Lithgow Public School Newsletter

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

It is hard to believe that we are already half way through Term 1.

I wanted to take the opportunity in this newsletter to explain three of the more significant initiatives that your children will benefit from at Lithgow Public School this year and beyond.

Spiral of Inquiry

This is a professional learning platform for staff whereby they work in stage teams to examine and refine their practice. We are now in our second year of implementation and are refining and improving our practice with each session. Spirals of Inquiry involve stage teams being provided with a half day every third week to meet together with a focus on what is happening for their learners. During these sessions, staff examine data from a variety of sources and  use this data to develop ‘hunches’ that are tested to develop action plans and lesson sequences. These are consistently implemented in their classrooms prior to the next Spiral of Inquiry session, where they present evidence of the impact on student learning and discuss further ways they could improve their teaching. This ensures that the teaching strategies they use in our classrooms are consistent across the stages and are based on what the evidence tells us our students need to progress in their learning. During Spirals of Inquiry, stage teams also examine the best evidence-based practice available to inform their decision making and ask students key questions, including a question that asks them to identify three adults within the school who believe they will be a success in life. The Spiral of Inquiry process looks like this:

This practice of engaging in Spirals of Inquiry ensures your children are known, valued and cared for both academically, socially and in terms of their overall wellbeing. If you would like to know more about the Spiral of Inquiry model, you can visit:

http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Pedagogy-and-assessment/Evidence-based-leadership/The-spiral-of-inquiry       

Extending Mathematical Understanding (EMU)

EMU is a research-based intervention approach that has been shown to improve students’ knowledge and confidence with mathematics.

During the next two weeks, all students will be completing an individual mathematics assessment with their teacher. This is called the EMU MAI – Extending Mathematics Understanding – Maths Assessment Interview. It is a comprehensive, task-based and interactive assessment which accurately shows the mathematical knowledge and understanding of each child in the areas of Counting, Place Value, Addition and Subtraction, and Multiplication and Division. This information will then inform teachers of where they need to target their teaching and learning activities to ensure every student continues to develop. To allow for the interview time, classes will be split to home classes to ensure that teachers have the quality time to assess each child individually. Once these assessments are completed, teachers will group students according to ability and identified ‘Growth Points’. Throughout the year our accredited EMU teacher will provide professional learning to staff in:

·         using growth points to identify students who are vulnerable in learning mathematics

·         understanding difficult growth point transitions for students in whole number

·         strategies to enhance the development of reasoning strategies 

·         using open tasks, effective questioning and investigations to enhance mathematical learning

·         measurement and geometry as contexts for learning and using number

·         strategies for the ongoing monitoring and assessment of all students

Participation in EMU should ensure that no student is able to slip through cracks with regards to learning in mathematics and that all students across the school make at least one year’s growth for one year’s learning.

Berry Street Education Model 

Over the last 24 months Lithgow Public School has placed considerable emphasis on student wellbeing. This emphasis has seen a significant reduction in negative behaviour referrals and suspensions and an increase in positive school culture. Implementation of the Berry Street Education Model will support the ongoing focus on improving student wellbeing and in turn support learning across Lithgow Public School. 

Towards the end of 2019 a team of five teachers attended training designed to prepare them to lead the implementation of the Berry Street Model across Lithgow Public School.

The model focusses on five domains which will be progressively introduced throughout the 2020 school year and beyond. These domains are:

·         Body – We explicitly teach strategies that build student capacity by increasing physical regulation of the stress response, de-escalation and focus.

·         Relationship – We nurture on-task learning through relational classroom management strategies.

·         Stamina – We create a culture of academic persistence by nurturing resilience, emotional intelligence and a growth mindset.

·         Engagement – We motivate our students with strategies that increase their willingness to learn.

·         Character – We harness a values and character strengths approach to instil students’ self-knowledge for future pathways.

As we implement the model, we would expect that your children will be beginning to talk about morning circles, brain breaks, the values that apply each day in their classrooms, strategies being taught in class to allow them to identify, engage with and control their emotion responses, and other strategies being explicitly taught to increase student engagement.

If you would like to know more about the Berry Street Education Model, you can visit:

https://learning.berrystreet.org.au/focus-areas/berry-street-education-model

 School Chaplain 2020

Late in 2019, the School Executive Team made the decision to apply for a grant to employ a School Chaplain for the 2020 school year. The role of the School Chaplain is to support the physical, social and emotional wellbeing of students across the school in consultation with our school’s Learning and Support Team. The school chaplain is able to work with individual students, however, only with parental permission. The School Chaplain will not engage in any discussions with students about religious matters or perspectives.

I am happy to be able to inform the school community that we were successful in this application and, as a result of a merit selection panel, the school has a chaplain in place for the 2020 school year. I welcome Marlicia Travis to this position and I’m sure she will have a positive impact on student wellbeing throughout the year. At the conclusion of the year, the school will survey the community to evaluate this impact. Results of this survey will inform any decision to continue to seek this funding in 2021.

Have a great fortnight.

Mark Davies | Principal Lithgow Public School     

Our Infants department are in need of some tracksuit pants, shorts and skirts.  If you have any that you can donate, could you please drop into the office. 

Monday 16 March 2020

All office-bearer positions will be open for election. The  AGM will be followed by a general P&C meeting.

Annual membership $1, all welcome.

Staffroom 6.00pm - 7.30pm

One Tree Community Services, c-Verse OSHC has some exciting opportunities for Diploma Qualified Educators to come and experience Australia’s newest concept in out of school hour’s care!

c-Verse (children’s universe) is an engaging child led program designed to capture the imaginations of children, families and staff. We are growing rapidly and looking for OSHC staff to share our journey. As a C-Verse educator, you will receive support and training from our friendly head office team, leaving you free to focus on what you enjoy- having fun and learning alongside our children.One Tree Community Services is a not for profit organisation that supports community services and childcare centres throughout Australia 

Position requirements:

• Provide specific, specialised support for a focus group of children or room at the service.
• To add value to the service in an area of expertise such as the environment, curriculum, etc.
• Be able to work under the supervision of the Director to provide educational experiences and care for children.
• Communicate effectively with children and families.
• To adhere to the services policies and procedures and work in accordance with all relevant regulations and the National Quality Framework.
• Assisting to ensure a safe and hygienic environment for all children and staff.
• To work as a part of a team, supporting and contributing to One Tree as a community in line with One Trees Philosophy and Code of Ethics.

 Successful applicant will possess:

• Diploma Qualified in Early Education and Care (Or equivalent qualification)

• Genuine love for & interest in children with an absolute can-do attitude
• Solid understanding of Early Years Learning Framework.
• Demonstrated experience in childcare industry
• Sound communication skills, written and verbal
• Valid working with Children Card or willing to obtain

 To apply submit applications to:

Please email your resume and cover letter outlining why you are passionate about the opportunity, to recruitment@onetree.org.au or directly to: c-Verse Lithgow, 163 Mort Street, Lithgow NSW 2790.

Applications will be assessed as they come in as we are looking to fill this position ASAP.  No agency referrals please.   

One Tree is an Equal Opportunity Employer supporting diversity in the workplace, Indigenous applicants are encouraged to apply