Wallington P.S. Newsletter Term 2 Week 2, 2026.
Upcoming Dates
Principal's Report
Dear Families,
Sponsorship 2026-2027
We are once again opening sponsorship opportunities for the 2026/27 financial year, and wanted to offer Wallington Primary School families the first opportunity to get involved. With limited Platinum and Gold packages available, we encourage you to express interest early. Please see the attached flyer for details, with hard copies also available at the office.
Sponsorship directly supports continued investment in key areas of the school, including updated readers and texts aligned to our revised reading program, as well as important upgrades to equipment and resources to strengthen our ICT, STEM, First Nations and new Media Arts programs.
We are incredibly grateful for the support of our school and wider community. As you know, our programs are driven by a highly committed and passionate staff team, and sponsorship enables us to further enhance what we can offer - making a real difference to student learning and opportunities.
ANZAC Day Services
Well done to Charli and Piper for reading the Dedication at the Ocean Grove ANZAC Day service last weekend. It is a significant responsibility to take part in a service of this importance, and they represented Wallington PS with confidence and respect.
We also acknowledge and commend the Wallington PS students who participated through their Scouts commitments across the Dawn Service, the march and commemorative ceremony, and in serving refreshments at the Ocean Grove Bowling Club. These are important community events, and the students should be very proud of the way they represented both Scouts and Wallington PS throughout the day.
Opportunities like these play an important role in building connection, service and understanding beyond the school, and we are so proud of the way our students stepped into these roles.
Our School – Flying Tour
With Prep enrolments now open, we’re so proud to showcase our school to new families and welcome all enquiries. Tours run every Tuesday and Thursday, or by appointment. There has been strong interest so far, with enrolments open until 31st July.
A big thank you to Mr Vaught for working with students to create a “Flying Tour” of our school, featuring drone footage that captures some unique perspectives of our wonderful students and facilities (weblink).
Strengthening Home–School Communication: Fortnightly Class Updates
This year, we continue to focus on strengthening how we connect with families and share learning. This work is informed by feedback from families and staff and reflects our ongoing commitment to continuous improvement in how we communicate and work in partnership.
Staff have been refining and strengthening their approaches, and we have now formed a consistent, agreed, whole-school process for communicating classroom learning. This ensures clarity, consistency and a shared expectation across the school to benefit all students and families.
From this term, all classes will provide a fortnightly update via Compass. These will outline key learning across English, Maths and other areas of our Wellbeing and Curiosity Curriculum, to support meaningful conversations at home.
This approach is designed to make learning more visible and accessible, and to strengthen the connection between home and school so families are better informed and more able to engage with their child’s learning.
Alongside this, you will continue to see snapshots of learning shared through the school newsletter, including photos, highlights and celebrations from across all areas of the school, including our specialist programs.
We value strong home-school partnerships and are committed to continually improving how we communicate and work together. These updates reflect that ongoing commitment and our shared focus on improving outcomes for all students.
Reminder: Strawberry Fair Coordinators Needed - Initial Planning Meeting this Tuesday
We are excited to be planning the 2026 Strawberry Fair, with an initial meeting next Tuesday 5th May from 4:30–5:00pm in the staffroom. All are welcome.
This is a reminder that we are seeking coordinators (individuals, partnerships or small teams) to take responsibility for key areas of the event. These include Planning/Permits, Stalls and Food Vendors, Entertainment and Activities, and Strawberry Hall & Catering.
The roles are already clearly defined following last year’s successful event, so this is a great opportunity to step in with strong existing structure and support. We are particularly keen to spread responsibilities more widely this year, and warmly encourage anyone who is organised, enjoys being involved, or is looking for a way to connect with the school community (especially new families) to consider getting involved.
Importantly, the beloved Strawberry Fair relies on sufficient volunteer support to establish and sustain this coordination group. Without this foundation, we will not be in a position to proceed with the event in 2026.
If you are interested but unable to attend the meeting, please contact the school to register your interest. Further volunteers and supporting roles will be invited from Term 3 as planning progresses.
The Strawberry Fair has always been powered by community, and we are hopeful that, as always, our community will come together to make 2026 another memorable, standout success.
Advance Notice – Proposed Stop Work Industrial Action: Tuesday 26th May
We would like to advise families that staff, as members of the Australian Education Union (AEU), are planning to take part in proposed industrial action in the form of a half-day stop work on Tuesday 26 May.
This action is part of ongoing statewide negotiations between the AEU, the State Government and the Department of Education regarding pay, workload and resourcing in Victorian public schools.
At this stage, details are still being confirmed, and we will provide further information as soon as it is available, including any impact on school operations.
We appreciate this may cause some inconvenience and will continue to keep families updated as planning progresses.
Groove Cafe Lunch Orders - Friday
A reminder that we are now receiving lunch orders from Groove Cafe in Ocean Grove and students (and staff!) are loving the new menu - see below!
Remember that orders must be placed by Wednesday each week through Flexischools.
Cameron Edwards
SWPBS Awards
Being Resilient
Felix - Prep
For demonstrating outstanding resilience in the classroom. You keep trying even when things feel challenging, and you never give up. Well done Felix!
Vinnie - Year 1
For showing resilience when learning new skills. You jumped in and learnt a new skill and have helped others to do the same. Keep up the great work Vinnie!
Austin- Year 2
For always showing resilience in your learning by always being willing to have a go at new tasks. You approach challenges with a positive attitude and work through them with determination. Keep up the great effort!
River - Year 3
For challenging yourself in handwriting this week when beginning to join lowercase letters to f and s. Your focus and persistence have been fantastic. Keep up the great work River!
Kai - Year 4/5
For being a fantastic friend to many in 4/5D. You can play with different classmates and you show patience and compassion. Congratulations Kai!
Elsie - Year 6
For your resilience this week during our maths lessons. You have tried your best at any given moment and have made great progress. Keep up the great work, Elsie!
Principal’s Award: Lukas - Year 1
For demonstrating resilience during a phonics lesson this week. You did a great job explaining how we always learn from our mistakes!
Parents and Friends
WHATS HAPPENING WITH PARENTS & FRIENDS?
The next P&F meeting will be
Monday 18th of May 9:00am - at the school hall.
All welcome to attend.
SECOND HAND UNIFORMS
We have many summer uniform available with the warmer season approaching. Most sizes available.
Just a Gold Coin Donation. Be share to check it out.
STAY UP TO DATE
Follow us on Facebook “WALLINGTON PS PARENTS AND FRIENDS”
Mother’s Day Stall
Tuesday 5th May (see flyer below)
There will be a range of gifts for your child to purchase from $4-$10.
Please send money in a named small purse/wallet/zip lock bag.
Wallington P.S.
Gardening Club
Garden Club will be on every Wednesday at second lunch (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.
We are creating a boot garden in term 2 and trying to include as many students/boots as possible. Please drop off your boot to reception.
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
Year 3 Art- Artist Klimt inspired Self-Portraits
Year 3 students applied a range of skills over one term to create these fabulous self-portraits. Following guidelines of drawing the proportions of the face, students sketched their facial features in fine liner pen and then added colour with posca pens. Introducing artist Klimt's artwork, we discussed his trademark patterns and colours used in his famous paintings. Klimt's portraits always had ghostly white faces, so to protray this on our portraits we applied white/grey and blue soft pastels for skin.
Our Klimt inspired patterns were applied in the background of our portrait, and we painted gold paint to create a t-shirt.
These look incredible! Well done Year 3s!
Thank you,
Mrs Bishop
PE and Dance
PE /Dance Weekly Snapshot
This week in Physical Education, students have been building their confidence and control through two key learning focuses.
Striking for Accuracy
Students explored activities designed to help them aim and strike objects toward a target with greater accuracy. They worked on keeping their body balanced, watching the object closely, and adjusting their power to improve consistency. It was great to see students challenge themselves and celebrate their progress.
Soccer Skill Development
Students also continued developing their soccer skills, with a focus on dribbling, passing, and kicking using different parts of the foot. They practised keeping the ball close while moving, striking the ball on the run, and avoiding defenders in small‑sided games. These activities helped students build control, decision‑making, and teamwork.
Students showed fantastic effort and enthusiasm throughout the week, and it’s been wonderful to see their skills grow.
Champion of the Week Award
Congratulations to Issy in Grade 3
Issy has shown outstanding sportsmanship during our soccer match this week. She demonstrated the WPS values of Respect by encouraging others and playing fairly, and Responsibility by giving her best effort and supporting her teammates throughout the game.
Well done, Issy — a fantastic role model for our team.
Thank you,
Mrs Ractliffe
First Nations, Media Arts & STEM
Wallington PS Sponsors
Thank you to our PLATINUM Sponsor
Thank you to our SILVER 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 office.
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.
