Dear Parents and Carers,
Yesterday was R U OK Day, a day that is dedicated to raising awareness around the benefit of reaching out to others in our communities. R U OK Day has more significance than ever this year as we find new ways of staying connected and supporting each other through this challenging time, with the sentiment of R U OK Day extending well beyond just one day a year. At Parkhill we have introduced our Wellbeing Fridays with the goal of dedicating time to connecting, supporting, and enjoying each other’s company in a fun and interactive way. We hope that our Wellbeing Fridays further develop a sense of belonging and inclusion for all students in our Parkhill community.
NAPLAN
The recently announced news that Victoria had achieved strong results in NAPLAN despite the disruption of the COVID lockdowns is also reflected at Parkhill with some very good results. Generally, our students’ achievement was at or above state averages in most aspects of literacy and numeracy. The results provide a picture of the school’s continuous improvement journey with some positive upward trends over the last few years. The achievement in the areas of Writing and Spelling were particularly pleasing, and testimony to the work that has been carried out in the last few years in these two areas.
NAPLAN is just one measure of achievement which supports the overall assessment of what students are able to achieve. Teachers use a range of ongoing assessments throughout the year to identify learning needs and develop programs in line with the Victorian Curriculum. NAPLAN does, however, provide a valuable snapshot of how the school is doing in comparison to all other schools nationwide. Our staff will be spending time in coming weeks and next term analysing the results, determining future learning for the students and importantly celebrating student achievement.
This year’s NAPLAN results indicate the dedication and hard work of our staff and students and the wonderful support of our families in maintaining learning progress through the challenges of lockdowns and remote learning.
Parents of children in Y3 and Y5 can expect to receive your child’s NAPLAN report once these have been delivered to the school.
I hope you have a lovely weekend.
David Wells
Acting Principal
