Assistant Principal's Message

Provide Cardiopulmonary Resusciation (CPR) - Staff Professional Learning

Last week all staff attended the cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) course which covered the knowledge and skills required to provide CPR, manage and assess an emergency situation, use an automatic external defibrillator (AED), understand DRSABCD and the First Aider’s legal responsibilities.

PAT Testing - Term 4

During weeks 2 and 3, Year 2 to Year 6 students at STA will be participating in the Progressive Achievement Tests (PAT) in Reading Comprehension and Mathematics.

PAT tests are designed to assess each student’s current capability against the appropriate standard for their age and is a valuable source of information on each student’s development.

Teachers use the PAT data in Maths and English and as moderation to ensure that our classroom assessment of each student is accurate. Teachers also use the results to track each student’s development from year to year. This information is another useful tool for identifying students requiring extra support or extension in their studies. The PAT testing process has been explained to all of the students, and has not be seen as a stressful assessment. Rather students have been encouraged to view the tests as a way for teachers to learn more about their capabilities and then design learning programs that will help them improve.

Student supervision before school

Supervision commences for all students at 8.30am. Students should not arrive before this time as teachers are not on duty and are engaged in preparing for the day. If you need your child to attend prior to 8.30am you may enrol them in SCECS Before and After School care to ensure they are supervised.

8.55am School commences
11am Recess
11.30am Classes resume
1.30pm Lunch
2.10pm Classes resume
3.10pm School concludes

Students are supervised until 3.30pm. If an emergency arises or you are detained, please phone the school so appropriate arrangements can be made.

Wellbeing

Just the other day, as I was going out to pick up duty I could tell a student in the school was having a rough day. I gently asked, "You seem a bit down... want to talk about it?" Tears welled up in his eyes as he replied, "Johnny called me silly today. He hates me. I have no friends." It’s hard. It’s very hard to see children be hurt by others.

And it's important to continuously offer comfort and remind them not to let the opinions of others define them. And it's equally important to teach our children how to respond when someone says something hurtful or use unkind words.

This week, the Things I Can Say When Someone Says Something Unkind, poster to help empower your child to respond to these comments in an assertive and respectful way. You can hang this poster in your child’s room as a helpful reminder.

Blessings,

Marie Iorfino

Assistant Principal