Principal's news
Dear mums, dads, carers and colleagues
It has been another fantastic week at school and nearly all of the extra-curricular opportunities are up and running. I will list each of them in the next issue of the school newsletter. Thank you to the teachers who are providing these opportunities.
Parent information sessions
All class teachers will be leading a parent information session on Monday afternoon (20 February). All sessions begin at 2:45pm and will close at 3:40pm. Please wait outside classrooms until the teacher is ready because we will need to pack up from the day's learning first.
Please email your teacher by noon on Monday if you are attending their session.
Following the class sessions, we will provide a special session for families around how children learn to read and how we can help them be successful. This is an incredible opportunity for our families. No need to RSVP, just drop in after the parent session. Thank you to Ms Hughes, Ms Costello and Mrs Walsh for sharing their expertise with us.
Student leaders 2023
Congratulations to all of the students who were recognised this week, receiving a leadership role in their class or for the school. I was delighted to see so many families able to attend our presentation assembly last Monday. To see the full list of recipients, please visit the year level sections below.
Naplan 2023 is coming (Week 8)
Each year, students in Years 3 and 5 are able to sit the national testing program called NAPLAN. Below you will find the following information relates to NAPLAN Online testing at Coomera Rivers in 2023:
- NAPLAN Test schedule 2023
- NAPLAN Practice Test schedule 2023
- Student iPad Preparation
- Student Preparation
- NAPLAN On-line Familiarisation
- NAPLAN Information for Parents
- NAPLAN 2023
- Student Withdrawals
- Student Exemptions
- Student Disability Adjustments
NAPLAN Test schedule 2023
The 2023 NAPLAN On-line testing at Coomera Rivers SS will occur from Term 1, Week 8, Wednesday 15 March as per the following proposed test schedule.
Wednesday 15 March (Writing test)
- 9.00 - 10.00am Year 3
- 11.15 - 12.15pm Year 5
Thursday 16 March (Reading)
- 9.00 - 10.00am Year 3 / (Plus Writing catch-up Year 5)
- 11.15 - 12.15pm Year 5 / (Plus Writing catch-up Year 3)
Friday 17 March (Conventions of Language)
- 9.00 - 10.00am Year 3 / (Plus Reading catch-up Year 5)
- 11.15 - 12.15pm Year 5 / (Plus Reading catch-up Year 3)
Monday 20 March (Numeracy)
- 9.00 - 10.00am Year 3 / (Plus Conventions of Language catch-up Year 5)
- 11.15 - 12.15pm Year 5 / (Plus Conventions of Language catch-up Year 3)
Tuesday 21 March (Numeracy catch up day)
- 9.00 - 10.00am Numeracy catch-up Year 3 & 5
You will see that we have built in some catch-up testing each day, for those students who are absent on any of the testing days.
NAPLAN Practice Test schedule 2023
To prepare our students for the format of NAPLAN on-line testing, they will undertake practice tests on the following dates:
- Year 5 – February 21, Tuesday 9.00 - 10.00am (Omnibus test)
- Year 3 - February 21, Tuesday 11.15 - 12.15pm (Omnibus test)
- Year 5 - February 22, Wednesday 11.15 - 12.15pm (Writing test)
The Omnibus test is a mix of questions from all NAPLAN tested areas, reading, language conventions and numeracy. No data will be collected or shared for the practice tests.
Please note: Year 3 Writing will not be on-line.
Student iPad Preparation (IMPORTANT)
We ask that if you haven't already done so, please organise the following things for your child:
- Download the NAP Locked Down browser app to your child's iPad. This app can be found in the inTune Company Portal app.
- Have working headphones
- Note that an iPad mini cannot be used for the NAPLAN On-line testing.
Student Preparation
It is important that our students are not overwhelmed by the experience of NAPLAN, it should not be a stressful experience for them. This is why we run practice tests and build their emotional resilience in preparation for the tests.
NAPLAN Online Familiarisation
We encourage students and parents to familiarise themselves with NAPLAN Online by visiting the public demonstration site - https://nap.edu.au/naplan/public-demonstration-site on the NAP website. Some past NAPLAN papers are also available: https://www.acara.edu.au/assessment/naplan
NAPLAN Information for Parents
Earlier this week, we emailed the following documents to families of students Years 3 & 5:
- NAPLAN information brochure for parents and carers
- NAPLAN privacy notice
- NAPLAN Online and protecting privacy
For further information, please visit:
- ACARA NAPLAN Online website - https://www.nap.edu.au/naplan/understanding-online-assessment
- ACARA's Assessment Platform - https://www.assessform.edu.au
Advice for Parents and Caregivers about NAPLAN
Student Withdrawals
Parents can withdraw their child from the test by notifying the School and completing a Withdrawal form. Withdrawal is intended as an option to address issues such as religious beliefs and philosophical objections to testing.
Student Exemptions
Students may be exempted from one or more of the tests if they meet one of the following criteria:
- students with significant intellectual disability and/or those with significant co-morbidities that severely limit their capacity to participate in the tests.
- students with a language background other than English, who arrived from overseas and have been attending school in Australia for less than a year before the test.
Exemptions for students with physical and/or intellectual disabilities are determined through consultation between the principal, student, and parents/carers.
Adjustments for students with a disability
Adjustments are available in NAPLAN tests for students with disability to support students’ access to the tests. Adjustments should reflect similar support and assistance provided in the classroom for assessment activities.
Adjustments can be made for students with physical, cognitive, sensory and social/emotional disability. Examples of adjustments may include:
- students may receive slightly more time to complete the tests or be seated separately from their regular class
- students may receive rest breaks
Parents and carers of students with disability should discuss with their child’s teacher, and/or Inclusion teacher, adjustments that may be suitable for their child.
School photos
School photos are being taken in the coming fortnight. Please check the ordering deadlines outlined later in this newsletter. Please note that:
- Students will need to wear their BLUES uniform for the photo.
- Class teachers will inform families of the day and estimated times of the photos.
- Every child will be involved in the photos, regardless of ordering.
Playtime and sport
At Coomera Rivers, sport requires sportsmanship. We teach students to play for Fun, Fitness and Friendship (Our sports ethos). There is no place for poor sportsmanship on any sports field.
To represent our school at interschool sport, every player must demonstrate this ethos at school. Failing to do so may result in what we call a Red Card being given by me or one of our Deputy Principals. Two red cards will result in students missing an interschool sports season. All of the students in Years 5&6 are aware of this requirement.
Attendance at school
To be Good at learning - Good at life, I need children to maximise outcomes from every learning day. There will be 49 school days this term. I need everyone to aim to be at school for 46 of them. I intend to celebrate excellent attendance each term with those students.
Kind regards
Vic