​ASCOT NEWS
27th May 2022, Term 2 Issue 1

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

 Celebrating 150 Years of Public Education 

Click on the 'Education Week' section below for news and images of our open classroom sessions. 
Please click on all headings below to discover more. 
FROM THE PRINCIPAL TEAM - election day THANK YOU
Dear Parents, Carers and Students,

Welcome to our Term 2 Issue 1 of 'Ascot News' (newsletter). 

Thank you to the AVPS community for supporting the Election Day BBQ & Cake Stall last Saturday, our first fundraising event since 2019. It was a great success in every sense. Not only did we raise valuable funds for the school, just over $3000.00, but it was a great opportunity for our community to connect face to face with school and wider community members; there was a real community buzz in the air. Our volunteers did a fantastic job of setting up,  running and packing up  the stalls, and behind the scenes ‘bakers’ turned up in droves to ensure our cake stall was very well stocked. The food was delicious, weather perfect and the supply of customers (voters) was steady all day. We sold out much earlier than anticipated at 1:15pm. THANK YOU AVPS community members for contributing to a most successful event.
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Please enjoy the images in the slideshow below of our election day fun.

Our next big fundraising / 'fun' raising venture will be a trivia night in term 4. Please consider joining the fun; we plan to seek volunteers (via a compass alert) to help organise this event (as well as Sunday market stalls) in the coming week or so. 

Kind regards 
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Sue Osborne, Principal
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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, that is, the last day of term 2, 2022. 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 offer childcare on this day.  See flyer in the file below for more information. 
 
Please note, this is an extraordinary arrangement for this term only, for the following reasons:
  • The Victorian Department of Education and Training recently reached an in-principle agreement on a proposed replacement enterprise agreement that will apply to teaching service employees
  • Accordingly, teachers will be entitled to 3 professional practice days in 2022, starting in Term 2, 2022.
  • Principals have been asked to schedule a common Term 2, 2022, professional practice day in consultation with their school council.
  • For Term 2, 2022 only, the department recommends schools hold their first professional practice day on the same day for all staff.
  • On Monday 23rd May, the AVPS School Council approved the AVPS Term 2 Common PPD day as Friday 24th June, that is, the last day of term 2. 

School Council noted the importance of providing staff their entitled day for developing their professional practice, and the benefits that students will gain from this. Council also noted, holding this day on the last day of term 2 would be less disruptive to the school community.  The AVPS staff greatly appreciate the support for this extraordinary arrangement at short notice, and they look forward to participating in team curriculum planning on the last day of term 2, in preparation for Term 3 teaching and learning programs. 

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. 

child_care_info_for_pupil_free_day_24th_june_2022.pdf
File Size: 439 kb
File Type: pdf
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​THE RESILIENCE PROJECT (TRP) parent and carers hub
This following information is a repeat of TRP family parent/carer resources sent via Compass Alerts throughout term 2. Parents / carers may wish to change the language at the top left corner of the web page. 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. 

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:
  1. 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. 
  2. Make a plan for who you are going to show an act of kindness to, and what you are going to do. 
  3. If you want to add accountability to your plan, share it with someone else and encourage them to do the same thing.
  4. 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.


The Education Team
The Resilience Project
EDUCATION WEEK - CELEBRATING 150 YEARS OF PUBLIC EDUCATION
 AVPS acknowledged the 150 year celebration of public education in Victoria this week by holding two open classroom events and sharing a video depicting AVPS in the 1920's. 

Please enjoy the slideshow below of our open classrooms - it was great having parents and carers inside classrooms. 

​Please aslo enjoy the following video - Day at the Ascot Vale School, showing the outdoor life at the school in the 1920s. It shows school dress, assembly, physical training, organised dancing and games, Junior Red Cross activities, Mothers Club and School Committee. Access the video here:  https://youtu.be/IYwSltZg1HI . The current day staff and students have enjoyed comparing the similarities and differences of life at AVPS one hundered years apart. 
NEW PIANO
Thank you to Dee Seneviratne, our Outside School Hours Care co-ordinator for donating a good quality piano to our school. You can see and hear it in action below (turn the volume up). Dee fleetingly appears in the second and third video, where she appears thrilled that her family's beloved piano is going to a good home. Thank you to Joshua Cowie from lamplight music (who runs our piano program at AVPS) for organising the delivery.

PS, the very talented pianist is Laurence Hunter, who moonlights as a piano removalists !!
CHILD SAFE STANDARDS 
The 7 Child Safe Standards are being increased to 11 Standards. There will be further Child Safe updates in the newsletter, on the website and at School Council meetings as these new policies are added. Further information regarding this will be shared soon. As part of Child Safe, parents and carers are required to contact the school when a child is absent. This is a daily responsibility and important for our attendance records. At present we have a large number of unexplained absences. If your child is unwell, please follow up with your GP and please update this information on COMPASS/ or contact the school office. ​
NAPLAN
NAPLAN has been a new experience for all students this year as our current Year 5 students were not required to do NAPLAN in 2020 when they were in Year 3 and this year, it was our school’s turn to go digital. This year the NAPLAN writing task was a narrative with the title ‘Brave’, a great title given the complexities of the last 2 years. All students and staff have worked well during this National assessment program. A special thank you to the students and year 3-6 staff who ensured that NAPLAN ran smoothly. Naplan results will be posted to COMPASS ‘reports’ tab in mid/late term 3. You will be alerted when you can access this report. 
air purifiers @ avps
​Each classroom and learning space at AVPS has at least 1 air purifier (2 in each unit) as we head into winter. The air purifiers contain high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters. HEPA filters can help filter airborne viruses including COVID-19, bacteria, and particulate matter from bushfire or hazard reduction burn smoke. They do not completely eliminate COVID-19 transmission, but combined with other interventions in schools – including vaccination, physical distancing, good hygiene and cleaning, they aim to create a safer school environment.
SEEKING 'SWEEPERS'
​Can you help out?  If you are willing and able to do any general sweeping over the coming weekends it would be greatly appreciated. Our deciduous plain trees especially are dropping them faster that we can clean them up.  BYO broom and bin but dump them in our bigger bins to the side of the hall. Thanks to the families who have already been helping out with this. The more helpers the merrier. 
RAPID ANTIGEN TESTS - RATS
As mentioned in a COMPASS newsfeed earlier this week “From, Monday 23 May 2022, students will no longer be recommended to undertake either twice weekly RATs in mainstream schools or 5 days a week in specialist schools.”  RATs however will continue to be required by students who are household contacts to attend school (5 negative tests over a 7 day period) or who have symptoms.
2 boxes of RATs were distributed to each student yesterday to cover the remainder of the term. If your child is away they will be given them when they return to take home. These cannot be collected from the office.

The ongoing supply of RATs to families in our school will ensure that parents and carers will have them should they need them if their child is a household contact or has symptoms. If you require more in this time, you will have to access these privately from chemists or GP’s. 
staffing shortages - what does this mean for avps?
Over recent weeks, the combination of continuing COVID-19 transmission across the community and the resurgence of influenza has resulted in some schools experiencing workforce pressures. We are no different. Short term, next day replacements for teaching staff are extremely difficult to fill, almost impossible. Please be aware that we are now more likely to have to split classes, cancel specialist subjects and the tutor programs because of this.  We have had to do this regularly over the past 3 weeks.  In response, The Department Of Education and Training (DET) has this week established a temporary central team to provide additional support for schools in identifying and engaging casual relief teachers (CRTs). At AVPS, we are doing our very best to minimise disruptions to teaching and learning programs. 
SHOP FOR SCHOOLS - MOONEE PONDS CENTRAL 
'Shop for Schools' MOONEE PONDS CENTRAL 
Our Learning Tutor Ian spotted this opportunity for AVPS at Moonee Ponds Central shoppping centre recently. The top three schools win cash prizes,  currently, AVPS is 5th on the leaderboard. See information below and join in if you happen to be going to this shopping centre.
 
https://www.mooneepondscentral.com.au/whats-on/events/shop-for-school 

11 May to 14 June: Win a share of $6kCollect points for your school every time you spend for your chance to win a share of $6,000 in prizes. 
School Prizes:
1st Prize: $3,000 
2nd Prize: $2,000
3rd Prize: $1,000

Simply shop at Moonee Ponds Central between 11th May and 14th June and register your spend towards your nominated school!
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 
PARENT PAYMENTS - THANK YOU
The finance sub-committee of the School Council wishes to thank parents for supporting our school via the 2022 parent payment system. 

​In particular, we appreciate the contributions to the items and activities that add a great deal of value to what AVPS can achieve, in particular: 
  • Student Sponsorship - camps, excursions & sport​
  • Student Sponsorship - ICT
  • First Aid
  • Building Fund and Library Fund. 

We acknowledge the generous contributions of AVPS families and extend gratitude for this generosity. The Finance Committee, Kate Mohay (Treasurer), Scott Miller (President), Sue Osborne (Principal), Michael Downing (Assistant Principal), Rozeena Sen (Unit 6 Teacher) and David Cauchi Business Manager) will monitor the expenditure of these funds to ensure the benefits are felt in all categories over the course of 2022. For example, no students will miss out on access to ICT,  camps, sport or excursions in 2022 for financial reasons, due to the generous AVPS family contribution to student sponsorship. 
​
BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS - UPDATE
Block B - Learning Studio roof – We are very pleased that the Block B roof rectification works is complete and the building has been handed back for students to use. Please enjoy the slideshow below that documents the progress of the roof project over time. 

Playground Installation (upgrading the ‘big kids’ playground) – This project, guided by the Victorian School Building Authority, has progressed to the 'tender' stage. We hope to have news about scheduling of the project by term 3.
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Shade Sail Structure Late last year we were successful in receiving a $25,000 grant to build further sun protection. Our application was to build 2 quite large sails outside between Unit 6,4 and 1. We are almost through the planning stages and hope to commence work mid to late June. Students are helping us select the colours. 
FLEMINGTON MARKET - Starting Sunday
The Flemington Market is starting at AVPS on Sunday 29th May. It will then be held every Sunday on the AVPS school grounds. 

AVPS will have the opporunity to run a stall at the market in the future. 

We look forward to seeing you there. 
ANNUAL REPORT & MEETING INVITATION
The AVPS School Council approved the 2021 AVPS Annual Report at the March meeting. Please find this document attached below. It is also readily available on our website on our School Strategic Planning page here:  https://avps.vic.edu.au/school-strategic-planning.html .

Community members are invited to our Annual Report meeting to be held on Monday 20th June 2022 at 7:00pm in the hall. This will be an opportunity for School Council parents and staff members to share highlights of the school's achievements from the previous year and to outline current and future plans. 

Please save the date (Mon 20/7 @7:00pm) and look out for a separate invitation to our Annual Report meeting that will be sent via Compass Alert. 
avps_2021_annual_report.pdf
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OUTSIDE SCHOOL HOURS CARE (oshc)
oshc_newsletter_-_ascotvale_ps.pdf
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child_care_info_for_pupil_free_day_24th_june_2022.pdf
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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
Great news AVPS,
The SRC have decided to have a one and only Pyjama Day! 
It will be held on Friday June the 3rd where we will have lots of stimulating things to do at recess and lunch!
If possible, please bring a gold coin donation to raise money for breathe balls in every classroom to help us stay calm and happy.
​So find you best slippers, robe, oodie or pj’s and you can just roll straight out of bed to school (please shower though).
Thanks from the SRC!
Evelyn & Jhanak 
ENVIRONMENT TEAM NEWS
Our environment team are:
Unit 1: Richie and Maeve     Unit 2: Delilah and Ruby          Unit 3: Arisela and Angus
Unit 4: Alex and Lillian          Unit 5: Georgia and Melvin     Unit 6: Xavi and Freya
Hi AVPS Community.
The Environmental team have been busy organising activities and ways we can be more sustainable within our school and wider community. It has been great to see the enthusiasm and dedication the team have shown. Giving up some of their lunchtimes to have meetings and improve our school is something they should be extremely proud of.
We have:
  • Implemented Nude Food Fridays and have a new cup up for grabs for the class with the most Nude Food lunches. This year, the Team have decided to count lunches that are completely nude….that means no landfill items. Reusable bags, recycled materials such as soft plastics and paper will be counted as nude. The idea is that students will be able to recognise what is landfill and what can be reused/recycled and composted. To be on a level playing field, members of the Environment Team will turn the results of each unit into percentages and the winners will be announced at assemblies. Love a bit of maths involved!
  • The new leaders have been busy explaining to their units about how we sort the compost and recycling into soft plastics and paper recycling
  • Freya and other members have organised a clean-up roster for the school which will begin next week. It is a great way students and teachers can take pride in our school. We also learn about what can be recycled by sorting the rubbish into the appropriate bins after collecting it.
  • Weeded and planted out the unit 3 garden bed which now consists of parsley, mint, sage and silver beet. Thank you to the families that donated seeds and seedlings.
In the weeks ahead, we will be focussing on planting seeds into pots to grow seedlings. When they are ready, we will plant them out into other garden beds and school grounds.

A big initiative coming up will be a whole school event to celebrate World Environment Day which is in June. There have been some excellent suggestions for activities such as a teacher/student rubbish relay, craft activities using recycled materials and fun lessons to learn more about the environment. This is a work in progress! Please stay tuned for future announcements regarding this day. It will be a fundraising event with the aim to raise money to revamp the old chicken coop into a gardening area/workshop.

Keep it green, The Environmental Team.
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Georgia and Melvin submitting their Nude food results from Unit 5
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Freya with the clean up our school timetable
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Calculating the nude food results into percentages
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The nude food cup
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Planting the silver beet
STUDENT WRITING 
Please enjoy the following year 5/6 students' writing pieces in the files below.
  • Sophie - The Weirdest Ferry Ride Ever. 
  • Emma - Anxious
  • Maya -  Red Lantern
  • Heidi -  Williamina Fleming
sophie_waters_-_the_weirdest_ferry_ride_ever_.pdf
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emma.pdf
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maya_-_red_lantern.pdf
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heidi_-_wf.pdf
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HEALTH & PE NEWS
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Term 2 has been a busy one here in the P.E. department!
 
Year P,1,2 Units:
  • Completed a three-week AFL clinic through AFL Victoria
  • Currently involved in a four-week cricket clinic through Cricket Victoria
 
Year 3/4 & 5/6 Units:
  • Participated in additional weekly AFL lessons facilitated by SEDA College
  • Completed a four-week lacrosse clinic through Lacrosse Australia
  • About to commence athletics training (track & field) in preparation for our 3-6 Athletics Carnival
 
Other Events:
  • District & Divisional Cross Country Events – congratulations and good luck to Oliver & Lucy Walkom, Noah Steven, Sophie Waters and Smith Jansz who are off to represent A.V.P.S. at the Divisional Championships at Brimbank Park on Wednesday 8th June
  • A.V.P.S. Athletics Carnival coming up on Monday June 20th
  • Life Education (including LIVE Healthy Harold!) coming to A.V.P.S. from 16th – 23rd June
  • Year 5/6 Winter Interschool Sports Gala Days happening on 17th and 23rd June
 
Reminders:
  • Interschool Sport payments due Friday 3rd June
  • Life Education payments due Friday 3rd June
  • Helpers required for our athletics carnival (see Compass event for further details)
ASCOT VALE COMMUNITY NOTICEBOARD
Please peruse the community notices in the files and slideshow below:
ascot_vale_yoga_flyer_2022.pdf
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billboard_final_hap_and_stem.pdf
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