Dear parents,

Welcome back to term three! We're thrilled to have you and your children with us after what I hope was a restful Winter break. We have a host of exciting events planned. Our students will be hosting a writing festival at school on Thursday 7th September between 3.30pm and 5.45pm. We will be inviting you in to view the showcase of their creativity and storytelling skills. There's also a city experience camp for our Year 1 and 2 students, offering them a chance to explore the world beyond the classroom.

We're also eagerly anticipating Book Week, our annual celebration of literature between the 19th and 25th of August. One highlight will be the fancy dress parade, where students can dress up as their favorited book characters. It is always a great day.

I would like to acknowledge the numerous parents providing reading and in-class support late last term and early this term. Your contribution is invaluable and greatly enhances our students' learning experience. If you would like to volunteer to support our students, please contact the school by emailing macedon.ps@education.vic.gov.au

As we embark on this new term together, we encourage you to stay engaged and participate in school activities. Your involvement helps create a positive and nurturing environment. There are always opportunities in classrooms, during the forest school or Landcare in Middle Gully or on excursions.

Working Bee’s – Saturday 2nd September 9am-11am – Bourke and Curtin House Families

The school council is committed to enhancing our community connections this year and we have re-formed our building and grounds team and will be hosting a working bee each term for the remainder of the year. The next working-bee will be held on Saturday the 2nd of September between 9am and 11am with a morning tea provided at 11am. We’re planning to plant out and mulch the front garden beds in front of the main school building and down the side with ground covers. Other tasks that we hope to achieve are tidying up the yard, weeding and mulching gardens, ivy removal and blackberry removal.

We are inviting the families of children in Bourke and Curtin House to come in term three and families of Hume and Mitchell to join us in late October, term four. If you’re up for attending both, you’re more than welcome!

If you would like to be a part of the buildings and grounds team please contact the school.

Upcoming changes to NAPLAN reporting

Ahead of NAPLAN results for students being released from Monday 17 July 2023, I would like to inform you of some changes to this year’s reporting. These are changes being introduced nationally by the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA).

NAPLAN will continue to measure student achievement in numeracy, reading, writing, spelling, and grammar and punctuation but the results will now be presented in 4 proficiency levels:

These are:

· exceeding

· strong

· developing

· needs additional support.

This change will give schools, parents and carers clearer information that details student achievement against new proficiency levels.

Students’ NAPLAN reports will continue to show how they are tracking against their peers and provide an indication of their skill levels against national averages and where we would expect them to be in order to get the most out of schooling. This provides valuable information to teachers about how we can continue to support your child.

Each set of NAPLAN results is an important milestone but it’s also important that students know that one result does not define them – these results are about making sure every student gets the support they need so they can continue to get the best from their learning.

When we provide you with your results, you will also receive information about what the new proficiency levels mean.

As ever, you’re welcome to speak to me, or your child’s teacher with any questions about these changes.

Kind regards and Sampai jumpa (until next time),

Matt

Middle Gully Update