Hello to all families.
Currently, class and specialist teachers are busy writing the students’ Semester 1 reports. I thought I would take some time in this week’s newsletter to share with you some information and insights into the importance of school reports. By law, schools must report to families at least twice a year and we do this through end of semester reports. We use many other opportunities throughout the year to connect with families to share information about a child’s learning such as SeeSaw, meetings with families individually, student led learning conversations and phone calls.
School reports play a crucial role in the communication between the school and parents about a child’s learning journey. They provide valuable insights into a child's academic progress, strengths, areas needing improvement, and how they are developing as a unique individual. Understanding your child’s reports can significantly enhance a parent's ability to support their child's education.
What do reports tell you about your child’s learning?
1. Academic Performance: Reports give a summative account of a child's performance in various subjects through the allocation of a grade.
2. Progress Over Time: By comparing reports from different terms or years, parents can track their child's academic growth and development.
3. Teacher’s Feedback: The General Comments section by the class teacher provides context to a child’s development based on the key capabilities from the Living Learning Leading Framework
4. Social and Emotional Development: Our reports also touch on how a child interacts with peers and teachers, which is vital for their overall growth.
5. Attendance Records: Consistent attendance is important in the continuity of learning and social development of your child.
6.Extracurricular activities: teachers report any activity or support that each child is involved with at St Monica’s eg Sacrament Program, Debating
Understanding the Grading System:
The grading system used in Australian schools typically ranges from A to E, with each grade representing a specific level of achievement:
- A (Excellent): Indicates that the student has an excellent understanding and exceeds the expected level of knowledge and skills.
- B (Good): The student is performing above the expected standard and shows a good understanding of the material.
- C (Satisfactory): This is the expected level for the year, indicating the student has a sound understanding and is meeting the standard requirements.
- D (Needs Improvement): The student is below the expected level and needs to work on specific areas to meet the standard.
- E (Unsatisfactory): Indicates that the student is well below the expected standard and requires significant support and intervention.
Children with diverse learning needs will continue to be provided with learning opportunities that will allow them to experience success. Your child’s report may include the following:
The acronym AAS (Alternative Achievement Standard) indicates that your child has been taught their year level curriculum with adjustments but has been assess and reported against the achievement standard of an alternative year level.
The acronym AYL (Accelerated Year Level) indicates that your child is accessing an accelerated year level and has been taught, assessed and reported against the year level your child has been accelerated to.
The acronym HPC (Highly Personalised Curriculum) indicates that your child has been taught a highly personalised curriculum for one or more subjects and has been assessed and reported against the Australian Curriculum General Capabilities learning expectations.
The Australian Curriculum sets the expectations for what all Australian students should be taught, regardless of where they live or their background. It aims to ensure that students develop the knowledge, skills, and values needed for life and work in the 21st century.
Key components include:
- Core Learning Areas: Religion, English, Mathematics, Science, Humanities and Social Sciences, Health and Physical Education, Languages, and the Arts.
- General Capabilities: Literacy, numeracy, ICT capability, critical and creative thinking, personal and social capability, ethical understanding, and intercultural understanding.
- Cross-Curriculum Priorities: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures, Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia, and sustainability.
By aligning school reports with the Australian Curriculum, parents can better understand how their child's learning measures up against national standards.
In our reports, the General Comment of each student is based on the Key Capabilities Continua from CESA’s Living Learning and Leading Framework. The seven Key Capabilities are:
Moral, Compassionate and Ecologically Aware
Literate, Numerate and effective communicators
Spirituality Aware and inspired by faith
Self-aware, collaborative and socially adept
Intercultural and globally minded
Knowledgeable, inquisitive and innovative and
Confident and careful creators and users of ICTs
These capabilities are what we want each child to develop whilst at school so that they can reach their full potential and flourish. Teachers will use the Key Capabilities continua to reflect to parents their child’s development as a capable and thriving young person.
In conclusion, school reports are an essential tool for parents to stay informed about their child's academic journey. They are certainly not the only way that we as a school community communicate how a child’s learning and wellbeing is developing, and we hope that if any parent or caregiver has any concerns or questions that you reach out to your child’s teacher at any time. We are blessed to work in partnership with you in the education of your child.
Emily Sayer
Principal
Social