Principal's Report
Dear Parents, Families and Community members,
A bumper edition this week with a heap of activities taking place as the year begins to draw to a close and we start to reflect on and celebrate the year that was 2022.
Please take note of revised assembly dates and end of Term arrangements as per Compass notifications and the 'Dates to Remember' page of this newsletter.
Prep - Year 2 Junior Athletics
Today we finally managed to conduct our P-2 Sport Day (take 3)! For the most part the sun was out, the wind was down and we couldn't really have hoped for better conditions.
Commencing at 9.25 this morning, students in Years Prep - 2 were joined by a large containment of family and friends for what was a really fun day and a great opportunity to again, bring our community together.
Whether it was running, throwing, jumping, riding or dancing, our students gave it all a good crack! I hear even some of the adults joined in a bit too...
Huge thanks to Rhiarn and Zoe for their organising of such a busy but fun event, you are definitely super stars! Just like most of our P-2 students, I reckon you'll sleep well tonight!!
Thanks also to our Grade 6 helpers and our other volunteers for helping make the day the success it was.
Year 10-12 Formal/Year 12 Graduation
On Thursday evening I had the great pleasure of attending the 'First Ever ACS Year 12 Graduation and Year 10-12 Formal'. This is just a fantastic milestone for our school with the Secondary School having opened only four years ago.
Many of our Year 10 and 11 students joined our 2022 Graduating Class, their families, ACS staff and other special guests to celebrate the end of the six Graduates Secondary School journey.
Held at the St Mary's Football Club venue, our Graduates were amazing as they shared their prepared video speeches, received their Graduation Certificates and a gift and were generally celebrated by everyone in attendance.
We know Dom, Darcy, Indie, Chloe, Kim and Sienna are ready for their future pathways, having received such high quality education opportunities and support throughout their schooling.
Thank you to our organising committee for coordinating such a wonderful event and best wishes to each of our Graduates; You've Got This!
End of Year Event
Last Friday was the return (only the 2nd in our school's history) of our ACS End of Year Celebration.
We estimate that more than 1000 people attended the night where there were market stalls, food vans, games and activities, as well as a raffle.
Without doubt, the student performances were a real highlight with each Learning Community taking the stage to perform a 'Celebration themed' dance.
Outside of the student performances, the 'Squirt the Teacher/Principal' station was certainly very popular! I think I've almost completely dried out and emptied all the water from my ears...
The main goal of the night was to bring our School Community together and celebrate a fantastic year together, particularly after the challenging years prior. I think we can safely say we did that; and some! The icing on the cake was that we have managed to raise approximately $9,000 (awaiting the final count at the bank!) towards our Performing Arts program for 2023!!
Our PACC group were pivotal in planning and coordinating the night and without parent support and involvement like this, events like this just don't happen. I'd particularly like to thank our PACC President Jenna, along with Janelle and Tamara (School Council President) for the many hours and commitment to making this event the success that it was.
Also thanks to our staff who not only showed up and supported, but were actively involved in the setting up, running and packing up of the event.
We look forward to next year's event already and no doubt it will become bigger and better each year!
GenU Work Experience
Congratulations to all the Year 11 and 12 students who have been completing placements at Gen U Business Enterprises over the past term. Most recently Tjay, Manisha and Darcy have been out and about experiencing the world of work.
Tjay successfully completed three shifts throughout one week. He commented that he enjoyed packaging show bags, making medical supply packs, labelling and folding boxes. Tjay knew to ask the supervisor when he needed more supplies.
Manisha explained that she has really enjoyed working at Gen U Business Enterprises this week. In fact, she would like to do more of it next year and beyond. She then appropriately enquired about this possibility. She did a great job showing teamwork and communication. At the end she presented all the workers with a thank you card and made a short speech.
Darcy's skills in task commitment and attention to detail have shone through each Tuesday and Friday as part of a transition program across the term. Everyone commented on his efficiency; not just fast but more importantly accurate. Darcy knew where to be, what to do and began working very independently.
Geelong Cats Premiership Cup
On Tuesday we had the absolute pleasure of having Mark from the Geelong Cats Football Club come to school to show us all this years Premiership Cup.
The kids absolutely loved it, as did our Cats mad staff members!
2023 Booklist & Curriculum Contributions
It’s that time of year again where we advise families of our parent payment arrangements for the following school year. School Council have approved the 2023 payment arrangements (see below letter) so it’s now time for you to get online and place your order by the cut-off date (SUNDAY 11TH DECEMBER).
Any orders after this date will incur postage charges per pack and may not be delivered to you in time for the start of the 2023 school year.
We are not permitted to order these items on your behalf.
Your child MUST have their own supplies to start the 2023 school year so if you are not going to order via this online link, you will need to download the booklist and purchase these items elsewhere. Ordering via the link ensures your child will have the SAME, HIGH QUALITY items as all other students. Please see a summary of the process and the other ways you can contribute to the school as follows.
1. Go to http://booklist.paperchase.com.au
2. Enter the school access code BTSARMCS
3. Create Order.
4. Enter students first and last name, choose year level for 2023 from the drop-down list and follow the prompts to place your order.
5. You will now have the opportunity to also make a payment towards the following by choosing an amount and quantity:
- Curriculum contributions – classroom resources
- Curriculum contributions – specialist resources
- Other Contributions – Seesaw, Compass, student welfare resources
- Library Fund (tax deductible).
6. For all students in Years 10-12, there are extra-curricular items that you have to select the quantity (1) for e.g. VPC (formerly VCAL) and ASDAN (senior secondary students only).
7. Add order to Cart.
8. Add Another Student or Checkout.
Your additional contributions will be a huge support and enable us to continue offering enhanced curriculum experiences and digital learning opportunities that we have been over the last 5 years.
Take care and enjoy!
Evan Savage
Principal