BOROONDARA PARK PRESS

Principal Report

Our school is located on the land of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. 

NAPLAN 

The National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) statewide results were released last week, with Victoria ranked as first or second in 16 of the 20 tests for Year 3, 5, 7 and 9. 

 

Our Year 3 and 5 families recieved their child's individual reports last month and our staff have reviewed the data for our school and their individual students. 

 

Our staff are working through results and use them to build on the specific learning programs for individual students and year levels. They also impact our approach to whole school programs. 

 

NAPLAN continues to measure student achivement in numeracy, reading, writing, spelling and grammar and punctuation but results are now presented in four proficiency levels: 

  • exceeding
  • strong
  • developing 
  • needs additional support 

The NAPLAN results are read in conjunction with teacher judegement and regular assessments throughout the term. The NAPLAN results are a culmination of the teaching and learning program provided by all teachers at Boroondara Park PS. The results of our Year 3 and 5 students are impacted by programs from previous years, with a focus on whole school approaches to learning we are continually aiming to improve and build on student learning opportunities. 

 

Our school has a strong academic program which is demonstrated by the results of our students. 

 

Within our community the school is known for educating the whole child and at times we are told the academic focus is not as good as other schools. The results of NAPLAN indicate this is a misunderstanding and Boroondara Park PS does provide an strong academic program for our students. 

 

The NAPLAN results for Boroondara Park PS are worth celebrating, we have the ability to delve into each student's results and work out how to continue to support them. Our Year 5 students did particularly well, out performing both similar schools and network schools in reading, spelling and numeracy. 

 

Year 3 Reading - 83% of students were exceeding or strong, we have identified the 7 students in developing and the 3 students who need support and are supporting them either through an individual learning plan or tutor learning support. 

 

Year 3 Writing - 88% of students were exceeding or strong, we have identified the 4 students in developing, the 2 students who need support and are supporting them either through an individual learning plan or tutor learning support. 

 

Year 3 Spelling - 65% of students were exceeding or strong, we have identified the 15 students in developing, the 7 students who need support and are supporting them either through an individual learning plan or tutor learning support. Spelling is an area of focus with our Year 3 students. This is the first year of the implementation of the Smart Spelling program across the school, building the skills and ability of all students. 

 

Year 3 Numeracy - 82% of students were exceeding or strong, we have identified the 8 students in developing, the 2 students who need support and are supporting them either through an individual learning plan or tutor learning support. 

 

Year 3 Grammar and Punctuation - 65% of students were exceeding or strong, we have identified the 18 students in developing, the 4 students who need support and are supporting them either through an individual learning plan or tutor learning support. Grammar and Puncuation is also a focus area for our Year 3 students as we go into the rest of this year. 

 

Year 5 Reading - 93% of students were exceeding or strong, we have identified the 3 students in developing, there are no students who need support - we will continue to support those students developing in their reading learning. 

 

Year 5 Writing - 91% of students were exceeding or strong, we have identified the 4 students in developing, 1 student who needs support.

 

Year 5 Spelling - 88% of students were exceeding or strong, we have identified the 7 students in developing, there are no students who need support - we will continue to support those students developing in their spelling learning.

 

Year 5 Numeracy - 93% of students were exceeding or strong, we have identified the 4 students in developing, there are no students who need support - we will continue to support those students developing in their numeracy learning.

 

Year 5 Grammar and Punctuation - 80% of students were exceeding or strong, we have identified the 11 students in developing and 2 students who need support and we are supporting them either through an individual learning plan or tutor learning support. 

 

Please find attached a letter from Dr David Howes Deputy Secretary, Schools and Regional Services, Department of Education regarding the Victorian results. 

 

Letter from Dr David Howes about NAPLAN.pdf

Grade 3 & 4 Hooptime

Great fun was had at Hooptime on August 18th. This event involved over 120 students particpating in games throughout the day. Thank you to Phil Wickham, teachers, volunteer parents and volunteer Year 6 students - each contributed to an exciting day for our students. 

We cannot participate in these events without volunteers coaches and scorers. 

Grade 3/4 Camp 

Congratulations to our staff, parent volunteersand students on a fantastic camp to Mt Evelyn last week. 

All reports were it was lots of fun, with exciting activities and good food. 

Thank you to Cameron Batt for all of his organisation to make this camp happen. 

Street Library 

Our Street library was unveiled at our Book Character parade this morning. 

Ramona in year 5, has done an amazing job with the design and painting. We cannot wait to have it up and full of books. 

Book Fair 

Thank you for supporting our Book Fair for 2023. We really appreciate the volunteers who enabled May to run such a successful event. Thanks to the following parents for their assistance at the fair: 

  • Kerri Duong 
  • Moni Schelbach 
  • Carrie McNeill 
  • Olga Anderson 
  • Ann Georgis (Ethan's grandmother)
  • Leanne Lee
  • Maria Cahill 

The funds raised in our Book Fair in 2022 enabled May to  book the visiting author who was at school today to help us celebrate Book Week. 

This year the Book Fair sold - $4,738.40 in books and items. A percentage of this will now be available for May to support the resources in our Library. 

Father's Day Breakfast 

We are looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow morning for the Father's Day Breakfast. This event is taking place at the Hall and around the Canteen. 

Thanks to Maria for her hard work in coordinating this event and to the volunteers who assisted with set up today and who are helping tomorrow. 

Thanks to Annette for her work to make this a delicious school event. 

Father's Day Stall 

A reminder this stall will take place tomorrow, so send your child with some money to purchase a gift. Thank you to Doan and Rania for their organization and work to ensure this is a successful event for our students. Thank you to the parents who have volunteered to assist on the stall throughout the day. 

Colour Run 

We are very excited about the Colour Run tomorrow. We look forward to seeing our community cheering on our students as they become more and more colourful throughout the event. 

 

Our students will start running from 2pm. The team will arrive to set up from 12pm. 

 

Remember to dress in white - wear something you are not worried about getting messy. 

 

It might be good to have a towel or something for your child to sit on for the car ride home.   

School Fete

We have a confirmed date of Octobeer 14th, please add it to your calendar. 

Maria and her small team are working to coordinate our fete. They will shortly call for volunteers to assist on the day.  Keep an eye out for a message through COMPASS. The fete page of this newsletter provides you with lots of informaiton, including a call for donations. 

Values Workshop 

Last week we held a planning meeting for our Values Workshop which we will be running with the school community. 

Thank you to those parents and staff who attended, the enthusiasm and contributions were greatly appreciated. 

We are looking foward to running the sessions and getting community input. 

Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey 

Thank you to the parents, caregivers and guardians who have taken the time to complete the opinion survey. 

 

Whilst the survey is optional, we have invited and encourage all families to participate. Our school will use the survey results to help inform and direct future school planning and improvement strategies. 

 

The Survey is open until Friday 8 September 2023.

 

The survey link was sent out to all members of the community again this week via COMPASS.  

 

The online survey is available in English and 10 other languages including Arabic, Greek, Hakha Chin, Hindi, Japanese, Punjabi, Simplified Chinese, Somali, Turkish, and Vietnamese. 

Are you leaving BPPS in 2024?

Is your child leaving Boroondara Park PS in 2024? Please take the time to complete this form to let us know - Leaving Boroondara Park in 2024.

BPPS Facebook and Instagram 

Don't forget to follow our social media accounts and see what is happening at school each day. Boroondara Park Primary School Facebook

Search @BoroondaraPark on Instagram to follow the school. 

 

Susanne Lowe

Principal