Principals Column
Hi Anglesea Families,
Welcome to our first digitial edition of ANGLELINES. We hope to continue to bring you all the same information in a new and improved format on a fortnightly basis.
End-of-Year Transitions and Celebrations
As we approach the end of the school year, life at school remains as busy as ever for both teachers and students. This is a key time for preparing our learners to transition smoothly into their next year level.
While much of the focus is often on our new Preps starting school and our Grade 6 students heading off to secondary college, we also place great importance on “within-school transitions.” Throughout the term, students will take part in a range of sessions designed to help them understand what to expect next year — including new learning opportunities, camps, excursions, and sporting or cultural events that may differ from their current program
We are building walls!
We are pleased to announce that the Anglesea Primary School School Council has formally approved a new building project to install permanent walls between the current Grade 1/2 and Grade 3/4 learning spaces. Over the past few the School Council is gathering quotes from architects and working through the Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA) requirements.
What’s happening?
- The aim is to create more defined, self-contained classrooms
- We are aiming to complete the project ASAP, however are currently working through a number of staged logistics prior to the works taking place.
We'll keep you in the loop as soon as we have a build date.
Why this change?
The decision to move from a relatively open learning area (shared space for Grade 1/2 and Grade 3/4) to separate, enclosed classrooms has been informed by research into the impact of classroom design on student learning.
A few key findings in open environments include;
- Students are affected by noise and distractions
- Difficulty to focus
- Challenge in maintaining classroom management
- Difficulty to engage in tasks
If you have entered our open learning areas, you will understand the number of conversations, noise and distractions that can be present at any one time. By reducing distractions, creating boundaries and controlling noise levels it will in turn support better learning outcomes for all our students.
What this means for our students and families
- Each classroom across the school will operate in its own well-defined classroom space
- Teachers will retain collaboration and shared planning, but the physical separation will allow more focused instruction, more manageable noise levels and better support for all learners.
- We anticipate a short period of adjustment once the walls are in place, and we will support students and teachers accordingly.
- We will keep you informed of timing (start of construction and any changes to access or routines) so you can support your child during the transition.
By investing in our learning spaces, we are investing in our students’ future.