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2020 School Times

Before School Care

7.30am (must book)

Gates opened

8.30am

School Starts

8.50am

School finishes

3.10pm

Gates & building locked

3.30pm

After School Care

3.10 – 6.00pm (must book)

School Communication

We use the ‘School Star’ App as

our main way of communicating

with families.

Please download the app to your

phone and ask for support if

needed.

All newsletters are also available

online or in hard copy by request.

Dear Families, COVID-19: We continue to be under advice from the department as we move out of restrictions. The department continues to be working closely with SA Health to ensure we are kept informed of plans and changes. We will be continuing to send out any updated information as we receive it. We thank you again for being understanding and supportive of these restrictions. At this stage we are making alternate plans for sharing of learning for Term 2 as we are not able to run our usual Learning Expo.

Pupil free day: Our Pupil Free Day, Tuesday June 9th, gave staff some focused time to reflect on our recent learning through the COVID-19 experiences. We also spent much time discussing and planning for reporting on student progress.

Reporting on Student Progress: The purpose of reporting is to convey information from the school to

parents about a student's educational progress and to enable the student to understand the progress they have made and the next steps needed to continue to move forward towards their targets or benchmarks. In the previous newsletter I mentioned that staff have been reflecting on how we might best report to and involve families in learning conversations about student progress. There are many ways that student progress is reported to families (see page 2). There is much evidence and research that tells us that graded reports can be detrimental to student progress. At the last Governing Council meeting I was able to present this research and our thinking. We were also able to gain some valuable feedback from our Governing Council members as representatives of the parent community to refine our thinking. I want to thank Governing Council for spending the additional time to gain an understanding and in supporting us in reflecting on this initiative. As such Governing Council gave their support for us to move forward with a new way of reporting on learning progress to families which we are now excited to share with you. This includes:

• Different format/template

• More targeted information about your child’s progress and next steps

• Will clearly outline the curriculum benchmarks for your child

• No grades will be on the summary

• A focus on the dispositions for learning including our values and the ‘Global Competencies’ of Communication, Collaboration, Creativity, Critical Thinking, Citizenship and Character

• Due to the interruption of learning through COVID-19 this year our mid year reporting will be a later distribution (Beginning of week 2, Term 3)

• Will be closely followed with a learning conference between parents and educators in week 3

• A second learning summary and learning conference will happen in mid- Term 4 this year. This is a progressive way of us supporting students to become the best learners they can be and who are self-aware, capable and competent learners who are able to contribute to their fast changing and challenging world. I do understand that you may have some questions. To support everyone to develop their understanding we are putting in the following process:

• My intention is to run an information session for parents on Tuesday 30th June, week 10 at 6.00pm.

If COVID restrictions are not lifted by this time I plan to create a video which will be distributed to ensure everyone is provided with the information required to understand the research and reasoning behind our decision and that everyone is able to ask the questions they may have.

• To be most efficient I ask that you follow this link (click here) to register for the session and lodge any

questions you have so I can make sure these can be responded to appropriately via the information session or video.

• After the learning progress summaries and learning conferences have been held we will be running a

survey for all parents and invite parents to be part of some focus groups in Mid-term 3 to gain feedback about the process and how we best make it work for students and parents.

It is important that we work together to ensure best outcomes for your child. As educators we believe that this format will give everyone a clearer picture of where each child is at and what their next steps are, and we are excited to share this journey with you. Please register and forward any questions via the link provided by Wednesday 24th June. Thank you. Keep Safe. Skye

Principal: Skye van Heusden

5-11 Briar Rd, FELIXSTOW SA 5070

dl.1228.info@schools.sa.edu.au

Phone: 8365 7183

RESPECT RESPONSIBILITY COMPASSION

2020, Term Two Issue#5

‘Like’ us on Facebook for more

announcements and photos from

our excursions!

www.facebook.com/FelixstowCS

Keep Up to Date with Felixstow

Check out our website

https://www.felixcs.sa.edu.au/

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REPORTING ON STUDENT LEARNING AT

FELIXSTOW COMMUNITY SCHOOL:

At FCS we believe that reporting on student learning is an ongoing process.

There are many ways that learning progress is shared and reported to families throughout the year.

Learning Expo—end of each term

Learning expo each term is an important way of your child demonstrating their progress. This is a particu-larly important reporting format for integrated learning and creative arts as students can share the pro-cess of learning, their reflections, feedback and final outcomes.

Educators and students highly value the learning expo and a lot of thought and effort is put into ensuring students and families are able to share and access evidence of learning at these events.

SeeSaw—ongoing

SeeSaw provides a way of sharing learning on a day to day, week to week basis. Your child’s SeeSaw ac-count can be accessed at any time and can be downloaded at the end of every year as a digital portfolio for your child.

Microsoft Teams—ongoing

All primary students now have a Microsoft Teams account that they are accessing regularly at school for their learning. This is also accessible at home and families can see what their child is working on and can access learning activities including assessment rubrics and feedback from peers and educators.

Learning Conferences—end of term 2 and mid term 4

Learning Conferences will be scheduled with the learning progress summaries, twice per year. This is a more formal opportunity to speak directly to your child’s teachers, look at your child’s data and progress made.

Learning Progress Summary—end of term 2 and mid term 4 The ‘Learning Progress Summary’ is a summary of key areas of progress over a semester and the next steps in learning for your child. These will be sent home one week prior to learning conferences.

Ongoing conversations—ongoing

We encourage you to have ongoing conversations with educators about your child’s progress. This can be through informal chats, emails, phone calls, video conferences or requested meetings by the teacher or family.

Reporting on student learning progress Parent Information Session:

Tuesday 30th June 2020 6.00pm

Please note: If COVID restrictions do not allow us to hold this meeting onsite we will send a video link home which covers the same information.

Areas covered at session:

• Share our thinking • Share the research • Share the template

and how to read it

• Answer parent questions

To register for the information session and to ensure we can

respond efficiently please send in your questions via the

following link by Wednesday 24th June via the following link:

Click here or go to https://www.surveymoz.com/s/

Reportingonprogress/

REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED

TO ENSURE SOCIAL

DISTANCING—Children are

not able to attend

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Felixstow Notices Children’s University

We have a new CUA portal for our members to access and to com-

plete lots of different activities on and then once completed they

will automatically be uploaded so that the activity can be checked

by our Coordinator – Di.

A number of our members have started using it but there are still a lot that have not yet upload-

ed anything for approval.

All members work towards completing hours of learning in their ‘Passport to Learning’ so that

they can graduate to the next level of learning each year. The first level is 30 hours of learning.

On the portal site there are hundreds of activities with hundreds of hours of learning attached to

them. They could be a simple as taking the time to complete a worksheet and uploading it to

being involved in activities which take many hours. The choice is up to the children.

We encourage any families who are finding it difficult to understand what they are doing with

Children’s University to contact Di at the school and she will be only too happy to assist. When

we are allowed to have families back on site we will run a small information session if people are

interested.

School Invoices

Outstanding school invoices were

sent home last week.

Please continue to make payments

via phone call or direct debit. The

excursion levy will still be used in the

coming terms.

If you are having financial issues

due to Covid19 please let Gillian or

Skye know asap.

Thank you

Keeping Connected to Online Support

Children and young people grow up in a highly con-

nected world. Online connections are integral to how

they live. As parents and carers, it’s important to help

your child manage how and when they are online.

While at times it may be necessary to limit their access,

it’s important to remember that their online connections

can be healthy and link them to supportive friends on

social media or to mental health information and ser-

vices.

Children and young people need to know its ok to reach

out to mental health professionals when they need ad-

vice and support.

We want all children and young people to feel respect-

ed, in touch and mentally healthy. We can guide them

through complicated relationships, no matter where

they happen. Let’s work together to help them stay safe

and keep connected. esafety resources provide useful

information and advice for parents and carers to help

children have safe experiences online.

Mental health resources https://kidshelpline.com.au/

https://headspace.org.au/eheadspace/

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Felixstow Wellbeing Notices The Importance of Sleep

We often notice that students appear to be tired at school. The following information on sleep

comes from the Raising Children Network website https://raisingchildren.net.au/school-age/

sleep. This information may help you support your child to get the right amount of sleep to help

them be successful in their learning and engagement with others.

Why is sleep important?

Sleep restores children physically, it helps them grow, it strengthens their immune system, it helps

them learn and remember things and it boosts immunity. Children of all ages need to

get enough sleep so they can play, learn and concentrate during the day.

When and how much sleep do children need?

• 5-8 years need about 10-11 hours sleep a night

• 9-11 years need around 9-11 hours sleep a night.

Teenagers generally need about 8-10 hours sleep a night.

Over 90% of adolescent children don’t get the recommended amount of sleep on school nights.

Getting enough good-quality sleep is important during this period, because sleep is vital for

thinking, learning and concentration skills. Lack of sleep in these years has also been linked to

mental health conditions like depression and anxiety.

About sleep for school-age children

When your child sleeps well, they are more settled, happy and ready for school the next day.

Good-quality sleep helps your child concentrate, remember things which helps them to be a

successful learner.

Good sleep habits

Your child might sleep better at night if they:

• keep regular sleep and wake times, even on the weekend

• turns computers, tablets and TV off an hour before bedtime

• has a quiet and dimly lit place to sleep

• gets plenty of natural light during the day

avoids caffeine in tea, coffee, sports drinks and chocolate, especially in the late afternoon.

How do I get my child to sleep earlier?

• Encourage your child to go to bed and get up around the same time every day. This can

help get their body clock into a regular rhythm.

• Discourage late-night eating, and encourage your child to have breakfast when they get up

in the morning.

• Allow plenty of time – for example, 40 minutes – for your child to have a wind-down before

turning off the lights to go to sleep. Encourage quiet activities like reading a book or magazine,

drawing, writing, playing card games or doing puzzles.

• Turn off electronic stimulation in your child’s bedroom at least one hour before bedtime.

This includes all screens – mobile phones, tablets, computer screens and TV.

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Primary Learning Sorry Day

National Sorry Day, or the National Day of Healing, is an annual event that has been held in Aus-

tralia on 26 May since 1998, to remember and commemorate the mistreatment of the country's

Indigenous peoples, as part of an ongoing process of reconciliation between the Indigenous

peoples and the settler population.

The primary students commemorated the event by viewing the Apology given by Kevin Rudd

and designing thoughtful images of their hands to create an art piece which is now displayed in

the Primary room. Students also summarised their thoughts on Sorry Day and what it means to

them using keywords.

“Sorry and we apologise’ - Zhara

“Families and the stolen generation”- Hannah

“Apologising to original custodians of this land” - Oren

“ Saying sorry to the Aboriginal people” - Kahng

“Apologising to the Aboriginal people for the stolen generation” - Tien

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Juniors Learning Inquiry Focus

We are excited to welcome the new members of our Junior class, our spiny leaf insects! The in-

sects joined us in week 4 and we have loved watching them dance and hide amongst the

leaves. We have been learning about minibeasts in Inquiry and learning about the features and

habitats that ensure their survival. There are lots of interesting facts about our Spiny leaf insects.

The males have wings and the girls don’t – Joelle

The spikey ones are girls and the smooth ones are boys – Marley

The female flicks the eggs onto the floor. The eggs look like seed, which the ants take into their

nests. When the insect hatch they look like ants to help them escape the nest. Within a month

they grow to look like a Spiny leaf insect. – Thomas

They are brown camouflage themselves to look like dead leaves – Pippa

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Term Two

Monday 8th June PUBLIC HOLIDAY

Tuesday 9th June PUPIL FREE DAY

Tuesday 30th June Information session for parents—reporting on student progress (TBC)

Friday 3rd July Last day term 2—Early finish

Term Three

Monday 20th July First Day term 3

Monday 3rd August PUPIL FREE DAY

Friday 25th September Last Day Term 3—early finish

Term Four

Monday 12th October First day Term four

Monday 2nd November PUPIL FREE DAY

Friday 11th December Last day term four—early finish

Important Dates

Out of school hours care

(OSHC)

OSHC is available to families

for before (BSC) and after

school care (ASC).

BSC opens at 7.30am

ASC 3.10 – 6.00pm.

Hannah Gustard is our OSHC

director

for the fridge

Updated: May 2020