From the Principal’s desk
Open School Board Meeting and Review Day
If you are interested in the work of our school and how we are travelling, please come to our Open School Board Meeting at school. This meeting is run from 9am to midday and includes information about our school focus areas, programs and the progress we are making. The morning promises to be engaging and informative. Please email the school through our website or give us a ring if you are coming. http://woodlandgroveps.wa.edu.au/contact-us/
Father’s Day in K/PP
Father’s Day in K/PP was a lot of fun today. It was fantastic to meet so many special men in the lives of our children. Thank you for making the effort to come to school and for making our children so proud and happy.
Author Visit – Dr Cameron Stelzer, The Story Doctor
On Thursday 13 September, we have a special visit from Author and Illustrator Dr Cameron Stelzer. Cameron is visiting Woodland Grove Primary School to run workshops with our students. Kindergarten, Prep-Primary and Year 1 students will enjoy an interactive Big Screen Book Reading and follow-along drawing activity with Cameron. Year 2-6 students will be taking a behind-the-scenes look at creating a book, and applying their own creative components. Students and teachers are looking forward to a fantastic day!
In conjunction with the Author Visit, Woodland Grove Primary School families have a special opportunity to purchase signed and personalised copies of Cameron’s books at special prices. Individual books are $15 each and there are also exclusive book sets available. Students will receive an order form on the day of the workshops.
Forms and payment can be returned the following morning, Friday 14 September, to the Front Office.
Therapy Focus
Mundijong Library will be hosting an information session by Therapy Focus Armadale, Wednesday 12 September, 3.45pm. Come and find out how Therapy Focus can help local families. 
The session will cover:
– A brief overview/history of Therapy Focus
– Who we work with
– Brief overview of different services and what they do
– How we work with families (including our locations and travel options)
– Funding options for families, including some information about NDIS
– Q&A
The session is 1.5 hrs, plus Q & A. Light refreshments provided.
Bookings are essential, please contact the library on 9526 1133 or library@sjshire.wa.gov.au
Father’s Day Stall
Our wonderful P&C ran a Father’s Day stall on Tuesday and Thursday this week. There were lots of goodies to buy for Dad and the students had a blast buying Dad a Father’s Day presents.
Fortnite and Social Media
Many of our families may hear a lot about Fortnite, as we do at school. A number of our children are playing this online game, which is free and allows them to play against 100’s of people from around the world. You may not be aware that the age rating for Fortnite is higher than many of our WGPS children (12+). At school we have noticed the negative impacts this game is having on our children.
We encourage our families to monitor your child’s screen time including the content. We cannot endorse a game rated for children older than primary school age.
Management is key. Online games do not provide our children with the boundaries they need to manage and be in control of their environment. When left unsupervised the online space is not safe for children and we see the negative impact of this activity at school.
Here is a link to a clip that may help add another layer of security/control over your child’s device (iPad): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYdx7ewppdU&feature=youtu.be
Social Media should be easier for us to manage at a primary school level. The minimum age to open an account on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, Kik, and Snapchat is 13. For Vine, Tinder and Yik Yak it’s 17. YouTube requires account holders to be 18.
Physical Activity Week
Week 8 is physical activity week….
Australian school children rank among the worst in the world when it comes to their physical activity levels. To tackle this problem, they need to be taught skills and have better knowledge and understanding of how to lead active and healthy lifestyles.
That’s why National Health and Physical Education (HPE) Week has been designed to raise awareness of, and advocate for, a greater focus of HPE in our schools.
The theme, Good for Children, Good for Schools and Good for Communities, will focus on how HPE is ‘good for schools’.
If you are a parent, why not walk home with the kids or take them to a nearby park for some play time after school?
When it comes to how to get involved, the only limit is imagination – so get moving, because every step counts!
Junior and Senior Assemblies
Thank you to all the parents and family members who have been attending each week. We are so proud of our students, particularly our Student Councillors who host the assemblies each week.
Junior and Senior Assemblies take place in Weeks 1-4 and Weeks 6-9 each term. The Junior assembly starts at 2.10pm on a Wednesday and the Senior is at 2.00pm on a Tuesday. Each assembly is held in The Arena.