Principal Update

Managing Bullying

We have recently received a small number of reports of incidents in the school which meet the definition of bullying. There is a clearly defined difference between general playground issues and behaviours that constitute bullying. 

Bullying involves repeated behaviour, creates a sense of harm or feeling unsafe (physically or emotionally), and includes an imbalance of power.

At Alphington we hold our two core rights very highly. 

• Everyone has the right to learn as much as possible, and…
• Everyone has the right to feel safe

Bullying directly impacts the right of everyone to feel safe and does not align with our shared values of Kindness, Respect and Integrity.

We address incidents of bullying in several ways but generally we follow a very tried and tested approach. This supports both perpetrators and victims of bullying, as well as educating the general student population. 

We continually explore bullying as a concept and the ways to deal with it, prevent it and report it during our school’s health and wellbeing curriculum. Teachers use a variety of resources to teach and support students in managing bullying. 

When there may be incidences of bullying occurring, we will speak with the whole year level to ensure a consistent message is provided to all. The next steps involve a proactive reminder of our expectations, consistent with our school’s behaviour processes. We then outline the steps that may follow if further concerns arise, including reminders, warnings, and, where necessary, more structured support and consequences to ensure all students feel safe.

A conversation with your child about how bullying can affect others, and what they can do if they experience or witness it, is always helpful.

2026 Ski Camp

The 2026 APS Ski Camp will run from Tuesday 21 July until Friday 24 July at Mount Buller Ski Resort.  There are limited places available for students on this camp. If oversubscribed, priority will be allocated on 1) seniority and 2) opportunity and will utilise a ballot system for selection.

With 62 Year 6 students in 2026 there is a likelihood that the number of spaces offered to Year 5 students will be minimal. However, it is imperative that we fill all 54 available spaces for the camp to be viable, so we encourage all interested students to submit an EOI.

The APS Ski Camp relies on self-funded parent volunteers for it to be a success. We require on-mountain volunteers who are capable skiers and/or snowboarders and 1-2 volunteers who are the lodge parents and organise the food preparation and delivery. Parents who wish to attend must also complete an Expression of Interest section on the form. The process for parent selection is based on ensuring a mix of genders, experience, applicable skills, and succession planning

There will be an information evening held TONIGHT - Wednesday 29 April from 

6:30-7:30pm via WebEx. It is strongly recommended that all interested families attend this session.

https://eduvic.webex.com/meet/wilkie.shane.s

Hard copies of the expression of interest forms will also be sent home on Wednesday 29 April. These will need to be returned to the school office by Friday 8 May at 9.00am. 

Somers Camp

State Primary Schools from our area have our biennial opportunity to send students from Years 5 and 6 to Somers School Camp. https://www.somersschoolcamp.org/

Somers Camp is situated on Westernport Bay, 80km from Melbourne 

DATES: 28/07/2026 to 05/08/2026

COST: $350.00 to parents

The camp provides an opportunity for social interaction between children drawn from many schools and presents a variety of challenging situations through outdoor education and contact with the local environment. The nine-day commitment is essential if the social aims are to be achieved. The District Secretary will make allocations of places for schools once interest is expressed. Based on past offers, Alphington would usually receive no more than 8-10 places at the camp. The school will implement a random selection process if the camp EOI is oversubscribed.

If you are interested in your child attending Somers Camp please complete the Expression of Interest which was attached to a Compass Post on 23 April. Please note this does not guarantee selection for this camp. The EOI is due by Friday 1 May 

2026 Student Attitudes to School Survery (AtoSS)

The 2026 Student Attitudes to School Survey (AtoSS), which all government school students in Years 4 to 12 will be invited to complete.  

The AtoSS is a voluntary student survey offered by the Department of Education every year to help schools and the department understand students' experiences of school. We will ask your child about their thoughts and feelings about their school, their learning, relationships with other students, resilience, bullying, health and wellbeing, physical activity, and life in general.

ORIMA Research Pty Ltd has been contracted by the department to manage the collection of the online survey and will provide support to schools through a telephone hotline and email.

This year, the survey will be conducted from 11th May to 12th June.

Further information will be sent to families next week via Compass, including the steps to take if you do not wish for your child to take part.

Prep 2027 Siblings

As per Lauren's compass post, Enrolment Forms for siblings starting school next year are now available and due back. Please drop into the office to collect an enrolment form or download from compass.

Have a nice week

Shane Wilkie

Principal