Welcome back to our students, staff and community members for what is sure to be an incredibly busy Term 3. Our new asphalt area is open and being enjoyed by our students and the building project continues at the north end of the building.

This term, we have our Year Prep students celebrating 100 days of School next Thursday, along with soon beginning preparations for their first school concert. Later in the term, we will be holding our Book Week Parade, and our Prep Scienceworks adventure, just to name a few. Attached to this newsletter is a ‘fridge friendly’ calendar to help keep you updated with upcoming events.

International Baccalaureate – Primary Years Programme

Our Primary Years Programme Transdisciplinary Learning focus this term is ‘How the World Works’, so get ready for an abundance of conversations with your children about the interaction between the natural world and human societies. This week has seen many of our year levels undertake their immersion activities and I’m sure you have all delighted in hearing about the fun and exciting learning that has been happening!

Also this term, our staff will undertake professional development for the PYP. This PD, run over two consecutive days, will provide staff with a deeper understanding of the Primary Years Programme and how it can be contextualised in the FNPS setting. As such, the two consecutive Curriculum Days on Monday 26th and Tuesday 27th August 2024 will be utilised for this purpose.

To help you better understand how the PYP is delivered, below you can find a visual representation of the Transdisciplinary Themes covered across the year.

NAPLAN 2024

Earlier this week, our Year 3 and 5 students were provided with their NAPLAN results. Following on from the release of this information, FNPS has since received initial comparison data across core curriculum areas to support our performance analysis.

Please refer to the 2024 NAPLAN results below, comparing FNPS results to Similar Schools (schools of a similar demographic but not necessarily in our area) and government schools in the Yarra Darebin Network:

Year 3

Reading

Writing

Numeracy

Year 5

Reading

Writing

Numeracy

Growth Data

Percentage of Year 5 students who made high growth from Year 3 NAPLAN to Year 5. Please note, this data is only provided for Reading and Numeracy.

Reading

Numeracy

As you can see, there are so many celebrations to be had when looking at this data. As a school, we are continuing to analyse the results at a school level; reflecting on areas of strength and identifying areas for future improvement.

I would like to take this opportunity to recognise the outstanding work of our teachers at Fitzroy North Primary School. Their dedication to FNPS’ instructional philosophy to improve student learning outcomes, and by working collegially to constantly strive for improvement is something we can all be proud of as a community.

NAPLAN Information for parents and carers

Student Arrival and Pick-up

There have been an increasing number of students arriving at school quite early each morning. Please be advised that staff supervision begins at 8:45am and children are not supervised in the yard before this time. We ask that parents and carers ensure students are not left unsupervised before official supervision begins.

This is also a reminder to families that, in the interests of keeping your children safe, we ask that you do not double park during drop-off or pick-up times. Double parking causes congestion on the street and creates blind spots for children and families attempting to cross the road. Whilst I understand the difficulties around parking in our area, accidents can inadvertently happen in the blink of an eye, so I ask that all families refrain from this activity.

OHS Evacuation Drills

Throughout this term, we will be moving through building the students’ understanding of our alarm systems and evacuation processes. This will include a number of both on site and offsite evacuations. Please be assured that families will be informed before these events occur to allow you to have conversations with your children about what to expect from these procedures.

Student Support Fund

We would like to extend our thanks to the families who have spent time (and money) throughout this year donating to the FNPS Student Support Fund. This fund is used to ensure all children are provided with the opportunity to participate in incursions, excursions, camps, the swimming program and concert among many other opportunities. We can’t thank you enough for your support!

Community Celebration

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate parent, Kat Rae, on being awarded to 2024 Napier Waller Art Prize. This is a wonderful achievement for Kat and I’m sure you will join me in congratulating her on this outstanding accomplishment.

Kat’s piece, along with the prize’s 17 highly commended works are currently on display at Parliament House until October 13th 2024.

Have a wonderful, restful weekend everyone!

Go gently,

Tania

Holden Street Neighbourhood House