From the Head of Teaching and Learning

Term 2 always seems to be a speedy, yet compact term. When we arrive at the end of it, we often marvel at just how much has been achieved. Learning by its very nature is experiential. A bit like learning to drive. The driver is unsteady and unsure and relies on their instructor to guide and detail the precision, peripheral vision and prediction that is necessary to drive a vehicle safely. Deep Learning, our Pittwater House pedagogical model, offers teacher-framed, yet student-led learning. Our ‘Learner driver’ with the experience of several hours on the road, still requires the teacher to frame their learning, yet the instructor metaphorically and often literally, stops covering the brake as much, as the learner connects their acquired learning to navigate the journey. This Term, our students have shone in learning experiences that have challenged yet inspired them to flex the six core competencies: Citizenship, Character, Collaboration, Communication, Creativity and Critical thinking across the Junior and Senior school, both inside and outside of the classroom. The Year 6 students enjoyed a wonderful unit of work where the key competencies of communication and creativity were on display in a cross-curricular learning experience that linked Visual Arts with Mathematics. In true Deep Learning style, the students emulated the skills of engineers to solve a real-life problem ‘Why is mathematical knowledge and skill important in engineering?’ The designs they came up with were nothing short of spectacular and I include some images from the children’s projects below. The production of High School Musical this term, was another one of those enriching experiences where the students demonstrated their learning in the most profoundly ‘deep’ and entertaining way. I congratulate all our HEROIC learners involved and of course Mr. Cosentino and his team, for a truly magnificent showcase of ‘who we are’ and ‘how we learn’ at Pittwater House. There have been Athletics Carnivals, Performing Arts Nights and HSC showcases, Assessment Activities, Careers Expos and Student Leadership Conferences and of course the plethora of sporting events that occur over any given school week at Pittwater House. We value the healthy opportunity for children to flex their muscles as well as their grey matter.

Our regular Senior School assembly item: ‘HEROIC Habits’ is back this term, and a carefully planned sequence of assemblies will ensue over the final two weeks of school. HEROIC Habits is a student-led initiative where at each assembly the whole student body is invited to reflect on just how HEROIC they have been in their learning over the past week. Last Friday, four Year 11 Students; Amaya, Tyrone, Revelle and Pru led the students in a reflection of learning pursuits that have epitomised Honesty and Excellence, by sharing HEROIC stories of resilience to overcome real-life problems that affect learning, such as injury. It is this healthy approach to holistic learning; involving body and mind, that sustains happy learning. We hope that you as parents and carers have received the insights from your child’s teachers this Term, at Parent Teacher Nights and in the forthcoming Academic Reports, that profile your child’s learning growth, and bear witness to your child’s well-roundedness. 

On the topic of reports, the government has advised changes to the current way in which NAPLAN will be reported in 2023. Ministers agreed through the National School Reform Agreement to introduce proficiency standards for numeracy and literacy assessed by NAPLAN. They will simplify reporting, replacing the current 10 NAPLAN bands and national minimum standard, allowing parents and carers to know at-a-glance whether their child is where they need to be in literacy and numeracy, which are skills that underpin all other learning. We believe these new standards will give our teachers and you as parents and carers, better information about what your child can do. The names of the new standards are based on advice from ACARA’s First Nations Australians Advisory Group and parent bodies. They are Exceeding, Strong, Developing and Needs additional support. These will be accompanied by detailed descriptions to assist parents and teachers understand where each child is at. The Government has indicated that schools should receive the NAPLAN reports before the end of Term 2. As always, the fullness of your child’s learning is complex and multifaceted and not solely based on one test and thus your child’s teacher (Junior School) and teachers (Senior School) are the experts in knowing your child and aligning the most suitable teaching and learning strategies, to guide your child’s growth.