Principal Team Report

Upcoming Important Dates

20 December: Last Day Term 4 (1:00pm dismissal - see time-in-lieu message below)

** All term dates can be found at 2022 Term Dates page.

Happy Holidays

On behalf of all ASPS staff, we would like to wish families all the very best for the upcoming holiday break. It has been a truly wonderful year and we have come so far in a very full 12 months! Sincere thanks are extended to all families and staff for their support and hard work - our children are incredibly fortunate to learn and grow within such an incredible school community.

Thanks are also extended to parent volunteer groups - we look forward to further developing our partnerships with families in 2023.

Congratulations are also extended to our Graduating Year 6 students. These students have been wonderful role models and have represented ASPS in the best possible way. Our current year 6 students have developed a new model of student leadership which will spread to all levels in 2023 and have begun the process of reviewing our school House names to ensure that they are more connected (and relevant) to the 60,000 years of rich Australian history that we should all be proud of. This work will continue with next years student leaders so stay tuned!

All the best to these marvelous young people as they embark on their secondary school adventure!

Students Leaders reviewing the names of the ASPS Houses

Wishing you all the very best for a safe and enjoyable holiday break.

Thank you so much to the ASPS families for the lovely end of year gifts and sentiments for our specialist teachers, administration, education support and leadership staff. It is so lovely to read your kind words and see those happy faces in the student and family photos. Many thanks for your support throughout the year and we look forward to another great year in 2023. For those leaving the school, we wish you the best and thank you for being a part of the ASPS community.

Alicia Smith

(On behalf of the ASPS staff)

Understanding How Students are Assessed and the New Student Report

Our annual Parent Opinion Survey has indicated that families would like to better understand how their children are assessed.To assist family engagement with your child/ren's reports (which will be available via XUNO from next Tuesday), please visit the Assessment @ ASPS newsletter page and view the short videos via the link below.

A bittersweet farewell: Ben Zonca - Assistant Principal

It is with a mix of sadness and excitement that I must announce my departure from ASPS. I have been appointed as Lecturer, International Education at The University of Melbourne (teaching and research), commencing in late January. This is ultimately the direction I was seeking to go post-PhD, but it has arrived sooner than expected. It has been an incredible 7 year journey at ASPS where I have forged relationships with teachers, families and students that have helped me to continuously grow as a teacher and leader. I would like to thank every member of the community for the commitment and perseverance you show each day, regardless of the challenges faced.

Exhibition: Congratulations Year 6!

Last week, our Year 6 students presented their 'Exhibition' to the school community and their parents. See below for a selection of photos of our students in action. Congratulations to our students and sincere thanks to all staff and parents for all of the support and encouragement given to our students - this was definitely a team effort!

What is the Exhibition?

The exhibition is the culminating, collaborative experience in the final year of the PYP.
The exhibition is an authentic process for students to explore, document and share their understanding of an issue or opportunity of personal significance.
All exhibitions are student-initiated, designed and collaborative.

Teacher Time-in-lieu Explained

This year, a new Victorian Schools Government Agreement was approved and one of the major changes is that teaching staff are now entitled to time-in-lieu (TIL) for attendance at out-of-hours school based activities (i.e. camps, concerts, parent teacher interviews).

The principal team are supportive of this new entitlement but it is important to note that time-in-lieu is not granted for planning, preparation and other administrative tasks (which are mainly completed in addition to the normal 8-hour day). This time is effectively (and unofficially) 'paid-back' through the school holiday periods. Time-in-lieu has always been given for attendance at Parent Interviews and Cup Day Eve has been used (where attendance is always very low) as a way to give this time back to teachers.

Minimising Disruption to Learning

The school will look at ways to 'pay-back' this time-in-lieu in ways that minimise teacher time away from class. This will include:

Meeting free weeks
By shortening the last day of each term (hence the 1pm finish on 20 December)
Payment for hours accrued
Using parent helpers for out-of-hours school activities to help meet supervision ratios.

As a school, we feel it is important to be transparent about this change and thank you for your ongoing support.

2023 Parent Payments Schedule

Sincere thanks to families who supported the school with the 2022 Parent Payments Program. This financial support is critical in terms of the school achieving it's academic and wellbeing aims. Via the voluntary donations, the school has also been able to significantly improve school facilities and play areas (i.e. COLA and basketball/netball court redevelopment).

To assist families in planning for 2023, next year's Parent Payment Schedule is as follows:

Stationery and Curriculum Consumables: $450 per student

Curriculum Enhancement: $270 per P-4 student & $190 per 5/6 student

School Nurse: $135 per student

Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program

Year 2: $100 per student (garden program only)

Year 3-5: $280 per student (full kitchen/garden program)

Year 6: $195 per student (kitchen program only)

Family Assistance Fund: $15 per student

Garden and Grounds: $90 per student

Building, Library and School Improvement Donations (tax-deductible)