Assistant Principal Update

Welcome to Week 6 of Term 2. 

I hope families are coping okay with the colder weather and significant illness that is around in the community.  A reminder that if your child is unwell, please allow them the adequate time to recover before returning to school and if symptoms are prolonged, to seek medical advice. 

While it is important that students remain at home when unwell, when they are fit and healthy and able to attend it is important that they are here each day and on time. The below table illustrates what arriving late to school each day looks like over an extended period.  

STEAM Expo

Our annual STEAM Expo will be held next week on Wednesday 4 June. Students in Prep, Year 1 and Year 2 will be working on projects in class as part of their Term 2 Science Inquiry Unit. Students in Year 3-6 will be provided details of their Science Expo projects within their homework tasks, as well as working on them during class integrated lessons.  The afternoon will commence from 3:45pm with the STEAM Expo displays set up across the classrooms. We encourage as many families and friends as possible to attend.

Division Cross Country

On Tuesday 3rd June we have a team of 11 students progressing to the Banyule Division Cross Country at Banyule Flats. We have students representing us in each of the 10-, 11- and 12-year-old boy and girl categories. We want to acknowledge their efforts in finishing in the top 12 at District level and making it through to the Division level. We wish them all the very best. 

2026 Prep Enrolments

Melissa, our student leaders and I have been busily conducting 2026 Prep Tours this term. We have created a new format for the tours, and to date we have received some fantastic feedback. Our Prep tours start with a presentation from Melissa and I in the Staff Centre where we celebrate and share what makes Alphington primary school such an amazing place. We then visit the Prep classrooms to observe teaching and learning in action, where our amazing Prep students have confidently talked with visitors about their literacy learning. Tour participants are then taken on a walking tour, led solely by our Year 6 student leaders – often a highlight for parents.

We are currently seeking to fill our final places for our 2026 classes and want to remind those families with siblings commencing in 2026 to ensure their enrolment forms are handed to the office by the end of term. Furthermore, we encourage you to join us for on our updated tours as it may give you a new perspective on our wonderful school.

2025 APS Fair

We have almost finalised all the financials following our successful 2025 Alphington Primary School Fair.  At this stage the School Council Fundraising Committee and the army of volunteers and supporters have raised over $28,000 which will provide some funding for a new shade sail to provide protection to the Prep/1 playground.

Offsite Evacuation Drill

Providing the weather is suitable, we will hold an offsite evacuation to Alphington Park next week, Thursday 5 June. As part of our annual Emergency Management Plan, we are required to conduct drills at various points throughout the year. This will be our first offsite evacuation for the year and the School Leadership Team will review the protocols and the exit points prior to the evacuation and communicate these with teachers. Teachers of Prep students will suitably prepare the younger students for their first offsite evacuation. 

Bike/Scooter Safety

We have had several incidences recently of children on bikes not being safe on the roads to and from school. 

Just this morning a concerned local community member rang to let us know that there was a child from our school, crossing Grange/Heidelberg Road, without a helmet on and crossing in front of cars at the incorrect time.

Please have regular talks to your children about bike/scooter safety and discuss the safest route to and from school. 

If we see children without helmets on we will be ringing families concerned.

Have a great week everyone!

Shane Wilkie

Assistant Principal