Dear Families,

I trust you all enjoyed a relaxing and rejuvenating holiday break with your loved ones. It has been wonderful to welcome our students back for another exciting term of learning and connection.

I would like to extend a warm welcome to two new staff members joining our school community this term. Hanna Smith joins our Wellbeing team, bringing a wealth of experience in supporting student engagement and social-emotional learning. Hayley McManus has joined our teaching team in 3/4A, and we are delighted to have her on board.

NAPLAN 2025 – Highlights and Reflections

This year’s NAPLAN results have now been released, and I am pleased to share some key highlights:

Year 3

Reading – Reduced the percentage of students in ‘Needs Additional Support’; Exceeding and Strong results are above similar schools.
Spelling – 74% of students in Exceeding and Strong (up 12% from last year, 25% higher than similar schools, and 13% above the state average).
Numeracy – Reduced the percentage of students in ‘Needs Additional Support’ by 11%.
Grammar & Punctuation – Reduced the percentage of students in ‘Needs Additional Support’ by 7%.

Year 5

Grammar & Punctuation – Growth data shows a 15% decrease in students in ‘Needs Additional Support’ and a 16% increase in Exceeding and Strong.
Reading – Above similar schools and state; growth data shows a 12% decrease in ‘Needs Additional Support’ and a 14% increase in Exceeding and Strong.
Numeracy – Increased the percentage of students in Exceeding, with positive growth in Exceeding and Strong categories.
Spelling – Growth data shows a decrease in ‘Needs Additional Support’ and a 16% increase in Exceeding and Strong.

These results reflect the impact of our evidence-based teaching practices:

Our MSL (Multisensory Structured Language) approach, introduced from Foundation, is embedded and making a difference for our students.
The Writing Revolution, implemented last year, is enhancing syntax, grammar, and punctuation through a focus on secretarial aspects of writing.
Our early intervention approach is ensuring no student falls behind. We have committed funding to increasing our intervention support in Years 3 - 6 this year as well.
Our Year 5 longitudinal data provides strong evidence of sustained improvement over time.

While NAPLAN is just one test on one day and does not define our students, it does provide valuable insights into areas of strength and areas to further develop for our school. We have undertaken a thorough analysis of our results, and these findings will directly inform our 2026 Annual Implementation Plan goals.

From Thursday 28 August (Week 6) until the end of Term 3, I will be on leave. During this time, our Assistant Principal, Melanie French, will be stepping into the Acting Principal role. I am confident that the school will be in excellent hands.

We are excited for a fun term ahead which is packed with many exciting activities for our students including the School Disco, Book Week, Year 5/6 Camp and our Father’s Day activities. We look forward to seeing many families join in and support these special moments for our students.

Thank you, as always, for your support and partnership in making our school a vibrant and inclusive place of learning.

Kind regards,

Stephania Johnson-Turner

Term 2 Principal Award Winners