Dear Parent and Carers of Good Samaritan,

Last Friday Good Samaritan staff gathered for a professional learning day which focused on aligning the Diocesan Life to the Full framework, Social & Emotional Learning, the newly released PDHPE syllabus and PB4L data. 

The day was most productive as we came to a common understanding about the competencies within Social and Emotional Learning and the strengths our students display with these skills. We also identified the areas of development for students. The PDHPE K–10 Syllabus is organised into three content strands with a focus on three PDHPE skill domains. One of the strands is Health, Wellbeing and Relationships. 

Key to this strand is the students’ ability to develop the knowledge, understanding and skills important for building respectful relationships, enhancing personal strengths and exploring personal identity to promote the health, safety and wellbeing of themselves and others. They develop strategies to manage change, challenges, power, abuse, violence and learn how to protect themselves and others in a range of situations.

The key competencies of social emotional learning are outlined below:

Self Awareness:

• Being able to identify what we are feelings, thoughts and values - how they influence behaviour
• Understanding why we might feel a certain way

Self Management:

• Ability to successfully regulate one's emotions and thoughts, and behaviours in different situations
• Manage stress, control impulses and motivate oneself
• Ability to set and work toward personal and academic goals

Social Awareness:

• Recognising what others may be feeling
• Trying to understand a situation from another's point of view
• Accepting and valuing people who are different from ourselves

Relationship Skills:

• Making friends and maintaining healthy relationships
• Dealing effectively with negative social influences
• Seeking help if we are not able to solve a social problem ourselves

Responsible Decision-Making: 

• • Understanding how a social situation makes us feel
  • Considering the different choices we have and the positive and negative consequences of each of these choices when making a decision
  • Making positive choices, while considering how these choices may affect ourselves and others.

The teachers worked  with their knowledge of student behaviour which is captured by regular data entries and then planned a unit of  work for the second half of the term addressing the associated syllabus outcomes.

The day was highly successful giving staff a true insight into what our students need in order to be truly successful in their learning - Ready to Learn.

As we journey together with Jesus this week,

Toni Sillis

Principal

Welcoming Director of Schools - Peter Hill -  to GSFM:

Today Mr Peter Hill, Director of Schools, visited to hear about our wonderful school community. We were all very excited to show off our school which is marked by the commitment of staff and the diligence of our students.

Last year reporting on  the A-E scale was suspended due to COVID-19 remote learning and the reduced load of the curriculum. This year reports will return to the A-E scale and reporting will occur on the full curriculum across the two semesters.

Semester One reports will be sent to parents on Friday 18 June. Reports are written in line with the requirements of the NSW K-10 syllabuses for the Australian Curriculum in English, Mathematics and Science. Grades are awarded to students following the Common Grade Scale. At the Parent Teacher Interview in week 10, your child’s class teacher will be able to explain how the grade awarded reflects the level of work your child is currently achieving.

 Further explanation of the reports is provided with the following:

It has now been a requirement of national legislation for Primary schools to provide twice-yearly written reports for students in Years 1 - 6 to parents. These reports are to be standards-referenced which in NSW means reporting based on the Common Grade Scale. Standards-referenced reporting requires teachers to consider the performance of each student according to the standard detailed at each level (A-E) of the Common Grade Scale for each Key Learning Area (KLA).  Students are then awarded a grade based on the evidence teachers have of their learning in that particular KLA and the standard it reflects. According to the Common Grade Scale a ‘C’ grade is considered sound. That is, if awarded a C in a particular KLA the student has demonstrated that they have gained the knowledge, skills and understanding expected of them at that point in time.

Some features of the report include:

Overall grades

Each KLA has an overall grade that is determined by the teacher by considering the evidence of each student’s learning and the standard on the Common Grade Scale it reflects. Overall grades are not determined by averaging performance on strands within a KLA. In many cases more time has been dedicated to learning in one strand over others and this contributes significantly to the balanced judgement a teacher is required to make in order to award an overall grade. It is not unusual for a student’s overall grade to change from one reporting period to the next as the knowledge, skills and understanding they encounter in each KLA will vary from one reporting period to the next. The Common Grade Scale is outlined below and is also included on the front of the report.

Common Grade Scale:

Effort Descriptors:

This section of the report captures the student’s attitude to the particular KLA and their skills in managing their work, persisting when challenged and working to their potential. A scale explaining the three standards used to describe student effort is included on the front of the report.

 Strands:

The term ‘strands’ refers to the breakdown of learning within each Key Learning Area (KLA) that is presented in a grid with the options Extensive, Thorough, Sound, Limited and Basic for teachers to indicate the performance of the student within each strand. Over a reporting period some strands will have a greater focus than others, which will impact the overall grade for the KLA. In some KLAs not every strand will be covered each reporting period; those that are not covered will not appear on the report.

 Comments:

There are three kinds of comments on the report:

Learning Gains – These comments use syllabus text to capture the new learning the student has demonstrated in the reporting period

Areas for Growth – These comments use syllabus text to capture the new learning the student will encounter as the ‘next step’ or ‘targeted area for growth’ on their learning path

Final Comment – The longer, final comment is written by the teacher and may cover a range of academic and non-academic areas

Positive Behaviours for Learning Descriptors:

This section of the report focuses on the student as a community member and as a learner. A scale is included to detail the three standards that are used to report on this aspect of the student’s behaviour.

Absences for the Semester:

This section of the report indicates the whole and partial days absent throughout the semester as recorded in the class rolls. Regular and consistent attendance at school increases the likelihood of academic and social success for children each year.

Reporting: Parent Information Sessions

If you would like to know more about the way in which reports are written you are invited to attend a parent information session. Whilst this invitation is particularly targeted towards parents with children in Years 1&2, all parents are welcome.

Session times:

• Monday 31 May 2pm-3pm
• Monday 7 June 9:15am-10:15am

Please click here to RSVP for the sessions.

Download the CEDoW Quick Sign In:

In order for quick sign in when entering the school during class time download the CEDoW Quick Sign In. After downloading, you are able to fill in your details ahead of time then tap ‘Show Code’ to display a QR code which can be read by the iPad at the front counter.

Lost Property:

This week the Lost Property box will be cleared and any items that have names will be returned to their owners. Items with no names will be put out each afternoon in sizes for parents to take as spare jackets/uniform.Please check your child’s uniform to ensure that it is clearly labelled with their name.