Welcome back!
It was wonderful to see the students and families flowing back through the school gates last Thursday for the first day of the school year. Everyone is just that little bit taller than the last time they were here. The first two weeks of school is very much focussed on Start Up, our introduction to each school year. Students are re-introduced to the Expected Behaviours, class routines, procedures and expectations, as well as what is needed to be a learner. Earlier, during the two curriculum days, staff engaged in several sessions of professional learning on how students learn with the The Simple Model of Memory, optimal class room set up, Pivot (a new wellbeing platform) and a CPR refresher for the over 20 staff members who are First Aid accredited.
Preps
On Tuesday we welcomed the latest members of Ashy - the Preps of 2026. After a few days of 1-1 assessments with their Prep teachers, the newest students started their first official day this week with a half day Tuesday. Families were welcomed to the new Prep rooms upstairs in the main building where photos were taken, hugs given and farewells made. So far, the Prep group have been fantastic! They have visited all the specialist classes, completed a tour of the school grounds, and learned about safety lines to just name a few. Mrs Newnham and Mrs G, experiencing yet another Day 1, have reported that they have settled in well.
Playground
It was disheartening to be informed over the holidays that our contractor redeveloping our Junior playground has entered into administration and would be ceasing business. This was incredibly frustrating as it marked the second contractor on the project who has gone into administration. This time we are in a better position, with the works more than half way completed, however, it is still a delay and pushes back the day we can have students enjoying the space. We are working with the Victorian School Building Authority on sourcing a new contractor to pick up the job and finish the work. I hope to be able to share a good news update soon.
Oval
Better news for our oval. As context, the condition of the oval had deteriorated through a combination of broken sprinklers, over use in high traffic areas and left over damage from when it was used as an access road for the netball court redevelopment. Late last year we were unsuccessful in securing a government grant to fix the area. However, using the money from various parent fundraisers last year, supplemented by school funds, we were able to employ experts to revitalise the grass surface. Over the break workers leveled out the surface, removed debris, fixed the sprinkler system and introduced new grass strains. It looks fantastic but still needs a bit more time before we can open it up to the students. We'll update you when we do have an opening date!
Soccer Goals
A huge thank you Grace, Joshua, Tim and Obi, our wonderful parent helpers, who came in Friday morning to put together our new soccer goals. We've put a set up temporarily on the netball courts for a small game to occur.
Rooms
There's been a lot of movement of classrooms since last year. Our junior classes (Prep/1/2) are now all housed in the main building, a significant shift from what was the norm here for many years when they were in the open pods. Following the work in closing off the main building classrooms with glass partitioning, we have placed the junior classes in spaces we feel are more suited to younger students who find outside stimulus distracting for the learning. The older students are better equipped to handle the more open environments of the pods hence the moves.
Staff movement
Mark Brisbane, our Disability Inclusion/Student Support lead, will be finishing up his time as Ashy this month. Even though he was with us for a little less than 12 months, Mark has been able to help our school and families as we navigated the changes to the student funding model. We thank him for his expertise and guidance through the process and we wish him the best as he heads over to China to take on the role of Principal in an international school.
