It is hard to believe that we have moved into the second half of the term already.  Not only is looking at the calendar a reality check, but the way our staff and families have supported the students to transition into the year (in particular, our Preps and new students), has significantly contributed how quickly we have been able to move forward. 

The overall and individual acts of kindness, inclusion and concern for each other that I am seeing each day is very rewarding, and while the students do not get everything right with their interactions with each other, the base that we start from makes it easier to correct these actions and events.  This has been a wonderful lead into Harmony Week where we celebrate the differences and diversity we acknowledge when functioning as a community and the many factors behind these differences. 

With only three more weeks of Term 1 remaining, a number of our international families will be leaving us and returning home.  We have benefited so much from having them as part of our community for the time that they have been with us. 

 

School Council Sub Committees

This term is the changeover with members of School Council.  One of our long-standing members – Katie Hodge (mother of Remi 5/6A) is retiring from Council duties after well over ten years of service.  A big thank you to Katie for her service and the contributions that she has made to our school – we appreciate everything and every minute.  Katie’s contribution has been mostly in the area of Community Engagement, taking on a variety of responsibilities over the years from pre-school engagement, school communications and community events. Although retiring from Council, Katie will continue to be a member of our Community Engagement team.

Lucy Battersby (mother of Fred 3/4A), Maxine Willow (mother of Gwen 5/6A), Megan Lim (mother of Eleanor 3/4A) and Ricky Feigin (father of Lia 5/6A and Hana 3/4A) all return for 2026.  We currently have two parent positions available for this year’s Council; filling these is a priority for the school, and it would be terrific to get some representation from our junior grades (Prep – Year 2).  Please contact me via the school office or catch up with any of our current council members to indicate your interest.

2026 executive positions and sub-committee leads will be determined at our next Council meeting.

Parents and carers can make a great contribution by being on a Council sub-committee – the working parties of Council.  Our sub-committees are Finance,  Building and Grounds, Community Engagement & Marketing and Parents & Friends (fundraising and community events).  It is these groups that really need members and make a difference to our school, we encourage anyone with interest, experience or willingness in these areas to contact us.  2026 will have a strong focus on community engagement.

 

Parent Payments

It is the time of year that the school has issued information about 2026 Parent Payments.  This is a payment that parents make to the school for the supplies and subscriptions that their children use during the year.  This is a cost not covered by government funding.  At Windsor Primary School we do not send home a book list that parents need to pay for separately and take responsibility for obtaining.  This system too often means that students would start school with either no supplies or the incorrect supplies.  This system also mean that parents were responsible for replenishing supplies during the year.  Windsor Primary School purchases the supplies in bulk at a cheaper rate than retail, and then on-costs to the Parent Payment request.

A big thank you to parents who have paid the payment and a reminder to those who have not to please pay this as soon as possible.  Any payments that we do not receive means the school needs to take money from other budgets to cover the cost of supplies.  The two budgets that lose money due to this is our digital technologies devices budget and our playground upgrade budget.

Please see the office if you believe a payment plan would benefit your circumstances.

 

Digital Technologies Student Use Agreement

Our teaching teams have asked students to sign a use agreement for how they use our digital technologies.  While using devices allows so much opportunity for students and opens up a wealth of information, we also know that using devices can have its dangers and that they need to be treated with care.  If a student breaks any part of the agreement and compromises trust, they could lose their access privileges and parents will be notified.

 

Insurance (Including Personal Property Damage/Loss, Medical Expenses and Personal Accident/Injury Policy

The Department of Education (which includes Windsor Primary School) does not have insurance for accidental injuries or accidental property damage/loss.  Windsor Primary encourages parents and carers to manage the items students are bringing to school and significantly limit these items.  The school also encourages families to consider obtaining their own accident insurance for students and property of value that may be brought to school or on a school excursion.

 

Personal property

Windsor Primary School understands that students may sometimes like to bring items of personal property to school or on school excursions.

The Department of Education does not have insurance for personal property of students and families. The school does not take responsibility for items of personal property (including electronics such as watches, laptops, mobile phones, etc) that are lost, stolen or damaged at school or during school activities. Damage to personal property brought to school or on school excursions is the responsibility of the owner of that property.

Windsor Primary School encourages students not to bring items of value to school or on school excursions, or to obtain appropriate insurance for such items.

If students bring items of high value to school, they need to be handed in and stored securely at the school office until the end of the day, when the items may be collected by the student and/or parent.

 

Student medical expenses

In the event that a student is injured at school or while participating in a school activity (including offsite) and requires medical treatment, parents/carers are responsible for all of their child’s medical expenses. This includes transport costs such as ambulance costs.

In a medical emergency, the school will prioritise the student and may not call parents/carers if an ambulance is required, until after an ambulance is called, depending on the situation.

Windsor Primary School encourages parents and carers to consider obtaining ambulance cover (see Membership - Ambulance Victoria) and/or appropriate medical insurance.

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Important Dates

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WPS Breakfast Activities Club

A reminder that staff supervision in the morning does not begin until 8:45am. Students arriving before 8:45am without parent supervision are required to be booked into the WPS Breakfast Activities Club, which runs from 7:30am - 8:45am everyday. Students must be pre-booked to attend. The cost is $10.75 per session per child and includes breakfast and activities. 

Bookings can be made via the QR code



or the following website: https://www.trybooking.com/CNWMT

After School Care

Our After School provider is Community OSH, which runs from 3:30pm - 6:00pm.
To book your child/ren visit www.commosh.edu.au

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1/2A

During our first integrated studies unit the 1/2 students discovered what they are good at and what others are good at. We did a dive into their personal strengths by making strength sunglasses, gave each other compliments, wrote down “I can” and “I can’t yet” statements and even interviewed each other to find out about other people are good at!

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District Swimming

On Friday February 20th, 14 students from WPS represented the school at the District Swimming Carnival at Prahran Pool. It was a great day out with all students trying their best on the day. Congratulations to Remi and Bodhi who both won 3rd place ribbons!

Bike Checks @ Windsor

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Toasties Tuesday

You can order your cheese toasties for lunch each Tuesday morning. Simply bring along your $2 and give it to your teacher at roll call and the toasties will be delivered to the classrooms at lunchtime.

Ice Cream & Icy Pole Fridays – 3:30pm

Ice Cream and Icy Poles will be on sale every Friday from 3:30pm for Term 1! Don’t forget to bring your $2 on Friday, see you at the food tech window!

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