Principal's Message

Years 1 – 6 - 3.40 – 5.40pm

Monday 20th & Wednesday 22nd February

‘Meet and Greet’ Interviews

Parents of students from

Families can now book interview session times on Compass- meetings will be in person (usual current building entry requirements apply).

Monday 20th February

Foundation Information Session 2.30p.m.

Welcome BBQ 3.30p.m.

Student Leaders Badge presentation

We are very pleased with the effort and enthusiasm of our 2023 student leaders. On Friday 17th February (at the early time of 1.30pm) our student leaders, including newly elected Junior School Councillors from Year 2-6, will be presented with their Leadership badges at a special assembly. The Premier of Victoria (and local member) Hon Mr Daniel Andrews will be attending the school to present the badges to our student leaders.

We encourage parents/carers to attend the assembly and support our ARPS student leaders as they begin their formal roles and leadership opportunities for 2023.

Attendance

Attendance every day at school is important and I really want to highlight this for families and students in 2023. There is a ‘pile’ of research that shows how regular school attendance significantly improves students’ long term outcomes, not just in learning, but in all aspects of life: career, financial, relationships, health (including mental health), etc.

At ARPS, we track the attendance data of every student closely. Follow up conversations with parents / carers and plans for students with concerning attendance patterns are part of our approach to support high levels of student attendance across all year levels.

Parents/Carers are required to provide an explanation for every day, or part day, that a student is absent. This can be done via Compass, or through a written note to the teacher/office.

The math on student attendance across Victoria, is frightening - The average student absence in Victorian schools is currently 15 days a year. This means that when the ‘average’ student completes Year 12 they will have missed 195 days of school - in other words, one full year of schooling!

Based on those statistics, students who have poor attendance are being set up for failure - as compared to students who attend regularly. The evidence shows that the vast majority of children who attend our school regularly, are ahead of expectations. And the responsibility sits firmly with all of us adults. Of course however, if your child is unwell, keep them at home. But if you have appointments, please do these after school (where possible) or on the twelve weeks of school holidays, we have every year.

Our ARPS Target for Attendance - We are aiming to reduce the number of absence day significantly in 2023. We aim to have our students have no more than 3 days of absence per term for each student (no more than 12 days in one year).

HATS! - NO HAT NO PLAY!

At ARPS we adhere to our ‘No Hat no Play’ policy to ensure students are kept as safe as possible from harmful UV rays when at school. It is vital that every, single student bring their named school hat to school every day. I urge parents to ensure their child has a hat at school so they do not miss out on playtimes outside, and that students are not left to sit in the shade during sports and other outdoor learning sessions.

Families who may need financial support to purchase a hat may be able to collect a 2nd hand hat from the office. Parents can access the ARPS Sunsmart policy from the school website: https://albanyrise-ps.vic.edu.au/about-us/policies/

School Council- Nominations

Information relating to vacancies on School Council will be sent home (hard copy) on Friday 10th February to every family. Please read the information carefully and consider joining parents and staff on the 2023 ARPS School Council. This group helps shape the educational direction, facilities decisions and fundraising activities for the school.

Notices sent to all families will include information regarding the 2023 ARPS School Council Election process. If you decide to stand for election, you can arrange for someone to nominate you as a candidate or you can nominate yourself. Nomination forms can be picked up at the school office from Friday. Once the nomination form is completed, return it to the school office by the due date on the notice.

New School Councillors - There will be several positions become available on School Council this year. If you are interested, please give me a call, or see me before or afterschool and I’ll tell you all about it. You can also do your own reading at this link: https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/school-council-overview/overviewx

Parents who have been on School Council really enjoy it and frequently comment on how much more they know about what’s going on in their child’s school. School Council nomination forms will be available from the front office from Friday Feb 10th, 2023.

Jolly Joggers

Are you keen to be healthy, support our student leaders AND support your child’s class? You can achieve all of these outcomes by participating in our ‘Jolly Joggers’ program on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings. Student leaders in Year 6 conduct the program, with each lap of the oval from a student (walking, jogging, running) earning one point which is added to their class total for the week. Adults earn 2 points! A trophy is presented to the winning class each week.

Student Toys and items at school

Generally, students are discouraged from bringing personal items, such as special toys or objects to school. Special toys can be easily lost or broken in a school environment.

There are many items that are not appropriate to have in the school grounds, which students occasionally bring to school. Parents/carers are reminded that several items/ personal belongings should not be bought into the school grounds, including:

Mobile phones- these must be handed to the office by students on arrival at the school and will be returned at the end of the day
Chewing gum- this is not allowed at school
Vaping apparatus- this is not allowed at school
‘swap cards’- eg Pokemon- these can be easily lost or destroyed. Some classes provide special days/ opportunities for students to bring these cards to school- please check with the class teacher before sending these cards to school
Balls- these are great at school- but MUST be NAMED to avoid confusion about ownership and loss
Soft toys and any other toys- again, check with the class teacher. Some students are easily distracted by toys at school and these toys and objects are often best left at home. Remember, the school is not responsible for the loss or destruction of toys bought to school.

Foundation Enrolments 2024

A new process for enrolling students into Foundation commences this year for 2024 Foundation students. The process ensures equitable access to all government primary schools, and directs families to access their local government school as a first priority. More details about this process will be shared in upcoming Newsletters. Parents due to enrol students for 2024 can access the updated enrolment process information here: https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/enrolment/guidance/foundation-prep-enrolment

The timeline includes key dates, activity descriptions and an overview of responsibilities to help schools to plan for their Foundation enrolments. Key dates and activities for schools in the 2023–24 timeline include the following:

Schools can receive enrolment applications from parents and carers from the start of Term 2, 2023. This follows the release of 2024 zones on the department’s Find my School website and the publication of Foundation enrolment information packs.
Enrolment applications from parents and carers are to be submitted by Friday, 28 July 2023.

Kind regards,

Judy Drew

PRINCIPAL