Assistant Principal (Years 7/8) Report 

Report from Assistant Principal Years Yr 7/8

Alice Paget

Dear Westall Secondary College community,

Firstly, I would like to congratulate the students on their dedication to their studies this Term and the support given from parents and guardians. Year 7s, you have taken a huge leap into Secondary College and shown bravery, care and dedication to your start here at Westall. Well done!

Our new staff to the College have made a seamless transition and supported our young people in their growth and development. Our new teaching staff have begun our Professional Learning modules from our Westall Institute of Teaching. All teaching staff and provided with 75 minutes each week to collaborate with each other, developing best practice and aligning their teaching and learning strategies to consistent practices we have at Westall, such as the Explicit Direct Instruction Model and the Westall Way Positive Behaviour Framework. 

The Westall Open Night will provide prospective students and families an opportunity to see a snapshot of what makes Westall Secondary College so special. It will be held at 6pm on 31st April in the Senior Learning Centre. We will also be holding weekly School Tours for prospective parents / students every Monday at 9:30am and Wednesday at 12:30pm (to see our iCreate program in action).

NAPLAN update:

I’d like to acknowledge the efforts of our Year 7 and 9 students, for their personal best during our NAPLAN Assessments. These concluded last week, with each student completing 3 Literacy Assessments and 1 Numeracy Assessment. It was wonderful to see the focus of the students throughout this period, whilst they strived for their personal excellence in each Assessment. 

A NAPLAN individual student report will be sent home later in the year. Student achievement is shown against 4 levels of proficiency: Exceeding, Strong, Developing and Needs Additional Support. 

How are NAPLAN results used?

• Students and parents/carers can use individual results to discuss progress with teachers.

• Teachers use results to help identify students who need greater challenges or extra support.

• Schools use results to identify strengths and areas of need to improve teaching programs, and to set goals in literacy and numeracy.

• School systems use results to review the effectiveness of programs and support offered to schools.

I hope you all have a lovely break over the holidays and look forward to seeing you all back in Term 2! 

Ms Alice Paget

Assistant Principal (Years 7/8)