Greetings from Shaun

Literacy and Numeracy

As you may recall from last year, the Department’s approach to reading has shifted, and all schools are now expected to implement a structured literacy approach incorporating the essential elements of reading, known as ‘The Big 6’—Oral Language, Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary, and Comprehension.

This year, we will be working with literacy consultant Riss Leung to further develop our instructional approaches in reading. Riss, a former primary school principal, has worked with the Department as a consultant and now supports schools across Victoria and Australia in literacy.

On Monday, Riss spent the day at our school, getting to know the context of our school, our students and our priorities. She also ran an after-school workshop for staff on one of the Big 6—Phonemic Awareness.

On our Curriculum Day next Friday, the 28th of February, Riss will lead a full day of professional learning for our teachers, focusing on evidence-based practices in Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, and Vocabulary.

While reading is a key focus this year, we will also continue strengthening the Numeracy work we began last year, particularly around fluency and problem-solving. Our numeracy consultant, Carmel O’Beirne, will work with teachers and level teams for two days this term. Fluency describes students' developing skills in choosing appropriate procedures, carrying out procedures flexibly, accurately, efficiently and appropriately, and recalling factual knowledge and concepts readily. Problem-solving is about applying mathematical thinking to understand, approach, and solve challenges in different ways, just like in real-life situations.

NAPLAN 2025

NAPLAN is fast approaching for our Grade 3 and 5 students. In the week starting from the 10th of March 2025, Week 7, our students will embark on their NAPLAN assessments. 

The assessments will primarily be conducted online, with the exception of the Year 3 writing test, which will remain on paper. To familiarise students with the online format, they will participate in coordinated practice tests ahead of the official testing period.

WEEK 7- The test schedule this year will be: 

Wednesday 12th March - Writing (9:15am)

Thursday 13th March - Reading (9:15am) and Language Conventions (11:40am)

Friday 14th March - Numeracy (9:15am)

While we encourage students to do their best, we also remind them that NAPLAN is just one measure of their learning journey. 

Should you have any queries regarding your child's participation in the NAPLAN tests, feel free to reach out to your child’s teacher.

For additional information, please refer to the NAPLAN Information Brochure for Parents and Carers below:

NAPLAN Information Brochure for Parents and Carers

You can also access sample tests on the NAPLAN website's Public Demonstration Site: (https://www.nap.edu.au/naplan/public-demonstration-site ).

School Council Elections

It’s that time of year when we call for nominations from our parent and carer community to join School Council. The Northcote Primary School Council is a group of active and passionate individuals dedicated to improving outcomes for our students and school.

Joining the Northcote Primary School Council or one of our sub-committees is a great opportunity for families to gain insight into the governance structure under which our school operates and to be actively involved in our school community. Regarding the minimum time commitment, School Council members are required to attend eight School Council meetings per year, along with eight one-hour sub-committee meetings.

Joining School Council involves a nomination process, and if the number of nominations exceeds the number of vacancies, an election will be held. For further information on the election process, including how to nominate yourself or someone else, please refer to the Compass post and its attachment sent out Monday afternoon, titled "School Council Election 2025."

Unfortunately, electronic nominations are not permitted. To self-nominate or nominate another community member, please pick up a nomination form from the front office.

If you have any questions, please feel free to come and speak with me.

Compass timetable

You may have noticed a change to your childs Compass profile, you will now be able to see your childs timetable avaliable on Compass. Specialist is labelled and GEN is the classroom subject. Please note that we do have timetable changes throughout the year, mostly in weeks such as planning week which is typically the second last week of term. Camp weeks will also have an altered timetable. 

Mobile Phone Policy

A friendly reminder to families about our Mobile Device Policy, which applies to mobile phones, iPads, and smartwatches. All personal devices must be dropped off at the school office during school hours (before 9am) and collected at 3:30pm, as per the Department of Education’s guidelines. 

Please note this includes smartwatches with communication, messaging, or internet access, even in ‘school mode’ or ‘do not disturb.’ I strongly advise, where possible, encouraging children to leave these devices at home. 

Teachers will be following up on this, particularly regarding smartwatches, and children will be asked to bring their devices to the office for storage if they haven't done so before scho

If you need to contact your child during the school day, please reach out to the school office, and we will ensure your message is passed on.

Take care,

Shaun.