Filter Content
Dear Families,
Welcome to our first official school newsletter for 2025! These are sent out in weeks 3, 6 & 9 of every term to keep you informed about important happenings at our school. We thank you all for taking the time to read them as we enjoy sharing all of the amazing accomplishments of our school. We have had so many new families join us this year from all over the world. We welcome you and hope you are settling into our community.
Community Welcome Evening: A Fantastic Turnout!
What an incredible night we had at our Community Welcome Evening! It was heartwarming to see so many families onsite, connecting with each other and with the many organisations that support our school. A huge thank you to our amazing P&C for running the barbecue, your efforts always bring our community together. Our Student Parliament also stepped up, offering free face painting, which was a huge hit with our younger students.
The evening was a wonderful opportunity to highlight some of our most successful community partnerships. The support we receive from local businesses, services, and volunteers is invaluable, and we are so grateful for the role they play in enriching our students’ learning experiences. On behalf of our teachers, we hope you found the information sessions informative and clear. We look forward to sharing more with you across the year!
Supporting Language Comprehension at Home
At Charles Weston School, our Student Centred Improvement Plan is focused on one key goal: All learners will improve their language comprehension.
Our teachers are deeply engaged in this work, taking a closer look at vocabulary and background knowledge across all subject areas to help students strengthen their understanding and improve learning outcomes.
- How can you support this at home? Here are a few simple but powerful ways:
Explore new words together: if your child encounters an unfamiliar word, talk about what it means. - Use it in context: try incorporating the word into everyday conversation.
- Discuss facts and concepts: chat about the Units of Inquiry your child is exploring at school.
- Find connections: link new words to familiar ideas to make learning more meaningful.
Leading the Way in Strong Foundations
The ACT Government’s Strong Foundations implementation plan is well underway at Charles Weston School, and we are proud to be leading in this space. Our systematic approach to phonics ensures consistency and progression in learning across all year levels:
✅ Kindergarten – Year 2: Decodable Readers Australia
✅ Years 3 – 6: SpellEx
These evidence informed approaches provide a clear and structured pathway for all students, ensuring they develop strong literacy skills that will serve them well throughout their schooling.
A Huge Thank You to Our P&C!
I want to take a moment to acknowledge the incredible work of our P&C. Through their fundraising efforts and generous donations, they have significantly enriched our learning environment. One of their most exciting contributions has been the design and development of our outdoor classroom, a fantastic space that will support cultural integrity and learning for our students.
We always welcome more parents to get involved! Whether you’re new to the community or have been with us for a while, there’s a place for you. You can join the committee, help out at specific events, or support in other ways, every little bit makes a difference!
Save the Date: P&C Annual General Meeting
Wednesday, 26 March
⏰ 6:15 pm
School Library
If you’re interested in being part of something special, please come along! We’d love to see more parents step up and be part of this wonderful team.
Student Parliament – Our Young Leaders in Action
Last week, we proudly presented our new Student Parliament members with their badges at a special assembly. They have taken their roles seriously from the start and have already begun drafting Bills to improve our school community. I am confident that they will be an outstanding leadership body, representing the voices of their peers and making a meaningful impact throughout the year.
Parent Portal
We use the Parent Portal to communicate with parents and carers. Through Parent Portal, you can:
- get push notifications when your child's teachers post to the newsfeed
- let us know if your child is sick or explain an absence
- book parent-teacher interviews
- receive academic reports and the school newsletter
- make payments
- access our school’s calendar and your child’s student timetable.
You can access Parent Portal on a web browser or through the Sentral for Parents app, available wherever you download your apps.
For our new families, you should have received an access code and registration link recently. You need an ACT Digital Account to register. Information on how to register is on the Education Directorate’s website.
If you have any questions or would like us to resend you your access code and registration link, please contact the front office.
Thank you for your continued support, we look forward to another fantastic term of learning and community engagement!
Warm regards,
Maz Smith
Principal, Charles Weston School
The International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program at Charles Weston School
Charles Weston School is proud to offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP). The PYP is a globally recognised framework designed to foster a love of learning, curiosity, and international mindedness in young learners. The PYP philosophy is built on the belief that education should support the development of skills and attitudes that students need to succeed in a rapidly changing world. As part of our IB PYP journey, the school community worked collaboratively to develop a shared vision and mission for the school.
Introduction to PYP and the Programme of Inquiry (POI)
The following information offers an introduction for new families to key principles, practices and the language of PYP, that guides the CWSC IB Programme of Inquiry (POI). The full POI is on display within the front office foyer.
The IB Learner Profile Attributes
At the core of CWSC’s POI is the IB Learner Profile. These are attributes designed to nurture well rounded globally minded citizens who act for a better world. These attributes support students to be knowledgeable, inquirers, thinkers, communicators, principled, open-minded, caring, risk-takers, balanced and reflective.
Learner Profile attributes are embedded in daily learning experiences and guide children to become responsible and engaged members of the CWSC community.
The Transdisciplinary Themes
The purpose of the Transdisciplinary Themes (trans themes) is to provide a framework for students to explore global issues and concepts that transcend subject boundaries. To support student inquiries into the trans themes, teachers and students develop central ideas and lines of inquiry that help guide a shared focus through inquiry learning. This enables students to build and apply conceptual knowledge about the world in which they live, that connects to the Australian Curriculum.
The Role of Families in the PYP
Families play a crucial role in supporting your child’s development through their journey of inquiry. Encouraging curiosity, asking thought provoking questions and fostering open discussions at home can reinforce the values of inquiry and international mindedness. By working together we can inspire children to become lifelong learners, who are prepared to thrive in an ever evolving world.
Welcome to the new school year. Hopefully the transition back to school has been a smooth one after our long school break. If you have a child who has started school and is experiencing separation anxiety, there are some great tips from Australian parenting guru, Maggie Dent:
- Fill an empty, lidded container with kisses from loved ones and tuck it in the bottom of their backpack.
- Draw funny pictures on their lunch bags or leave a lovely note in their lunch box.
- Teach them how to take 3 big breaths and breathe out the butterflies hiding in their tummy or gently rub their tummy telling the butterflies they are safe.
- Have them wear a lanyard with a photo of someone they love – they can look at it often and even ‘talk’ to them throughout the day.
- Help build a special connection to one teacher or staff member who is nurturing their transition to school. Have a photo of them up at home and talk about them sometimes. Secondary attachment can work magic!
You can read more timeless tips in Maggie’s blogs: https://www.maggiedent.com/blog/sensitive-kids-starting-school/ & https://www.maggiedent.com/blog/10-tips-ease-separation-distress/.
The second set of tips this week comes from Child Development Specialist, Dr. Siggie, sharing tips on giving behaviour specific feedback. We all find it easiest to just say “Be Careful!” when a child is doing something that might be dangerous, or we want to protect furniture and belongings. If it’s effective and your child responds just as you wish, then no need to read any further. If you’re frustrated that they don’t appear to be listening, or are finding the instruction too abstract, then the following tips and scripts may be helpful.
- "I need you off the counter right now."
- "No jumping on the couch/bed/chair. I know you love to jump, and you can do that where? Yes, outside, on the trampoline."
In general, being clearer and more specific is going to be a more effective way of communicating with your child. Say exactly what you want them to do:
- I need you to carry that cup/plate/dish carefully
- I need you to either walk in the house, or go for a run outside
- Swinging that inside could break something - be mindful of your surroundings
As always, enjoy the journey, they grow up fast ?.
Cheryl Makila
School Psychologist
We have had an exciting start to school life in Preschool. What a wonderful year we have ahead! Our teachers and educators are getting to know the children, families and developing our learning spaces for the year ahead. Our four Preschool classes have voted to choose a local animal from Ngunnawal country to have as their class name. We are…
Mon/Tues/(Wed):
- Mrs Punch & Ms Meredith Gang-gang Cockatoos (‘Gang-gangs’)
- Ms Lay & Mrs Reid Eastern Long-necked Turtles (‘Turtles’)
(Wed)/Thurs/Fri:
- Mrs Punch & Mrs Simi Brush-tailed Rock Wallabies (‘Rock Wallabies’)
- Ms Lay & Mrs Reid Wombats
There are so many experiences to be had at Preschool - routines to get to know, friendships and relationships to be developed. Favourite activities so far have included outdoor play, especially water play, playdough, drawing, painting, constructing, puzzles, singing, reading and exploring our obstacle course.
Kindergarten has been full of lots of smiles, laughter and fun over the past 3 weeks! Slowly, we have been getting to know our school by visiting different buildings and classrooms. We even did a scavenger hunt of different places to help us know where to go!
Picturebooks are one of our favourite ways to learn new things! ‘Beautiful Oops’ by Andrea Beaty helped us to learn about our Growth Mindset expectations and to keep on trying when things get hard or when we make mistakes. We have also been reading the book ‘Have you Filled a Bucket Today?’ by Carol McCloud to learn about our Respect expectations and being kind to people.
As part of our inquiry for ‘How we organise ourselves’ we were fortunate to have Kenny Koala visiting us to help us learn about being safe and making safe choices.
Year 1 has had a great start to the year. We have all been embracing our Growth Mindset while exploring new learning spaces, new expectations and new classmates to get to know.
As part of our exploration of Grown Mindset we have been reading the book ‘The Magical Yet' by Angela DiTerlizzi and Lorena Alvarez Gomez. This is a wonderful book that reminds us all that we can’t be good at everything and there is power in continuing to try to do something until you can do it. What are you still working on?
In Maths, we have been reviewing our knowledge of numbers and friends to ten. We have been learning lots of new games to get our brains firing and remembering these number facts quickly.
If I know that 6 + 4 = 10, this will help me to learn 40 + 60 = 10 or 24 + 6 = 30 etc.
Year 2 have been working hard and have settled in well to their new classes. The teachers have been impressed with the GROW expectations students have displayed with being Organised and using a Growth mindset to settle into the new classes and making new learning friends. We have created our own class expectations after reflecting on what we know about Growth mindset, Respect, Organisation and Wellbeing (GROW).
Year 2 also had a special visitor to the building, Kenny Koala! He came to talk to us about staying safe online. This visit was linked with our Unit of inquiry, Who we are. Our central idea is ‘our choices impact wellbeing’. We have been looking at strategies to help us stay safe and ways we can help, as well as identifying adults we can trust when we need help.
During our maths inquiries we have been investigating numbers to 1000. We have been looking at number lines and using MAB blocks to partition numbers. We have been playing lots of games to help build our knowledge and it has been a lot of fun!
In Performing Arts this term, students in Years 1 and 2 will be learning dances from different countries around the world, including Tanko Bushi from Japan, Taba Naba from the Torres Strait Islands, Pata Pata from South Africa and Mambo Number 5 from Cuba. Students will discuss various styles of dance, their own preferences and experiences of dance, and how dance creates meaning. At the Week 5 Assembly, Year 2 will perform some of the dances they have been learning.
This term Kindergarten children will be learning simple dance steps to well-known folk songs and popular tunes. They will encounter a variety of dance formations and patterns and will be encouraged to dance gracefully alone, with a partner, and in a larger group. There will also be opportunities for students to perform for others and to experience self-expression and story-telling through dance.
Drama Club meets in the new Performing Arts Room (Building 1) each Friday in Break 2. All students are welcome to come along to the club to enjoy a selection of drama games, mimes and skits.
Exciting news: Mrs Curbishley and Ms Lloyd Jones will be putting on the musical Porridge (by Craig Hawes) at the end of Term 2. Years 4 and 5 will be taking the acting roles and auditions for these will be held in the coming weeks - so look out for further details!
Pictured below: Students from 2SR re-enact a fairy tale and the Drama Club dresses up.
The school still has some uniform items in stock. To order, please come into the front office and fill in an order form.
You can purchase school hats from the front office, please come in and fill in an order form.
You can order all school uniform online using the link below:
P & C UPDATE – TERM 1
Welcome to 2025 at Charles Weston. I hope everyone had a happy and restful Christmas and new year and welcome back. I offer warmest welcome to all the new families join the Charles Weston community. P&C is looking forward to getting to know in the months ahead. Also, I would like to thank you for all for your support throughout the last and hope to get similar support this year too.
Upcoming events
The list of events planned for term 1 and term 2 are as follows (but not limited to):
- Annual General Meeting
- Mother’s Day Breakfast
- Democracy sausage for Federal Elections
Annual General Meeting 2025
Annual General Meeting to fill all committee positions will be held on
26 March 2025, in Week 8 Term 1. Information about roles and responsibilities of each executive can be found below:
Annual General Meeting
Our Annual General Meeting (usually held in the second half of term one) is where we accept new memberships and form our committee for the year. Anyone who wishes to be on the committee should familiarise themselves with our Constitution and ensure there are no conflicts of interest before nominating.
Nominating for a committee position
If you are interested in nominating for a committee position – please refer to the below guides from the P&C Council that outline the duties of each committee position.
The President
- chairs all general and executive committee meetings of the association
- provides leadership
- acts as a spokesperson for the association
- reports to P&C meetings about the activities of the P&C (the president’s report)
- exercises some supervision over the functions of other office bearers
- ensures adequate and efficient communication exists between the members of the association, the members of the school board and the school/principal
- encourages parents to participate
- drafts content for P&C section of the school newsletter.
The Vice-President (maximum of two)
- presides as chair at meetings where the president is absent
- should be familiar with the operation of the P&C and the duties of president
- needs a working understanding of meeting rules and procedure
- undertakes tasks to reduce the burden of the president.
The Secretary
- monitoring the P&C email account and referring enquiries as required
- keeping the President informed of all issues
- draws up, in consultation with president, the meeting agendas
- keeps full and correct minutes of P&C proceedings and meetings
- acts upon decisions as directed by the meeting
- attends to the correspondence of the association, checking incoming mail regularly
- looks after the association’s documents
- maintains a register of members (unless otherwise stated in the constitution).
The Treasurer
- is responsible for all funds received and spent, including all subcommittee accounts
- Preparing receipts for all monies received (outside square) and paying accounts as authorised
- Banking all money regularly (excluding authorised float amounts)
- prepares regular reports to P&C meetings
- prepares the association’s financial report for an annual audit and presenting at the AGM.
The Council Delegate
- attends monthly meetings of the ACT Council of P&C Associations (Council)
- represents the views of the school’s P&C at Council meetings
- reports back to the P&C on items of interest from Council meetings
- initiates discussion on system-wide issues
The Public Officer
- is the point of contact between the P&C and the Office of Regulatory Services (ORS)
- must be a resident of the ACT and over 18 years of age
- this position is a requirement of the Associations Act, but is a minor role in the running
of the P&C and is often held by the secretary or another office bearer. - The Fundraising Coordinator
- Oversee all fundraising activities of the Association
- Provide guidance and oversight to any fundraising sub-committees
- Set fundraising goals/targets for the year
The Facilities Coordinator
- coordinate with front office to book the facilities for the meetings and events
School board representative
- Parent representatives on the school board are known as ‘parents and citizens members’. They represent the views and interests of members of the school’s P&C. It is their role to ensure that issues and priorities discussed at school board meetings are communicated to members of the P&C. The P&C meeting is the most obvious way to do this. Parent board members should also garner the views of the P&C at meetings to report back to the school board. They should also seek feedback from the wider parent community; other mechanisms such as the school newsletter, questionnaires or parent meetings should be used to report to and listen to parents. It is particularly important that major items on the board agenda, such as financial priorities, new school policies or programs, and annual action plans are widely discussed so that parent views contribute to board decisions.
General committee member
- This is someone who has requested to be a committee member of the P&C and forms part of the general committee. There are no specific duties required of general members however they do need to follow the terms of the constitution. General membership also ceases at the commencement of the Annual General Meeting.
- General members are encouraged to join any sub-committees that may be formed to facilitate P&C events.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
https://volunteersignup.org/ERAQM
To sign up to volunteer at P&C events, just follow the instructions on the page. It only takes a few seconds to do.
Thank you for volunteering!
Welcome BBQ – A big thankyou
Charles Weston School P&C hosted BBQ stall and information stall on Wednesday 19th February 2025. I would like to take this opportunity to thank each one that purchased on the day. Also, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our P&C volunteers who assisted on the day, we could not have done it without you. All the funds raised will form part of our donation to school at the end of year.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
The P&C would love to host so many wonderful events for our students and families, but without volunteers these events cannot go ahead. If you can assist or volunteer (even if it is only for one event or one hour) please email charleswestonparents@gmail.com
UPCOMING EVENTS
*NEXT MEETING – TERM 1 /WEEK 8 *
Annual General Meeting
Wednesday 26th March 2025 @ 6:15 pm
Location: School Library
SECOND-HAND SCHOOL UNIFORM STORE
https://charles-weston-pc.square.site/shop/second-hand-uniforms-all-/4
CLICK TO FIND US
https://www.facebook.com/CWSCParents
charleswestonparents@gmail.com
SAFE PARKING
Unsafe driving and parking behaviours increase the potential road safety risk for children around schools. Road safety is a shared responsibility, it is important the road rules are followed near our school to ensure the entire school community feels safe.
Please remember children are more at risk than adults around schools because they are smaller and less visible to drivers. They are also less predictable and less experienced, which makes them more likely to make errors of judgement.
Failing to follow simple road rules like parking on verges, in no stopping zones, in bus stops, near children’s crossings, on footpaths or across driveways increases the risk to children around schools. Please do the right thing to create a safe environment around our school.
CONNECT WITH OTHER PARENTS AND THE P & C
WhatsApp groups provide another channel of information for parents and the opportunity to connect and chat with others in your child’s year group. Simply scan the QR code at the entrance of your child’s classroom using your phone camera to join the relevant group.
***** PLEASE READ - Group chat privacy and communication standards*****
- The group is for parents and care givers of Charles Weston students only, please do not share with friends and members outside our school community.
- Please be always respectful and mindful of others.
- Chats are to be text only – please do not post any pictures of children as this will breach privacy rules.
- Anyone using unsavoury language or not adhering to the above will be removed from the group immediately by the administrator.
- WhatsApp is not a marketing or promotion channel. If you would like to feature your business or community group – please contact the P&C directly on the email below or via our Facebook page.
Currently looking for Girls/Boys - Year 4
Girls - Years 7-12
to join Hurricanes Netball Club 2025!
Hurricanes Netball Club, one of the newest clubs within the Tuggeranong Netball Association.
At Hurricanes we offer the opportunity for girls/boys and women of all ages to participate in a safe, friendly, and competitive sporting environment. Hurricanes Netball Club aims to provide your child with the best opportunity to develop the required skills and knowledge for delivery of success both on and off the court. We have a team of wonderful coaches who bring a wealth of knowledge at both club and representative levels. Our coaches will foster individual needs through the development of individualised programs to assist with the skill development of each child.
Our aim is to offer individual, team and social skill improvements to all players no matter what their skill level. We encourage families to be involved and we at Hurricanes see ourselves as a family orientated club.
If you are looking for a friendly, competitive netball club in the Tuggeranong area, drop us a line - we would love to hear from you. We have great sponsors, lots of social functions (BBQ's, Trivia Nights, Parties etc) and encourage everyone to join in.
Email us at hurricanesnetball@yahoo.com
or call on 0431 545 691
National Capital Rollerskating Club hold Learn to Skate classes on Wednesdays, during school terms, at Queanbeyan High School.
Our 5:15-6:00pm class for Term 1 2025 runs from 5 February to 9 April. This class is open aged and skate hire is available (though stock is limited). Fees are: $155 per term with $30 for skate hire (if needed). We can also pro-rata for sign-ups who join part-way.
Enrolment is a two-step process:
1) Become a member or renew for 2025: Membership 2025
2) Register for the class: SkateStars Term 1 2025
