From the Deputy Principal

Assessment and Reporting 

“The teacher asks the child to take a bucket of water from one place to the other. It’s not important to the child that the teacher only sees him arrive with the bucket of water at the end. What is important to the child is that the teacher sees the child while the child is working, while the child is putting out the effort to accomplish the task — the processes are important, how much the child is putting into the effort, how heroic the child is doing this work. What children want is to be observed while engaged; they do not want the focus of the observation to be on the final product.” Loris Malaguzzi 

Teachers have prepared mid-year reports which will be sent home later this term. These are considered ‘progress reports’, as the Term 4 report is the complete summary of a child’s achievement against year level specific achievement standards as set by the Australian Curriculum. Reports coming home can cause some anxiety for students and parents. 

As adult learners and professionals, we forget how this isn’t always a natural or simple approach for children. As Loris Malaguzzi states, children want people assessing/judging/observing as they work or learn, to know what they are going through. Context and empathy are so important. When your child’s report comes home, there is an opportunity for deep discussion and learning for the family if the data included in the report is used as a starting point, not the focus. 

Afternoon pick-up

Wet weather, increased parent confidence and Reception children understanding our routines, have all added to an increase in traffic through the driveway in afternoons. We are also training up some new staff on the microphone which adds to the time spent in the queue. Some tips to avoid the busy time of day and stress of the driveway…

• Use the courts. Even if children are waiting in the driveway, park on the courts. We will get children to you and you can pack up at your own pace. Cars are released from the courts very quickly. This is particularly useful for younger children who need help. 
• Pick up at a later time. Children are supervised until 3.45pm. Between 3.30 and 3.45pm you can drive into the carpark without queuing on Audrey Ave! 

Parking 

Attached to this week’s Inspire email is a copy of car parking and driveway protocols. This is such an important factor in keeping everyone safe at the busiest times of day. If you have other family or friends who help at these times, please share this with them. The way we ask that cars park on the courts (4 rows-2 in the centre) allows for safe access for children and drivers, maximises the amount of car spaces and provides a common understanding of the way the space is used. Please look at the attached map and if you are ever unsure, park against the back fence or as close to the cones near the sports shed as possible. 

A particular reminder of a couple of other requests.

• The gate at the bottom of the driveway is not for pedestrians. This is a small gate for cars leaving the school. It is an unsafe access point for pedestrians.
• Stopping on Audrey Ave to pick up or drop off passengers slows the flow of all traffic and is extremely dangerous for passengers and other vehicles.
• Cars in the eastern carpark (near the front office) on Audrey Ave will not be allowed into the driveway until traffic flow has stopped in the morning and afternoon.
• The Staff Carpark is for staff only.

Thank you for your support with all of this. These expectations are for the safety of a large community, not to add time to your trip to and from school.