Newsletter Address ~ Term 1, Week 7

Principal's Message

Dear parents and guardians

On Wednesday we welcomed Professor Katrina McFerran to our school. Prof. Katrina is an international expert on the topic of music and music therapy in schools and adolescents. Prof. Katrina spent time visiting classrooms, talking to students and teachers, and presented to staff the benefits of dedicated music therapy program in a primary school setting. We are hoping to utilize her skills and techniques as part of our commitment to Mental Health in Primary Schools (MHiPS) program.

Thank you, Jen, Karen and Maria, ~ St Mel’s Administration Staff

I’d like to take the opportunity to recognise our office staff, especially Jen Amadei and Karen Myers who have been going above and beyond their usual hours of duty in preparation of our recent financial audit. They are superstars!!! We are grateful for all they do.

School Photos ~ Tuesday 14th March

We have our school photo day this Tuesday 14th March, the day after the long weekend. Children have come home with an envelope from Dale Wright Photography with details of photo costs and payment methods. Photos can be paid for online or through the envelope provided with the correct money placed inside. Please ensure all details are clearly displayed on the envelope and tick the package you'd like to purchase. Envelopes MUST be returned to school on or before Tuesday 14th March. Students must be in the correct summer uniform. No hair colour, or makeup or nail polish. Hair longer than shoulder length should be put into a plait or ponytail.

Naplan 2023

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) tests for years 3, 5, 7 and 9 are being held online next fortnight. Best wishes to all our year 3 and year 5 students who will participate in Naplan assessments. Please refer to a message that our staff would like to share with our year 3 & 5 students prior to sitting Naplan below.

Do your best. Respect our school. Help others succeed.

Best Wishes for the coming fortnight,

Staff Message for years 3 & 5 Students sitting Naplan

Dear Year 3 and 5 students,

Next week, you will sit the NAPLAN test. Before you take this test there is something very important for you to know.

This test does not assess all of what makes each of you exceptional and unique. The people who score these tests don't know that some of you love to sing, are good at drawing or can teach others how to use a computer program. They have not seen the way that some of you can dance with grace or speak confidently to a large group. They do not know that your friends count on you to be there for them when they are sad. They don't know that you participate in sports, help your Mum and Dad or that you play with your little brother, sister or cousins. They do not know that you are caring, thoughtful and that every day you do your best. Because these attributes cannot be tested.

The scores you get from this test will tell you how you did on that day, but they will not tell you everything. They can't tell you that you have improved on something you once found difficult. They can't tell you that you brighten up your teacher's day. They can't tell you how amazingly special you are.

So come to school ready to do your best for the NAPLAN test tomorrow and this week and remember there is no one way to 'test' all of the wonderful things that make you, YOU!

YOU are uniquely special and that's what we love about YOU

Do your best, be your best and be proud of who YOU are.

Kind regards

St Mel's Staff

REMINDER: Principal Appraisal – Chris Summers, St. Mel’s Shepparton - closes at 4:00pm on Wednesday 15th March 2023

As a part of the contract of Employment, each Principal of a Catholic school in the Diocese of Sandhurst must undertake an appraisal.

The purpose of an appraisal is to provide the Principal with feedback about their leadership of the school. An appraisal also seeks to improve the professional practice of the Principal through structured dialogue with CESL staff and the appraisal panel and through feedback about leadership of specific areas of school life.

If you haven’t already done so, I invite you to contribute your thoughts about Chris Summers’ leadership at St. Mel’s, by undertaking a survey. Please click on the following link to complete the survey: https://forms.gle/Gx5N5MM4LgNxNQcd9

At the end of the appraisal process, the Principal will receive a detailed report about the information gleaned from the process and this will support them in shaping their professional goals and practice for the future. Please note: Your contribution will remain anonymous, and all survey feedback will be confidential.

I thank you for your contributions to this survey and ongoing support to St. Mel’s Primary School, Shepparton.

Yours sincerely,

Paul Bissinella

Principal Consultant - Goulburn Valley Deanery

Participating in NAPLAN

Next week our grade 3 and 5 students commence Naplan online.

As children progress through their school years, it is very important that checks are made along the way to see how well they are learning the essential skills of reading, writing and mathematics – skills that will set them upon the path to success as adults.

NAPLAN is a point-in-time assessment that allows parents and carers to see how their child is progressing in literacy and numeracy against the national standard and compared with their peers throughout Australia. At the classroom level, NAPLAN provides additional information to support teachers’ professional judgement about student progress.

NAPLAN online is a tailored test that adapts to student responses, providing better assessment and more precise results.

Read the NAPLAN information brochure for parents and carers (PDF 133 kb), also available in Simple English (PDF 1 mb).

To see the types of questions and functionalities in the online tests, visit the public demonstration site page.

All students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 are expected to participate in NAPLAN tests, and schools should not exert influence on parents or carers to withdraw their child from the tests. NAPLAN tests give you information on how your child is progressing against national standards. This information can be used to identify areas in which your child may benefit from additional assistance. NAPLAN does not replace, but rather complements assessments run by your child's classroom teacher throughout the year.

Adjustments can be provided for students with disability to enable them to access the tests on an equivalent basis to students without disability. Read about the adjustments in the next section.

Some students who have been attending school in Australia for less than a year before the tests may also be eligible for exemption. Exemptions should be discussed with your child's school.

Parents or carers may withdraw their child from the tests to address issues such as religious beliefs and philosophical objections to testing. It is recommended that withdrawal be considered in consultation with your child's school. States and territories have different ways of managing student withdrawals, but formal notification must be received by the school principal prior to testing.

Wherever possible, schools will organise for individual students who are absent at the time of testing to complete missed tests at another time during the test window.

Detailed information about exemptions, withdrawals and absences from NAPLAN can be found in the 'Student participation section' of this website.

https://www.nap.edu.au/naplan/parent-carer-support

Maths Assessment Interviews ~ Friday March 10th (Pupil Free Days) Please bring students to the Hall at their allocated 2 hour time slot.

Math’s Assessment Interview ~ Bookings on PAM

Friday 10th March 2023 will be dedicated closure days.

All students will be expected to attend a session on one of these days.

Please note: Friday 10th March are not extra closure days. They are part of our allocated pupil free days we use for staff professional development.

URGENT REMINDER!!! Medical Update ~ Asthma Plans & Anaphylaxis Plans

If your child suffers from Asthma or Anaphylaxis, please remember to send in an updated Asthma Plan or Anaphylaxis Plan. These MUST BE arranged through your family GP. Without an updated plan your children will not be able to participate in school functions

Volunteering at St Mel’s

A school volunteer is anyone who helps at school supervise, assist student learning or attends camps / excursions. As part of our commitment to keeping all students safe, all volunteers MUST have a current Working with Children’s Check (WWC), have signed a parent code of conduct and volunteer’s application form. These documents can be downloaded from our school website or collected from the school office ~ as attached to this week’s newsletter.

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer at St Mel’s please take the time to read our Volunteer’s Policy and complete the required documentation.

To apply for an online WWC please visit:

www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au

Before School Drop Off ~ Students are not to be dropped off no earlier than 8:20am in the morning. Supervision starts at 8:20am.

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