From the Principal's Desk

Messages from school assembly

At our recent whole school assembly we discussed our school core values and their meaning with the students. In most cases we try to incorporate our school values as much as possible so that our students can see the link between the achievements they make and what the words actually mean. I spoke in particular about being respectful and connected this for students with manners. The students at our school are extremely polite and well mannered and this is obvious when simply moving about the spaces and witnessing interactions with one another and adults as well. On a whole, students often when asked how they are, will reply with 'and how are you?' which is a small thing but a wonderful skill to learn at a young age.

In addition, we spoke about the amount of rubbish in the yard recently which seems to be on a few particular days- one is our lunch order day and the other when our breakfast cart is out. We reminded our students to please put their rubbish in the bin when playing in the yard but also to please consider what they bring to school.

We would like to encourage 'Nude Food' as much as possible which is really about sending students to school with healthy options as much as possible. This would reduce the amount of rubbish in our school yard as well as help students make healthier food choices! 

Parents and Friends

Recently we posted on Compass an expression of interest for anyone wishing to become involved in a parents and friends group that we would rely on throughout the year to help us coordinate a few things like Mothers Day/Fathers Day stalls, fundraisers, grounds work and much more. We recently appointed a grounds keeper, Aldo, who is currently on some leave but will return in Term 2 to take care of regular jobs like mowing and basic repairs. Aldo has done a great job at getting started on jobs around the school and I'm sure would be grateful for some help in the future as those jobs grow. If you are interested in any of those jobs listed or would like to help out around the school in other ways, please let Jess know in the office so we can gather you all together and make an ongoing list and plan.

Naplan

This week our students in Year 3 and 5 began their Naplan assessments. As much as schools are reliant on the data that comes from the assessments, Naplan can in some cases cause anxiety and stress in students. Naplan is really a snapshot of learning in that moment, there are many factors that can contribute to this test that may make results not a true indication of level and indeed the earlier administration date does not leave schools with much time to best prepare students. However, the staff at Moriac PS have done an excellent job nevertheless and a student doing their best that day is really all we ask, no matter how that looks.

School Council

We recently finalised the process to elect our new school council. 

The AGM this year will be held at the end of this term on Tuesday 26th March at 5:30pm and it is at this meeting that office bearer positions will be voted on as well as the presentation of our Annual Report to the school community. 

In the meantime, I am happy to announce the new 2024 school council will be made up of:

Katie Chealuck- parent

Christine Graham- parent

Chris Holmes- parent

Zoe Engel- parent

Louise Ellis- parent

Melissa Maccora- DoE

Peter Aquilina- DoE

Erin Gleeson- DoE

We would like to sincerely thank our outgoing members of school council who have supported the school over the years- Dan Dwyer, Kerrie Charlesworth and Mick Stahel. 

Common Assessment Tasks (CATs) & Reports

Currently our students and teachers are working on common assessment tasks commonly known as CATs in the key learning around of Mathematics. CATs are a set task appropriate to the students level,  that they complete in class which is then assessed with a rubric by the teacher. Previously at Moriac PS, the CATs have been pushed out via Compass and we intend to continue this practise this term. We will also ensure these are included in the semester reports to give a big view of their achievements. English CATs will be completed in Term 2 with the same process.

We currently complete CATs for English and Maths twice in the semester and are making plans for this to extend to all specialist areas as well as increase the number of CATs each term. Along with Seesaw which has really increased the way families can view and observe their child progress, we hope that there will be a better sense of where your children are at academically. Often when reading reports, the finality of the report and the snapshot it provides can leave families a little confused about progress and we hope the ongoing nature of CATs along with Seesaw opens further the window to your child's learning a little more.

As the term draws to a close in the next few weeks, I wanted to also let you know that I will be taking some long service leave and travelling overseas for the first week and a half of Term 2. In my absence, Moriac is well equipped with leaders to continue to steer the ship. On different days there will be someone in my office who will support the students and teachers in an ongoing manner until I return. As normal, if there is anything you need, please call or visit the front office so that the administration team can direct you with your inquiry. 

Have a great end to the term and a safe holiday period and see you all in Term 2.

Mel