Principal's Report
By Judy Drew
Parents are reminded that the Staff Car parks at the front and rear of the school are not for parent parking. Parents with a valid disabled pass may use the designated space at the front of the school.
Principal Report
Learning to Learn
What a fabulous start to the school year our students are having in 2025. Already, displays of student ‘5 star’ work efforts are appearing in classrooms, exemplary bookwork is evident, and students have established calm and orderly daily routines with their classmates and teachers.
A huge thank you to parents/carers for your efforts in preparing students for the start of the school year. Our Quality Beginnings program, currently underway in all classrooms, is allowing students to demonstrate and grow their skills and core values; respect, responsibility and resilience.
“Quality Beginnings Celebration Morning” Friday 14th February from 9am – 11.20am.
At ARPS we have a ‘whole school’ games morning to celebrate the positive start of the 2025 school year! On Friday 14th February, students will we will be running our ‘celebration day’ with the support of our House Captains and Vice-Captains. Parents are welcome to come and join us at school on the day (and young siblings). The celebration day allows opportunities for students to showcase their skills and values, through teamwork, leadership, games and activities.
This year, we have also revised our School Wide Positive Behaviour Matrix, following extensive work and feedback from our Wellbeing team in 2024. The ‘new look’ matrix continues to have a strong focus on our 3 core values:
Parent Teacher ‘Meet and Greet’ sessions
Bookings can now be made on Compass for Meet and Greet sessions with teachers later this month. Session times are:
Wednesday 19th Feb
3:40-5:40 (Year 1-6, excluding 5/6C with 5/6C first day of interviews on Monday 17th Feb due to extenuating circumstances)
Thursday 27th Feb
Year 1/2- 3:40-4:40
Year 3-6- 2:40-4:40
Link to Book: https://albanyrise-ps-vic.compass.education/
Foundation parents have the opportunity to attend a Welcome BBQ and information session from 3.30pm on Thursday 27th Feb
We do hope all families take the time to meet with teachers, share information about their children, and collaborate with our staff for the best possible outcomes for our students.
School Assemblies
In 2025 we will continue to hold our school assemblies on a weekly basis, every Friday at 2.45pm in the Hall.
All students will have the opportunity to be presented with a ‘Student of the Week’ award and be involved in opportunities to present information, performances and celebrations.
Assemblies will commence at 2.45pm until approximately 3.25pm.
Each class / specialist teacher will present ‘Student of the Week’ awards at each assembly. Student Leaders prepare and run the assemblies, with support from staff for special events or announcements. Students will come forward and collect their award and stand proudly in front of their peers and school community.
Parent/Carers are welcome and encouraged to attend our weekly assembly every Friday.
Supervision of Students in the Playground Before and After School
To ensure that students are appropriately supervised, we ask that students arrive at school after 8.45am each morning. If you elect to send your child/ren to school prior to 8.45am, it is important that you understand that they cannot be supervised until the school gates are open and yard duty teachers begin their assigned duty from 8.45am. Similarly, at the end of the school day, the school will ensure the appropriate supervision of all students until 3.45pm and after this time it is the responsibility of parents to collect/supervise their children. Any children not collected after this time will be sent to our After School Program.
We strongly encourage all families to register for Camp Australia (there is no cost to do this) as there might be a time when your child will need to access this service.
Jolly Joggers
Are you keen to be healthy, support our student leaders AND support your child’s class? You can achieve all of these outcomes by participating in our ‘Jolly Joggers’ program on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings. Student leaders in Year 6 conduct the program, with each lap of the oval from a student (walking, jogging, running) earning one point which is added to their class total for the week. Adults earn 2 points! A trophy is presented to the winning class each week at Assembly.
School Council Elections
SEEKING SCHOOL COUNCIL NOMINATIONS
Our school is more than bricks and mortar. It’s more than students and teachers.
What helps make our school special are all the little things that happen in the background to create the enjoyable and nurturing space which encourages our children to thrive.
School Council is one of the things that helps shape the future direction of the learning environment for our children.
School Council is here to serve the interests of our staff and students whilst always aiming to provide a successful and nurturing education setting. Being part of the School Council is an opportunity for parents to be part of decisions that relate to running of the school.
As children grow and move to the next stage of their life so do our Committee members. This provides an opportunity for rejuvenation with fresh ideas and input. School Council needs representation from parents with students across all levels of our school and from diverse backgrounds. There is no specific skill sets required as collectively we work together as a team to try and to help guide the school to grow and improve. It’s your perspective and life experience that matters.
So what is involved?
School Council is made up of 8 parents and 4 school employees.
Each member commits to a 2 year term.
The workload –
2 School Council meetings a term ( 2 hrs a meeting)
2 Committee meetings a term ( 1 hr a meeting)
The current committee makeups
Finance, Education, Facilities, Parents Association & Marketing
Please consider nominating to be a part of this journey. Forms are available at the office and due to be returned by Tuesday 11th February.
Student’s Mobile Phones and Smart Watches
A reminder that the Department of Education has in place a mobile phone ban that requires students who bring mobiles phones to school to have them switched off and securely put away during school hours.
The department is requiring all schools to ensure this ban is in place and enforced from the start of the 2025 school year.
The ban applies equally to all government schools across the state.
This helps ensure that school is a learning environment free from unnecessary distractions and disruptions.
By ensuring mobile phones are kept away at recess and lunch times, students can interact with each other face-to-face, without the distractions and social pressures that mobile phones can cause.
This also applies to ‘smart’ watches that some of our students have. ‘Smart’ watches have similar capabilities to mobile phones, including the ability to send and receive messages, make phone calls and play games. As such, these watches will also need to be locked up at school.
If your child brings a phone or smart watch to school, they will need to lock it up during school hours and then collect it back from the safe at the end of the day. At Albany Rise, was ask that students deposit their phone at the office for the school day, and collect it at the end of the day.
If parents need to contact their children with urgent messages, please contact the school and we will ensure the message is passed on. This way our staff are aware of the arrangements.
I ask for the support of all our families, staff and students in continuing to support the implementation of this policy in our school.
Further information
Exceptions: For a small number of students with particular health needs, an exception to the policy may be granted. Please contact Judith Drew or Michael Mottershead if you would like to discuss this.
Emergencies: In the event of an emergency or if you need to immediately contact your child, I ask that families contact the school office who will pass on a message as required.
School mobile phone policy: A copy of our school’s local mobile phone policy, which implements the government’s mobile policy in line with our local context, is available here: https://albanyrise-ps.vic.edu.au/about-us/policies/
Parent support: The Mobile phones in schools webpage provides links to resources for families to help them balance their children’s time using mobile phones.
If you have further questions, please contact the administration office.
Student Leadership badge presentations
Our Student Leadership Badge Presentation will be held on Thursday 13th February at 2.45pm at a special whole school assembly. Ms Eden Foster (MP – Member for Mulgrave) will be at this assembly to present the badges to our student leaders and talk to all students about leadership. We thank Ms Foster for her time to attend this very special assembly for our students and their families.
At this assembly we will be presenting badges to the following students:
- School Captains
- School Vice Captains
- House Captains (Bradman, Fraser, Freemen, Perkins)
- House Vice Captains
- Visual Arts Leaders
- Performing Arts Leaders
- Marrung Leader
- Library Leaders
- Environmental Leaders
- Office Leaders
- Jolly Joggers Leaders
- ICT Leaders
- Breakfast Club Leaders
- Essential Duties Leaders
- Junior School Councillors (Year 2-6).
Our Student Voice Team leader badges will be presented later in the year, as will Peer Mediators.
We hope to see as many parents as possible attend this assembly on THURSDAY 13th February at 2.45pm.
Literacy Parental Engagement and Activities
We have listed below a useful Department of Education website that provides parents with many activities that their children can participate in to help inspire and boost their Literacy & Numeracy skills.
Heat Policy
The school operates a heat policy, and we keep the children indoors in air-conditioned classrooms on very hot days where the temperature exceeds 350. We have also been asked to remind our parent community about the dangers of leaving children in cars on very hot days.
Hats
A reminder that hats must be worn in terms one and four and anytime the UV is 3 or higher. Sunscreen and sunglasses are also highly recommended.
Students without a hat will be directed to shaded areas during outdoor breaks.
Parents are reminded to please ensure hats are Sun Smart- with a broad brim and neck cover. Baseball type caps are not SunSmart and not part of the school uniform or SunSmart policy.
NAPLAN commences Wednesday 12th March – Year 3 & 5
NAPLAN assessments for 2025 commence on Wednesday 12th March.
NAPLAN is a national literacy and numeracy assessment that students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sit each year. It is the only national assessment all Australian students have the opportunity to undertake. As students progress through their school years, it’s important to check how well they are learning the essential skills of reading, writing and numeracy.
NAPLAN assesses the literacy and numeracy skills that students are learning through the school curriculum and allows parents/carers to see how their child is progressing against national standards and over time.
Our 2025 NAPLAN assessments for students in Year 3 and 5 are scheduled for Term 1 this year. All of the assessments this year are occurring online, except for Year 3 Writing which was a handwritten assessment.
For students who may be absent on the day of the assessment, we are arranging ‘catch up’ tests during the testing period, so students should be able to take part in all assessments, despite short term absences or illness.
This is the schedule for NAPLAN at ARPS.
Wednesday | 12th March | Year 3 & 5 NAPLAN – Writing. |
Thursday | 13th March | Year 3 & 5 NAPLAN – Reading. |
Friday | 14th March | Year 3 & 5 NAPLAN –Conventions of Language |
Monday | 17th March | Year 3 & 5 NAPLAN – Numeracy |
Tuesday- Friday | 18th -21st March | Year 3 and 5 Catch Up assessments |
Parents or Carers who would like more information about NAPLAN can follow this link:
Facilities updates & Garden News:
Over the next few weeks, our ‘Green Team’ will be harvesting our summer vegetables and planting our next ‘crop’ of vegetable garden seedlings. We are looking forward to seeing our new plants in our vegetable garden! Many thanks to Simone Cheslett, our Environmental Leaders and various families for all their hard work!
Next Tuesday 11th February, the reinstatement works for our junior building (ARC) toilet facilities will commence. We are pleased to be able to have this completed early in the year, so that all students in the ARC (and staff) can enjoy brand new facilities very soon.
On Friday 14th March (from 4pm) we will be holding a Twilight working bee and FREE BBQ (for helpers). PLEASE come along and help our gardening group, as well as some weeding, storage tidying, mulch spreading and a general clean-up of the yard. A separate notice will be provided closer to the date.
Lunar New Year
Wednesday 29th January marked the beginning of the Lunar New Year. 2025 is the year of the Snake. I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone in our community who celebrates this significant event a Happy New Year!
Home-school communication
Michael Mottershead (Assistant Principal) and I are always open and available to meet with parents and our community. Our number one priority is the engagement, wellbeing and care of all students at Albany Rise Primary School, and we are always happy to hear feedback on the improvements we are making and what we can do to better assist our students.
Michael and I are always available to speak to parents in relation to any feedback you can provide us that will ultimately benefit the students at Albany Rise Primary School. Please feel free to catch up with us on Yard Duty before and afterschool any time or contact us to arrange a suitable meeting time.
Additionally, many of our teaching staff are available for a brief chat afterschool most days. For longer conversations or special circumstances, please contact teachers directly vis Dojo to make a time to meet. Upcoming Parent/ teacher ‘meet and great’ sessions may be an ideal time to communicate to teachers.
Please come and see us for a chat!
Judy Drew
Principal
