Dear Parents, Families and Community members,

Preps First Day

Monday was a very exciting day as we welcomed our 84 new Prep students, officially to ACS for their first day at school and boy were they ready!

After numerous Story Time and Transition sessions in 2019, our youngest group of students were eager (for the most part) to find out what this 'school business' is really about. Starting school is a huge milestone for every child and it is an absolute privilege for those of us that work in schools to be a part of this.

Over the coming weeks we look forward to seeing our Preps immerse themselves in ACS life and I know that with the continued support of their families and the wonderful staffing team we have, they will all achieve high levels of individual success.

Mobile Phones

The Minister for Education released a new Students Using Mobile Phones Policy for all Victorian government schools on 7 October 2019. This policy requires that from Term 1 2020, students who choose to bring mobile phones to school must have them switched off and securely stored during school hours, including recess and lunchtime.

Our staff have discussed this new policy with students in relevant year levels and have supported them to understand the expectations required of them and the school. It has been pleasing to see our students adopting a really positive attitude towards this change and adhering to the set expectations.

As the implementation of this policy is only in it's infancy, we will continue to monitor and evaluate it on an ongoing basis. If you have any questions about the new policy, you can read more by clicking the link above, or contact the office and a member of staff will be happy to discuss further.

PACC Welcome Morning Tea

'Parental engagement in learning underpins children and young people’s cognitive and social and emotional development, shapes family practices and behaviours, and can impact the nature of the school community and the experience of schooling. Parental engagement is therefore a highly significant leverage point for enhancing the academic attainment and wellbeing of children and young people' (Emerson, Fear, Fox & Sanders, 2012, p. 34).

At Armstrong Creek School we place high importance on the role that strong and positive partnerships between home and school play in a child's learning and development.

One way that we work to achieve this, is through the development of our Parents And Community Club (PACC), who have (in only a short time) contributed wonderfully to our school community and assisted in creating the positive school culture that we have.

This morning it was great to see a number of new and familiar faces at the PACC welcome morning tea. More details about how to get involved in PACC and the different ways you can assist the school can be found further in the Newsletter on the PACC page. Interim PACC president, Caitlin Allen, is only too happy to answer any questions you might have about PACC and can be contact via the PACC email.

Birthdays

Birthdays are a very special and exciting time and to celebrate with friends at school is even better! At ACS we want to make sure that students having birthdays are recognised and celebrated.

Please be aware that each Learning Community will make every effort to acknowledge and make students feel special on their birthday. We do; however, ask that families do not send food, balloons (etc.) into school.

There are many reasons for this including dietary and health related considerations. It is also very complex from a school management perspective to coordinate the large number of birthdays that a Learning Community would have with up to 150 possible birthdays in the 1-2's alone!

Please be aware that the distribution of party invitations is the responsibility of families and not something to be expected of school staff.

We have committed to holding a celebration once a term to recognise all the birthday's in that term. Typically this will be done at the end of term; however, each Learning Community will inform parents of the specific arrangements closer to the time.

BYOD and Acceptable Use Agreement

All families of students in Years 3-10 received this message via Compass Newsfeed on 05/02/2020.

BYOD - Years 3-10 only

As a requirement of the BYOD Program, all families are to complete the Acceptable Use Agreement electronically via the link below: Please submit one form per child.

https://forms.gle/ouX5B556A2LfmMRp6

We ask that families read this agreement and discuss the contents with their child so that they are aware of the expectations and responsibilities they have when bringing their own devices to school.

When your child's Acceptable Use Agreement has been completed, their device will be able to be connected to the school's network and they can begin using their devices to enhance their learning.

BYOD Information on Compass

For your easy reference, you can find the BYOD Handbook and other related informaiton on Compass by clicking on the Community Icon \ School Documentation \ Parent Information \ BYOD

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the school either via email on: armstrong.creek.school@edumail.vic.gov.au or by phone on 5218 5100.

Annual Privacy Reminder

Our school collects, uses, discloses and stores student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools Privacy Policy.

Please take time to remind yourself of the school’s collection statement, found on Compass by clicking on the Community Icon \ School Documentation \ Parent Information \ Privacy

For more information about privacy, see: Schools’ Privacy Policy – information for parents. This information also available in nine community languages.

School Photos

Our school photographers, Leading Image, will be visiting Friday 14 February to take all staff and students individual photos for identification purposes only. These photos are used in Compass and Department of Education and Training databases.

Home Group Photos will be taken on June 18 and it is at this time you will have the opportunity to purchase photo packs if desired.

Enjoy a wonderful weekend everyone!

Evan Savage

Principal

Dates to Remember

February

March