AFPS School Review 7 – 9 November

Over the past 3 days we have had a 3-member review team visit our school and conduct an in-depth review as part of the 4 year cycle. Students, staff, parents and community members have all had the opportunity to speak with panel members and give insight into our school, it has been exciting to welcome the team into our classrooms and understand our structures and systems. This afternoon the 3-member team will present their finding to our staff which will then inform our next pieces of work linked to our continued school improvement journey. We will share these findings with our community also over the coming weeks through our socials.

Stop Work Action

Thank you to our school community who supported the early closure of our school yesterday. Students were collected promptly which allowed many staff to attend the stop work meetings. We acknowledge this change was certainly difficult for many families to support and we thank you for this. 

Deb Westerhof

We would like to congratulate Deb, as she was recently successful in an application to win a new role (Inclusive Practice Coach). Unfortunately for AFPS this means that we will lose Deb for at least the next 6 months. This is a fantastic opportunity for Deb and means she will be able to share her expertise across many schools in the south of the state. While we are very sad to lose Deb during this time it is an exciting opportunity for her and her career as a leader. Deb will finish at AFPS at the end of next week and Mrs Riewoldt has kindly agreed to take the role for the final 4 weeks of 2022. We would like to wish Deb all the best and hope to see her back in the second half of 2023. 

Year 6 Gumleaves Camp

Last week our Year 6 students attended their leadership camp. Due to COVID, this was postponed from March earlier this year. I was fortunate to be able to attend the first 2 days and witness the fun and excitement had by all who attended. The weather was pretty kind to us and we managed to swim at Spring Beach in fair conditions, where many students enjoyed the waves and beach games. A huge thanks to all staff who made this camp possible! Not all schools are able to have events like these due to staff support, so we are very lucky that our staff value these experiences and go above and beyond to support them.

PAT testing

Prep to Year 6 students are currently undertaking Progressive Achievement Testing (PAT). For most students, this involves 3 tests – Numeracy, Literacy and Spelling. These tests are held annually and provide class teachers with important information to understand student progress and next steps in teaching and learning for all students. All students complete these tests on laptops in classrooms, generally in small groups, with teacher support.

2023 Class Placements

We are very close to finalising class lists and beginning early transition steps for those students who require more support. Some students with a learning plan will receive information about 2023 class teacher shortly and visits will commence over the coming weeks. All other students will receive their class placements alongside final end of year reports on Monday 19 December and meet new class teachers on Wednesday 21 December.

Welcome back to the last Term of the school year! We’re excited for what’s in store, including Grade 6 Leadership Camp, the Championship Swimming Carnival and the All Schools Triathlon. 

This final stretch of the school year can sometimes be challenging to get your kids to school. But being at school is the best place for our kids, and it’s important we make every school day count.

If you’re struggling to get your child to school, help is available. Please talk to us at school about your situation. We’ll support you, in whatever way we can.

Here are some tips to help:

• Create a routine.
• Give yourself enough time in the morning.
• Be on time, every day. Monday to Friday.
• Schedule appointments and trips outside of school hours.
• Get a good night’s sleep.
• Set some technology boundaries.

If your child is well enough to attend school, they should be at school. Every day, Monday to Friday.

Data tells us that the better a child’s attendance rate, the better off they’ll be. Their future will be filled with more opportunities…. which is what every parent and carer wants for their child.

School is where they learn and grow alongside their friends, and where they benefit the most. Going to school not only promotes academic success, but also helps build important social skills, relationships and confidence.

Again, please talk to us about your situation if you’re having trouble getting your child to school every day.

A reminder to families that end of year reports will be distributed on Monday 19 December 2022. 

The report will show your child’s learning achievement on a 9-point visual scale which replaces A-E ratings for students in Prep to Year 10.

The 9-point scale shows more specifically where your child’s learning achievement is against the expected standard for their year level.

There will be no teacher comments on the report.

For more information about the changes to reports:

• School Reports FAQs
• Understanding the 9-point scale
• Reporting - The Department for Education, Children and Young People Tasmania (decyp.tas.gov.au)

Students will be sitting NAPLAN between 15 and 27 March 2023.

The National Assessment Program-Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) assesses literacy and numeracy skills that students are already learning at school. On its own, NAPLAN is not a test that can be studied for, and students are not expected to do so.

NAPLAN is just one aspect of a school’s assessment and reporting process – it does not replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance; however, students and parents may use individual results to discuss progress with teachers.

This is the first year NAPLAN will be held in March, having previously taken place in May. This change was made so school systems would have access to results earlier in the school year, so they can be used to inform teaching and learning plans for the remainder of the year.

Why NAPLAN is conducted online

NAPLAN online provides a better assessment and more precise results.

One of the main benefits of NAPLAN online is that it uses tailored (or adaptive) testing. This means that students receive questions better suited to their abilities, so they can show what they know and can do.

Online testing also allows us to provide a wide range of accessibility options to support students with disability to access NAPLAN.

Feedback from students is that they find the online test more engaging.

Please note that students in Year 3 complete the Writing Test on paper.

Parent information brochures and other resources

Your questions answered on NAPLAN and what it means for your child:

NAPLAN information brochure for parents and carers

The link will take you to the official National Assessment Program (NAP) website.

Please contact the school if you have any further queries.

The Year 6's from 5/6 Lewinski have recently returned home from camp at Gum Leaves on the East Coast. It was a great experience for all students with many activities on offer as well as a lot of time to hang out with friends and build friendships to carry on into high school. The Year 5's had a great time back at school also developing friendships with students from other classes and establishing a positive transition to 2023.

Only 4 months until it will be the Year 5's turn at camp!

This Term in 3/4 Pearce we are learning about force in Science. Our inquiry focuses on how contact and non-contact forces interact with objects to make them move. We have conducted lots of experiments to explore this. Our investigation started by learning about states of matter (solid, gas, and liquid). We filled balloons with air and placed them under a table. Then, we wanted to see how many students could stand on the table before it popped. We got to 4!

Then, we defined the difference between push and pull and investigated what causes things to float. We placed various objects into a jug of water and discussed what properties the objects had that caused them to float.

In the next stage of our inquiry, we are learning about the forces that interact with falling objects. The inquiry is proving to be an excellent learning journey for students, with lots of fun, hands-on experiences along the way!

With our buddy class we have been learning about the Eastern Barred Bandicoot. We have used this opportunity to develop our observational skills through still life drawing. We have revisited our drawing, responding to feedback to hone and refine our skills.

Families who were approved and received STAS in 2022 have been sent correspondence regarding STAS 2023 directly from the Department and do not need to complete another STAS application.

If you are a new enrolment or believe that your family circumstances have changed and feel that you may meet the eligibility criteria you are able to apply for STAS 2023.  The eligibility criteria means that if a parent holds a current Centrelink Health Care Card, Pension Concession Card or Department of Veteran's Affairs Concession Card they are eligible to apply for STAS.

Families can apply online on the Department's web page at: www.decyp.tas.gov.au

Hard copy application forms are available from the school office.

If you wish to add a newly enrolling family member to your STAS file (a Kindergarten student) please email your name, the student's full name, date of birth, year level and the school they will be attending to stas@decyp.tas.gov.au