Assistant Principal Update

Hello everyone,

I hope you have been able to enjoy the beautiful sunshine today. Another jam-packed week at APS which kicked off with the book week performances on Monday. Today I am at the Banyule Division Athletics, tomorrow we have a team of 23 Year 5/6 students heading off with Jessie N to a chess tournament and on Friday all Year 6 interschool sports teams will be competing in Ivanhoe interschool sports finals.

Meerkat Productions – CBCA book performances

On Monday all students attended performances of 2023 CBCA book of the year nominations. Students in Prep -2 watched the performance of ‘Frank’s Red Hat’ while 3-6 watched an interpretation of Zana Fraillon’s ‘The Way of the Dog’.

Learner Dispositions

For the past 18 months we have been researching and exploring the concept of Learner Dispositions, with the goal of introducing the concept across the APS community to support and develop student agency within learning. Learner dispositions are defined as relatively enduring learning behaviours that shape the ways in which students engage with learning. Students with a productive disposition believe that learning is worth the effort and the more effort they put in, the stronger or more proficient they become.

At APS our five learner dispositions are the characteristics or mental tools someone has when approaching learning. Over the coming weeks we will be implementing a whole school approach to introduce the 5 APS Learner Dispositions. This will include items at assembly, further information in the newsletter and students explicitly learning about each disposition within their classrooms.

Term 4 Planning

Year level teams are currently developing the Term 4-unit plans for English, mathematics, inquiry, and wellbeing. Our term 4 inquiry units will focus on the design and digital technologies curriculum. However, we are also focusing on integrating several curriculum subjects with our technology units to create real -life, authentic learning experiences which engage students by allowing voice and agency within their learning.

Wellbeing - Decode Lite Program

Murdoch Children's Research Institute have partnered with Education Perfect to evaluate a new Mental Health Literacy program called Decode Mental Health & Wellbeing. Decode is a high-quality, evidence-based program for students and teachers. It is the only engaging, curriculum-aligned program of its type offering entertainment-led learning, powered by research from Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. 

In Term 4 students in Years 5 & 6 will pilot the Decode Lite program – Featuring the same modules, topics and evidence-based research as the full series, Decode Lite distils the ley learnings and is delivered in a streamlined format over 4 weeks. Delivered by class teachers, the program is being led by Jessie Neil.

• What is mental health?
• Inside the brain
• Emotions and feelings
• Who’s on my team?

As part of the pilot program students Jessie and the Year 5/6 students involved will evaluate the program with a goal of full implementation as part of our wellbeing program in 2024. 

Parents of students in year 5/6 have received further information about the program, however if any other APS members would like more details, please contact the school.

Brick to the Future 

Things are progressing well in the Year 2-6 production. On Monday 11 September we will hold a whole school run through in the gymnasium, and then on Thursday we will do a rehearsal at the PAC at Ivanhoe Girls Grammar. Details of this event will come through Compass. There is no payment required but parents will be required to give consent for their child to travel via bus. 

All classes have finalised costumes, and you should have received information from your class teacher about what is required from home. Please contact your child's teacher if you have any questions regarding costumes.

Tickets for the performance are on sale now through TryBooking, until Friday 8 September. Tickets are $20 each for adults and $15 for concessions. There is a 2 ticket per family limit to ensure all students can secure tickets for the 500-capacity venue. As of today, there are just over 100 tickets remaining. 

All the best

Shane Wilkie

Assistant Principal