COMING EVENTS Thurs 9 March Selective High School test Fri 10 March PSSA Rd 3 Mon 13 March Swim ribbons 9.15 assembly Wed 15 March Special Canteen Day Kindy 2018 Parent Information Evening 7pm Thurs 16 March Sport Captains to NSHS Fri 17 March PCS Extension Test PSSA Rd 4 Mon 20 March Sydney Nth swimming P&C Meeting 7pm Wed 22 March Chess Day Thurs 23 March Bushlink to visit Yrs 3 & 4 Interrelate Evening 6pm & 7.15pm Mon 27 March New Principal for the Day Wed 29 March Stage 3 Multicultural Public Speaking finals Thurs 30 March Stage 2 Multicultural Public Speaking finals Fri 7 April Easter Hat Parade K-2 & Grandfriends Day TERM 1 ends Term 2 Mon 24 April Staff Development Day Tues 25 April Anzac Day Wed 26 April School starts for Yrs K-6 Fri 30 June Term 2 ends Term 3 Tues 18 July- Fri 22 Sept Term 4 Mon 9 Oct-Fri 15 Dec

Phone: 9971 8352, 9982 2475 Fax: 9982 5617 Email: wheelerhts-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au Website: wheelerhts-p.schools.nsw.edu.au

Congratulations to Tyson Blanshard & partner Rheanna on the birth of their daughter Mila Leigh. Mother, daughter and a very proud Mr Blanshard are doing well! Allergies and pranks As I am sure you are aware, a number of students at our school have a variety of allergies to nuts, eggs, fish etc. Classes often discuss these conditions in an educational and sensitive manner in order to raise awareness and ensure the safety of all students at our school. Unfortunately on occasions some children do inappropriate acts, often as a dare or for a bit of fun. The media set a deplorable example in this area and regularly trick, bully or prank people for ratings and amusement. You may remember the tragic circumstances in England a few years ago which was the result of a radio station prank. Unfortunately there was an incident at our school last week where a number of students behaved inappropriately. Disappointingly a number of innocent onlookers were aware of the situation, but did nothing to alert a staff member or stop what was happening. We, as educators are regularly discussing with our students the importance of doing the right thing and not just the easy thing, of peer pressure, of showing leadership and empathy for others and of demonstrating the Wheeler Way. We encourage parents to discuss the importance of caring for their friends at school too. My School website Please be sure to visit www.myschool.edu.au website to see how well Wheeler Heights performed in last year’s NAPLAN for Years 3 and 5. The excellent results are a reflection of the hard work of your children, the outstanding teaching of our talented staff and the support of parents and caregivers. Well done to all! Parent Teacher Interviews - Wk 9 and 10 this term (March 20-31) Parent Teacher Student interviews for all classes will be conducted later this term. Parents should visit www.schoolinterviews.com.au and use the code 4mk9t. The site opened for bookings at 12 noon on Wednesday 8 March. This year we will be trialling 3 way interviews for Years 1-6. We hope that parents will be able to bring their child along to participate in the interview. Please note that some interview times will be available during the school day. Bringing things to School Children often like to bring toys or collectables to school to show or share with their friends. Often this can lead to disputes or result in possessions going missing. Please be aware that clarifying who owns toys, cards or collectables can often be very difficult, takes a great deal of time and can result in upset children. Consequently, as has always been the case, the school prefers that such items do not come to school. Please have a talk with your child and impress upon them that if they do choose to bring things to school, they should be labelled with their name and the school takes no responsibility for lost or misplaced items. District Swimming Carnival Well done to our 34 students who represented the school yesterday at the District Swimming Carnival at the Warringah Aquatic Centre. There were many excellent performances. Special thanks to team managers Mrs Richards and Mrs Young and the parent time keepers for their assistance. See more details later in the newsletter.

School Leaders Halogen Leadership Day

Term 1 Wk 7

Thurs 9 March 2017

Photographs Just a reminder to all school parents regarding photographs. Parents often take photographs of their own and other children at school events or activities. For a variety of reasons, a number of parents do not wish their children’s photos to be displayed or published on social media and sign a school form detailing this. Consequently parents should always check with the parents of any child before photographs are published. Thank you for your cooperation in this area. P&C Fundraiser Today you will have received some tickets and information about a school fundraiser. Thank you to our wonderful P&C who are always looking to improve the facilities and learning environments for our children. We hope that all families will be able to support this fundraiser. University of NSW Competitions A note was distributed today to Year 3-6 students for entry into the University of NSW competitions. Again this year Year 2 students will be able to participate in the English, Mathematics, Science and Spelling tests.Year 2 parents should please see their teacher, the office or website for an entry form. Again in 2017 all Year 4 and 6 students will sit the English and Mathematics tests, with entry charges included in the whole school fee schedule. David Scotter Principal

WHPS Pathways Through Life As part of our ‘Linking boys and girls education to the community’ initiative, we will be continuing the ‘Pathways Through Life’ program to be held twice each term in our 3-6 assemblies. We are inviting dads and mums to share their stories of the pathways they chose through their lives, particularly in reference to educational choices, which led them to the careers they are in today. There should also be mention of how the skills they learnt in school are relevant and used in their jobs. We only require a 5 to 10 minute presentation to the assembly and will roster people on according to their availability. We would love to hear from a range of professions between now and the end of the year, so please contact Mrs Armstrong via email or leave a message at the school office if you are willing to participate.

Liz Armstrong Deputy Principal

elizabeth.armstrong8@det.nsw.gov.au school : 9971 8352

Cromer High School Campus News Thank you to all families who attended the schools open night on the 7 March. For any families who missed this event or if you would like more information and a tour during school operational hours, the following dates are available in Term 1.

• Thursday 16 March 9:00am • Friday 24 March 9:00am • Thursday 30 March 9:00am

These tours are hosted by the Principal and you can book a place by contacting the schools front office on 9981 1155. Students are welcome and encouraged to attend the tour. Year 7 Academic Extension Class Opportunities Still Available at Cromer Any students who missed the closing date for the NBSC college academic placement test can now apply to sit an additional test opportunity at Cromer Campus on Wednesday the 5 April 4pm - 6:15pm. This opportunity is only for academic extension classes at Cromer Campus in 2018.

• Bookings / Enquiries can be made by phoning the school on 9981 1155 • Closing date to register – 22 March.

Justin Hong Principal NBSC Cromer Campus FROM THE OFFICE There has been a case of chicken pox reported at the school. Please read information later in the newsletter. Jodie Sly School Administration Manager

SCHOOL LEADERS HALOGEN LEADERSHIP DAY

On Friday 3 March, the School Captains and Vice Captains (Gabbie W, Fynn B, Dorothy M & Oliver K), travelled to Darling Harbour for The Halogen National Young Leaders day. We listened to 5 inspirational speakers speak and tell us about their life as leaders and how we can make the world a better place. Jade Hameister was one of the 5 speakers. Jade is a young teenager who was the youngest person ever to ski to the North Pole. She told us that she has never been perfect, but she has been brave. Bravery forces you to make mistakes. “Failure is the next step to success,” Jade told us. Dr Jordan Nguyen was another speaker that spoke to us. Jordan is a Biomedical Engineer and builds robots. Jordan told us that he had an accident when he was younger and that made him decide to help and inspire others that are disabled. He has helped many disabled people pursue their dreams. “Don’t let your weakness stop you from achieving your goals,” he told us.

The National Young Leaders day taught us that we are only limited by our imagination and that anything is possible especially as a team. “Together We Can!” We would like to thank the school for letting us go and Mrs Armstrong for coming along and supporting us on the day. Dorothy MacD Vice Captain Halogen Speaker – Barry Conrad Review Barry is a musical artist who grew up around music in a musical family. Barry was born and grew up in South Africa. When he was old enough he moved to Australia while his parents were living in New Zealand. When he was younger he adored Michael Jackson and Prince because of the way that they were themselves. When Barry was young he was bullied. The boy he looked up to was a prefect who was one of “the cool kids” but he used his position to make everyone feel equal by inviting anyone and everybody to play. This prefect also tried to learn everybody’s names, which makes everybody feel equal. He talked about how rejection is a part of life. Barry quoted “when you are a leader you should use your influence for the better and make everyone feel equal”. He had always found inspiration and support from friends, family and mentors. In 2013 Barry was on the X Factor and shortly after he joined, his stepmother passed away. Barry didn’t let this stop him from singing and he said that it gave him more encouragement to sing for her. He said that being a leader is all about being yourself and not letting the bad things get the better of you but letting the bad times make you stronger. A leader should be teachable. Oliver K Vice Captain

THE WHEELER WAILERS FOR 2017 Exciting news! The Wheeler Wailers have started up again for a new year. The great thing about the Wailers is that there are no tryouts! If you want to sing, be part of a team, perform in front of your friends and can promise to attend every weekly rehearsal, then you’re in! Children from Year 1 to 3 are able to be a part of the Wailers team. Rehearsals are every Monday at lunch in the hall with Ms McCombie.

CHESS NEWS Please keep those permissions for the Friday After-School competition and the Mona Vale one-day tournament coming in a.s.a.p. (copies have gone home with the children and are also available on the school website) - the organisers of both events are working to deadlines in order to accommodate a huge number of children, and we don't want to miss out!!! More along administrative lines, the Sydney Academy of Chess will soon be putting out chasers for Tuesday coaching sessions (nice job to be handing over). Many thanks, Ms Heike Zillhardt SCRIPTURE NEWS Scripture has now commenced at Wheeler Heights. No further changes to student’s scripture groups will be able to be made this term. If you would like your child to change scripture groups next semester, your request must be in writing and sent to the office.

TEDDY BEAR’S PICNIC Departing from our traditional ‘Teddy Tuesday’, Kindergarten recently enjoyed ‘Furry Friends Friday’! The children and teachers brought in their favourite furry friend who joined us in the classroom for the day. I must say that Beverly confided in me that he was a tad nervous, but once he saw all of the smiling children and the cheerful menagerie of friends which accompanied them, he felt quite at ease! Our classrooms were packed with owls, penguins, cats, dogs, leopards, snakes and bears. We even had a few dinosaurs and unicorns! Throughout the day, Kindergarten enjoyed a range of literacy, numeracy and creative arts activities based around teddies and the letters T and F. During the week the kindergarten students had delivered personalised invitations to their Year 6 Buddies and the highlight of the day was sharing a Teddy Bear’s Picnic with them during the morning. All children and their furry friends enjoyed the day and we would like to send a big thank you to our wonderful buddies for sharing it with us. Kindergarten

Beverly, the ‘not so brave as he looks’

SPORT NEWS District Swimming Carnival On Wednesday 8 March, students from Year 2 to 6 attended the Pittwater PSSA Zone Swimming Carnival at Warringah Aquatic Centre. It was a fantastic day of swimming and sportsmanship. Well done to all WHPS students who participated and gave their personal best in their races. It was an exciting day with lots of high fives and ribbons. Both the Junior Boys Relay and the Senior Girls Relay teams came in third place. Way to go! A big congratulations to the students who qualified for the Sydney North Primary Swimming Carnival on 20 March at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre. Connor W., Jade G., Ashleigh T., Georgia N., Kye P., and Ale B. will all attend and represent Wheeler Heights. Thank you to all the parents who assisted with timing and carpooling. As always, these sorts of events couldn't happen without your help. Well done again Wheeler Heights! Jessica Richards PSSA Summer/Spring Competition Unfortunately the round 2 games were cancelled last week due to the wet weather. Hopefully the rain will hold off so we can play our round 3 games. Round 3 vs. Narrabeen North Boys cricket - Plateau Park Girls cricket - Narrabeen Reserve Tag - NNPS Softball – Boondah 1 TBall – Boondah 2 PSSA payments were due last week, please make sure that your accounts have been settled. Good luck to all our PSSA teams this week. Please ensure your Primary Parent Planner App is updated for your child's PSSA sport so you can keep up to date with information. ** Please be aware that before school PSSA practices will always be ON, even if the weather and/or the grounds are wet. Coaches will have important team planning and tactic meetings. If practice is cancelled a PPP message will be sent. Yours in PSSA, Mrs N Young

HARMONY DAY - Thursday 23 March 2017

On Thursday 23 March our school will celebrate Harmony Day. Our diversity makes Australia a great place to live. Harmony Day is a celebration of cultural diversity and it is a day of cultural respect for everyone who calls Australia home. The message of Harmony Day is ‘Everyone Belongs’. To celebrate Harmony Day students will buddy with another student to discuss their similarities and differences. They will also create a paper cut out of themselves which will form part of a whole school display. The display will be placed on the grassed area between the library and the school office block. We will also celebrate by having a colourful Mufti Day. Students are to dress in the colour that corresponds with their current year of schooling. Please remember that students must wear enclosed shoes. Students are asked to bring a gold coin donation which will go to a worthy charity chosen by the SRC.

Kindergarten - Green

Year 1 - Pink

Year 2 - Blue

Year 3 - Orange

Year 4 - Yellow

Year 5 - Red

Year 6 - Purple

Mrs Josephs and Year 2 Teachers

.

LIBRARY NEWS

Library Helpers Wanted!!! Beautiful books need covering so they can be borrowed!!

Dear Parents/ Grandparents/ Caregivers/ Lovers of Literacy and Learning,

We currently have a number of books in the library which desperately need to be covered with clear contact so they can be loaned out to our students. We are holding a Wednesday afternoon book covering session in the library each week until we get all of our lovely new books on the shelves and ready to borrow. We will provide all of the contact, scissors and books needed…all you need to bring is your book covering skills. Please contact the school office to let us know if you can help.

Date & Time: Wednesday 15 March (2.00 - 3.15pm)… we will post upcoming dates each week until all of the books are covered.

Location: School Library RSVP: Liz Armstrong/ Rachael Tekampe (DPs) 9971 8352

PREMIER’S READING CHALLENGE 2017

Registration for the Premier’s Reading Challenge has opened this year. The 2017 Challenge kicked off Monday 6 March and closes Friday 25 August (midnight) for students. All students at Wheeler Heights are being encouraged to meet the challenge for 2017. This year the students will be completing the challenge at home. This can easily be achieved through 20 min of reading each night, which is endorsed by the class teacher. The aim of the challenge is to promote the love of reading. It is not a competition, but a challenge to each student to read, to read more and to read more widely. This year we hope the Challenge will motivate students who have attempted it before and inspire new students to discover the magic of books. The challenge for K-2 students is to experience 30 books, 25 books must come from the Premier’s Reading Challenge (PRC) booklist and 5 can be personal choice. To experience a book a child can listen to the book, participate in a shared reading of the book or read part or the entire book independently. The PRC provides you as parents an excellent opportunity to encourage and assist your child to develop their reading skills and foster a love of learning.

The challenge for the students in years 3-6 is to read 20 books, 15 books must come from the Premier’s Reading challenge booklist and 5 books can be of free choice. We have many books in the school library which appear on the PRC booklist. These books can be identified by a red coloured sticker for years K-2, green sticker for years 3-4 and a purple sticker for years 5-6, the sticker is found on the spine of the book. Children have been made aware of the labelling system. Books may also be borrowed from the local municipal libraries or you may have books on the PRC list at home. In order to participate and complete the challenge, each student must fill in a reading record. This is available on the PRC website. You are able to access the Premier’s Reading Challenge website via a search engine. Use your child’s school username and password to log on (it is the one they use to log on to the computers at school). Check with your child as to whether they know their username and password, otherwise you can ask your child’s class teacher for this information. Once on the homepage for the Premier’s Reading Challenge, follow the prompts on the left hand side to enter the books on the reading record. Please make yourself aware of the rules of the challenge, which are also stated on the website. Please use the following link to access log on instructions; https://online.det.nsw.edu.au/prc/helpdesk.html Happy Reading School Librarian

P&C NEWS WELCOME BBQ

Last Thursday our amazing P&C held their Welcome BBQ to greet our kindergarten students and new school families. Luckily the rain stayed away and it was a great night for all our families to meet each other and enjoy a chat. All the students had a fantastic time playing on the oval and playground equipment with their friends and siblings. It was also lovely to see many Year 6 students attend to welcome their kindergarten buddies. Thanks to our wonderful P&C volunteers for all your effort in organising the night and cooking the delicious sausage sizzle. The P&C Committee is always keen to welcome new members and offers a myriad of ways to be involved; from cooking and helping at BBQ’s or helping in the uniform shop or helping with fund raising tasks. There are many different ways to contribute to our school so if you are interested in assisting please contact the P&C on whps.committee@gmail.com or talk to any committee member for more information. Miss Earl Year 2 Classroom Teacher

Thank you all to the Kindergarten and Year 6 families that showed up last Thursday night to the welcome BBQ - feedback we received indicated it was a success and it was certainly well attended. Also thank you to the volunteers who helped with BBQ preparation, serving and cleaning, particularly Simone, Sherene, Marina, Kath, Heath, Ramona, Debbie, Sam and Arabella (apologies if I missed anyone). Today you would have received raffle tickets. We have been very lucky as a school to have been chosen by Rotary as they do limit ticket sales in the local area. This is a major fundraiser for our school and the first time we have participated for a number of years. Thank you to Cunninghams Real Estate in Dee Why for assisting with sponsorship and also to the fundraising committee (Sherene and Sam) for getting this off the ground. Please see the detailed note later in the newsletter regarding ticket sales etc. The canteen has many open volunteer spots available. In fact some days it has no one to assist at all. Grab a friend and do it together, pop into the canteen and one of the ladies can help you. Each year we lose a number of volunteers as Year 6 students and families move away. Please consider donating a little of your time this year. Thank you. Natalie Cook Dear Parents, This year at Wheeler Heights Public School, we have decided to hold a new fundraising activity. We have sent home with each child 20 raffle tickets (2 x 1 of 10). Each ticket is priced @ $2 per ticket, a total of $40 worth per child. The more you sell the more the school benefits. If you would like more tickets please ask the office. We ask you to kindly purchase/sell them to friends, neighbours, work mates or relatives so that we can raise money . If you do not wish to purchase/sell the tickets you must return them to school for audit purposes. The prize for the raffle is a CAR valued at $17,500! The prize is easy to sell; a Red Holden Spark LS 1.4L automatic 5 door hatch. So the more you buy the more chances you have to win a car. The draw will be held on April 5 2017. There are additional prizes to be won for the top selling students/families and classes. The raffle will work like this: 1) Tickets will be sent home in zip lock bags (Please keep this bag as you will need to send back the tickets / money in it). 2) All sold ticket stubs must be filled out fully with name and phone number, to be entered in to the draw. 3) All monies will need to be returned with the ticket stubs, or stubs cannot be entered in to the draw. 4) Tickets / stubs / money must be back at school by Wednesday 29 March to allow time for processing. Any unsold tickets need to be returned to the school. 5) If additional tickets are required please see the ladies in the office. Prizes will be given for the most tickets sold and the class that sells the most tickets will get a special prize! 6) Please place the returned tickets and money in the snap lock bag with your child’s name and place down the chute in the front office. 7) The raffle is run under State Government racing and gaming rules therefore ALL tickets must be accounted for. Any tickets not returned must be paid for. I hope you will all get behind this raffle and help to raise lots of money for the school. The monies raised will be used for new air conditioning units in those classrooms that don’t currently have any and upgrading of the K-2 playground. Thank you in advance for your support. P&C Fundraising Team This fundraiser is proudly sponsored by

P&C NEWS

CANTEEN NEWS

UNIFORM SHOP NEWS

COMMUNITY

NEWS

Chickenpox and Shingles page 1 of 2

What is chickenpox?

Chickenpox is a viral illness caused by the herpes zoster virus (also known as the Varicella-Zoster virus)

In children it usually causes a relatively mild illness.

Chickenpox in adults and immunosuppressed people can be severe.

Infection in pregnancy can cause foetal malformations, skin scarring, and other problems in the baby.

Before routine vaccination began in November 2005, chickenpox was a very common illness. The incidence of chickenpox appears to have decreased as more people receive the vaccine.

What are the symptoms?

Chickenpox (varicella) begins with a sudden onset of slight fever, runny nose, feeling generally unwell and a skin rash.

The rash usually begins as small lumps that turn into blisters and then scabs.

The rash appears over three to four days. At any one time, the lesions of the rash vary in stages of development.

Symptoms usually occur two weeks after exposure to the virus.

Most people recover without complications, but sometimes the infection can lead to serious complications, such as pneumonia and inflammation of the brain. Rarely, the infection can be fatal.

Persons who are previously vaccinated can still get chickenpox. If chickenpox occurs in a vaccinated person it is usually mild and less contagious than in an unvaccinated person.

How is it spread?

Early in the illness, the virus is spread by coughing.

Later in the illness, the virus is spread by direct contact with the fluid in the blisters.

The infection is highly contagious to people who have never had chickenpox or who have not been vaccinated.

People are infectious from one or two days before the rash appears (that is, during the runny nose phase) and up to five days after (when the blisters have formed crusts or scabs)

Chickenpox infection triggers an immune response and people rarely get chickenpox twice.

Who is at risk?

Anyone who has not had chickenpox or been vaccinated in the past can get chickenpox.

People with a past history of chickenpox are likely to be immune to the virus. Even adults with no history of chickenpox have a chance of being immune (because of past infection that was mild). Doctors sometimes perform a blood test to see if these people need a vaccination.

Communicable Diseases Factsheet Chickenpox is a common viral infection

that can reappear later in life as

shingles. Vaccination is recommended

for all infants and non immune adults. Chickenpox and Shingles

Last updated: 22 April 2014

Chickenpox and Shingles page 2 of 2

How is it prevented?

A free varicella containing vaccine (MMRV) is now recommended for all children at 18 months of age.

Students in their first year of high school who have not previously received varicella vaccine and who have not had chickenpox are offered a varicella vaccine.

The Varicella vaccine is recommended for all non-immune adolescents (>14 years) and adults. This involves two doses, at least 1 month apart. It is especially recommended for people at high risk, for example, health care workers, people living with or working with small children, women planning a pregnancy, and household contact of persons who are immunosuppressed.

People with chickenpox should avoid others (and not attend childcare or school) until at least five days after onset of the rash and all the blisters have dried.

People with chickenpox should cover the nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, dispose of soiled tissues, wash their hands well and not share eating utensils, food or drinking cups.

Pregnant women should avoid anyone with chickenpox or shingles and should see their doctor if they have been around someone with these illnesses.

Children with an immune deficiency (for example, leukaemia) or who are receiving chemotherapy should avoid anyone with chickenpox or shingles as the infection can be especially severe.

How is it diagnosed? Most cases can be diagnosed based on the symptoms and by appearance of the rash. Sometimes the diagnosis is confirmed by testing samples taken from the rash or from blood.

What is Shingles?

Shingles is caused by the reactivation of the virus that causes chickenpox, usually in adulthood and many years after the initial chickenpox illness.

The illness is characterised by a painful chickenpox-like rash on a small area of skin, usually on one side of the body.

Pain and tingling associated with the rash may persist for weeks or months after the rash has cleared. This is called post-herpetic neuralgia.

The virus can be spread by direct contact with the skin rash of infected people. This causes chickenpox in people who are not immune.

Shingles develops more commonly in people who are immunosuppressed.

How are shingles and chickenpox treated? Shingles can be treated with special antiviral drugs such as acyclovir. Your general practitioner can advise on ways to minimise the discomfort associated with the symptoms of infection. Chickenpox infection usually resolves without treatment.

What is the public health response? Chickenpox is not currently notifiable in NSW but the incidence is monitored through the number of patients attending emergency departments and the number of patients who are hospitalised with chickenpox or shingles.

Varicella vaccine protects against chickenpox, even if given up to five days after exposure.

Short-term immunisation with varicella-zoster immunoglobulin (VZIG) - which is made from antibodies in donated blood - can prevent illness in people at high risk of complications. This needs to be given within 96 hours of exposure to the virus to be effective. People at high risk of complications following exposure include pregnant women who have not had chickenpox and who have not been immunised, newborn babies, and some immunosuppressed patients.

For further information please call your local Public Health Unit on 1300 066 055 or visit the New South Wales Health website www.health.nsw.gov.au