SSTUWA - State School Teachers' Union of Western Australia

Wundowie PS welcomes union

While visiting the Midlands, Bronwyn Croghan and Frank Herzog met with the staff of Wundowie PS.

Wundowie PS is a pretty, friendly school and we chatted with union rep. Val Gill and member/Principal Tamala Wilkinson. It was a stormy day, having been hit the night before by ‘the Big Storm of 2010’, but was brightened by the many murals on display.

Tamala is a woman on a mission, which is to get the best possible out of her school. The school had just celebrated their 6oth anniversary and Tamala was in catch-up mode. She still found time to talk about the school and their future plans, and join us and staff for morning tea.

“After 5 years here, I have just been made substantive. Before here I was at Mundaring and Midvale PSs. This school is quite different in terms of the complexities the students and parents bring to the table.  That is the key here to being successful: understanding those complexities then doing the best we can whilst keeping the community issues in the community, and then keeping the educational issues within the school.

“I love it here! The staff is really supportive of each other, and they are dedicated in trying to make a difference with kids who are disengaged from society. The kids are honest and raw and really want to do the best that they can do, even though they come from such difficult situations.

“We find it hard to get a P&C to come to this school, say compared to my kids’ school in the city (Inglewood PS), but the four key people that are our P&C work so incredibly hard, it’s just amazing.

“Some of the programmes we have initiated are literacy-based with strategies to support individual achievements. We have a group of kids that are identified as quite ‘high-flyers,’ and we want to make sure that they continue being ‘high-flyers.’

“Our Deputy Principal (Peter) is working on a Healthy Garden with the kids, too, so that those who may not be successful with the exams have other skills.

“Through BER we are getting a new library, which is fantastic (currently a room), and we are getting our roof fixed which is VERY exciting (lots of laughs about that!)”

Thanks to the staff for making us welcome and I look forward to revisiting and seeing the library...AND a new roof!