The Learning Zone

Coming together is the beginning, staying together is progress,

and working together is success". - Henry Ford

Last week our Years 3 and 5 students sat the NAPLAN Assessment, with all assessments completed online with the exception of Year 3 Writing. 

From this year, parents and carers will get earlier, simpler and clearer information about their child’s NAPLAN achievement based on new, more rigorous national standards.

Education ministers have agreed to change the way NAPLAN results are reported to parents and carers, now that all students are taking the tests online, and with the move to an earlier NAPLAN in March. New proficiency standards with 4 levels of achievement for each year level will replace the previous 10-band structure that covered all 4 levels tested and the old National Minimum Standard set in 2008 when tests were on paper. 

The new proficiency standards include a baseline benchmark to identify students who are likely to need additional support. The numerical NAPLAN bands and the national minimum standard will be replaced by the following 4 levels of achievement:

• Exceeding
• Strong
• Developing
• Needs additional support

The descriptors for each category will make it clear to parents what their child’s literacy and numeracy skills are at the time of NAPLAN testing, and support discussions with their school on their child’s progress.

Armidale Diocesan Mathematics Initiative (MaST)

Maths At Home:

Kindergarten - Length

Kindergarten have started a unit of work on Length. 

Introduce language such as long, short or the same length as.

• Discuss how objects can be described as being long or short. 

• Display two sticks which are obviously long and short. 

• Discuss how to compare length, i.e. hold the sticks side by side. 

• Model how to use terms longer, shorter, the same length as.

Stage 1 - Whole Number

Informative video for parents to support mathematics in the real world. 

Everyday Maths - At the supermarket

This week, and until the end of term, we will be turning our learning towards Whole Number.  We are working on representing different numbers in many different ways, counting by ones, tens and hundreds, and some of us are even practising counting into the thousands!  We have lots of fun activities planned for the coming weeks. We are lucky to have so many skilled, helpful adults in the room during literacy and numeracy! 

Stage 2 - Data

Stage 2 have been completing lots of interesting data work.

Stage 3 - Decimals

Stage 3 have been very busy completing a range of activities based on numbers, in particular decimals.

Have a great week of learning and fun!

Maree Holland & Greg O'Toole