The leadership team has visited several classrooms, and it's exciting to witness the enthusiasm of both students and teachers. They are gradually acquainting themselves with their respective classes and establishing routines and structures to enable a successful term of learning.

10 Questions to get your child talking about school 

1. Tell me about the best part of your day.
2. What was the hardest thing you had to do today?
3. Tell me about what you read in class today. 
4. Who did you play with today? What did you play? 
5. What’s the biggest difference between this year and last year?
6. What are you looking forward to about tomorrow? 
7. Can you show me something you learned (or did) today? 
8. What made you laugh today? 
9. Which subject did you enjoy most today? Why?
10. What rules are different at school than our rules at home? Why do you think this is? 

Year 3 and Year 5 NAPLAN

What is 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 nationwide assessment that all Australian children undertake.

It’s a measure to see whether or not young Australians are developing the literacy and numeracy skills that provide the critical foundation for other learning and their productive and rewarding participation in the community.

When is NAPLAN?

The NAPLAN testing window begins in Week 8 of Term 1. Our school schedule is as follows:

• Wednesday 13th March - Writing at 9 am
• Thursday 14th March - Reading at 11 am
• Tuesday 19th March - Conventions of Language at 9 am
• Thursday 21st March - Numeracy at 9 am

What if my child is absent from school on test day?

If your child is absent on the day of a test, they will be caught up on the day they return to school, except for Year 3 Writing, which needs to be finalised by Monday 18th, as this is still completed on paper. All tests need to be finalised by Monday 25th March.

How can I help my child prepare?

Rest assured, our teachers are explicitly teaching all content to allow our students to be successful in NAPLAN. However, there is a Public Demonstration Site available that you can work through with your child to allow them to understand how to use the online tools correctly. Your child will sit a practice test before the test schedule in class so that they can understand the NAPLAN experience. Further information can be found here.

If you have any concerns about your child’s participation in NAPLAN, please do not hesitate to contact me via email at kbates@hsstsv.catholic.edu.au or your child’s classroom teacher.

Kristy Bates

Acting Assistant Principal Pedagogy and Learning