Dear Clayton North Primary School Community

The blossoms are in bloom and the days are getting longer; Spring is definitely around the corner!

I want to mention three significant events that were part of the last three weeks:

Book Week and Tuesday's dress-up assembly. Throughout this week, children have had the opportunity to listen to different teachers come into their classrooms to read them stories during eating time. Senior students have also paired up with juniors to share in reading a book together. On Tuesday, we were thrilled to see the variety of creative and colourful costumes students and staff chose to dress in, displaying their enjoyment in reading and showcasing their favourite books and characters! Thank you to the large number of families who joined us to celebrate and support young learners getting excited about books.
Our focus areas on the Curriculum Day in Week 5 included a scrutiny of the school's 2024 goals, the 2024-2028 plan, and unpacking our NAPLAN and Student Attitudes to School Survey (AToSS) data. NAPLAN Year 3 results showed an improvement in Reading and Writing, compared to 2023. Year 5 results showed a significant improvement in all areas - Reading, Writing, Numeracy, Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation. Very positive results indeed! Certainly, there are aspects that we need to work on, but, lots to celebrate as well. Similarly, we have much to be proud of in our 2024 AToSS results - Stimulated learning, High expectations for success, School connectedness, Sense of inclusion, and Student safety - above 85%. We need to do more to support student voice and agency, which is a major priority in our 4-year strategic plan.
As part of our professional learning and focus on continual improvement, the CNPS Leadership team visited Bentleigh West Primary School in Week 4. BWPS is a lighthouse school for explicit instruction, an evidence-based strategy for effective learning. We observed many differences in their approach and practices in the classroom, and we are continuing our discussions about aspects that will suit our students and our context. We have decided to trial a Maths workbook for next year, which will provide students with regular drills in practising skills and increasing their proficiency. More information will be relayed in due course, however, based on the number of families, who have been requesting work for their children to do at home, I feel that this move will be well-received.

Victorian State Schools Spectacular

As you would know, Jenny and our students have been practising in earnest to present their choir skills on the 14th of September, in the John Cain Arena. We have been conducting a few fundraising events to support our children attend this event. Please encourage your children to buy a sweet treat on the 30th August and come along and purchase a plant this afternoon when you pick up your child from school.

Wishing Jenny and our 21 Year 5/6 students the very best as they head off to represent Clayton North Primary School!

2024 Parent Opinion Survey

Each year, schools conduct an opinion survey with the school community. I invite all families (one parent per family) in the Clayton North community to provide us with your feedback as your opinion is important to us, and will contribute to the future management and organisation of our school.

The online survey is available in English and 10 other languages and will take about 20 minutes to complete. Please be assured that your responses are completely confidential and the school never sees your responses.

Thank you to families who have already responded to the survey. We would like more families to participate. You can complete the survey using the following link:

https://www.orima.com.au/parent

and use the PIN 961662

End-of-day pick up

This is a reminder to families to please avoid lingering on school grounds after collecting your children at the end of the school day. As previously mentioned, staff are involved in meetings on Tuesdays through to Thursdays, and are offsite after 4 pm on Mondays and Fridays. From an OHS perspective, it is unsafe for students and families to be on school grounds without appropriate supervision. It is expected that all students and their families leave school grounds by 4.00 pm. Thank you for supporting the school in this matter.

Free to a good home or a gold-coin donation

Before we throw items out, a range of good quality crockery, cutlery and kitchen appliances will be available to families next Monday and Tuesday after school. Please come along and see what you would like.

Sue Simadri

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