Welcome back to Term Two.
Χριστός Ανέστη!
I hope all members of our School community had a wonderful Easter and spent time with their family attending Church during Holy Week and celebrating such a spiritually enriching and beautiful part of our faith. May the Feast of the Holy Resurrection of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ fill our lives with peace and hope.
At the core of All Saints Grammar’s educational philosophy is the dimension of Cultural, Social, Spiritual Connection. The lived experience of this dimension means that our School deliberately creates opportunities for students to learn the value of connectedness, providing them with a sense of belonging which enhances the development of their personal identity. Our Greek Orthodox Faith is at the core of this educational dimension.
As such, All Saints Grammar students from PreKinder to Year 12 have participated in various Easter activities, commencing with Kindergarten to Year 12 students attending the Holy Liturgy of the Pre-sanctified Gifts at All Saints Church on Holy Monday. Students received palm crosses made by All Saints Parish and Community, in which many of our students were involved. 1700 crosses were made, then blessed and handed out to the many faithful attending the Palm Sunday Holy Liturgy. The symbol of the cross reminds us of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem and His victory over death.
Educating our students on the meaning and relevance of our liturgical celebrations is a core part of our efforts. Participating in a presentation of Εληνορθόδοξο Πάσχα, students learned about the significance of each day of Holy Week, highlighting the religious and cultural aspects of the Greek Orthodox Easter.
Our younger students from PreKinder to Year 2 gathered in the Gymnasium for the 2021 Easter Hat Parade. While the parade is a fun activity that encourages creativity and community engagement, the main purpose of this parade is to create a sense of community where our students can gain a sense of belonging and identity. It was the first parade experience for many of the students and the atmosphere was electric with dancing, clapping, cheering and even a visit from the Easter Bunny.
Cultural, Social, Spiritual Connections, based on the Hellenic heritage and Greek Orthodox Faith, is an essential part of the holistic education offered at All Saints Grammar.
Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day is a celebration honouring motherhood, love, family and the powerful influence of our mums in society. I take this opportunity to wish all the mothers in our community a beautiful Mother’s Day. I hope you enjoy this special day with your family and that they spoil you, not only on this one day of the year, but on a regular basis. A mother’s love, care and dedication are gifts that make life a beautiful daily experience.
NAPLAN Online 2021
The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a point in time assessment of literacy and numeracy skills that are essential for every child to progress through school and life.
Students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 will participate in the annual NAPLAN tests comprising writing, reading, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy. These tests are just one part of Australian school’s diagnostic assessment and reporting process. It is important to understand that NAPLAN does not replace ongoing assessments conducted by teachers to accurately ascertain student performance.
Our School will be participating in NAPLAN Online between weeks 4 and 5 from 11 May until 21 May 2021.
In preparation for NAPLAN Online, our School participated in practice tests between 22 March and 1 April. The practice test is a trial-run and key part of the preparation process for the NAPLAN Online tests coming up.
Please refer to the schedule below and ensure that your child is on time to school.
Week One:
Tuesday 11 May: Year 3 Writing, Year 7 & 9 Reading
Wednesday 12 May: Year 5, 7 & 9 Writing
Thursday 13 May: Year 3 Reading, Year 7 & 9 Conventions of Language
Friday 14 May: Year 5 Reading, Year 7 & 9 Numeracy
Week Two:
Monday 17 May: Year 3 Conventions of Language
Tuesday 18 May: Year 5 Conventions of Language
Wednesday 19 May: Year 3 Numeracy
Thursday 20 May: Year 5 Numeracy
Our teachers have done significant work to prepare students at school. It is important that parents play their part by ensuring that their children have a good night sleep and are organised to be at school on time on the day of the tests. Please make sure that your child’s device is fully charged overnight. These simple steps can help reduce the stress and anxiety normally associated with assessments.
If you have any questions about NAPLAN Online, please contact your child’s teacher.
Food Drive
All Saints Grammar continues to provide countless opportunities for our students to receive a well-rounded and balanced education and reinforce that the learning which takes place in the classroom and beyond is intended to develop a Better Learner and a Better Person. It is of great importance that students receive a holistic education, where they can flourish, grow and serve their community with a worldview shaped by Hellenic culture and the Orthodox Christian faith.
The Mother Maria of Paris Orthodox Mission provides up to 200 hot, healthy meals weekly for people in need in Riverwood and Belmore. They facilitate bread deliveries for local schools, community centres and Meals on Wheels. In addition to this, they provide much needed groceries for more than 50 local families in need.
At All Saints Grammar, we would like to assist in this important service. From Monday 10 May until Friday 28 May, the School will be running the ASG Food Drive.
In order to stock the pantry with a variety of items, we are asking for students to bring in items based on their House allocation:
Attica: Noodles, pasta or tinned tomatoes
Ionia: Tinned food (vegetables, meat, soups), bottled water or rice
Kyrenia: Muesli bars, snack foods or long life juice
Macedonia: Long life milk, cereals or tinned tomatoes
PreKinder are welcome to bring any of the above items.
Students are welcome and encouraged to bring in as many items as they can. If they wish to bring an item that has been allocated to another House they are more than welcome to do so.
Please note that expired, unlabelled or damaged food will be discarded for health and safety reasons.
All food donations can be dropped off to the classroom teacher or the Front Office at the Secondary Campus.
Uniform Update
Our new uniform shop opened its doors to eagerly awaiting families on 26 April. We have received numerous positive comments about the new design and quality of the uniform items that have been available for purchase thus far. Students have been wearing the new uniform with pride.
Some items are still not yet available, but we are hopeful the wait won’t be too much longer. We will notify parents as soon as these items arrive, hopefully in time for the yearly school photos.
School Photos
This year’s school photos are fast approaching and we are excited to see our students wearing the new school uniform. Photos will be taken from the 1 to 3 June as follows:
1 June: PreKinder 2 Day Program
2 June: Years 7 to 12
3 June: PreKinder 3 Day Program & Years K to 6
Elfa Lillis, Head of School
