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Dear Parents and Carers
ONE DAY TO GO!
The Season of Advent is a season of waiting and preparation, and we are preparing our hearts and lives for the birth of Christ at Christmas. We are blessed to have a celebration for our community with the central theme of community and Christmas tomorrow at the St Patrick's Community Christmas Festival. I look forward to seeing you during the day and enjoying the festivities together. When you see Tam and the team around the school don't forget to say thanks!
Congratulations to Lily and Drew on making it to the honour roll! Today we presented certificates to these students stating Achievement of Canberra & Goulburn Sporting Honour Roll.
Congratulations to Arly, Eva and Sienna who attended the Canberra Goulburn touch football trials in Canberra on Wednesday, they all played so well that they have all been picked for the Canberra/Goulburn team. They will travel to Yass next February.
Next Tuesday morning (date change from Monday) we have our LOOK AHEAD TO THE FUTURE 'Step into 2023' morning from 9-11am. All students will have the opportunity to meet their teacher for next year, and to begin to get to know their classmates for next year. Please speak to your child about the morning before Tuesday.
Please let them know that everything is going to be GREAT! Tell them
* they are in the right class for 2023
* they have exactly the right teacher for next year
* you are excited for their year of learning ahead
* the class they are in has been chosen for them for many reasons, and the classmates selected according to supporting them as learners
* they may not have their 'best' friend in their class and that is ok
* other students in the class may have asked to be with them in class
* you and their teacher will work together to support them transition
* it's ok to be nervous or a bit anxious, that is how most of us feel when something is changing.
Please do not tell them that you can/will 'change the class' for them.
School and home want the same thing at this time, we want our students to grow their resilience, and be open to the change and excited for the new opportunities that are to come in their learning journey.
Blessings
Jo
This week our students will participate in the Life Education program. The program offers issue specific and age-appropriate primary school modules designed to engage, inspire and empower students. These modules are delivered face to face and cover a range of topics across the areas of physical health, safety and social and emotional wellbeing. The Life Ed program is designed to be integrated into the primary curriculum and all modules are all aligned to the New South Wales Curriculum Health, Personal Development and Physical Education Learning Areas. Topics to be covered this year are;
Kinder; My body matters
Children join Healthy Harold to learn about hygiene, healthy foods, safety and the benefits of physical activity & sleep. Explore personal hygiene, healthy food choices, the benefits of physical activity and sleep and ways to keep safe at home, school and in the community.
The module focuses on students’ ability to recognise the importance of taking care of their bodies and supports them to manage unsafe behaviours at home, school and in the community. Learning outcomes include;
- The importance of personal hygiene.
- Choosing foods for a healthy balanced diet.
- Benefits of physical activity and sleep.
- Ways to keep safe at home, school and in the community.
Year 1/2; Ready, steady, go
Focusing on the benefits of healthy eating, physical activity, how our bodies react to stressful or unsafe situations and help seeking strategies. This module examines the many dimensions of health including feelings and emotions, safe and unsafe situations and behaviours that promote nutrition and wellbeing.
Learning outcomes include;
- Identifying how our body reacts in new situations
- Benefits of physical activity
- What our body needs to be healthy including nutrition, water and sleep
- Safety strategies in different environments
Year 3/4; All systems go
The ‘All Systems Go’ module focuses on the human body; it's uniqueness and what is needed to keep it healthy. This session helps your child understand why maintaining a healthy body and brain is the key to leading an active and productive life and gives them the tools to make sure they stay healthy. Students discuss issues and engage in activities centred on:
- The impact food choices have on health and energy levels.
- The effects of second-hand smoking.
- Exploring ways to manage peer pressure.
- The function of vital organs (heart, lungs, brain, kidneys).
Year 5/6; Relate, respect, connect
Relate Respect Connect is one of Life Ed’s updated programs, this unique and contemporary learning experience explores building positive, safe and respectful relationships.
Empowering children and young people to make safe and healthier choices through education, Relate Respect Connect equips students with knowledge, skills and strategies to help them develop safe and respectful relationships - face to face and online. Learning outcomes include;
- Understanding how to respect ourselves and others.
- Strategies to help maintain positive online and offline relationships.
- Identifying characteristics of positive relationships.
- How to recognise, react and report unwanted contact, bullying or predatory behaviours.
Assessment and Reporting
At St Patrick's School, assessment and reporting about student progress and achievement occurs regularly throughout the school year. Assessment and reporting processes play a strategic role in moving student learning forward. This week parents/cares and teachers have had an opportunity to meet and discuss their child's progress and achievement this Semester. Next Monday parents will have access to their child's Semester 2 report via COMPASS.
Assessing Learning
Why do we assess learning?
Assessing student learning is an integral part of the school classroom. It improves learning and informs teaching. It is the process through which teachers identify, gather and interpret information about student achievement and learning in order to improve, enhance and plan for further learning.
What learning do we assess?
The New South Wales curriculum defines the knowledge, understanding and skills that students are entitled to learn each academic year for each learning area. This in turn determines the learning intentions and the success criteria that teachers plan for their students. Teachers monitor student progress for both formative and summative assessment purposes and look for opportunities to provide and receive feedback to move learning forward.
Formative assessment (Assessment for learning)
Formative assessment allows students and teachers regular opportunities to monitor learning. Students engage in a variety of embedded formative assessment tasks so teachers can ‘check in’ on student progress regularly throughout a lesson or series of lessons. Teachers use formative assessment information to provide clear and specific feedback to each student to assist them to understand what they need to do to move their learning forward.
Summative assessment (Assessment of learning)
Teachers must also make judgements about student learning against the achievement standard for summative reporting purposes. The purpose of summative assessment, or assessment of learning, is to judge the extent and quality of student learning at a point in time. Teachers use a range of assessment tools to make summative judgements about student learning including student/teacher consultation, focused analysis of work samples and teacher observation
Reporting Learning
Twice Yearly Reporting
The purpose of twice yearly reporting is to provide parents/caregivers and students with a summary overview of achievement and progress for the current reporting period. This report summarises evidence of student learning about how the student is achieving, provides feedback about the quality of this achievement and provides direction about where to next.
Reporting involves a professional judgement made on a body of evidence about a student’s progress and achievement against the curriculum. The Year 1-6 report uses a Commonwealth Government mandated A-E reporting framework.
Religious Education - Forward Planning
Parents are invited to attend our upcoming Masses:
12th December 12:15pm - Thanksgiving Mass and announcement of 2023 Captains
14th December 6:00pm - Year 6 Graduation Mass
We are still looking for more students to help at the Christmas Mass on 24th December at 5:30pm! Please email Mrs Grant emma.grant@cg.catholic.edu.au
Class Retreats
This week 3/4R, 4/5Y and KY participated in a faith formation session. Each session started with walking mediation and then visio divina focusing on a reading from the Gospel of Luke and an artwork that represents the scripture passage. Students then took time to draw their own representation of the scripture.
Students from Kinder enjoyed visiting the Chapel for the first time during their session whilst 3/4 students asked deep thought provoking questions. A book I suggest all families read together is below:
Here is a snippet from inside:
NAPLAN 2023
Students in Years 3 and 5 are expected to sit the NAPLAN tests in Term 1 2023.
There are some instances where students may be exempted from one or more of the NAPLAN tests or marked absent (for the purpose of the tests) or withdrawn from the tests. The NAPLAN national protocols for test administration provide the framework for understanding student participation.
Exemptions
While a range of adjustments are available for students with disability, exemption may be suitable for some students with disability and for some students with a language background other than English. In both cases, schools need to discuss the proposed exemption with the student’s parent/carer and gain their permission prior to testing.
English language proficiency: Students with a language background other than English who arrived from overseas and have been attending school for less than a year before the test may be exempted. However, these students are not automatically exempt and should be given the opportunity to participate in testing. Principals can expect information from test administration authorities on the preferred method for collecting and recording this information. Students may be exempt from one test (e.g. reading) but still be able to participate in another test (e.g. numeracy).
Students with disability: Adjustments are provided to students with disability to support access to the tests and encourage maximum participation. Students with significant intellectual disability and/or those with significant co-existing conditions which severely limit their capacity to participate in the tests may be exempted from sitting the national tests. This is determined after consultation has occurred between the principal and the relevant parent/carer, and if it is decided the student is not able to access the tests with adjustments. For more information on the types of adjustments available, see Adjustments for students with disability.
Withdrawals
NAPLAN tests are a routine part of the school calendar. However, students may be withdrawn from the testing program by their parent/carer for reasons such as religious beliefs or philosophical objections to testing. This is a matter for consideration by individual parents/carers in consultation with their child’s school. A formal application in the manner specified by the relevant test administration authority must be received by the principal prior to testing.
For more information about adjustments, you can follow this link: https://www.nap.edu.au/naplan/accessibility/adjustments-for-students-with-disability
If you would like to discuss exemption or withdrawal, please email Mrs Grant @ emma.grant@cg.catholic.edu.au
Semester Reports on Compass
On Monday afternoon Semester Two Reports will be available for parents to access.
Here is a help guide on how to access these reports:
For detailed steps follow this document: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SsaBojh3rxTbAQE-0noSdHCprm__U7aQ/view?usp=share_link
