Teaching & Learning 2020

Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Framework

The P–12 curriculum, assessment and reporting framework specifies the curriculum, assessment and reporting requirements for all Queensland state schools’ principals and staff delivering the curriculum from Prep to Year 12. All schools in our region are working on this document for 2021. We have a team that have worked hard on this all year. I will share this with parents in our next Newsletter.

The P–12 curriculum, assessment and reporting framework reflects Every student succeeding—State schools Improvement strategy (PDF, 373KB) and is part of the commitment to providing a world-class education for all students. It is based on the assumption that every student can learn and that responding to the diverse learning needs of all students is central to teaching.

The P–12 curriculum, assessment and reporting framework supporting documents are being revised to outline new requirements for state schools as they work towards implementing all 8 learning areas of the Australian Curriculum by the end of 2020.

Classroom Visits

Each term our staff visit each other & observe 'best practice' pedagogy (the method and practice of teaching). Staff give each other feedback and learn from each other. As a school we have been doing this for many years. Its always great to see how other people work & learn from each other. It also helps to ensure some consistency throughout the school. Staff set some goals and then work with a coach to support them improving their practice.

NAIDOC Week

NAIDOC celebrations are happening in November this year. We will be celebrating in Week 9 at GGSS. We have organised some events during the week with elders of the community. We will be competing in indigenous games & a dance troupe will be visiting the school. We finish the week off with Indigenous activities that will be our STEM focus for the term. Keep an eye out on FaceBook & Dojo for information and pictures.

Semester 2 Reporting

Semester 2 report cards will be going home on the last Tuesday of the term. This semester, report cards will be back to normal with teachers reporting on all KLAs. Report cards will again be sent out via email. If your contact details have changed, please ensure you update the office so that it arrives in your inbox!

Learning Celebration

Our yearly learning celebration will occur in week 10. This is a wonderful opportunity for us to celebrate the academic, cultural and behavioural successes of our students and reflect on the learning that has occurred this year. Year 6 students will be visiting their respective high schools on this day & they will celebrate their achievements at Graduation Monday 7th December. Invitations to these events will come home soon.

Co-Teaching

Due to the growth of students in our school, we have 4 classes over allocated, we were fortunate enough to get an extra allocation of staffing. Mrs Keryn Loughman is working in a co teaching role in Yrs 1, 2, 3 & 6. Co-Teaching is when 2 or more teachers plan together and teach all students within a class. These strategies can also help to develop capacity of teachers to meet the learning needs of our students.

In our case this term we are using a range of approaches.

These approaches can include:

One Teach, one observe - observing teacher can gather data from students in regards to behaviour or skills. Co-teachers can observe and record data on checklists, take anecdotal observations, collect work samples.
Station Teaching - students are in 3 or more groups and rotate through teacher stations and independent/group work
Parallel Teaching - class is split into two groups, each lead by a co-teacher, same content - differentiated to support learners needs
Alternate Teaching - students requiring additional support/extension are taught in a small group lesson
Teaming - both teachers lead instruction
One teach, one assist - provides support, checks for understanding, provides feedback

Our teachers are also planning together each week to develop a shared understanding & goals for future lessons.