From the Principal

NAPLAN- Year 3 and Year 5

The NAPLAN Online assessment period began on Wednesday, 12th March, and will continue through to Friday, 21st March 2025.

All Year 3 and Year 5 students will complete assessments in writing, reading, language conventions, and mathematics.

At POPS, we strive to make NAPLAN a routine part of school life, ensuring students feel comfortable and confident without unnecessary stress. To support this, Year 3 and Year 5 teachers have been preparing students by familiarising them with the test format and reinforcing key concepts in class.

We are incredibly proud of our Year 3 and Year 5 students for their resilience and effort. While these assessments are important, they represent just one moment in time and offer only a small snapshot of each student’s abilities.

ATTENDANCE

This year, we encourage parents and families to prioritise daily school attendance for their children. In recent years, the importance of consistent attendance has been overlooked. While absences due to illness and mental health challenges are understandable, we are concerned about frequent, avoidable absences, such as missing school every other week or taking holidays during a school term.

Here are some important facts to consider.

SICK BAY ON COMPASS TRIAL

We are currently trialing the Sickbay Chronicle Module on Compass. This feature will help the school better manage the sickbay by allowing us to track when students check in and out, record details of their ailments, and streamline attendance updates for students in sickbay.

If your child visits the first aid room for mild treatment, you will be notified through Compass. For more serious injuries, we will contact you directly by phone.

We would greatly appreciate it if you could let the office know if you notice anything unusual during this trial period.

WALK TO SCHOOL

Get ready for our first Walk to School Morning next Friday 21 March!

Walking to school is a fantastic way to start the day, it keeps us active, helps the environment, and reduces traffic congestion around the school. If you usually drive, consider parking a little farther away and walking the rest of the way with your child.

Join us at 8:30 am at one of the 3 D’s- Domeney, Drayton, or Dalry, where a staff member will be waiting to walk with you.

We can’t wait to see lots of students and families walking together! 🚶‍♂️🚶‍♀️🎉

WORKING BEE UPDATE  

Rescheduled to Friday 21 March 3:45- 5:00 pm

The School Council's Facilities Subcommittee has decided to rescheduled the Working Bee to Friday, 21 March, from 3:45 to 5:00 pm.

What to bring: Garden gloves, hand tools, power tools, and a positive attitude!

Key Projects:

• Clearing the area between the Gym and Rainbow Playground for future interactive landscaping.
• Tidying up garden beds and overgrown plants
• General cleanup of the school grounds and areas that are in need of care.

A sausage sizzle will be provided for all participants.

🚛 Can you help? If you have a truck for green waste removal, please get in touch.

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS

Please email me your child's achievements so we can celebrate them in the newsletter and share their success with the community.

• Go to the From the Classroom page to read about what has been happening with Year 5/ Foundation buddies and the Young Leader's Conference.
• Please visit the Student Wellbeing page to read about Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships.

Have a great weekend,

Ms Garrity

Key Dates Week 8:

Mon March 17- Assembly 9 am/ Gateways

Tues March 18- School Council / Yr 3 & 5 NAPLAN- Language Conventions

Thurs March 20- Yr 3 & 5 NAPLAN- Mathematics

Fri March 21- Walk to School/ Working Bee 3:45- 5:00pm