Learning & Teaching

A reminder to please make sure you sign in at the office before assisting in the classroom or entering school premises. This makes sure our students are kept safe and we also have a record should there be an emergency at the school. We appreciate your cooperation. 

Any Parent Classroom Helper must also have completed the Child Safety training (to be completed each year) and also have attended a Classroom Helper workshop. 

Please note: this workshop only needs to be completed once during your time at Holy Spirit.

Years 5 - 12 Parliament Prize Competition

The Parliament Prize asks students to consider what they would say to parliament if they were an MP and record a video of their own 90-second Member’s Statement.

Students can win cash prizes for themselves and their school, with three entry categories: Grades 5‑6, Years 7-9 and Years 10-12.

Last year the Parliament Prize received 1018 entries from students from over 200 schools across Victoria. And, with more than 450 unique topics raised in these entries, Members of Parliament took a great interest in what students in their local areas had to say.

Examples included the cost of living, anti-discrimination, health and mental health, artificial intelligence and education.

Entries for this year’s prize can be submitted via the competition website, vicparl.news/parlprize  until 5pm on Friday 14 June 2024.

Semester One Reports

Our staff are in the midst of writing their student reports for this semester. I thank them for the time and effort that they are giving each student report to ensure this document is a true indication of your child's/children's educational journey.

There will be noticeable changes to our Semester One reports this year as we are assessing and reporting according to a new Mathematics curriculum - Mathematics 2.0. 

These changes have resulted in the inability to show previous mathematics achievement (Years 1 - 6) in Semester One. 

The new Mathematics curriculum scores will be present in the student report in a separate table with a heading of Victorian Curriculum 2.0. 

There will also be only one progression point 'score', compared to the previous Mathematics curriculum having 3 progression point 'scores' -

1. Number & Algebra
2. Measurement & Geometry and 
3. Statistics & Probability. 

Please note: this information is not relevant for our Prep students as this will be the first time our students are assessed. 

Students who are not yet 'at standard' and are approaching the standard expected for this time of year will be graded using the previous Mathematics curriculum scores as new scoring is not yet available for the new Mathematics 2.0 curriculum. 

A letter outlining the changes and further information will be emailed home this week.

Our Semester One reports are being emailed home in Week 11. Information about how to access your child's Semester One Report will be provided via Dojo once reports are available on the portal.

Parent - Teacher Interviews

According to our Holy Spirit Assessment & Reporting Policy document we hold parent - teacher conferences twice per year:

Semester 1 - Teacher - Parent Meet & Greets (10 mins) - these are usually held within the first month of school. The purpose of these interviews are to gather information from families about your child/children and pass on information about how your child has transitioned into the current year.

Semester 2 - Parent - Teacher Conferences (10 mins) - these are held either in the final week of Term Two or the first two weeks of Term Three. The change in date is determined by the length of term and also our school swimming program. The purpose of these conferences are to set goals for Semester Two and allow time for any questions about the Semester One Report that families may have. 

In Semester Two, our Yr 5 & 6 students host Student-Led Conferences, with the students presenting self-reflections and achievements. Time is allowed in this conference for Parent Questions about the report. An opportunity for the student to step out of this discussion is always available. Otherwise students can be present during this time.

Holy Spirit uses Google Meet for our conferences. This was put into place after feedback from families & staff after Covid for the following reasons:

1. Reduce Family Travel Time: Participants can join from any location, eliminating the need for travel, which saves time.
2. Flexible Scheduling: Meetings can be scheduled more flexibly, as participants do not need to allocate additional time for commuting, and those still at work are able to login for that 10 minute period, rather than needing to make a time after hours.
3. Easy Accessibility: Google Meet is accessible on various devices (computers, tablets, smartphones), making it easy for participants to join from anywhere.
4. Punctuality: We have also found that using Google Meet keeps us punctual and ensures each family is getting their 10 minutes, without the pressure of having to 'make up time' from a conference going for slightly too long beforehand. 

Meetings are 10 mins in duration to encourage focussed discussion on a student's achievements and areas for growth. If a family requires additional time, another meeting should be made to continue the discussion. 

Students who have PSG Meetings are not required to make an additional Parent - Teacher Conference, as progress and support is discussed, in length and detail, in PSG meetings. 

We understand that families may wish to attend a face-to-face meeting rather than online. These can be made, in consultation with your child's teacher. Usually, these meetings occur on a morning or an afternoon outside of allocated parent-teacher conference hours. 

If you are unable to attend a Parent Teacher Conference please contact your child's teacher to organise an alternative mutual agreeable time to meet. 

It is very important to us that our families attend parent-teacher conferences, as it fosters collaboration between our parents and teaching staff, ensuring that everyone is aligned in supporting your child's/children's academic and personal growth. This involvement strengthens the home-school connection, positively impacting each child's educational experience and success.

Our Semester Two Parent - Teacher Conferences will be held on Monday 22nd July beginning at 1:30pm. Students will be dismissed at 1:00pm on this day. Extend will be available for families who require it.

ICAS Assessments

We are delighted to inform you that Holy Spirit will be participating in the world-renowned ICAS competitions this year for our Years 3 - 6 students.

What is ICAS? 

ICAS is an online academic competition that is designed to assess students’ higher order thinking and problem-solving skills in English, Mathematics, Science, Writing, Spelling Bee and Digital Technologies. 

Each assessment celebrates students’ accomplishments by providing opportunities for recognition and development. Every student will receive a printed certificate and an online results report. Top performers will be eligible for medals.

We encourage you to consider entering your child into ICAS this year. Learn more about ICAS here: https://www.icasassessments.com/products-icas

Holy Spirit has signed up for both the English and Mathematics ICAS Assessments in 2023. These tests will be completed at school, during school hours, and are not compulsory to complete. You may enter your child in one or both of the English and Mathematics ICAS Assessments. Students must be in Years 3 - 6 to have the opportunity to sit these assessments. 

Testing Date period  

English: Monday 12th - Friday 16th August 

Mathematics: Monday 26th August - Friday 30th August

Actual dates of the assessments are TBC. 

Our school has signed up for the ICAS Assessments Parent Payment System (PPS) for (English & Mathematics). Through this system parents can pay for ICAS directly online while tests will still be held at our school. 

Please use the following details to register your child/children by no later than Monday 29th July. Each test will cost $19.95 (inc. GST) per child per test. Payment is required at the time of registration.

Please note that unfortunately late payments for assessments are not available. The school cannot extend this time or sign students up later as the enrolment process is completed through the ICAS Parent Payment System website. 

To sign up

Our parent page link is: https://shop.icasassessments.com/pages/pps

Our school access code is:  ARU821

Click on ‘Enter’

Follow the steps to register your child/children in one or both of the English & Mathematics assessments. Finalise enrolment, payment and save. The information of enrolment will then be sent to the school. Please ensure that your child’s information is accurate and current as this is what you will see on the final certificate and report documentation. 

A permission slip will be sent home to all families that enrol their child/children into an English and/or Mathematics ICAS Assessment closer to the assessment date.

We are proud to offer the ICAS Assessments, and look forward to celebrating some fantastic results later in the year.

Please do not hesitate to contact myself via Dojo or email if you have any questions.

Key Dates for Learning & Teaching 

• 12th June - Year 5 incursion
• 14th June - Year 5 & 6 incursion
• Week 10 - Planning Week. Staff will begin mapping out a plan for learning and teaching in Term 3.
• Weeks 10 & 11 - We welcome Year 10 Work Experience students
• 21st June - 5 & 6 Gala Day
• Week 11 - Swimming week
• Weel 11 - Semester One Reports sent home

Assembly

Assembly will be held each Friday at 2:30pm in the school hall. All dates for Assembly this term are on the Holy Spirit School Calendar.

No Assembly will take place in Week 11 due to our whole school swimming program.

Library

Our students will visit the library each week and borrow. Students need to bring their library bag to school on their library day to borrow. The timetable for this term is below:

The library will be open each Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday morning from 8:35 - 8:50am.

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Have the best fortnight,

Kayla Flindt-Petersen

Learning & Teaching Leader