Student Learning

MACS 'Vision for Instruction'

Last week the Melbourne Archdiocese of Catholic Schools launched the 'Vision for Instruction'. The Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) aims to become ‘the benchmark for excellence in teaching and learning, through a coherently integrated, academically competitive and distinctively Catholic educational offering’ (MACS 2030: Forming Lives to Enrich the World).

The Flourishing Learners position statement, Vision for Instruction, is a key document aligned with the MACS 2030 strategic plan. The Vision for Instruction has been crafted to communicate MACS’ preferred system-wide approach to achieving teaching and learning excellence. It is firmly grounded in the evidence of how students learn most effectively and efficiently, offering explicit guidance for MACS schools on instructional best practice. It outlines a vision for the teaching of Reading, Writing and Mathematics, based on the Science of Learning so that there is a clear guidance on explict direct instructional best practice, ensuring a consistent approach to teaching and learning excellence across the system.

Some of our school leaders, Nigel, Ru, Annabelle and Helen, attended the School Wide Improvement Forum (SWIF) with over 200 other school leaders from the Southern Region last Thursday. We listened to Dr Simon Breakspear (who is an educational leader, researcher and renowned speaker on evidence-based practice and educational change) as well as the MACS Senior Leadership Team... Dr Mary Oski (MACS Director of Learning), Shauna Maree Sykes (MACS General Manager of Improved Learning Outcomes), Deb Egan (Southern Regional Manager) and Andrew Callea (Team Leader School Effectiveness). 

The learning from the day was very cleverly captured by an artist Shaun Healy. Watch this time lapse movie  to see how Shaun captured the progress of our learning throughout the day.

We are very excited to now begin the work of sharing this vision with staff at Trinity and implementing these evidence informed practices into the classrooms.

Mathematics in Year 1

Students in Year 1/2 have been working collaboratively and learning together, engaging in mathematical learning about Number and Place Value. 

NAPLAN 2024

Next week the students in Years 3 and 5 will have the opportunity to participate in NAPLAN.  NAPLAN is a National Literacy and Numeracy assessment that students undertake across the country. NAPLAN assesses the students essential skills in Reading, Writing, Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation, and Numeracy. 

Students at Trinity are involved in many ongoing assessments which inform teachers as to what students know and what they need to learn next. NAPLAN is just one way that students' learning and progress is assessed. NAPLAN allows parents and carers to see how their child is performing over time and against the national standards.

This year the NAPLAN tests will all be held online, except for the Year 3 Writing Test which is still a pen and paper test. One of the main benefits in moving to an online test is that the tests are 'adaptive' which means the questions can become increasingly more challenging, or easier, depending on the students responses during the test.

Students do not need to study for NAPLAN. We know that for some students NAPLAN can cause some anxiety, however we will do everything at school to reassure students that NAPLAN is just part of their school program. They will be encouraged just to do their best. At school students will be given the opportunity to access practice tests and we will spend time working through the kinds of questions, problems and writing tasks that they might experience. 

There are some students who may require some adjustments when completing the NAPLAN tests. Over the next week Helen our Learning Diversity Leader will be making contact with some families regarding additonal support for some students.

For more information about NAPLAN please see the link below and feel free to chat with your child's teacher or myself if you have any questions or concerns.

The NAPLAN Test Schedule at Trinity:

• Wednesday 13th March - Year 3 and Year 5 Writing Test
• Monday 18th March - Year 3 and Year 5 Reading Test
• Tuesday 19th March - Year 3 and Year 5 Conventions of Language (Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation) Test
• Wednesday 20th March - Year 3 and Year 5 Numeracy Test

Writing in Prep

It is so exciting to see our new Prep children so wonderfully engaged in writing. They are immersed in rich learning experiences, enjoying literature and using a variety of materials to support them with their ideas. They have been using letter strips, sentence starters, pencil grips and finger space tools to support them with the process of learning how to write.  This is a very exciting time for our new Preps as they discover the joy of learning how to write.

Parent/Carer Helper Workshop

This workshop will be running again on Tuesday 12th March. It will be held at 8:45am in the mezzanine. I look forward to seeing any parents/carers who would like to help with reading in the classroom at this session.

Talking Circle- Classroom Reading/Home Reading (Prep Families)

This week one of our wonderful Prep teachers Anna Plackett ran a 'Talking Circle' for our Prep families on what reading looks like in the classroom and how families can support with reading at home. Thank you to the families who attended - I'm sure you found it extremely valuable. If you missed it and would like to know more please see the Prep teachers, or myself, for a handout or a chat.

Staying in touch...

If at any time you would like to chat about the learning at Trinity, or you have any questions or concerns about your child's learning, please do not hesitate to see your child's teacher, or myself. 

Annabelle Marinelli 

Deputy Principal | Learning and Teaching Leader

amarinelli@tcs.catholic.edu.au

94287180