Primary News

What a Year: Celebrating the Achievements of 2025

2025 truly seemed to fly by! It is wonderful to reach this time of year when we pause to reflect on the amazing collective achievements of our school and the personal successes of every lovely individual within our community.

This year has been defined by groundbreaking firsts for our school.

Our first major new building has given us the much-needed space to accommodate our growing community. Teachers and students have particularly appreciated the generous sizing of the classrooms, which facilitates more dynamic and collaborative learning. The large glass windows have not only flooded our learning spaces with natural light but have also fostered an environment of greater transparency and visibility in teaching and behaviour management.

First assemblies on campus: Thanks to our fantastic new Multipurpose Room, we were able to hold our first-ever Celebration of Learning Assembly right here on school grounds. This space also allowed us to welcome parents and carers to all of our End-of-Term Assemblies, a major step forward from our previous use of the basketball court or having to walk to Living Water Church.

First double stream class with the Year 6 cohort: This will continue with two Year 5 classes for 2026.

First time hosting Interschool Athletics: An event that was merely a dream just three years ago became a reality! We proudly hosted the Interschool Athletics Carnival for the first time, a testament to the incredible staff capacity we have developed to successfully manage and man a large-scale event of this nature.

First year in the UWA Children’s University: We celebrated our first inclusion into the UWA Children’s University program, with 15 of our students proudly graduating.

First time our numbers in Primary have exceeded 150 students: It seems like only yesterday we celebrated exceeding the 100 mark in the Primary School.

2025 has set a high bar, and we look forward to carrying this momentum into the new year!

NAPLAN 

In 2025, ACC Southlands had one of the highest NAPLAN results in Albany. We have worked very hard over the last eight years at improving our teaching practices and programs. Our results across the years show that while we have doubled in numbers we have also improved in educational outcomes. We have grown in reputation throughout the region for our teaching and learning. This is thanks to our dedicated teachers who are willing to improve practices and learn new methodology.

I would like to especially acknowledge Mrs Angela Van Der Snoek, who has been our Primary School Curriculum Coordinator for the last two years. She has persevered and put in many hours to develop some of the key strategies we use across the school. Thank you, Angela! Below is the link to view our school results. If you would like to see the analytics and compare us to other schools, search by postcode, then look at NAPLAN and results.

My School

Children’s University Graduation: Celebrating a Successful First Year

Our inaugural year participating in the UWA Children’s University program has been a great success!

The achievement is evident both in sheer numbers and unexpected benefits, as we proudly celebrated 15 graduates who completed over 30 hours each of self-directed, out-of-school learning. More profoundly, the program fostered a genuine attitude of lifelong learning among our students, empowering them to pursue diverse avenues of learning based purely on their own interest and choice.

The graduation ceremony was a moving occasion. Our students experienced the immense pride of their parents and carers as they confidently walked across the stage to accept their certificates from UWA Director, Dr Tim Martin.

I was exceptionally proud to witness their commitment and accomplishments, and I am excited to announce our plans to continue and expand this valuable program next year.

Interschool Athletics Carnival

This year marked a major milestone as ACC proudly hosted the Interschool Athletics Carnival for the Primary Schools within the Albany District Primary Sporting Association. We were delighted to welcome athletes and staff from St Joseph’s College, Bethel Christian School, Parklands, and Great Southern Grammar. Hosting this event for the first time was a significant step forward for our school community.

We owe tremendous thanks to Mrs Rachel Bresanello, whose vital assistance ensured both competition days were well-prepared and smoothly run.

The carnival kicked off spectacularly with the Jumps and Throws Day on November 18th. The energy was electric, but the clear highlight of the day belonged to Daniel Bresanello, who shattered the High Jump record by an incredible 8cm! The roar of the ACC team as they cheered him on made the moment unforgettable.

The planned Track Day on November 20th faced an unfortunate challenge as it dawned with persistent rain and strong winds, necessitating a postponement. However, we successfully regrouped the following Thursday, hosting the event at the North Road Athletics Field where the weather was much kinder.

Team ACC is to be highly commended not just for their athletic performance, but for their exceptional sportsmanship. Our students were outstanding ambassadors, consistently shaking hands with competitors and providing enthusiastic encouragement to their teammates throughout the entire carnival.

In the Playground

Hand ball has been the theme for all of Term 4. Mr Sinclair and the Year 6 students organised a handball tournament at lunchtimes. There were knock out rounds leading up to the grand final, and competition was fierce. The finals were all first to 5 points, with everyone actively supporting each other. Ethan Pirga, the champion, said, "Everyone had good sportsmanship and was nice to each other." He went on to say that there were many sling shots into corners. The Grand Final saw Jian, Eli, Jack and Ethan battle it out to the end. Ethan controlled the final game and came ahead of Jian with 5 games to 2.

Kindergarten & Pre-Primary Access Changes in 2026

Next year the Kindergarten and Pre-Primary gate will be locked between the hours of 9am and 2:45pm. This is to add another level of security in our growing school. Parents who would like to pick up or drop off students between these times will need to go to Student Services and sign their child out, and then Student Services will arrange for the child to go to them.

Two Year 5 Classes

I am pleased to announce that the Year 5 cohort will consist of two classes, taught by Miss Celeste Baker and Mrs Natasha White. Both are very passionate and dedicated teachers. The class lists will be pinned to the door for the first day of school for next year, which is Thursday 29th January 2026.

Thank You

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for partnering with the school in 2025 to provide the best educational support for your child. I am very excited about ACC and where God is taking us.

I wish you all a very blessed Christmas and a very happy new year.