From the Principal

How fortunate are we?! The Rotary Club of Noble Park-Dingley & Springvale have partnered with Dymocks Children’s Charities to kindly sponsor and fund Athol Road Primary School with $2225 worth of new books. Access to books is crucial for education and personal development, and the support of organisations like the Rotary Club and Dymocks can make a significant difference in the lives of students. Please encourage your children to have a break from devices and pick up a book and read. Daily reading is essential and supports learning and wellbeing so please encourage reading at home; not just the nightly reader but also a diverse range of books from the library too!

Thank you to all the families who attended the online parent information sessions this week. These sessions help in fostering a strong partnership between parents and teachers, emphasising our shared responsibility in your child’s learning and wellbeing. Whilst some of the messages in the parent information sessions, you may have heard before, they are still very important reminders for all of us and help to embed good routines and practices for success! Remember, if you ever wish to access any extra resources, strategies, and tips to support your child's learning at home, please contact your child’s teacher at any stage throughout the year.

Please ensure you complete the ‘Getting to know your Child’ Survey and share any relevant information which will assist staff in supporting your child's learning and wellbeing. At the end of the survey you will have the opportunity to request an optional ‘parent – teacher chat’ as a follow up to the survey. Foundation parents will receive a link to the ‘Getting to know your Child’ Survey after their upcoming Parent Information Session on Monday 4th March.

The Family BBQ is back!! It’s coming in two weeks – Wednesday 13th March 3.30pm -6.00pm and we are so excited to have this event back on our school calendar. This is a great opportunity for you to connect with teachers and other families and strengthen the wonderful school community that we are! For those who have never been to an ARPS Family BBQ, it is a casual event and encourages participation, inclusion, a sense of community and belonging and of course it’s lots of FUN. There will be a FREE sausage sizzle - beef halal sausage with bread, sauce and a drink. If you require a vegetarian sausage or have other dietary requirements, please inform the school via email on athol.road.ps@education.vic.gov.au by Friday 8th March. Remember to bring gold coins to the Family BBQ, as there will be some activities and products for sale with gold coin donations, such as, face painting, balloons, ice cream etc.

Refer to our Family BBQ Flyer on page 3 for full details.

There will be a special assembly this Friday 1st March, in the hall at 2.45pm, to celebrate Mrs Jenny Giles and all her years of service to education. Families and friends are welcome to attend. This is a special ‘retirement’ event and gives our school community an opportunity to officially say farewell and good luck to Mrs Giles.

Unfortunately, there have been a few delays with getting our school canteen back up and running. In the meantime, we will be having window sales every day at lunchtime commencing next week.

Frozen yoghurt $2.50
Paddle pop ice cream $2.00
Moozie frozen milk $2.00
Nippy Milk, chocolate or strawberry – special price, better than half price – now only $1.00
Zooper dooper .50c

Aussie of the Month recognises and celebrates personal endeavour, achievement and contribution to community and reflects the following values:

A fair go – same opportunity for all people, having a go
Mateship – generosity of spirit and compassion for those in need
Respect – for self, for others, our way of life and the environment
Inclusion – acceptance of difference, feeling of belonging

Congratulations to Alonzo in Year 6 and Sekinah in Year 2 for being the February Aussie of the Month students.

Carmel Nigro

Principal