Dear Parents, Families and Community members,

Welcome to our final newsletter of the Term. There is still so much to happen in the remaining days and I'm already looking forward to our end of Term assembly next Thursday.

Recently I informed families of an opportunity I have to take on a short-term, a part time position with the Inclusive Education Professional Practice (IEPP) Branch of DET. I started this last week and have enjoyed getting to understand a little more about how the branch operates and generally speaking, the 'bigger picture' of our States education reforms.

Whilst this is only still quite new, I am excited for the opportunity through to the end of the year and appreciate our community's support and the well wishes that have come my way.

Prep MoPA Excursion

On Wednesday the Prep's made their way to MoPA (Museum of Play and Art) in Geelong. This was our first excursion of the year for the Prep students and for some even their first time on a bus!

At MoPA we engaged in 6 different activities/rooms that supported our learning around our general studies topic of "How do our actions help to build and maintain friendships?"

The six different activities were The Readers Room, Players Room, Makers Room, Painters Room, Builders Room and the Explorers Room. It was fantastic to see so much creativity and collaboration through all the different activities as they reinforced all the learning from the term.

Thank you to all the staff from ACS and MoPA for such a successful day, but a HUGE thank you to the 'experts' in art and play, the kids who were amazing.

District Athletics

On Tuesday the 6th of September, 9 of our very talented Year 3-6 students competed in the Division Athletics against multiple schools in the Bellarine and North Geelong Divisions.

Our students showed determination, resilience, and sportsmanship. We are so proud of our students that competed.

We had Eve who competed in the 200m sprint, Cush & Esmail who both competed in the high jump (Esmail got into the top 5 students and was getting high-5's from students from other schools!), Tyler who competed in triple jump, Noah in the 80m hurdles, Lucas in long jump, April and Alana in the discus throw and Josh in the 100m dash.

Congratulations to all our students on their efforts on the day!

Please enjoy some picture of our students in action!

Clem's ACS Song!

One of our Year 10 students Clem has written his very own song about how much he loves Armstrong Creek School and I was lucky enough to get a private premier of the video. The below photos show Clem and I at the special screening earlier today.

As a bit of a holiday challenge for any interested students, I'd love to hear any other creative songs students might create about ACS!

2022 Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey

WE WANT OUR PARENTS/CAREGIVERS/GUARDIANS TO TELL US WHAT THEY THINK!

Our school is conducting a survey to find out what parents/caregivers/guardians think of our school. The Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey is an annual survey offered by the Department of Education and Training that is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate and student engagement. We encourage all families to participate in this survey. Our school will use the survey results to help inform and direct future school planning and improvement strategies.

The Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey will be conducted until Friday 16th September. A random sample of approximately 30 per cent of parents/caregivers/guardians have been selected to participate in this year’s survey. Families who were randomly selected have been advised via email with details of how to access the survey.

The survey will be conducted online, only takes 20 minutes to complete, and can be accessed at any convenient time within the fieldwork period on desktop computers, laptops, tablets or smartphones. The online survey will be available in a range of languages other than English. These include: Arabic, Vietnamese, Simplified Chinese, Chin (Hakha), Hindi, Japanese, Somali, Turkish, Punjabi and Greek.

We thank all families involved in the 2022 Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey. If you would like more information, please contact Katrina Broadhead via email

armstrong.creek.school@education.vic.gov.au

National Child Protection Week

This week is National Child Protection Week (NCPW) running from 4-10 September. The theme for this year is Every Child in Every Community Needs a Fair Go.

NCPW focuses on the ways that we can all work together to build communities that support children and families. Further information about NCPW is included in a later section in our newsletter.

Lions Club Junior Public Speaking Contest

Today in Year 4, students participated in the Lions Club Junior Public Speaking contest. The program has been running since 2007 and this is the first year Armstrong Creek School has joined in. Students were required to prepare, practice and present a speech on a topic of their choice for a maximum of 3 minutes.

Why encourage public speaking?

It increases self-confidence
Increases the ability to communicate to a wider audience
Encourages students to think more widely on a range of issues; and
Prepares students for future roles and opportunities which require speaking to an audience

This was first level of competition, with a representative from the Lions Club (Deb Stallard, who we are also lucky to call a staff member) and several other judges, Bob and Barb, creating a panel to observe, provide feedback and celebrate our student learners. Students were judged on 10 criteria and we are so pleased to announce the Frederick Oxley was the winner from Armstrong Creek School. Frederick will be progressing to represent Armstrong Creek School at the Club Level Competition.

Congratulations to all our students involved, it was a brilliant showcase of confidence, conversation and commitment!

Sports Week

As our end of Term 3 fundraiser, we will be raising money for the Fight Cancer Foundation by holding a Sports Colours Day on Thursday 15th September. On this day students will be able to dress up in sports colours or in any sporting attire. Students are required to bring a gold coin donation on this day.

The SRC has organised some fun activities for our students to be involved in across the week, including some kicking competitions (longest kick and mystery distance kick) and a Staff vs. Student netball match!

We look forward to seeing everyone displaying their sporting skills across the week!

ACS Ride2School Parents Q&A Session

Come along to Bicycle Network’s Ride2School’s Parents Q&A session on Monday 12th of September!

The Problem: Over the past 40 years the number of children who are physically active everyday has significantly dropped. In the 1970s, eight out of ten students rode or walked to school but today that number has dropped to just two out of ten.

The Solution: Students who ride or walk to school contribute to their minimum physical activity level of 60 minutes per day. They are also more focused and ready to learn compared to those who are driven.

What: During the Parents Q&A session, the Ride2School team will discuss common myths associated with students travelling to school independently. They will also provide information on how to ensure students travel safely, how to determine if they are ready to travel independently and how students can still be active when they live further away from school.
Who: All parents are welcome!
When: Monday 12th September at 5pm
Where: via Zoom

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85393927905?pwd=NDdlQlZMZWM5ejh3VjFxcGpObmQ0QT09

Meeting ID: 853 9392 7905

Passcode: 418654

RSVP by September 9th via: https://forms.gle/dwsYZ4itAMdpvGzJ9

More info: https://www.bicyclenetwork.com.au/rides-and-events/ride2school/

End of Year Celebration

Save the date and watch this space! Our End of Year School Celebration isn't that far away!!! Scary and exciting all at the same time!!

Creek Coin Reward

This weeks we have 3 boys in Prep that have earnt 50 Creek Coins for showing Care, Commitment and Collaboration.

These boys have chosen to have their names put in the newsletter as their reward.

Well done Lennox, Oscar & Billy!

This week I also had a very excited group of Prep students who cashed in their Creek Coins for a morning tea with myself. I think it is safe to say that they all thoroughly enjoyed themselves, as did I.

A reminder that next Thursday is our last day of Term and Friday is a student free day. Have a great school holiday period and we look forward to welcoming everyone back at the beginning of Term 4.

Take care and enjoy!

Evan Savage

Principal

Dates To Remember

September 2022

October 2022