A Message from David & Cam...

The start of Term 3 has gone smoothly with everyone returning from holidays refreshed, relaxed and happy. We have a very busy term planned that is filled with camps, activities, excursions and community events that everyone will enjoy. Our teachers have planned stimulating and challenging curriculum programs for our students - please have a look at the Curriculum Newsletters page of this newsletter to see what our students will be learning about this term. 

Italian Day

Wow, what a day! On Wednesday 19th July, we celebrated all things Italian by hosting an Italian Day. The students looked fantastic in their Italian costumes and there certainly were a number of Luigi and Mario's in our school! The pasta making was a highlight and the organiser of the incursion said that our students were 'excellent' which is fantastic feedback! Lots of gelati was consumed and there were some very creative masks on display! 

A huge thank you to Kate and Liz for the enormous amount of work that they put in to ensure a memory-making day for our students.

Italian Update

Throughout 2023, students from Prep-6 have been studying Italian vocabulary, questions and phrases related to topics such as “All About Me”, family, school, numbers and colours. 

We are currently learning about Italian culture and daily life. On Wednesday 19th July, we celebrated Italian culture across the school with our Italian Day. Students dressed in Italian colours and costumes, participated in a pasta making session and made masks for Carnevale. They also enjoyed a taste of Italy with a visit from the gelati van.

Students will continue to build upon their knowledge of Italian culture, language and the influence that it has had in Australia through immigration.

-  Kate and Liz (Italian Teachers)

NAPLAN

Whole-school NAPLAN data has been made available to us last week, and we are pleased to share that we have some very strong whole-school results. This year the timing of the tests and the reporting format has been changed so we are unable to make direct comparisons to previous years, however when comparing the percentage of students that have received 'exceeding' or 'strong' results against similar and network schools our students have performed really well.

Changes to NAPLAN reporting

The NAPLAN results for students have recently been released and there have been some changes to this year’s reporting. These changes have been introduced nationally by the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA).

NAPLAN will continue to measure student achievement in numeracy, reading, writing, spelling, and grammar and punctuation but the results will now be presented in 4 proficiency levels. These are:

• exceeding
• strong
• developing
• needs additional support.

Students’ NAPLAN reports will continue to show how they are tracking against their peers and provide an indication of their skill levels against national averages and where we would expect them to be in order to get the most out of schooling. This provides valuable information to teachers about how we can continue to support your child.

Each set of NAPLAN results is an important milestone but it’s also important that students know that one result does not define them – these results provide a snapshot of student achievement at a point in time and are about making sure every student gets the support they need so they can continue to get the best from their schooling.

If you have any further questions about your child's NAPLAN report, please contact your child's teacher.

Pupil Free Day Tomorrow

Tomorrow our staff will be participating in Cultural Understanding and Safety Training (CUST). The training will help to promote change and enhance all students’ understanding and respect for Koorie culture and history, as well as supporting improved outcomes for Koorie students, by strengthening the cultural awareness and understanding of all school staff.

Through the training we will be encouraged to rethink how we can support improved outcomes for Koorie students, how Aboriginal perspectives are conceptualised in the curriculum, and identify our next steps in supporting Koorie inclusion at Altona Green.

Maths Extension 

Alongside the Maths Olympiad, Cam has started to conduct weekly Maths extension lessons for students in Grade 4, 5 and 6 that have been identified by their teachers as those that would benefit from these sessions. The students have been very engaged and have enjoyed being challenged. The Grade 4/5 students have been focusing on the relationships between fractions, decimals & percentages whilst the Grade 6 students have been learning about the index laws and applying these laws to simplify and solve equations. 

Interschool Hockey

Our 5/6 girls hockey team recently participated in the Hobsons Bay division tournament and finished 3rd in the group. Nancy tells us that they all displayed wonderful effort and spirit in all of their matches and the photos show us how much fun they had! Well done, girls!

Year 1 Incursion

Our Year 1 cohort recently enjoyed a visit from 'Lab Coat Learning' where they learnt all about minibeasts and had the opportunity to feed, handle and examine bugs under a microscope and search for aquatic minibeasts.  This incursion supports the development of key knowledge and skills within the Year 1 Science unit 'School Yard Safari' which is focused on living things, their characteristics and their habitats.

State Cross Country

Jensen and Harriet competed at the State Cross Country Championships in Yarra Glen recently. They both put in incredible efforts on a really challenging course against the best runners in the state. Harriet came 56th and Jensen came 1st! This is an incredible result for both students and the whole school community is so proud of their achievements. Jensen's result means that he qualifies to head to the Nationals later this year. Amazing effort, Jensen and Harriet!!

You can also see an interview with Jensen here (video number 5) https://www.ssv.vic.edu.au/state/pages/cross-country.aspx 

Buildings and Grounds Update

The Inclusive Schools Fund project has been moving at a rapid pace and will be completed soon. The project includes passive play and sensory gardens near the rear gate and an imaginative play space at the ship playground. Both areas are looking fabulous and the kids have been very excited watching the progress.

We have also just purchased some new, high-quality soccer goals to complete the new soccer pitch. These goals were purchased using some of the funds raised through the additional voluntary parent contributions and will be enjoyed by the kids for many years.

Exford Primary School

We just wanted to share the certificate of appreciation that was sent to us from Exford Primary in recognition of the support that our school community showed after the tragic bus accident last term. I know Lisa and the school community are so grateful for the kindness, generosity and support shown during this very difficult time. Thank you all again for your support.

AGPS Disco!

Whilst it feels like forever ago, we just wanted to thank Leanne Grima and all the parent volunteers that helped in the planning, set up and running of the AGPS Disco. The gym looked amazing, the song choices were perfect and the kids had the best time! The event was a terrific way to celebrate the end of an excellent term. Thank you!!

2024 Prep Enrolments

We would really appreciate it if you could let us know if you have a prep child starting school in 2024. This greatly assists us with planning 

All enrolment applications from parents/carers must be submitted by Friday, 28 July 2023 and we will notify parents/carers of the outcome of enrolment applications by Friday, 11 August 2023.

We hope you all have a fabulous break!

Take care,

David & Cam