A Message from David & Cam
Altona Green Primary School
Welcome back to Term 4! As usual, Term 4 is exceptionally busy with a number of key organisational tasks that go into setting up for 2027 to ensure it is another successful year. There are also many events and activities across all year levels to support our students' academic and social/emotional development (please check out the Curriculum Newsletters later in this newsletter) and to celebrate the year.
Please also read the 'Important Term 4 events' section of this newsletter and add all the important dates to your calendars. We hope to see as many of you as possible at all the upcoming events.
Important Term 4 Events
Term 4 is an extremely busy term with a number of key events taking place that celebrate this year and also events that are critical to the successful running of the 2027 school year.
Grandparents & Special Person's Day - We look forward to welcoming all the grandparents and other special people to our school on Friday 23rd October.
Family Movie Night - Friday 6th November (please note that this date has changed to avoid the long weekend)
Adults Only Event - Spring Carnival Trivia! - 20th November. A great night out, a bit of friendly competition, and a fantastic fundraiser for our school! Start planning your outfits, get your team together, and brush up on your trivia. Keep an eye on Compass for all the details.
Transition - We will welcome our 2027 preppies to our school in November to begin our transition program. We will also have a series of step-up days where current students are given the opportunity to get a taste of what the next year may bring. We always offer a really robust transition program that supports all of our students to feel comfortable and confident for the next stage of their education.
Statewide Step-Up Day - On Tuesday 8th December, all students will meet their 2027 classroom teacher in their 2027 classroom. It is a very exciting morning and is the culmination of a significant amount of work to ensure that the 2027 classes are set up for success! Our current Grade 6 students who are attending a Government school in 2027 will attend that school on this day as well.
Graduation - The Year 6 students will soon be starting planning and preparing for their special night on Thursday 10th December. This is always a wonderful, memory-making event as we remember and celebrate the students' time here at Altona Green.
Adventure Park - Our traditional Grade 6 celebration day at Adventure Park is booked for Wednesday 16th December and is a fun-filled way for the Grade 6 students to celebrate the end of their time with us.
End of Year Celebration - Julia is busily planning for our end of year concert. This event will take place in the evening of Tuesday 15th December - save the date! This event grows in stature by the year and is one of our most anticipated events! We can't wait to celebrate the year together as a whole school!
Christmas Fun Day - On Tuesday 15th December, we will have a Christmas Fun Day during the day. This is a fun day where students participate in a range of activities, there may also be a return of the 'Dunk the Teacher' activity! There is a rumour that the Grinch may also make an appearance!
Assembly - Assembly runs alternate weeks to our school newsletter. The remaining assemblies this year are:
16/10 - PS
30/10 - 1K
13/11 - PM
27/11 - PG
18/12 - final school assembly (no class performance)
- Pupil Free Day - A reminder that Monday 2nd November is the Term 4 pupil free day. The staff will be using this day for assessment and reporting.
2027 Classes and Parent/Carer Requests
The leadership team are currently working through 2027 planning, class structures and recruitment processes, and the process for 2027 class formations will soon commence. This process is incredibly important and we spend a significant amount of time creating class lists that ensure all students are set up for success in the following year. All students make a list of friends that they would like to be placed with and we ensure that everyone has at least one of these friends in their future class.
Our staff know our students and have in-depth knowledge of what would be best for their academic and social development and use this knowledge when creating classes. If you believe you have any additional information that you feel is necessary to support us in creating class lists for 2027, please put your requests in writing via this form no later than Friday 6th November. Please do not send through your child's friend requests as they have the opportunity to do this themselves at school.
When making class placement requests, we ask parents to keep in mind that our school values inclusion, diversity and connection. While we understand that some friendships or past dynamics may have presented challenges, it is important to remember that children are young people who learn, change, and grow and are still developing their social skills and resilience. Our aim is to create balanced, supportive classrooms where every student feels a sense of belonging and has the opportunity to learn, grow, and be part of a welcoming school community.
Please also understand that we do not take requests for individual teachers and that whilst all requests will be considered not all will be able to be accommodated. Please also note that requests made last year do not carry over and should be made again via email if you believe it should still be considered.
*Prep/new parents to AGPS - please also note that putting in a parent request is totally optional and not a requirement
Attendance
As we regularly communicate, consistent attendance is critically important for students in order to maximize their social & academic development. We would like to celebrate the fact that 48 students had 100% attendance in Term 3!
| Grade Level | Percentage of students with 100% attendance in Term 3 |
|---|---|
| Prep | 13% |
| Grade 1 | 5% |
| Grade 2 | 14% |
| Grade 3 | 15% |
| Grade 4 | 16% |
| Grade 5 | 6% |
| Grade 6 | 8% |
| Whole School | 11% |
Well done to the Grade 4 cohort cohort for having the highest percentage of students with 100% attendance!
If you have any concerns over your child's attendance, please contact Kylie or Cam.
Golden KEFAR Winners!
At our final assembly of Term 2, we were proud to recognise our latest Golden KEFAR award winners! These special awards recognise one student per cohort who has consistently demonstrated our KEFAR values of Kindness, Encouragement, Fairness, Acceptance and Respect throughout the term, while also showing a strong commitment to their academic and social development.
Presented only once each term, the awards are a special way to celebrate students who truly live our school values. Each winner received a special golden certificate and our very own Golden KEFAR badge.
Congratulations to the following students! You should be very proud of this achievement.
Prep | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | Year 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Marley | Esther | Sofia | Max | Indie | Mia M | Riaan |
Sports News
Division Athletics
Congratulations to all our students who qualified for the Regional Athletics Carnival at Keilor on 20 October! This is a fantastic achievement and a great reward for your hard work and effort. We wish you all the best and look forward to hearing how you go!
Congratulations to:
| Zoe | Prue |
| Max | Mason |
| Cooper | Liridon |
| Indi | Petar |
| Lizzy | Clair |
Softball
Well done to our students who represented AGPS at the Hobsons Bay Division Softball Finals on 8th October! While the results didn’t go our way on the day, our students gained valuable experience, competed against some tough opposition and represented our school. We’re proud of you all!
Student Leadership
At the end of last term David spoke to the Grade 5 students about formal leadership opportunities in Grade 6 as well as the process for applying for our School Captain positions. It was fantastic to see so many students interested in applying for this role and we are looking forward to receiving a number of quality application letters! The enthusiasm displayed by the students is lovely to see and we know that there are many high quality application letters being written! Cam and Dave will read all the application letters, interview short-listed applicants and announce our 2027 School Captains at our final assembly on Friday 18th December.
Hats Reminder
A reminder that in Term One and Term Four all students are required to wear a broad-brimmed hat for outdoor activities, this includes recess, lunch and Physical Education lessons. Please support your child by reminding them to pack their hat and ensure their name is clearly marked so it can make its way back to them if it gets accidentally left outside.
Footy Colours Day
We finished the term in style with Footy Colours Day! It was great to see so many students proudly wearing their team colours, with a pleasing amount of red and blue on display! A huge shout-out to our Junior School Council (JSC) for organising the day and to everyone who got involved. Together, we raised $364.30 for a great cause. Well done, everyone!
Camps
Our 2026 camp season has come to an end, with Year 2 heading to Angahook, Year 4 to Camp Allambee and Year 6 exploring Canberra! These experiences create fantastic memories, build independence and give students the chance to learn beyond the classroom. A huge thank you to our staff who helped make these camps happen!
Here are some pics of the Year 2 camp held during the final week of Term 3:
Are you leaving AGPS in 2027?
There is a great demand for places at our school and we are required to carefully manage all enrolments to ensure there are enough places for all students who reside within our school zone. To assist us with this, please inform us as soon as possible if you have a prep child starting in 2027 or know of any other students who may be joining us in 2027. Similarly, if your child will no longer be attending AGPS in 2027 please let us know. All this information helps us greatly with planning.
We hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
Take care,
David and Cam