22 May 2026 / Ashy News May 22nd 2026

From the Principal

Exciting times ahead as the campers arrive

Year 5 Camp

Also pushing through some wintery conditions, our Year 5s spent Monday to Wednesday at Camp Manyung, Mt Eliza. In what is always a highlight of the students' experience here, they enjoyed the Giant's Swing, Tree Top Challenge, Frisbee Golf and a stroll to the nearby beach for some rock pool exploration. Speaking with the returning campers, they spoke glowingly of the food, the accommodation and the good times. I can't thank our wonderful staff who attended enough - Bella, Mr Purdy, Miss V, Mr Worlley, Miss Whitehead, Mr Baker, Indigo and Sarah. We simply couldn't run experiences like camp without these people giving up their own time. Look out for more detailed reports on camp in a future APS News and assembly. 

Our District Cross Country runners

District Cross Country

On Tuesday 44 Years 3,4 and 6 students headed off to Hartwell Sports Ground to represent Ashy at the District Cross Country event. What started as a reasonably pleasant Autumn day turned Wintery by the last few races, but through it all, our students keep pushing through! Thank you to Miss Dooley and Issi for attending and standing through the rain too. For more details, check out the story here. 

Help the Homeless

On June 12th we will be holding the first JSC fundraiser for the year. As with all JSC fundraisers, students will be raising money for both a charity and something for the school. Both of these are chosen by the JSC. For this term's event, JSC has decided to raise money for Kids Under Cover (focussed on supporting homeless youth) as well as to replace the playground's basketball nets. Total money raised will be split between these two areas. 

On June 12th students are invited to wear free dress and bring a donation that goes to these two areas. Additionally, highlighting the wonderful work Kids Under Cover do in building accommodation for those in need, JSC will also be hosting  a Lego display. Students are encouraged to build a "home" using Lego (at home before the day) and bring it in to be part of our Lego home display. We ask the homes to be no bigger than 15cmx15cmx15cm to help with displaying them all. 

The shade sails are finally in!

School Disco is back!

The school disco is back for 2026 but with a new twist! This year it will be a silent disco! That means party goers will don a pair of supplied Bluetooth headphones and bop away listening to the DJ. But for everyone else without headphones (eg parent helpers) it will be lovely and quiet! The best of both worlds! There are two sessions Prep to Year 2 followed Years 3 to 6. The theme is a White Party (white clothes will work better with the ultra violet lighting!).  Tickets are now available here. We are also needing parent helpers on the night, so look out for more info on how you can volunteer soon!

Industrial Action

For those who have been keeping up with events in the media, the Australian Education Union has paused any industrial action taking place or planned to take place this term as members vote on the latest workplace offer. For our school, this means that there will be no half day strikes this term. However, there will be some impact on Semester 1 student reports. The reports will continue to provide important details about student learning attainment, but full descriptive comments will not be included as a result of industrial action taken earlier this term by the Australian Education Union.

Shady days coming up!

The final piece of the junior playground redevelopment finally fell into place with the installation of new shade sails! It's been a number of years since we had the playground covered by TWO sails, and we are super excited that we will be able to cover more of the play area in shade, particularly in the summer months. This purchase of these new sails was made possible by the fundraising efforts last year's Art Show through the auction of the artwork and sale of totes and tea towels. Thank you to everyone involved!

22 May 2026 / Ashy News May 22nd 2026

District X-Country

District Cross Country Tuesday May 19th

We headed off under cloudy skies on Tuesday as we walked to Hartwell Sports Ground for the annual Glen Iris District Cross Country day. Even though we were missing the Year 5 campers, the students made sure their voices were heard amongst the hundreds of other athletes as they cheered on their team. 

The 9/10 year olds competed across a 2km course, whilst our 11 and 12/13 age groups took on the longer 3km set up. It was incredible to watch as the runners, some pushing through driving rain, stretched themselves to reach the finish line. No matter if they qualified for the next stage, ran a personal best or just tried their best, we are proud of them all! Thank you to Miss Dooley and Issi for standing in the rain and making it all possible!

Below are the athletes who will be heading off to the Division stage on June 1st.

  • Callan C
  • Hudson E
  • Charlotte G
  • Edith G
  • Liam B
  • Isabelle L
  • Campbell L
  • Will M
  • Callan M
  • Steph N
  • Will S
  • Viaan V
  • Lachie W

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

22 May 2026 / Ashy News May 22nd 2026

Inter School Sport

Interschool Sport- Week 5 

 

Our Year 5 and 6 students have made a wonderful start to the Term 2 Winter Interschool Sport competition and training sessions. Students have been proudly representing the school each week in Mixed Netball, Girls Netball, Mixed Soccer, Mixed Softball, Girls Softball, Mixed AFL 9s and Girls AFL 9s. We are extremely proud of the excellent behaviour, teamwork and effort consistently shown by all students both on and off the field. A huge thank you to our dedicated teachers for coaching and running the teams each week with such professionalism and enthusiasm. Their support and commitment make these opportunities possible for our students.

22 May 2026 / Ashy News May 22nd 2026

Yr 3 News

Over Weeks 4 and 5, students explored how to find the main idea and summarise both fiction and nonfiction texts. They practised using clues like titles, repeated words and key details to help work out what a text was mostly about. In Writing, students kept working on their biographies by planning, revising and editing their pieces, while also learning how graphic features can make their writing clearer and more engaging.

In Maths, students used multiplication and division in real-world problem-solving tasks, including sharing, grouping and money activities. They also investigated the features of 2D and 3D shapes, learning to describe and sort prisms and pyramids. In Connected Studies, students continued learning about the effects of British arrival and researched First Nations artefacts.

Students have begun completing some assessments during Week 5. We encourage students to simply try their best and not feel stressed, as these assessments help teachers understand student progress and plan for future learning.

 

 

22 May 2026 / Ashy News May 22nd 2026

From the Art Room

The Preps had a fun time preparing for painting by learning how to put on protective smocks, practicing how to manipulate a paintbrush, and painting with (pretend) paint on the paving, building and even the plants! They are ready to take on the world of art at Ashburton PS! 

 

22 May 2026 / Ashy News May 22nd 2026

Jump Rope for Heart returns!

Dear Parents and Guardians, 

I am excited to announce that Ashburton Primary School are participating in Jump Rope for Heart this term – a fantastic fundraising and physical activity program by the Heart Foundation.

By participating in Jump Rope for Heart this term, I’m expecting to get our students moving. We’ll have skipping ropes available on the school grounds and are encouraging everyone to help raise funds for lifesaving research and support programs. 

Over the coming weeks your child will learn new skills, increase their physical activity, and learn about heart health. And the program will end with our school wide ‘Jump Off Day’ on <insert date of Jump Off Day> where your child gets to show off their new skipping skills to their friends. 

When you register your child online, you’ll get access to additional skipping resources to help give your child a great reason to get away from the screens and get outdoors. Register and create your own secure webpage at www.jumprope.org.au/parents.  

By signing up online, you and your child/ren can: 

  • Easily raise funds online.
  • Track skipping skills progress and earn virtual badges along the way.
  •  
  • Post updates to your page so family and friends can follow their progress. 
  • Access additional skipping resources.

 

Your child should have a ‘Parent and Guardian Guide’ flyer to take home, which includes further information on the program. If you didn’t receive this, visit www.jumprope.org.au/parents for all the information that you need.

Thank you for getting involved in Jump Rope for Heart!

Yours sincerely,

Dean Worlley
PE Teacher

Jump Rope for Heart Coordinator

 

22 May 2026 / Ashy News May 22nd 2026

Yr 1 Latest

The Grade 1 students have been very busy over the past 2 weeks! 

Some of the things we have been doing include:

  • Consolidating our knowledge of long vowel sounds in phonics
  • Learning about different ways to tell stories (pictures, music and orally) and making comparisons between the different methods
  • Practicing fluency with their fluency buddy
  • Publishing our narratives
  • Beginning to learn about informative texts, their features and how to write them
  • Learning about mass - how to heft items and then to weigh and compare items using informal units
  • Consolidating our knowledge of doubles and near doubles
  • Solving worded problems involving addition
  • Enjoying spending time as a grade 1 cohort during our Connected Learning sessions where we have been learning about “olden day” games and traditional methods of storytelling
  • Learning about resilience in SMILE and how we can apply this to classroom and playground situations

22 May 2026 / Ashy News May 22nd 2026

The Disco is coming!

22 May 2026 / Ashy News May 22nd 2026

Help the Homeless

22 May 2026 / Ashy News May 22nd 2026

Team Kids Update