Dear Parents and Carers

Congratulations to our two choirs, Senior and Junior, who sang at the Honeywood Harmony Day Fair on Sunday March 11. Led by Miss Souter and Mrs Verbickis, our students sang beautifully in hot, trying conditions. Thank you to all the parents who arranged to get their child to the fair and help ensure our choirs were the highlight of the show! Thanks also to both teachers for giving up their time on a Sunday and preparing the choirs so well. We are very fortunate to have such dedicated and expert Music Teachers at Aubin Grove.

Most of all though, well done to all the girls and boys who sat patiently, waiting for their turn to sing on such a hot day with no shade to hide in.  They were all super troupers and who did our school proud, as always!

Homework Survey

Thank you to everyone who has already completed the short homework survey we sent out last week. As part of its role, the School Board regularly reviews school policies and after several years felt it was time to look at the homework policy. The opinions of parents will be considered along with those of teachers and educational research on the impact of homework on learning in the primary school years. Following this, the potentially revised policy will be implemented.

If you haven’t completed the survey, please find five minutes to do so by Friday March 23 as your opinion counts.

The School Board

At the last meeting of the Board, several other matters beside the review of the homework policy were discussed. Matters covered included:

  • Review and endorsement of the 2018 Cash Budget
  • Review of the 2018-2020 Business Plan
  • Endorsement of the school’s Crunch’n’Sip policy
  • Consideration given to the use of buses with seat belts for school excursions
  • Approval to install lighting to the Welcome Wall at the front of the school to highlight the wall and provide a well lit, more secure entry to our school.

The matter involving seat belts on buses has been raised as an item by a parent in our school and we thank him and his wife for their passion around this matter and the research into costings that they have undertaken. Although our school fully complies with the law and the Department of Education regulations in our current use of buses that do not always have seat belts, we are carefully considering the possibility of change to this practice. As you would expect, buses with seat belts cost more, brought about by fewer students being able to be accommodated each bus per journey as well as the additional cost passed on by the bus company for the higher quality bus service provided.

The Board will provide the costs of buses with and without seat belts for a typical excursion (Scitech) and swimming lessons as part of another short survey to parents and carers very soon. We are keen to hear what you think.

In the meantime, feel free to email me or any member of the Board if you have an opinion on this matter. Board member’s email addresses are on the school website at http://aubingroveps.wa.edu.au/board/board-members/

Teachers Port to Pub Swim Team

Our thoughts go out to members of the Aubin Grove Staff Swim Team who took part in the Port to Pub swim to Rottnest on the weekend. Despite months of preparation that built to excitement and anticipation on the big day, weather conditions were too severe and the race was cancelled at about the half way mark.

Staff who took part, Elly Fletcher, Mesha Steel, Dave Alessandrini, Michael Crake, Amberlie Evans, Peter Griffiths, Lily Dorotich Tara Lalor and Rhiannon Chadwick, and Kate Langoulant on the wave ski, were all greatly disappointed that after all their training, the weather was against them on the day. They were still pleased though, to have raised nearly $3000 for local charity Assisting Your Life to Achieve AYLA, and have vowed to go again next year.

Well done to all involved. You were heroic to take on such a daunting challenge and we are proud of you for the example you have set for us all.

Year 6 Student Leaders on Gates

As many of you know, all our Year 6 students are Student Leaders in our school. We provide them with formal training in the role of a leader including understanding the key attributes of leadership. We also take them on a team building day at Point Walter or Coogee Beach with trained staff at the start of the year, we regularly reflect with them on how they are coping with their roles during the year and we assign tasks for them to undertake around the school.

Our approach to make every student a leader and provide them with their own badge to signify their role is based on our belief that there is a leader within every student and it is our job to help develop that leadership within all of them, and not just in a small, select group of councillors or prefects.

The roles they do around the school are very important. We rely on them doing them and we thank them for their commitment. They open and lock the gates each day, coordinate the paper recycling, act as Peer Mediators in the junior play areas and raise and lower the flags every day to name a few of their jobs. The Head Boy and Head Girl gather the views of their Year 6 peers and the suggestions placed in the student suggestion box by other students and meet with me and Mrs Steel once per term to be briefed on the students’ points of view and consider any improvements we can make to our school. They also present these points of view at each School Board meeting. We are committed to hearing, and heeding, student voice at Aubin Grove.

They do much of this in their own time but if they have to miss some class time they have to ensure they catch up on any work they miss. Given all this, I have been disappointed to hear from the students themselves that they have been chastised on several occasions in the past by adults waiting outside the gates because they may be a few minutes late in opening the gates at the end of the day. To say that I was astounded to hear that adults would talk to students this way is a huge understatement. I was shocked actually as I imagine the vast majority of other adults would be.

It is important to remember that these students have interrupted their own learning and left their classes to do this job and may have been so consumed in their task that they got delayed.  Despite having electronic reminders nearby, they do their very best to be on time and do not deserve to be reprimanded by anyone.

If you do see one of our student leaders opening the gates one day please remember the F!SH Philosophy and be nice to them! “Make Their Day” by saying thank you and well done to them!

Public Meeting of the School Board

In line with our School Board’s Terms of Reference, one Board meeting per year, the second one in Term One, is a public meeting. This is a chance for members of the school community to attend and view the workings of a typical Board meeting. The meeting is scheduled for Thursday April 5 (8:45-10:45). If you are interested in becoming a Board member in the future, or are just interested in a particular item of business, you are most welcome to attend for all or part of the meeting which takes place in the Conference Room adjacent to the staff room.

The purpose of having a public meeting is to allow the community to view a meeting but unfortunately, not to participate in the discussion or any votes that may take place. An agenda will be posted shortly so you can see what is to be discussed on the day.

If you are thinking of attending please let the front office know so we can arrange seating.

Harmony Day

Don’t forget Harmony Day celebrations are on Friday April 6. Details have been sent out by email on March 16 but more news is on the way!

Minnasan Arigatoo Gozaimasu. Odaijini! (Thank you everyone. Take care!)

Frank Pansini

PRINCIPAL