Principal's Message
Year 3/4 Camp – They are off!
Yesterday our campers departed for Sovereign Hill and Adekate Camp. All reports from camp have been raving about how wonderful our students are, what a great adventure they are having and how beautiful the camp and surrounds are. Keep up to date with camp events and photos on our Launch Facebook page.
NAPLAN Success
I am pleased to report that our Year 3 and Year 5 students have successfully completed their NAPLAN assessments, which took place from Wednesday, March 12th to Monday, March 24th.
This year, Mrs. Candice Nyman, our Inclusion Leader, and I worked collaboratively to ensure all students had the best opportunity to demonstrate their abilities. We carefully implemented appropriate accommodations for students who regularly receive classroom support. These adjustments included extended time, scheduled rest breaks, and individual support persons where needed.
I want to commend our students for their outstanding effort and positive attitude throughout the four days of testing. They showed remarkable focus, determination, and resilience while showcasing their knowledge and skills. We couldn't be prouder of how they represented themselves and our school community. Well done, Launchers!
For your information, individual NAPLAN reports will be distributed to parents in August. These reports will provide comparative feedback on your child's performance across all testing days.
If you have any questions or concerns about the NAPLAN assessment process or upcoming results, please don't hesitate to contact the school office.
Annual Report 2024 now available
I am pleased report that we recently held our Annual General Meeting in which our 2024 Annual Report was presented to our school community. This report details our school's achievements, progress, and operations over the past year. This important document reflects our commitment to transparency and continuous improvement in delivering quality education to our students.
The report highlights several key areas including:
• Our student academic performance and growth
• Wellbeing initiatives and outcomes
• Staff professional development
• Financial management and resource allocation
• Community engagement and partnerships
• Progress toward our strategic goals
I am particularly proud to share that this year's report demonstrates strong growth in our literacy and numeracy outcomes, increased parent involvement in school activities, and successful implementation of our new literacy programs. The document also outlines how we've effectively used our resources to provide teachers with ongoing professional learning and support student learning.
You can access the full report in Term Two by visiting our Launch website. I encourage all parents and community members to review this document, as it provides valuable insights into our school's operations and future direction.
Close the Gap Day
Our school joins communities across Australia in recognizing National Close the Gap Day, an important initiative focused on achieving health, education, and life opportunity equality for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
At Launch PS, we are committed to supporting our Koorie students through targeted, culturally responsive educational practices. A key part of this commitment is our comprehensive Individual Education Plan (IEP) program for all Koorie students. These plans are reviewed and updated each term in collaboration with students, families, and our Koorie Education Support Officer, ensuring our teaching strategies remain effective and culturally appropriate.
I'm pleased to share that this structured approach has led to improved engagement and academic outcomes for our Koorie students. Regular termly reviews allow us to celebrate successes, address challenges promptly, and maintain strong connections with our Koorie families.
Close the Gap Day reminds us that while progress is being made, there is still important work to be done. We remain dedicated to providing an inclusive, supportive learning environment where all students can thrive and achieve their full potential.
Planning Week – Begins Monday 31st May
Next week marks our Term Two Planning Week, where each teaching team will have one dedicated day to collaborate and enhance our teaching and learning programs for the upcoming term. This valuable planning time allows us to continually improve and refine our educational practices to better meet our students' needs.
During their planning day, teachers work intensively with their year-level colleagues to:
Design engaging units of work
Develop detailed lesson sequences
Create differentiated learning activities
Plan meaningful assessments
Prepare resources for Term Two
This collaborative planning approach ensures consistency across classrooms and allows teachers to share their expertise and innovative teaching strategies. For our students, this means well-structured, engaging lessons that cater to different abilities.
While teachers are planning, their classes will be taught by our specialist teachers, who will deliver lessons in their areas of expertise. This arrangement ensures continuous learning for our students while allowing their classroom teachers the focused time needed for thorough term planning.
Easter Bonnet Parade – Term Two
Please note that our Easter Hat Parade has been postponed until Term Two. A flyer will be released by our Junior School Council shortly.
Puberty Talks coming up for Year 5/6 in Thursday 29th May
I am pleased to announce that on Thursday, May 29th, we will welcome Sharon Witt, a highly respected adolescent educator and author, to Launching Place Primary School. Sharon will conduct separate puberty education workshops for our Year 5/6 girls and boys.
Sharon is well-known for her sensitive and age-appropriate approach to puberty education. She has over 30 years of experience working with young people and has authored numerous books including the popular 'Teen Talk' series. Her most relevant publications for our upcoming workshops are "Girl Wise: A Guide to Being You!" and "Boy Wise: A Guide to Being You!"
These workshops will provide our students with valuable information about the physical and emotional changes they may experience during puberty, delivered in a safe and supportive environment. Sharon's engaging presentation style helps students feel comfortable discussing these important topics.
Parents who wish to prepare their children for these discussions may want to purchase Sharon's books beforehand. These are available through her website www.sharonwitt.com.au, where you can also find additional resources and information about her work with young people.
We believe these workshops will provide our senior students with valuable knowledge and understanding as they approach adolescence. If you have any questions about the upcoming sessions, please don't hesitate to contact your child's classroom teacher.
What is bullying?
Understanding the difference between bullying and general unkindness or thoughtlessness is crucial in helping our children develop resilience and appropriate social skills. As parents and educators, using accurate language when discussing these situations helps children better understand and manage their social interactions.
Bullying is characterised by three key elements:
• Deliberate harmful behaviour
• Repeated over time
• An imbalance of power
In contrast, unkind behaviour or conflict might include:
• One-off incidents of meanness
• Disagreements between friends
• Equal-power disputes
• Accidental hurt feelings
• Social rejection or exclusion that isn't systematic
It's important to remember that experiencing conflict, having disagreements, and learning to navigate challenging social situations are normal parts of childhood development. These experiences, while uncomfortable, help children develop important life skills such as problem-solving, empathy, and resilience.
When your child comes home upset about a social situation, try asking:
• What happened?
• Has this happened before?
• How did it make you feel?
• What did you do?
• What could you try next time?
This approach helps children process their experiences and develop strategies for managing future situations, while allowing us to identify if bullying is actually occurring.
At Launch, we take bullying very seriously and have clear procedures in place to address it. However, we also work to help students develop the skills to manage everyday social challenges independently when appropriate.
Virtual Tour
See you around our place,
Laura Caddy
Principal