, with the Staff Opinion Survey recording our strongest results in six years across every category, including an 81.5% positive endorsement for School Climate, above both state and similar-school results.
Overall, 2025 was a year of achievement, connection, renewal and growth. The Annual Report captures not only the outcomes we achieved, but the collective work of our students, staff, families and wider community that made them possible.
We encourage families to take a look through the report, which is available on our school website. As part of school annual reporting processes, the community is also warmly invited to attend the beginning of our School Council meeting next Wednesday at 5:45pm, where there will be an opportunity to ask any brief questions about the report or the progress of the school.
House Unity
Last week during House Unity, Alfie did an excellent job leading the Green House in a fun and engaging game of Pass the Drawing. His enthusiasm and positive leadership helped create an enjoyable atmosphere, encouraging teamwork, creativity, and participation from everyone involved. Thank you, Alfie, for making the activity such a success!
2026 Parent/Carer Survey - Opens Soon
The annual Parent/Carer Survey will be coming up shortly. This survey provides an important and valuable opportunity for families to share their perspectives on their experience of our school and to provide feedback on our school improvement work. The information gathered helps us understand what is working well, identify areas where we can continue to improve, and inform our priorities and planning as we move forward. We strongly encourage all families to take the opportunity to participate when the survey opens, as community feedback is an important part of understanding our progress and shaping our continued work.
Advanced Notice – Proposed AEU Stop Work Action Wednesday 19th August
The AEU has proposed a third stop work day for Wednesday 19th August. I will provide further information and update families on the arrangements for the day as soon as these are confirmed. Thank you for your understanding and patience as we work through the arrangements.
Cameron Edwards
Parents and Friends
WHATS HAPPENING WITH PARENTS & FRIENDS?
Important Dates:
THE NEXT P&F MEETING WILL BE
Tuesday 25th August, 6pm in the school hall. New members 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.
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 Exchange - Please help yourself to our freshly grown vegetables on display at the front of school. Please also share anything from your gardens here too.
Art & Music
Creative 3D Turtles - Years 4-6!
Our Year 4–6 students recently brought their classroom learning about green sea turtles to life in the art room! Integrating science and art, students created stunning 3D turtle sculptures using repurposed hospital gown sheets.
Inspired by traditional Aboriginal symbols, students used Posca pens to share their own unique stories across the turtles' shells. Year 6 students added an extra layer of detail, skillfully sewing a running stitch around their shell patterns.
To finish their masterpieces, the students cut heads and flippers from green felt, decorating them with Posca pens and Kindy Glitz before stuffing and sealing the shells with staples. They look absolutely fantastic—well done to all our talented artists!
Mrs Bishop
Art & Music Teacher
First Nations, Media Arts & STEM
Please enjoy our latest STEM, First Nations and Media Arts video below.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss anything further, please reach out and have a chat with me.
Mr Vaught
First Nations, Media Arts and STEM Teacher
Wellbeing at Wallington
Dr. Justin Coulson - Resilience
It was wonderful to see many Wallington PS parents at Monday evening's presentation with Dr Justin Coulson on building resilience in children. The evening was filled with practical ideas and thoughtful reminders about the important role we all play in supporting our children to thrive.
Justin spoke about the importance of helping children develop a positive sense of identity and the power of strong relationships and connection. Every child needs to feel seen, heard, valued and accepted, and these simple but powerful foundations help build resilience over time. One of the key takeaways was the HALTS acronym, a useful reminder that when a child's resilience is at its lowest, there is often an underlying reason. HALTS stands for Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired and Stressed. By taking the time to identify what may be contributing to a child's behaviour or emotions, we can respond with understanding and provide the support they need.
Another important message was to help children recognise that they are capable of doing hard things. Rather than stepping in too quickly, we can encourage them by providing the time, space and support to persevere through challenges that may feel just beyond their reach. These moments help build confidence, independence and resilience. Justin also highlighted the value of risky play, explaining that opportunities to climb, balance, explore and test limits in safe environments help children learn to assess and manage risk, building important life skills and confidence in their own abilities.
If you would like to explore these ideas further, we encourage you to listen to Justin's Happy Families podcast or read one of his books, including 9 Ways to a Resilient Child, Miss-Connection, The Parenting Revolution, 10 Things Every Parent Needs to Know, or Your Child's Anxiety. They are filled with practical, evidence-based strategies that families can use every day.
Mr Ellery
Learning Specialist - Wellbeing
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.
Compass notifications
Have you stopped receiving notifications of Campass?
Compass has recommended that you try the following:
1) Ensure that your app is updated to the most recent version.
2) Check in settings to ensure that you have all the notifications settings on.
3) Confirm that your mobile number and email address is correct in Parent Portal -> Update My Details. Changes are sent to school administrators for confirmation.
4) Confirm affected recipients are not marked Do Not Contact.
The Admin team are here to help should you need further assistance.
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.
