From the Deputy Principal

Welcome back to Term 3. We are only in Week 2 and we are full steam ahead. This term is jam packed with events and learning. 

Currently our school is finalising our NCCD paperwork for the Census. 

WHAT IS THE NCCD?

The Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD) takes place every year.

The NCCD is a collection that counts:

• the number of school students receiving an adjustment or ‘help’ due to disability.
• the level of adjustment they are receiving to access education on the same basis as other students.

Students are counted in the NCCD if they receive ongoing adjustments at school due to disability. This ‘help’ allows them to access education on the same basis as a child without disability. The NCCD uses the definition of disability in the Disability Discrimination Act 1992. Schools provide this information to education authorities.

HOW IS THIS DATA USED?

The NCCD data informs funding and work by schools and sectors. It ensures that support for students with disability becomes routine in the day-to-day practice of schools. The NCCD also supports students in the following ways.

• The NCCD helps schools better understand their legislative obligations and the Disability Standards for Education 2005.
• Schools focus on the individual adjustments that support students with disability. This encourages them to reflect on students’ needs and to better support students.
• The NCCD facilitates a collaborative and coordinated approach to supporting students with disability. It also encourages improvements in school documentation.
• The NCCD improves communication about students’ needs between schools, parents, guardians, carers and the community. The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) annually publishes high-level, non-identifying NCCD data.

WHEN DOES THE NCCD TAKE PLACE?

The NCCD takes place in August each year.

ICAS 

Living Waters will again be participating in the ICAS competitions this year. ICAS is an online academic competition that is designed to assess students’ higher order thinking and problem-solving skills in English, Maths, Science, Writing, Spelling and Digital Technologies. We encourage you to consider entering your child into ICAS this year. The competition is open to students from Years 2 to 6. Learn more and register by following the link: https://shop.icasassessments.com/pages/pps. Registrations close this Monday 31st July.  

SCHOOL VALUE 

For the first three weeks of this term our value is Love: Show compassion and kindness in the classroom. Compassion can be a difficult concept for children to understand. In our classrooms we are explicitly teaching them what it means. Helping children take the perspective of another is important in understanding compassion. Finding a child’s compassionate strengths is a great way to teach and reinforce compassion. Children will show compassion in different ways, just as adults will. Look for the following types of compassionate strength behaviours and help kids grow the behaviour in real-life settings. Celebrate what they already do and encourage the behaviour’s growth.

Notice when the child…

1. Does nice things for others without expecting something in return.
2. Says encouraging things to cheer others.
3. Shows interest in others through intentional prosocial (helping) behaviour.
4. Participates in active listening.

Have a great week! 

Miss Megan Nertney