Principal Report

Welcome back to Term 3 families!

We have hit the ground running and it has been wonderful to see all the teachers and students get right back into it! I have had the pleasure of getting into all classrooms quickly to say hi and it has been very settled and learning focussed which is so nice to see. 

Staffing Update

We are thrilled to be growing our team here at APS and this week have welcomed a few brand-new faces. We have Maree Hallebone and Lucy Trengrove who has joined our Education Support Staff team. I know that you will all join me in making them feel very welcome to our school.

Parent Opinion Survey

In Term 3 each year parents are invited to complete the Parent Opinion Survey as designed by The Department of Education, this is different from the pulse check survey that was sent out at the start of the term. The aim of this survey is to collect parent/caregiver/guardian opinion data from individual schools, and to use this information to assist with the future planning and improvement of Victorian schools. For us, it is an important resource that we use to determine school priorities and gauge how we are going against school targets. The survey link and pin number was emailed to all families and I strongly encourage you to take the time to fill it in. Your opinion is very important to us as we move forward on our school improvement journey.

Arrival at School

At APS we classify a child as late if they arrive at school after 9:00am. Students arriving to school after the bell must report directly to the office for a late pass. If a child is 15 minutes late everyday by the end of the year that is the equivalent of 8 days away from school. Please ensure that your child is on time for school every day. Punctuality is important as lateness can have an impact on student learning and classroom routines. Our lesson structure dictates that most of the instruction is done in the first 10 to 15 minutes of class so if a student misses this it is hard to catch up.

Child Safety - School Visitors

APS requires all visitors arriving and departing during school hours to report directly to the office, this includes parents and families dropping off or picking up students during school hours (9:00am - 3:30pm).  If a student arrives late to school, parents/carers must report directly to the office for a late pass. Students can either make their own way to class from there with their late pass or a school staff member can escort them. In line with Child Safe Standards, parents/carers or other visitors cannot enter classroom environments during school hours. This allows the school to maintain a safe environment.

School Grounds upgrades

APS has been working very hard this year to improve the school grounds, with a particular focus on engaging play spaces for recess and lunch. We have new cubby houses, soccer goals and sporting equipment as well as line marking on the asphalt. Later this term we will have a new sporting play space being installed, but this will remain a surprise so I will keep my poker face until then.