Term 3: Week 7
I can hardly believe how quickly Term 3 is moving. With only a couple of weeks left, the school is humming with excitement and engagement. Our fruit trees in the kitchen garden are starting to blossom, and it won’t be long before we see an abundance of produce. I am so proud of the way the students have been working in the garden and the care they are putting into helping it grow.
You may have already noticed a friendly new face in the office. I am very pleased to welcome Renee McCleish, who has joined our administration team. Renee brings warmth and a helpful presence, and I know she will be a wonderful support for both families and students.
Over the next fortnight, families are invited to participate in the MACSSIS Family Survey. I place a high value on the insights this survey provides. It helps me understand where we are strong as a school and where we can continue to improve. I encourage you to take the time to complete the survey and share your voice, as your feedback truly shapes the direction and well-being of our school.
We are also on the countdown to our much-anticipated school production of Aladdin. I am so grateful to Vanessa for the tireless work she has put into preparing the students. It is not only our actors who are contributing to the production, but also the backstage crew and the students who have been creating sets with Sally and props during their art lessons with Bernie. I am very excited to see it all come together when the first performance is held for the school on Thursday, followed by the family performances on Friday.
It was lovely to welcome fathers and special people to our annual Father’s Day Breakfast this week. I want to give a very big thank you to the PIP team and to Andrea, who volunteered their time to make the event such a success. If you might have a few hours to spare, I encourage you to consider joining the Parents in Partnership (PIP) team, as their work makes such a positive difference in our community.
Book Week is always a highlight for me, and this year was no exception. I loved seeing so many families join us for the parade. Thank you to the parents and carers who worked behind the scenes to find or create costumes. Your efforts brought so much joy to the children and made the day so memorable.
Finally, I would like to invite expressions of interest to join our School Advisory Council. In MACS schools, this council plays an advisory role, supporting the school leadership team by offering guidance on strategic planning and strengthening ties between the school and the parish. It is a wonderful opportunity to share your skills, promote our school’s vision and mission, and contribute to the flourishing of our community. If you are interested in being part of this important work, please speak to the office for more information.
As we move into the final weeks of Term 3, I wish you and your families well. I hope you enjoy the many events and celebrations that are still to come as we look forward to the holiday break that will be with us before we know it!
Warm regards,
Michelle
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12 SEPT 2025 - 12 - 1:30pm Aladdin Production: Matinee
12 SEPT 2025 - 7 - 8:30 pm Aladdin Production: Evening Show
19 SEPT 2025 - Footy Colours Day
19 SEPT 2025 - 12pm Term 3 Ends
6 OCT 2025 - No Students - School Closure Day
7 OCT 2025 - Term 4 Begins
10 OCT 2025 - St Francis Feast Day Celebrations
10 OCT 2025 - 2 - 5:30pm School Disco
18 OCT 2025 - St James Fete
Early Finish on the Last Day of Term
A reminder that the last day of school will be a half day, with students finishing at 12:00 pm.
Have Your Say in the MACSSIS Survey!
Please check Operoo for your family’s MACSSIS code and take a few minutes to complete the survey. This year we’re adding some extra fun,families who submit a survey can enter a raffle to win a prize! If you’d like your name included, please indicate this when you complete the survey. The raffle will be drawn on the first day back in Term 4, Tuesday 7 October 2025.
The survey needs to be completed by Friday 19 September 2025, we’d love as many families as possible to take part.
Footy Colours Day is Coming!
AFL Footy Fever is back! To celebrate, the PIP Team is hosting a Hot Dog Lunch on Friday 19 September. Orders must be placed in Qkr by 4pm Friday 12 September.
Students can wear their favourite football or sports team colours on the day in exchange for a block of chocolate, which will support the St James Parish Fete on Saturday 18 October.
Families are welcome to join us for the Footy Parade at 9am on the Asphalt Area. A Longest Kick Competition, organised by our PE team, will add to the fun, with the final held at playtime.
Book week
We had such a great time celebrating Book Week! Across the week, students explored the stories that were part of this year’s selection and shared their thoughts, favourites, and discoveries. One highlight was Truck Cat, a story about a cat who finds adventure while riding in a big red truck. The children loved diving into the characters and themes of the books, and it was wonderful to see their excitement and curiosity grow through reading.
A big thank you to all the parents who took the time to help your child dress up for this much-loved event. The creativity and effort that went into the costumes made the day even more special, and the smiles on the children’s faces were truly priceless. Book Week remains one of the highlights of our school calendar, uniting us in celebration of the joy of stories.
New website page - Knowledge Rich
We’re excited to share a new section on our school website: the Knowledge Rich Curriculum page. ‘Knowledge Rich’ is our approach to building students’ learning through carefully sequenced units that give every child a strong foundation of essential knowledge. You can explore it here: Knowledge Rich Curriculum. In a future Opem Morning, we will focus on Knowledge Rich to give families a chance to see this approach in action.
NAPLAN 2025 Results
NAPLAN provides valuable insights into student progress in literacy and numeracy, helping schools identify strengths and areas to focus on in teaching. It is one of many tools we use to understand learning and should not be seen as a judgment of individual students. Every child’s learning journey is unique, and NAPLAN is just one snapshot alongside classroom assessments and the many achievements we celebrate each day.
Earlier this term, we received our 2025 NAPLAN results, which reflect the hard work and commitment of both students and teachers. Below is a summary of the outcomes in each area:
Reading: Year 3 results continue to rise, with students performing above state and national averages. Year 5 results also improved, sitting just below the state average and in line with the national average.
Writing: Year 3 results were consistent with last year, slightly below the state but above national averages. Year 5 results show growth from 2024, achieving just under the state average and above national levels.
Spelling: Year 3 results are outstanding, showing strong growth and well above both state and national averages. Year 5 results are steady, aligning closely with state and national levels.
Grammar & Punctuation: Year 3 students made clear gains, achieving well above state and national averages. Year 5 results remain similar to last year, with strong outcomes among higher-performing students.
Numeracy: Both Year 3 and Year 5 students showed improvement from 2024, performing above state and national averages. A highlight this year is that no Year 5 students were placed in the Needs Additional Support category.
These results are a wonderful reflection of our students’ efforts and the dedication of our staff, and these graphs show the way that our changes to the teaching approaches have positively impacted student achievement over the past 3 years.
Congratulations to all the students who made their First Communion or received a blessing at our recent celebration. The students were so reverent and respectful as they marked this special occasion. A big thank you also to Andrea and the Faith & Community team for the time and care they put into helping students and families prepare for this important milestone.
Garden Works
Over the last six weeks, we have been working on the next stage of our garden project, focusing on creating a natural play space for students. This week, groundworks have continued as we work to develop a beautiful new space designed to spark curiosity, creativity, and active play. The garden will feature a boardwalk with natural log posts, creating a welcoming pathway for children to explore. A meandering creek bed is being carefully dug and shaped, giving students the chance to learn about water flow and enjoy imaginative play in nature. To encourage climbing, balance, and physical challenge, large boulders will be placed throughout the area, providing safe and engaging spots for children to test their skills.
This new space will become a natural learning environment where students can connect with the outdoors, work together, and enjoy hands-on experiences that support both well-being and learning.
Our Prep students, in particular, have enjoyed watching our garden develop. The digger was a huge hit this week as boulders were being carefully placed.
Year 4 Earthquake Design
The Year 4 students had lots of fun exploring science through a “jelly earthquake” experiment. Working in small groups, they used marshmallows and toothpicks to design and build model structures. These were then placed on trays of jelly, which acted like the Earth’s surface during an earthquake. By gently shaking the trays, students could see if their buildings were strong enough to survive the “quake.” Along the way, they learned about how tectonic plates deep under the Earth’s surface move and shift, causing real earthquakes. The activity provided students with a hands-on approach to test their ideas, work collaboratively as a team, and understand the connection between science and engineering and the world around them.
School Open Morning
We were blown away by the number of families who joined us at our recent School Open Morning, where the focus was on Mathematics. Building on the success of this event, we look forward to offering more presentations in the future so you have even more opportunities to share in your children’s learning. Thank you to all the families who made the time to come along and be part of this special morning.
Update on Social Media Age Restrictions
From mid-December, new laws will mean that children under 16 will no longer be able to have accounts on certain social media platforms. This is likely to include Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube, but not online gaming or standalone messaging apps.
These changes are about helping young people avoid some of the pressures and risks that come with social media too early, like feeling they have to reply to every notification or coming across content that isn’t good for their well-being. Waiting until 16 gives kids more time to build confidence, resilience, and the skills they need to use social media in healthy ways.
As parents and carers, it’s important we chat openly with our children about these new rules, how they currently use social media, and how the changes might affect them. You can find out more about this new law here.
Divisional Athletics Carnival
There are several levels of school athletics where students can progress as they achieve success. In primary schools, the four levels of competition are District, Division, Region and State. After strong performances at our recent District Athletics Carnival, we are proud to be sending 10 athletes who qualified to compete at the Divisional Athletics Carnival.
The event will be held on Thursday 11 September at Newport Athletics Track. A big thank you to Brian for organising and coordinating this excursion, which gives our students the chance to shine in the areas they are strongest. We wish our athletes all the very best for the upcoming event!
Growing our Student Enhancement Team program
This term, we have expanded our Learning Enhancement Program to build more times into the timetable that offer students extra opportunities to master the skills being taught in class. During class teaching time, we follow a structured approach that allows students to learn new skills over several lessons, with built-in time to practise and revise their knowledge.
Sometimes, students need additional support to fully consolidate these skills. To meet this need, our Learning Support Officers (LSOs) run targeted programs that give students extra practice and guidance. Our incredible LSO team runs many sessions focusing on key areas, including:
Phonemic Awareness – understanding the sounds that letters make and applying these sounds to reading and writing
Reading Fluency – building stamina, speed, and accuracy in reading
Number Sense – developing an understanding of numbers, particularly the base 10 system, and gaining a strong grounding in the order and size of numbers
Number Fact Fluency – developing automatic recall of number facts, from adding to ten, progressing through subtraction, multiplication, and division facts
If your child is participating in one of these groups, you will have received an Operoo notification with more details about the program.
We are especially grateful to Daniella Kelly and our LSO team, who have worked extremely hard this term to expand the program, giving more students than ever these valuable opportunities to master the key skills they need for learning success.
