A Message from David & Cam
Welcome back! We have had a really positive start to the term and everyone came back from the holidays looking refreshed and energised for the term. Term 2 is always a really busy one with a whole range of events and activities for the kids to look forward to along with the great teaching and learning programs that the teachers have put together for them. Please make sure you check out the Term 2 Curriculum Newsletter page of this newsletter to see the great things your child/ren will be learning about this term.
Term 2 Events
We have lots of exciting events and activities planned for Term 2. Further details about all of these events will be sent via Compass and future newsletters.
- Mother & Special Person's Day (8th May)- We invite all mothers and special people to attend a picnic at the school from 1:30pm - 3:15pm. You will be invited to have lunch with your children and then attend a special session in the afternoon in their class.
- Athletics Carnival & Prep - 2 Sports Day (15th May) - Our Year 3-6 students will be participating in our Athletics Carnival at Newport Athletics Track and our P-2 students will enjoy a tabloid sports/games day at school.
- Reconciliation Week (27th May - 3rd June) Theme: All In, a call for all Australians to commit wholeheartedly to reconciliation every single day. 'All In' makes clear that reconciliation is not a spectator sport and that all of us must step away from the sidelines and take action to make change.
- National Simultaneous Storytime (27th May) - AGPS is joining in the annual event where a picture book, written and illustrated by an Australian author and illustrator, is read simultaneously in libraries, schools, pre-schools, childcare centres, family homes, bookshops and many other places around the country.
- Pupil Free Day (5th June)
- Prep - 3 Swimming Program (15th - 24th June)
- School Disco (Thursday 25th July) - a fun event for the students to celebrate the end of term. Our JSC will be selecting the theme for this event and details will be published later this term.
- Excursions and Incursions - There are a range of different excursions and incursions that are being planned by the different teaching teams to support the Term 2 curriculum programs.
Strategic Plan Headline Statements
Our 5 Headline Statements:
Unconditional positive regard
How well we teach = how well they learn
High expectations
Together we are better
Every minute counts
The Headline Statement in focus for this newsletter is High Expectations:
Colour Explosion
What an amazing and fun-filled event! The Colour Explosion has once again solidified itself as one of the most fun events on the AGPS calendar. Seeing all of the students (and adults) running through the obstacle course, blasted by the foam cannon, being drenched with colour and scrambling through the jelly pit was such a joy.
This event was made possible by the hard work of many dedicated parents. We would like to acknowledge Leanne, Victoria & Daniel for their efforts throughout the whole process and to the parents who dedicated their whole day to setting up our course and helping out during the event. There was a significant amount of work behind the scenes but seeing all the smiles certainly made it all worth it!
We would also like to thank and congratulate the whole school community for their tremendous support of this event. We greatly exceeded our fundraising target and recieved $33, 611 in donations to our school! The money raised through this event will go directly to further enhancing our learning spaces with new furniture and resources. Thank you all for donating, sharing the donations page and supporting our school. It is greatly appreciated!
Slime Time!
If you attended our final Term 1 assembly you would have seen the absolute joy on all the students (and adults) faces as the Chocolate Thief got a bucket of slime poured on his head followed by a couple of bags of feathers!
Cam challenged the school community to raise $29,000 for the opportunity to slime and feather the Chocolate Thief on stage and the community responded. The absolute shock on the faces of those in the audience when Cam stepped out to help slime the thief was priceless!
Attendance
As mentioned in our most recent Wellbeing newsletter, consistent attendance is critically important for students in order to maximize their social & academic development. We would like to celebrate the fact that 68 students had 100% attendance in Term 1!
| Grade Level | Percentage of students with 100% attendance |
|---|---|
| Prep | 26% |
| Grade 1 | 14% |
| Grade 2 | 17% |
| Grade 3 | 17% |
| Grade 4 | 20% |
| Grade 5 | 4% |
| Grade 6 | 10% |
| Whole School | 16% |
Well done to the Prep cohort for having the highest percentage of students with 100% attendance! Attendance is an area that we will continue to focus on and hopefully our percentage of students with 100% attendance per term will increase over time.
As mentioned in our Wellbeing newsletter, one day absent per fortnight means that over the course of a year a student will miss 4 weeks of learning. If you have any concerns over your child's attendance, please contact Kylie or Cam.
Golden KEFAR!
During our final assembly of Term 1 we were thrilled to announce the first GOLDEN KEFAR award winners of 2026. The Golden KEFAR award acknowledges one student per cohort who has consistently demonstrated the KEFAR values across an entire term, along with showing a strong commitment to their academic & social development. The award is presented only four times per year (last assembly of each term) to illustrate to our community the significance of the award.
The Golden KEFAR award winners were presented with a special golden certificate and an amazing golden KEFAR badge. Congratulations to the following students:
| Prep | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | Year 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kiani J | Henry C | Xavier D | Melissa S | Harriet B | Maia U | Amy N |
Car parking / driving outside school
A few reminders to ensure pick up and drop off times are safe for all in our community:
- use the roundabout to turn around instead of making u-turns
- park in the parking bays and avoid double parking
- avoid parking for longer than needed
- ask children to use the pedestrian side doors to exit/enter the car safely
- do not enter the staff carpark unless picking up/dropping off at TeamKids
Furthermore, please refrain from using the disabled car parks unless you meet the criteria. Thank you for your cooperation with this.
Easter Hat Parade
The Easter Hat parade was such a joyous way to finish off a great term. The kids had a ball and they all looked fabulous! Thank you to all the people who helped design and create the hats. Congratulations also to the Easter raffle winners - there are some very lucky families out there!
A huge congratulations to our KEFAR leaders, Ezic-Dean, Amy, Ella, Besiana, Ally and Jack who hosted the parade. You all did a terrific job!
Grade 6 to 7 Transition
Cam met the Grade 6 students at the end of last term in relation to the process involved in applying for secondary schools and I know many families have been exploring secondary schools to make an informed decision for their child for 2027. To check which secondary school’s zone you are in, please go to www.findmyschool.vic.gov.au and type in your home address.
A reminder that the transition forms need to be completed and returned to your child's teacher at the latest by Friday 8th May. It is a very tight timeframe to then prepare the information for the distribution to the secondary schools so your adherence to the timeframe is greatly appreciated.
Following on from the success of last year, Laverton College are kindly opening their doors again to our Year 5 & 6 students for the 'Big Day Out' excursion. During this excursion, our students will get a taste of secondary school life and participate in a range of classes and activities, including science, P.E. and woodwork. They will also be very fortunate to have a special lunch provided to them from their canteen. We really appreciate the effort from the staff at Laverton College to put this event together for our kids and know that it will help many who may be feeling anxious during this important time.
Student Achievement
Harrison and Noah - BMX National Championships
A huge acknowledgement to Harrison and Noah for their efforts at the BMX National Championships in Shepparton over the holidays. Noah had a terrific result in the 8 Boys, finishing 8th out of 54 riders and earning selection in the Australian BMX Team for the World Titles! Harrison also represented himself really well in the 11 Boys, finishing 28th out of 73 riders. A great reward for the hard work both boys continue to put in.
We love hearing of student achievements outside of school and encourage you all to share them with our school community. Please pass on any details of any achievements to David david.king@education.vic.gov.au or the office altona.green.ps@education.vic.gov.au
2027 Prep Enrolment
If you, or someone you know, have a child starting school in 2027 please ensure you collect an enrolment form and bring it in by Friday 31st July. Please contact the office for an enrolment form or download it from our website. Due to increasing demand for places at our school, we would appreciate if you could complete the enrolment forms as soon as possible so we can start planning accordingly.
Tours are also available for any families who wish to see our school. Please see below for upcoming tour dates:
We hope you all have a great weekend!
Take care,
David & Cam