Principal's Message

Wednesday 3rd May

Student Photos

Please note this date in your calendar.

Individually named forms and information came home this week!

What a Term!

We have had such a busy start to the year; Term 1 has just flown. Over the past eleven weeks, our students have had access to a huge variety of quality learning activities, both in the classroom and through many carefully planned extra curricula activities. There have been too many highlights to name them all, but some of our achievements and activities worth sharing include: 

• Quality Beginnings Program, whole school celebration day 
• Multicultural Harmony Day & incursion
• ‘Meet & Greet’ interviews 
• Twilight Working Bee 
• Grandparents’ and Special Visitors’ Day 
• House Athletics Carnival 3-6 
• Colour Explosion Fun run
• Easter Hat parade
• District and Division Swimming competitions
• Swimming & Safety Excursion
• ANZAC service for school leaders
• GRIP leadership program
• Lunchtime Clubs: Mindful Art, Cooking, Gardening, Hub club, Dance with Dana

This year we introduced our STEM specialist program for students in all year levels, this new specialist program, along with Visual Art, Performing Art, Mandarin and Physical Education sessions have ensured all students build skills through a range of quality learning experiences drawing on the expertise of staff with knowledge across a all areas of the curriculum. It has been wonderful to see students excel in areas of interest, with high levels of learning engagement across the school this term.

We are very proud to be about to provide our students and community with so many ways to engage with the curriculum and learn from experience. We are looking forward to another very busy term after the Easter holidays. Please be sure to watch for Calendar and event updates on Compass and in the newsletter following our staff planning sessions over the past 2 weeks.

Student Leadership – Student Voice Team

Our newly assigned Student Voice Team leaders were presented their badges at Assembly today. The students in the SVT work alongside the Junior School Council and key student leaders in the school to provide input and feedback to the staff leading the school on a whole range of topics. Next term the students will be discussing ways all students in the school can better develop behaviours in the yard, and support each other to make good choices. I am looking forward to our next meeting in our first week back next term.

Curriculum and Learning: QuickSmart

At Albany Rise we are very pleased to be able to provide a targeted program of intervention through the QuickSmart program.

“QuickSmart is an evidence-based program demonstrated to address the needs of middle school students with poor basic skills in literacy and numeracy. 

QuickSmart is an individually focused intervention designed to improve understanding and recall of basic academic facts and skills over a 30-week program during the crucial middle school years. Results from QuickSmart show that participants consistently achieve skill development equivalent to that normally achieved over 2-3 years of schooling for a peer, as well as increased self-confidence and self-esteem.” 

More information is available at: https://quicksmart.une.edu.au/

Uniform & Lost Property:

With cooler weather likely after Easter, we strongly encourage parents to review the uniform policy on the school website. In particular, I urge parents to note that novelty headbands, thongs, bike shorts, dangling earrings, netball skirts, leggings and baseball caps are not part of our uniform. 

We are still collecting a large amount of lost property at the office, every day. Where items are named, we aim to return these to students on the same day they are misplaced. Unnamed and uncollected items will be added to our 2nd Hand uniform collection. Parents wishing to add to their child’s uniform supplies with 2nd Hand items, can drop by the office- we are eager to diminish the growing pile!

Year 5/6 Interschool Sports Term 2 – IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Our Year 5/6 students commence their weekly Friday interschool sports program from the first week back in Term 2- 28th April. Information about the schedule and bus costs will be provided to parents via Compass in the next few days. Please keep a look-out for this information, so we can ensure every child will take part. Dates for each of the rounds are included on the calendar page in this newsletter.

Foundation Enrolment & Transition 2024 – IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Our school zone

Our school zone is available on findmyschool.vic.gov.au which hosts the most up-to-date information on school zones in Victoria.

Students residing within our school zone are guaranteed a place at our school, which is determined on the basis of your permanent residential address.

Our school manages enrolments using the Placement Policy to ensure that students have access to their designated neighbourhood school and may enrol at another school, if there are available places.

For more information, you can:

• visit School zones for answers to frequently asked questions
• call the Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA) on 1800 896 950
• email the VSBA at vsba@education.vic.gov.au

2024 Foundation (Prep) enrolments 

The Department of Education (DE) has released a new statewide Foundation (Prep) enrolment timeline. 

The timeline advises families when and how to enrol their child into Foundation (Prep) at a Victorian government primary school, including Albany Rise Primary School.

The new timeline will apply for children starting Foundation (Prep) in 2024. All government primary schools will follow the new timeline in 2023 to support Foundation (Prep) enrolments for the 2024 school year.

You can find information and resources about the new timeline, including factsheets, at: Enrolling in Foundation (Prep). You can also download the ‘Foundation (Prep) Enrolment Information Pack for Parents/Carers for the 2024 school year’ from the Starting School webpage (available from 24 April 2023). 

You will be able to apply to enrol your child in Foundation (Prep) 2024 at Albany Rise Primary School from 24 April 2023.

What you need to do:

1. Contact our school to book a school tour or to learn more about our school and the enrolment application process
2. Download the Foundation (Prep) enrolment information pack from Enrolling in Foundation (Prep) (available from 24 April 2023)
3. Submit an enrolment application for Foundation (Prep) by Friday 28 July 2023
4. You will be notified of the outcome of your application by Friday 11 August 2023. If you receive an offer of placement, you should contact our school to accept the offer by Friday 25 August 2023
5. Take part in enrolment information and transition sessions during Term 4, 2023
6. Your child will start Foundation (Prep) from Tuesday 30 January 2024.

Enrolment applications submitted after 28 July 2023 will be processed by our school as they are received, in accordance with the department’s Placement Policy.

Tours of the school are available by contacting the office. Dates for our May open dates and tours times are in the calendar page in this newsletter.