FROM THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
It is hard to believe that we are at the end of Term 2. I am sure that we are all looking forward to a well-earned break and I am already excited about what is ahead for the remainder of the year. In the meantime, however, there is still plenty happening…
Inclusive Education: Nationally Consistent Collection of Data
It is a busy time for schools as our Census date for collating data for students who require support is looming. All schools in Australia are required to participate annually in the National Consistent Collection of Data for Students with Disability (NCCD). It is designed to count the number of students who receive additional adjustments or “help” at school. This national data collection helps federal and state governments plan for the needs of students and is also the way that schools seek and receive funding to support the learning needs of their students. This allows our Catholic sector to continue to provide and prioritise innovative and high-quality teaching and learning to support all students on their learning journey. Above all though, our Catholic tradition demands that educators see every child as equal, inherently sacred and worthy of dignity and respect. St Joseph’s Kingswood is committed to ensuring we are equipped with the support, knowledge and ability to enable every child to be a valued, empowered and successful members of our community.
For more information, please visit: www.nccd.edu.au
In addition, I’d like to personally thank all families who I have met with or had contact with this term regarding their child’s learning plans. It is always such a pleasure to be involved in these meetings and see how powerful the outcomes can be when working alongside one another and our dedicated teachers.
STRETCH: ICAS Competitions
At St Joseph’s School, Kingswood we are continually looking for ways to enable our students to stretch themselves. ICAS competitions are another way of doing this! We are delighted to inform you that we will be participating in the International Competitions and Assessments for Schools (ICAS) testing again this year. ICAS is developed by UNSW Global, a wholly owned subsidiary of UNSW Sydney, with over 40 years’ experience in educational assessments. ICAS Assessments are now online which allows greater accessibility for students and faster delivery of results.
ICAS is designed to target students’ higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills in English, Mathematics, Science, Spelling and Digital Technologies. Each assessment celebrates students’ accomplishments by providing opportunities for recognition. Every student will receive a printed certificate and an online result report. Top performers will be eligible for medals. We will be offering all of the above tests.
Click here for more info
Click here to register (using our school's code UNO891)
Maths: Daily Reviews
In my last Newsletter I made reference to Barack Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction: a set of 10 research-based principles of instruction, along with suggestions for classroom practice. The principles come from three sources: research in cognitive science, researching master teachers, and research on cognitive supports.
At St Joseph’s School, Kingswood we have been engaging in intensive professional learning around his first Principle - Daily Reviews. This is the ongoing inclusion of short reviews of previous learning. These daily reviews can strengthen previous learning and can lead to fluent recall which is particularly relevant in Numeracy. This is because, “Mathematics is a tall subject” (Bill Thurston, 1990) as there are many concepts which build on previous ones. Thurston (1990) describes this as a scaffolding structure, with interconnected supports. Unless the previous layer is in place it would be impossible to build successfully on top.
Considering this, we are now using regular reviews to assist in strengthening previous mathematical concepts so that newer ones can be built. This occurs from Reception to Year 6. Rosenshine (2012) states that he has found success in mathematics when teachers have used this review time to revisit problems and practice concepts and skills that are needed for automaticity. To become mathematically competent, learners need to develop a rich foundation of factual and procedural knowledge (Hodgen, 2018) and regular retrieval practice can help to achieve this.
Our daily math reviews have been carefully curated by our teachers to address concepts which require further support or continual recall. This has been determined by analysing our mathematical data including diagnostic and standardised testing. These daily reviews run for up to 15 minutes and can occur at any time throughout the school day. We are using this as a Tier One (whole class) approach, however, will also use this as a form of intervention soon – stay tuned! In the meantime, there is a website below which parents can use at home to curate their own daily reviews:
Daily Math Review: https://dailymathsreview.au/?numberOfQuestions=5&rangeStart=1&rangeEnd=100&selectedTypes=tenFrame
Leaving with a Literacy Tip….
Retrieval practice is just as important in Literacy. Therefore, supporting your child to read at home encourages multiple exposures which helps them to orthographically map words. Storing words in our long-term memory enables easier retrieval and results in more fluent readers! In my recent meetings with parents, I have had questions around apps and websites that can support students reading. There are plenty out there, but below are a few that I have found success with.
Nessy: is designed for students with dyslexia but can be used for any child. It is based on the Science of Reading which will support our future literacy program. https://www.nessy.com/en-gb
Reading Doctor: Evidence based that promotes phonics and phonemic awareness skills
https://www.readingdoctor.com.au
Spelfabet Website is extremely informative for parents and there is a compiled list of recommended apps as well. It is put together by Australian Speech Pathologist Alison Clarke (she knows her stuff!)
https://www.spelfabet.com.au/2020/01/top-early-literacy-apps-2020/
Elkonin boxes (sound boxes) this app is beneficial for assisting with phonemic awareness, which I have written about in previous Newsletters. The Five from Five website in general is very informative for parents and has a list of online games which are useful.
As always, my door is always open.
Until next time…
Vanessa Saccardo
Assistant Principal