A Message from the Principal
Term 3 Planning Day
Our Learning Support Assistants attended nation-leading training for Learning Support Assistants (LSAs) in ACT public schools. This universal training package, which started last year, is the first of its kind in Australia.
The Educaiton Direcotrate's inclusive education strategy aims to deliver greater inclusion for students with disability by making sure schools have the support they require to meet the needs of all students. LSAs support teachers to include children and young people with disability in all school activities.
As a school we have a series of things we believe about Literacy and have key actions we undertake because of those beliefs.
Topic |
Belief |
Actions |
Conferencing |
Because we believe students need clear communication to understand what they are doing right, along with areas that need improvement… |
·We work with the students to identify strengths and areas for improvement and set goals and strategies using a visual tool. ·We use a conferencing schedule to ensure we meet with every child once a week. |
Learning Intentions and Success Criteria |
Because we believe students need to be explicitly told what they are learning and how to be successful… |
·We have one learning intention and up to three success criteria for each lesson. ·We use student friendly language in our learning intentions and success criteria. ·We display these for the entire lesson. |
Anchor Charts |
Because we believe students need to have their learning visibly scaffolded… |
·We co-create posters with the students during lessons to scaffold their learning. ·We display anchor charts around the classroom that students will refer to throughout the year. |
Time |
Because we believe students need time to read and write… |
·We keep our mini lessons to a maximum of 15 minutes. ·We block out the largest part of the workshop for independent reading or writing. ·We give time to every student through conferring. |
Mini Lesson |
Because we believe students need explicit teaching, and as well as opportunities to practice what they are learning… |
·We model the use of skills and strategies through think aloud in the mini lesson. ·We use the Gradual Release of Responsibility model during the mini lesson to allow students to practise new skills. ·We ensure our mini lessons are a maximum of 15 minutes to maintain engagement. |
Independent Reading and Writing |
Because we believe students learn best by ‘doing’ reading and writing… |
·We block out the largest part of the workshop for independent reading or writing. ·We scaffold student learning expectations during mini lessons to allow them to work independently with confidence. |
Choice |
Because we believe students need to be engaged in and have ownership over their learning… |
·We give students choice over their writing topics and ‘good fit’ book preferences. ·We give students choice over tasks. ·We leave some ‘free reading’ and ‘free writing’ days available to give students choice over text type, genre, reading style etc. |
Sharing |
Because we believe students need to see where they are in relation to the learning intention… |
·We block out time at the end of the workshop for students to reflect on the success criteria. ·We ask guiding questions to assess students learning. ·We encourage students to synthesise their thinking to help the teacher work out the next steps. |
Year 4 Living Wax Museum
In week 10 I had the pleasure of attending the Year 4 Wax Museum. Our Year 4 students prepared well researched presentations about the life and acts of world explorers, convicts, free settlers and Indigenous persons of interest from early colonial Australia times.
Rostrum Quarter Finals
Congratulations to Francesca who delivered her rostrum speech at the quarter finals late last term at Bonner Primary School. We are incredibly proud of your efforts at your first quarter final!
Netball Gala Day
We are thrilled to share the excitement and achievements from our recent Netball Gala Day! It was a fantastic event filled with energy, sportsmanship, and fun. Our students showcased their skills, teamwork, and passion for the game resulting in being undefeated across their six games. Ngunnawal was lucky enough to have one of their senior students Desi come along as the allocated umpire for the day. Thank you, Desi!
Hats are back on for August!
Embracing diversity and inclusion at Ngunnawal Primary School
Embracing diversity and inclusion is important to us at Ngunnawal Primary School. We promote respect and understanding among our students and wider school community.
In term 2 we commenced important work with members of the Sikh community to allow our baptised Sikh students to wear the five articles of the Sikh faith to school. These articles are the Kesh (headwear such as a turban, patka, dupatta, or chunni to cover their hair); the Kanga (small wooden comb); the Kachera (undergarment); the Kirpan (symbolic blade with a handle); and the Kara (metal bracelet). The wearing of articles of faith by baptised Sikh students is protected under Human Rights Law and in line with the ACT Education Directorate’s Safe and Supportive Schools Policy.
We are working with our Sikh families to ensure our baptised Sikh students are able to wear these items in a safe and respectful manner. The Kirpan currently being worn at the school is similar to a large charm. It is a blunt object and is not able to be removed from its sheath. It is also worn in a discreet manner which makes it inaccessible by others.
Whilst the five articles of the Sikh faith can be worn at school there may be circumstances for health and safety reasons (i.e. sporting activities) where they may need to be removed and kept in a safe and culturally appropriate location. These arrangements are agreed in collaboration with the Sikh students and their families.
We are committed to honouring and celebrating cultural diversity and fostering an environment where every student feels valued and respected. We will continue working closely with families to ensure everyone feels safe and supported at our school.
Parental Portal App is coming Term 3!
Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD)
Every year, all schools in Australia participate in the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD). The NCCD process requires schools to identify information already available in the school about supports provided to students with disability. These relate to legislative requirements under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education 2005, in line with the NCCD guidelines (2019).
Information provided about students to the Australian Government for the NCCD includes:
- year of schooling
- category of disability: physical, cognitive, sensory or social/emotional
- level of adjustment provided: support provided within quality differentiated teaching practice, supplementary, substantial or extensive.
This information assists schools to:
- formally recognise the supports and adjustments provided to students with disability in schools
- consider how they can strengthen the support of students with disability in schools
- develop shared practices so that they can review their learning programs in order to improve educational outcomes for students with disability.
The NCCD provides state and federal governments with the information they need to plan more broadly for the support of students with disability. The NCCD will have no direct impact on your child and your child will not be involved in any testing process. The school will provide data to the Australian Government in such a way that no individual student will be able to be identified – the privacy and confidentiality of all students is ensured. All information is protected by privacy laws that regulate the collection, storage and disclosure of personal information. To find out more about these matters, please refer to the Australian Government’s Privacy Policy (https://www.education.gov.au/privacy-policy). Further information about the NCCD can be found on the NCCD Portal (https://www.nccd.edu.au).