Dear Parents & Caregivers,
Acting Principal’s Message
Term 2 at St Matthew’s School is in full swing with a host of events and activities filling our calendar. It has been amazing seeing so many joyful smiles from our students as they continue their learning and engagement at St Matthew’s School.
Happy Mother’s Day
Happy Mother’s Day to all our St Matthew’s School mums. I hope you were spoilt on your special day with gifts, cards, and flowers or maybe even breakfast in bed. I am lucky enough to have my own mum visiting from NSW at the moment, which is extra special.
Year 4/5 Camp
Our Year 4 and 5 students recently returned from their biennial camp to Dryandra Forrest. The students participated in bushwalking, damper making, scavenger hunts, minibeast hunts, burger making, bush murals, board games , and marshmallow roasting. It was clear from the tired, but happy faces on return that the students had enjoyed the experience and learnt a lot from our sacred bush country. A huge thank you to Mr Collins, Mrs Allington, Mr Quartermaine, and Mrs Kilpatrick for their organisation and coordination of the camp. Their dedication to our students is clearly evident. Please visit out St Matthew’s School Facebook Page to see a video recapping all the amazing experiences enjoyed by our students.
Asthma/Anaphylaxis training
Last week, staff at St Matthew’s School attended their annual Asthma and Anaphylaxis training led by Nurse Lana. Through a variety of demonstrations, activities and assessments, staff refined their procedures and practices when managing students with medical conditions. Thank you, Nurse Lana, for sharing your time and expertise.
NAPLAN
Students in Years 3 and 5 will participate in the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) this week. Students will sit one assessment each morning from Tuesday to Friday. Each assessment is online (apart from Year 3 writing) and goes for approximately 45 minutes. The areas assessed are:
- Writing
- Reading
- Language conventions (spelling and grammar)
- Numeracy
While there is a large amount of negatively toward NAPLAN, especially in the media, it serves as an important part of your child’s learning journey as it helps teachers, school leaders, and policy makers decide what areas of student learning need (removed s) focus. If Australia, or WA, or even St Matthew’s School produced lower than average results in an NAPLAN area, we would know we need to invest further time, resources , and supports into that area to improve student outcomes. This may come in the form of new programs, practices, or upskilling of teaching staff.
It is important to realise that students complete a variety of assessments at St Matthew’s School. Some are written assessments similar to NAPLAN, some are oral speeches, posters, or creative presentations. NAPLAN tests are simply another assessment and should be treated as such. Through all these assessments, teachers make observations and review data to better inform their teaching practices; school reports are not reflective of NAPLAN results.
Please see below an article from ECU Lecturer Tanya James brilliantly places NAPLAN in perspective.
https://www.educationmattersmag.com.au/time-to-get-schooled/
Sometimes, students may feel anxious or worried before NAPLAN assessments. If your children experience any adverse feelings, you can:
- Discuss their feelings and concerns and reassure them that they are normal
- Encourage your children to ‘try their best’ and ‘give it a go’
- Ensure your children get a good night’s sleep and a healthy breakfast
- Remind them that they have completed many assessments already, and NAPLAN is just another one.
Mother’s Day Disco
Last Friday, the St Matthew’s School PnF coordinated a Mother’s Day Disco, which was enjoyed by all. While the kids got to let loose on the dance floor, the mums enjoyed a glass of bubbly and some time to connect with each other. Thank you to the PnF committee for organizing such a successful ‘friendraising’ event.
Year 5 assembly
Last Friday, the Year 5 class treated our school community with a re-enactment of the Parable of the Good Samaritan, followed by a musical showcase of “This little light of mine’. A variety of acting and musical talents were on show, and the crowd even got to participate too! Well done, Mr Quartermaine and Year 5 students.
Student Focus
Each week, students are challenged with a whole-school focus. Students can receive Ping-Pong-Points through our Whole-School Reward System, and this builds into their faction points. In Week 3, our student focus was using teachers’, and the students responded wholeheartedly. In Week 4, the challenge for students is keeping their hands to themselves. Respecting the physical space of each other person is an important life lesson for all to learn. Thank you for your support in this area.
Quiz Night
The PnF Quiz Night will be held on Friday 30th of July with the theme, “Christmas in July”. Please call the school office to book your table.
Thank you for your continued support of our wonderful school, and I wish you a fantastic week ahead.
God bless,
Mark Tenney
Acting Principal
