I would like to thank all the staff, parents and students for their efforts this term. There have been many highlights on the sporting field, musical performances and of course in the classroom. It was great to see so many parents taking the opportunity to meet with their child’s teachers over the past two weeks to share information and to work together to improve the learning outcomes for their child. Education is always a partnership and I encourage any parent who hasn’t yet been in contact with their class teacher to meet with them early in Term 2.
The Junior School were treated to a dance performance from the upcoming musical, ‘Leader of the Pack’ at our morning assembly on Wednesday. It was a high energy performance with a very familiar sound track that many parents and grandparents will enjoy. Having the opportunities to be on stage, perform and work as a team have so many benefits to the students. They learn so many skills that will serve them well in life! Please come along and support the efforts of our very talented students and production team.
This year the annual NAPLAN tests will be conducted using technology for the first time. The only handwritten test is in Year 3 writing. The advantages for this process is that the College and parents should get more targeted information about each student which will help us put very specific learning plans in place earlier. As this is the first year of doing the tests this way it will be a learning situation for all involved. This means that the tests will run over two weeks rather than just one so that every student can have access to our College devices. It is important that we balance the need for children to do their best with the stress of sitting a formal exam. I am very rarely surprised about the results our students achieve as we have many opportunities throughout the year to assess the learning achievements for each child. It is important to view the test as a snapshot in time that provides some valuable data for individuals and year groups about strengths and weaknesses.
I would like to wish all our families and staff well as we break for the holidays. I pray for safety and for a time to recharge the batteries so that we can return in Term 2 ready to learn.