A Message from David & Cam...

We cannot believe that the holidays begin tomorrow and we are about a quarter of the way through 2024 already! It has been a wonderfully busy term filled with many events and activities for our kids to enjoy and we are so proud of all that our students have achieved.

Our teachers had their planning days last week in preparation for Term 2. You can read all about the great programs they have planned in the 'Term 2 Curriculum Newsletter' section of this newsletter.

Easter Hat Parade

The Easter Hat parade this morning was such a joyous way to finish off a great term. The kids had a ball and they all looked fabulous! Thank you to all the people who helped design and create the hats. Congratulations also to the Easter raffle winners - there are some very lucky families out there! Thanks to Leanne and Meagan for organising the raffle. It was a great success.

A huge congratulations to our KEFAR leaders, Isabelle, Sophia, Kabir & Amelia who hosted the parade. You all did a terrific job!

School Council

The new school council for 2024 met for the first time last week. We welcomed Ben O'Brien, Kevin Miller and Greg Abson as first-time members of the Altona Green council as well as welcoming back Fiona Holmesby. We also appointed office bearers for 2024. The full school council for 2024 is as follows:

Parent Category

• Victoria Reynolds - President
• Haley Ballingall - Vice-President
• Melissa McVay - Secretary
• Fiona Holmesby
• Tom Brockbank
• Ben O'Brien
• Greg Abson
• Kevin Miller

School Employee

• Cameron Andrews
• Amy McFarlane
• Zach Mullenger
• Ainsley Gravett 
• David King

Harmony Week

Last week the whole school celebrated our diversity through a range of activities for Harmony Week:

Bake Sale

We started the week with a highly successful bake sale. Students, parents and other community members were spoilt for choice at the bake sale with a vast array of baked goods that were on offer. It was really lovely to see the support for this event and a reminder of how great our community is. Thank you to Leanne for coordinating this and to the many, many families who took the time to bake all the wonderful goodies!

JSC Harmony Day

Sarah Myers and the JSC planned a fun-filled day with a range of activities that were designed to be inclusive for all students. This included skipping, chalk drawing, Harmony Day colouring and drawing, bracelet making and a dance party under Gumbuya. They aimed to have everyone in our school be gifted a friendship bracelet and it certainly seemed as though they were successful! This was such a great day - thanks so much JSC & Sarah!

Dress Up Day

We also finished the week with a whole school dress up. Students and staff came in either orange (the colour of Harmony Day) or items of clothing to represent their cultural heritage. This prompted many discussions about our diversity as well as promoting inclusion and helping us celebrate the individuals that make up our great community.

Wellbeing over the School Holidays

School holidays are a time for families to spend quality time together, however, holidays can also be a challenging time for some students for a variety of reasons. The below link is a factsheet from the Department of Education that provides tips and resources for parents, carers and families to support the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people in their care during the school holidays.

https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/school/Wellbeing%20Support_Factsheet_ParentsandCarers.pdf

School Photos

School photo day is on the 1st May. Please see the attached flyer to book your child's photos online. Please note that sibling photos must be booked prior to the day.

Interschool Sports Update

This year's wonderful grade 6s competed in the 2024 summer interschool sports. Basketball, hockey and cricket were all played on the 22nd, while tennis and t-ball were played on the 27th. Everyone is super proud of the Year 6s and would like to thank the teachers who helped organise the events.

• Basketballers did an exceptional job. Boys A came first and qualified for the next round. Boys B came 2nd winning every game except against the Boys A team. Girls came 3rd winning the final game over AMPS.
• Hockey played triumphantly and took home 1st place, progressing to the next stage.
• Cricket played fairly and in the last nail-biting game they gave an effort worthy of the test team. They won a close game over Queen of Peace, coming 3rd.
• T-ball on the Wednesday played outstanding giving their all to progress to the next stage. And with great determination, t-ball finished in equal first place.
• Playing on the same day as t-ball, red ball tenning competed against many different schools playing a total of 24 matches. After a long, tough day, Altona Green proudly finished 3rd overall.

-Connor, Jensen, Harriet & Georgia (AGPS School Captains)

Remaining Pupil Free Days for 2024

The following dates have been approved by School Council as Pupil Free Days:

• Friday 24th May
• Friday 26th July
• Monday 4th November

Please record these dates in your diary. TeamKids will offer their services on these days if there are enough students enrolled. Please book early to confirm your child's position in the program.

We hope you have a great holiday period and are able to rest, relax and enjoy the time with your family and friends. Thanks for a great term!

Take care,

David & Cam