A Message from David & Cam...

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.

Regional Netball

Our 5/6 netball team competed at the Regional Netball Tournament last Friday in Geelong. This was a huge day for the team with a series of games against high quality teams from all around western metro region. The girls played brilliantly and came joint 6th out of 9 teams.

We are very proud of the achievement of the girls to reach this level of competition. We are also so proud of their commitment to improving the team. They trained every recess and lunch and practised, planned and prepared with every spare minute they had!

A huge thank you to Fiona for coaching the team and to the dedicated parents who supported the team through all stages of competition. Thank you also to Sarah Martin for coaching the team during lunchtime.

2/3 Incursion

Our very lucky 2/3 students had some very exciting visitors join them in the classroom recently. During the recent Reptile Encounters incursion, students had the opportunity to observe and interact with a range of reptiles and animals including snakes, crocodiles, insects and frogs. This was a great hands-on, interactive and educational program which complements the other curriculum programs that the students are currently engaged in.

Principals' day

Last Friday was Principals' Day and we were invited to go to each classroom where we were presented with kind words, gifts and a mound of really creative and thoughtful cards and books that were made for us by the students along with some very kind words by our staff.

The level of effort that the students and staff put in for us was incredibly touching. We love what we do, love being a part of this wonderful school and feel so grateful and privileged to be able to work with all of our special young people and caring staff every day. 

Some things we learnt about ourselves when reading the cards/books:

• If Cam could go on a holiday he would visit Chocolate Sports Land
• If Cam was a superhero, he:
  • would make Carlton win every game
  • would turn anything he touches into chocolate
• Cam could get around faster if had a chocolate helicopter
• David would win gold at the Olympics for...
  • being at assembly the most times out of everyone
  • attending events that he didn't have to go to
  • eating cheese, especially the disgusting ones
• David loves dressing up. Here are some costume ideas for him...

Christmas in (almost) July Trivia Night

Last Friday, we held our Christmas in (almost) July Trivia Night. The night was a great success! The gym looked fantastic and we loved how everyone got into the spirit of the night with their festive costumes. Congratulations to the winning team who scraped the lead by 1 point!

The event was a great way for parents and carers to meet each other and have some kid-free fun. It was also a great fundraiser for us as we get ever closer to our fundraising target. The event raised around $5000! Thank you to Meagan, Anna and their team of dedicated parents who organised the night - all your effort was worth it!

Student Achievement

Spartan - Oliver, Ethan and Charlotte

A number of our students participated in the recent Spartan Race held in Werribee. This was 3km race with a range of different obstacles to keep things interesting!  All of the students who participated commented about how much fun it was. Great work, Oliver, Ethan, Charlotte and any other student who challenged themselves with this race!!

Camps

Our three school camps are rapidly approaching and the excitement amongst students and staff is growing by the day! The camp organisers for each camp are in the midst of finalising the organisational aspects of the camps and we thank them for their commitment in ensuring our camps run as smoothly as possible. 

It is extremely important that all medical and dietary information is completed accurately with all of the key information included and returned to your class teacher in a timely manner. If you have any questions about the camp that your child is attending, please see your classroom teacher or Cam. We can't wait!

FoodBank

Olivia, Olivia, Lily and Josie have organised another food drive this year to support Foodbank. This is the 3rd year that the girls have arranged the food drive and each year they have collected large amounts of food that get distributed to those who need it most. The girls have been motivated to support Foodbank after they learnt about many people struggling to have enough to eat every day.

Thank you to those who have donated food already. Collections are still being accepted until tomorrow evening and can be dropped off at Sarah Martin's classroom. Sarah and the girls will take the food to FoodBack in the near future.

We are so proud of the girls and the kindness they have shown towards others. Well done, girls - you have made a wonderful difference to so many people

Hobsons Bay Junior Council

Last Friday, Loretta and the school captains took a trip to Altona. We went to a Junior Councillor meeting in the council chambers where we met the deputy mayor of Hobsons Bay, Pamela Sutton-Legaud. 

The meeting commenced and Altona Green was the first school to speak. I shared that I would like to see a sporting equipment exchange set up for Hobsons Bay to give more kids access to different sports. I was quite relieved once I finished speaking! The speaking role slowly migrated its way around the room, each person stating what was happening in their school and what they thought could be improved around Hobsons Bay. 

Afterwards, we were treated to popcorn and fruit. We climbed on the bus and made our way back to school. 

We'd like to thank Loretta for coming with us and helping out during the day.

-Connor

Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey

WE WANT OUR PARENTS / CAREGIVERS / GUARDIANS TO TELL US WHAT THEY THINK!

Our school is conducting a survey to find out what parents / caregivers / guardians think of our school. The Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey is an annual survey offered by the Department of Education that is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate, student behavior, and student engagement. The survey is optional but we encourage all families to participate. Our school will use the survey results to help inform and direct future school planning and improvement strategies. 

All families are invited to participate in the survey.

The Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey will be open until Friday 30th August 2024.

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 was sent via Compass and we encourage as many people as possible to take the time to respond.

We hope you all have a great weekend!

Take care,

David & Cam