Learning & Teaching

PAT Testing

The Foundation to Year 6 students at St. Raphael's are currently participating in Progressive Achievement Tests (PAT) in Reading Comprehension, Mathematics, Grammar and Punctuation. PAT tests are designed to assess each student’s current capability against the appropriate standard for their age and is a valuable source of information on each student’s development. Teachers use the PAT data in Maths and English and as moderation to ensure that our classroom assessment of each student is accurate. Teachers also use the results to track each student’s development from year to year. This information is another useful tool for identifying students requiring extra support or extension in their studies. The PAT testing process has been explained to all of the students and has not be seen as a stressful assessment but rather students have been encouraged to view the tests as a way for teachers to learn more about their capabilities and then design learning programs that will help them improve. 

Remembrance Day

Remembrance Day is an important event for Australians. It’s a time to both reflect on the past and also consider the present and future. It can also be an excellent day to have thoughtful discussions with your kids, not only about the sacrifices made by others, but also about the general nature of conflict and peace. Of course, conversations about peace and humanity can be pretty daunting. Books can sometimes help, though. Whether fiction or historical, a good picture book or early-reader novel can offer new perspectives and discussion points for difficult topics. They can help kids better understand complex subjects and offer parents a springboard for deeper conversations.

Adapted from CBC.CA

'A Soldier, a Dog and a Boy' by Libby Hathorn was inspired by Libby's months of research on her uncle, who survived Gallipoli but went on to fight at the Battle of the Somme and was killed there in 1917 at just twenty years old. It is a heartwarming story of young soldiers rescue of a young boy that has been touched by the devastation of war. Play the video to listen to the story.

Other books that help us to commemorate Remembrance Day:

Fortnightly Maths Newsletter Challenge

Special thanks to MathSphere for this fortnight's Maths puzzle challenge. As always, I'd love to see you working out these problems and look forward to including some of your thinking in future newsletter editions!