Dear Families and Friends

As we reach the halfway point of term one, we want to express our gratitude for your ongoing support of our school. 

Unlike this time last year, families have been able to come onto school grounds and visit classrooms and chat with teachers before lessons start or at the end of the school day. We're so pleased to have this practice restored.

We also appreciate the generosity of our families, who have volunteered their time to support various activities and events, including school sports. Many of these activities would not be able to occur without the generous support of our parent volunteers.

We especially look forward to everyone joining us for Sports Day on Friday, 24^th March. Please refer to an email (Sports Day Information) sent out Tuesday of this week for all the details.

Students are doing a great job preparing for the day. The energy and enthusiasm in each of the house teams is excellent, with sports leaders looking forward to leading the team chants and the health hustle.

Education Leaders Day

To begin this week, I had the opportunity to participate in State Education Leaders Day and the inaugural Numeracy Summit, both held at the Convention Centre. The intent of the day was for all South Australian preschool, school and corporate leaders to come together in an extended dialogue to collectively determine our shared purpose for public education in South Australia moving forward. There were a number of key speakers, including the Premier, the Minister for Education and the Chief Executive of the Department for Education as well as many other educational experts.

NAPLAN

NAPLAN is the annual national assessment for all students in Years 3, 5, 7, & 9 and will begin on Wednesday 15th March, and continue throughout the week following into the next week. This is much earlier in the year than previous years, aiming for a faster turnaround in student results.

From 2023 NAPLAN reporting is changing. Each student’s NAPLAN report will show how they’re tracking against 4 levels of achievement, known as proficiency standards. These will replace the 10 NAPLAN bands.   

The standards are: 

• Exceeding
• Strong
• Developing
• Needs additional support.

The standards are set at a challenging but reasonable standard of literacy and numeracy expected for the child at the time of testing. 

Reporting will include clear descriptions for teachers and families about student progress against these levels of achievement.

Our Year 3 & 5 students will commence their NAPLAN testing Wednesday with the Writing test. Students who are unable to sit the Writing test on Wednesday only have the provision to catch up on the following day, Thursday. From Thursday 16th to 23^rd, students will sit the Reading, Language and Conventions and finish off with the Numeracy test. There will be times set aside throughout the week for students who have missed any of the tests to catch up.

Please ensure your child(ren) arrives at school on time, after a good night’s sleep and healthy breakfast in the morning.

Information about withdrawal from the test(s): 

Withdrawals are intended to address issues such as religious beliefs and philosophical objections to testing. Participation by all students is expected; however, in certain circumstances, students may be withdrawn from the testing program by their parent/carer. Ultimately, this is a decision for parents/carers but is best done in collaboration with the school. If you wish to withdraw your child, a request form must be submitted by Tuesday, 14th March. Request forms are available at the front office.

Useful Tips for Parents

• Kidspot – How to help your child with exam anxiety leading up to NAPLAN
• Information for NAPLAN parents and carers 

Dogs on School Grounds 

As is the case in all SA public schools, dogs are not permitted on school grounds – as per the Dog and Cat Management Act 1995 and regulations. 

Arrangements must be made with the Principal in advance (via your classroom teacher) if you would like to bring in your dog for show-and-tell. 

Please also ensure that dogs are not left tied up at the school entrances, as this may block access to and from the grounds while also frightening some students. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.