We acknowledge the traditional Aboriginal custodians of the lands, waterways and skies of the Bunurong Peoples of the Kulin Nation where we gather, learn and grow at Aspendale Primary School.

We pay our respects to past and present Traditional Custodians and Elders of all nations,  and their ongoing cultural, spiritual and educational practices.  

We extend this respect to all Torres Strait Islanders and any First Nations peoples who learn or visit these grounds. We thank you for sharing and caring for the land we are learning on.

New version of the Acknowedgement of Country
Above is an updated Acknowledgment of Country that has been written in consultation with staff, students and members of our community. We recieved positive feedback and approval from our friends at the Bunurong Land Council in 2023. 



Aspendale Primary School commemorated Reconciliation Week.
We understand that for many members of the APS community, this is a challenging time.

Reconciliation Week is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.

Now more than ever, these conversations are important to be having. 

As a school, we commemorated the week by focusing on developing our sense of community and connections with a whole school event. 

Our School Captains made a video during camp to commemorate the week. It starts with our school's Acknowledgement of Country. You can watch the video here. 


Thank you to Gus, Surina, Warren & Edie for helping create the video. You all did an amazing job understanding the purpose of the week. 

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~ 2025 Calendar 

Event	Date
China Tour with Year 6 students	8-22 September
District Athletics	5 September
Marine Ambassador Excursion	9 September
Year 6 Maths Olympiad #4	10 September
Sport Colours Day	19 September
Term 3 ends - early dismissal 2:30pm	19 September
Term 4 begins	6 October
Division Athletics	9th October
PRICE Day	16th October
World Teacher Day	31st October
Melbourne Cup	4th November
PYPX Exhibition Day	10th November
Curriculum Day	14th November
Beach Swimming	24th - 28th November
Student Free Day	8th December
State Wide Transition Day	9th December
Graduation Year 6	15th December
Last Day of School	19th December

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Good evening families,

This week’s newsletter is coming to you from Waratah Beach Camp which is on the contested lands of the Bunurong and Gurnai-Kurnai peoples. (And a little late as we are just having too much fun!)

Year 6 Camp: Waratah Beach Camp

Our Year 6 crew headed off from school Wednesday morning to Waratah Beach camp for their two night adventure. There's been some wicked surfing, high flyers on the giant swing and a general great vibe across the grounds throughout the last two days. Thank you to the staff and parent/carer volunteers for supporting our students on this adventure. We are so proud of the way the students have challenged themselves, supported each other and demonstrated our school values and ensuring that they have been kind, safe and respectful! A big shout out to the team at Waratah Beach Camp for making our visit awesome.

Quality Human Bingo:

While at camp, the year 6 students have been playing a game which they call Quality Human Bingo. The goal is to achieve all 12 challenges for the day and share at dinner time. All the challenges relate to the Year 6 Goal of ensuring that everyone enjoys camp in a kind, safe and respectful way. The bingo card is below:

Division Cross Country:

Congratulations to our 10 runners who represented APS at the Division Cross Country on Wednesday at Cornish College. An excellent effort by all, with some students progressing to the Regional Championships.

Year 2 Unit of Inquiry Incursion:

As part of their new UOI, year 2 students took part in a fascinating history incursion. They explored real artifacts from the past, wrote on old-fashioned chalkboards, and listened to engaging stories about what school was like many, many years ago. The children were especially intrigued by black and white school photos and enjoyed comparing them to how we learn today. We are very thankful to Heather Scott from the Chelsea Historical Society who came to share her knowledge with our students. 

Enjoy the weekend ahead.

Amelia Busuttil

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Year 6 thoughts and learning during this Reconciliation Week

This year on camp, as we were having a camp fire and eating marshmellows, Ms Fletcher read us a book called 'Welcome to Country.' This book was pretty cool. Our camp is on contested lands - it is both Bunurong and Gurnai/Kurnai lands....We learnt about how the Gurnai/Kurnai Nation is a different Nation to the lands Aspendale Ps sits on. During the book, we heard about the two types of Gum Trees that are on both Wurundjeri and Gurnai/Kurnai Lands. We were allowed to pick them up. We also looked at the dark emu in the sky.
- Alex P

Reconciliation week is a week for us to recognise what Australia has done in the past. Australia is not perfect but there are still things for us to do- we have come a long way though! This year the theme is Bridging Now to Next - and our teachers have spent time talking about how we are the next generation. We want to be a generation of more decisions.

• Marion

We talked about National Sorry Day before we headed off to camp. It is a day where we recognise the protests and Apology to the Stolen Generation. 

In past years, we have heard the song, ‘they took the children away’ but Uncle Archie Roach is no longer with us…and we wanted to look to the future. So we listened to Briggs song ‘the children came back.’ 

• Emma

The first Aboriginal man to graduate University was Charles Perkins and he led the Freedom Rides.
It was where a bunch of University students went on a bus to travel around ... with signs protesting their ride. They went all around rural New South Wales and checked in with all the towns-  they were protesting against the racism directed towards the Aboriginal peoples. 
Some of the original bus riders talked about how the racism was things like being yelled and spat at.... If there were white people in the swimming pool they were not allowed in...And they had to sit in the front row at the cinema. 
- Alex F & Zakk

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This is a once in 100 Years event!!!

 

LAST CHANCE!!!

Ticket sales close TONIGHT.

So come on down and join the fun TOMORROW NIGHT!!!

Click on the link below or use the QR code to purchase your tix.

https://tinyurl.com/APSCommunityEvents

 

Get in quick, as time is running out...

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Thanks, Lina Pietrasik – ICT Coordinator

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Hello everyone,

Canteen is now open and in full swing for Term 2, operating Thursday and Friday each week!

This term will see the gradual introduction of a few new items on the menu so parents and students are encouraged to have a close look at Qkr when ordering and keep an eye out for any changes.

It is also important to note that a small number of the menu items will have a brand change. This is particularly relevant to those students who may have allergies and if more details or a full list of ingredients is required please reach out to Canteen Manager, Meg, and she can provide a thorough breakdown of all the information you need.

The Canteen is a buzz of activity each week with the incredible volunteers delivering smiles and food to the students.
New volunteers are always welcome and no experience necessary.
Collect an information form from the front office or pop in and say "Hi" to Meg in the canteen at school drop off Wednesday/Thursday or Friday. 

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A message from Soccajoeys Springvale, a fun and engaging soccer program designed for children.

We’re currently running programs for kids aged 5 - 13 and would love the opportunity to share this with your school community.

 

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Enquire Now!

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Our program is unique to other local clubs as we are the only Sunday morning program in the broader area, thus offering an alternative for those who have Saturday committments.

We have many players at our club already who are past or present students of APS and we look forward to welcoming more!

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