Winton State School eNewsletter

Principal Update

Welcome back to all families and students, I hope everyone had a restful holiday. We have hit the ground running this term, with plenty happening in the first 9 days. Term 4 is always very busy, and has the added element of not only our 2024 business however also getting set up for the 2025 school year. This is an exciting time though as we work to enact some exciting plans for the new school year.

With a lot of events occurring in term 4, we have prepared a summary to the key dates to assist families with planning. This is subject to change and we will keep you updated on any changes or additions.

Thank you to our 2025 Kindy students for an exciting first transition day this week. We are looking forward to a the rest of our transition days together this term, and seeing you all for big school next year. If we have any new families joining us in 2025, please contact the office to discuss transitions for your students.

Next Friday our year 12 students finish regular classes, and commence external exams if they are in these subjects. We are really proud of our year 12s and look forward to celebrating their education success in week 7. We wish those who are doing exams luck and those who are completing work towards attaining their QCEs are almost finished. If you see them around, please congratulate their efforts.

On Monday 11th November we are hosting a 2025 information night at school. An important part of this will be discussing the arrangements for the new iPad program commencing at school in the new year. We will also give an overview to other school policies and procedures, curriculum and assessment, literacy approach and support services available to students and families. We hope to have as many families as possible at this evening for the year ahead, to receive all important information at one time.

Thank you Bronwyn Searle and the 60s and Better visitors who came to school this week. We always enjoy showcasing our great school.

I am aware that families are eager to find out the allocation of teachers to classes next year. At this stage, we are not in a position to lock in anything. We have a number of staff in temporary positions in other locations who we are awaiting on confirmation of their movements for the new year before we can confirm anything here. Once we are in a position to confirm these arrangements we will communicate this with families.

Teachers and school staff across the state are facing increasing mistreatment from adults and students. The Department has launched a campaign about Occupational Violence to support our staff and the profession. Can I please remind families, and ask that you share the same message with your students, that schools are workplaces and abuse or aggression of any kind is unacceptable. This is not just for teachers, however non-teaching staff also. We are currently developing a complaints management process that we will share with families in the near future for anyone who wishes to raise a concern. We thank families for your trust and support, and are grateful that this is not an issue we experience often in Winton.

Thanks as always for your support, please reach out to the office if there is anything we can assist with over a busy 8 weeks ahead.

Take care,

Meggin

Swimming

Swimming lessons with Mr. Clarke kicked off this week, and we had some very excited students eager to get into the pool! A reminder to those who haven’t yet returned their permission notes—please bring them back to the office as soon as possible. Also, don’t forget to pack your swimmers for next week! Students in Years 7 to 10 will swim on Tuesdays, while all primary school students will have their swimming lessons on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Kindy Transition

This week marked the beginning of our Kindy Transition Days, and it was wonderful to see so many excited faces! We will be running these sessions every Tuesday until the end of term, providing a great opportunity for our future students to get a feel for school life. A big thank you to everyone who attended this week! Please note, if your child is not attending with Little Swaggies staff, parents or guardians must stay to supervise. We look forward to seeing you all next Tuesday! Thank you!

Bring The Boys

We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Alister from Outback Futures for another fantastic Bring The Boys event last night. The young males at our school truly appreciate the time, effort, and care you bring to these sessions, which continue to make a positive impact. Thank you, Alister!