Newsletter 6 February

From the Principal

Welcome – Term 1 2025!

I would like to thank all of our families for the wonderful start made to the school year today. Children looked fantastic, all in uniform with wonderful smiles and positive attitudes. Our classes settled well, and the smiles continued well into the day. It was great to see!

We have a few new faces on the staff team this year and we’ll take the time and opportunity to introduce them to you in next week's newsletter. We also have a few new students – I urge any families that may know our new people to encourage and support them in this transition.

Without getting too heavy on the first day, I would just like to remind our community that we practice sun safe behaviours at Springfield Gardens and hats are required in Terms 1 & 4. We are very proud of our school and all that means including the wearing uniform every day. Positive behaviour supports learning and when we practice our values – Respect, Community and Learning, we are all successful!

Learning is a priority in our school and families can support their students by reading with them for 10-15 minutes every day and discussing what learning has been explored at school. We are continuing with Playberry this year as an approach to structured literacy and look forward to making the same, if not better gains than we made last year.

Finally, in welcoming you all back for 2025, I would like to thank you all for the privilege of working with you and supporting your child to learn, grow and be the very best they can be as a student at Springfield Gardens Primary School.

Nadine Davey

Principal.

Important Reminders

• Validations forms have been sent home. Please ensure they are completed and returned to the office ASAP.
• The school lunch program starts in week 3. Please ensure you have sent back each child's permission form for them to be able to participate in the program.
• Children must wear a hat when outside playing in Terms 1 and 4. If your child does not have a hat to wear, they will need to play in the shade. Hats can be purchased from the office for $8.
• Our school canteen will be open on Fridays only this year and will start on Friday 14 February.
• School photos will be held on Thursday 13 March this year. Please ensure you complete the permission section of the Validation Form and return to the office as soon as possible. If you have not given permission, your childs' photo will not be taken on photo day.
  

NAPLAN

NAPLAN 2025

Students will be sitting NAPLAN between 12 and 24 March 2025.

The National Assessment Program-Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) assesses literacy and numeracy skills that students are already learning at school. On its own, NAPLAN is not a test that can be studied for, and students are not expected to do so.

NAPLAN is just one aspect of a school’s assessment and reporting process – it does not replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance; however, students and parents may use individual results to discuss progress with teachers.

NAPLAN has been held in March since 2023, having previously taken place in May. This change was made so school systems would have access to results earlier in the school year. These results can then be used to inform teaching and learning plans for the remainder of the year.

Why NAPLAN is conducted online

NAPLAN online provides a better assessment and more precise results.

One of the main benefits of NAPLAN online is that it uses tailored (or adaptive) testing. This means that students receive questions better suited to their abilities, so they can show what they know and can do.

Online testing also allows us to provide a wide range of accessibility options to support students with disability to access NAPLAN.

Feedback from students is that they find the online test more engaging.

Please note that students in Year 3 complete the Writing Test on paper.

Parent information brochures and other resources

Your questions answered on NAPLAN and what it means for your child:

NAPLAN information brochure for parents and carers

The link will take you to the official National Assessment Program (NAP) website.

Please contact the school if you have any further queries.