Teaching and Learning

NAPLAN Schedule - Years 3, 5, 7 & 9

NAPLAN (National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy) is an annual nationwide assessment in Australia that measures students’ literacy and numeracy skills in Years 3, 5, 7, and 9.

NAPLAN assessments will commence on Wednesday 11 March. Practice sessions were held this week to ensure all students have access to the platform and are familiar with how to log in.

Instructions for Year 7 & 9: 2026 Locked-Down Browser

All Year 7 and Year 9 students must download the new Locked Down Browser for 2026 to their laptops in preparation for the testing. Students should click on the link below to take them directly to the ASTRA page with the instructions for downloading the 2026 Locked Down Browser. Please be aware that students using Chromebooks will need to see the IT Department, as these devices work differently.

Astra - NAPLAN - Locked Down Browser Installation (instructions step by step)

The link to the appropriate browser for your computer can be found at the address below.

Locked-down browser | Online National Assessment Platform

Once downloaded, students are encouraged to open the browser to ensure it has installed correctly.

TESTING DATES FOR STUDENTS IN YEARS 7 & 9

Requirements: All students should arrive for NAPLAN with:

• Fully-charged laptop, pre-loaded with the 2026 Locked-Down Browser.
• Headphones/earbuds that connect directly with their devices for this testing. Please note that these are not provided by the school.

Students should also ensure their device connects to the school's wi-fi.  Any student having issues with connection is advised to please see our IT Department PRIOR to their scheduled NAPLAN session.

Learning Progress and Reporting: Junior & Senior School Overview

For detailed information about reporting in both the Junior School and Senior School, please visit the Parent Services page on Astra:

• Junior School Reporting - https://astra.girton.vic.edu.au/homepage/32924
• Senior School Reporting - https://astra.girton.vic.edu.au/homepage/32860

When reports or grade results are published on Astra, parents and carers will receive notifications directly from teachers. A further notification will also be sent via email and Astra News from the Reports Department to ensure all families are aware that new information is available.

Junior School – Term One

In Term One, Junior School teachers will publish feedback on Astra from the Parent Teacher Interviews as a Wellbeing Record. Parents will receive an Astra notification when this is available.

Senior School – Term One

Teachers will assess students’ Effort & Dedication six times each year for most subjects. This year, we have streamlined the Effort & Dedication Reports to make them clearer for both parents and students. The previous five rating categories have been refined to three — Always, Regularly, and Cause for Concern — to make progress easier to interpret. If a student receives a Cause for Concern rating, teachers will include additional information to support understanding and outline next steps.

Most subjects will be graded twice in Term One:

• Round 1: Week 4
• Round 2: Week 9

Parents will receive Astra notifications as each subject teacher publishes the results. For more information on viewing Effort & Dedication ratings, as well as all assessment grades, please refer to the information below.

SENIOR SCHOOL - Continuous Reporting on Astra

For most subjects, each time students complete an assessment task, teachers will publish written feedback and the grade achieved on Astra. In addition to task-specific feedback, teachers will provide general progress comments each term, including a summary of your child’s overall Effort & Dedication in the subject.

Parents will receive Astra notifications whenever new feedback or grades are released. At the end of the year, all parents will receive an online Academic Report – “Statement of Results”, which summarises each subject’s final outcomes.

Accessing Reports and Grades via Astra

• Academic Reports: You can access your child’s PDF Report on Astra here: https://astra.girton.vic.edu.au. The “Academic Reports” button is below your child’s photo, to the right of their Timetable button. Select this to see all Academic Reports, along with Merit Certificates.    

• Online Grades: To view all of your child’s grades and feedback, log in to Astra - https://astra.girton.vic.edu.au. Select the “Grades” tab below your child’s photo to see a full overview of published grades and comments. You can also select the relevant subject from the drop-down list. You can also access the published “Grades by clicking on the email notification to go directly to the feedback. Please select the FAQs icon located on your parent Astra dashboard to help with accessing Grades and other helpful hints. Under the sub-heading Parent FAQs, you will find links to instruction pages and helpful video tutorials from a past parent information session. 

• Other Reports: Only Girton Grammar Academic Reports are available via Astra. If you want to view other reports e.g. NAPLAN, select “Documents” on your opening page, then click on your child’s name to the right of the screen, and other reports will be under the subheading of “Government Reports”.

On Astra, you can also see your child’s Timetable, Calendar, Due Work and lots more by selecting your child’s name on the left-hand side of the home page. To return to the Astra home page, click the Astra logo on the top left.  

If you are having trouble accessing Astra or need your log in details, please email ithelpdesk@girton.vic.edu.au

Important contacts:

Mr Rod Smith (Head of Academic and Data Services) 

Mrs Viv Bath (Deputy Head of Junior School) 

Mr Nicholas Rasmussen (Academic Services Reports Manager) 

Ms Katie Morris (Academic Services Reports Administrator) 

Senior School Maths Help

Maths Help is available on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:30 - 4:30 pm in Room N15, N17 and N18. Maths Help provides an excellent opportunity for students to seek assistance with challenging questions, revise for upcoming assessments, or complete homework with the support of a maths teacher. Attendance is optional, with students welcome to attend for all or part of the session. 

Ms Emily Ryan

Head of Mathematics

KSF Maths Competition (Years 7 & 8)

Year 7 and 8 students are invited to enter the Kangourou sans Frontières (KSF) Kangaroo Maths Competition, which will run in Week 9 of Term 1. KSF is the largest maths competition in the world, with more than 6 million participants each year. It's a great opportunity for students to experience maths in a competition environment prior to the Australian Maths Competition in August.

The school will organise entry and supervision. The cost to enter is $5.50.  Students have received an email with instructions on how to express their interest, so please encourage your child to respond if you believe they would enjoy this opportunity. 

Ms Emily Ryan

Head of Mathematics