Membership News

Hear from WAPPA President, Niel Smith.

“We hope that you will have a wonderful break and don’t forget to look at the events and PL we have on offer.”

A warm welcome to our new members:

CO-OPTED BOARD MEMBERS

WAPPA would like to welcome Kristy Spencer (Caversham Valley PS) and Alison Freeman (Geographe PS) to the Board, as newly appointed co-opted Deputy Principal Board Members. 

The Board had a challenging time working through the 16 EOIs that were received and again, would like to thank all of our Deputy Principal members who submitted an EOI. Alison and Kristy will commence their roles on the Board from the May 12th Board Meeting.

Their voice will be crucial in ensuring that WAPPA’s work is consistently meeting the needs of all our members, who across the state,  represent All Leaders – All Levels

To view WAPPA’s Strategic Plan Summary, click the image or button below.

For the full plan, click here.

WAPPA Member Fees Structure

Did you know our commitment to

All Leaders – All Levels even includes a fee structure that benefits members who are part time, on LWOP, or working through their salary steps? Read more about our fee structure, and the benefits to you.

WAPPA MEMBERSHIP FEE STRUCTURE

PRE-SERVICE TEACHER SUPPORT

Curtin University are looking to schools to host a number of pre-service teachers. The below table outlines the placement, year level and dates urgently required for term 2:

Course

Professional Experience

Year Level

Days

Dates

Primary – Graduate Diploma in Education

Primary Prof Exp 1: Planning for Writing

Year 1-6

10 days

19/05/2025 - 30/5/2025

Primary – Bachelor of Education

Primary Professional Experience 1: Planning for Teaching

Year 1-6

10 days

2/6/2025 - 13/6/2025

  • As of 2025, Curtin School of Education increased the mentor teacher rate to $30 per day

  • For Professional Experience 1, teachers are approved and encouraged to mentor 2 students ($30 per day per student = $60 per day)

  • Professional Experience 1 involves mostly observation, small group/whole class teaching.

If you have any questions, or would like to discuss this further, you are welcomed to contact Professional.Experience@curtin.edu.au.

SCSA CONSULTATION

Familiarisation Workshops Term 2 2025 – Pre-primary to Year 6 Humanities and Social Sciences, Mathematics, Science and Technologies.

The School Curriculum and Standards Authority (the Authority) will conduct face-to-face learning area familiarisation workshops in Term 2 for Humanities and Social Sciences, Mathematics, Science and Technologies. The Authority is providing teacher relief for schools to support staff members to attend the professional learning sessions. For example, the same teacher may attend the full day session with both learning areas or one teacher may attend half day and another teacher the other half day. One day teacher relief will be provided to the school.

These sessions will guide participants through the learning area webpage, highlight curriculum changes, explore available support materials and discuss the next steps in ensuring schools are familiar with the learning area changes for implementation in 2026.

Registration for the workshops → LINK

Please contact Chris.Kelley@scsa.wa.edu.au should you require further information.

SUPPORT & ADVOCACY

SUPPORT SUMMARY

In the last two weeks, we have once again fielded a wide range of support queries across the email and phone line. Many of these matters are solved quite quickly, whilst others need more in depth conversations and meetings with our President or Legal Counsel. 

  • Responding to a PHIR query

  • Police involvement with a school related incident

  • DHS reclassification

  • L3 to L4 principal industrial implications

  • Family Law matter

  • Creation of new L4 DP position

  • School Development Day requirements

  • Impact of staffing shortages in L3 schools

If you would like to discuss any matters that require advice, support, or simply need to share your concerns, please contact us at any time.

FAMILY LAW MATTERS

WAPPA has been working in collaboration with the Department, for the last 6 months, on a Family Law Matters Working Party. We appreciate the complexity these matters bring and the concern that arises at the school level, when school staff tend to get ‘caught in the middle’. We are hopeful that a policy and a suite of resources for school leaders and parents will be made available in the near future, as a result of the Working Party’s activities.

In the meantime, WAPPA would strongly encourage all members to reach out to us, should you find yourselves having to navigate Family Law Court Orders, Restraining Orders, or any requests from parents/family members/Independent Children’s Lawyers,  to which you are uncertain of the policy requirements and implications.

From the Field

Bringing Stories to Life

Wickepin Primary School

There’s something magical about the way

a good story can bring people together, and at Wickepin Primary School, that magic is coming to life through…

CONNECTION & LEADERSHIP

Aspirant Event

THERE’S STILL TIME TO REGISTER

This workshop is for teachers aspiring to leadership and will focus on mastering application writing skills to advance to the next career opportunity.

Share this link with your dedicated teachers.

Event Date:

School Holidays, Tuesday, 15 April

Making the Leap

The transition from Teacher to Deputy Principal is more complex than most. This workshop will address the key research on role transition and will give participants a clear perspective of what they need to do, demonstrate, understand and develop before they make the leap.

Workshop Dates:

7 May 2025 – Term 2, Week 2

9 July 2025 – July School Holidays

13 November 2025 – Term 4, Week 5

“The SID workshop was one of the most valuable professional learning opportunities I have attended. I have a greater understanding of what support I can gain from the SID staff, as well as a deeper understanding of the Code of Conduct.

As a leader, this gives me the capacity to support and educate my school staff, to not only understand the department’s expectations, but to protect themselves as well.”

-WAPPA member

We’re proud to be partnering with the Standards and Integrity Directorate to deliver three practical, interactive sessions designed specifically for those leading our schools.

These aren’t just compliance updates but more about helping you lead with confidence in the complex space of professional conduct, staff expectations, and school culture.

We’ll unpack the real issues:

✔️ What integrity looks like in a school setting

✔️ How to support your staff in building a high-integrity culture

✔️ Navigating misconduct, conflict of interest, and complaints

✔️ What you need to know about the Reportable Conduct Scheme and other changes

There’ll be case studies, scenarios, Q&A, and time for reflection and tools you can take straight back to your school.

You can attend in person or online (email chanham@wappa.net.au for the link).

Sessions are 9:00am – 12:00pm, with morning tea included.

We strongly encourage you to attend all three workshops as each one builds on the last.

Register now and make sure you’re up to date, confident, and supported in this space.

MEMBER BENEFITS

MEMBER ADVANTAGE HOTEL DEALS A staycation offers the perfect opportunity to recharge without the stress of travel. Enjoy a relaxing break close to home, explore local attractions, and unwind in the comfort of familiar surroundings  while saving time and money. It’s the ideal way to relax, refresh, and reconnect with your local community. Login to your WAPPA account to access discounts.

PARTNERSHIP SPOTLIGHT

Welcoming Our New 2025 Partners: FreshSNAP and DSF

We are delighted to announce FreshSNAP and the Dyslexia-SPELD Foundation (DSF) as our newest partners for 2025.​

FreshSNAP is a free advisory service dedicated to supporting Western Australian schools in fostering healthy food choices. They offer comprehensive resources and guidance to integrate nutrition education into school culture and curriculum. ​

DSF is an independent not-for-profit organisation providing services for individuals with persistent learning difficulties and disorders. Recognised as a centre of excellence, DSF offers workshops, clinical services, tutoring, and resources to support literacy and learning.

We look forward to collaborating with FreshSNAP and DSF to enhance the support and resources available to our members and the broader educational community.​

For more information about our new partners, visit their websites:​

FreshSNAP: https://www.freshsnap.org.au/

DSF: https://dsf.net.au/