Principal's Report

 Principal Report    

Welcome to Term 3

We hope that our families had a lovely winter break (or at least, were able to slow down!).  Term 3 is an action-packed term, with parent teacher interviews, Victorian State School Spectacular, Year 3 & 4 and Year 5 & 6 camps. 

John Monash Science School – The Little Scientist Program

This term, four of our grade 5/6 students will be attending the 'Little Scientist', program at John Monash Science School as a part of our academic extension program. The focus for this week was biology. Students were asked to use the electro-microscopes to compare samples of onion skin and pond scum and then draw their observations.

Next, they looked at live frogs, catfish and guppies to identify their differing features and possible adaptations. Finally, students made an example of a 'robotic hand!'

 What will we do in week two?                                              - Natalie Tzanatos STEM teacher

The new Victorian Teaching and Learning Model (VTLM 2.0)

We know that if students are not paying attention, no learning occurs.  We also know that some students are very good at pretending to pay attention while actually thinking about something else! 

As part of the new Teaching and Learning Model being implemented at ARPS, we want to ensure that students are attending to the learning.  There are many different strategies to encourage attention in the classroom. This term, one strategy that we are working on is a “no hands up” process. Rather than the teacher responding only to the students with their hands up, the teacher may ask a question to any student, which gives motivation for all students to attend to the learning.  There are many ways this can be achieved, and they can be a lot of fun, too!  Students could be randomly selected from a cup of named icy pole sticks, or classes could use an online tool to randomly select students. Students also have access to whiteboards and can write their answers on the whiteboard and show the teacher, giving the teacher instant feedback as to the attention levels of students and the overall understanding of the concept. These and other strategies ensure that students are paying attention to the learning so that teachers know the learning can happen. 

Student-Parent-Teacher interviews

In week 3 of this term, on Tuesday 28th and Wednesday 29th July, we will be holding parent-teacher conferences.  For these conferences, particularly for our Year 3-6 students, we encourage them to have responsibility in their learning and have a voice in talking to you, their family, about where they feel they are currently placed in relation to their learning goals. Parents are are able to book these conferences on Compass in the parent portal. As well as being able to speak with your child’s teacher, this year we are also opening bookings with our Wellbeing Leader, Dana. 

 Please see below for more information.

Wellbeing Conferences – New Initiative

We are excited to announce a new initiative: integrating dedicated Wellbeing Conferences into our standard student-teacher meetings. This addition ensures we are focusing on the whole child, providing space to discuss your student's emotional growth, peer relationships, and mental wellness alongside their academic progress.  As part of the Mental Health and Wellbeing (MHWL) Leader role, this gives you and your child the opportunity to proactively problem solve, alongside our Wellbeing Leader, and understand pathways for further support.

Recognising that a student's emotional and social wellbeing is directly tied to their classroom success, this initiative creates a structured environment to build positive relationships and ensure everyone is on the same page. 

 Each meeting is for 10 minutes and will focus on building mental health literacy for students and families.

• Dana Kroenert, Wellbeing Leader

Welcome to our International Students!

We extend a very warm welcome to our international students for Term 3.  It is lovely to see them settling in quickly to their new classes and routines. It can be quite daunting to start at a new school, in a new country with a different language, and our ARPS students have been instrumental in making our international students feel welcome.

Secondary School Acceptance Forms

For our Year 6 families, please ensure that your secondary school Year 7 Acceptance slip is returned to ARPS by Tuesday 11th August.

Working with Wellington Secondary College students at ARPS

This week, we had the pleasure of welcoming Wellington SC students to our school to work with our Year 3 & 4 students on the importance of Kindness. It is so powerful for our students to hear these positive messages from their older peers. I extend my thanks to the Wellington SC principal, Chris Knight, for his enthusiasm about our schools working together. Please be sure to read the Year 3/4 class sharing page further along in this newsletter for more details. 

Please refer to photos on the 34R class share page 

The Victorian State Schools Spectacular!

Tickets are now on sale via Ticketek for the Victorian State School Spectacular at John Cain arena on Saturday 29th August. We have a group of our students performing in the Mass Choir.  For the best vantage point to to see our students in action, seating is recommended in sections 9, 10, 31, 32, 33, 56, 57, or 58.

Would you like to sing at assembly?

We have commenced using a backing track at assembly for the national anthem - without vocals.  This was decided by the ARPS Student Voice Team.  Therefore, we are now looking for students who would like to have a turn at leading the singing of the national anthem for an assembly. If your child is interested, please submit your name in the box located at the office. 

Foundation enrolments closing soon!

If you know anyone who intends to enrol at ARPS for Foundation 2027, enrolments should be submitted online by the 31st July 2026. Enrolments are submitted via the Vic Services App. If you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to contact the office. 

Tours 

If you know of any families who would like to see our school in action, we offer group tours, which run on most Mondays at 9.30am. We can also offer individual tours at other times. Please call the office for more information. 

Prep Bags 2027 design competition

Starting from the 16th of July, all current Prep students at Government schools will have the opportunity to submit a design for next year’s Prep Bags. The winning design will feature on the front of the Bags, which will be delivered to almost 52,000 Preps at over 1,300 schools on their first day of school. Prep students at Victorian public schools can enter by submitting hand drawn or digitally designed artwork on this year’s theme ‘My Year of Prep’. Submissions will be available through the Engage Victoria link, which will go live at 9am from the 16th of July. 

 The competition runs from 16 July until 9 August 2026. The link is available at engage.vic.gov.au/prep-bags-2027

Toys at ARPS

We know how important play at lunchtime and afternoon recess is for our students.  However, towards the end of last term, we noticed more and more, that students were bringing personal toys to school. These items became a distraction in class, and a cause for distress in the playground, as items were lost and broken and causing many disputes and misunderstandings.  These issues were then spilling into the classroom, with teachers spending valuable learning time on solving these issues. Therefore, with the exception of balls, we are asking parents for their support in ensuring that all other toys are left at home. 

 If you have any queries around this, please do not hesitate to contact Jane on Jane.Capon@education.vic.gov.au

Brain Food

 We know how important healthy eating is for learning! For some school children, the only time of the day that they eat fresh fruit and/or vegetables is during Brain Food time at school. For this reason, Brain Food time is privileged for fruit and vegetables only (this does NOT include fruit juices or other food).   This is something that most schools practice each day, sometime between 9am and lunch time (11.30am).  We thank you for your support of this initiative. 

Student Bike and Scooter Safety

Parents/Carers are reminded that it is a legal requirement that children riding a bicycle or scooter near the road, in parks or playgrounds, must wear a helmet. Staff on duty before and after school are seeing an increasing number of children without head protection riding bikes and scooters into (and out of) the school grounds. Our Duty of Care requires us to ensure all students have adequate safety protection. We are mandated to report any situation where this is not the case. Please help staff by ensuring every child is wearing a helmet when riding, scooting, roller-skating, etc. 

You can find more about Victorian bike rules and helmet rules here: 

Bicycle helmet rules and safety standards in Victoria - Transport Victoria

Additionally, before and after school when staff are on yard duty (8.45am-9.00am and 3.30pm-3.45pm) we do not allow students to ride and scoot on school grounds for the safety of other students and parents collecting and dropping off students. There are just too many people on the grounds to have students (including secondary students) riding and scooting around the grounds. We thank all our families for your understanding.

NAPLAN

For students in Years 3 & 5, NAPLAN results have been sent home this week, along with information about the test and how to interpret the results. If you have any questions, please contact your child’s teacher.

Camp Australia bookings 

Sometimes, plans can change – with very little notice! If you have booked your child into Camp Australia and no longer need that booking, please be sure to call them on 0402 350 478 to let them know as soon as possible.  Thank you!

Glasses for Kids Program 

 We are pleased to have the Glasses for Kids program onsite at our school.  This program provides free eyes checks during school hours and if needed, free glasses as well. Optometrists will be onsite on Monday & Tuesday 3rd & 4th August.  Have been sent home if you would like to take advantage of this great opportunity. 

Playgroup has arrived at Albany Rise! 

The Albany Rise Primary School Playgroup is officially in in session!  After the morning drop-off, if you have children aged 0-5years (who are not already at school), you are welcome to come to the Function Room,  where we will have a variety of toys and activities set up for the children to play, and parents/grandparents are welcome to have a cuppa and a chat.  Families from outside our school community are also welcome. Gold coin donation if you can.  Huge thanks to Ann Dunford, who has kindly offered to facilitate our playgroup on Monday mornings 9.15 -10.30am during school terms. 

Outside of School: sport or other activity - Achievement of the Week 

We know how important physical activity and sport is for our students and to our school community, which is why we privilege time at school for PE and sport. We also know that we have some very talented students who participate in sports and activities outside of school. 

 We would love to celebrate their achievements! If your child has received an award or progressed to the next level of their activity outside of school (be it sporting or otherwise) , please let us know and we would love to celebrate their achievements in our newsletter. Please contact Mr Mottershead with information and a photo, or email through to our school office on Albany.rise.ps@education.vic.gov.au

Birthday Free Dress 

We know that every single day at school is important for learning and connection. Of course, we want to celebrate with our students when they have a birthday! Late last year, we introduced the practice of students coming to school in free dress on their birthday.  This seems to be working very well and will be continuing this year. Students are looking forward to being at school on their birthday, and also, it is easy to spot who has a birthday to make sure they have a great day!  

Jane Capon