Our Explicit Improvement Agenda

Student Voice and Agency

Planning for Improved Student Learning

Celebrations of Learning

NAPLAN

Year 3 and Year 5 Student NAPLAN data was distributed to parents and students on Tuesday this week.  Under the online NAPLAN system, individual student data is received in a more timely manner than previous NAPLAN test years.  Comparison of our student data to State and National data will be provided to school staff in mid August.  Over the past few years we have continued to make a steady upward trend across all areas of NAPLAN - Reading, Writing, Language Conventions and Numeracy, and across all percentiles (10th, 25th, 50th, 75th and 90th).  We look forward to receiving the State and National data so we can continue to analyse our students results at this level and plan for further upward trends in our students’ learning outcomes.  Congratulations and well done to our Year 3 and Year 5 students on their 2023 NAPLAN results.  Parents please note, SIMON is currently experiencing technical problems with the upload of 2023 NAPLAN data into the SIMON Learning Management System.  This means that parents are unable to access the 2023 results in PAM until this issue is resolved.

Incursions, Excursions and School Events

Just a reminder the Year 3 students will be travelling to the city tomorrow (Friday 28 July) as part of the Melbourne Museum experience.  The excursion will focus on the Year 3 level Inquiry History unit and the way our community, region and state have changed over the years.  It will investigate the role that people of diverse backgrounds have played in moulding our community today including the importance of Place and Culture from an Indigenous Australian perspective.  Students will participate in a dinosaur walk, the Melbourne Story Exhibition, IMAX Australia: the Wild Top End, Place and Culture trail and general viewing.  

On Thursday 3 August (next week) the Year 5 students will be travelling to Coal Creek , Korumburra as part of their Inquiry History unit.  The focus of the excursion is to expose students to daily life in the 1800s.  Students will participate in a Victorian style school lesson, guided tours of the main historic street, explore pioneer houses, tools, colonial artefacts and buildings and play olden day style games of quoits and skittles.

We look forward to hearing all about the Year 3 and Year 5 excursions in upcoming newsletters.

In this week’s newsletter you will continue to find sample practice questions for the Australian Mathematics Competition as well as Year 2 students sharing their Inquiry learning in History, information on our Winter Appeal and upcoming Feast Day activities.  On Tuesday 8 August we look forward to having Kaboom Sports back again in celebration of our Feast Day along with a subway lunch for students to enjoy.  On Thursday 10 August, we will celebrate our Feast Day Mass and olden day dress up in celebration of the life and times of our patron saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop.

Celebrations of Community

Staffing updates

Unfortunately we have not been successful in replacing Sensei in Semester Two as she undertakes her sabbatical year in Japan working for the Japanese Board of Education.  We are continuing to advertise for a Languages position as well as a classroom teaching position in preparation for Mrs Joachim-Zamudio’s upcoming maternity leave.  More information will be provided to students and parents when the positions have been filled.  We look forward to our Speech Pathologist - Toba Goldman (Versa Learn) returning next Thursday to resume student Speech Therapy sessions.  We thank parents and students for their understanding and patience as we navigate staffing during these difficult times and significant teacher shortage crisis.

School Dates and Events