Port Melbourne Primary School Newsletter

Class Placement

 

At this time each year, we outline the class placement process. The placement of students into classes for next year is a complex and important one. The process works as follows:

 

Data Collection from Teachers

Our teachers make a balanced judgement on each student in their class within the following areas;

  • Academic ability
  • Learning behaviours
  • Additional needs
  • English as an additional language (EAL).

 

‘Who do you work well with?’ 

During Week Three of this term, our students will be asked to nominate four other students who they ‘work well with’ in their year level. Note a couple of things;

  • You can see we aren’t asking “Who are you friends with?”. We don’t always necessarily work well with some of our closest friends. That doesn’t mean we won’t be in the same class together; what we’re focusing on here is prioritising strong educational relationships, more so than friendships. 
  • Your child will be in a class with at least one of the four students they nominate. Due to the many moving parts in this process, we do not account for whether that child was listed first or fourth on the list, their gender, or if they were in another class this year. 
  • On very rare occasions, your child may not be able to be paired with someone from their list. We will contact you and discuss this with you further if this is the case.

 

It may be beneficial to talk with your child prior to this about how they best identify other students who they work well with. Our teachers will also have this discussion with their class before the students complete this part of the process. 

 

Parent Requests

  • Due to the complexity of creating classes, we will not take into account parent requests regarding teachers. 
  • In an extremely limited number of cases, there may be an educational, health or wellbeing reason for your child to be separated or paired with another child. This may include;
    • A child with additional needs who will be supported by positive ongoing relationships with their peers.
    • A child who has been involved in ongoing and targeted incidents where another child has negatively targeted and / or impacted their learning and / or wellbeing. 
  • Requests from parents under these specific circumstances must be;
    • Sent to the Port Melbourne Primary School email address (port.melbourne.ps@education.vic.gov.au), addressed to myself, Katie Klajnblat, Kristen Cutting and Caitlin Green with the subject line ‘Class Placement’. 
    • Received no later than close of business Friday 20th October (no late submissions will be considered). 

 

I expect very few, if any, requests from our families. Our teachers have a deep understanding of students' educational needs and their relationships with others and the best outcomes for students will come from empowering and trusting their teachers to make considered judgements regarding class placement. 

 

2024 Classes

Our classes for next year will be formed with the following priorities;

  • Students with at least one peer from their nominated ‘who you work well with’ list.
  • Classes with a balance of;
    • Students working above, at and ‘working towards’ academic level.
    • Gender. 

 

Our classes for next year, including teachers, will be announced on the PMPS transition day, Tuesday 5th December. All students will have an opportunity to spend time with their new class and teacher on this day. 

 

In my experience, this process is comprehensive, considerate and best prepares our students for a positive start to the following school year. Of course, on occasion, there might be some disappointment for a few of our students. They might miss a particular friend or be anxious about leaving a favourite teacher. As adults, it is our responsibility to support them through this. I have seen occasions where families have made requests regarding their child’s class following the ‘orientation day’. In line with the steps outlined above, we will not be actioning requests for changes at this stage of the process. Attempting to remove challenges from a child’s life also removes important opportunities for personal growth for that child. If there is some initial disappointment felt by children and families, we will work together with kindness and resilience to ensure everyone feels supported and prepared for the transition into 2024. 

 

If anything I have outlined is unclear, please do not hesitate to contact me for further clarity. I look forward to working through this process together with the intention of providing our students with the best possible learning platform to begin 2024.

 

Kristen Cutting 

Acting Assistant Principal