Welcome to Term 2 – Welcome back to our ACE students!

Leadership Update – Congratulations to Mrs Kondys who is currently filling an Acting Principal role at another school.

ANZAC Day March – Please join us for the Manly ANZAC March on Tuesday 25 April.

Systematic Synthetic Phonics – Learn more about how we are working in this space with staff and students.

Yarning Circle – Thanks to the P&C for the installation of our new yarning circle.

Friday Sports – Begins this Friday – please ensure permission slips have been returned.

School Photos – 23 and 24 May – look out for photo envelopes coming home soon.

2024 Prep Enrolment – Info Session for 2024 Preps – Tuesday 2 May - 5pm.

Public Holidays – Tuesday 25 April (ANZAC day) & Monday 1 May (Labour Day)

WELCOME TO TERM 2

Welcome to all of our returning and new students and their families. We hope that you had a relaxing break and are ready for the term ahead. This term we have many things occurring for our students including:

• Action packed curriculum learning
• Excursions, Interschool Sports, Year 5 & 6 camps
• Commencement of our student clubs- choirs, dance, drama, Japanese, gardening

Importantly, we will continue to build our ACE (Attending, Confident, Engaged) students and we need your help with this, by ensuring that your child is at school unless they are sick or there is some other significant reason.

LEADERSHIP TEAM UPDATE

We congratulate Mrs Pamela Kondys (Year 3-6 Deputy Principal) who is currently fulfilling an acting Principal position at Woodcrest State College. A recruitment process is being undertaken for this role, to commence next week.

ANZAC DAY MARCH

On Monday 24 April, staff and students will recognise ANZAC Day with a school parade.

On ANZAC Day, Tuesday 25 April, the Wondall Heights State School community has been invited to participate in the community march from Manly State School to Richard Russell Park.

Students are required to meet outside Manly State School, Earnest Street Manly at 7:45am for an 8am start.  There will be a sign for Wondall, we are generally towards the back. Parents are welcome to march with their child. Wondall staff will also be in attendance. At the conclusion of the ceremony parents are to collect their child from a Wondall staff member.

Please ensure students are wearing their full school formal uniform and their school hat. Students are encouraged to bring a drink bottle.

SYSTEMATIC SYNTHETIC PHONICS

In 2024 Queensland State Schools will begin to implement Australian Curriculum Version 9 for English. One of the key changes in the revised curriculum is a strengthened emphasis on foundational reading and spelling skills including phonics, phonemic and phonological awareness and morphology from Prep to Year 6.

Evidence-based research demonstrates that a systematic (or structured) synthetic phonics approach is an effective way of teaching all students decoding (reading sounds and words) and encoding (spelling sounds and words).

What is systematic synthetic phonics?

Systematic synthetic phonics is a structured approach to teaching, where students learn about the relationships between sounds (phonemes) and letter symbols (graphemes) and apply these to reading and writing.

How is Wondall preparing for systematic synthetic phonics in 2023?

• All Prep, Year 1, Year 2 and Inclusion Teachers will attend a 4-day SOUNDS-WRITE professional learning course with SPELD QLD costing approximately $3000 per classroom teacher;
• Investment in new decodable readers over 2022/3 to a value of approximately $10000;
• Creating classroom kits to support teachers to begin implementation of SOUNDS-WRITE immediately following their training, approximately $1200; and
• Ongoing professional learning opportunities for all staff with our school’s Speech Language Pathologist on the role of synthetic phonics in the teaching of reading and spelling, presented during lunchbreaks, staff meetings and student free days.

What about our Years 3-6 Teachers in 2023?

The Department of Education is developing a series of training modules to build teacher capability in teaching reading aligned to the science of reading. We will be supporting our Years 3-6 teachers to engage in this professional learning as it becomes available throughout the year.

YARNING CIRCLE

We are excited to share that over the holidays, our school yarning circle has been installed. The yarning circle will be available for classes and students to use throughout the day. Thanks to our P&C who paid for this installation. We will be having an official opening of this space, so keep an eye out for this invitation to attend.

FRIDAY SPORTS

Years 4-6 Interschool Sports commences this Friday. Students will be participating in soccer, rugby league or netball. Students will travel to and from the venue. They will not be released from the venue unless prior authorisation has been received via the office. All permission forms need to be returned if they haven’t yet been, or students will not be allowed to leave the school.

At this point in time, we still have approximately 100 students who have not yet paid. Invoices have been resent. If payment isn’t received your child may not be able to participate. If you need a payment plan, make immediate contact with the office.

SCHOOL PHOTOS

School photos will be in Week 6, Term 2 – 23 and 24 May. Envelopes will be sent home shortly and will need to be returned on your child’s photo day.

PREP ENROLMENTS 2024

Notice of Intention to Attend Wondall Heights State School in 2024

We are currently looking at Wondall Heights State School’s planning needs for the 2024 school year. Part of this planning is considering the number of students we will have enrolled in the school. If your child is of Prep age for the 2024 school year and you are considering enrolment at Wondall Heights State School, please let us know your intentions by contacting the school. This is not binding and the catchment area and enrolment requirements still apply. The enrolment process will begin in Term 3 and will be communicated shortly. This intention to enrol information, is to assist us with forward planning to make 2024 as successful as possible for all our students.

Enrolment Process

In catchment students can currently enrol at the office during office opening hours.

Out-of-catchment students can join the waiting list, please contact the office.

A decision will be made for out-of-catchment enrolments in Term 3, you will be invited to attend the Prep Enrolment Sessions in September if you are successful in securing a place at Wondall Heights State School.

Prep Enrolment Sessions will consist of a group interview where parents will be presented information and asked to fill in questionnaires whilst their children interact with our teachers, in a group setting. From there, enrolled 2024 Prep children will be invited to multiple orientation days where they will meet our Prep staff, use our Prep spaces and begin to become familiar with each other. This Prep transition process is vital in preparing your child for a great start to school!

Please share this information with family and friends living in the catchment area!

Save the Date – Prep 2024 Information Session 1