Deputy Principal's Report
Reporting Student Achievement in ACT Public Schools- Kindergarten to Year 6
Semester 1 Reports will be provided to families in Week 9 (23 June ) this term. These reports use information directly from the subject area Achievement Standards outlined in the Australian Curriculum. Achievement Standards set the goal for what all students should learn as they progress through their school life. From the first year of schooling to Year 10, students develop knowledge and skills in eight learning areas:
- English
- Humanities and Social Sciences (HaSS)
- Mathematics
- The Arts
- Science
- Technologies
- Health and Physical Education (HPE)
- Languages
- Below are some examples of Achievement Standard statements that may appear on a student report. Students will be allocated an achievement level against each sentence using a five-point scale: limited, partial, at standard, high or outstanding. Year 1 to Year 6 students will also receive an overall grade for the learning area using a five-point A-E scale.
Some example English reading statements that may appear on a report:
|
Kindergarten |
Year 1 |
Year 2 |
Year 3 |
Year 4 |
Year 5 |
Year 6 |
|
They read short, decodable and predictable texts with familiar vocabulary and supportive images, drawing on their developing knowledge of concepts of print, sound and letters and decoding and self-monitoring strategies. |
Students read aloud, with developing fluency |
They read texts that contain varied sentence structures, some unfamiliar vocabulary, a significant number of high-frequency sight words and images that provide extra information. |
They use phonics and word knowledge to fluently read more complex words. |
They fluently read texts that include varied sentence structures, unfamiliar vocabulary including multisyllabic words. |
When reading, they encounter and decode unfamiliar words using phonic, grammatical, semantic and contextual knowledge. |
Students compare and analyse information in different and complex texts, explaining literal and implied meaning. |
There is parent friendly information available on the Australian Curriculum via the following link https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/parent-information/
In the ACT, student work at ‘standard’ is considered a ‘C’ grade which indicates the student is on track and demonstrating achievement at the standard. A ‘C’ grade is to be celebrated.
Families can ‘opt out’ of receiving A-E grades. Please email erin.minehan@ed.act.edu.au should you wish to discuss this option.
While Semester 1 Reports won’t include detailed teacher comments, parents are encouraged to speak directly with their child’s teacher(s) if they have any questions or concerns about their progress. Our teachers will also continue to communicate directly with you if there are any concerns about student learning or other classroom updates. Preschool to Year 6 Parent/Teacher interviews will take place over Week 3 of Term 3.
Recommended screen time limits- Guidelines from the Department of Health
It’s recommended that kids younger than two years of age shouldn’t spend any time watching television or using other electronic media (TV/DVDs, computer and other electronic games).
For children aged 2-5 years of age sitting and watching television, and using other electronic media (DVDs, computer and other electronic games) should be no more than one hour per day.
For children/young people aged 5-17 years, limit sedentary recreational screen time to no more than 2 hours per day.
Ways you can limit screen time
It could be challenging limiting the kids’ screen time but these tips may help.
- Set family rules about the maximum time on screens per day and stick to it
- Try not to leave the TV on in the background – use music instead
- Designate certain days as screen-free days (this could be one or two days during the week when they have other after school activities)
- Encourage children to be selective about what they watch rather than just whatever happens to be on
- Have a "no screen" policy during meal times
- Avoid having screens in bedrooms or study/quiet areas
- You could use a timer or alarm clock to enforce the screen time you set
- Try not to spend lots of time in front of a screen, or let the kids see you spending lots of time in front of a screen
- Wherever possible, choose non-screen-based activities and entertainment
For more information please see:
New feature of our fortnightly newsletter – A day in the life…
This week you will notice a new feature in the newsletter, ‘A day in the life…’ These brief articles are designed to inform families about how each cohort is operating now that we have moved into our incredible new learning spaces. The first instalment of this series is from our Year 5/6 team. In coming weeks you will hear from Years 3/4 and later in the term, K-2. We are looking forward to giving families a peek into the wonderful learning that’s happening in our learning communities.