Primary News

Hello families, and welcome to Term 2. It was great to see the excited children in Week 1 and hear about all the things they have been up to over the holidays.

As we move into Term 2 here at ACC, the change in season is  certainly evident. The grounds have greened up and jumpers and jackets have been abandoned everywhere. Our recesses and lunches are sometimes interrupted by showers though generally this is a lovely season in Albany. 

Part of this change is reflected in sport, with basketball finishing up and pre-season training starting in soccer. The cooler weather makes running more comfortable and we start thinking about Cross Country. Our Cross Country event will take place on Thursday, 8th of May. This promises to be a wonderful event, and parents are welcome to attend.

In-school swimming lessons will happen later in the term with Pre-Primary to Year 6 attending the Albany Leisure and Aquatic Centre from the 26th of May to the 6th of June.

Uniform

We take great pride in our students and the positive image they present. As we start Term 2 I would like to remind everyone of our uniform requirements. In Terms 2 and 3 we change to our winter uniform.

In the initial days of the new term, our teachers will be diligently checking student uniforms to ensure adherence to the school's policy. Should any discrepancies be noted, teachers will communicate directly with parents of students in the early years, recognising their reliance on parental support. For our middle and upper-grade students, uniform matters will be addressed with the student themselves during break times. Teachers will communicate with parents when uniform issues are ongoing. This prepares the student for secondary school and the increased responsibility in regards to appearance. Below I have included points to often-asked questions.

Formal Uniform

• Girls are to wear a long-sleeved white school shirt and brown pinafore dress. Stockings/tights are allowed (navy or black) or school socks can be worn. Leggings are not permitted.  Please note; no socks are to be worn over stockings/tights.

• Boys are to wear short or long pants, with a short or long-sleeved school shirt. A tie must be worn. 

• Woollen jumpers or vests can be worn as well as the school anorak.

• Blazers are optional.

• Beanies are optional and can be bought through the front office. 

Sport Uniform 

• Primary students are allowed to wear the sports uniform on Tuesday and Thursday.

• Kindy and Pre-Primary students are to wear their sports uniform all year round.

• White or black plain socks are to be worn (no logos/branded items).

• Plain sports shoes must be worn (please see accompanying guide); no skate shoes allowed. 

Overall Uniform Expectations:

• Keep hair neat and tidy; 

  • Girls’ hair that extends beyond the shoulders must be completely tied back and secured away from the face using a hair tie (blue or black).

  • Only plain black or navy blue headbands or hair elastics may be worn.

  • Only the specified hair ribbons, available from the e-store, may be worn.

  • Boys’ hair needs to be neat, tidy, above the collar and must not hang over the face. No extreme hairstyles or mullets allowed.

• Girls can wear only one pair of small studs (of any colour) 1.2mm - 2.2mm or sleepers (silver or gold) 8 - 12mm, in the earlobes, one in each ear. See the images below for size reference.

• No other jewellery is permitted.

  
  

• Wear the correct uniform; sports and dress uniforms are not to be ‘mixed and matched’.

• Boys’ shirts are to be tucked in at all times on school grounds, except for when students are actively playing sport. This includes walking to and from school car parks or the bus.  

• Wear the appropriate shoes and formal dress socks; black school shoes are to be fully covered for safety issues.

Interschool Swimming Carnival

On the 10th of April a small team of 12 students went to the Interschool Swimming Carnival to represent ACC for the first time. While we took only a few swimmers, we exploded onto the stage, breaking a record and winning many places. We went as a team that supported each other but I was blown away by the students’ camaraderie and team spirit. When we didn't have anyone competing the students cheered for their friends from other schools. Thank you to the parents for initiating the idea and supporting on the day. Notable results were: Aleah Couse - Champion Girl Year 5, and Harper Small broke the 75m medley record.

Literacy

At the end of Term 1 you would have received two writing samples from your child’s classroom teacher. This is the final part of our termly Writing Improvement Process. We assess using the Brightpath Moderation Tool which scores a piece of writing. From the cold task we set the learning intentions for the term and assess the child’s progress with a hot task near the end of term.

Books, Books and More Books

Across the Primary School in Term 2 all classes have a novel focus:

Year 1 and 2 are reading Charlotte’s Web.

Year 3 will read Rowan of Rin by Emily Rhoda.

Year 4 will delve into The Thing About Oliver by Rebecca Kelly.

Year 5 will read Wonder by RJ Palacio.

Year 6 students will discover Holes by Louis Sachar.

Children’s University

It was great to hear about all the learning opportunities our 23 Children’s University students completed over the holidays. From catapult making and natural dying to museum visits, our students extended not only themselves but took their families along for the ride.