Principal Report

John Monash Science School – The Little Scientist Program

Students engaging in the John Monash Science School excursion studied Chemistry and explored the world of Acid and Basis. Students performed an experiment to determine the pH of common household items using both a universal indicator solution and then a home-made indicator, comparing their results.

Students have also looked into the world of Physics. First, they made paper aeroplanes to illustrate thrust and competed with the other students to see who's could travel the furthest distance. Then along with their JMSS mentor they designed a parachute that would allow them to drop a raw egg from the 1st floor of the building without breaking, ARPS shone and were the only school from the 6 in our group to pass the first test. From Level 2, however, our egg did break, but a marvellous effort from our students.

Natalie Tzanatos, STEM teacher

Victorian State School Spectacular Town Hall rehearsal

Students had an amazing experience at the Melbourne Town Hall for their first combined rehearsal for the Victorian State School Spectacular! Having 1,000 students from across Victoria coming together in the Mass Choir sounded phenomenal. What a brilliant experience – we cannot wait to see the final product! Tickets for the VSSS at John Cain Arena on 29th August are almost sold out – so if you would like to attend, get in quickly! Thanks so much to Michaela for her support of our students and passion for this event.

Congratulations Dana!!

Dana does an incredible job looking after the wellbeing of our school community. On top of this, she has been studying her Master’s degree in Education. She has not only completed and passed this degree but done so with freakishly outstanding results. Congratulations, Dana – we are so proud of your dedication to the Educational Wellbeing field and feel incredibly lucky that this expertise will go directly to our students.

Bunnings BBQ fundraiser – save the date!

We have secured a date to raise funds for our school by running a BBQ at Bunnings on Sunday 23rd August. This is a great fundraiser for our school as we are not relying on the school community for financial support, but rather the whole local community. We cannot do this without parent support, as Bunnings have strict requirements on how many adults must be there throughout the day. Please save the date – we would be so appreciative if you are able to offer just one hour during the course of that day.

More information and roster coming soon.

Thank you! Parent/Student/Teacher interviews

Thank you to our parents and students who attended our parent-student-teacher three-way conferences this week. We firmly believe that the best academic and wellbeing outcomes are achieved for our students when we work together, and this communication is part of that process. I witnessed some children who were so proudly sharing their learning with their parents and noticed lots of smiles from students and parents alike. We encourage students to own the responsibility that they have in their own learning, and being able to present their learning to their parents forms part of this. A huge thank you also to teachers, who gave up their own time to facilitate this opportunity for our families.

Foundation 2027

With the new online enrolment system across parts of Victoria for Foundation 2027 now in place, we would like to remind you that today, Friday 31st July, is the date when all enrolments should be submitted. Offers for places for 2027 will be sent out shortly, so if you know of anyone who has not completed this process, it can be done via the Victoria Services app. If you know anyone who intends to enrol at ARPS for Foundation 2027, If you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to contact the office.

School Tours

If you know of any families who would like to see our school in action, we offer group tours, which run on most Mondays at 9.30am. We can also offer individual tours at other times. Please call the office for more information.

Disco

As you will have read, we unfortunately had to cancel the disco that was scheduled for Friday 14th August. We know students were excited about this event, and we have alternative plans in the works. Stay tuned for more information….

Secondary School Acceptance Forms

For our Year 6 families, please ensure that your secondary school Year 7 Acceptance slip is returned to ARPS by Tuesday 11th August.

The Victorian State Schools Spectacular!

Tickets are now on sale (and almost sold out!) via Ticketek for the Victorian State School Spectacular at John Cain arena on Saturday 29th August. We have a group of our students performing in the Mass Choir. For the best vantage point to to see our students in action, seating is recommended in sections 9, 10, 31, 32, 33, 56, 57, or 58.

Would you like to sing at assembly?

We have commenced using a backing track at assembly for the national anthem - without vocals. This was decided by the ARPS Student Voice Team. Therefore, we are now looking for students who would like to have a turn at leading the singing of the national anthem for an assembly. If your child is interested, please submit your name in the box located at the office.

Prep Bags 2027 design competition

Starting from the 16th of July, all current Prep students at Government schools will have the opportunity to submit a design for next year’s Prep Bags. The winning design will feature on the front of the Bags, which will be delivered to almost 52,000 Preps at over 1,300 schools on their first day of school. Prep students at Victorian public schools can enter by submitting hand drawn or digitally designed artwork on this year’s theme ‘My Year of Prep’. Submissions will be available through the Engage Victoria link, which will go live at 9am from the 16th of July. The competition runs from 16 July until 9 August 2026. The link is available at engage.vic.gov.au/prep-bags-2027

Toys at ARPS

We know how important play at lunchtime and afternoon recess is for our students. However, towards the end of last term, we noticed more and more, that students were bringing personal toys to school. These items became a distraction in class, and a cause for distress in the playground, as items were lost and broken and causing many disputes and misunderstandings. These issues were then spilling into the classroom, with teachers spending valuable learning time on solving these issues. Therefore, with the exception of balls, we are asking parents for their support in ensuring that all other toys are left at home. If you have any queries around this, please do not hesitate to contact Jane on Jane.Capon@education.vic.gov.au

Brain Food

We know how important healthy eating is for learning! For some school children, the only time of the day that they eat fresh fruit and/or vegetables is during Brain Food time at school. For this reason, Brain Food time is privileged for fruit and vegetables only (this does NOT include fruit juices or other food). This is something that most schools practice each day, sometime between 9am and lunch time (11.30am). We thank you for your support of this initiative.

Camp Australia bookings

Sometimes, plans can change – with very little notice! If you have booked your child into Camp Australia and no longer need that booking, please be sure to call them on 0402 350 478 to let them know as soon as possible. Thank you!

Glasses for Kids Program

We are pleased to have the Glasses for Kids program onsite at our school. This program provides free eyes checks during school hours and if needed, free glasses as well. Optometrists will be onsite on Monday & Tuesday 3rd & 4th August. Have been sent home if you would like to take advantage of this great opportunity.

Playgroup has arrived at Albany Rise!

The Albany Rise Primary School Playgroup is officially in in session! After the morning drop-off, if you have children aged 0-5years (who are not already at school), you are welcome to come to the Function Room, where we will have a variety of toys and activities set up for the children to play, and parents/grandparents are welcome to have a cuppa and a chat. Families from outside our school community are also welcome. Gold coin donation if you can. Huge thanks to Ann Dunford, who has kindly offered to facilitate our playgroup on Monday mornings 9.15 -10.30am during school terms.

Outside of School: sport or other activity - Achievement of the Week

We know how important physical activity and sport is for our students and to our school community, which is why we privilege time at school for PE and sport. We also know that we have some very talented students who participate in sports and activities outside of school.

We would love to celebrate their achievements!

If your child has received an award or progressed to the next level of their activity outside of school (be it sporting or otherwise) , please let us know and we would love to celebrate their achievements in our newsletter. Please contact Mr Mottershead with information and a photo, or email through to our school office on Albany.rise.ps@education.vic.gov.au

Birthday Free Dress

We know that every single day at school is important for learning and connection. Of course, we want to celebrate with our students when they have a birthday! Late last year, we introduced the practice of students coming to school in free dress on their birthday. This seems to be working very well and will be continuing this year. Students are looking forward to being at school on their birthday, and also, it is easy to spot who has a birthday to make sure they have a great day!

Jane Capon

Library Ms Foley