Grayling Primary School Newsletter

Message from the Assistant Principals

Bringing the Victorian Curriculum 2.0 to Life at Grayling Primary

At Grayling Primary School, we are proud to be implementing the updated Victorian Curriculum 2.0 alongside the Department of Education’s new Teaching and Learning Model. This model is based on decades of research into how students learn best—and how teachers can support that learning every day in every classroom.

 

What’s New?

The updated curriculum and teaching model focus on two key areas:

  • How students learn (Elements of Learning)
  • How teachers teach (Elements of Teaching)

Together, these elements help us deliver high-quality teaching and ensure all students can grow, succeed, and thrive.

 

How Students Learn Best

Our teaching is guided by four key principles about how the brain learns:

  • Attention and Focus – Learning starts when students are engaged and focused. Our teachers create calm, purposeful classrooms where students can concentrate and do their best.
  • Knowledge and Memory – New learning builds on what students already know. Teachers help students recall previous learning and connect it to new ideas.
  • Retention and Recall – Practice helps students remember—but it has to be the right kind of practice. We use strategies like spaced repetition, quick quizzes, and revisiting key ideas over time.
  • Mastery and Application – Students learn best when they apply their knowledge in meaningful ways. We encourage problem-solving, open-ended questions, and collaborative learning.

What This Looks Like at Grayling

You might hear your child talking about how their teacher explains exactly what they’re learning and why. That’s part of our explicit teaching approach. Teachers:

  • Clearly explain learning goals
  • Break lessons into manageable steps
  • Regularly check for understanding
  • Give students lots of chances to practise and apply their learning

This structured approach supports students to understand, remember, and confidently use what they’ve learned—not just in the classroom, but in the real world too.

Supporting Our Students by Supporting Our Teachers

Over the last fortnight, our teachers have come together to do some learning of their own. Mr Salim, our Numeracy Learning Specialist, led a professional learning session on how to support student retrieval practice through our Daily Reviews. This approach helps students strengthen their memory and recall of important concepts by revisiting them regularly in short, focused activities—setting them up for long-term success.

 

Naplan

Each year, NAPLAN provides an important opportunity to celebrate our students’ achievements in the core areas of literacy and numeracy. It offers a moment to recognise the hard work, growth, and dedication our students demonstrate in their learning.

But NAPLAN is more than just a snapshot of individual student progress – it’s also a valuable tool for schools. These assessments allow us to reflect on how effectively our teaching and learning programs are supporting student growth across all year levels. By examining trends and outcomes, we can identify what’s working well and where we can continue to grow as a whole school community.

 

Importantly, NAPLAN helps us check in with our learning systems. Are we providing the right supports at the right time? Are our students progressing in the way we expect? How can we adapt our teaching to ensure every student continues to thrive?

While only students in Years 3 and 5 sit the assessments, the insights gained from NAPLAN are used to inform decisions and improvements across the entire school. In this way, NAPLAN is not just about individual performance, it’s a reflection of our whole school’s journey in supporting student learning and achievement.

We are excited about the positive impact this will have on student learning, and we look forward to continuing this journey together with our families.

 

Warm regards,

Lach Clydesdale and Meagan Lindberg

Assistant Principals