Principal's Report

Principal Report   

Student Voice Team!

Our Student Voice Team have been very busy, working to provide opportunities for other students, as well as giving all students a voice.

Colouring competition – has closed.  Stay tuned for the winning entry!

Short story competition – has one week to go.  Please give your short story entries to your classroom teacher

Student Voice Video – students are currently editing the videos they have taken, interviewing students around the school.  This will be shown at a school assembly soon! 

New Report format

The Department of Education has updated its student reporting policy to support a more consistent statewide approach to reporting student achievement and progress. The changes are intended to make reports clearer for parents and easier for teachers to prepare. Where comments are used, they provide plain English information about what a student has learned, and the progress they have made. The updated approach will also improve the consistency of information shared when students move between schools, particularly from primary to secondary school. 

• your child's achievement level in each learning area and capability for that semester. This will be rated against a 5-point scale.
• their progress since the last report 
• a brief summary comment 
• a general rating of your child’s effort and conduct 

During the semester, you’ll get updates on your child's learning when:

• we hold parent/carer conferences to talk about achievement and progress
• we reach out to you directly. We’ll use Compass or Dojo to share important achievements or concerns

If you have any questions about these changes, please contact Jane at Jane.Capon@education.vic.gov.au

Happy birthday, Dana!

As you know, when an ARPS student has a birthday, they are able to come to school in free dress. The result of this is that some teachers now come to school in their old school uniform!  The children (and staff and parents!) are absolutely delighted by this!  Happy birthday, Dana!

Foundation 2027 Transition sessions

We had a wonderful first transition session with some of our new 2027 Foundation students last week. 

There are transition sessions for students and parent information sessions running at the same time for parents/carers. Dates are as follows:

Cricket Clinic

Now that the cricket season is upon us, our students in Foundation – Year 4 were lucky enough to have Peter from Cricket Victoria come out and run some cricket clinics in our PE sessions this week.  Peter promoted the Mulgrave Cricket Club and the children thoroughly enjoyed this experience.  Thank you, Peter, and thanks Mr M for organising. 

Student Achievements

I am delighted to share that the following students participated in the Chang’s Cup Taekwondo Competition and achieved fantastic results.

Siheli  – Year 3/4R

• 🥇 Gold Medal – Sparring
• 🥇 Gold Medal – Speed Kicking
• 🥈 Silver Medal – Jumping High Front Kick

Aashaya  – Year 3/4R

• 🥇 Gold Medal – Jumping High Front Kick
• 🥈 Silver Medal – Sparring

Congratulations to the following students for completing the Melbourne Mini Marathon:

• Siheli  –      Year 3/4R
• Nuthara  – Year 1/2M
• Aashaya –  Year 3/4R

We are very proud of their achievement.

Don’t forget your hat!

As the weather heats up and the UV rating increases, schools are ensuring that when students are outside, they are wearing hats.  Students who don’t have a hat will be asked to sit in a shaded area.  We encourage all students to make sure their hat is in their bag and encourage sunscreen and sunglasses, too!

Moving away in 2027?

We ask that you let us know if you are moving and your child will be transferring to another school in 2027. We require this information as soon as possible to establish classroom structures for the start of the new school year. If your child is currently in F-5 and will not be at ARPS in 2027, please notify the school office or email as soon as possible. Thank you. 

Taking Photos at School

It is lovely to be able to look back at your child’s primary school journey through photos. We remind parents that while at school (assemblies, sports days, etc.) you are only able to take photos of your own child.  Taking photos of other children without express permission from that parent (particularly if posting online) is not allowed. We thank you for your cooperation. 

Playgroup at Albany Rise! 

The Albany Rise Primary School Playgroup is officially in 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 parents/grandparents are welcome 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 9.15 -10.30am during school terms. 

Tours

 If you know of any families who would like to see our school in action, we offer group tours, which run on most Mondays at 9.30am. We can also offer individual tours at other times. Please call the office for more information. 

Toys at ARPS 

We know how important play at lunchtime and afternoon recess is for our students.  However, towards the end of last term, we noticed more and more, that students were bringing personal toys to school. These items became a distraction in class, and a cause for distress in the playground, as items were lost and broken and causing many disputes and misunderstandings.  These issues were then spilling into the classroom, with teachers spending valuable learning time on solving these issues. Therefore, with the exception of balls, we are asking parents for their support in ensuring that all other toys are left at home.  If you have any queries around this, please do not hesitate to contact Jane on Jane.Capon@education.vic.gov.au

Brain Food 

We know how important healthy eating is for learning! For some school children, the only time of the day that they eat fresh fruit and/or vegetables is during Brain Food time at school. For this reason, Brain Food time is privileged for fruit and vegetables only (this does NOT include fruit juices or other food).   This is something that most schools practice each day, sometime between 9am and lunch time (11.30am).  We thank you for your support of this initiative. 

Outside of School: sport or other activity - Achievement of the Week 

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

Jane Capon