Dear Parents and Carers

Gurumbangamba Mentoring and Transition Program

Last Friday I attended Carroll College with five students from Years 5 and 6 to participate in the Gurumbangamba Mentoring and Transition Program for Aboriginal students. The purpose of the program is to make connections between local primary schools and the College, becoming familiar with staff, the learning spaces and the range of curriculum opportunities. The students gathered in the new room for Aboriginal students, Marra Marra which means school of fish in Dhurga. Key to the success of the program is the involvement of the Year 11 and 12 Aboriginal students who facilitate the activities and get to know each primary school student as they engage in various collaborative activities. The Year 5 and 6 students look forward to attending two more sessions of the mentoring program during the year. 

Confirmation Formation Day 

Tomorrow Year 6 students from our school as well as from St Mary's, Moruya will attend a Confirmation Formation Day at Carroll College. Senior Year 10 students from Carroll College’s CSYMA team (Catholic School’s Youth Ministry Australia) will be facilitating the day, along with teachers and support staff from the three schools.
The day will begin with prayer followed by ice breaker games. There will also be a variety of rotational activities. Fr Loi will attend the Formation Day with us.
Our students will also be provided with another opportunity to transition into the high school environment and build friendships with students from other schools.

Assessment and Reporting Student Progress

Teachers are currently administering a range of assessments to determine student learning achievement at this point of the semester. PAT Adaptive online tests in Maths and Reading as well as Dibels assessments are administered to determine the acquistion of various literacy skills, providing very clear information about what students know and the level of progress they have made since the beginning of the year. The Adaptive tests provide an individualised test pathway, adjusting according to student responses to provide a more precise picture of student achievement.

Importantly, the data informs future teaching and learning programs. Teachers use data from these formal assessments as well as formative assessments taken during the course of everyday teaching and learning, to inform summative decisions about student learning. This summary is communicated in Semester Reports with parents and carers. Parent Teacher Interviews will follow the issuing of Student Reports and will be an opportunity for teachers to provide detailed information about student learning and application in various areas of the curriculum.