Dear Parents and Friends,
Last week our Year 3 and 5 students took part in the annual NAPLAN test online. For our Year 3s this was an experience they would have never before encountered. Not even the previous generation of Year 3s had undertaken NAPLAN online.
Like me, I am sure that many of our parents would have experienced the ‘deadly silent’ classroom during our education. I can still remember Sister Mary Bernadette pointing the end of a feather duster at me demanding silence or else. Friday morning dictation tests, followed by the mental arithmetic test was common practice for my generation and thankfully uncommon in our contemporary classrooms today. The difference is our generation never sat a Year 12 style exam lasting an hour or more over three days at this level! And so I was so proud of the Year 3 and 5s last week as I visited classrooms set in rows, as the children wrote a narrative text, looked for spelling and grammar errors in writing, answered multiple choice comprehension reading questions and solved Maths problems. One little Year 3 boy came up to me after the writing convention test and said “Mr D those tests are just trying to trick us!”
The NAPLAN tests language convention, writing, reading and numeracy in one hour blocks (approx) of silent concentration so foreign from the collaborative style of teaching today. This is why my visits to classrooms last week filled me with pride because of the way the children took on the challenge and because of the way our teachers prepared our children. Well done to all!
Volunteer’s Week
This week was Volunteer's Week, a time to thank all of the volunteer organisations that work so tirelessly in the community. There are so many volunteer groups that help in such a wide variety of ways. Our country, state and communities would be lost without the generous support they provide. At Star of the Sea we are blessed with over 300 registered volunteers and we are grateful to all those who give so willingly of their time, energy and talents in making such significant contributions to our school programs. Rest assured your contributions are very much appreciated and provide the children with a powerful lesson, that there is value in working together for a common goal and purpose. As I walk around the school each day I see our volunteers at work in the Library covering books, in the Marine Discovery Centre taking school groups and feeding fish, in the Canteen making lunches, in classrooms working with LAP students, listening to reading, helping with cooking classes and going on excursions. After a full day at work our parent volunteers appear and coach our sports teams and ensure our after school sports program is effective and vibrant. To all those who give of their time, energy and talents, your contributions are very much appreciated.
Staffing Changes for Term 3
Next term we welcome the arrival of our Term 3 Reception children. These children will have six terms in Reception and be a part of the 2020 Reception cohort. I am pleased to announce that Abbey Hinge and Tara Hetherington will be sharing the new Reception class when they start next term. Both Abbey and Tara will be very familiar to our families as they were staff members before heading off to start their families.
I would also like to announce the appointment of Jessica Izzo as the replacement teacher for Mrs Brockman's Reception class when Breanna leaves at the end of this term to have her first child. Jessica Izzo has been teaching in London and is an experienced Reception teacher. Jessica is also an Old Scholar and knows Star of the Sea well.
Mr Anthony Pigliacelli has been appointed as the replacement teacher in Year 3H for next term. Mrs Nikki Hall is also leaving at the end of Term 2 to have her first child. Anthony was a student teacher at Star of the Sea last year and has filled several contract positions this year. I am sure Anthony will maintain the great work Nikki Hall has initiated in Year 3H for the remainder of the year.
This Friday night is the annual Sportsman's Night. Ryan Scott has done a great job gathering three entertaining guest speakers and so I encourage our dad's to come along and support the night. Tickets are available on QKR or you can pay at the door. I look forward to sharing the night with you at the Henley Lawn Bowls Club at 7pm. See you there.
Enjoy the weekend ahead!
Joe De Tullio