This is it! We are down to the final week of school in the most bizarre year that we have all experienced. It feels a lifetime ago when no-one knew what a Webex was, the word 'unprecedented' was used sparingly, Lisa was the principal at AGPS and we actually thought it would be our decision to postpone the fete!

Whilst the start of the year feels forever ago, this term has flown by! We have been very busy recently with prep transition, step-up days, Christmas fun day, teacher and room allocations, the prep information evening, school tours (finally!), planning and preparation for the year 6 graduation and sleepover and welcoming new staff and students. It is an exciting (and tiring) time of year but we know that the effort put in ensures that we are set up for success for 2021 and that all classes can have a positive and joyous end to the year with their teachers, support staff and classmates.

Farewell

It is this time each year where we need to farewell staff as they forge their paths away from Altona Green Primary. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the following staff and acknowledge their wonderful contributions to the Altona Green community.

Andrea Hardwick

Andrea joined us this year (and what a year!) and stepped in as one of the Year 1/2 team leaders. Andrea very quickly adapted to our school and built many great relationships with the students, staff and parents. Andrea has been promoted to Learning Specialist at Riverbend Primary which will be a rewarding and challenging position and we wish her all the successes there and in the future.

Ben Webb

Ben joined us during 2016 and has become a very popular teacher amongst students, staff and parents. He stepped into the P.E. role this year and has done a great job through the difficulty of remote learning. Ben always enters the school with positivity, energy and enthusiasm and I am sure Riverbend Primary are delighted to have Ben on board next year.

Pennie Hazell

Pennie has been a highly valued member of Altona Green since 2017 where she has worked as a class teacher in the upper year levels and as a Literacy Learning Specialist. In this role, she worked extensively with many teachers and students to lift literacy standards and achieved great success. This year she became the Art teacher and delivered a wonderful program both onsite and remotely. Pennie has also joined Riverbend Primary and we wish her all the best there.

Teagan Lane

The cries of 1000 preppies could be heard when it was announced that Teagan was leaving us. Teagan joined Altona Green in a Literacy Coaching role and class teacher in 1/2 and has since been a prep teacher and team leader. Teagan has built wonderful relationships with all members of the school community and has been a warm, kind and fun member of our school. Teagan has also been promoted to Learning Specialist at Riverbend Primary. Riverbend are incredibly lucky to have her!

Each of the above staff members will be sorely missed and we wish them all the best in their new roles and new school.

2021 Class Details

Class	Teacher	Room No
Prep C	Celeste	15
Prep J	Jemma	16
Prep B	Jovana	17

1D	Debbie	9
1H	Hayley	10
1V	Vera	11

2/3A	Andrea	3
2/3C	Elisse	1
2/3E	Eugene	4
2/3G	Gurpreet	5
2/3H	Hannah	2

4/5A	Ainsley	West Wing
4/5B	Bianca	14
4/5C	Carolyn	12
4/5F	Fiona	13

6	TBA	7
6S	Simon	6

Arts	Sarah	Art
Italian	Liz	8
P.E.	Nancy	Gym
STEM	Janine	Library
Intervention	Vicki	Cottage

Prep Transition and Info Night

We were so glad when the restrictions were relaxed further and we were able to have larger groups for our prep transition sessions. We have had transition sessions on the 1st and 8th of December and have loved having all the students, parents and carers on-site and enjoying our school grounds. We had a lovely morning on the 1st December welcoming our new (and existing) families to AGPS and showing them through the school for the first time this year. We then hosted an information evening via Webex which gave all families all the important information needed for starting school. A huge thank you to the Prep teachers, Amy, Jenny and all other staff that contributed to making these sessions a success.

End of Year Assembly

At 12:30pm on Friday we will have our final assembly for the year (and first all together since Term 1!) to present awards and say farewell to our Year 6 students. Unfortunately we are unable to invite parents along to this assembly.

A reminder that school finishes at 1:30pm on Friday.

Thank You!

I have said it before and I will say it again - THANK YOU to all the members of our beautiful community. We have always had a lovely community feel at Altona Green and this has certainly been strengthened throughout this year. Thank you all for your understanding, patience, support and positivity throughout the challenges of the year. It has been a highlight for me to see the collaborative efforts across our whole school community to provide the level of care and support needed for our students to have a successful 2020 despite all of its challenges.

I think we all are eagerly awaiting the end of 2020 and the possibilities that the new year brings and are thankful that we live in such a wonderful part of the world where we can enjoy the upcoming holidays in relative normality. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a safe and relaxing holiday period and cannot wait to make our already great school even greater in 2021.

Take care,

David

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