Data Sheets
This week, this term's data sheets have gone home once again with students. We have noticed a few patterns across the school. Writing results on average have been down in terms of progress. On reflection we have taken onboard some more challenging topics that students have had to acquire a lot of knowledge about before being able to fluently write. Certainly, topics like Captain James Cook and the First Fleet, students came to these lessons with less prior knowledge than the animals that they were studying last term. Also we spent the first 5 weeks of term doing persuasive writing which again is another type of text that can be challenging for students compared to the narrative writing they did last term. I'm sharing this information to provide context and unpack some of the stories behind the data. On a positive note, our numeracy data has improved with 80% of our students hitting their progress standard scores and 44% of students now meeting achievement scores which is up from 41% last term. Differentiating for numeracy is something that is quite a complex skill and something that our new teachers have mastered in a very short space of time.
Hawkesbury Chess Competition
Last week 8 of our Cattai PS students clashed minds with students across the Hawkesbury. 30 teams were entered in total, with Cattai PS being the only small school among the students present. Our A Team managed to get 8th place overall and our B Team manage to get 21st. Considering our teams comprised of predominately Year 3 & Year 4 students I am incredibly proud of our student's achievements on this day.
MMWaC Academic Challenge
This Wednesday we hosted the MMWaC Academic challenge. Students from across our 4 neighbouring MMWaC schools competed to be the Spelling Champion and Mathematics Champion across three age categories, Infants (K-2), Junior (Year 3&4) and Senior (Year 5&6). I'm proud to say that a Cattai PS student took out both the Infant's Spelling Bee and Maths Challenge. We also had 6 students of our other 16 students that we entered be placed as a runners up. Well done to all students involved across our network of schools.
Fire Planning
As many of you are aware we are now moving into fire season. I sent home some information last week that was shared to me through my WHS consultant. I have also met with the Oakville Fire Captain to go over both our Fire Evacuation and Fire Shelter in Place plans. This is something we have constantly tweaked and refined over the 7 years that I have been at Cattai PS. I feel very confident about the plans we have in place. Especially now our upgraded carpark will make any evacuating offsite or early pick-ups a lot more manageable. If you would like to know more feel free to reach out and I'm more than happy to share.
Paper Notes Reminder
As stated in a previous newsletter, we will be only sending out notes digitally as of next term. Parents should have received a note this week indicating if they would prefer a paper copy or are happy to go just digital. By most accounts, School Bytes has become a big help for families juggling everyday life and school commitments. Please let us know if you are having any issues with the new platform.
