Assistant Principal's report

Ks for RUOK

Kalinda Staff are excited to announce that we will be joining together to walk, run, cycle or wander as many kilometres as we can in the month of July to raise money for RUOK and Suicide Prevention. We think not only will it feel great to raise money for an important cause but that we can reap the benefits of connecting with others and getting out and about. 

Staff will be doing their best to rack up some kilometres in the holidays and then joining each other for some walking clubs at recess and lunchtime during Week 1 and 2. 

This Heart Foundation blog reminds us that walking with a friend or colleague can be good for our hearts and our heads, and in classes we'll be chatting to students about our efforts to set a great example of proactively looking after our mental and physical health.

We invite our community to get involved by considering donating to RUOK via our link to spur us on - or even consider creating a personal or family team and joining your efforts with ours so that the Kalinda Community really has something to be proud of. The holidays are a great time to connect with our kids whilst out walking, jogging, riding bikes/scooters, bushwalking, Geocaching or exploring so this just makes it even more worthwhile!

Please consider a small donation towards our target, donations (or to join your team to ours) can be done at the link below. If your family decides to make a team and get out and about in the holidays, send me some photos so that we can promote your efforts!

Curriculum Continuum

This article has been reprinted for your information. Semester 1 Reports will be published next week.

In the last 18 months, we have successfully launched the use of the Continuum in Compass as a way of tracking student progress against the Victorian Curriculum. This means that at any time during the year, parents can log on and see what growth their child has made against specific curriculum areas. This continuum is updated for your child throughout the year, most commonly you will see the greatest changes made in Terms 2 and 4 when a lot of our summative assessment takes place. 

The Compass Continuum is found on your child's Compass page (via web browser not app) by following these steps: Profile --> Analytics --> Continuum --> Mathematics or English

This continuum is complemented by:

• Twice yearly Parent Teacher Interviews (end of Terms 1 and 3)
• Twice yearly written reports (end of Terms 2 and 4)
• A commitment to 'no surprises' - where teaching staff ensure they are in regular contact with families if there are any areas in which their child is making no or little progress.

With these systems now in place, together with our commitment to differentiated and targeted teaching, we will no longer be publishing Individual Education Plans (IEP) for students who are 12 months below or 18 months ahead of the expected curriculum level. The very specific and targeted information provided in the Continuum, together with the processes above - replaces the need for these documents. 

Students with significant learning concerns (especially those who are funded by DET under the Program for Students with Disability, or the Disability Inclusion program), will continue to receive a lengthier more targeted IEP that is co-created with parents and specialists.

Take care Kalinda, you matter to me. 

Lauren Hopkins

We are kind. We are resilient. We are respectful.