NAPLAN…

Next week, the Years 3 and 5 students will be participating in the yearly National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) tests. NAPLAN allows the government, staff and parents to see how Northern students perform compared to those of a similar age in other schools.

NAPLAN gives feedback on our teaching and learning programs and provides insight into students’ achievements. We intentionally incorporate more instruction and practise of this content or skill into our programs if the NAPLAN results reveal an area or topic that many of our students have scored lower in. We can then track the effectiveness of this change through future NAPLAN assessments.

While an individual student’s report can give us a picture of their abilities, it is essential to view the NAPLAN data along with other assessments we use. We compare the results from many different sources (e.g. PAT, reading tests and unit assessments) to make an informed decision. Thorough evaluation of all data ensures events such as illness on testing day or randomly selecting the correct multiple-choice answers without proper comprehension do not misrepresent overall results.

One of the limitations of NAPLAN is that it doesn’t measure progress because it occurs so infrequently (once every two years). Although it is important to consider a student's achievements compared to their peers, it is also vital to recognise the progress made. We often have students who, although they are still below grade level, make wonderful progress. We can measure this through other assessments conducted at regular intervals throughout the year.

NAPLAN also doesn’t allow us to see the full range of skills and gifts your child has. It cannot show their artistic talents, sporting prowess, or deep scientific inquiry questioning. Nor does it show us your child's personal, social and emotional skills or gifts they use to bless others. I’m sure many of you would agree that we are interested in the holistic growth of our students, not just their academic abilities.

During this time, it is normal for your child to feel nervous or unsure. You can help support them by talking about the benefits of the process and how to do their best but also celebrate the gifts they have in other areas.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding NAPLAN, please speak to your class teacher.

Claire Gardner - Teaching and Learning Coordinator

We have now completed our 5th week of Kindergarten for this year. During these past weeks, we have spent time getting settled into the routines of the classroom and adjusting to life at school.

We have been spending some time developing our listening skills by playing games where we try to identify or match different sounds. This has included taking some time outside to listen to what we can hear in the world around us before returning to our classroom to draw pictures of the things we heard.

We have begun our Bible program and have been learning a little bit about who God is while we also start reading the Big Picture Story Bible together.

We still have a lot planned for the remainder of the term and are looking forward to the adventures still to come.

Samuel Whittle - Kindergarten Teacher

Harmony Day 2023 - Unique Socks Day

Harmony Week (March 21 - March 27, 2022) celebrates Australia’s cultural diversity. It’s about inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone.

On Tuesday, 21 March, we will be holding Unique Socks Day as part of our Harmony Day celebrations. Students may come to school wearing unique, crazy or colourful socks as we remember to celebrate our differences. We will celebrate Harmony Day together during Line Up.

The 2023 Athletics Carnival is for all students from Prep to Year 6 and will be held on Wednesday, 22 March. Most of the running races will be held in the morning between 9.30am and 11.00am. After recess, Years 1 to 6 students will be moving through the field events until the end of the day, with a break for lunch. Prep will complete all their field events between recess and lunch.

Students must wear Sports Uniform or clothing in their house colour suitable for participating in sports events.

We welcome parent help on the day, especially for the class field events. If you are available to help, please let the class teacher know.

Parents and families are welcome to attend this event to support the students throughout the day. Some seating will be provided; however, feel free to bring your own chair or picnic blanket.

This is always a great day of encouragement, fun and achievement, so we look forward to welcoming everyone.

Peter Humphrey - Physical Education Teacher

Community Engagement Committee - Sausage Sizzle

The Community Engagement Committee will be hosting a sausage sizzle at lunchtime. Pre-orders are to be made via QKR! by 3.00pm Monday, 20 March. This is available to students and their families, so order as many as you need and ensure you enter who the orders are for on the order screen under ‘Names for Orders’. You can enjoy a sausage sandwich, packet of chips and a fruit box drink for $5. There are no cash sales on the day.

If you are available to assist with the BBQ on the day, please contact the Office.

Last year, Northern had four teams participate in the Southern Primary School Hockey Competition. We are looking at continuing our participation in this competition for the 2023 season. The competition runs during Term 2, with games held at Cornelian Bay on Saturday mornings. We aim to have teams represented in the three rosters: Prep-Year 2, Years 3/4 and Years 5/6.

We must meet the minimum player requirement to create the teams. We also need volunteers to assist with coaching and/or umpiring the teams.

A letter has been provided for students to bring home if they are interested. Students will need to have the form signed and returned to participate. If you require a copy of the letter to be emailed or sent home, please contact me.

Samuel Whittle - Hockey Coordinator

If you have a child that is commencing Kinder in 2024, applications must be received by Friday, June 30, 2023. Students must turn the age of 4 by December 31, 2023, to be considered for Kinder 2024. A child will not be considered for enrolment without a completed Enrolment Application Form and supporting documentation being submitted. If you have any questions regarding Kinder 2024, or require an Enrolment Pack, please contact the Office.

We are always happy to take applications for future years, so get organised and submit your applications for 2025 and onwards…

On Friday, 24 February, students, families and staff celebrated the return to school with a Kite Festival. It was so great to see the community come together for a fun-filled evening of outdoor activities as we fly into the new school year.

We had a fantastic time flying kites and enjoying the beautiful weather. The ice cream van and sausage sizzle were appreciated by everyone on such a warm, balmy night. Thank you to the families who came and made this event such a memorable one.

A big ‘Thank You’ to the Community Engagement Committee who organised, prepared and cooked all evening. We look forward to upcoming events that will help us to continue to connect to one another and to grow stronger partnerships with our families.

Meals on Wheels…

Last week, the Student Representative Council (SRC) met with Meals on Wheels CEO, Chris Oriel.

Providing a crucial role nationally in supporting the health and wellbeing of thousands of older Tasmanians each year, ‘Meals on Wheels’ visit and deliver meals to people who are elderly, live alone or are unable to make meals for themselves.

The SRC have chosen to support Meals on Wheels by providing Easter eggs, encouraging messages and colourful placemats to help others in our wider community know that they are loved.

Donations of Easter eggs can be made to the Office until Thursday, 23 March.

Students will be decorating placemats provided by ‘Meals on Wheels’ and writing encouraging cards to be handed out among the Brighton community. It is our goal to provide ‘Meals on Wheels’ with enough placemats, encouraging cards and Easter eggs to show our support to over 200 people. Please help us reach this goal.

Abigail Be - Student Representative Council

Welcome Senator Chandler…

Recently, we were honoured to host Senator Claire Chandler as she met with our Principal, Bethany Armstrong and Christian Schools Tasmania’s CEO,
Mr David Gillman.

It was an excellent opportunity to discuss our school’s vision and future goals, and to hear Senator Chandler’s thoughts on education in our region.

We talked about our desire to remain a distinctively Christian school as we focus on our vision of being a transformational Christian learning community and uphold our mission of providing the highest quality Christ-centered education that prepares and equips students for life and how our distinctive has given our families the opportunity to choose this type of school for their children.

We are grateful for Senator Chandler's time and insights and look forward to continuing to work together to support quality Christian education for our students.