Principal's Report

Principal Report

Parent Teacher ‘Meet and Greet’ sessions

It has been lovely to see so many families engaging with teachers at school during our first 'whole school' afternoon of Parent/Carer/Teacher meet and greet sessions yesterday. This is a dedicated time to establish home-school relationships and to share information about our students. This vital opportunity for teachers assists staff to gain an even better understanding of each individual student's needs, and for our staff to share important information regarding routines, expectations, available supports and learning extension options. 

I do hope EVERY family takes the time to meet with teachers during the two available afternoons, or alternatively, communicate with your child's teacher to book an alternative time.

Parent Teacher ‘Meet and Greet’ session remaining:

Thursday 27th  February

‘Meet and Greet’ Interviews

Parents of students from Year 1 - 6

Thursday 27th  February

Foundation Information & Welcome BBQ

3.30p.m.

Link to Book: https://albanyrise-ps-vic.compass.education/

As partners, we share the responsibility for our children’s success and want you to know that we will do our very best to carry out our responsibilities, asking that you guide and support your child’s learning by ensuring: 

1. Attendance at school daily and arrival on time, ready for the morning’s instruction 
2. Daily reading to develop a love for literature and to improve critical language skills 
3. Completion of all homework assignments given by teachers 
4. Sharing school experiences with you so that you are aware of school life 

Working together we can achieve great results. In any given year we provide many opportunities for parent involvement within the school.

There are many ways to be actively involved in school life, whether it volunteering for camps, Uniform Shop or Canteen; being a member of School Council (have you considered nominating for election) or participating as a Class Representative to assist Parents’ Club (who do such an amazing job of raising funds for the school and creating a caring culture with numerous events). 

Staffing News

After more than 25 years at Albany Rise Primary School, our beloved Office Manager, Janine Wilson will be taking extended leave commencing from Term 2, 2025.  Janine will be taking time to enjoy her role as a grandparent for the remainder of this year and into early next year. Janine may enjoy her time away so much, that we are not sure if she will be back at all in 2026.

I encourage our families to take some time to send Janine a message or drop in to the office over the remaining weeks during Term 1, to wish Janine all the best on her adventures beyond ARPS.

SSG meetings- what are they and who is involved

Student Support Group (SSG) meetings are held every term for various students and their families. The meetings involve the Assistant Principal (as facilitator), the classroom teacher, parents/carers and the student. SSG meetings aim to support students and their support group in setting, monitoring and and celebrating the achievement of personal learning goals across broad areas of the curriculum, including social and emotional learning, academic learning and personal management skills.

SSG meetings are arranged for students from Foundation to Year 6 to support Disability and Inclusion practices, for students with a range of needs, including medical, social, diagnosed disabilities and more. The meetings are held over 4 days each term, with substantial planning in the coordination of staff, parents and students attending the scheduled meetings. Each meeting takes 30 minutes.

Our administration, staff and leadership team appreciate the time and effort of parents/carers in attending and engaging in SSG meetings at the times scheduled, understanding the time and effort of staff and students in preparing for these meetings.

Policy Updates and access online

Each month, our Education Sub-Committee (members of School Council) meet to discuss updates and revisions to policies and practices across the school. Policies can range from 'Dogs and Animals in the school Yard' to 'Working with Children Clearance' processes. 

Some policies are guided by the Department of Education directives, other policies are developed and endorsed directly from School Council (such as the Dress Code and Uniform policy).

All of our revised policies are brought to School Council each month for discussion and endorsement. After each meeting, policies are then updated on our School Website: https://albanyrise-ps.vic.edu.au/about-us/policies/

Parent input is regularly sought regarding our policies (such as our recent Child Safety and Wellbeing policy). I encourage parents/carers to take the opportunity to provide feedback on our school policies, so that the Education Sub-committee can include parent/carer input in policy development.

Year 3-6 House Cross Country competition

Our year 3-6 students will all be taking part in our House Cross Country (running/walking) event on Friday 28th February. Students will be walking with their teachers and classes to Southern Reserve in the morning to take part. Students will be taking their hats, water bottles and will be wearing their House Colours (red- Freeman, blue-Fraser, green-Bradman, yellow-Perkins).

Parents/carers are encouraged to come along and 'cheer on' students as well as act as support for teaching staff along the running route. Please contact Nick Fergus (PE teacher) if you are able to assist.

School Council – election update

At the close of nominations on Tuesday 11th February @ 4pm, two staff nominations and six parent nominations were received for School Council.

As the number of parent nominations was greater than the number of positions, we have  an election in the parent member category. The timeline is indicated below:

Election information and ballot papers were sent home on Tuesday 18th February 2025 and must be returned to the ballot box by Tuesday 25th February 2025 by 4pm.

How to vote

1. Electronic or digital ballot papers cannot be used.
2. Parents/Carers have received ballot papers together with two envelopes to each voter
3. Each voter must complete a ballot paper by placing a mark next to the name of each candidate standing for election for whom the voter wishes to vote, up to the number of vacant positions (no more then 4). To cast a vote, the voter must:

• Deliver, or arrange delivery of, the completed ballot paper to the school between the hours of 8.00am and 4.00pm on any school day up to and including the day fixed for the closure of the ballot, and place the completed ballot paper in a blank envelope, and

1. place the blank envelope in another envelope with the voter’s name and address written on it and deliver the envelope to the person authorised to receive and register the votes at the office, or
2. place the completed ballot paper in a blank envelope in the ballot box provided at the office and admin staff will record the voter’s name and address in the register of voters;

OR

• Post the vote by:

1. placing the completed ballot paper in a blank envelope; and
2. placing the blank envelope in a second envelope with the voter’s name and address printed on the back of this envelope; and
3. posting the envelope to the principal so as to reach the principal by 4.00pm on the day of the closure of the ballot. Anybody who wishes to use a postal vote should ensure that their vote is posted in time to reach the school by 4.00pm on the closing date of the ballot.

Note: no campaign literature in support of candidates or groups of candidates may be distributed or posted in the school. No school resources, whether human or material, may be used to support particular candidates or groups of candidates.

Information will be provided in the documentation sent home next week. Please contact the office if you have any questions on 9547 1146.

Because great teachers change children’s lives – Teaching Awards nominations open from 3 March to 8 April 2025.  

Nominations for the 2025 Schools Plus Teaching Awards supported by Commonwealth Bank will soon be open! 

Each year, national education non-profit Schools Plus with the support of some of Australia’s leading philanthropists chaired by David Gonski AC, and in partnership with Commonwealth Bank celebrates inspirational teachers who are making a transformative impact on children and school communities around Australia. 

Twelve outstanding teachers or school leaders receive a prestigious $20,000 Teaching Fellowship, including $10,000 for their school and participation in a unique 12-month professional learning program. 

The program features a 1.5-day collaboration workshop, master classes, and networking opportunities to expand their leadership capabilities. They will also attend the 2025 Teaching Awards ceremony at Parliament House in Canberra and join our growing alumni network of over 120 educators driving positive change in schools across Australia. 

From new teachers to experienced educators making a real difference in the lives of our children, we want to recognise and celebrate them. Nominate an outstanding teacher or apply yourself from 3 March to 8 April 2025. Visit schoolsplus.org.au/awards. 

REPEAT REMINDER: NAPLAN commences Wednesday 12th March – Year 3 & 5

NAPLAN is a national literacy and numeracy assessment that students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sit each year. It is the only national assessment all Australian students have the opportunity to undertake. As students progress through their school years, it’s important to check how well they are learning the essential skills of reading, writing and numeracy. 

NAPLAN assesses the literacy and numeracy skills that students are learning through the school curriculum and allows parents/carers to see how their child is progressing against national standards and over time.  

Our 2025 NAPLAN assessments for students in Year 3 and 5 are scheduled for Term 1 this year. All of the assessments this year are occurring online, except for Year 3 Writing which was a handwritten assessment.

For students who may be absent on the day of the assessment, we are arranging ‘catch up’ tests during the testing period, so students should be able to take part in all assessments, despite short term absences or illness. 

This is the schedule for NAPLAN at ARPS.

Parents or Carers who would like more information about NAPLAN can follow this link:

https://nap.edu.au/docs/default-source/default-document-library/naplan-information-brochure-for-parents-and-carers.pdf

Annual privacy reminder for our school community

Our school collects and uses student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy Policy and the Schools’ Privacy Collection Notice.

Our Photographing, Filming and Recording Students Policy describes how we collect and use photographs, video and recordings of students. The policy also explains when parent consent is required and how it can be provided and withdrawn. 

We ask parents to also review the guidance we provide on how we use Google Workspace for Education safely at the school and what parents can do to further protect their child’s information. If after reviewing the guidance, you have any questions or concerns regarding your child using Google Workspace for Education, please contact the school.

For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ privacy policy: information for parents. This information is also available in ten community languages:

• Amharic
• Arabic
• Chinese
• Dari
• Gujarati
• Mandarin
• Somali
• Sudanese
• Turkish
• Urdu
• Vietnamese

“Quality Beginnings Celebration Morning” 

Judy Drew

Principal