Welcome back for Term 2. Hopefully students have reviewed and discussed with their parents their progress reports as these are an important indication of how they’re tracking to start the year. That being said, there’s still plenty left to play for in Semester 1. Students who have started the year well certainly shouldn’t rest on their laurels, and students who were disappointed in their results shouldn’t feel resigned to their fate, but should take on board the feedback from their teachers and strive to improve. Especially this year, given that Term 1 was only 9 weeks long, for the majority of classes the bulk of assessment will come due in Term 2. This will of course present a challenge in itself, and creating an assessment schedule will be essential in order to plan ahead effectively. Students are encouraged to remember that a good assessment planner will include not just due dates, but will have a start date that factors in the time required to complete the task, with enough time to submit and receive feedback on a draft if applicable.
Also in planning for Term 2, Year 5, 7 and 9 students and their families should have NAPLAN on their radar. The NAPLAN testing window starts on the 11th of May. The NAPLAN test is online. Students in Years 7 and 9 will use their BYOD computers and should bring in headphones, while students in Year 5 will use school devices. At the end of last term students did a trial run to check browsers and compatibility, as well as to familiarize themselves with how the test works. NAPLAN is an important test and it provides valuable information for individual students, and for the school on the whole, to see how we’re travelling as compared to students across Australia. We do want and expect students to do their best. This means coming to school well-rested and completing the test to the absolute best of their ability. NAPLAN shouldn’t, however, be a source of major anxiety for students. If students and/or families have any questions about the NAPLAN test or how to prepare for it, I would encourage you to contact us in Teaching and Learning.
Tim Bibbens
Assistant Principal Teaching and Learning