NEW YEAR TERM DATES & EVENTS

Term 1: 1st Feb to 6 April

Term 2: 24 April to 23 June

Term 3: 10 July to 15 September

Term 4: 2 October to 15 December

Important Information for 2023

Maths Assessment Interviews ~ Friday 3rd March and Friday 10th March 2023

As part of our commitment to providing the best education we can at St Mel’s, all students will participate in a Mathematics Assessment Interview (MAI) at the beginning of 2023. In order to complete the MAI,

Friday 3rd 2023 and Friday 10th March 2023 will be dedicated closure days.

All students will be expected to attend a session on one of these days.

Please note: Friday 3rd March and Friday 10th March are not extra closure days. They are part of our allocated pupil free days we use for staff professional development.

MAI Procedure

The MAI is a hands-on assessment, completed between the teacher and individual student, and should take approximately 30 minutes to complete. Parents will be invited to stay and have a cuppa in the school lounge during this time, or will be welcome to leave their child/children here and pick them up after their session.

An online interview schedule will be set up using Sign Up. Families will be required to book a spot from 3rd February. An email reminder will be sent towards the end of the holidays to remind families of their allocated time and day, so it is really important to include your email address when you sign up.

Why complete assessments at the beginning the year?

Many schools have adopted a similar approach using assessment days at the beginning of the school year. Feedback and research highlights several factors:

It gives students the opportunity to work one on one with their teachers building rapport and trust.
It allows teachers to get to know student competencies and areas for potential improvement in all key areas of the mathematics curriculum.
It helps teachers to immediately plan lessons and programs suited to individual needs.
It eliminates ‘lag time’; time it takes to complete individual assessments. These can take up to 8-10 weeks for teachers to complete assessments on all students in a class of 24 students.

I have provided a fact sheet summarising other key elements of the MAI assessment to highlight its potential to ensure we are giving all students the best opportunities to become better mathematical learners. Further information can be found on: https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresources/discipline/maths/assessment/Pages/mathsgrowthpoints.aspx

Please don’t hesitate to contact the school if further information is required. Thank you for your continued support of our school and of your child’s education.

Math’s Assessment Interview ~ Summary

Background (the Early Numeracy Research Project)

The Mathematics Assessment Interview (MAI) was developed as part of the Early Numeracy Research Project (1999-2001). The interview consists of hands-on assessment tasks where students demonstrate Mathematical understanding and preferred strategies for solving increasingly complex tasks.

What

It is a one to one interview held with each child, with the aim of finding out where their Maths learning is at, in the form of ‘growth points’.
Growth points are the key stages of a child’s mathematical understanding.
MAI is based on sound research.

Why

MAI gives growth points under different areas. At our school we complete the four areas of number -counting, place value, addition and subtraction, multiplication and division.
In contrast to the traditional pen and paper test, a carefully-constructed one to one interview can provide greater insights into what children know and can do. Children’s strategies are recorded in detail on the interview record sheet.
Provides our school with excellent summative data which helps track student progress.
As teachers, we value the MAI as it helps us get to know our learners and where to move to next in their learning

Month	Dates / Events Please note: some school events TBC & subject to change

February	26th First Sunday of Lent 27th - Parent/Teacher/Student conversations 28th - Parent/Teacher/Student conversations
March	2nd Prep Rest Day 3rd March MAI Testing Day 3rd World Day of Prayer 3rd MAI testing day 10th MAI testing day 13th Labour Day Holiday 14th School Photo Day 15th Preps at School on Wednesdays from now on 15th – 27th Naplan sitting dates 21st Harmony Day 24th Sandhurst Switches Off 28th School Council Meeting
April	6th End of Term 1 7th Good Friday 8th Easter Saturday 9th Easter Sunday 24th Start of Term 2 25th Anzac Day Holiday 28th Colour Fun Run 30th Catholic Education Week Sandhurst begins
May	1st- Register for Write a book in a day comp?? 1st - 5th Catholic Education Week - Sandhurst 3rd May Interschool Cross Country 5th World Labyrinth Day in Schools 6th World Labyrinth Day 9th School Council Meeting 11th Mother’s Day Stall 12th Mother’s Day High Tea 14th Mother’s Day 19th District Sports 22nd - 26th School Swimming Program Aquamoves 22nd - 26th Catholic Education Week 24th School Open Day 26th National Sorry Day 27th May - 3rd June National Reconciliation Week 28th Pentecost Sunday ~ Sacraments of First Eucharist & Confirmation
June	2nd Reconciliation Mass 9th Pupil Free Day ~(TBC) 12th Kings Birthday Holiday 14th Festival of the Sacred 16th Feast of the Sacred Heart ~ School Mass 19th - 23rd Refugee Week 20th School Council Meeting 22nd Reports Home 23rd ~ End of Term 2
July	2nd - 8th NAIDOC WEEK 10th Start Term 3 17th & 18th Parent / teacher conversations 25th School Council Meeting 26th Feast of St Anne
August	1st - Principal Reading Challenge th School Council Meeting 19nd -25th Book Week ~ Read, Grow, Inspire 31st Father’s Day Stall
September	1st World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation 1st Big Blokes Breakfast 3rd Fathers day 5th School Council Meeting 8th School Aths Day 15th Term 3 Ends / Footy Colours Day AFL Grand Final Day
October	2nd Start Term 4 3rd Year 6 District Athletics 4th Year 5 District Athletics 5th Year 4 District Athletics 6th Year 3 District Athletics 9 - 11th ~ Upper Years Camp 17th School Council Meeting 20th School Fun Fair
November	2nd November Grade1/2 Sleepover 6th Report Writing Day ~ pupil free 7st Melbourne Cup Prep Transition Day 11th Remembrance Day Prep Transition Day Prep Transition Day Prep Transition Day 28th School Council Meeting 29th Prep Information Night
December	1st Staff Planning Day ~ pupil free 4th Year 6 Reflection Day & Year 5 Leadership Day 12th Statewide Transition Day (TBC) 12th Reports Home 12th End of year Graduation Mass (TBC) 13th Aquamoves Fun day 14th Last Day for Students 15th Staff Reflection day ~ no students
	Students commence school ~ Tuesday 30th Jan 2024

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