Out and about with Mr Walsh

Another bumper fortnight at Surfside

It has been another busy fortnight at Surfside with plenty happening in and out of the classrooms. There has been plenty going on and also a large amount of planning in the background for upcoming events such as the Fresh Food Fair, Concert and strategic planning for 2024. It is definitely all systems go to start term 3. We were excited to receive our 2023 NAPLAN results which we are very proud of our student achievements and there are many changes to the new way that NAPLAN reports on student and school achievement that are outlined below. Surfside is well aware of the staffing pressures across the region and state in education and we are therefore preparing for 2024 much earlier than usual by undertaking our recruitment needs for next year. This will involve the appointment of new education support and teaching staff to support our continued growth. We also want to thank our school council who continue to advocate for our school and the infrastructure required to also support this growth. Our year 6 students are beginning their transition process to year 7 with all students now receiving their secondary school placement for 2024 and we look forward to confirming our Foundation enrolments for 2024 this week - as we said at the start there is plenty going on at Surfside! We want to thank our students, staff and school community for their continued support.

Foundation 100 Days of School

Our Foundation students celebrated their 100 days of school on Friday and it was great to see all of the students and staff dressed like they had been here for 100 years and participate in a range of celebratory activities with their class, buddies and our school community. We have really enjoyed witnessing their growth over these 100 days and look forward to celebrating further growth for the remainder of the year. Well done to all of our Foundation students and I am sure you will enjoy looking back at these photos when your primary school journey comes to an end.

2023 NAPLAN Results Year 3 & Year 5

We were excited to receive our 2023 NAPLAN results last week and all students and families have received their individual reports. Our classes, cohorts and school will utilise this data to continue to evaluate our performance, support student learning and growth and set our annual implementation goals going into 2024. We are very lucky to be a very data rich school and our professional learnng communities use this data on a weekly basis to best support our students.

2023 has seen a large overhaul and changes to the collection of and reporting of NAPLAN data. Education ministers agreed that NAPLAN test results would be reported using proficiency standards from 2023. Together with the move to an earlier NAPLAN in March, these changes meet an initiative of the 2019 National School Reform Agreement. 

The proficiency standards that are now used as measurement scales therefore reset NAPLAN measurement scales that make better use of the online adaptive tests.

A new NAPLAN time series now begins from 2023. Results from 2023 onwards cannot be directly compared to results from 2008 to 2022 and therefore eliminates current growth standards for year 5 students.

From 2023, NAPLAN results are reported against proficiency standards, with student achievement shown against 4 levels of proficiency. There is a standard for each assessment area at each year level. This replaces the previous numerical NAPLAN bands and national minimum standards. 

To help understand the new reports please refer to the video or the parent information attachment:

Proficiency Standards Explained

Student achievement in NAPLAN is reported using proficiency standards for each assessment area at each year level. The standards are set at a challenging but reasonable expectation of what students know and can do at the time of testing. There are 4 proficiency levels: 

• Exceeding: the student’s result exceeds expectations at the time of testing. 
• Strong: the student’s result meets challenging but reasonable expectations at the time of testing. 
• Developing: the student’s result indicates that they are working towards expectations at the time of testing.
• Needs additional support: the student’s result indicates that they are not achieving the learning outcomes that are expected at the time of testing. They are likely to need additional support to progress satisfactorily.

A brief summary of our results are indicated below and all of our students and staff should be congratulated on these performance results. NAPLAN is of course a single measure of student achievement at a particular time period and staff utilise many data sets to guide the weekly teaching and learning program at Surfside.

Preliminary NAPLAN Results - Surfside Primary School

Surfside Athletics Carnival

It is always nervous times when we run our athletics carnival in the middle of winter but Tuesday didn't disapoint as we were faced with perfect weather of no wind and a little bit of cloud cover. And with the weather turning on a fine performance this also translated to our students who also exhibited our school values of RESPECT and ACHIEVEMENT with some fine performances on and off the track. There was plenty of colour, dress ups, smiles, running, jumping and throwing. All students set a goal of representing their house colour with pride and working towards their personal best. Mr Baker will work through our qualifiers and we look forward to announcing the winner of the Cunningham Cup at our next assembly. Of course the day can't happen without the support of our staff and family helpers. We were so appreciative of your support and the efficient running of events on the day. A massive shout out and thank you to Mr Baker and his team who did a great job in organising all aspects of the day. Check out some action shots below:

Year 4 Marine Biology Visit

One of our amazing Surfside parents Monique, jumped out of the water and into the classroom to visit the Year 4 students at Surfside. This term, we are studying Science as part of Investigations. Being a Marine Biologist, Monique had so much to share about her job and the science that is involved. Students were amazed at the incredible experiences Monique has had. The science involved in her job was fascinating and everyone was captivated to learn about the observations and research Monique does and how her role positively impacts the marine environment that is, of course, right on our doorstep. Students were very keen to take up some of the junior ranger opportunities available to them so stay tuned…we might have some future marine biologists in the making!

Happy '1st' Birthday Jack

Jack was very thrilled to share his special day with our school community on Friday and also celebrate 100 days with our Foundation students. Jack has had a slow and steady approach since his arrival at Surfside and is still developing but we look forward to having him as part of our school community for many years to come. We thank everyone for making Jack feel welcomed at Surfside, supporting his development and making Surfside a safe space for him. A big thank you to the students, staff and the team at Cherished Pets for his gifts celebration songs, face painting and most of all his yummy dog birthday cake.

Breakfast Clubbers of The Week

Our Breakfast Club has been growing in popularity for student visits as well as student helpers. Each fortnight we look forward to recognising the efforts of our helpers with the 'Breakfast Clubber of the Week'. A big thank you to Lydia Graham and Gill for the support of the program and the following students were our week 1 and 2 Breakfast Clubbers of the Week.

• Week 1 - Zoe D - for showing initiative and good teamwork. Always happy to do more. Displaying school values of teamwork, respect and achievement.
• Week 2 - Vivian M - was team leader and was very efficient, calm and respectful. Delegated tasks well, and chipped in where she needed to. Displayed school values of teamwork, respect and achievement.

Surfside Primary School Concert News 

Tues 5th September - Surfside Primary School Concert - Night 1 5.00-7.00pm

Wed 6th September - Surfside Primary School Concert - Night 2 5.00-7.00pm

Check the concert page for more details over the coming week

2023 Book Week Celebrations

Book week will be another open book before we know it so here are some details to help everyone prepare for another exciting book week ahead.

The CBCA Book Week theme for 2023 is "Read, Grow, Inspire" and Surfside will celebrate book week in a variety of different ways so keep an eye on year level news and our upcoming newsletters.

• Monday 21st - Friday 25th August - Book Week 2023 - CBCA theme for 2023 is "Read, Grow, Inspire"
• Friday 25th August - Book Week Parade 9.00am - Basketball Court (weather permitting)

Feed Me Bellarine Food Drive

Keep an eye on compass in the coming week for a Feed Me Bellarine food drive. If you have any items please put aside for a great cause in Geelong and the Bellarine. Especially during these colder months it is important to help those in need.

School Council - August Meeting 

Our next school council meeting will take place on (insert date here) at 5:30pm with Finance meeting taking place at 5.00pm.