In 2016 the Victorian Government approved new legislation regarding the safety of children in response to the ‘Abuse of Trust’ inquiry into child abuse.
Known as the Child Safe Standards, this legislation emphasizes the importance of protecting all children from harm and clear outlines the responsibilities of all workers who are involved with children.
As a State Primary School we take this responsibility very seriously and have created new school policies related to the Child Safe Standards.  Our new Child Safety Policy and Child Safety – Code of Conduct have been approved by School Council and added to our website for the information of our community. Updates have also been made to our Mandatory Reporting Policy, Duty of Care Policy and the Statement of School Philosophy so they also reflect the Child Safe Standards.
These policies outline the expectations for our whole school community and makes it known that we do not and will not accept child abuse in any form.
We encourage all members of the Amsleigh Park Community to familiarise themselves with our school policies related to the Child Safe Standards.

Work on designing our new Prep – Grade 2 learning spaces and modernising our main building has continued in earnest all throughout 2016. We are now awaiting a start date for the tender process to select a builder who will commence construction in 2017. This exciting project will see our school transformed into a contemporary learning environment that will serve the Amsleigh Park PS community well for many years to come. Anyone interested in learning more can click on the link from our homepage ‘Building Project Update’. A PDF has been uploaded with some images and layouts of our new learning spaces. It will truly be something very special!

Amsleigh Park Primary School has a special association with the Kiwanis Club, who sponsor two very special Terrific Kids awards each term. Through their work in the community Kiwanis also raise money for various charities and organisations that help to support others in need. This week we had a visit from Chris and Marian, from Kiwanis club of Brighton, who presented our school with a cheque for $200. The money is intended to be used to help our students and it was gratefully received by Principal, Mr Michael Cormick and School Council President, Mr Greg Dellas. Thanks to Kiwanis for their ongoing generosity and support of Amsleigh Park Primary School.

Wow, what an exciting ‘Education Week’ we are having at Amsleigh Park Primary School. It all started on Monday with a bumper assembly, showcasing performances by our choir ‘Leigh Club,’ aerobics teams and a gymnastics solo. On Tuesday we had ‘grandparents’ day and it was great to see so many families taking the opportunity to visit. As I walked around our classrooms it was obvious how much our grandparents love to visit, sometimes taking them back to their own school days. On Wednesday we had our annual ‘Open Night’ with great attendance from existing and prospective families. Open night was capped off with a reprise of the performances from Monday assembly. Highlights included fantastic performances of both solo and massed singing from our Leigh Club students. On Thursday we came dressed up as our favourite book characters, which is always a fun event. Students and their teachers got into the spirit and the array of costumes and originality was just terrific. The week will be completed on Friday with a special incursion ‘Witches, Giants, Peaches and Twits, based on the works by famous children’s author Roald Dahl.  Our Education Week celebrations have been bigger than ever, and special thanks to organisers Miss Den Elzen and Miss Hayes, and all our teachers and support staff. Thanks also to our wonderful students for their performances and participation, and to all of our families who came along to celebrate with us. We are very proud of everything that Amsleigh Park offers for our students, and also acknowledge that we are part of a fantastic government school system. There’s certainly a lot to celebrate, we hope you enjoyed it.

Last Friday we had almost the perfect day for our house cross country event. The sun was shining and the temperature warm but not too hot. Our students participated brilliantly, with everyone doing their best, even if middle distance was not their preferred event. On behalf of the school I would like to thank Miss Hayes for her terrific organisation; our staff who took on lots of different roles on the day and all the mums and dads who helped with marshalling.

Our swimming intensive program, conducted at the Doug Ellis Pool at Monash University, was a fantastic success. Over 300 students participated in 2016, enjoying the daily sessions and the chance to further develop their aquatic skills. Learning to swim is a vital life skill and enables students to participate in a range of water sports as their competence grows. Our Physical Education and Sport Specialist teacher, Miss Hayes, once again did a marvellous job to organise and manage the program on our behalf, which is greatly appreciated. I hope that many of our students are also undertaking some swimming instruction outside of school hours, as it takes lots of practise and perseverance to develop the skills that can keep you safe in water.

Amsleigh Park Primary school student leaders attended the Monash Schools ANZAC service at the Glen Waverley Cenotaph this week. This annual event is attended by representatives from all primary and secondary schools located in the City of Monash and is generously sponsored by the Rotary Club of Monash. The service highlights the need for all students to remember the sacrifice made by Australian defence forces past and present so that we can maintain our peaceful way of life. Our school captains, Charlie and Odi, laid a wreath on the Cenotaph on behalf of everyone at our school, adding to a fitting display of flowers surrounding this monument. We also were enthralled with a tribute made by Retired Colonel, John Coulson, who took us back to the battlefields of Fromelles describing life in the trenches and the terrible challenges faced by the ANZACS. Our student leaders were excellent ambassadors for our school and took great interest in the significance of the occasion.