Leadership Report
Monday’s Pupil Free Day was an opportunity for teaching and support staff to work together to build our collective knowledge and understanding of inclusive practices.
We began the day by celebrating successes in student achievements.
Strong results in the Phonics Screening Check, saw 92% of our Year 1 students meet the benchmark. We will continue to focus on building sound/letter knowledge and decoding skills, aiming to have 100% at the benchmark by the end of the year. These are foundational skills for reading.
NAPLAN results of our Year 3, 5 and previous Year 6 students (who are now Year 7s at high school), were also acknowledged with between 80 to 90% of students performing in the ‘Strong’ and ‘Exceeding’ categories.
Of course, not all successes can be quantified and represented with data, so the day provided a great chance to share some of the achievements evidenced by improved confidence and engagement in learning.
A variety of staff members shared evidence-based practices that are being trialled and perfected in their classes to meet the needs of learners.
A Year 4 teacher shared the Reading Fluency Routines that have been implemented this term to engage students in the rich content knowledge of the History Curriculum.
‘Exit tickets’ are also being used by this teacher as a quick check of understanding at the end of a lesson. This enables the teacher to make a judgement about whether children have understood concepts and are ready to move on or if re-teaching or a different approach is needed.
A Year 2 teacher and SSO shared the positive outcomes of using the computer program ‘Clicker’ to scaffold student writing. This program provides vocabulary prompts and enables students to write more complex sentence structures.
The Model of Gradual Release of Responsibility was shared by a Year 5 teacher. This model is being used to scaffold learning, moving from teacher modelling or explicit instruction to guided practice, sometimes with peer support, before expecting students to individually practice skills learnt.
Daily Reviews were also shared. These are used to practice previously learnt information. Structuring opportunities for students to discuss/ practice using key vocabulary and concepts previously introduced helps to strengthen memory, leading to storing information in a more accessible form in long term memory. Some students will need multiple repetitions to store new learning in long term memory.
A Year 2 teaching team shared their practice of using mini whiteboards to actively engage all students in the learning process, enabling student thinking to be visible at a glance. This strategy enables the teacher to be responsive to evident misconceptions.
The day also enabled the opportunity for teachers and support staff to collaborate and discuss plans for individual students with specific goals.
Our Autism Inclusion Teacher, Lisa Williams, presented staff with some new learning and resources available to support our students on the Autism Spectrum and Erica Teumohenga guided teachers to think about opportunities to further support the mental health and wellbeing of all our students through embracing positive body image.
Parents/Caregivers, if you are looking for ways to support your children at home, it would be great to ask your child to explain some of the things they are learning at school. Referring to the Term outline provided by teachers will help you to frame your questions. Encourage your child to use the specific vocabulary of the topic to explain. If they have difficulty, you could help them to frame some questions to ask a friend or the teacher back at school.
Sports Day practices have punctuated the rest of the week, with loud bursts of competitive chants echoing throughout the yard after lunch. The excitement is building. We will look forward to the colourful, energetic affair next Wednesday.
On another note, I will be taking some Long Service Leave next term to travel to South America. Kasey Thorne will be stepping into the Deputy Principal role whilst I am away. I will look forward to returning in the 2024 school year.
Kind regards,
Daniela Lawlor
Deputy Principal