St Francis de Sales Catholic Primary School Lynbrook Newsletter

From the Principal

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning 

We will remember them.

 

We will remember them

Lest we forget

 

Impressive 2022 NAPLAN Results

Our NAPLAN 2022 results are outstanding and we are extremely proud of our students and of our staff.

In 2022 we have 

  • 74% of our Year 3 students in the top 2 bands of Reading. The MACS average is 60%
  • 43% of our Year 3 students in the top 2 bands of Numeracy. The MACS average is 38%

In Year 3 we have a substantially higher percentage of students in the top 2 bands.

 

Naplan in Year 3 is reported from Band  1 to Band 6. So the top 2 bands have children in Year 3 working at Band 5 and 6. They had a score greater than 426. These students are operating at over 3 bands higher than the national minimum standard for Year 3 students.

 

These results have been on an upward trajectory over the past three years.

Our mean Year 3 results are also trending upwards.

In 2022, we also have less children in the bottom 2 bands.

  • 0% of our Year 3 students are in the bottom 2 bands of Reading
  • 2% of our Year 3 students are in the bottom 2 bands of Numeracy.

These Year 3 NAPLAN results put us in the top 2, when compared with Catholic schools in the  Archdiocese of  Melbourne with the same enrolment size and the same economic level - ICSEA value. (ICSEA is a scale which allows for fair and reasonable comparisons among schools with similar students. ICSEA stands for the Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage.)

 

Our Year 5 NAPLAN 2022 results are also just as fantastic!!

 

In 2022 we have

  • 47% of our Year 5 students in the top 2 bands of Reading. The MACS average is 37%
  • 38% of our Year 5 student in the top 2 bands of Numeracy. The MACS average is 25%

In Year 5 we have a substantially higher percentage of students in the top 2 bands.

 

NAPLAN in Year 5 is reported from Band  3 to Band 8. So the top 2 bands have children in Year 5 working at Band 7 and 8. They had a score greater than 530. These students are operating at over 3 bands higher than the national minimum standard for Year 5 students.

 

These results have been on an upward trajectory over the past three years. with a 12% increase in Reading and a 11% increase in Numeracy since 2019. Our mean Year 5 results are also trending upwards. In 2022, we also have less children in the bottom 2 bands which is sensational and a testament to our excellent teaching! 

 

High numbers in the top 2 bands and low numbers in the bottom 2 bands is what all schools aim for  and is indicative of a great learning environment and outstanding results. In 2022 in we have:

  • 6% of our Year 5 students are in the bottom 2 bands of Reading
  • 4% of our Year 5 students are in the bottom 2 bands of Numeracy.

These Year 5 NAPLAN results put us in the top 2 in Reading, when compared with Catholic schools in the  Archdiocese of  Melbourne with the same enrolment size and the same economic level - ICSEA value. 

 

These Year 5 NAPLAN results put us in the TOP school position, when compared with Catholic schools in the  Archdiocese of  Melbourne with the same enrolment size and the same economic level - ICSEA value. 

 

In Year 3 and Year 5 2022 NAPLAN mean results in both Reading and Numeracy are higher than the mean of the entire state of Victoria!!!

 

We our definitely very proud of these outstanding results. This is testament to the great teaching at our school, the pedagogy and programs we implement, the Clinics and Focus Groups we provide to ensure learning is personalised, targeting students at their actual learning level. Age, grade and walls are not barriers to learning at St Francis de Sales. Children are extended and intervention is provided to target student needs. As a result we have raised the bar -  with an increase of students in the top two bands and an equally outstanding reduction of students in the bottom two bands. Despite COVID we have achieved these great results and more importantly our three year trend is UP!! I thank our incredible, committed and professional staff, our students who are engaged and want to learn and our parents who have worked in partnership with us and equally value the education opportunities provided. We certainly can be PROUD to be part of St Francis de Sales learning community.

Absentee Alert

While we are very proud of our NAPLAN results and the trend that shows we are getting better  results each year, we are a little alarmed and concerned by this year's data that shows a rise in absentee rates. Our attendance is normally 92% but this year it is 88%. The  percentage of children who are at school for at least 90% of days has shown an alarming drop from 70% to 49% in Term 1 and to 54% in Term 3. This shows that we have less children attending regularly. We need to improve this as it is an indicator of a possible future decline in results.

 

After two year's of interrupted learning we are seeing a continuation of days absent by either children who are sick or are taking time of for holidays during the school term. While we understand that though we are back at school, that COVID is still lurking around and our lower resistance has made some of us more susceptible to germs and illnesses and we have had to be away to keep others safe and recover. We also do understand that after two years of lock down we need to have a break and a holiday. However we are also alerting parents to the fact that another year of interruptions for your children due to being absent will have an impact on their learning. This year, we do not have remote learning to help children stay on track so days off means missed learning opportunities and time to consolidate and develop the level of proficiency required to embed learning. 

 

We ask that parents help to minimise absence as much as possible. Please try to organise appointments during the holidays and eliminate unnecessary absence.

What's New?

New lines around our basketball, netball, volleyball and four square were marked this week. In addition we added two extra large four square courts as requested by our seniors. The courts look fabulous and new. 

 

The work on adding the games that the P&F funds are supporting started this afternoon!!! It will be completed next week weather permitting. 

 

 

Our multi-purpose hall is taking shape with lots of internal changes. We were really excited to see the floor of the stage installed. We are so excited by the size and cannot wait for the day we can have our first performance on this great stage.

 

On Friday, we have had a visit from interested parties looking at our portable building. Our portable will be going to another school and it is great it will be going to a good home. We will start the pack up process now as we anticipate the removal will take place in early December. Music will have a temporary home in the Community Room. We anticipate the final move into the new facilities will occur at the end of Term 1. It will be well worth the wait. We are very fortunate to have a new internal and connected Music room, hall with a stage as a great resource for our school community in the New Year.

Staff Farewells

On Thursday we farewelled Maureen Flanagan. Maureen will be taking long service leave for the rest of this year. Maureen and her husband who is a principal at St James, Gardenvale will be moving to Geelong to live and will move to new jobs closer to home. We have loved having Maureen as our school chaplain. It has been great to work with her over the past four years. Our children, families and staff have benefited from her gentle, kind support and wisdom to know how to provide the strategies and opportunities our children with special needs have required. Thank you Maureen, you have been a gem and we will miss you. Best wishes for your new adventure.

 

Next Friday, will be the last day for Corina our Learning Support Officer. Corina has been offered a great job working from home that was too good to turn down. Corina leaves us reluctantly, but we do understand the life choice she needs to make for her family.  Corina commenced with us as a newly qualified LSO and she has been a very dynamic LSO and has provided great support for our children with extra needs. We wish Corina the very best in this new chapter and thank her for the great work she has done as an LSO at St Francis de Sales. 

 

Have a great weekend.  

 

Regards

Christine White

Principal