Term 2 done, onto Term 3!

Term 2 really did feel like the longest term, and at 11 weeks it probably was. Next term is shorter at only 9 weeks, but there will still be a lot to pack in including 

• Prep 100 Days of School
• Ashy Olympics (3-6)
• 3/4 Hoop Time
• Parent Teacher Conversations
• Father's Day event
• Book Week Celebrations!

Gold Morning Tea for SWPBS

This week we celebrated our third year receiving the Gold Award for our implementation of School Wide Positive Behaviour Support. Since 2019, we have been a leading school in this space, as we developed our understandings and rolled out processes and structures to support student behaviour. We have progressed from Bronze, Silver and then Gold awards and our work in this area has once again been recognised by the Department of Education through a special morning tea and presentation. A big congratulations and thank you to Rachel Roberts and her team for how they have grown the implementation over the last half decade!

Reports

On Wednesday afternoon the Semester reports were released via Compass. Along with Term 1's Getting to Know You and next Term's Parent-Teacher Conversations, semester reports form our official Reporting schedule. Thank you to all parents who have accessed and viewed the reports. According to our records, almost 100 students have yet to have their reports viewed. We really do want families to engage in their child's learning journey so I implore you to access them. For a vide guide of how to do so, click here

Safe holidays

Wishing you all a safe and fun break. We'll see you back at school on Monday, July 21st for the first day of Term 3. 

To finish off this term, our Year 5 students shared their learning at the Term 2 Expo, highlighting a range of engaging and creative projects they have been working on.

Which included:

• Their finished information reports, written on topics that they were curious and passionate about. Each student researched, organised and planned their ideas, and presented their findings in clear, well-structured reports.
• There Connected Research Assessment Task (RAT), where students investigated an endangered animal of their choice. Using a variety of sources, they explored their animal’s conservation status, habitat, diet, and the threats it faces. Their findings were presented in creative ways from interactive websites to carefully constructed dioramas, showcasing both their understanding and creativity.
• In Maths, one of our learning intentions was around probability and chance. Students designed and built their own maths games, subtly adding a small advantage for one player. These games were a hit at the Expo.
• Another maths focus was Area and Perimeter, where students created their Dream Home on grid paper and had to work out the Area and Perimeter of each room from shapes such as rectangular, squares and even circles! This creative task was engaging and creative and we look forward to continuing them in Term 3. 

To wrap up the term, we enjoyed our final Prep Pal session, centred on reflection. Year 5s and their Prep buddies shared their favourite moments from Term 2, discussed what they had learned, and reflected on the friendships they had formed. Together, they created reflections that captured these moments! We look forward to what we will create in Term 3!!

Book Week 2025

Theme: Book an Adventure

The theme for the Ashburton PS Book Week 2025 is ‘Book an Adventure’, so we are focussing on adventure stories!

Children’s adventure books and stories often feature journeys, quests, missions, or challenging obstacles. They often use themes of courage, friendship, determination and discovery.

These stories can take place in many different realms, from the fantastical to more realistic settings. Some adventure stories include: Rowan of Rin/Deltora Quest (Emily Rodda),  Victor’s Quest (Pamela Freeman), Mr Chicken series (Leigh Hobbs) and Diary of a Wombat (Jackie French).

For our costume parade, we are asking everyone to dress up as a character from an adventure book or story.

To help you start gathering some ideas, here are some great adventure stories from both Australian and international authors that you might get inspiration from, many of these books are in our school library. We will also be sending out more ideas and easy costume ideas in the lead up to Book Week.

It's always wonderful to see parents and extended family members come in numbers for our termly Whole School Expo. This term visitors were treated to a large number of dioramas that showcased the water cycle in Years 3/4, animals and their habitats in Years 1/2, and natural disasters and endangered animals in Year 5. Thank you again for everyone who came on either the after school or before school sessions. Term 3's Expos will be held in the last week of term. 

It’s hard to believe we’re already nearing the end of Term 2, we’re almost halfway through the year! Time has flown and our Year 6 students have continued to impress us with their enthusiasm, creativity, and collaboration. Over the past two weeks, they have been:

• Working hard in Writing - converting their information reports into scripts and collaborating in groups across the year level to create BTN (Behind the News) videos on their chosen topics. Students are set to begin filming next week using green screens and microphones - something they are all very excited about!
  
   
• Starting a new focus on probability in Maths, where they’ve been exploring key terminology and making connections to their understanding of fractions and percentages.
  
   
• Building on their knowledge of animals and natural disasters by choosing a specific area of interest to research and present as part of a mini project for our Week 10 Expo - it's been wonderful to see their creativity shine.
  
   
• Wrapping up Interschool Sport with their final round yesterday, marking the end of the winter season. Students gave it their all, and we were lucky not to be washed out once!
  
   

We’re so proud of the way our Year 6 students are embracing every opportunity, and we’re looking forward to a strong and exciting finish to the term!

The last 2 weeks of Term 2 have been busy! We are looking forward to the much deserved mid semester break. 

We have:

• Finished creating our water cycle dioramas
• Published our water cycle explanation texts
• Finished reading our novel study ‘The Explorer’ by Kate Rundell
• Used our understanding of The Explorer to create book summaries
• Been practicing our mental strategies to solve additive problems
• Explored what mass is and tools to measure it
• Proudly displayed our work for the Term 2 Expo

It has been such a great semester in Year 4. Enjoy the holidays! We look forward to seeing everyone in Term 3! 

Donut Fridays!

Next Term the Parents' Association is kicking off Donut Fridays! Similar to Term 1's Icy Pole Fridays, Donut Fridays will see a cinnamon donut delivered to your classroom at lunch eating time. All you will need to do is to order for the Term via Compass (just like icy poles!). 

Look for a Compass event soon to book in!

In Year 2 we have been:

• Learning to subtract using number lines, bridging to ten and worded problems.
• Responding to Sophie Scott Goes South, by Victorian author, Alison Lester. We learned about the Aurora Australis Southern Lights and used crayons and water colours to paint Antarctic landscapes.
• Practising our coding skills using robots and collaborating with a partner.
• Celebrating our SWPBS Behaviour Reward by watching a movie together.
• Preparing for and sharing our achievements with our families during EXPO.
• Planning and writing our narratives.

There were displays from each class showcasing their contributions, as well as highlights from school-wide events such as our Campfire and Smoking Ceremony.

We were excited to also welcome the Murnong Gathering Place with a special cultural display.
Thank you to those who joined us to celebrate learning, culture, and community.

APS VISION FOR RECONCILIATION
Reconciliation to APS means acknowledging and respecting the histories, cultures, and contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We aim to continue to promote cultural education, awareness and safety, build stronger, more inclusive communities and foster a sense of belonging and connection.