A MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Therese Stewart

Foundation 2020 Interviews.

It has been lovely meeting our new Foundation children for 2020 as we begin our chats in preparation for next year. They are very excited to be starting school in 2020 and joining the St Agnes community. If you have a Foundation 2020 child that you have not yet handed in an enrolment form, could you please do so ASAP. This enables us to plan for 2020 and the number of positions we have for new enrolments. Many thanks!

Mother's Day Breakfast.

What a wonderful celebration of the St Agnes mothers and special friends it was last Friday. The children joined their mums and special friends for breakfast and then Mass with Fr O'Reilly. There was much laughter and chatter and time to enjoy breakfast together. A big thank you to the Dads for their efforts in preparing breakfast for everyone!

NAPLAN

It is that time of year again when Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 in schools across Australia complete the NAPLAN tests. For some children this can be a time when they become anxious about the tests. This is one test on one day in the children's school life. NAPLAN provides valuable data for schools and teachers but we use many other forms of information to help us know where the children are situated in their learning journey and how best to cater for their needs. I will include a letter that I found several years ago that illustrates all the things NAPLAN doesn't test for but are so very important. I cannot claim it as my own but think the words are wonderful. It was written to a group of Year 3 students by their teachers, by all means read it to your children:-

‘This test does not assess all of what makes you exceptional and unique. The people who score these tests don’t know that you love to sing, are good at drawing or can teach others how to use a computer program. They have not seen the way that you can dance with grace or speak confidently to a large group. They do not know that your friends count on you to be there for them when they are sad. They do not know that you participate in sports, help your Mum and Dad or that you can play with your little brothers, sister or cousins. They do not know that you are caring, thoughtful and that every day you do your best. Because these attributes cannot be tested.

The scores you get from this test will tell you how you did on that day, but they will not tell you everything. They can’t tell you that you have improved on something you found difficult. They can’t tell you that you brighten up your teacher’s day. They can’t tell you how amazingly special you are.

So ... remember there is no one way to test all the wonderful things that make you, you!’

Our new website.

Our website is now live! I would encourage all families to take a look. We are really pleased with how the new site showcases the wonderful community of St Agnes and illustrates the great learning that happens at our school and the very happy children that come here every day. The new inewsletter format will also be available on the website as well as calendar dates. Let us know what you think.

Cybersafety Parent Evening

20th May at 7pm.

Please mark this date and time in your diaries. The school has organised an evening for parents around being safe online and the current trends involving your children and the World Wide Web. I guarantee it will be an enlightening evening for ALL parents and I encourage every family in our school to attend. This is a parents only session, the children from Years 3-6 are having sessions during the day.

School Education Advisory Board

While the provision of a school environment that supports the Catholic ethos is largely the responsibility of the Parish priest, principal and school staff, school boards play a significant role in supporting the spiritual and educational welfare of students. They do this through their contribution to the development of school plans and policies and their participation in activities that uphold the mission of Catholic education as expressed in the vision of the school. In realising this vision the School Advisory Board aims to:

act as a forum for discussion on matters concerning education in the school
support the provision of Catholic education in the parish by providing a link to the school community
promote the role of community in the life of the school.

The School Advisory Board is the 'voice of the parents' around many policies, procedures, issues and decisions. We have a broad representation, with people bringing many and varied skills to our School Advisory Board.

The 2019 School Advisory Board is as follows:

Parish Priest, Myles Whelan(Chairperson), Michelle Wood (Secretary), Therese Stewart (Principal), Matt Cherry (Deputy Principal), Sophie Frannet, Daniel Bunnett, Melissa Merrick, Sarah Attree and Jason Greenhalgh .

We are incredibly grateful to our board and we thank them very much for their contributions each year.

Important Information for Parents

This is the updated information in regard to the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD). Schools must now complete the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD) every year. It counts the number of students who receive additional adjustments or “help” at school because of a disability. The NCCD helps governments plan for the needs of students with disability. This information helps parents understand how this new system works.

LEARNING DIVERSITY

NCCD Information for parents