Principal's Report

Dear Parents/Carers,

Number Fluency at ACS

At Armstrong Creek School we use principles from the science of learning to structure our teaching programs and plan for student learning.  One of these principles relates to the concept of the learning trajectory and the importance of scaffolding student learning, beginning by building surface level skills and fluency in a topic before moving on to developing deeper conceptual understanding and making more applied connections.

When considering teaching and learning in Maths, the surface level learning which helps suopport deeper and more applied understanding centres around number fact fluency and procedural fluency. Basically, we want to build up in our students the ability to confidently recall facts and basic procedures which will help them approach more challenging concepts, operations and problem solving.

Number Fluency - Year 5 Team

At ACS in 2023, we have had whole school focus on maths fluency. Students across all year levels have worked daily on improving their automaticity with the four operations; addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. In fluency sessions, students have used a combination of apps such as 'White Rose 1 minute maths' and 'Times Tables Rockstars', as well as other recall games individually, with partners and in small groups. Today students in Year 5 participated in a 'Battle of the Bands' tournament on the Rockstars app, where they all earned points for their class by completing multiplication and division equations in timed competitions. Over the year, we have seen incredible growth in all our student's ability to quickly recall their number facts, and this was an opportunity for them to put these skills in action. All our students showed great commitment to their learning but there could be only one winner....Congratulations 5A Luisa!

Some other noteworthy celebrations from today to highlight are the results of these three students who achieved impressive scores in their first attempt. Well done to Charlie (743 correct), Hussain (798 correct) and Rhett (641 correct) who managed to answer a considerable number of questions accurately in the 15 minute time frame.

Most importantly, all students had a go and now have their sights set on making improvements to their own scores to achieve a new personal best next time. We emphasised that it doesn't matter if you get 700 or 200 correct answers, what matters is that you challenge yourself and aim to improve a little bit for next time!

A celebration for one of our students!

One of our very own Grade 5 students, Harrison Coppock, recently stole the show in his theatre performance of Sleeping Beauty. He has been practising for his performance for months, and this was more than evident on the night! Shannon, Jacqui, Luisa, Tiff, Gemma Bec DB and Bec W went along to watch him perform and they were all blown away by how amazing it was!

“During the show, Harrison’s face was radiant. He is a superstar in the making!” - Jacqui.

Harrison also has even more exciting news to share. Next year, he has the opportunity to attend a program in London. He is travelling with Centre Stage Performing Arts Academy for cultural and theatre education and is visiting some famous places, such as the West End Stage. What an incredible opportunity! 

Well done, Harrison. We look forward to seeing some more incredible performances from you in the future!

Early Departures from School - email sent on 2/11/2023

One thing people don't always appreciate about teachers is that the nature of our work means there is very little 'down time'. Full time teachers work a 38 hour week (well, in theory - I know many who go well beyond this!). Standard hours  for full time teachers are 8:30am - 4:30pm (Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday) and 8:30am - 3:30pm (Thursday and Friday). About 70% of this time is spent face to face with the wonderful students we work so hard for, or completing planning and preparation in readiness for more instruction. The other times are spent on a lunch break or conducting the other many tasks required to keep a classroom running as well as maintaining professional standards in terms of their own learning and development.

We know that everyone is busy, regardless of the activities and work you complete each day. When operating to a strict timetable, teachers have limited flexibility to conduct work that deviates from the schedule. This means that they are not always available to take a phone call or respond to an email. It doesn't meant they don't care though! 

To juggle the many competing demands, teachers must prioritise the supervision and instruction of every child in their care. Needs change daily and teachers must make judgements about how to best allocate their time to respond to this.

If you are communicate via email with your child/ren's teachers, you might notice in the coming weeks an auto-reply coming back instantly. This is simply to notify you that your message has been received and that the receiver will do their best to respond in the next 2-3 days, keeping in mind the limited opportunities they have to monitor emails.

In the case of emergency situations that need a response within 1-2 days, we would encourage you instead to leave a message at the reception.

No doubt we all agree that the time teachers spend at school with our students is precious. Thank you for your continued support in helping maintain this connection and focus - with understanding and care we really can balance it all!

Thunderstorm Asthma

There is an increased risk of seasonal asthma, hay fever and epidemic thunderstorm asthma during seasons with increased grass pollen levels. In Victoria, this is typically between October and December each year.

Epidemic thunderstorm asthma events are triggered by a combination of higher grass pollen levels and a certain type of thunderstorm.

People with a history of asthma, undiagnosed asthma or hay fever are at an increased risk under these conditions. This risk is increased further for people who have poorly treated hay fever and asthma.

The best way to reduce and prevent symptoms of asthma or hay fever and reduce unnecessary absences from school is to follow an up-to-date asthma action plan or hay fever treatment plan, provided by a general practitioner (GP) or specialist.

If your child is affected, please ensure that the office has the most current management plan on file and current medication on hand.

Protecting against Mosquito-borne diseases

Victoria’s mosquito season started this month and will extend to late April 2024.

Warm and wet weather can result in greater numbers of mosquitoes and increased risk of illnesses from mosquito bites. While the overall risk is low, some mosquitoes carry diseases that make people sick. The best protection against mosquito-borne illness is to avoid mosquito bites.

Families can protect against mosquito bites by:

· covering up as much as possible with long, loose-fitting, light-coloured clothing

· applying insect repellent that contains picaridin or DEET on exposed skin when leaving home

· limiting outdoor activity if lots of mosquitoes are active.

To reduce the risk of illness linked to mosquitos, such as Buruli ulcer, promptly wash any new scratches or cuts with soap and clean water and apply a topical antiseptic and dressing. 

Families with any health concerns should see their doctor or phone NURSE-ON-CALL: 1300 606 024 (available 24 hours). 

Free Japanese encephalitis vaccines

Japanese encephalitis virus is spread to humans through bites from infected mosquitoes and can cause a rare but potentially serious infection of the brain.  Free Japanese encephalitis vaccines are available to protect Victorians at higher risk of the virus.

The Victorian Department of Health encourages eligible people who live or work in high-risk local government areas to get vaccinated ahead of summer, which brings an increased mosquito presence. For more information, including what is considered a high risk area and eligibility for a free vaccine, refer to the Department of Health’s Japanese encephalitis webpage. 

Find out more

For more information on protecting against mosquito-borne diseases, families can refer to the following Better Health Channel pages: 

COMMUNITY EVENT

Community celebration is fast approaching, and we wanted to share with you all the following times that students will be on stage. Timetable for performances:

Any questions please reach out to your year level teachers. 

ACS Christmas Tree

Exciting News!!!

The ACS School Christmas Tree is on display in Johnstone Park and you can help vote it as the Favourite Tree in this year's display and win our school a $500 prize!

Visit the School's Christmas tree display in Johnstone Park (24-28 Gheringhap St Geelong) and click this link to vote for ACS as your favourite tree https://www.geelongaustralia.com.au/ct/forms/form.aspx?form_id=20679

The voting closes on 7 January so don't forget to take your family and friends over the Christmas period and share your amazing creative efforts!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Kathryn Sier

Acting Principal