NAPLAN is an essential evaluation tool that not only helps us gauge our school’s performance but also serves as a valuable resource for parents to understand their child’s academic progress. Earlier this term parents received NAPLAN results based on tests completed in Term 1 of this year. The results looked slightly different to previous years with results grouped into four bands.
\nNAPLAN is conducted annually in Australian schools to assess the literacy and numeracy skills of students in Years 3, 5, 7, and 9. It measures their abilities in reading, writing, language conventions, and numeracy. While NAPLAN should not be considered the sole indicator of a child’s abilities, it does provide valuable insights into their strengths and areas for improvement, both individually and in comparison, to national benchmarks.
\nI have always believed that despite its limitations, NAPLAN is an important tool for parents, teachers, and students. NAPLAN results help teachers and parents understand how students are performing in comparison to national standards. It provides students with the opportunity to sit for standardized tests and learn how to manage time and test conditions. It enables schools to tailor our teaching methods and provide targeted support and extension to help each child reach their full potential. It also helps schools identify areas for improvement.
\nWhen discussing the results with your child focus on a few key areas. Emphasize that NAPLAN is just one measure of their academic abilities. Discuss how their efforts and progress over time matter more than a single test score. Encourage them to reflect on their strengths and areas they would like to improve. Reinforce that NAPLAN is an opportunity to identify areas where they can grow and celebrate their achievements, encouraging a growth mindset- that no matter their score they can improve with perseverance. Continue to encourage reading and good habits for study and homework.
\nBy discussing the results positively and focusing on growth, you can help your child develop a resilient mindset and the determination to overcome challenges. Together, as a school and parent community, we can empower our children to achieve their full potential.
","published-date":"2023-08-08T02:33:44Z"},{"name":"The Importance of Financial Literacy","slug":"the-importance-of-financial-literacy","post-summary":"As adults, we sometimes forget the life experiences we have that help us to make informed decisions. At the same time, we also need to remember the world our current school-aged students are growing up in is so different to ours. There has always been a need for young people to have a sense of … Continued ","post-body":"As adults, we sometimes forget the life experiences we have that help us to make informed decisions. At the same time, we also need to remember the world our current school-aged students are growing up in is so different to ours. There has always been a need for young people to have a sense of financial literacy but in today’s world where there is less cash, rarely the opportunity to count and check change, digital banking and a bombardment of advertisement encouraging young people to spend, the landscape is more complicated.
\nIt was great to see our Year 11 and 12 Boarding students involved in a financial literacy seminar in late May. There are certainly calls within our broader community for more education in this area. The question to consider is how do we build a strong financial sense in our students so they make informed and sensible decisions in the future? Certainly, raising awareness of this in our school system and working with students in seminars like this helps.However, as a society we need to go further.
\nUnderstanding the dangers of debt, developing money management skills, being able to evaluate different investment options, recognise the benefits of saving, ensuring our students have a strong sense of protecting themselves from online scams and making good decisions about financial technologies, are all necessary skills. While financial literacy is embedded into some curriculum areas, we will be looking at other ways to ensure this important area is integrated into our offerings. I also encourage parents to talk about this with their children more frequently and provide them with opportunities to engage with and learn from experience, in the real world.
\nUnderstanding Mathematics in practice in our rapidly changing world is essential to financial independence and success. It is a vital life skill that can empower young people to achieve their future goals.
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Reference article: https://www.smh.com.au/money/planning-and-budgeting/could-you-pass-this-financial-literacy-test-most-young-australians-can-t-20230522-p5da7l.html
","published-date":"2023-06-06T04:50:03Z"},{"name":"The Vaping Epidemic","slug":"12009","post-summary":"Schools are deeply concerned by the speed with which vaping has been adopted by a significant proportion of young Australians and by the potential and actual harms to students from nicotine and other toxic chemicals in vaping products. After so successfully winning the war against tobacco and smoking cigarettes, it’s been heartbreaking to see the … Continued ","post-body":"Schools are deeply concerned by the speed with which vaping has been adopted by a significant proportion of young Australians and by the potential and actual harms to students from nicotine and other toxic chemicals in vaping products. After so successfully winning the war against tobacco and smoking cigarettes, it’s been heartbreaking to see the ease with which producers and suppliers of vapes have managed to successfully infiltrate the teenage market.
\nAt present, it is estimated that around 14% of 12- to 17-year-olds have tried an e-cigarette. While their use is more common in those aged 18-24, the appeal of these brightly coloured, pleasantly smelling and enticingly flavoured devices and the myth that they are not harmful, is of concern. Over recent years, viral online trends, the ease of access and their affordability have enabled these devices to make their way easily into homes and schools.
\nIt is good to see the tide turning in terms of government regulation. In June 2022, Juul, the e-cigarette company in the US, was banned from selling its product in the USA. At this point the company was worth $US38 billion and had marketed itself as the ‘safe’ future of smoking. It continues to fight the ban in the courts. Currently there are multiple companies worldwide producing vapes.
\nCurrently, Australia uses a prescription model for vape supply. This has led to a vast black market supply chain and increasing concern in health sectors about the toxicity and tobacco content of these vapes. Last month, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) published the almost 4000 public submissions it received in response to the Australian Government’s vaping reform. “All State and Territory governments supported tightening border controls for nicotine vaping products, with most also supporting closing the personal importation scheme and requiring import permits,” the TGA summary said. Amongst these submissions were multiple responses from schools and school sectors as well as health professionals and university researchers. All sectors agree that we are facing a public health emergency and that strong regulations are needed including greater controls on imports, regulation of sales and the banning of colourful misleading packaging.
\nThis week, the Federal Health Minister indicated the Government will pursue a ban on imported disposable vapes and this is aimed at taking vapes out of convenience stores and eliminating the black market trade. I hope the publicity around this will help young people grow in their understanding of the harmful and addictive impact of vaping and that Government controls support and protect the health of this teenage generation.
\nReference Article:Vape ban Australia: Mark Butler to ban disposable vapes (smh.com.au)
\n","published-date":"2023-05-02T04:13:58Z"},{"name":"The Benefits of a Single Sex Education for Teenage Girls","slug":"the-benefits-of-a-single-sex-education-for-teenage-girls","post-summary":"Over the last decade, as many boys schools across NSW have begun to move to co-education, enrolments in all girls schools continues to grow. The most recent figures show an increase in enrolments in 96% of single sex secondary schools and this continues to reflect the strong belief amongst parents and teachers that girls, especially … Continued ","post-body":"
Over the last decade, as many boys schools across NSW have begun to move to co-education, enrolments in all girls schools continues to grow. The most recent figures show an increase in enrolments in 96% of single sex secondary schools and this continues to reflect the strong belief amongst parents and teachers that girls, especially teenage girls, learn best and take more opportunities in a single sex environment.
\nMission Australia’s 2022 Australia Youth Survey showed that girls 15-19 in all girls’ schools coped better with stress, body image and bullying. In each of the areas measured “girls in single sex schools have a more positive self-perception of wellbeing…. and a “higher prevalence of positive attitudes to studying at school.”
\nAdditionally, research conducted over many years has shown that girls are more likely to tackle higher levels of Mathematics, Science and Technology in an all-girls school and they are more inclined to consider STEM careers. Earlier this month, I was privileged to see 15 Year 12 Extension Science students present their research to a panel. Each student works with a mentor in this course and develops an original thesis across all science disciplines. This is girls’ education at its absolute best as these students tackle a difficult course in a supportive and challenging environment that breaks female stereotypes and for many, opens doors to future study and career.
\nAt present we are conducting enrolment interviews for 2025 at KRB and, no matter the age of the girl coming into the school, parents are all asking about opportunities for their daughters to interact with boys as they move through their secondary education. A modern education demands we indeed present them with moments to grow and learn from each other. Our new strategic plan will look at meaningful ways to ensure we meet this need. However, parents also want to know about the opportunities in sports, in music and drama, the activities that will lead to safe risk taking and confidence building and the academic environment their daughter will thrive in. It is clear that parents are seeking an ‘all girls’ education for their teenage daughter because of the wider opportunities it offers.
\nResearch continues to support the benefits of single sex education for teenage girls as we evolve and continue to create confident young women who are able to find their place in a complex world.
\nReference Article:
\nDemand for Sydney all-girls schools soaring – survey | The Educator K/12 (theeducatoronline.com)
The CSIRO’s July 2022 discussion paper on global megatrends outlined trends that are emerging and will need future investment, strategic and policy direction and broad community acceptance. Two key areas the paper discussed were the rapidly growing digital and data economy and the rise of artificial intelligence. At the start of this year, stories began appearing in mainstream media with concerns about the misuse of artificial intelligence in schools and universities. This will continue to be an area of focus for all education sectors in the future as this area continues to grow. School systems in North America are now using Bots to write lessons and here in Australia, a new AI technology – ChatGPT – is causing a stir as both the university and school sectors grapple with the implications of its ability to answer even the most sophisticated questions.
\nOver the last month I have read arguments for and against this technology. While there may well be some positive timesaving efficiencies for our staff, most significant, in my view, is the question of academic integrity and learning for our students. Our role as educators is to teach students how to learn and we know that it is often in the struggle that students learn best. Schools everywhere are now ‘banning’ the ChatGPT website, limiting student access while at school and teachers are rethinking assessment and how to deal best to maintain the struggle. I suspect this is just the start.
\nEducators also know that at the heart of education are human relationships. We cannot ignore or assume a variety of artificial intelligence programmes will not make their way into Australian schools in the months and years ahead. Managing this well will be yet another task for educators as they continue to search for solutions in an increasingly complex world to ensure they make a positive difference to each child they teach.
\nReference Article:
\nChatGPT appears to pass medical school exams. Educators are now rethinking assessments – ABC News
As universities compete and strive to attract students, the most significant change in the last three years has been the expansion of the ‘early offer’ available to Year 12 students as a pathway into university. Secondary School Principals and Leadership Teams across the State have struggled to manage the growing expectations of students (who bank on an early offer into university before they begin or finish their HSC) as well as the well-founded criticism that universities are bypassing the one system set up to create a level playing field for university – the ATAR. At the end of the first week of the HSC in 2022, one university emailed Principals asking them to remind their students to check their early entries – the second English paper was barely over. As it turned out, most of these offers were unconditional and, at that point, with most of the exams still to go, the HSC and ATAR were no longer relevant.
\nFor a young person this is a confusing time. They have been rightly led to believe the HSC is the end of their schooling – a rite of passage. On the surface, the broadening of pathways into university has opened doors to universities and taken some of the ‘heat’ out of the HSC for many students. However, when we look closely there are reasons to be concerned. In 2021, one third of students entering University did not use their ATAR, as the article from the SMH from January 2023 states, 43 000 early offers were made to students in 2022 before they sat their final examinations. 67,000 students sat the HSC in 2022.
\nThe NSW HSC has served this State well and protecting it is something we must do. While Universities may have made some concessions for the 2023 year, settling on September releases with conditional rather than unconditional offers, it will be important that we do as much as possible to ensure the HSC remains a stronghold of our education system.
\nReference Article:
\n","published-date":"2023-02-22T04:16:46Z"}]