ENewsletter

From the Principal

2025 Wellbeing for Learning Project

This week staff members attended a full day conference related to ‘Supporting Students’ Development of Regulation’. As part of a state strategy the Wellbeing for Learning Project seeks to provide teachers with the skills and knowledge to support students to become resilient, persistent, focused on learning and, feel a sense of belonging and safety.

The work we did at the conference is critical to achieving the third goal of our Site Learning Plan, which is: ‘to support students in their self-regulation for learning’. The focus elements to support this goal includes; investment of resources, building a collective responsibility for improved practice and student learning, and continuing to nurture a culture of learning.

The conference led us through a series of modules, the culmination of which provided a broad understanding of the complexity of the work needed in this area. As examples; first, we looked at the developing brain and its part in how students regulate themselves to be successful learners. The module on Self-Regulation and Co-Regulation highlighted insights on how we provide a secure base when we show students, they are safe and there is someone who sees and cares for them. We then moved onto Building Connection, which concentrated on viewing students with ‘unconditional positive regard’ as the foundation of building a positive relationship.

In all there were nine modules covered, with Interoception Awareness being an interesting area of focus in relation to students understanding their own bodies and how learning is affected by how they are feeling. Being able to name and understand internal sensations and changes in physiology allows students to communicate more clearly their feelings and their capacity for learning.

As this was a Pupil Free Day, I wanted to give you an insight into the learning that we undertook. Our next step is to take this knowledge, bring it into being in our planning and implement the strategies in our class rooms. Our overall aim is to have happy, motivated learners who can use successful learning strategies.

Thanking the Crafers Primary School community for its continuing support,

John

Thank you : from St Vincent de Paul Society

Dear Crafers Community,

Thank you for your support of our 2024 Christmas Hamper Appeal.

In 2024 we were able to provide Christmas Hampers to a total of 93 households in need, comprising of 166 children and 141 adults, who live in our Adelaide Hills Area.

We were also able to provide gifts for all of those 166 children.

None of this would have been achieved were it not for the generosity of people like the Crafers Primary School Community.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Crafers Primary School Community for your ongoing support of our Christmas Hamper Appeal, and for helping us to provide support for those doing it tough.

Paul Somers
St Vincent de Paul Society

Every student can be a Mathematician!

This year, the ongoing focus in Maths is to instill the belief that every student is capable of being a good mathematician. This can be done through effective teaching methods and ongoing support. One of the key strategies has been to implement the use of ‘ low floor, high ceiling’ activities. They are designed to be accessible to everyone at a basic level, allowing for opportunities to make them more complex. Approximately three times a week, students engage in partner games that focus on a range of place value and number skills such as addition, subtraction, working with large numbers, adding two digits etc. The games are adaptable to increase the challenge, catering to a wide range of abilities and encouraging deeper mathematical thinking.

We have a whole school focus of working with Dr Ange Rogers on Place Value and using the PVAT test, as well as the middle primary teachers completing the Year 3-5 Orbis maths course.

Below you will see a range of students engaging in games such as Totality, Greedy Pig, Get out of my House and 200 or bust. Each week the students have had a positive attitude to playing the games, asking questions, gaining confidence in their maths knowledge and sharing their learning. They are also fun to play at home!

Cheers from the Year 3 and 4s in Room 4

Children's University

We are pleased to announce that we will continue to be a part of the Children’s University (CU), and our Year 2 to 6 students are invited to participate.

The Children’s University offers learning opportunities to students. It aims to engage students in non-formal learning, help children develop self-efficacy and confidence, and build aspirations by promoting education outside school hours and linking them to subjects that can be studied at university. It is designed to be a pathway to university study in later years. Parent support for your child is essential.

The most important principles of CU are that participation is voluntary and activities must take place outside the normal school day during lunch, after school, weekends and holidays. All CU learning is designed to inspire children to think about their futures with a greater knowledge of the careers and professions that they could aspire to. Children’s University works in partnership with other Learning Destinations such as zoos, art galleries, libraries, local councils and museums, all of whom can validate hours if a child visits with family.

Each student is issued with a Passport to Learning in which the hours of each validated activity are recorded. Once they have reached the required hours, children will graduate from CU. Certificates are presented at graduation ceremonies held at Adelaide University late in the year.

If you would like more information, please look on the CU website (https://www.adelaide.edu.au/childrensuniversity/) or ask me, the coordinator and Year 3-4 teacher. Please note the cut off date for membership which is at the end of this term.

Thank you

Kim Atkinson

All ongoing volunteers must do mandatory notification training and keep it current. This includes people on a governing council.

The training is called Responding to Risks of Harm, Abuse and Neglect – Education and Care. We call it RRHAN-EC for short.

As a volunteer, you only need to do the RRHAN-EC fundamentals course, which is free for you.

If you've done RRHAN-EC training you should have received a certificate. The expiry date is on that certificate.

If you completed your training between 2021 and 2023, your certificate has expired. We are asking all volunteers to get ahead for 2025 and complete their online training now.

For more information head to : www.education.sa.gov.au