Principal's report

I am sharing below some very pleasing NAPLAN results showing the progress we are making right across the state of Victoria, in relation to the other states.

At JFC, we will soon be publishing the results for our years 7 and 9 students, and we are delighted to see the progress that some students have made this year.

Parents, students and guardians - please spend some time reflecting on the results when they are released: celebrate improvements, and discuss ways to help your child make further progress in Literacy and Numeracy.

As all the research indicates, reading is the single most effective way to improve in Literacy/English and as an English teacher of many years and an avid reader, I cannot stress strongly enough the importance of reading. We do have a small library at JFC with a good range of novels for students at all year levels and all abilities, and I urge you to make use of this resource. We are also fortunate to be situated right beside an excellent public library, so I ask parents and guardians to take some time over the coming weeks to make yourself familiar with the library if you are not already, and try and help your child to develop the great lifelong habit of reading for pleasure and improvement!

Increasingly, we see the use of AI (Artificial Intelligence) in schools, often in the form of work created by ChatGPT or similar platforms. While there is no doubt that this can be a great way to generate thoughts and ideas about a subject, it is not permissable for students at any year level to submit work that has been sourced through AI. If you are unsure, then the best answer is probably to avoid the use of AI altogether in your school work. We also ask parents to check in with your students about their use of AI.

Seating plans years 7 - 9: This term, we have created seating plans for the years 7 - 9 classrooms, which are posted in the rooms. Research indicates a strong correllation between student focus and achievement when they are in regular seating plans. We are continually working on strategies to ensure student engagement and partcipation across the junior year levels, when distractions can impact on learning.

Enjoy the newsletter!

Dr Lisa Vinnicombe