1. education
2. school

NEWSLETTER
Friday 8th May, 2015
Phone: 9587 0877
96 Kearney Drive, Aspendale Gardens, 3195
Fax: 9587 0477
Email: [email protected]
DIARY
MAY
Monday 11
Tuesday 12
Wednesday 13
Thursday 14
Sunday 17
Monday 18
Last Day for Chocolate Orders
Years 3 & 5 NAPLAN Testing
Years 3 & 5 NAPLAN Testing
Years 3 & 5 NAPLAN Testing
Kitchen Garden Working Bee
10am – 2pm + Sausage Sizzle
EDUCATION WEEK BEGINS
School & Foundation Room Tours
MAY (continued)
Monday 18
Debater’s Workshop (9am – 1.30pm)
Tuesday 19
Amazing Race - Maths around the
School
Wednesday 20 Open Night (5.30pm – 7pm)
2016 Parent Info Evening 7pm – 8pm
In the Library
Friday 22
CPDSSA Cross Country @ Cornish
FROM OUR ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
What another fabulous week enjoyed by us all here at Aspendale Gardens Primary,
particularly leading into Mothers’ Day this Sunday.
Clifford was a welcomed surprise guest at Monday’s
assembly as we launched the Book Fair. Thank you to all
those families who supported our Book Fair this year.
The Foundation classes hosted a morning of activities on Thursday
for many mums featuring a special love
song performance, complete with a
presentation of a personally made bouquet of paper flowers. In
addition to showing all of their wonderful work every Mum left with a
love heart card and photo made during their child’s Art classes.
Needless to say there wasn’t a dry eye in the room! Other classes also
joined in recognising their Mum’s outstanding attributes and
contributions. The Year 6 classes and others throughout the school
served Devonshire teas as an expression of appreciation for the great
work that their mums do.
Safety Reminder
It has been brought to our attention that some children are rushing
across the pedestrian crossing or not even using the crossing, then
entering the shopping car park in a manner that may jeopardise their
personal safety. Please remind your child of the congested traffic in
the car park and escort your children carefully to parked cars. Thank
you. It has also been brought to our attention that some parents are
bringing their dogs on to the school grounds which is not permitted for obvious reasons.
Parent Representatives’ Meeting
A group of very dedicated classroom parent representatives met on Tuesday evening to
discuss creative ways to make our families feel connected with their child’s classroom families
by arranging functions outside school hours. There have already been some great times
enjoyed at Laser Tag/Dodgem Car Centre for all families of 2RA while the Year 1 families had
heaps of fun at the Croc’s Play Centre. We cannot wait to learn more of the activities
happening over the forthcoming weeks. The 2CT families will soon be catching up at the Brown
Rice restaurant, a popular venue for local diners. Please contact your parent rep. if you have
some innovative ideas for having fun with your fellow class family members.
Don’t forget Education Week!
Education Week is fast approaching with our Open Night on Wednesday 20th May from 5.30pm
– 7.00pm. Mark it in your diaries as this will be an opportune time to discover more about the IB
P.Y.P. program and the solid learning that is taking place daily, as part of every Year level’s
inquiry investigation. There will also be a 2016 Foundation Information presentation
commencing at 7.00pm in the Library. School tours will be available at 10.00am on Monday
18th May and at 9.00am, 2.30pm and 5.30pm on Wednesday 20th May. During the day on
Tuesday 19th many classes will be involved in the ‘Amazing Race’ as part of a Maths focus for
the week.
Running Group News Update
Forty six AGPS enthusiastic runners arrived at 7.15am to take
on a brisk run in the wintry environs of the wetlands on
Thursday morning. We would like to thank all of the parents
and more than 8 staff who regularly support this important
program by arriving very early in the morning. Our runners
claim the breakfast is delicious!
N.A.P.L.A.N.
On Tuesday 12th May – Thursday 14th May our students from Years 3 & 5 will be participating in
the State-wide NAPLAN testing program. The assessment covers Writing, Reading, Language
Conventions and Numeracy. This has become an integral part of the many ways we assess our
students’ learning in order to plan future goals and programs. The results will be available to
parents in September at which time teachers will be willing to discuss the details.
Mothers’ Day Stall Success
A HUGE thank you to the fundraising team and all the fantastic volunteers on once again
presenting a stunning array of Mothers’ Day gifts for the children to purchase. We appreciate
your work leading up to and during the day so please take time to celebrate your enormous
contribution to the kids when you have a cuppa on Sunday. The Chocolate Drive is the
fundraising team’s next initiative that will help contribute funds to a much needed electronic
notice board that will be located at the front of the school. Last day for chocolate box orders is
Monday 11th May.
Finally, have you recently viewed the impressive
video showcasing all of the magnificent activities
that take place in our school? It’s currently being
played on a screen in our school foyer and is
featured on the school website. A big thank you to
Mr. Cracknell and the student team who produced
a most informative documentary.
Enjoy a special Mothers’ Day this Sunday!
“More tasty treats created in the kitchen!”
Peter Wyatt
ATTENTION ALL PARENTS!
This term our unit of inquiry is based around animals and their environments. During these
sessions the children will be creating dioramas. For this we will be requiring shoe boxes. If you
have any spare shoe boxes at home could you please send them to school with your child over
the next week. Thank you.
Foundation Teachers
YEAR BOOK 2015
If you would like a copy of our fantastic 2015 Yearbook and have not
included payment with your school fees, the cost is $20.00 and can be
made payable to the office. We need to finalize numbers to be
printed by the end of this term. So make sure you don’t miss out on this
spectacular offer! Thank you to those families who have already
made payment.
Glenys Balik
TOASTMASTERS LEADERSHIP PROGRAM
Last week was our first Toastmasters session. Toastmasters help with public speaking and
leadership roles. We met John and
Tracy, who are volunteers, and are
running the program. During our first
session we all had different roles. The
most important role was Toastmaster
or MC (Master of Ceremonies). Meeshi was the
Toastmaster this week. The MC introduces the speakers
and the title of their speech. They also thank each person
at the end of their speech.
Evelyn (5RL) and Danny (5RL).
NOTICES SENT HOME THIS WEEK
Year 1 Myuna Farm Excursion
Year 5 Education Week Invitation to Parents
Years 5 & 6 Somers School Camp Expression of Interest
OFFICE REMINDERS
Year 4 Royal Botanic Gardens payment due by Friday 15th May
Year 4 Camp Deposit due by Monday 18th May
CDPSSA Cross Country payment due by Friday 22nd May
Year 3 Camp Deposit due by Monday 1st June
CANTEEN OPERATING TIMES
MONDAY & TUESDAY
CLOSED
WEDNESDAY – FRIDAY
OPEN
LUNCHTIME WINDOW SALES ONLY
NANJING YOUFU WEST
PRIMARY SCHOOL…
Our Chinese Sister School
is coming to visit!!
We will be welcoming a group of 10 students
and their teacher from our sister school Nanjing Youfu West PS and also
another group of students from Jiangsu Province and their teacher on
MONDAY 20th JULY.
We were so delighted by the responses to our previous visits of students
and hope our school community will be prepared to welcome these
students again into your families. They will arrive in Melbourne and visit the
city, a farm, Fauna Park and the Penguin Parade at Phillip Island before
they arrive at our school.
The group will be with us from Monday 20th July until Monday 27th July
They will come to school with your child (ren) and spend the day at school
in the Year 6 classrooms. If your child is travelling with us to China to visit
our sister school this year this would be a wonderful opportunity to
reciprocate their host- stay experience. If you are considering allowing
your child to travel to China with us next year, then this would be a
particularly special experience and opportunity to start to develop
friendships with friends you may see again when we visit their school! If you
are a friendly family and want to get involved for all the wonderful benefits
for your family then we would love to have you!
As much as possible we would appreciate that our visitors stay in pairs with
each host family. Each child needs their own bed but this can be a
foldaway in your own child’s room or in the study. No need for a ‘proper’
bed in their own room as this is difficult for most of us!
We understand the extra expenses involved with hosting and so would like
to reimburse families for this special event with $100 for each child. This will
be paid directly into your bank account.
We will be taking the group on an overnight trip down the Great Ocean
Road from Tuesday 21st July and returning on the afternoon of Thursday 23rd
July.
If you would like to be involved in this wonderful opportunity please
contact me at school on 9587 0877 or mobile 0449 760 050 or email
[email protected]
Julie Lach
Animals have many features that enable them to adapt to their environment
Dingoes are nocturnal animals, active
at night. This is when their prey is
awake. Dingoes are found in the
outback of Australia
Dino 2HM & Oliver R 2HT
Dingoes howl instead of barking
because they are part of the wolf
family. Dingoes live in the bush.
HOOOWOOO cool is that?!
Daniel 2HM & Zac 2HT
The amazingly clever dingoes are fast
runners and they have sharp nails. They
keep their babies clean and they live in
Australia.
Hanna 2HT & Emily A 2HM
Dingoes do not woof they howl. It’s
because they are a part of the wolf
family. Dingoes live in packs in
Australia. Taylor 2HM & Cerise 2HT
Kangaroos hop or jump very fast using their
powerful back legs. Their tails help them to
balance. Kangaroos are native to Australia.
Angeline 2HM & Senita 2HT
Kangaroos have tails to balance so when
they land from a bounce they don’t fall
over. Kangaroos live in the Australian bush.
That’s so cool!
Lina 2HM & Izzy 2HT
Hop! Hop! The kangaroo tail helps to balance them while they are
hopping and when they fight. They live in the bushy, bushy bushlands.
Lajuree 2HT & Eleana 2HM
All frogs eat with their eyes. It uses its eyes because it doesn’t have
any teeth. They live on lily pads and in ponds.
Alicia 2HT, Shannon 2HM & Anastasia 2HT
Frog’s eyes pushes down food because they don’t have teeth so it
can eat its food. They live in swamps and rainforests. It’s an awesome
and great animal.
Ruby 2HT & Charlotte 2HM
The amazingly, slimy frog pushes its food
into their tummy with their eyes. Frogs do
this as they don’t have teeth. Frogs live in
billabongs.
Josh 2HT, Finn 2HM & Alex 2HT
The dangerous Emu
has sharp claws to
protect itself. They
live in the
bushlands of
Australia.
That’s awesome!
Amelia 2HT & Cara
2HM
The scary snake has a lot of scales to help move
on the ground. It has a very long body to wrap
around its prey. Snakes live in hot deserts and
places with lots of sand.
Naresh 2HM & Rowan 2HT
Smart and deadly tiger snakes are venomous so
they can protect themselves. Tiger snakes live
near big swamps. Is that cool or is that cool?!!
Ashton 2HM, Oliver S 2HT & Max 2HM
The fluffy koalas have a huge
nose to smell things that are
far away. Koalas live in
eucalyptus trees and near
bushes.
Tommy 2HT & Denilson 2HM
The female Tasmanian Devil has the
strongest bite to defend herself. If you
are lucky, you might find a Tasmanian
devil in the Australian bush.
Well isn’t that cool?!
Mac 2HT & Declan 2HM
The Tawny frog mouth sleeps with its mouth
open. Its yellow tongue and mouth attracks its
prey, which is insects. They live in Australian
Bushland. That’s so cool!
Oscar 2HT & Ashton 2HM
The Year 2 students, teachers and parents had a fantastic time on our excursion
at Moonlit Sanctuary on Monday 27th April. After a short delay with one of the
buses, we were off on our adventure exploring the unique features and habitat of
many Australian animals. Although we were nervous about the grey skies, we
managed to get through the entire day with just a few showers. Thank goodness,
all the kids were well prepared for rain with their beanies, coats, gum boots and
enthusiasm – nothing was going to spoil our sensational day. The children were
split into groups – Reptiles, Amphibians, Birds and Mammals, smoothly moving
from one activity to the next with perfect timing! Each activity had a special
attraction - ‘It’s A Frog’s Life’, ‘Feathers Taking Flight’, ‘Wallaby Walk’, ‘Mammal
Mingle’ and ‘Struts, Slithers and Scales’.
The excitement, magic and joy the kids experienced at Moonlit Sanctuary was
tangible. What an
amazing day, with many
unforgettable memories to
be cherished.
STARS OF THE WEEK
Week 4 – Term 2
Years Foundation – 2
Years 3 – 6
KITCHEN/GARDEN YEARS 3 & 4
WORKING BEE
SUNDAY 17th MAY
10.00am to 12.00pm
Sausage Sizzle & Refreshments provided
Tasks include: Completion of drainage around the shed, preparation
and planting of olive trees at car park garden, renovation and moving of
wick crates, digging of a mulch pit near the shed to collect rain water from
the drains for fruit trees.
If you can attend please return the form below by
Wednesday 6th including listing tools you will bring.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUNDAY 17th MAY WORKING BEE
YES
I / WE CAN ATTEND THE WORKING BEE
ELDEST CHILD’S NAME:__________________________________________
NAME /S:
___________________________________________________________________
Tick tools you will bring:
shovel
rake
wheel barrow
broom
chainsaw
SAVE THE DATES
SATURDAY 15TH AUGUST
A.G.P.S. TRIVIA NIGHT
FRIDAY 30TH OCTOBER
A.G.P.S. ‘HALLOWEEN’ DISCO
FUNDRAISING INITIATIVES FOR TERM 2
On-going Bag It & Bring It – used clothing and footwear in good condition
to be placed in green wheelie bins located outside the staffroom in the
Administration building. AGPS makes 40cents per kilogram donated.
Thank you for supporting this fundraising initiative – the bins have been
overflowing!!
Entertainment Books – on sale NOW for $65.00. Books are available from
the Office or in digital version online. With each book sold our school
receives $13.00. Thank you to those families who have already made
purchases.
Mother’s Day Stall The stall was a resounding success with all gifts being
sold. Thank you to the following parents who offered their time to assist on
the day: Sopharany Hay, Mary Sofis, Jodie Abeykoon, Sally Baldry, Karmen
Cataldo, Melanie Jazownik, Melissa Munro, Melinda Freestone, Pawinee
Van Dyk, Lisa Wenke, Renae Raba, Leigh Ross, Miraluna Amit, Dharshi
Subhawickrama, Kylie Swingler, Kim Pawson, Geri Sinclair, Leanne Dudley,
Jenni Turner, Des Makarios & Maria Janecic. Also a BIG thank you to Lewis
and Kara S. who made the large advertising signs and to our Junior SRC for
making all the other advertising signs around the school.
Cadbury Chocolate Drive Thank you to all those families who have
returned their request forms some opting to pre-pay for their boxes and
others to just make the straight $20.00 donation. All orders must be back
to the school office by MONDAY 11TH MAY. If you DO NOT return your pink
slip your family WILL receive a mixed box of Freddo frogs. Boxes CANNOT
be returned opened – all items must be sold. If you cannot sell a whole box
please opt to make a straight donation or tick the ‘do not wish to
participate’ box on the form.
Thank you for your continuing support!
The Fundraising Team
Bring your carrots or silverbeet stalks to measure on the
Giant Carrot in the Garden Department at Masters
Keysborough during Term 2.
The school that has grown the largest carrot or silverbeet
stalks will win a $100 Masters Voucher for their school.
The Garden Team at Masters Keysborough are looking
forward to seeing you soon.
Masters Keysborough
Cnr Cheltenham and Springvale Rds, Keysborough
ASPENDALE GARDENS COMMUNITY SERVICE INC.
103-105 Kearney Drive ASPENDALE GARDENS VIC 3195
Tel: (03) 9587 5955 Fax:(03) 9587 5280
Business Hours: Monday, 9am to 1pm
Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday, 9am to 3pm
Thursday, 8.30am to 5pm
Web – www.agcsinc.org.au
Email: [email protected]
OCCASIONAL CARE (now including 2-4 year old Activity Group)
run by our Qualified Preschool Educators
Can’t afford day care fees and need a break?
Aspendale Gardens Preschool runs two sessions of Occasional Care
per week. These sessions are a fun and educational learning
experience that enhances children’s skills and development towards
Preschool and School.
When? Tuesday afternoons (during school term) - 12.15pm to 3.15pm
Cost (per session) payable upon booking:
Members: $28.00 per child; $52.00 per family (non-members $35.00 per child);
Thursday mornings - 8.30am to 12.30pm
Cost (per session) payable upon booking:
Members: $32.00 per child; $60.00 per family (non-members $40.00 per child).
You can make a permanent booking for the term (full term fee payable to secure your place),
or casual bookings can be made by contacting the office.
Bookings Essential! 9587 5955.
103-105 Kearney Drive, Aspendale Gardens, 3195
Tel: (03) 9587 5955 Fax: (03) 9587 5280
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.agcsinc.org.au
Office Hours: Monday, 9am to 1pm
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 9.00am to 3pm
Thursday, 8.30am to 5pm
EXPRESSION OF INTEREST
- Hip Hop Dance Class (8-10 year olds)
We are seeking Expressions of Interest to participate in a Hip Hop Dance Class on
Friday afternoons from 5pm to 6.30pm at our Centre. If you think this is
something your child may be interested in, please complete your details below
and hand in at our Office.
Thank you.
Name: _____________________________________________________________________
Address:____________________________________________________________________
Contact Telephone No: _______________________________________________________
Email: _____________________________________________________________________
 50% off Waxing on first visit for all AGPS mums
 $5.00 discount on first Spray Tan
 Specialising in Waxing, Tinting & Spray Tanning
 Professional home based salon environment
Contact Alison Schrag on 0407 167 800
 FIRST LESSON FREE!
 Expert tuition by fully qualified
teachers
 Beginners to Advanced
 Examinations (A.A.T.B.D. Inc.)
 Annual concert and competitions
 Now enrolling age 3 years and up
 Beginner adult classes available
Classes held at
St Chads Church Hall
12-14 Thames Prom Chelsea
Enquiries: Ring 0401 468 173
[email protected]
www.artevolutionsds.com