Assistant Principal Report

Building our students Number Fluency

At Deer Park West Primary School, building strong number fluency is a key focus of our mathematics teaching and an important part of the Victorian Curriculum 2.0. Number fluency isn’t just about knowing number facts — it’s about understanding numbers, using them flexibly, and choosing efficient strategies to solve problems with confidence.

At school, students work on number fluency every day. One of the main ways we do this is through number talks.

What Are Number Talks?

Number talks are short, regular discussions where students solve a maths problem mentally and share how they worked it out. There is usually more than one way to reach an answer, and students are encouraged to explain their thinking and listen to different strategies.

These discussions help students:

• Build confidence with numbers
• Develop strong mental strategies
• Understand that there are multiple ways to solve problems
• Make connections between ideas

This approach aligns closely with the Victorian Curriculum, which places a strong emphasis on fluency, reasoning and understanding, rather than speed alone.

How Families Can Support Number Fluency at Home

Foundation – Year 2

At this level, students are developing early number understanding and confidence.

You can support this by:

• Counting during everyday activities (steps, toys, food items)
• Talking about numbers you notice together (house numbers, prices, signs)
• Playing simple games with dice, cards or board games
• Asking questions like “How many are there?” or “What happens if we add one more?”

At this stage, building confidence and number sense is far more important than getting answers quickly.

Years 3 – 4

Students begin to work more confidently with the four operations and mental strategies.

You can help by:

• Practising number facts in short, regular bursts
• Asking your child to explain how they worked something out
• Using real‑life maths when cooking, shopping or sharing items
• Playing games that involve mental maths or problem solving

Encouraging children to talk through their thinking mirrors the number talks they participate in at school.

Years 5 – 6

At this level, students benefit from being able to recall facts efficiently and choose effective strategies.

You can support this by:

• Encouraging mental maths in everyday situations
• Practising multiplication and division facts regularly
• Asking questions like “Is there another way to solve that?” or “Which strategy works best?”
• Playing games that involve estimation, logic or number reasoning

This supports the Victorian Curriculum focus on reasoning, problem solving and flexible thinking.

A Few Helpful Reminders

• Short, regular practice is best — 5 to 10 minutes is plenty
• Focus on effort, strategies and improvement, not just correct answers
• Encourage your child to explain their thinking
• Keep maths positive — confidence plays a big role in success

Supporting Safe and Smart Online Behaviour at Home

At Deer Park West Primary School, we are committed to helping our students become safe, responsible and confident users of technology. As part of this commitment, we follow the principles of the eSmart program, which focuses on building positive digital behaviours and supporting students to navigate the online world safely.

Children today are growing up in a digital world, and while technology offers many opportunities for learning and connection, it also brings challenges. The eSmart approach reminds us that the most effective way to support children online is through strong partnerships between school and home.

Some key ways families can support safe online behaviour include:

• Talking regularly with your child about how they use technology and the apps or games they enjoy
• Encouraging children to be respectful and kind online, just as they are face‑to‑face
• Setting clear and consistent boundaries around screen time and device use
• Reminding children to tell a trusted adult if something online makes them feel uncomfortable or unsure

It’s also important for children to understand that online actions have real‑world consequences, and that asking for help is always the right thing to do.

By having open conversations at home and reinforcing positive digital behaviours, we can work together to support our students to be safe, smart and responsible digital citizens.

Foundation 2027 Enrolments 

We are very pleased to share that Foundation 2027 enrolments have been open since the start of the term, and we are now welcoming families to begin the enrolment process. Enrolment packs are available from our school office and include everything needed to get started. Enrolments forms can also be found on our website. 

Our school continues to be a place where children feel safe, seen and supported—and where high‑quality learning really thrives. We are incredibly proud of our strong academic results, which reflect not only the hard work of our students but also the expertise and commitment of our staff. Our focus on high expectations, targeted teaching and building confident, capable learners means our students make excellent progress year after year.

If you are new to our school community, we warmly welcome you to join us for a school tour. Visiting the school is the best way to see:

• Our engaging learning spaces and calm, purposeful classrooms
• How our teachers support academic growth through explicit instruction and rich learning tasks
• Our strong wellbeing focus and inclusive school culture
• The outdoor play and learning environments that our students love

Most importantly, a tour gives you a feel for the sense of connection and pride our students have in their school. Tour dates can be found in the Calendar tab of the newsletter. 

We look forward to welcoming you, showing you around and sharing what makes our school such a supportive, high‑achieving and nurturing place for children.

Kind regards,

Joshua Fielding

Assistant Principal