Learning & Teaching

NAPLAN 2025 schedule 

Writing - Wednesday 12th March at 9am

Reading - Thursday 13th March at 9am

Conventions of Language - Monday 17th March at 9am

Mathematics - Tuesday 18th March at 9am

Public demonstration site

The public demonstration tests show the types of questions students will answer and the functionalities that are available in NAPLAN tests. 

Students can do the standard tests or they can do a test with accessible alternative items:

• The visual alternative tests include some items with simplified images (numeracy and reading).
• The tests with audio alternative items have text-based items instead of audio dictation items (conventions of language).
• The colour theme tests have different coloured fonts and backgrounds (all domains).

To try the demonstration tests,clink this link and use the buttons below to choose a year level and then a NAPLAN domain: writing, reading, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) or numeracy. Please note that answers are not provided. As all Year 3 students complete the writing test on paper, there is no Year 3 writing demonstration test.

For all online tests, once ‘finish’ is selected or time has run out, the student’s responses will be submitted and will no longer be able to be viewed. 

Excellence at OLA

We celebrate achievements at OLA every day in the classroom. Outstanding achievement is celebrated at every assembly in the front of the school. Congratulations to all the students who received an award last week. 

Celebration of Learning! 

Reading the Grade One swimming recounts was a joy! Seeing their proud smiles as they shared their work was truly wonderful, and we couldn’t be prouder of their efforts!

The Grade 3/4's have been learning about 'Country' in Inquiry. We learnt that we are on Boon Wurrung Country and that it stretches from the Werribee River all the way around the bay to Wilson's Prom.  We discussed how the term Country has a deeper meaning to Indigenous Australians as it is all about their connection to the land, seas, skies, waterways and their connections to their past. Then we then created collages of our interpretation of Country. Spectacular job!

Spelling Mastery begins next week! 

Spelling Mastery is a research-based, teacher-directed program designed to help students understand the relationship between sounds, word parts, and spelling patterns. The primary goal of teaching spelling is to enable students to transfer accurate spelling to their reading and writing. While spell checkers have their place, it is crucial for students to develop a deep understanding of the structure of the English language. Spelling Mastery incorporates three distinct approaches: phonemic, whole-word, and morphemic.

Phonemic Approach: Students learn the sound-symbol relationships between letters and sounds, which helps them spell using predictable patterns. For example, words like ‘map,’ ‘tap,’ ‘fog,’ and ‘fan.’

Whole-Word Approach: This approach teaches students high frequency words and irregularly spelt words that do not follow predictable patterns. Examples include "answer," "the," and "people."

Morphemic Approach: Students learn that all words are composed of one or more morphographs or word parts. They also learn rules for combining morphographs to form words. For example, the morphograph "re-" means "again" (e.g., repack, return, rerun), and "-est" means "the most" (e.g., lightest, happiest, friendliest). These methods will be integrated into each lesson delivered in class.

We look forward to seeing the progress students make with the Spelling Mastery program.

Josy Reeder

Learning & Teaching Leader