School News Update

Principal's Perspective

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome

Welcome to Auburn South Primary School for 2026! 

We hope that you and your family managed to have a lovely holiday break and could take time together doing activities that you enjoy with those you love. If you managed to get away and do something outside of Melbourne, we hope that you enjoyed yourselves and for those that were doing holidays at home, we are sure that you enjoyed the more relaxed pace. Hopefully you managed to stay cool wherever you were.

We are all looking forward to having students return to school and I particularly welcome our new families who are joining us this year. It is a privilege to be working alongside you as we work with you and your children during their time at ASPS. Please take the time to meet your child/ren’s teacher as soon as possible and introduce yourself to other parents also. Our community is a friendly group of parents who we know will make you feel welcome.

Meet the Teacher

During week three we will be conducting ‘get to know you’ sessions with your child’s teacher. Please keep a look out for Xuno information regarding how to book a time with your child’s teacher. These sessions will happen over three afternoons – Monday 9th February until Wednesday 11th February.

Staffing

We would also like to welcome our new staff members, Emma Taubman in Prep D and Mia Rowland in 3D. We are also delighted to have staff returning from leave, Milly Bagot in 4B and Emily Hui in STEM.

During the holiday break, our Performing Arts (PA) teacher Stuart Jones shared that he will be leaving ASPS to take on a new career path. Stuart has been a dedicated and passionate teacher at ASPS for almost 12 years and we are extremely fortunate to have had a teacher of his calibre with us for so many years. We are thankful for Stuart’s commitment to our students and our community during this time. While it is sad for us at ASPS to see him go, we wish him good luck and good fortune as he embarks on his new adventures. The recruitment process to fill this position has commenced and we will announce a new PA teacher as soon as possible. 

Berry Street Training

On Wednesday our staff completed the third day of the Berry Street Education Model training. The initial two days of training were completed last year, and our final day will be taking place later in the year. 

Please see the student free days for this year:

Term 1

28th January – Berry Street Training

Term 2

11th May – Berry Street Training

Term 3

*Date to be confirmed. A focus on looking at goals from our school review.

Term 4

2nd November – report writing and assessment

TheirCare

We welcome TheirCare to Auburn South Primary School as our new Out of School Hours Carer provider (OSHC).

Please check out the space and say hello to the wonderful team and our new coordinator Rafael. TheirCare operate both before and after school each day and will also be offering care during our student free days. 

Please contact TheirCare on 1300 072 410 or look at their website for further information https://theircare.com.au/ 

2026 School Review 

In Victoria, the Department of Education mandates that all government schools participate in a school review every four years. This process is a key part of the Framework for Improving Student Outcomes (FISO 2.0) and is used to develop a school’s next four-year School Strategic Plan (SSP).

Key Components of the Review

1. Pre-review Self-evaluation (PRSE): Schools first review their own data and evidence to identify strengths and areas for improvement.
2. The Review Panel: An independent reviewer leads a panel that typically includes the principal, a Senior Education Improvement Leader (SEIL), and often the school council president.
3. Review Activities: The panel conducts fieldwork, including classroom observations, focus groups with students, parents and staff.
4. Final Report: The reviewer produces a report with recommended goals and strategies, which is then presented to the school council.

This year we have our whole school review. Our school review panel is made up of the following people:

• School Reviewer - Heather Ridge
• Senior Education Improvement Leader from the Department of Education - Andrew Moore
• Challenge Partner from Balwyn North Primary School – Tony Stokes
• Challenge Partner from Pascoe Vale Primary School – Meredith Lamb
• ASPS School Council President – Phoebe Demiris 
• Principal – Travis Paterson
• Assist. Principal – Rhian ap Rees
• Learning Specialist - Hayley Street

The review will be conducted over three days, Monday 9th February, Monday 23rd February and Tuesday 10th March. Parents who wish to be involved in the small focus group on Monday 23rd February will be invited to RSVP closer to the date.

We look forward to working through the school review process to establish goals and targets, and set our school strategic plan for the next four years.

Peter Drew Artwork

Congratulations to our very own ASPS visual art teacher Alicia Smith for partnering with Peter Drew who was in Melbourne recently to install his ‘AUSSIE’ posters around the city.

Alicia spent the day with Peter driving him around and showing him some of the great sights of our wonderful city as he selected places for his work. As a thank you for her generosity, Peter kindly donated and installed one of his AUSSIE posters at ASPS, outside the art room.

Cyber Incident

We wish to inform you of a cyber incident that impacted some student data across all Victorian government schools.

What has been accessed

A Department of Education database with current and past student information was accessed by an external third-party.

The third-party accessed active and inactive past school student accounts, consisting of:

• student name
• school-issued email address and encrypted password (for those that use them)
• school name
• year level

The third-party did not access other student data such as birth dates, home addresses or phone numbers.

Your child’s safety

The safety and wellbeing of students is our priority.

If you have safety concerns about your child’s school location being known, please contact the principal, Travis Paterson, and notify Victoria Police or The Orange Door as necessary.

What’s happened to the accessed data?

There is no evidence to suggest that the data accessed has been released publicly or shared with other third parties.

Steps we are taking

All student passwords have been reset. All students will be issued a new password at the start of the school year.

The department has identified the cause of this incident and has put protections in place. They will continue to provide the school with updates as we enter the 2026 school year.

If you wish to speak with someone from the Department of Education about this, please call 1800 338 663.

Racism in Schools

Racism is not tolerated in Auburn South Primary School.

Auburn South Primary School is committed to fostering a welcoming, inclusive environment where racism is not tolerated. Racism harms students’ mental health, learning and sense of belonging. We celebrate the diversity of cultures, ethnicities and faiths of all our students. It is up to all of us at Auburn South Primary School to make our school a place that is free of racism and where everyone feels respected and can learn in a safe and inclusive environment.

What Auburn South Primary School is doing to prevent racism 

Auburn South Primary School follows the Department of Education’s Preventing and Addressing Racism in Schools Policy. We are building a culturally safe school with inclusive learning for everyone by working with staff, students, families, carers and communities. We will: 

• provide programs that teach about and celebrate diversity, inclusion and the impact of racism to build understanding and empathy
• use practices that support all students to thrive
• implement anti-racism efforts to prevent and address racism effectively

• make sure everyone feels safe, with clear and accessible pathways to report racism

   

What to do if your child experiences or witnesses racism at school

If your child experiences or witnesses racism or religious discrimination at school, please let us know. You can tell your child’s teacher or any of the following school staff members: Assistant Principal, Rhian ap Rees or Principal, Travis Paterson.

Report Racism hotline

If you don’t feel comfortable reporting racism to school, or you are not happy with the school’s response, you can report racism to:

• the Department of Education’s Report Racism hotline via email report.racism@education.vic.gov.au or phone 1800 722 476 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm)
• Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Inc. (VAEAI) via email vaeai@vaeai.org.au or phone 03 9481 0800 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) 
• Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission (VEOHRC) online, via email complaints@veohrc.vic.gov.au or phone 1300 292 153 (Monday to Friday 10am to 2pm).

For additional support following an incident of racism:

• First Nations students, staff or families can contact Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Inc. (VAEAI)
• Jewish students, staff or families can contact the Jewish Community Council of Victoria 
• Muslim students, staff or families can contact the Islamic Council of Victoria

For more information about how to report racism to the school, and to get information in community languages, visit this website: Report racism or religious discrimination in schools.

If you need an interpreter to call the school, please use the details available at: Guide for Families: How to use an interpreter to contact your school.

How Auburn South Primary School will respond to racism

When you report a racist incident, Auburn South Primary School will:

• take your report seriously and act quickly 
• give you ongoing support
• investigate and respond safely and appropriately 
• keep you informed, while respecting privacy 
• review the incident to help avoid it from happening again.

Racism is something that must be stamped out.  All staff at Auburn South Primary School take this seriously and will act accordingly. 

If your child reports racist behaviour to you, please don’t hesitate to contact your child’s teacher, the Assistant Principal, Rhian ap Rees or Principal, Travis Paterson immediately.  We wish to act as soon as possible after an event so that it can be dealt with swiftly and accordingly.

Mobile Phones and Smart Watches

A reminder that the Department of Education has in place a mobile phone ban that requires students who bring mobiles phones to school to have them switched off and securely put away during school hours.

The department is requiring all schools to ensure this ban is in place and enforced. The ban applies equally to all government schools right across the state.

This helps ensure that school is a learning environment free from unnecessary distractions and disruptions. 

By ensuring mobile phones and smart watches are kept away at recess and lunch times, students can interact with each other face-to-face, without the distractions and social pressures that these devices can cause.

I ask for the continued support of all our families, staff and students in continuing to support the implementation of this policy in our school. 

To ensure that all phones and smart watches are kept securely, students will be required to drop them off to the general office each day before the first bell. 

All phones and smartwatches will be signed in when dropped off and then signed out when collected after school. 

Emergencies: In the event of an emergency or if you need to immediately contact your child, I ask that families contact the school office who will pass on a message as required.

Parent support: The Mobile phones in schools webpage provides links to resources for families to help them balance their children’s time using mobile phones.

** as per DET guidelines, ASPS is not responsible for loss and/or damage to personal property, (including electronics such as iPads, laptops, mobile phones etc) that is brought to school. For further details, please refer to the ASPS Personal Property policy. 

If you have further questions, please contact the office.

Parent Toilets

Many parents may be unaware that student toilets are not for use by adults.  We have additional toilets available for parents to use. 

These include two toilets inside the corridor of the canteen – enter via the doorway next to the canteen windows and walk inside the hallway and they are on your left-hand side.

We also have another parent toilet located to the right-hand side of the exterior stairwell that is fenced/caged at the peppercorn tree.   This is just next door to the PE teacher’s office.

We are having permanent signs made up to direct parents to these toilets, they will be installed in a few weeks.  In the meantime, there will be temporary signs. However, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask a staff member or the office if you are unable to find these facilities.

If you have other adults (uncles/aunts/grandparents/neighbours etc.) pick up your child/ren please inform them that student toilets are dedicated for student use only.

ASPS School Council

Next month we will be announcing the election process for School Council members.  We have a number of vacancies and all parents are able to nominate (or re-nominate) to be on school council. Please take a moment to think if this is one way that you can contribute to our ASPS community.  The commitment is attending two school council meetings a terms and reading all materials prior to the meeting.

If this is something that you would like to do, please be on the lookout for the information that will be coming out in the next few weeks.

Bell Times

A reminder that we will be having longer lunchtime play and no third play.  To assist students who many need a break from being out in the yard during all of lunch play, we will be opening the library for the second half of lunch five days a week.  The library will be supervised by a teacher during the opening times.

We are all looking forward to a wonderful year ahead.  Thank you to you for your ongoing support of our students and commitment to our community.

Travis Paterson, Principal                      

Rhian ap Rees, Assistant Principal         

Tea Towel & Yearbook Reprint Orders Closing

Thank you for those families who have already put in their order for our final run of anniversary tea towels and 2025 yearbooks. 

The cut-off date for orders is THIS MONDAY February 2 at 5pm. 

Please note we will not be doing another run of these so if you wish to place an order, please do so ASAP.

With thanks, Ms Smith

Centennial Brick Fundraiser Reopened for 2026

**closes Saturday 28 Feb

Annual privacy reminder for our school community

Our school collects and uses student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ privacy policy and the Schools’ privacy collection notice.

Our Photographing, Filming and Recording Students policy, describes how we collect and use photographs, video and recordings of students. The policy also explains when parent consent is required and how it can be provided and withdrawn. 

We ask parents to also review the guidance we provide on how we use Google Workspace for Education safely at the school and what parents can do to further protect their child’s information. If after reviewing the guidance, you have any questions or concerns regarding your child using Google Workspace for Education, please contact the school.

For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ privacy policy: information for parents. 

This information is also available in eleven community languages:

• Amharic
• Arabic
• Chinese
• Dari
• Gujarati
• Mandarin
• Somali
• Sudanese
• Turkish
• Urdu
• Vietnamese