Message from our Campus Principal

With the tail end of Term 1 in sight there are some important aspects of our year that we begin to think about and that parents have an important role to play in.

The last two days of Term 1 are our Parent and Teacher conversations.  These are an important time for students and parents to discuss the successes and challenges of the term so far.  With almost two full years out of the classroom, this will be a more important time than ever before for touching base with teachers and checking on your child’s progress.  For the most part, most students have resettled into school life really well; but the lockdowns of the last two years have taken a toll on many and understanding exactly what that has meant for your child is important if you are to respond to their needs.  Immediately beforehand, our teachers will be producing a second Learning Behaviour Update.  If you’ve not yet read the first one, it is available on Compass.  It was fantastic awarding students certificates for their excellent outcomes this time around with more high performing students than ever before!  

The other important event we are starting work on is NAPLAN.  The actual NAPLAN testing is from May 10-20th.  This year, we move to NAPLAN Online which gives us a lot more flexibility and the ability to stretch the program out to give our students a rest.  In the lead up, all Year 7s and 9s will have a number of practice sessions to learn how to access and use the new NAPLAN system effectively.  So, what role do our parents play?  Firstly, resourcing.  Access to devices are essential for our students.  Whilst our library has some devices to borrow, this is much less convenient than a child having their own device set up and ready to go.  Alongside that, students will need headphones for NAPLAN.  We have some to borrow but are strongly recommending students purchase their own (plug in style) and have them ready for the testing.  Students also need to install the Lock Down Browser which is available from our landing page:  http://home.kurnaicollege.vic.edu.au.  

Secondly, we ask parents to talk up the importance of NAPLAN and having a go.  We know our students can do really well when they make an effort.  We will be giving a lot of positive messages over the coming weeks and hope that you can at home as well.