23JuneAscotNews

ASCOT NEWS
23rd June 2022, Term 2 Issue 2

Ascot Vale Primary School
‘Unique Learning Community’
Where we value:
RESPECT RESPONSIBILITY EXCELLENCE EMPATHY GRATITUDE

Athletics is ba-ack!

Please click on all headings below to discover more.
REMINDER: You can change the language at the top left hand corner of the webpage

FROM THE PRINCIPAL TEAM

Dear Parents, Carers and Students,

Welcome to our Term 2, Issue 2 of 'Ascot News' (newsletter).

It has, once again, been a pleasure to make it through another term with relatively few interruptions. Although we are not entirely back to normal, we appreciate the opportunities we have had to celebrate children and staff being together at school. It has been a delight to watch these relationships flourish.

It has been particularly wonderful to have (up to) three dress up days in three weeks, which has added vibrancy to our school life. Credit goes to our student teams (Environment, SRC and Student Voice) for suggesting and /or organising the ‘Pyjama day,’ ‘Green Day’ and, for the older students, the ‘Athletics Carnival,’ where house colours were introduced for the first time, resulting in a fun, festive and colourful day for all.

We are grateful to our families who have supported our Covidsafe approach in term two, highlighted by an increase in onsite participation, as compared to 2021. For many families, this has been balanced out by an increase in student absence, for those who were affected by Covid. It hasn't been the easiest of winters, but nice to strike a balance from previous years.

AVPS hosted five secondary students for work experience this week. Thank you and congratulations to Jasmine, Wilo , Liam* and Zach (pictured below) as well as Maggie. These students have been gaining experience in Units 3, 4 & 5 and the Art program.
*past AVPS students

Jasmine, Wilo, Liam & Zach

We wish all AVPS staff and families an enjoyable winter holiday. Sue looks forward to seeing you back at school in term three on Monday 11th July 2022. Michael will see you on the first day of term four ........ see Staff News below.

Kind regards

Sue Osborne, Principal

Michael Downing, Assistant Principal

KEY DATES & EVENTS - incl. change to end of term

Access our AVPS Key Dates & Events page AT THIS LINK.

UPDATED END OF TERM 2 ARRANGEMENTS
AVPS will be holding a Professional Practice Day (PPD) on Friday 24th June. This will be in the form of a pupil free day, whereby parents and carers will need to make alternative arrangements for the care of their children on this day.

Our Outside of School Hours Care provider, Camp Australia, will be operating childcare on this day. See flyer below for bookings.

In addition, please note AVPS will NOT have an 'early finish' time at the end of term 2, as is the usual practice.

Term 2 will, therefore, end for all students at 3:30pm on Thursday 23rd June 2022.

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THE RESILIENCE PROJECT (TRP) parent and carers hub

The research is clear; the more positive emotion you experience, the more resilient you will be. For that reason The Resilience Project, implemented at AVPS, focuses on three key pillars that have been proven to cultivate positive emotion; Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness (GEM), with Emotional Literacy being a foundational skill to practise these strategies.

AVPS students have been learning about these pillars at school. Here are some tips about empathy and kindness for families.

EMPATHY & KINDNESS
Empathy is putting ourselves in the shoes of others, to feel and see what they do. We practise this through being kind and compassionate towards other people

Please click the link below for ideas for families to build empathy by showing kindness and compassion towards others.
Parent/Carer Support

The Education Team
The Resilience Project

This following information is a repeat of TRP family parent/carer resources sent via Compass Alerts throughout term 2.
If you havent had a chance to visit the links, we highly reccommed you take a moment to do so. This program has benefits for the adults of the school community, as well as children.
Parents / carers may wish to change the language at the top left corner of the web page.

The Resilience Project - Parent & Carer Hub - Part 1
Throughout 2022, we will be working closely with The Resilience Project to support the wellbeing of our school community.

The Resilience Project delivers emotionally engaging programs and provides evidence-based, practical strategies to build resilience.

Our Partnership Program consists of online presentations and weekly lessons for students, professional development for staff, and Parent & Carer Hub (inc. digital presentations) for our parent and carer community.

Over the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing the Parent & Carer Hub with you. The videos are 5-10 minutes long and will walk through the key pillars of resilience: Gratitude, Empathy & Mindfulness. You’ll hear stories and be introduced to activities to show how these strategies can support our kids' learning and development, and also support you as parents and carers.

This program is an important part of our school’s effort to look after the mental health of our community.

View the first presentation of the series here: Part 1: Meet Hugh and learn about The Resilience Project - https://theresilienceproject.com.au/parent-and-carer-hub-hugh/

In this presentation, Hugh shares a personal experience about his sister's battles with Mental Illness.
Note: This video contains a story about an Eating Disorder that may be triggering. Please consider this before watching. For mental health resources and support information, visit The Resilience Project’s Support Page.

Parent & Carer Hub | Part 2: Gratitude
This week’s presentation from The Resilience Project focuses on Gratitude.
Gratitude is paying attention to the things that we have right now, and not worrying about what we don’t have. We practise this by noticing the positives that exist around us.

Research shows that practicing gratitude rewires our brains to overcome the negativity bias (which can lead to anxiety and depression) and see the world for what we are thankful for. It is also shown to broaden thinking, and increase physical health through improved sleep and attitude to exercise.

View Part 2 of the series here - Gratitude https://theresilienceproject.com.au/parent-and-carer-hub-hugh/
There are many ways in which you can practise gratitude, including starting a Wellbeing Journal.

Source: Psychology Today

For mental health resources and support information, visit The Resilience Project’s Support Page

Hugh's Parent & Carer Hub | Part 3: Empathy & Kindness
Empathy is our ability to put ourselves in the shoes of others to feel and see what they do. We practise this through being kind and compassionate towards other people.

Brain imaging data shows that being kind to others registers in the brain as more like eating chocolate than like fulfilling an obligation to do what’s right (e.g., eating brussel sprouts)!
Research shows that practising empathy, such as performing acts of kindness, taps into our brain’s ‘mirror neurons’, builds compassion and our behaviour becomes more social and community-based.

View Part 3 of the series here - Empathy https://theresilienceproject.com.au/parent-and-carer-hub-hugh/
Here’s an activity to practise empathy and kindness:

Reflect on someone in your life who could benefit from an act of kindness today. It could be a friend who would love some affirmation about their work, your pet who deserves an extra treat, or a family member who would love a phone call or text message.
Make a plan for who you are going to show an act of kindness to, and what you are going to do.
If you want to add accountability to your plan, share it with someone else and encourage them to do the same thing.
Follow up with each other in a few days time, to ask how it went!

Sources: Psychology Today, UC Berkeley, Greater Good Science
For mental health resources and support information, visit The Resilience Project’s Support Page.

Hugh's Parent & Carer Hub | Part 4: Mindfulness
View Part 4 of the series here - Mindulness https://theresilienceproject.com.au/parent-and-carer-hub-hugh/
Mindfulness can be practised through meditation, yoga, flow-states and daily activities such as cooking.
Source: UC Berkeley, Greater Good Science, American Psychological Association
For mental health resources and support information, visit The Resilience Project’s Support Page.

Hugh's Parent & Carer Hub | Part 5: Final
In the final part of The Resilience Project's digital series, Hugh shares an important message about allowing our children to experience adversity.
The key to building resilience in our children is allowing them to experience failure, hardship, disappointment etc. As parents, we can be too quick to resolve our children's challenges which can deprive our children of enormous growth opportunities. These typically happen when we experience failure and uncertainty. As parents we should be there for our children when they fail, but not fight their battles for them.
View Part 5 of the series here - Summary https://theresilienceproject.com.au/parent-and-carer-hub-hugh/

Thank you for participating in this Parent and Carer Digital Presentation series. You can re-watch the videos and access activities and resources anytime via the Parent & Carer Hub.

You can also stay up to date with The Resilience Project news and events by signing up to their Newsletter.

The Education Team
The Resilience Project
(03) 9113 9302 (option 1) [email protected]

parent teacher interviews & student reports

Mid-year parent-teacher interviews (PTI’s) bookings are now open - PTI's offer an important opportunity to formally speak to your child’s teacher face-to-face and find out how your child is progressing at school. All PTI’s this year will occur after the Semester 1 reports have been made available on COMPASS (from Wednesday 22/6/22 at approximately 4-5pm), thus providing a focus for the conversation. A maximum of 10 minutes has been allocated for each PTI. If more time is considered necessary, then alternative arrangements can be made with the teacher. If you are unwell at the time of the interview, teachers may be able to offer you a phone conversation in place of the face to face interview. Please message teachers via Dojo with as much advance notice as possible.

The two options to book PTI's are:
* Wednesday 13th July - 3.45-7.30pm
* Monday 18th July - 3.45-4.45pm

Specialist interviews are all available of Wednesday 13th July only. As there are not enough spots available for all children, we ask families to choose only 1 specialist parent teacher interview only. If you select all, specialist teachers will remove you from 2 of the 3 sessions and you will lose the choice of specialists.

Bookings close on Tuesday 12th July 2022 at 4pm. A bookings help sheet (how to) is attached. Please see your classroom teacher or contact the office if you are having difficulty booking. If you do not book, your child's teacher may make one for you.

If you require an interpreter, please book these by no later than 9am Monday 11th July 2022 to ensure an interpreter can be booked.

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staff news

Michael Downing will be taking long service leave for the duration of term three. We wish Michael all the very best for a relaxing, adventurous and well deserved break and look forward to seeing him back at AVPS in term four.

Ben Kline and Jamie Saggers will be providing leadership in Michael’s absence. As such, Sarah Ashton will increase her time from one to two days to release Ben in term three.

Jamie’s tutor role, which is funded for three terms only at AVPS, will be suspended in term three and reinstated in term 4.

Ian Simonds's tutor role is also funded for three terms only and will continue to operate until the end of term three, when this program will finish.

naidoc week

National NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia in the first week of July each year (Sunday to Sunday), to celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for all Australians to learn about First Nations cultures and histories and participate in celebrations of the oldest, continuous living cultures on earth.

Ascot Vale PS will acknowledge NAIDOC Week from 11th July 2022, the first week of term 3.

SCHOOL COUNCIL NEWS - MEMBERS

2022 AVPS School Council Members:

PARENTS:

Annalise De Mel
Meredith Ross
Lela Drakulic
Richard Moody
Scott Miller
Kate Mohay
Melinda Morpeth
Melanie Quin

STAFF:

Michael Downing
Rozeena Sen
Ben Kline
Jason Simpson

EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Principal: Sue Osborne

annual report meeting & the resilience project workshop

The Annual Report meeting was held on Monday night. Thank you to the several visitors who attended, it was great to be able to host audience members in person and online.

Parent and staff members of the school council presented the achievements of 2021 and current or future plans to the audience. A highlight of the presentation was the 2021 student achievement data (Naplan and Teacher Judgment), which shows in 2021, AVPS achieved at or above similar schools and the state averages in all except one category. See images below. This is a real credit to the students and staff for their hard work, in what was a tricky year for learning and education in general.

The ‘wondering’ of the presentation centred on a decline in student and parent opinion results in 2021 and the role that lockdowns had on these. See images below that illustrates a decline in 2021, along side a positive 4-year average. Interestingly, the staff satisfaction results, in the first image, showed positive gains, highlighting the positive impact that support for teachers, from eachother and the wider community, had in a very challenging year.

The AVPS community will have the opportunity in term 4 (2022) and term 1 (2023) to reflect deeply on our school’s achievements and areas for improvement when we participate in our 4-year self evaluation and review. This process will help us identify our future goals, targets and strategies for the next 4 year School Strategic Plan to be developed in 2023.

THE RESILIENCE PROJECT WORKSHOP
Following the Annual Report presentation, participants were invited to share the impact that The Resilience Project has had on themselves, their family or their class. AVPS student wellbeing data was then shared for participants to reflect on and discuss.

Thanks again to the visitors who joined us in person or online on Monday 20th June. It was great to have you there.

BUILDINGS & GROUNDS NEWS

PLAYGROUND DEVELOPMENT
The Buildings and Grounds team has led a tender process in recent months to select a contractor to rebuild our ‘big kids’ playground. The AVPS School Council approved the next stage of the playground development plan on Monday. We are now awaiting the Victorian School Building Authority to provide their stamp of approval to commence these works and are hopeful that works could begin and complete before the end of the 2022 school year.

SHADE SAIL CONSTRUCTION
Following our 2021 success in gaining a $25,000 grant to build further shaded spaces to enhance our outdoor learning and playing spaces, works have begun near Unit 6. We expect the sails will be attached by early term three; well in time for the sunnier weather of term 4.

POLICY news

Our School Council has an 'Education and Policy' subcommittee that helps to create our policies and standards. We use templates from the Department of Education and Training.

Our current* policies can be found here: https://avps.vic.edu.au/policies--standards.html
Our current* Child Safe Standards can be found here: https://avps.vic.edu.au/child-safe-standards.html

AVPS is presently developing new policies and Child Safe Standards. Community consultation is an important step in this development. Thank you to the parents or carers who have accessed our draft documents and for providing feedback. There is still limited time to do this; you can access the draft documents and provide feedback by 4:00pm, Friday 24th June 2022 at the links below:

Draft policies and standards- https://avps.vic.edu.au/PolicyDraftJune22.html
Feedback form - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1kHsQBOAGvZ-1sqMQkqFJcgvh0KgXVxGbiB3j0rel6jE/edit

Our policies and standards currently being developed include:

Several of our Child Safe Standards and Policies
Complaints Policy
Visitors Policy
Volunteers Policy
Parent Disputes Policy
Respect for School Staff Policy
Dogs at School Policy
Bullying Prevention

*The intention is for these policies to be finalised and uploaded to our website in time for the beginning of term three.

OUTSIDE SCHOOL HOURS CARE (oshc)

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OSHC phone: 0423 795 247
Coordinator: Dee Seneviratne

How to get started before using our programs you must register online for an account. Registering is quick and easy. Visit our website to begin www.campaustralia.com.au

Once registered you can make bookings and cancellations, view your statements and manage your details anytime of the day online. Keep in mind we are able to take bookings at short notice to help busy families.

Save on Care. You can save 50% or more on Before and After School Care fees with the non-means tested Child Care Rebate. Almost all families are eligible. To find out more, call our Customer Service Team on 1300 105 343 Monday to Friday
Please access files below to view the OSHC fortnightly report and/or the Camp Australia Holiday Program.

Dee and the OSHC team

SRC NEWS

Thank you to everyone who participated in our PJ DAY on Friday, June 3! We raised $411 to go towards wellbeing items for the classrooms, such as Breathe Balls to help students to regulate their breathing.

It was fantastic to see everyone looking very cosy in their Pyjamas.

Keep your eyes peeled early next term for information regarding R U OK Day and an Asylum Seeker Resource Centre Food Bank drive, that are the SRC's next goals!

ENVIRONMENT TEAM NEWS

Hi AVPS Community.
On the 14th of June, we focused World Environmental Day by learning more about how we can become more sustainable. We had a rubbish relay in the afternoon which was lots of fun and brought awareness to how we recycle, reuse and think about the choices we make when purchasing goods that are packaged.

Everyone wore green, some dressed up in recycled outfits and all donated a gold coin to raise money towards a designated gardening area in the school. The total raised was close to $200. Well done everyone! Please enjoy the photos below.

The grades 3-6 became scientists/inventors for a session and worked to come up with inventions to better our planet and the prep to grade two’s thought about what we can do to help reduce our waste at school. They watched a short video about waste and came up with little slogans to display in classrooms, working with buddies to think about ideas to reduce waste. The Environment Team will use all the ideas from the day to come up with some more actions we can take in the future.

We looked at areas around the school we can ‘beautify’ and do some planting when the weather gets warmer.
Some suggestions were:

Eat your lunch inside so you don’t take rubbish into the yard
Make every day nude food
Buy food which has recyclable packaging or no packaging
Make signs to put on the gates for people that use the playground on weekends- “Our school is not a tip, take your rubbish home”
Put your rubbish in the right bin and bring less landfill to school
“Bring beeswax wraps everyday and everything will be ok”
Don’t be a dirty critter, keep our playground free from litter”
Use fewer plastic bags, go to an Op-Shop to buy used things

The garden beds are growing well outside unit 3, with the silver beet, sage and other herbs enjoying the rain. We will work on other garden beds too in term 3
Have a happy and safe holiday.

Keep it green, The Environmental Team.

HEALTH & PE NEWS

It has been a very busy end to Term 2 in the P.E. department, especially for our 3-6 students who competed in our 2022 House Athletics Carnival on Monday 20th June. Enjoy the images below. Much of this term was spent preparing for the events, practising techniques of triple jump, shot put, discus and starting positions. All of this hard work came together on Monday when we made our way to the Moonee Valley Athletics Track to show off our skills.

A huge congratulations to all students, not only for their efforts with the events, but the lengths they went to to dress in their house colours and cheer along their peers throughout the day. On more than one occasion students took it upon themselves to complete an extra lap of the track to catch up with the final runner in the race, supporting them as they made their way to the finish line; the crowd cheering every step of the way.

Along with individual placings in each event, we also had our first house awards. Red House took out the ‘Performance’ award, while Green House were acknowledged for their ‘Team Spirit’. Yellow House won the ‘Best Dressed’ award with lots of sparkles, feathers and head pieces. Finally, Blue House celebrated winning the ‘Participation’ award with the number of athletes they had participate in the final event of the day – 800m.

It was a lovely celebration of our community here at A.V.P.S – including our wonderful parent community who came together to help run each event seamlessly! Thank you so much. We couldn’t have made the day happen without you.

Our athletics team will be announced shortly, with selected students moving on to represent A.V.P.S. at the District Athletics Carnival on the 28th July.

Back at school, the P-2 department saw out the final sessions of their four-week cricket clinic. A huge thank you to Cody for his commitment to the sessions each week. We have thoroughly enjoyed learning the skills of batting, bowling and fielding!