Issue 2, 3 March 2023, Week 4 Term 1

Dear Families,

Thank you for another fantastic week! With Term 1 being a slightly shorter term this year, we are trying to pack in as much learning and assessment as possible to build on your child’s current academic and social success. Our Primary School Literacy Inquiry Focus is on the pedagogy of Reading. Teachers are already engaging in their own learning and preparation during weeks one and two of school. Our teaching teams have planned for the direction this inquiry will take with exciting prospects ahead. Our Early Childhood inquiry will focus on listening and documentation. Documentation gives educators an insight into what children are learning. It values young children as learners and thinkers. As the Early Childhood and Primary inquiry progresses, keep up to date on our online platforms – Facebook, Instagram and Seesaw. We use these platforms to regularly share our work which can help spark conversations at home with your child about their learning. We look forward to celebrating our success towards the end of the term.

Our School Improvement Plan is the key strategic driver of our school, focussing on our primary goal – improving the learning outcomes for all children. The School Improvement Plan is where each of our inquiry goals is documented in detail. We appreciate and welcome any input or feedback on our plan from the entire school community, so please do not hesitate in getting in contact with Ms Crane on (03) 6229 5728 or via email on angela.crane@decyp.tas.gov.au should you have anything you would like to add.

Term 1 has been a very busy and exciting start to the year for our students and our teachers. Most importantly, our key focus will always be on our core subjects of the Australian Curriculum: English, Maths, Science, History and Social Science (HASS). Teachers are working hard alongside students to set individual goals within these core learning areas so that students continue to thrive. By the end of Week 7 families will receive a Term One Progress Report that is an early guide to how your child has settled into their new class and how they are coping with the routines and peer groups. This initial report will give you a good indication to how your child is progressing with work habits and social skills.  It is not intended to inform you about academic progress. This will be covered fully in the Mid-year Reports. Parents will also receive an invitation to make a time to meet with the classroom teacher throughout Week 8 of term (week beginning 27 March). Further details on booking a time will be provided in the coming weeks.

Our Prep students will complete Progressive Achievement Tests (PAT) in Week 5 of Term 1. This year there will be some changes made to how the tests look. PAT tests provide for a more holistic assessment with greater accuracy in results. PAT testing includes two components: Reading and Numeracy. These results will provide further evidence to assist teachers in supporting and/or extending our students ensuring each student reaches their full potential. However it is important to note that PAT testing is just one form of assessment teachers collect throughout the year to inform teaching and learning. If you have any questions around PAT testing please do not hesitate in coming to see one of our Senior Staff members.

Our Year 3 and 5 students will complete National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) Testing in Weeks 6 and 7  (15 to 27 March) of Term 1. This is the first year NAPLAN will be held in March having previously taken place in May. This change was made so schools would have access to results earlier in the year so they can be used to inform teaching and learning plans for the remainder of the year.

Almost all NAPLAN tests will be online. This means all NAPLAN tests will be online-based assessments aside from the Year 3 Writing test.  NAPLAN Online will provide better assessment and more precise results. The assessments will feature a tailored test design, meaning the questions a student receives will depend on their answers to previous questions. NAPLAN Online 2023 will include four components: Writing, Numeracy, Conventions of Language, and Reading. These results will provide further evidence to assist teachers in supporting and/or extending our students and will ensure each student reaches their full potential. However whilst this assessment is vital, it is important to note that it is just one form of assessment teachers collect throughout the year to inform teaching and learning. The best way you can help your child prepare for NAPLAN is to reassure your child that NAPLAN tests are just one part of their school program and to urge them to simply do the best they can on the day. If you have any questions about your child’s preparation for NAPLAN you should make a time to speak with their teacher.

Last Tuesday our Year 3-6 students gathered to participate in our Swimming Carnival. I would like to take this opportunity to say a huge 'thank you' to Mrs Cockerell for organising and running an incredibly successful event. I know how much effort was required to ensure that the day ran smoothly. Thanks also to the teachers and amazing family volunteers who attended and assisted in running the events. Your commitment and dedication to our students is outstanding. All students enthusiastically participated and demonstrated sportsmanship. We were incredibly proud of each one of them.

Our Year 6 Leadership Team is now in full swing for Term 1 with lots of fabulous and exciting projects underway. Congratulations to Rueben Reid and Sabrina Simmons who were elected to be our 2023 School Captains by their peers. Joining Rueben and Sabrina Simmons are our Vice Captains, Aaliyah Wass and William Caught. Mrs Sam Dobson will meet fortnightly with the entire Leadership Team, SRC representatives, as well as our School Captains and Vice Captains to plan for exciting new student-led initiatives. From talking to the Student Leadership Team it is obvious that they possess strong leadership skills, a passion for the school, and they will play a major role in leading their peers this year. The Student Leaders already have many exciting ideas of what they would like to achieve this year. We look forward to these plans taking shape and further improving our School Community.

Finally, it was great to see so many members of our School Community at our Meet & Greet BBQ last week. I always enjoy catching up with our parents and families and meeting new members of our School Community. Thanks to all who attended!

That’s all from me this week. We’ve had a lovely start to the new school year. Personally, I feel incredibly grateful to be spending time in the Kingston School community. We look forward to continuing to work in partnership with parents and families throughout Term 1 and beyond.

Ange Crane
Principal

School Association

The School Association is ideal to interact with the school at all levels. This is also an opportunity to meet the wider School Community. As a parent/guardian at Kingston Primary School we invite you to become a member of the School Association. We need your voice. All parents are encouraged and welcome to attend School Association meetings which are held each term in Week 3 on a Tuesday afternoon beginning at 1.45pm and Week 7 on a Tuesday evening beginning at 6.30pm.

We will be hosting our AGM on Tuesday 21 March at 6.30pm (Week 7 of Term 1) in the School Library. This will see us putting together our 2023 committee. Positions vacant on our committee include the following:

• Chairperson;
• Secretary;
• Parent Representatives;
• Community Representatives.

We really want parent involvement. To be involved, please complete a nomination form and return it to the school office by Tuesday 14 March. Just a friendly reminder that this is a great opportunity for all community members to be involved in the school, meet new people and chat with our teaching teams in a relaxed setting – and I assure you that the commitment is not onerous. We are keen to hear all voices on ways we can improve the school and wider community.

This is a useful place to positively participate in the life of the school and to raise any areas of concern regarding your child’s education. We value the input of our community into decisions that are made around the school and continuously improve what we do. There would be many things our parent/guardians would see that, as educators, we aren’t always privilege to. Without your voice we cannot improve in these important ways.