DEPUTY PRINCIPAL'S REPORT
A MESSAGE FROM THE DEPUTY PRINCIPAL
Welcome back to what will be a busy Term 2.
Our Grade 3 and 5 students are scheduled to undertake 3 consecutive days of NAPLAN tests in week 4 (May 14 -16). All students in these year levels will participate in tests in Reading, Writing, Language Conventions (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and Numeracy. As we remind parents on a regular basis NAPLAN tests are one aspect of the school’s assessment and reporting process, and do not replace the extensive, ongoing assessments made by teachers about each student’s performance. It is also important that we recognise the student not solely on their ability to complete a NAPLAN test but to take into account the personal traits and gifts that they bring with them. The graphic below takes into account some of the personal qualities that a NAPLAN test alone cannot assess. As educators we look to these traits working hand in hand with the child’s ability to complete a test. We aim to communicate all of these qualities effectively to you at our regular Parent Child Teacher Interviews.
Matt Cherry
New Resources
As Mrs Stewart has mentioned in a previous Newsletter, the P & F have kindly donated some funds to the school which we have put towards new resources for ICT. We have purchased 40 new Chromebooks for the 3/4 level as well as robotics for the whole school. We have purchased a class set of the Sphero Bolts as well as a class set of Blue Bots.
Robotics provides a highly engaging medium for creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and communication - four essential skills for learning ICT within a curriculum context.
Sphero Bolt
As teachers we need to provide our students with opportunities to learn how to learn, supporting them to find and solve problems. Our role involves developing learners for many jobs that are yet to exist. The critical question we must ask as educators is – How might we best prepare our students for their future?
There are many tools, resources, and applications that can be used to enhance student learning and develop their lifelong learning skills. The Sphero is one of these, it is amazingly versatile and will engage and empower our students. A tennis ball sized robot connected via bluetooth to a mobile device, the Sphero can be used to transform teaching and learning across various curriculum areas.
Blue-Bots
Blue-Bots are programmable bluetooth floor robots designed for use with Lower Primary students to teach programming and directional language. The Blue-Bot can be controlled using a tablet whereby students can create their very own program on screen, send it remotely and see their Blue-Bot perform the program right before their eyes! With a clear shell,students can see inside Blue-Bot and understand which components perform which duties.
Have a lovely week.
Matt Cherry