Mackellar Buzz

Principal's Report 

Dear Parents, 

 

Welcome back for an exciting term four. Hopefully you all had some time to relax over the school holiday period and your children had the chance to recharge their batteries. With the change of term of course comes the warmer weather and the reminder that all students require their school hat for term four. 

Being sun-smart is the responsibility of all of us, and it was great to see the Junior School Council showcase at assembly this morning the two sunscreen stations to be installed at the school. These 'Sunsquirt' stations provide a measured amount of sunscreen in the same way that sanitising stations dispense hand-sanitiser.  They will be positioned around the school for students and staff to use accordingly. 

Above is a QR code for you to view the ingredients of the sunscreen to be used.  The sunscreen is supplied by the anti-cancer council and meets relevant Australian standards. If your child has sensitive skin or allergies, please consult your GP prior to use, or feel free to supply suitable sunscreen for your child to be kept in their school bag or with their teacher.  A very big thank you to both the Junior School Council for this initiative, and the Mackellar School Council for their support of this fantastic idea.

 

Last term I briefly mentioned that Mackellar Primary School had significant success with this year's NAPLAN results. Having shared those results with school council, I am now very pleased to detail some of the highlights to you all, of which we are very proud. Whilst students receive individual NAPLAN results, for the school we are compared to schools 'Similar' to ours, schools within our 'Network' and schools across the 'State'.

 

In relation to students achieving results in the top two bands of NAPLAN, our grade 3 students achieved the following:

  • Reading - A higher result than similar and network schools.
  • Writing - A slightly lower result than similar, network and state schools
  • Spelling - A higher result than similar, network and state schools.
  • Numeracy - A higher result than similar and network schools
  • Grammar & Punctuation - A higher result than similar, network and state schools.

In relation to students achieving results in the top two bands of NAPLAN, our grade 5 students achieved the following:

  • Reading - A higher result than similar, network and state schools.
  • Writing - A slightly lower result than similar, network and state schools
  • Spelling - A higher result than similar and state schools.
  • Numeracy - A higher result than similar schools
  • Grammar & Punctuation - A slightly lower result than similar, network and state schools.

The number of students achieving results in the bottom two bands of NAPLAN decreased significantly across the board. For many categories, our 2022 result is the best result in five years which is a huge achievement. 

 

In addition, students from disadvantaged backgrounds at Mackellar achieved a Reading result 33% higher than similar schools for grade 3 students, and double that of similar schools for grade 5 students.  Both the grade 3 and 5 students in this category clearly surpassed network and state school results.

 

 Students from a background other than English achieved reading results in the top two bands of NAPLAN well in excess of similar, network and state schools for both grade 3 and grade 5 students with the highest score in over five years. 

 

These results are a significant improvement on previous years' results, and are testament to the hard work and dedication of the staff, working with parents, to ensure children from all backgrounds and circumstance achieve their full potential. Well done to all involved. 

 

Finally, University Park Primary School is celebrating 50 years in education and are inviting past students, parents and families to their 50+ anniversary celebration. If you happen to be, or know someone who is, a past community member of that school please pass on this information or contact the school directly. On behalf of Mackellar Primary School, we wish University Park all the very best for this significant milestone. 

Regards, 

 

Simon McGlade

Principal