A Message from David & Cam
Novel Studies
Across AGPS, we are using novel studies to place quality texts at the centre of our English learning. Novel studies are a way for students to engage closely with the text, developing their understanding through discussion, questioning, vocabulary, writing and responding to what they have read.
Through our novel studies, students are building their vocabulary, knowledge and comprehension while discussing characters, ideas and themes and making connections to the world around them. They also provide great opportunities for students to talk about what they are reading, share their thinking and respond to the text through reading and writing.
A big thank you to our school community for your support of our fundraising efforts. The money raised in 2025 has been used to purchase sets of quality novels for our classrooms, allowing more students to experience rich, engaging literature as part of their learning.
We want our students to experience great books while developing the skills and knowledge they need to become confident readers. It has been fantastic to see the depth of the conversations happening in classrooms as students become immersed in their novels.
Here are the current books being studied across the school:
Prep
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4/5
Year 6
Prep
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4/5
Year 6
Book Week
Book Week is next week! We are very much looking forward to the range of activities planned with a highlight being the dress-up parade being held at 9:15am on Friday 21st August under Gumbuya. This is always a great event and a lot of fun for the whole community. We encourage younger siblings to also get dressed up and join in on the fun!
Here is a full overview of the week:
NAPLAN Results
This week, the state results were released for the NAPLAN tests that were conducted earlier this year. We are very proud of our students and their results. As you can see in the below table, the percentage of our students in both Grade 3 and Grade 5 whose results placed them in the 'Exceeding' or 'Strong' categories are really strong when compared to the state averages. These are terrific results for our students and align with the other school data sets that we collect that highlight the strong academic standards of our school and the growth of our students.
Grade 3 | AGPS | State |
|---|---|---|
Reading | 80% | 69% |
Writing | 88% | 78% |
Numeracy | 74% | 67% |
Grade 5 | AGPS | State |
|---|---|---|
Reading | 80% | 74% |
Writing | 61% | 73% |
Numeracy | 79% | 71% |
Student-Led Lunchtime Clubs
Our Term 3 lunchtime clubs are underway, providing students with opportunities to play, connect, learn and lead.
Our School Captains have been working with students to organise and support the clubs, giving students the chance to develop their leadership skills while creating fun opportunities for others.
With clubs including STEM, games, sports, art, drama, board games and Maths Olympiad, there is something for everyone.
Well done to all the students who have put their hands up to lead and support a club. It is fantastic to see our students taking ownership and helping create great lunchtime experiences for others!
Here are the clubs for Term 3:
A Garden Update from Liam
Hello Everyone,
This is my first newsletter update from the garden. For those that do not know, I started this role at the beginning of the year. So far it has been an enjoyable learning curve for me. I’ve been learning some technical knowledge of gardening as well as learning the systems and organisation required. I would like to thank all the volunteers who have come in. It has been helpful to me, and it also is lovely to have the wider school community involved and a part of what the students do here at AGPS.
Here is a little taste of some of the things going on.
In Week 5 we had the Prep cohort come to a garden session with their class for the first time. The students had a go at planting a brand-new seed and will hopefully be able to see the progress of it germinating over the first 2-3 weeks. They also had the opportunity to feed the worms and even hold the worms! Each class learnt a fact about worms at the end about how many eyes they have.
Earlier in the term during a Grade 4/5 session, some of the students were watering the garden. As they were watering the nasturtium plant, they noticed that the leaves were dry immediately after watering. The students asked me why and I did not have an answer for them. From my perspective, this was a great opportunity for us all to learn, and I would like to encourage all the students to ask questions they have during gardening sessions. It will help me to learn as well!
Since then, I have conducted a little research and discovered the answer. It is called the ‘Lotus Effect’. See the poster below to learn more about it.
At the moment when you walk past the garden you can see things growing such as cabbage, beans, broccoli, oregano, mint, vietnamese mint, lemons, and more. One more I wanted to point out and encourage you to check out is the bunch of bananas growing on one of the banana trees. It is something you do not see a lot of in Melbourne, and I think it is pretty special to see in our garden here.
Liam - Garden Teacher
Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey
WE WANT OUR PARENTS / CAREGIVERS / GUARDIANS TO TELL US WHAT THEY THINK!
Our school is conducting the annual Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey offered by the Department of Education and is seeking your feedback. The survey is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate, student behaviour, and student engagement. The survey is optional, but we encourage and appreciate your participation.
Our school will use the survey results to assist in identifying areas for improvement and professional development needs in the school, to target school planning and improvement strategies.
The Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey will be open online until Monday 17 August 2026.
The survey will be conducted online, only takes 20 minutes to complete, and can be accessed at any convenient time within the survey period on desktop computers, laptops, tablets or smartphones. The online survey will be available in English and 10 other languages including Arabic, Greek, Hakha Chin, Hindi, Japanese, Punjabi, Simplified Chinese, Somali, Turkish, and Vietnamese.
It is a really important data set for us as we plan for further improvements to our school. The survey was completed by a large percentage of parents and carers last year and all of that data was used when planning our Annual Implementation Plan.
Information about this survey will be sent via Compass and we encourage as many people as possible to take the time to respond.
We hope you have a great weekend.
Take care,
David & Cam