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Students enjoy reading during morning healthy snack.
Good News Story
I will often talk about how kind our students are and how accepting they are of others. Week 1 saw a number of examples of our students and their willingness to be kind and supportive. It was particularly evident in the Year 5/6 group.
- Diesel and Peter supported some Year 1 and 2 students who had an issue in the yard. They took charge of the situation, liaised with me and ensured that the students had their needs met. Great leadership.
- Locky and Alfie showed a great sense of social justice and community spirit when they came in to check the status of a shared concern we had. They were sensible, considerate and showed leadership.
- Lydia and Jaicee brought an issue to my attention that they felt was inappropriate and needed solving. They showed an understanding of cultural matters and the importance of accepting all. Another great example of leadership in the upper primary.
PRINCIPAL UPDATE
Welcome to our first Term 2 Blog.
Term 2 is always a busy one but it is also a time where we get to reflect on how much learning has happened over the first half of the year. Written reports are completed across the term and sent home on the last day before the July holiday break.
NAPLAN is another assessment that occurs in Term 2. NAPLAN is a set of national assessments that are completed by Year 3, Year 5, Year 7 and Year 9 students annually in May. This year, NAPLAN is held in Week 2. We will be administering the Year 3 and Year 5 NAPLAN assessments on Tuesday to Friday.
For both groups of students this is their first NAPLAN experience and the assessments were cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19. I have spent some time reminding the students about the practice test that they did in Term 1. They have also completed online assessments in Maths and Reading in Term 1 using PAT Adaptive. These are very similar to the NAPLAN assessments and all students in Years 2-6 participate in PAT in Term 3 each year and we added the PAT Adaptive this year in Term 1. This means that the students are extremely familiar with the format and conditions for testing.
Usually the most stress surrounding NAPLAN comes from outside the school gates. The media reporting around NAPLAN is usually full-on and not always positively framed. NAPLAN is just one method of assessment that is used in schools and we work hard to ease any concerns that the students may have.
If you have a Year 3 or Year 5 student, it would be great if you could remind them that they have done this type of assessment a few times before. They just need to have a go and try to answer as many of the questions as they can. I know that they will do their best and, if our Year 4s comments are anything to go by, they will enjoy it all.
Related Page: NAPLAN Information for Parents
Students proudly display Mother’s Day artwork.
Staffing Update
As you would have read on Class Dojo, Kingsley Heard moved to another school to take on a Deputy Principal position at the end of Term 1. Anya Badu is the new teacher in Room 19-3 and had a fantastic first week with the Year 5/6 students.
Annie Neilson is on leave again this term and Amy will continue to manage the front office until further notice.
COVID Update
The close contact guidelines changed just before we returned to school this term. Simply, students who are close contacts can continue to attend school if they:
- Have no symptoms
- Undertake 5 rapid antigen tests over the 7 days after their exposure date
There are other guidelines in place for close contacts and these can be found on the SA Health website. It is still important that students who are unwell do not attend school. If they are exhibiting any COVID-19 symptoms they should have a PCR.
Other Information
Our next Governing Council meeting is on the 24th of May (Week 4).
There is a pupil free day this term on Monday May the 30th (Week 5). OSHC will be open. The staff will be participating in learning around School Improvement Planning and Stronger Smarter Leadership.
There are some different training days that staff will be attending throughout Term 2. These are days as determined by the Department for Education or our River Hub Partnership. Each of these training opportunities are to build the skills and understanding of teachers which in turn will improve the learning for our students.
School photos are booked for this term as well. They are to be held on Wednesday 15th June (Week 7). More information will be sent out in the coming weeks.
Thanks for all you do to support the students and staff to make a difference.
Take care,
Marie
Enquiries: contact the school.
