Message from the Principal 

GRADE 6 ANGLESEA CAMP

On Tuesday morning, a very excited group of Year 6 students boarded the bus for the Anglesea Camp. I am pleased to report that they are all having an excellent time and really enjoying the activities and adventure. Camps are one of those really special extra-curricular activities that allow students rich experiences that just aren’t possible within the normal school environment. Look out for a full report in the newsletter next week.

ANNUAL REPORT DATA – Part #1

Each year school’s produce an Annual Report and share this information with their school community. The report contains specific data that DET and schools collect to inform decision making and assess progress around strategic plan goals. Over the next two weeks we will share some of the specific data sets that will be contained in our 2023 Annual Report. This Report is then tabled for endorsement at the next School Council meeting on 30th April.

We are really pleased with our 2023: 

• Parent Satisfaction Survey Data
• Student Survey Sense of Connectedness Data
• Student Survey Management of Bullying Data

PARENT SATISFACTION SURVEY DATA

In the graph above, our school is the yellow line. In 2023, our percentage of positive endorsement for parent satisfaction was 84.8%. This was a significant increase from last year (up from 72%) and over 2% higher than the State average for primary school. 

We have been working very hard on ensuring our communication is detailed and timely. Our Principal Team also provides a high level of transparency and accessibility. We take parent concerns seriously and walk the talk when it comes to having an open door policy. Recent strategies we have put in place to build our home school partnership with you include Two Minute Tuesdays every week, Meet with the Principal Team forums each term and further evolution of our Continuous Reporting process. 

STUDENT SURVEY SENSE OF CONNECTEDNESS DATA

Wellbeing results around School Connectedness were also extremely positive. In the 2023 Attitudes to School Survey, Years 4-6 students reported a 77.9.% endorsement as opposed to 74.8% for Similar School and 77% for State average. This trend can be witnessed over a four-year period with the average positive endorsement sitting 6% above Similar Schools and 5% above the State average. This is attributed to the work of our staff team to build strong connections and relationships built on a positive and inclusive learning environment.

We have implemented a systematic and structured approach to track student wellbeing. Last year we commenced a whole-school positive reward system (Gazillions) and our staff work on a 4:1 ratio of positive feedback. In 2023 we completed significant professional learning focused on the Zones of Regulation. Last year we also implemented dual Assistant Principal roles that have enabled an increase in supporting our students and staff capacity to build strong wellbeing processes across the school.

STUDENT SURVEY MANAGEMENT OF BULLYING DATA

As you can see from the above graph, our 2023 positive endorsement for Management of Bullying was 75.3%. This was above both Similar Schools and State average. The 4-year average data in this area also sits well above Similar Schools and State average.

This has been achieved through our staff’s commitment and level of concern, extensive and comprehensive communications, positive classroom and behaviour management processes, social groups, buddy program and of course our weekly wellbeing focuses. 

We will include 2023 data sets around Learning (NAPLAN) in next week’s newsletter.

STUDENT AGENCY CONFERENCES

This is a reminder that our Student Agency Conferences will be held on next Tuesday 26th March. On this day, students only attend school for the duration of their conference. These are 15 minutes each and they will run between 9am and 6.30pm. Bookings are now open via Compass and they will close on Monday 25th March at 12pm.

Please note that the conference structure will be 15 minutes with the teacher, student and parents. As is always the case, should you wish to discuss any issue with your child’s teacher throughout the year, you can contact them to make a suitable time.

Student Agency Conferences give students the opportunity to articulate and reflect on their learning. It is recognised that if our children are to be successful in the future, they must be given the skills to “learn how to learn”. We want them to understand that learning is something they do, it is not something done to them or something that just happens. Strategies like conferencing assist in leading students towards becoming self-directed, independent learners. Student agency conferences ensure that the focus remains on the students and the critical role they have in determining their own next steps for learning.

NAPLAN ONLINE

Over the next two weeks, our Year 3 & 5 students will be completing the annual NAPLAN assessments. This year, the test will continue to be completed online using iPads. The value of using this platform is that the tests will adapt to better match the student’s level as opposed to a one size fits all where often there is only one or two questions that stretch students at the top end. The online platform will also mean that in time schools and families will be able to access the data and results in a timely manner. In the past, NAPLAN results have been sent to schools in September which is well past the used by date for our teachers to use the assessments to guide their teaching and planning. 

If you have any questions about NAPLAN, please contact Brad Ryan and we will share the overall school results with our community when they come through. 

RIDE TO SCHOOL

Next week on Friday 22nd March, it is National Ride2School Day. We are encouraging as many students as possible to ride, school or walk to school. This is also a part of our “Fuel Free Friday” initiative which our Sustainability and Environment Sub-Committee have initiated. We schedule and promote one Friday each term for students to walk or ride to school.

PARENT HELPERS

Thank you to all of our parents and carers who have completed a Parent Helper Induction session. This process is now available to complete via our school website. There is a short induction video to watch and several forms to download and sign. 

We are so fortunate to have such strong community support for our school. Our Parent Helper Inductions are a very important process that helps our school community understand that our school has a clear and public commitment to child safety in the form of our Child Safe Code of Conduct and Child Protection Reporting Policy. By including these policies as part of our parent helper requirement, our School Council has clearly defined and explained acceptable and unacceptable behaviours for staff, volunteers and children.

SCHOOL TOURS FOR 2025 ENROLMENT

Each week we host a tour of our school with a particular focus on students beginning school in 2025. If you know of a family with a child ready to start school, please encourage them to go to our website to find out about the tour dates and times for this term. I am pleased to say that our school continues to have a very strong reputation in our local community and people attending the tours often share the good things they have heard about our school.

Next Tuesday 19th March from 6.15pm -7.15pm I am also hosting an evening tour and information session. This is an open invitation event to all parents of pre-school children considering schools for 2025. 

James Penson 

Principal