Dear Families,

It was great to have our school acknowledged recently in an interview with Riotact, we have shared this on our FaceBook page, and you can access via the link below:

The Riotact

There is lots to celebrate in our NAPLAN results, particularly in Reading.

• In Year 3 Reading, 87% of students achieved “Strong or Exceeding”.  This exceeds the ACT average by 16%.
• In Year 5 Reading, 86% of students achieved “Strong or Exceeding”.  This exceeds the ACT average by 8%.

I want to publicly thank our teachers for their commitment and fidelity in delivering the Catalyst Initiatives which we are seeing come to fruition. NAPLAN is not the only source of data where we are seeing marked progress, our mid-year DIBELS results (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) is telling us that 64% of students are “doing very well and are at low risk of future reading difficulties” (University of Oregon)

Our commitment to instructional leadership working with coaches, setting and achieving goals and improving classroom pedagogy is making a huge impact on achieving the Catalyst Bold Goals.

• Every Child is a competent reader

• HITP (High impact teaching practice) is visible in every classroom

We know that explicit direct instruction (EDI) is a successful and evidence-based pedagogy across curriculum areas, and we are focused on building the progress we are seeing in all curriculum areas. 

Last Thursday after our Science expo, as I was walking out to car line, I overheard multiple conversations from children leaving the building “That was so much fun!”, “I loved that volcano experiment”. This week I am seeing excited faces, chatting laughing, sharing books and being part of our book swap. We also had students giving their best at the Belconnen Athletics Carnival yesterday. Thank you to staff and students who attended, particularly our Sports Lead- Erin Hardwicke for her organisation. Its wonderful that our students share multiple enjoyable experiences in so many areas.

This Wednesday afternoon and Thursday I will be attending Principal’s Siloam in Galong. I will be disappointed to miss our Book Week parade but look forward to seeing some wonderful photos. Thank you to all our families who make Book Week special, we appreciate the time and effort that goes into preparation.

Thank you for your continued support.

Many blessings,

Judy Egan

Principal

Community Council Corner

The Community Council met recently and discussed all the happenings at the school. 

Huge thank you to all of the parents and teachers that assisted at the disco, it was a wonderful event and couldn’t have happened without you! 

There is a number of exciting events coming up with science weeks, author visits, confirmation programs and Year Six Graduation. 

The carpet squares in the junior block have been replaced and are looking wonderful, and there is more wood chip to spread in the coming weeks, if you are able to assist, please call or drop in at the front office. 

Planning is underway for the Community Christmas event, if you have any ideas or wish to be a part of the planning, please let us know.