Principal Report

Congratulations!

A very big congratulations to our Student Voice Team members for 2026!

Congratulations to: From Years 3 & 4 - Masha, Sarah, Piper, Nuzaira, Celene, Siheli, Jolene, Rebecca, and Ethan S

From Years 5 & 6 - Hannah, Leonard, Thiyon, Archie, Mari, Himanshu, Chelsea, Harper, Zane.

Our Student Voice Team members were either elected to the position by their class or had to submit a written application as to why they would be good at the role.

We will soon let the community know when badges will be presented. Congratulations to you all – we cannot wait to see what you achieve!

Mini Mathematicians

Hello, we are the Mini Mathematicians, and we have been going to John Monash Science School and working on Maths. We’ve been playing games such as 24, where we have had to get to 24 with numbers between one and ten, with four numbers.

We also played “Thinking Bingo”. It is a bit like normal bingo, but you have to think!

We all enjoyed it and we learned a lot.

– Hudson, Viyon, Daniel E and Patrick

Gala Day #2 – Friday 6th March 2026

Our Year 5 & 6 students completed their second day of Term 1 interschool sports, with a few wins under their belts. Reports from other spectators were that ARPS students displayed exemplary sportsmanship on the day. During their games, when the opposition was getting upset with themselves for going out, our students encouraged them – “don’t stress, it’s just a game” and “let’s have fun!” It’s great to see ARPS students being so respectful and kind – values that we hold with high regard.

Project with Wellington Secondary College

Today, we had Mr Malcolm and two students from the VM class at Wellington Secondary College come to visit ARPS to offer their assistance in a grounds project. We took a tour of the grounds, looked at some options for a project and the students will take this information back to their VM class to determine which option is the most feasible. We are excited to hear their thoughts and look forward to working with them!

House Athletics 3-6s – 27th March – calling parent helpers!

We are asking for any parents who are available to help us with our House Athletics Day on Friday 27th March, to please contact the office. We are offering a very wide variety of athletic sports to our students and will need parent helpers to help run the different activities. Year 3-6 students are free to come to school in their house colours and we are looking forward to a fun day of healthy activity. Results from this day will contribute to our House competition but will also determine the students progressing to District Athletics. If you are able to help, please contact the office. Please don’t forget to consent and pay on Compass. We are eager for every student in Yar 3-6 to attend on the day. Thank you!

Achievement of the week

Congratulations to Isaac for achieving his Orange belt for his little dragons karate class. Amazing achievement!

Grandparents and Special Friends Day, Friday 27th March

While our Years 3-6 students will be completing their House Athletics Day, our junior student will be welcoming their grandparents and special friends into the classroom to do some special activities together. Please RSVP so we can ensure that all children have a grandparent or special friend on the day.

Fundraising meeting – 2.30pm, Wednesday 18th March

After the success of our last meeting, we are having our next Fundraising meeting on Wednesday 18th March at 2.30pm in the Function Room. If you are already part of the team, we look forward to seeing you again, and if you have not attended any of our meetings – we would love for you to come along!

Harmony Day – Friday 20th March

Each year in March, Harmony Week brings together people of all ages, cultural backgrounds and experiences to celebrate our diverse multicultural communities. This year, Harmony Week will run from Monday 16 March to Sunday 22 March. The theme, ‘Everyone belongs’, encourages inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone. Please make sure that you have consented and paid in Compass for our Multicultural Day incursion, to be held on Friday 20th March. Students are also free to come to school on this day in cultural dress.

Twilight working bee 4-6.30pm & BBQ Friday 20th March

After the huge success of our Working Bee in Term 4 last year, with so many families in attendance, we are looking forward to our Working Bee after school on Friday 20th March. It is such a great way to meet other families and work together to improve the environment for our students. At the end of the Working Bee, there will be a sausage sizzle for all attendees. Please return your form to let us know you’re coming – we hope to see you there!

Playgroup is coming to Albany Rise….From the first Monday in Term 2, the Albany Rise Primary School Playgroup will be in session! After the morning drop-off, if you have children aged 0-5years (who are not already at school), you are welcome to come to the Function Room, where we will have a variety of toys and activities set up for the children to play, and the parents/grandparents to have a cuppa and a chat. Families from outside our school community are also welcome. Gold coin donation if you can. Huge thanks to Ann Dunford, who has kindly offered to facilitate our playgroup on Monday mornings 9.30 (or a bit earlier for our school families)-10.30am during school terms.

New Strategic Plan for Albany Rise Primary School 2026-2029

As our community is aware, last year in Term 4, ARPS underwent a review that all government schools undertake every four-years. An independent reviewer, along with principals from other schools, our School Council President, Chris O’Shea, and school leadership investigated all facets of the school to determine progress against goals.

The panel felt that the school had a wonderful calm and orderly environment for our students, so our targets for the next four years centre around the implementation of the Department of Education’s Victorian Teaching and Learning Model 2.0 (VTLM 2.0) and strengthening our connection with our school community. If you are interested in learning more about the new teaching model, which is the evidenced-based, demonstrating the most up-to-date, effective delivery of curriculum for our students, please contact Jane on Jane.Capon@education.vic.gov.au Please also contact Jane if you have any suggestions about how we can further connect with our school community.

Curriculum Day Tuesday 10th March 2026

We hope that students and families enjoyed the extra-long weekend due to the Labour Day Public Holiday and our Pupil Free day. On Tuesday, ARPS staff worked on auditing their teaching practice in relation to the new VTLM 2.0, finding many are already in place. New strategies were embraced and will be implemented over coming weeks. Staff also did some work with Dana, our Wellbeing Leader, in the area of Mental Health in Primary Schools (MHiPS) and how we can best support out students and their families.

Tours

We have hit the ground running, with several tours for prospective students already completed this year. If you know of any interested families, our group tours run most Mondays at 9.30am. Please call the office for more information.

School Council Annual Report-Annual General Meeting

On Wednesday 25th March, we will hold our Annual General Meeting (AGM) at 6pm, where we will be presenting the 2025 Annual Report to the community. All Office Bearing positions will be spilled and nominations invited for office bearing positions for the new council. Following the AGM, we will hold our first meeting for the 2026/2027 School Council.

Parents are reminded that the Staff Car parks at the front and rear of the school are not for parent parking. Parents with a valid disabled pass may use the designated space at the front of the school..

Outside of School: sport or other activity -

Achievement of the Week (Repeat)We know how important physical activity and sport is for our students and to our school community, which is why we privilege time at school for PE and sport. We also know that we have some very talented students who participate in sports and activities outside of school.

We would love to celebrate their achievements! If your child has received an award or progressed to the next level of their activity outside of school (be it sporting or otherwise) , please let us know and we would love to celebrate their achievements in our newsletter. Please contact Mr Mottershead with information and a photo, or email through to our school office on Albany.rise.ps@education.vic.gov.au

Birthday Free Dress (Repeat)We know that every single day at school is important for learning and connection. Of course, we want to celebrate with our students when they have a birthday! Late last year, we introduced the practice of students coming to school in free dress on their birthday. This seems to be working very well and will be continuing this year. Students are looking forward to being at school on their birthday, and also, it is easy to spot who has a birthday to make sure they have a great day!

Thank you!

Jane Capon

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