Wallington P.S. Newsletter Term 3. Week 6, 2026.
Upcoming Dates
Principal's Report
Dear Families,
Prep 2027 – Transition Day #1
We were so excited to welcome our new 2027 Preps for their very first transition session on Tuesday morning. Our soon‑to‑be students enjoyed a gentle classroom familiarisation experience alongside their parents, exploring the learning spaces, meeting staff, and beginning to get a feel for what life at Wallington Primary School will be like.
This first visit is an important step in helping children feel comfortable, confident, and ready for their Prep year, and their curiosity and enthusiasm shone through!
Our next transition session will take place in two weeks, as we continue to support each child’s smooth and positive journey toward joining us as proud members of the Wallington Primary School community.
Sun Protection– Hats are Back!
As we move toward spring, it’s time for hats to return to play times. As a SunSmart school, we follow the official advice, which recommends sun protection whenever the UV Index reaches 3 or above. Based on the UV widget, accessible on the footer of every page on our website, UV Index is currently reaching 3 or higher between about 10:40am and 2:00pm. This window will continue to grow as the season changes.
To help keep everyone safe, students are now expected to wear their hats outside during these play periods. We’ll have a one‑week grace period while everyone gets back into the routine, and after that, students without a hat will be asked to play in shaded areas. A quick reminder to bring a school hat, labelled with their name, ready for the brighter days ahead.
For more information about sun protection, visit SunSmart.
Mosquito Safety
Living in our beautiful natural environment means we sometimes see increased mosquito activity. Managing this is a shared responsibility, and we appreciate the support families provide. At school, we continue to monitor and reduce potential breeding areas and take extra steps when mosquito numbers rise in line with department policy.
Families can help by choosing to apply mosquito repellent or stickers before school, and encouraging long, loose‑fitting clothing where practical. If your child uses sunscreen, please apply it first, followed by insect repellent. As always, repellent should be used according to product instructions and age recommendations.
Thank you for partnering with us to take these simple, practical steps. Together, we can keep students comfortable, protected, and ready to enjoy their time outdoors.
2026 Parent/Carer Survey – Open
Our annual Parent/Carer Survey is now open, and we warmly encourage all families to take part. This survey is an important opportunity for parents and carers to share their perspectives on their experience of our school and provide feedback that supports our ongoing improvement work.
Your insights help us understand what is working well, highlight areas where we can continue to grow, and guide our planning and priorities moving forward. The more families who participate, the more meaningful and useful the feedback becomes.
All information needed to access the survey, including the login details and school PIN, was shared via the Compass Newsfeed on Monday. The survey will remain open until Friday 18 September.
Book Week Parade – Next Friday 28th August
And finally a reminder that our Book Week Parade is coming up next Friday! We’re looking forward to celebrating creativity, stories, and all things reading with our students and families. The parade will take place shortly after 9:00am on Friday morning on the basketball court.
Please note there will be no afternoon assembly on this day. Instead, parents and carers are warmly invited to enjoy a classroom walkthrough/activity until 10:00am, giving you a chance to see the wonderful learning spaces in action and share in the Book Week excitement!
Remember, there are no expectations around costumes - everyone is welcome to join in however they feel comfortable. Many students love getting creative and putting together their own outfits using things they already have at home, and we always enjoy seeing the imaginative ideas they (and staff!) come up with.
Cameron Edwards
SWPBS Awards
Being Respectful
Felix - Prep
For showing wonderful respect and kindness to our CRT’s while I was away. You were incredibly helpful, listened carefully, followed instructions and made sure our classroom stayed a happy and respectful place. Well done Felix!
Marcelo - Year 1
For actively participating in phonics lessons this week by sharing long E and long A words. Keep up the great work Marcelo!
Jordan - Year 2
For displaying respect by consistently following expectations, being the first to offer help, and making respectful choices in the classroom. Well done, Jordan!
Teddy- Year 3
For showing respect this week by very actively participating when learning about clocks and telling the time to the quarter hour. Well done Teddy and keep up the great work!
Cameron - Year 4/5
For your kindness. Cameron, you care about your friends and show them respect by always using kind words and actions. You are a superstar!
Jack - Year 6
For respectfully participating in our science activities. You engage with enthusiasm and share your knowledge willingly. Keep up the great work, Jack!
Principal’s Award: Olive - Year 6
For always showing respect to your peers and being such an incredible role model - Super job Olive!
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 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.
COMING UP
Father’s Day Stall
Wednesday 2nd September.
Students will have the opportunity to purchase a gift/gifts for Dad. See flyer below.
Please bring UP TO $20. Gifts will vary from $5-$10 each.
Please send money in a labelled purse/wallet/zip lock bag/paper bag.
Second chance stall - Friday 4th September at 3:20pm outside the front of the school.
Cash only please.
Term 3 Special Lunch
Bakers Delight
We are excited to be celebrating the end of Term 3 with a special lunch from Baker's Delight.
This was specifically requested by some Grade 6 students who attended our P&F meeting!
We're very excited to bring a special lunch that students requested.
See flyer below.
When: Friday 18th September.
Orders close Friday 11th September.
“IMPORTANT BEFORE YOU ORDER”
Please ensure your children are allocated to the right class in School24.
This has to be done manually each year - many children are still listed in last years class.
How to order on School24.
Go to www.school24.net.au
You will need to register first, if you have not done so before.
Enter our unique school ID number - 25505963.
Click create account, then set up your children, by adding their name/s, class
and any allergies or special requirements.
Visit the events tab, and select what you are after.
Select the products and the student you are wishing to order for and checkout.
Special thanks to Baker’s Delight Leopold.
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.
A huge thank you to our wonderful Garden Club parent volunteers for helping our school community grow!
Art & Music
Prep Art: Mondrian Snails!
Our talented Prep students have been busy channelled their inner artist to create spectacular "Mondrian Snails." Inspired by the famous Dutch painter Piet Mondrian—who was well-known for using bold black lines and primary colours—students used cardboard dipped in black paint to print striking geometric patterns. They then carefully filled in their shapes using only the three primary colours: red, yellow, and blue!
After cutting out their Mondrian-inspired patterns into snail bodies, the real magic happened on the shells. Students became colour scientists, experimenting with mixing primary colours to discover secondary colours: green, orange, and purple. They painted these new creations onto the shells, added beautiful details with Posca pens, and finished their masterpieces with folded pipe-cleaner antennae and googly eyes. They look absolutely gorgeous!
Mrs Bishop
Visual Arts & Music Teacher
PE and Dance
PE /Dance Weekly Snapshot
Physical Education & Dance Snapshot
Sporting Schools Badminton Program Gets Underway!
This week marked the exciting start of our Sporting Schools Badminton Program, and we would like to extend a huge thank you to John from Badminton Geelong for coaching our students during their first session.
Students were introduced to the fundamentals of badminton, learning the correct forehand and backhand grip techniques before putting their new skills into action. It was fantastic to see students quickly building their confidence as they practised striking the shuttlecock and even had the opportunity to rally and hit over the net.
The session was highly engaging, with students demonstrating excellent focus, persistence and a willingness to challenge themselves. We are incredibly grateful to John for sharing his expertise and helping students develop new skills in such a fun and supportive environment. We can't wait to see what we learn in the coming weeks!
Grade 1 Dance: Storm Dance
Our Grade 1 students continued their creative dance learning this week by exploring the theme of a storm.
Students experimented with a range of movements to represent different elements of a storm, including thunder, lightning, wind and heavy rain. Through collaborative activities, they worked together to create short dance sequences that captured the energy and intensity of a stormy day.
A key focus was understanding how sharp, strong and powerful movements can be used to communicate ideas and emotions through dance. It was wonderful to see students using their creativity, imagination and teamwork skills to bring their storm-themed performances to life.
Lightning Premiership Competition
A group of our Year 6 students, accompanied by Mr K-T, travelled to the basketball courts at BASC this week to compete in the Lightning Premiership Basketball Competition.
While the team did not come away with the overall win, they should be incredibly proud of their efforts. The students displayed great teamwork, determination and sportsmanship throughout the day, giving their best in every game and representing Wallington Primary School with pride.
Most importantly, they demonstrated our school values of Respect, Resilience and Responsibility, both on and off the court. Congratulations to all students involved for their positive attitude and commitment to giving it their very best shot. Well done!
Division Athletics Qualifiers
I have just received confirmation of the students who have qualified for the Division Athletics Championships. More information will be sent directly to families in the coming days.
A huge congratulations to the following students on their outstanding achievements:
Hunter - 1500m and Triple Jump
Jaylen - High Jump and Long Jump
Mickal - High Jump
Alfie - 1500m
Qualifying for Division Athletics is a fantastic achievement and a reflection of the hard work, dedication and effort these students have put into their athletics. We are incredibly proud of their success and look forward to seeing them represent Wallington Primary School at the next level. Congratulations and best of luck!
Champion of the Week Award
Dance Champion of the Week: Iliana (Grade 1)
A big congratulations to Iliana for being our Dance Champion of the Week!
This week, Iliana impressed everyone with her enthusiasm, creativity and willingness to fully engage in our Storm Dance activities. She thoughtfully explored different ways to move her body to represent a stormy day, using strong, powerful and expressive movements to bring her ideas to life.
Iliana showed wonderful imagination when creating her dance sequence and confidently used her movements to represent wind, rain and thunder. She worked beautifully with her classmates, sharing ideas and contributing positively to group discussions and activities.
Her positive attitude, creativity and eagerness to participate made her a fantastic role model for others. Most importantly, Iliana embraced the creative process, challenged herself to try new movements and demonstrated excellent teamwork throughout the lesson.
Well done, Iliana! We are so proud of the creativity, effort and enthusiasm you bring to Dance each week.
Mrs Ractliffe
Physical Education & Dance Teacher
First Nations, Media Arts & STEM
Hi Families,
Please enjoy our latest STEM, First Nations and Media Arts video below.
We're in need of any Lego figures and Match Box cars to be used in Media Arts, First Nations and STEM. Any donations would be greatly appreciated. Please drop them to the office. Thank you.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss anything further, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’d be more than happy to have a chat.
Mr Vaught
First Nations, Media Arts and STEM 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.
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.
