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. 

Dear parents and carers,

What a windy week we have whirled our way through! To our students credit, they have continued with their learning in the classrooms, made kind choices in the playground and managed to keep their hats on their heads. Thanks to all students for moving back to wearing their hats so quickly. This continues for the remainder of the year in alignment with our SunSmart policy.

Aspendale PS goes to China

On Saturday evening, twenty-one Year Six students and four staff will head to China for the last two weeks of the term. During this time the group will visit Beijing, Nanjing, Lainyungang and Shanghai, with the highlight being the opportunity to complete a homestay with families from our sister school, Xurjingcheng Primary School. The group will spend several days at our sister school getting to experience what teaching and learning is like in Nanjing.

I will be accompanying the group. I will keep in contact with Amelia Busuttil and Mel Jacobs during the next two weeks.

School Savings Bonus

The Victorian Government announced earlier in the year a School Savings Bonus to support families across the state. This is allocated to each student at a Victorian government school. Our understanding is this money can be used for school uniform, camps, school swimming and excursions. It is important that we have each families details up to date and to know if you are intending your child to attend a different school in 2025. This will ensure the initiative can be allocated correctly to each student. There is more information regarding this further in the newsletter.

Kinder Visits

This week and next week we are lucky enough to have our local kindergartens, Nola Barber, Aspendale North and Bonker’s Beat, coming to spend time at our school. We appreciate our relationship with each of our kindergartens and are enjoying having their students spending time with our Foundation students.

Curriculum Days

At our recent School Council meeting, we confirmed our final two curriculum days for 2024. The first one will take place on Friday November 1st. This day will be utilised by our staff to further familarise themselves with the revised Victorian Curriculum and to embed our learning around the teaching of reading this year.

The second day will be Monday December 9th. This will be our student-free professional practice day. Staff will work in their 2025 teams to plan for a successful start to Term One.

Long Service Leave

I have a period of long service leave for the first four weeks of Term Four. Amelia Busuttil will be our Acting Principal during this period. She will work with members of our School Improvement Team to continue the supportive teaching and learning programs during this time.

Finally, a shout-out to our Year Three students who made the big time yesterday evening on The Project with their interesting takes on some of Australia’s marsupials.

Enjoy the end of the week,

Tom 

Dear parents and carers,

Please see the following information below received form the Department of Education in relation to the School Saving Bonus.

In Term 4, 2024, families with a child enrolled in a government school from Prep to Year 12 in 2025 will receive the one-off $400 School Saving Bonus.

The $400 School Saving Bonus provides families with support for education-related costs, such as school activities and/or school uniforms and textbooks.

The School Saving Bonus is not available for full-fee international students, home schooled students, TAFE students and students attending kindergarten in 2025.   

Actions for parents and carers

Before 18 October 2024, the Department of Education is asking parents and carers to:

• Complete enrolment: If your child, or children are changing government school for Term 1 2025, or starting Prep or Year 7 in 2025. For more information, read about Enrolling in School. 
• Check your contact information: Ensure your email address and phone number is up to date with us. You can check this information by contacting us directly.

We need to ensure your contact information is up to date as the Department of Education will email you twice:

• in October, to verify your email address
• in November, with your $400 School Saving Bonus and access to an online system.

Please check your junk mail regularly to make sure you do not miss an important email.

To learn more about the School Saving Bonus, download the School Saving Bonus Information sheet for government school parents and carers or visit vic.gov.au/school-saving-bonus.