LEARNING AT BRIGHTON PRIMARY SCHOOL 2020

 

LEARNING AT BRIGHTON PRIMARY SCHOOL 2020

Next year at Brighton Primary School we will be working to strengthen literacy and numeracy to improve both student and teacher learning. The best approach to do this is to introduce what is known as Professional Learning Communities. The teaching staff have been working hard with me to identify our teaching and learning strengths as well as the areas that require strengthening. I want to thank them for their professional dialogue and valuable insights to help Brighton Primary School become even better and stronger.

Below I have included information about Professional Learning Communities as well as work that we have already undertaken to strengthen literacy and numeracy. In addition, I have included dates for the 2020 curriculum days earmarked for teacher’s professional learning, so parents are aware well in advance.

We’re looking forward to a year filled with high levels of learning for students, teachers and parents at BPS.

Professional Learning Communities

Next year, one major focus for teachers at Brighton Primary School will be the development of Professional Learning Communities (PLC). The PLC is seen by leading educators as one of the most powerful ways to sustain and nurture student growth and teacher professional learning. The very essence of a learning community is a focus on and commitment to the learning of each student. It develops a results-oriented culture, provides consistency of practice, and for Brighton Primary School provides a means to realize our mission and vision of high levels of student achievement.

The Professional Learning Community [PLC] model promotes collaborative dialogue and action among school-based teacher teams around student learning. The three big concepts of Professional Learning Communities are:

• A Focus on Learning

• Developing a Culture of Collaboration, and

• A Focus on student learning results

BPS teachers will engage in this collaborative dialogue and valuable learning throughout the school year including on our four Professional Learning days.

We all know that to improve at something, you have to practice. And if you want to learn more about something, you have to study. Here at Brighton Primary School, we approach Professional Learning for our teachers in the same way. During the Professional Learning days for teachers when your child(ren) is/are not at school, we will engage in this study and practice of new skills and knowledge, based on research, to improve student learning.

If you would like further information on Professional Learning Communities, please visit the following websites:

DET Professional Learning Communities

All Things PLC

Literacy and Numeracy

Three Brighton Primary School teachers – Shae Langford Jones (G3), Heather Jenkins (G1) and Marg Quinn (our Learning Support teacher) completed a three day literacy workshop – Write to Read – during term four. These teachers found the course to be very useful in developing their knowledge of teaching phonics for reading and spelling. At BPS, we will be implementing this approach in 2020, to support our approach to reading and spelling. Next year, we are planning to send more BPS teachers to Write to Read training.

A team of P-6 teachers have also been involved in identifying a toolkit of literacy resources that we will purchase and trialled next year including the Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System. Teachers will receive professional training around how to use this reading assessment tool on Friday 14th February 2020 which will be our third professional learning day for the academic year when students do not attend school. Other resources we plan to purchase for our literacy toolkit include Jennifer Serravallo’s books: Reading Strategies and Writing Strategies. Next year, we also plan to strengthen our classroom libraries across the school to build student reading capacity, stamina and interest.

In 2020, we are also planning to send some of our teachers and leaders to the following Bastow Institute for Educational Leadership courses - Leading Literacy, Literacy Local Leaders and Leading Mathematics.

On Friday 22nd November, Emma Devries (G6), Breallen Cole (G2) and Angela Alderuccio (Prep) attended a half day numeracy workshop in Frankston to learn more about the recently developed DET numeracy toolkit. Emma, Breallen and Angela will be sharing their learning with all BPS teachers this week as well as conducting a workshop for all teachers early next year.

Lastly, 7-8 BPS teachers have been engaged in conversations about how best to support students who have gaps in their maths learning while also extending those students who are excelling in mathematics. Next year, these teachers will be offering a before school maths enrichment program. The program will be conducted one morning a week from 8:00 – 8:45 am during terms 1-3 for students in grades 3-6. Student selection will be on an invitational basis based on a range of student learning data for mathematics. More details to follow.

Professional Learning / Curriculum Days 2020

I have outlined the dates for our teacher professional learning for next year when there will be no school for students:

In 2020, BPS leadership and teacher teams will enrich and deepen opportunities for purposeful collaborative learning by engaging with the leadership and teacher teams at Middle Park and Albert Park Primary Schools. These planned Professional Learning Community (PLC) opportunities will support and enable collaborative learning among the principals, assistant principals, teaching & learning specialists, other school leaders and teachers. These learning opportunities may encompass exploring data and evidence about what helps lift student learning outcomes; developing and sharing ideas and evidence-informed, innovative approaches to scho