A Message from Lisa....

End of Term

With only four weeks remaining, there is still so much happening at AGPS! Here are some of the upcoming events:

- P-4 swimming program continues next week 

- We will be holding the prep information night for the 2020 preps on the 4th December 

- 5/6 students will be participating in their open water swimming session at the Altona Life Saving Club 

- We are having a special visit from Minister Jill Hennessey to see our new playground.

- We have more transition sessions planned (see below).

- Grade 6s have their graduation evening on the 11th December and they will be going to Adventure Park on the 16th.

- And of course we have our wonderful Christmas Concert at school on the 12th December.

Reports

Teachers are currently working very hard to complete all the required assessments and write reports for each student. The end of year reports will be uploaded to Compass on Friday 13th December.

Step-Up Day

On Tuesday this week we had our first step-up day. This was an opportunity for all of our students to experience a taste of what the next year level will be like and to work with a range of other children in the school. It is also an opportunity for the staff to see how combinations of students work together as we work towards creating class lists for 2020.

We will have another step-up day next Wednesday and a final one on the state wide transition day (10th December).

Please note that the class that your child was in during step-up sessions is not their 2020 class and the teacher they had is not their 2020 classroom teacher. We are still organising class lists and teacher placements and will continue to do so over the next couple of weeks. We are aiming to get this information out to everyone in the 2nd last week of school.

2020 Class Structures and Specialist Subjects

We have been working really hard over the past few weeks looking at possible class structures for 2020. After analysing and evaluating all the different combinations based on our current numbers and the needs of each of our cohorts, we have decided that the following structure best caters for the needs of all of our students:

- 3x Prep Classes

- 6x 1/2 Classes

- 4x 3/4 Classes

- 4x 5/6 Classes

This structure ensures that we are able to cater for the academic and social needs of all of our students while keeping class sizes as small as possible. Sometimes there are mixed reactions to composite versus straight classes and this article may be a useful read if you would like to find out more.

One concern that has been raised to us about having composite classes is that their child will not be academically challenged. We would like all parents to know that our teachers work incredibly hard to ensure that their lessons are targeted to the needs of their class and that they set challenging learning goals for all of their students, no matter where they are in the continuum of learning.

We have also decided to make some adjustments to our specialist program. Next year we will have 4 specialists classes across all of the P-6 classes. Those specialist classes will be: Art, Physical Education, Italian and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics). We are really excited to include STEM next year. The Performing Arts curriculum will be covered through other subject areas in the classroom, other specialist classes and through other whole school events and activities.

Grants

We have applied for a range of different financial grants to support us with various projects in 2020. So far we have been successful with 3 and are awaiting the outcome of the 4th. The grants that we have been successful in will be used to purchase more bike and scooter racks, revitalise the outdoor area outside the kitchen and to create indigenous gardens that will be used in our Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden program.

Dogs in School Yard

Safety concerns about the number of dogs on the school grounds has been raised at School Council. We have mentioned these concerns in our past newsletters however the issues are continuing. After discussing this further with School Council it was decided that in 2020 we will have a new policy that states that dogs are not to be in the school grounds. We recognise that there are a lot of positives with having dogs but are highly aware of the anxiety that they may cause to some children and the potential for serious harm. This policy will take effect from the start of the 2020 school year. We thank you for your understanding with this.

KEFAR Rewards

Many of our classes are cashing in their lilypads and KEFAR tokens as we head towards the end of the year. It has been great seeing classes being rewarded for their excellent behaviour with a fun day where students have been able to visit local parks, wear casual clothes and eat yummy food.

We also had our first Gold Class reward. Some of the hard working students in Prep - 4 cashed in 75 tokens to watch Toy Story 4 on the big screen in the gym. These students were able to snuggle into bean bags, eat popcorn and have a delicious icy-pole. We have a 2nd Gold Class session for 3-6 students on the 29th November.

Bike Reminder

Whilst we encourage families to ride to school, please remember to walk your bike or scooters once inside the school gates. This is to ensure the safety of everyone within the school grounds.

Uniform Price Increase for 2020

Our uniform supplier has increased the prices of our uniforms in 2020 - This is the first increase for a few years.  The updated price list is on our 'Uniform Shop' page.

Attendance/Compass

In order to minimise disruption to classes and maximise learning opportunities for our students, please make sure children are at school on time. We would like to encourage all children to be at school at 8:50am to be ready for the school day. If your child is late for any reason, they must come via the office to collect a late pass and be marked off by Jenny on Compass.  

Please ensure that if your child is leaving early for any reason that you collect them from the office at one of the following times as this is less disruptive to classes:

11:00am

11:30am

1:30pm

2:15pm

Please note that we are unable to find children out in the yard during break times. If your child is late or leaving early, please do not put the absence on Compass - Jenny will do this.  You only need to record a whole day off school on Compass yourself.