Leadership Report

Dear Saltwater families,

As Winter winds down and the days become longer, Saltwater classrooms remain as busy as ever.  We are more than half-way through the year and there are many exciting events planned for the next few months.

Celebration Day -100 Days of Prep 

The Prep 100 days of school celebration was held last week. Congratulations to all our Prep students and teachers on this important school milestone. Our students participated in fun and engaging learning activities, which reinforced fundamental academic concepts. It was a joyful way to acknowledge the progress students have made since the start of the school year and encourage them to continue their educational journey with enthusiasm. 

We thank all our teachers, students and families for the incredible efforts they went to on the day. Please enjoy some of the photos which capture the successful celebration. 

2024 Prep Enrolments

During Term Two, we conducted school tours on Friday Mornings for prospective Prep students and their families. We would like to remind our current families to enrol their school age children as soon as possible, if turning 5 before 30 April 2024. Enrolment forms can be sourced on our school website. 

Letters of enrolment offers will be sent to families by 11 August, so we ask for all enrolments to be completed before that day. We are looking forward to welcoming our new students and their families to our school community in the near future, with Prep Transition details being shared on Friday 15 September to our community.

Book Week 2023 

Our School’s Book Week Celebration is fast approaching. This year we will celebrate Book Week in Week 8 of the term; August 28 – September 1. The theme this year is ‘Read, Grow, Inspire’. We have many activities planned for the whole school and the classrooms. 

At Saltwater, we will be holding our dress up day on Friday 1 September, which means that students may come to school dressed in the theme of book week, or anything related to books or story characters.

A reminder that while we love dress up days, we want to make sure that it is stress free for everyone. Costumes can be as simple or as complex as you like. Costumes can be bought, borrowed, re-worn, or handmade and can be from head to toe or just a prop or mask. The aim is to celebrate books and promote a love of reading.

We are also pleased to announce that our ‘Scholastic Book Fair’ will once again take place. This will run over the week, beginning September 4. Last year it was a great success and we look forward to sharing more information with the Saltwater community as we get closer to the event.

Staffing Update

This term, we have recruited a number of new staff members for various roles across our college, including classroom teachers and intervention/enrichment educators. We are continuing to advertise positions available as we develop our workforce plan for 2024. All our positions are advertised through the Education Department portal, Recruitment Online. We look forward to the recruitment process for appointing staff to roles within our school for next year. 

NAPLAN Results 2023 

NAPLAN is a valuable tool for our school as it assists us to plan for continuous improvement through understanding of our data and accommodating the needs of our student population. Our school has demonstrated dedication and commitment to our learning programs and we sincerely thank our educators for their tireless dedication to our programs. We also extend our appreciation to our students and their families for their unwavering support and encouragement. 

At the beginning of 2023, the teachers and students worked diligently in preparing for the NAPLAN tests held mid-March. We are very pleased that the effort translated into some very impressive results for our students. Individual student reports were sent out last week to families of students in Years Three, Five and Seven, which also includes information regarding the new assessment procedures  and the new NAPLAN proficiency levels.

Some of our highlights include:

• 78 percent of our Year Three students in Reading were classified as Strong or Exceeding.
• 86 percent of our Year Three students in Writing were classified as Strong or Exceeding.
• 73 percent of our Year Three students in Spelling were classified as Strong or Exceeding.
• 75 percent of our Year Five students in Reading were classified as Strong or Exceeding.
• 77 percent of our Year Five students in Writing were classified as Strong or Exceeding.
• 78 percent of our Year Five students in Spelling were classified as Strong or Exceeding.
• 74 percent of our Year Seven students in Reading were classified as Strong or Exceeding.
• 75 percent of our Year Seven students in Writing were classified as Strong or Exceeding.
• 76 percent of our Year Seven students in Spelling were classified as Strong or Exceeding. 

All of these measures were considerably higher than ‘similar schools’ (schools with the same/similar student family occupation/educational background), which shows that we are truly value-adding to our students’ education.

Stay well this winter! 

In Victoria, influenza (flu) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection numbers are high among children aged 5 to 11 years, particularly in those in their first few years of school. The Victorian Department of Health expects more respiratory infections over Term three. Most children with flu or RSV have a mild fever, runny nose or cough. Some children, particularly babies and children with underlying medical conditions, may have more severe illness.

In order to keep our school community well, we ask parents, carers and students to: 

• wash and sanitise their hands regularly 

• avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands 

• cover their nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing 

• stay at home if very unwell and consult a general practitioner (GP) or NURSE-ON-CALL as needed 

Victorian Premiers' Reading Challenge 

Our School is participating in the 2023 Victorian Premiers' Reading Challenge. The pages are turning, and the clock is counting down as the ‘Challenge’ enters its final weeks for this year. 

To complete the challenge at all levels, children are asked to read (or experience) a set number of books over the year depending on their challenge level, with their reading efforts recorded online. Picture books, short stories, poems or non-fiction books in any language can be part of the challenge.

The challenge was created in February 2005 to support children and young people’s reading skills, highlight the importance of reading for literacy development and help more Victorians fall in love with reading.

Students have individual log ins and passwords to access the website and record their reading. All students who complete the challenge will receive a special certificate to celebrate their achievement. We encourage students to read at home as part of their nightly homework. 

For more information, please see the official PRC website at www.education.vic.gov.au/prc

Thank you, on behalf of the leadership team.

School Carnival 

Dear Saltwater Community, 

We are thrilled to share the news about the highly anticipated Saltwater P-9 College Carnival, scheduled for Saturday the 18th of November. Our diligent Carnival Committee is hard at work, meticulously organising an event that promises a day of joy, excitement, and community engagement for everyone. We’re excited to share more carnival details soon. Keep an eye out for further updates and prepare to immerse yourself in the festive celebrations! 

Best Regards, 

Saltwater School Council and Carnival Committee.