Dear Duffy Primary School Community,

Welcome back to the third term, meaning we are halfway through the school year. Halftime in many sports is a time not only to catch your breath but to reassess the match and make any necessary changes. For our students and staff, I hope this was also your approach to the holiday break. Yes, rest and recover. But also review the first Semester and decide on any changes in approach that may be needed as we enter the 'run home'. Change may be as simple as asking your teachers more questions, participating in class discussions or being in the right place at the right time. Without an action plan, goals are just dreams. Dream big but make the changes to get you there.

STAFFING UPDATE

We welcome Katie Love to our community. Ms Love is currently teaching Year 4 whilst Miss Pummeroy is on leave. I know you will join me in welcoming Katie to our fabulous community. 

A Busy Term 3 Underway Already!

It has been wonderful to start the term with so many events that are often the highlight of the year for some of in our community. To date this has included Kindergarten’s celebration of 100 days of school last Friday, our pump track being reopened with access to it before school on Mondays and Wednesdays from 8.40-9am and our Year 4-6 students showcasing their KIDS IN SPACE projects with a cohort representing the school attending Headley Beare Centre for Teaching and Learning.  We look forward to a fun filled term jammed with some fantastic activities including the P&C Trivia Night (See below), our Book Week celebrations and Floriade Performance for choir and bands.

NAPLAN

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is an annual national assessment for all students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 and is the only national assessment that all Australian children undertake. It’s a measure to see whether young Australians are developing the literacy and numeracy skills that provide critical foundations for other learning and for their productive and rewarding participation in the community. 

Individual NAPLAN reports were sent home for students in Year 3an 5 this week. In 2023, new standards were introduced to NAPLAN reporting. This reporting replaces numerical NAPLAN reporting bands and national minimum standards. 

Proficiency standards provide clear information on student achievement. There are four proficiency standards: 

• EXCEEDING: the student’s results exceed expectations at the time of testing 

• STRONG: The student’s results meets challenging but reasonable expectations at the time of testing 

• DEVELOPING: The student’s results indicate that they are working towards expectations at the time of testing 

• NEEDS ADDITIONAL SUPPORT: The student’s result indicated that they are not achieving the learning outcomes expected at this stage of testing. They are likely to need additional support to progress satisfactorily.

The overall school performance is currently being analysed. NAPLAN results are only one aspect of our school’s assessment and reporting process. We have extensive, ongoing assessments of student performance that provide a clear insight into the needs of our students. 

2023 School Satisfaction & Climate Survey

Each year, the Directorate surveys all parents and carers, school staff and students in Years 4 to 12 about their experience of public education. The 2023 School Satisfaction & Climate Survey will be available online from 18 August to 8 September. The survey results will help us to continue to make quality informed decisions about how to improve our school. No personal identifying information will be provided to any school or college. 

For each child in their family who attends an ACT public school, parents and carers will receive: 

• A letter about the student survey outlining the reasons for collection and privacy provision for the data; and 

• An email about the parent survey, including a unique link to access the survey. Genuine survey invitation emails will have the title "The 2023 School Satisfaction & Climate Survey is now open!" and will be sent from EDU Surveys & Evaluation with 'from' address EDU@qualtrics-survey.com

If you do not receive the survey invitation, please check your Junk email folder; if it is not there, please contact the school. If you do not have an email listed with the school, please email Front Office DuffyPS@ed.act.edu.au

The Parents and Carers Survey will be available online in other languages: Arabic, Burmese, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Urdu, Vietnamese, Punjabi, Bengali, Spanish, Telugu, French and Italian. Respondents can select their preferred language when they start the survey. A shortened paper-version of the Parents and Carers Survey is also available in the following 5 languages: Dari, Dinka, Farsi, Karen and Mon. These surveys are available at the Front Office. 

For the results to reflect the opinions of our whole school community, we need as many parents and carers, staff and students as possible to complete the survey. Your feedback is important, and we hope you will take part. For more information, visit: https://www.education.act.gov.au/public-school-life/school-satisfaction-and-climate-survey

With every best wish for a wonderful weekend with your beautiful families.

Regards,

Katie, Arilia, Sarah and Katie

Kids in Space

Students in years 4-6 engaged in the Kids in Space project throughout term 2 and were able to showcase their learning at the start of this term. Selected students engaged in the ACT showcase this week. We are so proud of everyone who participated in the project, designed solutions for space related problems and completed a 3D printed design.

French Day

Thank you to Katrina Sinclair for putting on a fabulous French Day for our school community today! There were many students dressed in French costumes and colours. They all enjoyed completing French related activities, including Eiffel Tower Art, Miming, learning about the French Flag, learning about French artists and exploring the Tour de France. 

Merci Mademoisselle Sinclair!

These will be presented at Monday Morning WOW.

Merit Awards

Additional Koori Preschool sessions from 2024

Additional Koori Preschool sessions will be available at the start of the 2024 school year for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in the ACT. Extra sessions of 15 hours a week will be offered at three of the ACT’s five Koori Preschools: Narrabundah Early Childhood School, Ngunnawal Primary School and Wanniassa School.

Koori Preschool provides children aged 3 to 5 years with a play-based, culturally safe learning program. Families attending  Koori Preschool can also attend universal preschool. Children attending Koori Preschool do not need to live in the Priority Enrolment Area. Enrol now at education.act.gov.au

Find out more about Koori Preschool by contacting the Early Childhood Education Officer by email EDUKooriPre@act.gov.au or calling 620 71106.

Big skills for small bikes – Register for the July and September course now!

Families can now register for the big skills for small bikes course run by Pedal Power ACT. Big skills for small bikes is a learn to ride course for younger children aged 3-8, which focuses on teaching parents and carers how to get their kids riding confidently and safely. This is a beginner course best suited to kids who are not yet riding on their own unaided.

The course includes 5 separate 45-minute sessions delivered each morning from Monday to Friday. Courses in the July and September school holidays are currently open for registration. More information on the course including dates, registration and pricing is available on the Pedal Power Website.

Help fight the spread of illness this winter

One of the best ways to help protect you and your family this winter is to get the flu vaccine. It’s important to vaccinate your child as they’re at a higher risk of serious complications if they get sick and are more likely to spread it to others.

Help fight the spread of illness this winter by staying home if you’re sick and wash your hands regularly. Please visit the ACT Health Influenza (Flu) page for more information.

Learning for Life

The Learning for Life program helps children by supporting their education from primary through to post-school studies, like TAFE or University.

Learning for Life provides:

To be eligible for Learning for Life, you need to:

• Have a child or children in Primary School, at one of the schools The Smith Family work with

• Have a Health Care or Pension Concession Card

• Have a strong commitment to your child/ren’s education and make sure they attend school regularly

To register your interest in Learning for Life, you need to:

1. Click this link https://www.thesmithfamily.com.au/campaigns/learning-for-life-expression-of-interest

2. Fill out the relevant details (your name, phone number, child/ren’s details and School Information)

3. You will then receive an email from The Smith Family with information about next steps

If you have any questions about Learning for Life, or need help to apply, you can call The Smith Family on 0481 464 065 or 1800 280 223.

Home Learning Hub

Home Learning - School Wide Subscriptions

Literacy People's Literacy Learning Modules - A guide for engaging parents and carers

Mindfulness Podcast Series - ACT Education Directorate