Leadership Update

Principal Message

As I write my last newsletter I am full of gratitude- so many nice words from students, parents and staff. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the cards and letters and thank you all for such kind words. I feel very proud of the school- the facilities, the community and the amazing students who always speak with confidence, show care for each other and are here to do their best learning and be their best selves. 

I truly feel very fortunate to have worked at APS where every day is a pleasure. I will miss the ‘bucket fillers’ and the conversations with students.

I would like to congratulate and welcome Luke Kleinig who takes on the Acting Assistant Principal for Term 1 next year. He visited today and made a very positive impact on students and staff. He will be officially welcomed next year.

 I wish you all a very happy and restful break and I hope to see you at sometime in the future. 

Kind regards and farewell for now

Melissa Mackenzie

Principal 

Assistant Principal Message

Hello everyone,

What an amazing 2025 we have had. I will take this opportunity to reflect on the school year and wish you all a fantastic summer break. 

By far the most rewarding aspect of my job is the variation in experiences that I get to have each day and the people I get to experience those with, primarily, the staff, students and community of APS.  I am grateful to have experienced such a wonderful year at APS. 

• The Science Expo, Writers Festival & Art Show were great evenings. As well as demonstrating the talents of our greatest assets – our students!
• Yet again the P/1 and 2-6 Concert evenings were highlights, the students’ ability to put all their efforts into creating such a great performance, after weeks of hard work is always extremely rewarding for all of us involved.
• I have thoroughly enjoyed working with students in my english and mathematics groups this year. I have worked with a several students in Years 2, 3, 4 and 5 with a focus on writing engaging narratives, complex reading comprehension, mathematical problem solving and reasoning and challenging ourselves with a range of investigation problems. The highlight was our amazing 2025 NAPLAN data. 
• The various camps that I got to attend, including ski camp which was amazing. Seeing the growth in students’ confidence and ability throughout the week was certainly the highlight. We got lucky with the weather for the most part and it was one of the best weeks of the season. 
• The continued growth of the house system and the number of great events led by our school leaders, SUP leaders and SRC. The final house event is being held tomorrow and the race for the 2025 House Cup is still very close… Which house will have their name added to the shield?
• I feel very privileged to be able to be a part of the many sporting events that take place throughout the year, whether it is attending and proudly watching our students at district and division events or being part of the teamwork at interschool sports. While participating and being a good sport is first and foremost, I always acknowledge that I am competitive, and it is nice to win. So, a highlight was the AFL 9s team put in a season best performance in the Ivanhoe District grand final win the competition and progress through the division finals.

Farewell Year 6 

We officially farewelled our graduating Year 6 class of last week. I have been extremely fortunate to have worked alongside Alan and Megan and our graduating students over the past few years, and it has been a privilege to have had the opportunities to support them in their academic, social, and sporting endeavours.

They have made a wonderful contribution to our school as the leaders this year and they have embraced all the different opportunities that Year 6 has provided them. 

I sincerely believe that the final year of primary school is one of the most memorable periods of your childhood and can set the tone for students as they transition into high school. I wish each Year 6 student the very best for the future.

Year 6 Graduation - Thanks

Thank you to the whole team who put together the Year 6 Graduation this year. It was a spectacular night. Thank you to Megan and Alan for supporting the kids and of course the parent committee who managed to transform the gymnasium into a wonderland.

Year 6 Legacy Item

Our Year 6 students have completed their 2025 Legacy Item, and it has been installed on the step risers of the learning centre – instantly lifting the space with colour and increasing the positive vibes with the wonderful positive affirmations created by the students. We think they’ve done a great job and created an item that will remind us of their efforts every day as we climb the stairs of the learning centre. A big thank you to Megan, Alan and Martha’s partner Nathan for supporting students with the design process, manufacture and installation.

2025 Semester Two Reports

Reports were published on Compass last Friday. We encourage families to discuss the report with their child to develop an understanding of the learning and celebrate the achievements. If you wish to discuss your child’s report with their teacher, you can make an appointment to do so.

End of Year Picnic

Thank you to everyone for attending the End of Year Picnic. Although very warm, everyone had a great time and we thank our organisers for all their hard work organising this special event.

Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year holiday period.

Look forward to seeing everyone in 2026.

Shane Wilkie

Assistant Principal