2021 APS Newsletter Issue 2


Junior School Council Report

JSC Report Newsletter Week 7 Term 1

 

We would like to thank APS for giving us the opportunity to attend the Youth Leadership Conference on Tuesday 28th February. 

This was a great opportunity for us to learn more about leadership skills. Some content I learned was about never giving up and some skills to become great leaders such as changing your environment and changing your perspective when things aren’t working. We also spoke about the importance of who you surround yourself with, is who you become. 

Sophia: I learnt that I can be a Director, a Peer or a Supporter leader.

Wil Massara was an extremely inspirational guy. He started the Youth Leadership Academy when he was 15 years old. From all the things we learnt from the conference I will now try my best to be a great leader. 

Ela: So be Brave, be Helpful, be Generous and be Kind. 

In Other News:


Wattle House fundraising The event will be a drawing contest on 24 March Friday. Please bring a gold coin donation to vote on your favourite drawings.

Foundation The Foundation classes have been learning about nouns, writing the letter Q, and counting to 1-10 in chinese.

Year 5 & 6 have been writing a biography about the people on the Australian banknotes.

Also, in Chinese, they have been preparing to have a facetime call with our sister school, Zhinan Elementary School. 

On Thursday the 9th of March they paid a visit to Collingwood College and Richmond High School and did some fun activities and games. We congratulate Year  5 & 6 for representing our school so well at these events.

Tuesday's P.E. Sessions 3/4/5/6 Students experienced an AFL clinic and got to meet some Collingwood Football Club players. It was really fun and we learnt a lot about the game and even got some signatures!

 

 

                                                          

The new House names:

          Green House will now be: Bamboo

                      Red House will now be: Grevillea

                                 Blue House will now be: Jacaranda

                                            Yellow House will now be: Wattle

 

By 

Elanur and Annick

JSC House Captains 



Elanur, Year 5         Annick, Year 5
Bamboo House       Grevilla House



Principal's Report

Dear Parents, Carers and Community Members,

What a roller-coaster ride it has been over the last fortnight.

In Week 3, all students participated in a range of Chinese New Year related activities and we ended the week on a high with a special Chinese New Year-themed assembly. Special xiaozhang hongbao were presented to the wonderful ambassadors of Chinese language in each year level and we also enjoyed the performance from Year 1 and 2 students.



For those who did not get a chance to attend the assembly in person, we hope you enjoy this 1-minute video of the special day:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Nf-dMO3Qjk

The week then took a sudden turn with the Circuit Breaker lockdown, and Monday marked a memorable start for our new staff Yooky laoshi as she begins her graduate teacher career with us.



Yooky laoshi will be representing the school in the Primary Mathematics and Science Specialist (PMSS) Initiative for the next two years, as she undertakes further training to become a Mathematics Specialist. She will be an integral part of the Tutorinig Program for Mathematics but be also involved in the Chinese curriculum and support for our Front Office.

Yooky laoshi has a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Latin American Studies and a Master of Teaching (Primary) from the University of Melbourne. Her previous teaching placement experience included another Chinese/English bilingual school and we look forward to seeing her develop her teaching capacity at Abbotsford Primary School as a bilingual Mathematics Specialist.

During the Lockdown, the 2020 School Council conducted its final meeting online and I wish to acknowledge the contributions from all School Council members for their leadership of the school during the difficult year last year. In particularly, I would like to thank the members for whom their current School Council term ends in March 2021:
  • Cath Ferla (Parent Member)
  • Alfie Ng (Parent Member)
  • Peter Emerson (Parent Member)
  • Melissa Hii (Community Member)
As we continue to prepare for the School Review (scheduled for late Term 2), we are also continuing to update the various policies with School Council consultation. You may now find an updated version of the following policies on our school website under the "Parents" tab > "School Policies":
Lastly, I would also like to take the opportunity to thank Lachlan Turner (Year 1 Parent) who has worked tirelessly to help bring back a soccer clinic onsite for APS students. He has secured an enthusiastic ex-Victory player as the coach and we encourage everyone to get behind this extra-curricular activity. For more information, please refer to the enrolment form.

Enjoy the well-earned freedom and we look forward to seeing you at the assembly next week (on the day of the Lantern Festival!)

Yours sincerely,
Stanley xiaozhang

Anaphylaxis/ Food Allergy Awareness

This year there are four students at our school with severe food allergies. The foods that these students are allergic to include:

  • Basa fish
    And nuts:
  • Peanuts, Walnuts, Pecans, Pistachios, Cashews and Macadamias

Contact with these foods could result in the student experiencing anaphylaxis, which is a sudden, severe allergic reaction that requires immediate medical treatment and is potentially fatal.

We are seeking the support and cooperation of families to minimise the risk of these students coming into contact with these specific foods. Therefore we request that you follow these simple steps:

  • Where possible, refrain from sending your child to school with food containing Basa Fish, and the nuts above.
  • Be aware of foods that may contain the above mentioned in their ingredients.
  • Remind your child that we don’t share food at school (this message will be reinforced by classroom teachers).

Thank you for recognising the need for ongoing vigilance to minimise the potential life threatening risk to these students.

Please note that we are NOT a ‘no nut’ school, rather this is a request to be mindful when packing your child’s lunch. We do not ban these foods from our school, as Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia (A&AA) does not promote nut/food bans for many reasons. We do encourage allergen minimisation and have strategies in place for class room management of these students. A&AA does NOT encourage nuts to be brought into school or used in curricular or extracurricular activities. There is no reason why a student can’t have nuts for breakfast and nuts for afternoon tea once they are home. For most they are healthy nutritious foods that can be eaten away from children with nut allergy when possible BUT we do not ever want to presume nuts are never around because that is when accidents happen and people can be unprepared.

If you have any queries regarding this matter please contact your child’s classroom teacher.

Note:

  1. The school has updated its APS Anaphylaxis Policy which is accessible via "Welcome" > "School Policies".

    2. For information about how to talk to your child about being mindful that some children have allergies, and how they can help to make our school a safe learning environment for everyone, please click on this link. 



    Be A Mate- Allergy Awareness





Fundraising and Community Events

We have two very special community events scheduled for Term 1, 2021 - private screening of "Boonie Bears - the Wild Life" (Sunday, 28 February) & the APS Hidden Treasure Community Market 2021 (Sunday, 28 March)! The Fundraising and Community Events Sub-Committee has been working away from Day 1 this year.

After a very successful secondhand uniform sale, here is an update to the upcoming events.

First up is the special private screening of Boonie Bears coming up on Sunday, 28 February 2021. This event is going ahead and you can purchase tickets online or via the Front Office:



Also to mark in your calendar is the APS Hidden Treasure Community Market 2021 to be held on Sunday, 28 March 2021. Stalls will be on sale from $30 each (for the school), and you get to keep all the profits made!

Fore more information, see Stall Holder Handbook 2021.



The market will also be complemented by food stalls and School Open Day tours, so please help us spread the words as we are hoping to bring the community in and show them how beautiful the school now looks after the refurbishment.



If you are willing to help out in any way (for this event or others throughout the year), Lisa would love to hear from you. In particular, we are looking for someone who can help to with operating the BBQ! Please contact Lisa via lisa_muston@yahoo.com.au.

Upcoming Events

Take a look at the various exciting school events coming up and mark them in your 2021 calendar!

(We still have stock of 2021 School Calendars. They are on available for $15 each from the Front Office.)

Monday, 22 February
Chinese Information Session (3:45-4:45pm)

With the range of new curriculum initiatives in Chinese, we are running a special information session to showcase the pedagogical approach we are taking from 2021 in developing students proficiency in Chinese. This is also a great opportunity to ask questions about the new Abbotsford Bilingual Model and get helpdesk support to get the Chinese apps running. The session will be taken by Fangni laoshi and Stanley xiaozhang.

Wednesday, 24 February
Foundation Student Free Day - Individual Numeracy/Literacy sessions by appointment
DF Football Soccer Clinic begins (3:45-4:45pm)

Friday, 26 February
Assembly (9:05-9:45am)

Sunday, 28 February (NEW!)
Movie Fundraiser "Boonie Bears: The Wild Life" (10am-12pm)

Please book online at https://www.trybooking.com/BOUBL or purchase tickets from the School Office

Wednesday, 3 March - Thursday, 4 March
Parent Teacher Information Meetings (9:00am-7:00pm)
Open Consultation on 2016-2020 School Highlights (9:00am-7:00pm)

Friday, 5 March
Student Free Day (Curriculum Day)

Monday, 8 March
Labour Day (Public Holiday)

Thursday, 11 March
Off-Cycle School Council Meeting (5:30-7:30pm)

This is an open consultation for all community members to contribute toward the School Review process. Lizzie and Stanley xiaozhang will be hosting two discussion sessions in hope to get your ideas around revising our school vision and values, as well as feedback around how the school has done in the last four years on community engagement.

Friday, 12 March
Assembly (9:05-9:45am)

Friday, 19 March
National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence- Classroom Activities (1:50-3:30pm) and Afternoon Tea (3:30-4:30pm)

As part of our new structured Wellbeing curriculum this year, we will be doing a series of classroom activities on anti-bullying which we hope parents/carers can join. This activities afternoon will then be followed by an afternoon tea picnic in our beautiful school yard for families to meet, socialise and enjoy a nice end to the week.

Tuesday, 23 March - Thursday, 25 March
Chompers Oral Health Visit

Friday, 26 March
Assembly (9:05-9:45am)
Foundation Learning Morning & Teddy Bear Picnic (9:45-11:30am)

Sunday, 28 March (NEW!)
Trash & Treasure Market x School Open Day (10am-2pm)

More information coming soon!

Wednesday, 31 March
School Council Meeting (6:30-8:30pm)

Please note that the school calendar is now accessible via both Sentral and our school website.

Admin Reminders

By the end of Term 1 Week 4, the following forms have been distributed and we ask for your cooperation in returning the necessary forms by the set due dates.

Overdue

Asthma and Anaphylaxis Management Action Plans (for relevant students only)
Due: ASAP

This form has only been provided to relevant students for whom their action plan requires an update.

Digital Technologies - Acceptable Use Agreement
Due: Monday, 8 February

Please note that this must be returned in order for your child to engage with digital technologies at school.

School Nursing Program (Foundation only)
Due: Tuesday, 9 February

Photographing, Filming and Recording Students
Due: N/A

Only return this form if you DO NOT give consent for the photographing, filming and recording of students as per the policy outlined.

We will assume you have read and given consent if we do not receive the form back by Thursday, 11 February.

Due Soon

Term 1 DF Football Soccer Clinic
Due: Monday, 22 February

For interested families only. The clinic is held on Wednesday afternoons (3:45-4:45pm) from Week 5 (this coming week) until the end of term. This is a fee-paying activity, with a discounted rate available for families on Healthcare Card. Enrolment form can be found here.

School Fees & Contributions
Due: Friday, 26 February

Thank you to families who have paid their school fees already. We have also been very touched by the generosity of our school community towards the voluntary contribution options. If you have not paid, we would appreciate if you can pay a visit to the Front Office this week.

I will endeavour to provide everyone an update on the voluntary contributions collected for each project in the next newsletter.

APS Movie Fundraiser - "Boonie Bears: the Wild Life" (28 February)
Due: Friday, 26 February

As advertised in the "Fundraising and Community Events" article. Tickets are selling out fast, so make sure you grab yours via TryBooking or the school Front Office.

Chompers - School Dental Program (23-25 March)
Due: Friday, 5 March

For interested families only. Enrolment form can be found here.

Community Noticeboard

Junior Rockers


Fitzroy Junior Football Club


Simonds Catholic College