Launching Place Primary School Newsletter

Principal's Message

Welcome back after what I hope was a restful break for you all.  Getting back into the swing of things this week, as I made sure my four children had their bits and bobs sorted for school and childcare, the idea of getting back into the day to day routine seemed like quite the task!  Yet here we are, we made it and we are ready to rock and roll into another great term.

 

Staffing Changes

In the last week of Term Two I informed families of students in a couple of our classes about some staffing changes for Term Three:

  • Mrs. Ala Lorenc accepted a position at Upper Yarra Secondary College, allowing her to further her teaching career in a secondary setting. 
  • Mrs. Jacinta Kemp accepted a position at Wandin North PS, allowing her to pick up a full time position, a little closer to family. 
  • Mrs. Kasey Bishop also accepted a position a little closer to home, making life a little easier for her young family. 
  • Mrs. Lisa Pond resigned from her position as Japanese teacher with us, allowing her to work in more a part time capacity at her other work locations.

We thank these staff for their service to our school, service for which has spanned years and hundreds of children! We wish them the very best with these next steps in their careers. 

 

Welcome to our new staff

This week we have welcomed:

  • Ms Bonnie Ratten who comes to us from Antonio Park Primary School where she taught for 14 years. Bonnie is teaching 5/6C on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays for the remainder of 2023, working alongside Mrs. Emily Rae.
  • Mrs Kaori Bawden, our new Japanese teacher who also teaches in the Catholic system a couple of days per week. 
  • Ms Niamh Napier who comes to us in her final year of study to be a primary school teacher.  Niamh is supporting our Year 1/2 team in the role of tutor for the rest of 2023.  She will be providing additional learning opportunites and support working with small groups of students within the classrooms three days per week.

Prep Transition begins Term Three

This week we are distributing details of our Prep Transition Program which begins in the next couple of weeks.  I would like to thank our school community for giving us a good rap!  We have had an excellent number of families booking tours and coming to visit our school in preparation for 2024. Kinder children do not need to be enrolled to attend the transition days, so if you know anyone who is still considering their options, encourage them to book in and come along to check us out!

Book here:  https://tinyurl.com/32d5nmby

 

A visit from St. Johns

On Wednesday we were fortunate to have St. Johns visit our students and provide some basic first aid instruction.  Following a Current Affair story, one of our students approached me and asked if such a course could be organised to educate students around the basics of CPR. The session I attended with my 1/2C buddies was so well run by the facilitator, who demonstrated calling 000 from a locked iphone, how to check for danger and methods to ascertain whether the patient was conscious or not and what to do next. Thanks St Johns for the free sessions and thank you Mitch for the great suggestion!

 

Upcoming Incursions

Next Tuesday all students in Prep – Year Six will attend a puppet show produced by Camp Quality. I know we have many families at our school who have been or continue to be impacted by cancer and other serious illness.  Camp Quality ask that in preparation for their visit, we send the attached letter to families of students (see below).

Parents can also check out the website which contains lots of activities and videos to help introduce students to the programs prior to the visit: Camp Quality Happiness Hub.  Parents and carers are more than welcome to attend on Tuesday 18th July.  Session One: The Big Party (Prep – 2) will begin at 10:20am and conclude at 10:50am.  Session Two: The Big Score will begin at 11:30am and conclude at 12:30pm.

 

Additionally, on Wednesday we welcome Brainstorm Productions who will be presenting ‘Zanna and the Lost Code’ in the GP room from 9:00am.  Again families are more than welcome to attend. This exciting theatre experience engages students in conversations about values, respect and responsibility, and inspires them to build safer and more positive online experiences.

 

When Zanna and Eddie arrive at coding camp, they have the opportunity to create an app that will make the internet safer for everyone. They embark on a magical journey into their device to find the missing piece of code. Through a series of exciting challenges, Zanna and Eddie experience the power of empathy, respect, kindness and resilience. When they launch the app, they discover that children all over the world can use it to be assertive, responsible and safe online.

 

Zanna & the Lost Code is developed in collaboration with teachers and psychologists, and is based on current research by the eSafety Commissioner and other cyber safety experts. Designed to support the curriculum and complement our school’s existing cyber safety, anti bullying and student wellbeing programs, this live performance brings the messages to life and facilitates further conversations and learning in the classroom. Brainstorm Productions is endorsed by the eSafety Commissioner as a Trusted eSafety Provider.

 

Both of these programs are provided free for our students and families. 

 

It's a PRODUCTION term!

Well that time has come around once again where we all join forces to put together a fantastic show for our school community. Rehearsals have happened, scripts are being learnt and practice sessions are in full swing! Keep you eyes peeled for notice soon of ticket sales for the 4th and 5th September. 

 

Virtual Tour

Upcoming changes to NAPLAN reporting

Ahead of NAPLAN results for students being released from Monday 17 July 2023, I’m writing to inform you of some changes to this year’s reporting. These are changes being introduced nationally by the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA).

 

NAPLAN will continue to measure student achievement in numeracy, reading, writing, spelling, and grammar and punctuation but the results will now be presented in 4 proficiency levels:

· exceeding

· strong

· developing

· needs additional support.

This change will give schools, parents and carers clearer information that details student achievement against new proficiency levels.

 

Students’ NAPLAN reports will continue to show how they are tracking against their peers and provide an indication of their skill levels against national averages and where we would expect them to be in order to get the most out of schooling. This provides valuable information to teachers about how we can continue to support your child.

 

Each set of NAPLAN results is an important milestone but it’s also important that students know that one result does not define them – these results are about making sure every student gets the support they need so they can continue to get the best from their learning.

 

When we provide you with your results, you will also receive information about what the new proficiency levels mean.

 

You are invited, as always, to speak to me, or your child’s teacher with any questions about these changes.

Laura Caddy

Principal