Assistant Principal's report

Attitudes to School Survey

Over the next few weeks our Grades 4-6 will be completing the Attitudes to School Survey. This is a short survey that all schools collect each year and is a really powerful way to hear from our students about how they feel about their learning, friendships and support at school. This data helps us to know our students in yet another way. When the de-identified data becomes available to us later in the year, Mr McClare and I will be holding small focus groups with students to unpack any trends that we notice and ensure that student voice and agency is at the forefront of our future planning. 

Graduation fundraiser - family Hoyts outing

Our Grade 6 Graduates are fundraising for their end of year celebration and have a fantastic offer for families. Please check the Save the Date page in the newsletter for details. 

Reporting to parents

Our teachers are working hard in every available minute at the moment to prepare comprehensive reports about your child's academic and social progress. We use many forms of data to ensure that our reports are very evidence driven and so that you can feel confident that they are an accurate snapshot of your child. The data we use includes standardised testing (like the Progressive Achievement Test and Acadience reading tests ) summative assessments such as Essential Assessment pre and post tests and multiple examples of teacher observations, checklists and work samples. By ensuring that all decisions are based on multiple pieces of evidence, we can ensure that we have triangulated the data. Triangulation of data involves us looking at multiple sources to reach an informed conclusion about a trend or pattern (or average of performance). 

At Kalinda we are committed to there being no surprises in the reports that you receive. You can check your child's progress against the Curriculum Continuum (see instructions at the bottom of the page) but you may also hear from your child's teacher over the coming weeks to flag with you if data shows that there is any anomaly in their progress, how it is being addressed by us and what (if anything) you can be doing at home to support this growth. By committing to this we continue to prioritise the school-home partnership as an extremely vital component of a child's success at school.  

Works in the local area - be aware 

We have been notified that works are planned in Marica Close Ringwood that require large equipment to gain access through the Kalinda Urban Forest. 

At this stage the work is scheduled to start Wednesday 5 June and is expected to take 2/3 days weather permitting. If rain delays the works works may take place the following week or as soon as the weather permits it. 

The contractor will be gaining access to the park through the top of Marica Close along the footpath. There will be safety/warning signs there for pedestrians using the path as well as road signs for any vehicles using Marica Close.

Last week, our school office also advised of major works happening at a residence on Berkley Road. Please always remain alert when using our local roads and footpaths. 

Curriculum Continuum

This article has been reprinted for your information.

In the last 18 months, we have successfully launched the use of the Continuum in Compass as a way of tracking student progress against the Victorian Curriculum. This means that at any time during the year, parents can log on and see what growth their child has made against specific curriculum areas. This continuum is updated for your child throughout the year, most commonly you will see the greatest changes made in Terms 2 and 4 when a lot of our summative assessment takes place. 

The Compass Continuum is found on your child's Compass page (via web browser not app) by following these steps: Profile --> Analytics --> Continuum --> Mathematics or English

This continuum is complemented by:

• Twice yearly Parent Teacher Interviews (end of Terms 1 and 3)
• Twice yearly written reports (end of Terms 2 and 4)
• A commitment to 'no surprises' - where teaching staff ensure they are in regular contact with families if there are any areas in which their child is making no or little progress.

With these systems now in place, together with our commitment to differentiated and targeted teaching, we will no longer be publishing Individual Education Plans (IEP) for students who are 12 months below or 18 months ahead of the expected curriculum level. The very specific and targeted information provided in the Continuum, together with the processes above - replaces the need for these documents. 

Students with significant learning concerns (especially those who are funded by DET under the Program for Students with Disability, or the Disability Inclusion program), will continue to receive a lengthier more targeted IEP that is co-created with parents and specialists.

Take care Kalinda, you matter to me. 

Lauren Hopkins

We are kind. We are resilient. We are respectful.