Dear Families,

As we get ready for Term 2 to end and school holidays to begin it's great to look back at everything we have achieved and celebrated the past ten weeks. It all started with the Grade 5 and 6s heading to Lyrebird Park Camp. The Preps went back in time to Werribee Mansion and the Grade 1 and 2s headed up into the clouds at Eureka Tower. As a whole school, we enjoyed a whacky and wonderful science incursion and challenged ourselves at the very first Albanvale Athletics Day. In amongst this, we continued our quest for excellence in learning, which you will be able to read all about in your child's reports which will be available on Compass from Friday 21 June.

Parent Teacher Conferences

We're really looking forward to hosting our Parent Teacher Conferences on Tuesday and Wednesday evening. I'd like to thank families for booking a time with your child's teacher so you can understand more about their progress and the next steps in their learning. Your involvement in these conferences is essential to foster a home-school partnership that motivates every student to achieve beyond their personal best. We also ask that your child attends the conference with you so that they can have an authentic voice to get feedback on their learning and plan where to next.

School Holidays

Term 2 comes to an end on Friday 28 June at 2:30pm. The school will reopen on Monday 15 July for Term 3. Our Patch will be running their school holiday program during this period - we have more information about this, and how to book, in the newsletter.

If you happen to be spending anytime at Watergardens Shopping Centre make sure you register your purchases with Shop for Your School. Albanvale PS was at the top of the leaderboard last weekend, but we're back down to tenth on last check.

Kicking goals inside and outside the classroom

We're really excited to be able to have Sports X offer an after school soccer program on Tuesdays in Term 3. We know how loved soccer is at Albanvale and really look forward to being able offer Albanvale students the chance to enhance their skills on the pitch.

HUGE Changes to way kids learn to read! - Or is it?

It seems like on every news channel, radio station newspaper and social media site this week there have been headlines announcing dramatic changes to the way all children will be taught to read in schools. This is on the back of Minister Carrol's announcements that the Department of Education will update its guidelines and support to schools to ensure phonics is explicitly taught in the early years. Despite what the media is publishing, phonics instruction is not a 'new thing' and is an essential feature of a high-quality reading program. At Albanvale Primary School, parents can be reassured that evidenced practices are deeply embedded and our students have benefitted from explicit instruction of synthetic phonics for over a decade. Our students know this as 'Word Work' which has which happens daily and compliments our rigorous Reading and Writing programs. We welcome the minister's announcement and look forward to having access to the latest research and support to further maximise the learning outcomes for every student. To learn more about what phonics is and what you can do to support your children, watch a 2-minute video by clicking here. Furthermore, every student at Albanvale PS has access to Reading Eggs which has access to the games and activities featured in the video. If your child cannot find their login details, please request them with the front office.

Another blockbuster Term 3 is expected this year with major events including 100 Days of Prep and LITFEST24 already pencilled in. I hope you all enjoy your last week of school and have amazing school holidays. We look forward to seeing you refreshed and ready for an incredible Term 3.

Thank you for helping us Achieve Excellence, Together.

Michael Uzunovski

Principal

School Holiday Program