From the Principal
Online Newsletter
I am proud to present our very first online publication of our school's newsletter. This is very exciting as this online format now enables us to produce a more exciting and interactive publication. It also enables us to include multiple photographs, videos and add attachments such as PDF documents for much easier access to information.
Being an online publication, it will enable family and friends living interstate and overseas greater access to the news at West Beach Primary School. I encourage parents to invite any family or friends who may be interested in keeping informed of our work to register for the newsletter.
The school newsletter will still be published each fortnight, on even weeks, with parents receiving a skoolbag notification informing them of the publication of the latest edition.
Western Adelaide Shores Partnership Meetings
Over 200 teaching staff from the 17 schools within the Western Adelaide Shores Partnership attended a combined staff meeting at Henley Beach Primary School on February 24th. Staff engaged in a range of learning opportunities focussed on examining the improvement priorities of the Western Adelaide Shores Partnership and ensuring the alignment of each site’s improvement strategies. During the meeting staff were able to meet with colleagues from the other sites and discuss the challenges of their work and to share successful strategies to enhance student learning outcomes.
Following the staff meeting, a meeting attended by Governing Council representatives of the 17 sites was addressed by the Education Director, Jenny Sommer. Our representatives for the evening (Anthony Thomas and Joanne Ness) heard firsthand, the direction of the Partnership in “Improving the educational attainment and wellbeing of students through developing powerful and engaged learners.” Numerous presentations were shared which further unpacked the importance of our work in enabling our students to become powerful and engaged learners. One of the key messages shared being that, making mistakes is an important part of powerful learning.
Joanne Ness, Anthony Thomas and Mat Charleston at the Western Adelaide Shores Partnership Governing Council meeting.
2015 National Young Leaders' Conference
A significant focus of our improvement agenda at West Beach Primary School is to strengthen student voice and student leadership capacity throughout the school. One strategy to enhance student leadership is our participation in one of Australia’s premier student leadership training event, the National Young Leaders’ Conference at the Adelaide Convention Centre on Tuesday March 3rd.
Twenty year 6/7 students have successfully applied to attend the conference and will hear from experienced leaders in various fields. This is an exciting opportunity for our students to further enhance the skills required to demonstrate powerful learning. Further information regarding the event will be shared back by these students in coming newsletters.
Volunteer Induction
It is very pleasing to have another group of parent volunteers attend last week's parent volunteer induction session. These sessions provide valuable training to all volunteers, ensuring that they are fully informed of the manditory notification requirements and have been fully policed checked. The role of volunteers at West Beach Primary School is highly valued and the school simply would not be able to provide the high quality of care without this support!
Australian Curriculum Pupil Free Day
Yesterday's professional learning for teachers was a great success with our staff provided a wonderful opportunity to further enhance their understanding of the Australian Curriculum. The key objectives of the day were:
1. Knowing what the term Achievement Standard means in the context of the curriculum
2. Understanding the protocols and processes of collaborative moderation
3. Enhancing capacity to assess confidently against the English Achievement Standard
4. Understand the nature of tasks which allow students opportunities to meet the Standard
2014 Annual Report
Parents are invited to view West Beach Primary School's 2014 Annual Report. The report highlights the many achievements of 2014 and also outlines the improvement agenda for 2015. Parents' feedback is always very much appreciated. Hardcopies of the Annual Report are also available upon request from the front office.
Student Attendance
Regular absences significantly impact on a student’s learning. In fact, a student who misses ten days of each school term (whether for family, illness or other reasons) misses almost a full term of schooling in a single school year. If this pattern continues for the same child throughout Reception to Year 7, then by the time he/she leaves primary school, the amount of time lost will have amounted to 7 terms or almost two years of schooling.
We therefore believe that reducing absence (including lateness) from school is a priority.
In the first five weeks of school this term there have been 277 student absences with an average of 10 students per day absent.
Below is the Attendance data for each year level. The Department of Education and Child Development has set a target of 93%. We are endeavouring to meet these targets.
Attendance Rates Jan 27th - March 3rd, 2015
Rec. 95.8%
Year 1 98.8%
Year 2 94.2%
Year 3 96.4%
Year 4 95.5%
Year 5 92.7%
Year 6 96.7%
Year 7 93.2%
Overall 95.2%
What parents can do:
1. Talk positively about the school and show a keen interest in your child’s learning
2. Create an expectation that your child will attend school every day
3. Plan evening and morning routines that enable children to complete homework, get notes and diaries signed and complete any other preparation for the next school day
4. Ensure that your child arrives at school each day before 8:45am
5. When your child is late for school, ensure that you have signed in at the Front Office
6. Notify the school by phone (83567944) in the morning if your child is unwell and unable to attend school or alternatively student absence can also be recorded via the Skoolbag app.