Dear Parents and Carers,

Last week, we observed the significant Feast Day of the Assumption, commemorating the moment when Mary was assumed body and soul into heaven to be with God at the end of her earthly life. This Feast is also recognised as a Holy Day of Obligation, reminding us of the importance of gathering to honour Mary's unique role in our faith. We also extend our heartfelt thanks to Fr. Namora for celebrating Mass with us and helping to make this occasion even more special and meaningful.

We have enjoyed an excellent Book Week this week, culminating in our annual Book Week parade this morning. Many weird and wonderful characters came through the school gates this morning, and the students had an excellent day filled with arts, crafts, and book fun. Stay tuned for a photo delight on our FB page soon. I thank Mrs Bond for all her work organising and promoting the day and the parent community for your generous support of our Book Fair.

NAPLAN Yr 5

In Week 1, parents of Year 5 students received their NAPLAN reports. Student achievement in NAPLAN is reported using proficiency standards for each assessment area: Numeracy, Reading, Writing, Spelling, and Grammar & Punctuation. The standards are set at a challenging but reasonable expectation of what students know and can do at the time of testing. There are 4 proficiency levels:

Exceeding: The student's result exceeds expectations at the time of testing.

Strong: The student's result meets challenging but reasonable expectations at the time of testing.

Developing: The student's result indicates that they are working towards expectations at the time of testing.

Needs Additional Support: The student's result indicates that they are not achieving the learning outcomes that are expected at the time of testing. They are likely to need additional support to progress satisfactorily.

As a school, we have begun our analysis of this cohort data, and I am happy to report the following initial observations of data trends in our 2024 Year 5 cohort:

Grammar & Punctuation: Our results show that the majority of students (53%) are performing strongly, with an additional 7% exceeding the expected standard. However, 39% of students are in the "Developing" category, indicating a need for further support and targeted teaching.

Numeracy: Numeracy results have shown that 71% of students were strong or exceeding, with our highest percentage of students needing additional support being 9%.

Reading: 59% of students have demonstrated strong proficiency in Reading, with an additional 14% exceeding expectations. However, 24% are still in the "Developing" stage, suggesting there is room for growth in this area to ensure all students reach their full potential.

Spelling: Spelling results show that 63% of students are performing at a strong level, and 9% exceed standards. While these results are promising, we will continue to monitor and support the 21% of students who are still developing their skills in this area.

Writing: Writing continues to be an area of strength for our Year 5 students, with 71% demonstrating strong or exceeding proficiency. However, 27% of students are still developing their skills, which highlights the need for ongoing support to ensure they can improve their writing capabilities.

These results are an aggregate of our school's Year 5 cohort data, and we will await further analysis of how they compare to the ACT and national mean. We have a range of intervention and extension programs and projects in place to support our students to excel in all proficiencies, from an Extension Writing Group, Hub Project learning, Maths Olympiad, MiniLit, Maths Mastery, Corrective Reading, Spelling Mastery and supported by high-quality science of learning-based pedagogies. Next year, we will have growth data from 2023-2025 (Not available currently due to change in NAPLAN reporting in 2023), which will give us another data point to measure the effectiveness of these programs. This data will feed into our Strategic Plan for 2026-2028, which we will begin writing next year.

A note that NAPLAN is a snapshot of one day in your child's life and is not the be-all and end-all of educational performance. At SFA, we utilise various assessment processes and procedures to measure academic achievement and growth. These are triangulated and cross-referenced to give a more accurate picture of a student's progress. Please celebrate this report with your child and be proud of their achievements.

Lockdown

This is just a follow-up to our lockdown a couple of weeks ago. We discussed our plans and actioned some improvement items for the future. If God forbid, we need to use our lockdown procedures again. As the Parent community, it is essential to note the following:

• No Access to Classrooms: During a lockdown, no one, including parents and caregivers, can enter or exit the school. This is a critical safety measure to ensure the security of all students and staff.
• Communication via Compass: We will inform you of the situation through the Compass portal. Updates will let you know what is occurring and when the lockdown has ended.
• Do Not Come to the School: In such situations, your instinct is to be close to your child. However, it is essential that you do not come to the school during a lockdown. No students will be brought to the gate, and any attempt to enter the school grounds will not be permitted until the lockdown is officially lifted.

We ask for your cooperation in following these procedures to ensure the safety and security of everyone in our school community. Your understanding and support are greatly appreciated.

Bathroom Updates

The progress has been great, with concrete cutting, new plumbing, and floor levelling occurring this week. The frames have started to go up, and cubicles will not be too far away. They are on track for completion this term.

Mobile Phone Reminders

We have seen an increase in student phone usage recently and would like to remind you that the following helps us to create a safe and focused learning environment for all students.

Mobile Phone Check-In Procedure:

• Upon Arrival: All students who bring a mobile phone to school must check it into the front office when they arrive on school grounds. This ensures that phones are securely stored during the school day.
• End of Day: At the end of the school day, teachers will return the phones to the students. This process helps maintain a distraction-free environment throughout the day.

Use of Mobile Phones on School Grounds:

• During School Hours: We recognise that students may need a phone for travel to and from school. However, once at school, mobile phones are not needed and should remain checked in. Students are not permitted to use their phones on school grounds at any time during the school day, including before the first bell, during recess and lunch breaks, and after school concludes.
• Gala, Excursions, and Sporting Events—Students are not to bring mobile devices to the Gala, excursions, and Sporting Days. As they are in the care of a teacher at these events, if a parent needs to be contacted, the staff member will contact you. If you need to contact your child during these events, please contact the school office, who will pass on a message to the staff member on your behalf.
• After School: Mobile phones are not to be used on school grounds even after the school day has officially ended.

We kindly ask for your support in ensuring your child follows these guidelines. This helps us to minimise distractions, reduce screen time, promote responsible phone use, and maintain a positive and focused school environment.

Blessings and best wishes

Sean Rutledge

Principal