Ryan’s Rambling 

Dear Families,

Term Three has hit a point of rhythm, as our students and staff are well embedded in their learning routines. Even the weather has been a fraction kinder this week! 

Two of our Grade 5/6 students had an exciting and action-packed day at the BioCATS program in Geelong! Hosted at GMHBA Stadium, this unique experience combined science, maths, and sport in a fun and engaging way. Students participated in hands-on activities that explored the science behind elite athlete performance, measuring things like speed, reaction time, and decision-making. They also had the chance to tour the Geelong Cats’ facilities, which added to the excitement. It was a fantastic opportunity for learning outside the classroom, and everyone had a great time! Our other two 5/6 classes will get the opportunity to head to BioCats in a fortnight’s time. 

Our staff enjoyed the chance to meet with educational consultant, Andrea Hillbrick this week, to fine tune and polish their Term 3 Numeracy plans. Andrea has long partnered with our school and has been pivotal in supporting our staff to develop expertise in a number of areas. Look out for a number of challenging, engaging and rich tasks across this term! 

Across the week, our staff unpacked this year’s NAPLAN data. I would like to preface this by reminding everyone that children and schools should never have their worth judged by NAPLAN. At Dana Street, we have always been about supporting the development of the whole child; their learning and their wellbeing.  In saying that, I am exceptionally proud of our school, our students and our staff for some remarkable NAPLAN results for this year. We have well outperformed local and state measures across all tests conducted this year and have shown considerable improvement in our learning data. Well done, Dana Street! 

Finally, I just wanted to circle back to Attendance. We are all well aware that regular school attendance is vital for student learning, progress, and social development. Every day at school offers valuable opportunities to build knowledge, skills, and maintain friendships. Consistent attendance helps children stay connected with their learning and reduces the chance of falling behind. However, it's equally important to balance this with the health and wellbeing of our school community. We encourage families to aim for strong attendance while making thoughtful decisions about keeping children home when they are genuinely sick. 

Finally, in an odd state of affairs, this weekend’s weather is looking more favourable than recent times. I hope you’re all able to make the most of it. 

Have a fantastic weekend

Ryan