NEW YEAR GUIDE 2025
FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Welcome to another exciting year at Wellington Christian School! We are thrilled to partner with you in creating a vibrant, Christ-centred community where learning, growth, and strong relationships are at the heart of everything we do.
At Wellington Christian School, our ethos is grounded in the values of faith, love, and connection. We believe that education flourishes when built upon positive relationships—between students, families, and staff—and when underpinned by God’s love. Our goal is to provide an environment where every student feels valued, supported, and inspired to develop their God-given potential.
Relationships are essential to building a thriving school community. As Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” Together, we aim to nurture a culture of encouragement, respect, and collaboration, where students grow academically, emotionally, and spiritually.
To our students, we encourage you to approach this year with curiosity and determination, embracing the opportunities ahead. To our parents, your role in your child’s education is vital, and we are grateful for your trust and partnership. Your involvement enriches our community and strengthens the bonds that support our shared mission.
As we begin this year, let us work together to cultivate meaningful connections and build a school family where every member is cherished. We are excited to see what God has in store for us in 2025.
Blessings,
Rev Carl Palmer Principal Wellington Christian School
BOARD AND ASSOCIATION
Wellington Christian School is governed by a parent-controlled Association called Berakah Christian Education (BCE). “Berakah” means “blessing” in Hebrew, which is what we aim to be in all we do. BCE oversees the governance of Wellington Christian School, Dubbo Christian School and Dubbo Christian Preschool, and elects a Board from its members.
The Board’s purpose is to ensure the strategic direction and operations of the schools align with their stated purpose. Board members are elected volunteers from the Association and meet monthly.
The Board Chair can be contacted via email at boardchair@dubbocs.edu.au.
The Association is made up of Christian BCE Parents and Carers that meet once a term and hold an Annual General Meeting once a year.
We welcome enquiries from any Christian Parents and Carers interested in joining the Association. If you would like to know more about Association Membership, please contact Mrs Amie Gough at association@dubbocs.edu. au.
The Board members are:
Mr Shane Duke (Chair)
Mr Clifford Stephens (Treasurer)
Mr James Corfield (Director)
Mrs Amie Gough (Director)
Mr Jeff Neill (Director)
Mrs Rebecca Roennfeldt (Director)
Mrs Jillian Vippond (Director)
MEET THE STAFF!
We begin 2025 with the blessing of a wonderful team of teachers and support staff. We praise God we have filled all positions for this school year. There will be some new faces for you to meet. Here is a list of staff for 2025.
PRINCIPAL
K/1 TEACHER
YEAR 1/2 TEACHER
YEAR 3/4 TEACHERS
YEAR 5 TEACHER
YEAR 6 TEACHER
LEARNING SUPPORT OFFICER
SLSO
SLSO
SLSO
ABORIGINAL EDUCATION OFFICER
OFFICE MANAGER
ADMINISTRATION OFFICER
GROUNDS OFFICER
CHAPLAIN
ICT SUPPORT
Carl Palmer
Novi Besant
Amy Woolfrey
Irene Pottie / Jacinta McClure
Wendy Thomas / Carl Palmer
Chris Campion / Donna Thomas
Amy Amos
Jacqui Morris
Sandra Cassel
Tabitha Pandey
Lionel Green
Aizah Delez
Lynda Lyons/Jennie Palmer
Simon Breen
Michael Parris
Emmanuel Delez II
FIRST DAY BACK!
Friday, 31 January: K-6 Return
Continuing students are to meet under the tree near the eating area for a gathering in their previous classes, as they would at the start of a normal day. Please note that parents are welcome to attend this gathering.
New students are to come to the office with their parents, and will be assisted by our teachers. After the assembly, classes will be communicated. Students will then go to their classes.
Kindergarten
Please meet on the verandah outside the Kindergarten room at 9:00 AM. Kindergarten students should wear WCS Summer Dress Uniform with hat and bring a packed recess and lunch, and water bottle. Please ensure all your child’s items are labelled with their name.
Parents are advised to leave once goodbyes have been said. We encourage you to stay on for a cuppa with other Kindergarten parents in the Playground near the office.
What to Bring
Students should wear full WCS Summer Dress Uniform, including hat, and bring water bottle, recess and lunch. Years 3-6 students may bring a fully-equipped pencil case. Student workbooks are provided by the school.
Bus Passes
New students who require a bus pass must apply for one online at transportnsw. info/school-students or phone 131 500.
THE SCHOOL DAY
The School Day begins at 9:00 am. Music will play for 3 minutes so that children know to line up outside their classrooms. Students arriving after 9:00 am must obtain a Late Pass from the School Office.
The School Day concludes at 3:00 pm.
Please aim to be at school prior to 9:00 AM. Children are only supervised in the playground before school from 8:30 - 9:00 AM, and after school from 3:00 - 3:20 PM (or 3:30 PM should there be a late bus).
SCHOOL BELL TIMES
Each School day consists of three (3) sessions. Music plays at the beginning and end of each session. Here are the session times for the week.
WCS Bell Times
MONDAY-FRIDAY
Session 1 Recess Session 2 Lunch Session 3 End of Day 9:00am 11:00am 11:20am 1:00pm 1:40pm 3:00pm
WEEKLY TIMETABLE: UNIFORM
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY FRIDAY
Students will wear their dress uniform 3 days per week, and sports uniform 2 days per week. The new Waratah shirts are an option for sports days.
These days are still TBC.
OFFICE HOURS
Monday - Friday 8:30 AM - 3:20 PM
2025 TERM DATES
Please see the term dates below, with key events in Term 1. You can find a current school calendar on OurWCS/Notes Home/General. Event information and important updates are communicated through the WCS Newsletter.
Start
Staff PD
Term 1
Term 2
Staff PD
Term 3
Term 4
Tuesday, 28 January
Friday, 31 January (K-6)
Monday, 28 April
Monday, 21 July
Monday, 28 July
Monday, 13 October
TERM 1 KEY DATES
31 January
6 February
19 February
21 February
1 March
7 March
TBC
12-25 March
TBC
11 April
End
Thursday, 30 January
Friday, 11 April
Friday, 4 July
Friday, 25 July
Friday, 26 September
Friday, 12 December
Year 1 to 6 Starts
Swimming Carnival (Year 3-6)
Rabbitohs Wellbeing
Zone Swimming Carnival Wagga Wagga
Parent Assembly
CSSA State Swimming
Big Splash (K-2)
NAPLAN
Parent Assembly (Easter)
Cross Country / Term 1 Ends
UNIFORM INFORMATION
School uniforms are available to purchase from the front office. Please contact reception for a price list and order form. Alternately they can be found on OurWCS Parent portal. Parents may make an appointment with Office staff to select and try on uniforms with their children.
A Clothing pool will be re-instated early in 2024 when our new Uniform shop is completed. Any clean, unstained uniforms your children have grown out of may be donated to the Clothing Pool. Please send any into the Office with any nametags removed or crossed out. You may purchase second-hand items for a very small cost. This is a wonderful option as your children grow.
Payment for uniforms can be made with cash or EFTPOS. No uniforms can be sent home with students prior to payment.
ATTENDANCE
ABSENCES
If your child is absent from school, please contact the School Office by 10:00am on the day to register the absence via phone at 02 6845 1999 or email at admin@wellingtoncs. com.au. If an absence is not explained by 10:00am, you will receive an SMS to seek acknowledgement of your child’s absence.
LATE ARRIVAL
Students arriving to school after 9:00 am will need to go the School Office to obtain a Late Pass, which they then present to their teacher when they go to class. This must be signed by parents/carers and returned to the office.
SHORT LEAVE FROM SCHOOL
If a student needs to leave briefly during the day or early, they are required to present a note from their Parent or Carer (outlining the reason for departure and time) to the School Office to obtain a Leave Pass. Students must show this Leave Pass to their teacher when they leave. Parents or Carers may come to sign out their child for appointments. You must sign them back in at reception when they return.
LONGER LEAVE FROM SCHOOL
Leave from school over a week in duration (excluding medical reasons) such as family holidays in term time, must be applied for by submission of an ‘Application for Exemption from School Attendance’ form (available from the School Office). This must be filled out and returned to the office with an email or letter to the Principal, to be approved by the Principal.
SCHOOL COMMUNICATION
As Parents and Carers of our WCS community, we invite you to join our online communication space at OurWCS.
OurWCS is the online platform that supports student academic work at WCS. It is the place to go for news and updates, calendar items, notes home, newsletter, and much more. New parents will receive an OurWCS login early in the school year.
If you have forgotten your OurWCS login details, please contact our ICT Manager, Mr Paul Semple at paul.semple@dubbocs.edu.au.
UPDATE EMAILS AND TEXTS
Parents and Carers are sent emails or texts outlining important information and reminders as news comes to hand. Please ensure that you inform the office if you change your email address. OurWCS
The fortnightly School Talk Newsletter provides information to assist the current parents, students and friends to stay up-to-date with school activities, give reminders for upcoming events and communicate important school information.
The School Talk Newsletter is automatically sent out to current parents via email and a hard copy given to the youngest child at school.
PARENT INVOLVEMENT
Parent involvement is a highly valued part of WCS and can take on various roles, such as helping with events, helping students practise reading, working bees and much more. All parents who would like to volunteer in a role at WCS must complete a Volunteer Induction. For more information, please contact our School Office at admin@wellingtoncs.com.au for more information.
All parents can join the Parents and Friends Group (PFG) to be part of assisting staff with events.
STUDENT SUPERVISION
Staff supervision of students begins at 8.30am and ends at 3.30pm when the last bus leaves. Outside of these times students should not be at school.
In the rare circumstance that student need to be dropped off to school earlier than 8:30, parents must seek permission from the Principal via email. Students must comply with strict safety rules until staff begin playground duty at 8.30am.
VISITORS
All visitors between 8:30am and 4:00pm on school days must sign in at the School Office. Please note that this does not apply for parents or carers attending school gatherings.
CAR PARKING
Staff carparking is on the western side of the school, outside the reception area in Lay Street.
Parents may also park in parking spaces at the entrance to the schoolw, close to reception. Please follow any signage in the carpark.
Children being picked up from school must wait on the verandah near reception and parents must collect them before 3.15pm. If you are running late, please call the office so that you can arrange collection from inside the school. Students will not be permitted to wait outside without supervision.
MEDICAL
EMERGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION
WCS is required to have up-to-date contact details for Parents/Carers as well as emergency contacts for someone who is not a parent or carer if we are unable to reach you.
Please inform staff of any changes as soon as possible.
MEDICAL OFFICER
It is important that the school is notified of any medical conditions your child may have. If you have any questions about your child’s medical needs at school, please contact our Admin.
PARACETAMOL
WCS is able to administer Paracetemol to children with parental permission. This can either be given via phone (at the time the child enters sick bay), or as stated in your Medical Information Form in which case a phone call may not be required prior to administration. You will still receive a notification that Paracetamol was administered.
ASTHMA
All parents of students with asthma need to provide an Asthma Management Plan to the School Office at the beginning of each year. If your child is asthmatic, please ensure your child has an adequate supply of appropriate asthma medication with them at school at all times. Asthma medication is the only medication permitted to be carried by students while at school, although the school is able to keep spare puffers on site at the office.
MEDICATIONS
If your child is required to take prescription medication during school hours, the parent/ carer must complete a Medicine Administration Form indicating the name of the student, dosage and time to be administered. All medications to be administered by the School Office must be in their original container, be labelled and have the quantity of medication confirmed and documented.
SCHOOL LIFE AND STUDENT ACTIVITIES
FRIDAY ZOOPER DOOPERS (Term 1 and 4)
Students are welcome to bring $1 as a donation on Fridays in the Summer terms to buy a Zooper Dooper ice block. The money raised goes towards supporting our Compassion sponsor children, Derek and Alexia.
SWIMMING CARNIVALS
Our 2025 Primary Swimming Carnival will be held at the Dubbo Aquatic Centre on Tuesday, 6 February 2025 for Year 3-6, along with Dubbo Christian School. Parents are most welcome to attend the school carnivals.
K-2 students will participate in the Big Splash Swimming Day at the Wellington Aquatic Centre in March. More details will be communicated through the proper channels.
LUNCHBOXES
WCS is a Crunch and Sip school. We encourage all students to bring a piece of fruit or veggies and drink bottle with water in it every day. There is a time during the morning session where children take a Crunch and Sip break to refuel with healthy snacks before moving on to the next session.
Please include a healthy selection of food for your children in their lunchbox for the day. A sandwich, some fruit, cheese, veggie sticks, or snack pack of some kind is more than enough. There is no need to include lots and lots of pre-packaged treats that little people especially can't get through in a day.
We encourage our students to choose healthy snacks and lunches rather than highly processed, sugary treats. Studies show that their learning and overall health and wellbeing are greatly impacted by healthy food choices.
We don't allow students to share their food with their friends as diet and food choices are a parent's responsibility. We teach them to share in different ways in the classroom but believe that parents should be overseeing what children eat each day. If your child has specific allergies to food, please ensure you have detailed that information on the school medical form.
If you need to bring food to school for your children, please deliver it to the office and students can collect it from there.
A bottle of plain water
Dried fruit For example, apple, mango, apricots or sultanas, a maximum of once a week
Canned fruit Fresh fruit and veg are best, but fruit canned in water or natural juice is OK every now and then
Veggie sticks Cucumber, capsicum, celery and carrot are great options.
Chopped fruit or veg Pack a container of bite sized pieces of fruit or vegetables such as watermelon, mango, broccoli or cauliflower. If needed, remember to include a fork or spoon to avoid sticky fingers.
When it comes to thirst, choose water first! Give your child a bottle of water to take to school every day. A whole piece of fruit or veg Choose an easy to eat fruit or vegetable that isn’t messy, such as a carrot, apple, mandarin or banana.
Dried fruit should only be eaten occasionally , such as a maximum of once a week, as it sticks to teeth increasing the risk of tooth decay. Encourage your child to swish water around their mouth after eating dried fruit to help prevent tooth decay.
Crunch&Sip ® is an excellent opportunity to encourage vegetables. Research shows that most kids eat enough fruit, but they need to increase the amount of vegetables they eat every day. Raw veggies make a great snack for Crunch&Sip ® .
Prepare Crunch&Sip ® snacks in advance. Plan for the week ahead by chopping all the snacks needed for Crunch&Sip ® at one time. Or, simply cut extra vegetables when preparing dinner the night before.
Several whole, smaller fruit or veg Use a container or bag to pack snow peas, corn, mushrooms, strawberries or grapes, for example. 3 2
Note: Your child’s school may request some food items not be brought to school where there are students with severe allergies.
Make sure whatever you pack is a suitable amount for your child and ready for them to eat. No chopping or preparing can be done at school. Include a fork or spoon when needed. Crunch & Si p ®
Crunch&Sip ® is a good opportunity to encourage your child to eat a variety of fruit and vegetables. Variety packs look great and are a good way to introduce new fruit and vegetables alongside more familiar or accepted ones.
Only fruit and vegetables are suitable for Crunch&Sip ® . The following are NOT suitable: fruit juice; fruit products such as roll-ups, leathers or straps; potato or veggie chips; olives; fruit canned in syrup; popcorn.
WCS 2025 SCHOOL CALENDAR
KEY DATES
Term Start and End Dates
Term 1: 31 January-11 April
Term 2: 28 April-4 July
Term 3: 28 July-26 September
Term 4: 13 October-12 December
School Professional Development Days
22 - 24 January (New Staff Induction)
28 - 30 January
21 - 25 July
15-16 December
JANUARY
Start of Term 1 (Year 1-6)
Swiming Carnival (Year 3-6)
Rabbitohs Wellbeing
School Vacation Dates
Summer: 12 December 2024-30 January 2025
Autumn: 14 April-25 April
Winter: 7 July-26 July
Spring: 29 September-10 October
Public Holidays
Easter 18-21 April
ANZAC Day 25 April
King’s Birthday 10 June
Labour Day 7 October
Zone Swimming Carnival - Wagga Wagga
Captain’s Speeches
Parent Assembly
CSSA State Swimming
Big Splash (K-2)
NAPLAN
Parent Teacher Interviews
Parent Assembly (Easter)
End of Term 1 | Cross Country, Family BBQ
Term Break
Start of Term 2
Mothers Day Stall
National Simultaneous Storytime
Wellington Show
CSSA State Cross Country Sydney
Parent Assembly
School Photo Day
Year 3-6 Athletics Carnival, Dubbo
Eisteddfod - Dance
Eisteddfod - Choir
Eisteddfod - Speech
NAIDOC Day
End of Term 2 Term Break
Pupil Free Week
Start of Term 3
AUGUST
Book Week
Waste and Sustainability Program
Book Week Parade with Book Stall
Parent Assembly
CSSA State Athletics Carnival
Parent Teacher Interviews
SEPTEMBER
Teacher Aide (SLSO) Appreciation Week
Father’s Day Breakfast
NAIDOC Flag Raising Ceremony
Parent Assembly
End of Term 3 | K-2 Athletics Day
Term Break
OCTOBER
Start of Term 4
Year 5-6 CRU Camp at Lake Macquarie
World Teachers Day 2025
Year 3 Wambangalang Excursion
NOVEMBER
Year 4 Zoo Excursion
Parent Assembly
DECEMBER
Healthy Harold - Life Ed Van
Year 6 Farewell Assembly/Graduation Dinner
Thanksgiving and Prizegiving Service
End of Term 4 | WCS Wet and Wild
Staff PD
School Office closes
