Acting Assistant Principal Update

Term 2 Professional Learning Communities (PLC)

At APS our PLCs are a proven way for us to increase student learning by creating a culture that is:

• Focused on continuous improvement by linking student needs with teacher practice.
• Committed to professionalism and the rigorous analysis of student data.

• Fuelled by collaborative expertise.

   

With changes to our meeting schedule, our teaching teams have had the flexibility to choose their own PLC focus for Term 2. Following our work refining the Alphington PS Instructional Model, teams are aligning their practice with the VTLM 2.0 (Victorian Teaching and Learning Model) in ways that best suit their students.

Some teams are exploring the ‘Supported Application’ phase, focusing on building mastery, revising and reviewing. Others are refining ‘Explicit Teaching’ strategies, such as modelled explanations, or enhancing how we monitor progress. Our School Improvement Team (SIT) meets fortnightly to drive this work, and we will come together in Week 10 to celebrate our findings.

Education Week: Open Morning

Monday 18th of May, 9:00 am – 10:30 am

We are excited to host our Education Week Open Morning next week, with a special focus on showcasing Literacy at APS.

The morning will begin at 9:00 am in the gym with an introduction for current and prospective families. From 9:15 am, our Year 6 student leaders will escort guests to classrooms to see learning in action. Visitors will have the opportunity to observe our explicit teaching model, ‘I Do, We Do, You Do’ and even participate in interactive literacy activities alongside the students.

At 10:00 am, we invite interested families to the Staff Centre for an optional session on VTLM 2.0 Literacy to learn more about how we approach reading and writing at Alphington. Grandparents and family friends are more than welcome; we know how much our students love sharing their learning space with loved ones!

District Cross Country

On Friday the 15th of May, 55 students will represent APS at the District Cross Country. Our athletes will compete across the 10, 11, and 12-year-old age groups. We wish the team the best of luck, run hard and enjoy the day!

Key Reminders

• Professional Practice Day (Student-Free Day): Thursday 21 May.
• Prep 2027 Enrolments: We are receiving significant interest from ‘out of zone’ families, which is a testament to our fantastic students and facilities. If you have a sibling starting in 2027, please submit your enrolment form to the office to assist with our future planning.

Enjoy your week

Luke Kleinig

Acting Assistant Principal

Message from Shane 

Excursion and Incursion Levy Reminder:

As we move towards the middle of Term 2, many year levels have already participated in excursions and incursions, with several additional extracurricular events still to come throughout the year.

Incursions and excursions are valuable user-pays experiences that complement and enrich the Victorian Curriculum program provided to all students. These opportunities allow students to engage in authentic, hands-on learning experiences beyond the classroom and are planned and costed through the annual Incursion/Excursion Levy.

For 2026, the levy is $180 per student. This contribution supports a wide range of activities and events across the school, including:

• transport to senior swimming and athletics carnivals 
• contributions towards junior and senior concerts 
• year level incursions and excursions 
• educational visits to locations such as the Zoo, Aquarium, ACMI, Melbourne Museum and the Royal Botanic Gardens. 

At present, we have received approximately 60% of levy payments for 2026. To ensure your child can continue to participate in these planned activities and experiences, we ask families to please finalise payment of the levy as soon as possible.

Payments can be made:

• via the Compass Pay facility 
• over the phone through the school office 
• in person at the office.  

We understand that circumstances can vary for families, and payment plans are available. Families requiring support are encouraged to contact the school office to discuss suitable arrangements.

We thank our families for their ongoing support in providing these enriching opportunities for all students.

AEU Industrial Action:

The AEU has a half day stop work scheduled for Wednesday 20 May. Previous half day stop works for other regions were cancelled until May 18 as negotiations progressed. Should the action set for May 20 proceed, Alphington Primary School will only be able to provide a modified supervised program for students whose families are essential workers. Normal school operations will commence from 12:38pm on the day of the planned action.  Further information will be provided in a Compass Post should the stop work proceed. 

Shane Wilkie

Principal