Principal Update

It is so lovely to visit classrooms and see the students focusing on the learning at hand. They are very settled and have launched into the new year with enthusiasm and passion.

We have 350 students and 17 classes with the size of classes ranging from 18 in Prep to 25 students in Year 6. The four specialists are well into their programs and have also commented on how settled the students are. 

Our preps have completed only 4 ½ days of school and they have very quickly settled into the school routine. 

Last night we held the first part of the Getting to Know You Interviews and tonight we hold the second session. The purpose of this meeting is to develop the partnership between school and home which is so critical for success. Sharing insights about your child supports the teacher to gain a fuller picture early on so they can develop the best learning opportunities for each child. 

In 2025 we will be fully implementing the new Maths Curriculum (Maths 2.0) and the new English Curriculum (English 2.0). This year the staff will be learning about the changes and how this impacts our teaching. Reporting against the new curriculum will happen next year. There will be more information as the year progresses. There is a pdf of ‘Maths 2.0’ structure attached to the newsletter Compass post for those who are interested to read more. 

NAPLAN this year for Year 3 and 5 is happening from 13 March for a week. The students complete the assessments online. As with all assessments we tell our students to show all that they know and encourage them to do their best. It provides a snapshot in time and forms part of the picture. There are a range of in-school assessments that teachers are completing with their students to gain an understanding of their learning and what they need to focus on next.

Our Annual Implementation Plan has been endorsed and will soon be available on our website. We have two goals: to ‘optimize learning growth for all students’ and to ‘enhance student learning and wellbeing to empower students to be active agents in their education’. Our key actions are: data analysis- including developing assessments and the platform used to collect and use the data; differentiation - further developing point of need teaching; Maths 2.0 - how this impacts our teaching of mathematics; Learner dispositions- continuing the work begun last year; Wellbeing- reviewing the programs and approaches in place and how we cater for individual needs; Community- building understanding of the approaches we use; Goal setting- further development of how to set effective goals, incorporating the use of rubrics and feedback. 

To support our work we have introduced two new leadership positions - a Disability Inclusion Leader and a Student Health and Wellbeing Leader. 

The Disability Inclusion Leader will be working across the school to support teachers with the adjustments needed to ensure all students are able to fully access the learning opportunities presented. This will involve creating a profile of students and their individual needs with staff, parents and any specialists involved. 

This is a new approach by the Education Department that we will be implementing this year. 

The Student Health and Wellbeing Leader will be overseeing the programs and approaches we implement and supporting staff to cater for individual needs. This will involve analysis of student data and supporting the implementation of initiatives that address identified needs across the school. There will be more information from these two staff in future newsletters. 

Have a lovely week

Melissa Mackenzie

Principal

Please find below a blurb on our new Speech Pathologist - Mary

Annual Privacy Reminder for our school community

Our school collects and uses student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy Policy and the Schools’ Privacy Collection Notice. Full details below.

Schools' privacy policy | vic.gov.au (www.vic.gov.au)

Our Photographing, Filming and Recording Students Policy https://www.alphinps.vic.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/Photographing-Filming-Recording-Students-Policy.pdf describes how we collect and use photographs, video and recordings of students. The policy also explains when parent consent is required and how it can be provided and withdrawn. 

We ask parents to also review the guidance we provide on how we use [Microsoft 365/Google Workspace for Education] safely at the school and what parents can do to further protect their child’s information. If after reviewing the guidance, you have any questions or concerns regarding your child using [Microsoft 365/Google Workspace for Education], please contact the school.

For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ Privacy Policy — information for parents. This information is also available in ten community languages:

* Amharic

* Arabic

* Dari

* Gujarati

* Mandarin

* Somali

* Sudanese

* Turkish

* Urdu

* Vietnamese