Hello Abbotsford! Welcome back to Term 2! My name is Florence, and I’m your school captain. We have a lot to talk about in this newsletter, so let’s get started.

Firstly, the movie I promised you. Well, this is getting serious and we think we’re going to start in Term 3. The process will start with the casting in Term 3 as well as getting everything we need such as costumes, props, equipment. Then, in Term 4, we will move into actually filming and editing. At the end of Term 4 we will have a movie premier, that will also be a fundraiser, and invite everyone to come watch. So, we will be doing it soon, stay tuned.

We also have cross country coming up next Friday. Twenty students are going and thanks to Hao laoshi for organising this. It will be a fun event! We may be able to win as well! So, keep cheering for APS next Friday.

Another thing is the new suggestion box! The Junior School Council has decided that, instead of just the JSC making the decisions, we should make a suggestion box so that all students can put their ideas into the box. So then, at the JSC meetings, we can read all the ideas and suggestions other students have. We are getting it organised hopefully by Week 3. 

Anyhoo, those are the main points and I hope you are ready for all the upocoming events. Thank you for reading. 😊


         Florence

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Dear APS Parents, Carers and Community Members,

Welcome back to Term 2 and thank you for a fantastic start to the term! Also, a special welcome to our new 6 students and their families who have joined us from/for Term 2.

Over the last fortnight, we have enjoyed visits from special guests who have helped to expanded our appreciation and understanding for time and space!

145th Anniversary Celebration & Visit by Bruce Shaw
We were honoured to have Bruce Shaw (APS Alum 1952-56) join us for our Week 1 Assembly this term. Bruce shared many of his memories as a former student of "Lithgow Street School" in the 1950s. This was an era where there were no specialist classrooms. Every classroom was a generalist classroom with approximately 50 students, and if you ever 'met' the headmaster, you were probably in trouble.



After the assembly, I offered Bruce a tour of the school and he was particularly impressed by how the refurbishment modernised the building but kept the beauty of the old. As he walked down the corridors with the old windows, he was able to see the many classrooms that now make up our Year 1-2 area and staff room. He recognised the staircase outside the Multi-Purpose Room and spoke proudly and fondly about the cultural diversity that has always been in the Abbotsford's DNA. He remembers many European classmates who spoke little English when they first upon arrival, from Austrians, to Italians to Greeks.

Bruce is currently the President of the Rotary Club of Collingwood. We look forward to staying in touch and work in partnership with the Rotary Club for future projects.

Visit from Thor - Once Upon a Saga
Yesterday, we had the pleasure of meeting Torbjørn (Thor) Pedersen. Thor is a Danish traveller/explorer/Youtuber who embarked on a journey in 2013 to become the first person in history to visit every country in the world (203 based on his list) without flying! Combining this adventure with his passion for advocacy, humanitarian work and building intercultural understanding, he has been been sponsored by two Danish companies to complete this incredible project which has been entitled "Once Upon a Saga" (which you can find on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube.)



I have personally been following Thor's adventure for a number of years now. Upon realising he is currently in Country No. 196 - Australia(!), and his latest updates were all of our beautiful city, I wrote to him in hope he would accept my invitation to come and share his stories with our school community. Being a man who very much lives up to his motto - a stranger is a friend you've never met before - he agreed.



I am sure both our students and the parents who attended Thor's session would agree, meeting him in person has only confirmed one thing - he is a fantastic role model for our students and is no doubt someone who lives and breathes our school values (Curiosity, Challenge, Connectedness and Care.)



I am very grateful of the trust Thor has given me (as one of his 100k fans who he had never met) and the authentic interactions he offered to our community. Being a 'star' is not easy, and as he shared with us in a very genuine (if not vulnerable) manner, a project like this is full of dilemmas, tensions and challenges.



On behalf of Abbotsford Primary School, we thank him for taking the time to come and wish him the best as he visits the last 7 countries! Safe travels!



ANZAC Day & Mother's Day
The first two weeks of Term 2 are also sandwiched by two very important days - ANZAC Day and Mother's Day, and these days have been important themes for our learning in class!

APS would like to take the opportunity to honour the legacy of our ANZACs and acknowledge the continued sacrifices made by our contemporary veterans.



And of course, a very sincere Happy Mother's Day to all our hard-working mothers and grandmothers! We hope you enjoy a fabulous day tomorrow!



Special mention to the APS mothers who helped out at the secondhand uniform sale last Friday. Many thanks for your ongoing support!

Stanley xiaozhang

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P.S. If you are a fan of APS, please give us 5 stars on Google Maps and leave a helpful comment for prospective families :)

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A new School Council initiative for 2022 is The Fathering Project, which was announced at the End-of-Year Picnic last year.

The Fathering Project is an organisation that has been working with schools all over Australia. Their aim is to help fathers connect with one another, so that fathers too, can feel connected and supported by a "Dads' Group" where the joys and challenges of fathering can be shared and discussed.

The Fathering Project provides a range of resources which can be accessed by fathers and the School plays a facilitator role in by supporting father-led events and sharing useful tips for fathers through our newsletters.

If you are interested in joining the APS Dads' Group, click on the hyperlink and sign up! You will find an excellent range of online resources available to support you in your fathering journey.

I am very grateful that since the announcement last year, we have had two fathers put their hand up to help lead the formation of the Dads' Group. We are currently brainstorming the first event, and more details will be announced soon.

If this is the first time you are hearing about this and you are also willing to get involved as a leader (not just a participant), please do get in touch (email the school or Stanley xiaozhang)! It is certainly not too late yet!

In the meantime, here is a taste of the useful tips that we will start to include through our newsletters:

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The issue of Cyber Safety has been a bit of a hot topic at school lately.

With the advent of Covid 19 everyone has become so used to performing many formerly face-to-face functions online, and it is unlikely that life will fully revert back due to the convenience of online contact.

The issue of developing and maintaining agreements for daily length of time on devices and the monitoring of online communication in chatrooms for some of our older students have been the main points of discussion since the start of the year.

I would like to recommend the eSafety website that has many useful online resources for parents that offer useful advice and tools that can be used when discussing this issue as a family.

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On a separate note, we have also been noticing that there is a growing number of students brinign nut-based snacks and peanut better sandwiches to school.

While we are not a nut-free school, we do ask parents to be considerate and aware of the safety and wellbeing of other students in class who may have allergies and anaphylaxis. This is particularly important to note for F-2 classes.

Best regards,

Caroline

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ACATS Approval Letter Vic Education
ACATS Full Research Ethics Clearance
ACATS Information Sheet

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Tuesday, 10 May - Wednesday, 12 May
NAPLAN (all Year 3s and 5s)

Friday, 13 May
Assembly (9:05-9:45am)
District Cross Country (Selected Years 3-6)

Tuesday, 17 May
School Council Meeting

Wednesday, 18 May
Melbourne Museum First People Excursion (Years 1 & 2)

Friday, 27 May
Assembly (9:05-9:45am)

Wednesday, 1 Jun
STEM Experience at Richmond High School (Years 5 & 6)

Friday, 3 Jun
Dragon Boat Festival Rotational Activities

Thursday, 9 Jun
Scienceworks Excursion (Years 3-6)

Friday, 10 Jun
PUPIL FREE DAY (New!)
Camp Australia Special Full-day Program available as a back up

Monday, 13 Jun
Queen's Birthday

Friday, 17 Jun
District Winter Gala day (Year 5 & 6)

Friday, 24 Jun
Assembly (9:05-9:45am)
Early Finish at 2:30pm

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KIDS MARTIAL ARTS & SELF DEFENCE


MARTIAL ARTS CLASSES


CERAMICS CLUB - MAYFIELD STREET


IRISH DANCING


YARRA STEAM AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS



TUNING INTO TEENS FOR YEARS 5-6 FAMILIES


TRIPLE P - POSITIVE PARENTING PROGRAM

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