Week 1 - Term 2

Principals Message

Dear Parents, Caregivers and Students,

A warm welcome back to term 2! I have had a great first week, here at St Francis. It has been a delight to meet and spend time with the children, getting to know them, and the school staff have been very welcoming and supportive. I feel blessed to be a part of this wonderful community and I am excited about building on our successes together, into the future.

Dear Parents, Caregivers and Students,

Tri-skills commences next week. This is an excellent all round Physical Education program involving Dance, Gymnastics and Tabloid sports. It is a great addition to the Physical Education curriculum, and I am sure the children will very much enjoy the experience! My thanks to James Daley for coordinating these activities.

NAPLAN national testing will take place during weeks 3 and 4 this term. NAPLAN tests the sorts of skills that are essential for every child to progress through school and life, such as reading, writing, spelling, grammar and numeracy.
It is important to remember that NAPLAN is not about passing or failing, but about assessing learning progress. Children have been preparing for the tests through engagement in the curriculum process, as well as familiarising themselves with the form and structure of the tests.
After the test regime interruption in 2020 due to the COVID 19 pandemic, the tests will recommence this year in the online format many schools engaged with during 2019.

My thanks to Nives Kresevic and all the year 3 and 5 teachers for their diligence in preparing for the NAPLAN tests.
We hope to have the results of the assessments during term 3, which will allow us to reflect on and respond to the results to ensure the continued learning progress of the children.

During the holiday break, Australians paused on ANZAC Day to remember all those courageous men and women who gave their lives in the service of our nation.
My thanks and congratulations to Audrey Fisher and Zane Bowbridge who represented St Francis at the Hilton RSL Dawn service.

I am very much looking forward to meeting you all as the term progresses!

God bless,
Phil

National Assessment Program

Literacy and Numeracy

NAPLAN 11th-21st May

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is an annual assessment for all students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. The tests assess Literacy and Numeracy skills that students have already been learning through the school curriculum. NAPLAN is made up of tests in the four areas of Reading, Writing, Language Conventions (Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation) and Numeracy.

National Assessment Program

Literacy and Numeracy

NAPLAN 11th-21st May

This year, the students will complete their NAPLAN tests online via a laptop. To get an idea of what the tests look like, visit the public demonstration site https://nap.edu.au/online-assessment/public-demonstration-site

Year 3 students will complete the writing test on paper.

If you have a child in Years 3 or 5, the dates for NAPLAN this year are:

11th May	12th May	13th May	14th May
Y3 Writing	Y5 Writing	Y3 Reading	Yr 5 Reading
17th May	18th May	19th May
Y3 & 5 Lang	Y5 Numeracy	Y3 Numeracy

Please note that dates may be subject to change and there is the possibility of catch up if absent

Later this year, parents will receive a report providing an overall picture of their child’s achievement in the NAPLAN tests. These reports provide parents and teachers with an understanding of how individual students were performing at the time of the tests.

Their achievements are reported on a development scale, as well as against the school and the national average.

It is important to remember that NAPLAN provides only a snap shot of your child’s skills and knowledge in Numeracy and Literacy.

At St Francis, we use a broad range of tools to assess how well your child is currently achieving, and just as importantly directing their next steps in learning.

Some of these assessments include:

• Staff Observations and anecdotal Records

• SeeSaw

• Reflective practices, learning journals and conferencing with students

• Early Years Assessment in English including Phonological awareness and Numeracy

• Early years baseline assessment -BASE

• Diagnostic Standardised Tests

• ACER Testing- PAT Math and Reading

• Running Records

• Self and Peer Assessments

The advantage of these tests and observations is that teachers do not have to wait for an extended period for results. Reporting or feedback is available immediately. These types of assessments provide staff with information about where each student is at and informs the next steps in their learning.

Sent home last term and accompanying this newsletter is a flyer from ACARA detailing some important information about NAPLAN and a Privacy Collection notice.

I encourage you to have a read and speak to your child’s class teacher, Phil or myself if you have any further queries or concerns.

Further information can be found at:

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

God Bless

Nives Kresevic

Important Dates

NAPLAN Starts

Tuesday 11 May 2021

Finance Meeting 6:30pm

Monday 17 May 2021

School Board Meeting 7:30pm

Monday 17 May 2021

NAPLAN Finish

Friday 21 May 2021

The great paradox is that the most fragile yet powerful of human emotions is – HOPE

JUST A REMINDER

If your child is showing any signs of illness,
Please keep them home for the day.
Including mild symptoms of a runny nose, sore throat, cough, fever & shortness of breath.
We encourage students to wash their hands often,
As good hygiene is one of the best ways to help
Avoid the spread of germs.

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Week 1 - Term 2

National Assessment Program

Literacy and Numeracy

NAPLAN 11th-21st May

National Assessment Program

Literacy and Numeracy

NAPLAN 11th-21st May

Important Dates

NAPLAN Starts

Finance Meeting 6:30pm

School Board Meeting 7:30pm

NAPLAN Finish

JUST A REMINDER

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