School Life @ ASPS

 Book of the Week          

From CBCA Award winning creators, Phil Cummings & Sally Soweol Han

You carry hope and future need

With careful footprint, plant the seed.

Breathe... Yes, breathe.

Embark on a lyrical, meditative journey through nature's tapestry, where every step you take leaves a legacy of wonder and protection for the environment. Explore forests and mountains, cities and fields, and animals in their natural habitats as you ponder the footprint humans have left on the Earth. 

(Allen & Unwin) 

Prep C Stick Insects

Hello ASPS community, 

As some of you may know that we have some stick insects lying around the school - particularly in a certain Prep classroom. During the Term 1 holidays, stick insects have decided to pop out of their eggs and as of the end of April, we have 39 nymphs!

If any parents, friends or other members of the ASPS community would like to purchase some of the nymphs (baby stick insects) as a low-maintenance pet, they are $5 each. The gender is unknown as they are too young to tell. 

It is fairly easy to take care of the stick insects. All you need is an insect suitable enclosure q (you can even make one out of an old fish tank with a mesh net on the top). Their food is just fresh gum leaves in a jar of water. 

If interested, please head to the Prep C classroom (opposite the library, facing the Burgess Street gate) on Mondays during the first half of recess and after school from 3.30pm to 4pm.

Available until sold out. 

Thanks,

Michelle Chong

Year 6 Unit of Inquiry (UOI) Arrival!

To kick off the term, Term 2's Year 6 Unit of Inquiry (UOI) is underway. The Unit of Inquiry provides students with the opportunity to delve into the concepts of various subjects by engaging in dialogue with teachers, fostering a deeper understanding. This term, our focus lies on the realm of Business within the How we organise ourselves transdisciplinary theme and inquiring into the central idea that "People make choices that are guided by their passions to lead and influence change." 

On April 23rd, the entire Year 6 cohort actively participated in the Passions Presentation. We brought in items from home that reflected our  individual passions. These ranged from homemade baked goods to medals earned in various competitions, showcasing the diverse interests and talents of the students. These personal passions hold the potential to evolve into entrepreneurial ventures, sparking creativity and innovation within our classroom community. As we embark on this Unit of Inquiry journey, we eagerly anticipate exploring the fundamentals of business and nurturing the entrepreneurial spirit among our students.

Year 6 Guest Business Speakers!

On April 23rd, the Year 6 students all participated in the Passions Presentation, where they would share with the rest of the cohort what they were passionate about. To inspire the students, guests who run their own businesses were brought in to share about their entrepreneurial experiences. Mr. Thabojan Rasiah, who owns a financial company and podcast, shared his passion for entrepreneurship with the students, as did Lisa, who also owned her own tech company to help others use their devices to the maximum. With their help, the Year 6 students carried out their passion presentations smoothly and confidently.

Jenica, Media Rep

Year 5 Camp Manyung

The Year 5 camp started off with an entertaining bus ride that was about an hour long. As soon as we got there, we got our luggage out of the bus and parked it on the grass. Then, we sat down under the warm sun  to eat near the meeting area, where we would be gathering for meetings on other days. 

While eating our snacks, our camp guide, Sam,  told us about the camp and some rules we should follow. Soon after, we found our cabins and timetables that told us our activity groups, what we would be doing, and what activity groups would be cleaning up after what meal.

With a positive mindset, the year fives set off to their cabins. After we had settled in, ( e.g covered our beds with our bedsheets and read our activity booklets), we set off to do some fun games and learn where everything was. One game we did was soul mate, a game where we had to find a partner who had the same sole of your shoe as you. We also played Simon Says. Then, we all gathered around the meeting area to eat lunch together. Everyone looked like they were already having an amazing time.

Time for the activities! 

The fascinating activities we did included archery, leadership challenge, risky kids, giant swing, crate climb, marine discovery and the flying fox. We're sure everyone enjoyed almost all of these amazing activities. All of these activities gave the year fives a great learning opportunity to explore the world outside of our school and get to know everyone in our year. 

Some of the activities we did weren’t  in your usual year five camp activity list. For example there was the crate climb, you climbed crates with four builders giving you more crates to stack up and climb onto. This activity helped many develop the skill of teamwork. 

In the evenings we had a fun activity planned each night. On the first night we had a movie night and on the second night we did Red Faces which also included an impromptu dance and sing along. 

All in all Year 5 camp was a blast!

By 

Fiona R

Holly S

Year 6 Guest Speakers - People Leading Action

In term 1 we had guest speakers Councilor Victor Franco and Mr Pakavakis who came to talk to us about the action they have taken on a local project and internationally.

Councillor Victor Franco spoke about his seven year long campaign for a new play space for the children of Camberwell Primary. Their mission was to turn the old vacant parking lot into a new play space for the kids, and for the public’s use after school hours and on weekends. It’s a success that we can enjoy too.

Our second speaker was one of the teachers at our school Mr Pakavakis, talked about a topic he is very knowledgeable on The Julian Assange campaign, he happens to know Julian Assange’s dad and he talked about how the BTN we had watched on Julian Assange and he told us that there were a couple of things they said were wrong. He also shared his opinion and perspective on the topic and how he thinks that Julian Assange really did nothing wrong; he was just telling the people of the world the truth. 

The speakers linked into our Sharing the Planet unit of inquiry.

Zoe W, Media Rep

Fun Run: Thursday 23 May

It’s Fun Run time again, our major fundraising event of the year. This year we are raising funds to develop and landscape the sandpit and cottage area into a beautiful interactive sand and water play indigenous garden. 

The event will be held on Thursday 23 May.  Look out for the Parent/Guardian letter in your Xuno or email inbox. 

Sign up for a Student Profile Page at https://auburnsouthfunrun.goraiseit.com.au/ 

Prizes include:

• Children who raise $100 or more by Sunday 18/5 will be in the running for a prize to be announced at the Assembly on 19/5 
• Pizza lunch for the first 3 classes to all sign up  
• Free dress day for the 3 classes who raise the most funds.

We are looking forward to seeing all students participate and being part of a great day for our school community and hope to see as many of you as possible coming down to support the kids. More information will be provided soon around volunteers on the day and the days schedule.

If you have any questions about the Fun Run, please contact the Year 3 and Year 4 Event Team at auburnsouthparents@gmail.com

Thank you for supporting the school and we hope to see you at the event!

For this event we are proudly working with Campbell Ward and Chloe Quinn from Jellis Craig: Hawthorn. 

Dads' Pizza Night: Thursday 6 June

To book tickets, please scan the QR code or use the following link:

Science Talent Search

The Science Teachers’ Association of Victoria Inc. invites all students at Auburn South Primary School to enter this year’s Science Talent Search. You may enter as an individual or as part of a group of two. You may enter into one or more of the Sections described in the handbook. : Handbook 

The school theme for National Science Week in 2024 is Species Survival- More than just sustainability.  It focuses on how scientific innovation has a role to play when ensuring the survival and thriving of different species in an everchanging world.  

Sections open to any scientific topic or theme: Experimental Research, Working Models, Inventions, Video Productions, Games, Computer Programs and Science Photography.

Once you decide the section you’d like to enter please forward the details of your entry as well as the payment in a sealed envelope to the school office by Friday 24 May.   The fee is $9.00 for individual entries and $17.00 for group (maximum 2 students) entries.

Please include the following information with your payment:

• Student First & Last Name
• Year and class
• Division - Lower, Middle or Upper
• Section - Working Model, Experimental Research, Games. Posters, Inventions, Creative Writing, Computers, Photography, Video
• Entry Title
• Single or Group Entry

For those students interested in entering the Science Talent Search this year, please fill in the below registration form and return it together with the payment by Friday 24 May: 

Camps, Excursions & Sports Fund (CSEF)

Please note that applications for this assistance close on Friday 28 June, 2024. For further information, please visit the Family Assistance page later in this newsletter.

Save The (New) Date: Winter Ball: Saturday 20 July

Volunteering at ASPS

After reviewing our current processes, we have developed a Parent/Volunteer Helper Handbook.

Going forward, all volunteers at ASPS (sporting events, classroom reading, excursions, SAKG, canteen etc.) will be required to read this handbook and return the two signed forms, along with their WWC, to the office.

Once this has occurred, then you can volunteer at ASPS.

Please find the Parent/Volunteer Helper Handbook below: