Whole School News
- Mrs J Weeks
- Feb 23, 2024
- 4 min read
T1, Week 4
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Early School Pick Up Procedures
Our school day begins at 8:50am and ends at 3:10pm and it is a busy day with active learning taking place throughout the whole day. We request that where possible parents make medical and other appointments for their children outside of school hours. We also acknowledge that sometimes this is impossible. In order to minimise disruption to classes we ask that if you need to collect your child from school before 3:10pm that you send an email to medowie@acc.edu.au by 9am the day of the appointment and we will make sure that your child is brought to the office for you to collect. Unfortunately, due to the busyness of school life, if we receive short notice for the collection of children, parents will be asked to wait until an Executive Staff member is available to collect them from class.
NAPLAN
The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a point in time assessment of literacy and numeracy skills. Each year students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 participate in tests for writing, reading, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy.
NAPLAN Assessments will take place from Wednesday 13 March to Monday 25 March. More information will be forthcoming, but our school’s intention is to run the testing across the first four days and then any required catch-ups early in the second week. This is designed to minimise any disruption to our school’s learning sequences.
NAPLAN tests are just one part of our school learning assessment program and questions are primarily based on knowledge, understanding and skills gained from the prior year of schooling.
In preparation for NAPLAN 2024, our school will undertake activities to help students become familiar with the format and functionality of the online tests. These activities are not an assessment of student ability and will not be marked.
Further information is available by reading this brochure or visiting the NSW Education Standards Authority website.
Students and parents can access the public demonstration site to familiarise themselves with NAPLAN and the types of questions and tools available. Excessive preparation for NAPLAN is not required nor recommended.
If you have any questions about NAPLAN, please contact Mr Mark Walter.
Webinar with Dr Justin Coulson
MCS is committed to helping not only our student community but also our families with relevant and helpful tools for guiding your child. This coming Tuesday 27th there will be a live webinar with Dr Coulson for you to join surrounding mental health for our children and young people.
Our kids and our families are at breaking point. How do we know if our kids will be ok? What can we do to support their mental health and resilience? What’s going wrong, and how do we fix it?
Join Dr Justin Coulson, Australia’s leading parenting expert, as he unpacks the mental health crisis enveloping our kids. He’ll cover:
The root causes behind the deteriorating state of mental health, and who (or what) is responsible
The tools you need to reverse this trend for your children
Science-backed, relationship-focused strategies to remedy school refusal
Realistic approaches for managing screen time in a way that protects your child’s wellbeing without completely alienating them from their peers
Creating margin in your home and family life to protect and promote mental wellness
Note – this is a live webinar, but a link will be available for 14 days after the event in case of timetable clashes so you can catch up and watch it later.
or copy and paste the following URL: https://happyfamiliesfamilyeducation.ac-page.com/medowie-christian-school
BYOD Progress
Next week (Wk 5) students will receive the MCS Technology Policy and Agreement and have an opportunity to go through this in their classes to help them understand the correct and responsible use of technology in the classroom. Our students will be asked to sign off on this agreement to help enable the safe and appropriate use of devices here at school.
Please see a copy of the MCS Technology Policy and Agreement below. At this stage this is for our Year 3 - 12 students with K-2 Infants students receiving a slightly altered version more suited to their use and level of understanding next week.
This agreement will also be shared through the Sentral Parent App for your information to enable conversations at home around safe and responsible use of devices.
Seasons for Growth - Learning to live with change and loss
Everyone is affected by change and loss at some time in our lives. At Medowie Christian School we recognise that when changes occur such as separation, divorce, death, school transitions/relocations and natural disasters, children may benefit from learning new skills to manage these changes effectively. We are once again offering an education program called Seasons for Growth this year.
This program is facilitated in small groups of up to 7 participants and is based on research that highlights the importance of social support and the need to practise new skills to cope effectively with change and loss. The program focuses on building skills such as how to manage feelings, problem-solving, decision-making, effective communication and also develops peer support networks.
Participation in the program can promote improved self-esteem and self-confidence as well as giving children the opportunity to find their own voice amid change. If you think your child would benefit from joining the Seasons for Growth program, we encourage you to talk to them about it. We are pleased to be able to offer this successful program and we are confident that it will be a valuable learning experience for those involved. If you require further information please contact Mrs Kim Kamper via email.
Sentral Parent App
The Sentral Parent App is the main avenue that we will communicate with you about excursions and other school activities that require you to give permission for your child to participate. It appears that there are occasions when the Sentral Parent App logs out if you haven’t used it for a while. Please ensure that you are logged into the Sentral Parent App so that you are receiving any alerts to new information that you need to access in the system.
Rotary Youth Exchange
Students in Years 9, 10 and 11 are invited to consider the Rotary Youth Exchange program. Details in the flyer below:
NDIS Lego Club
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