Newsletter No. 8 12th October 2011

Diary 2011

October

Monday 10th Term 4 commences

Tuesday 11th Prep swimming program

commences

Thursday 13th Kinder to school transition

Sunday 16th Working bee

Monday 17th 9.30 Parent Information session –

Seniors 2012

Wednesday 19th 2.00pm Parents’ Association

Thursday 20th Celebration Soiree: Maimba

Music

Friday 21st Middle & senior soirees

Monday 24th 9.30 Parent Information session –

Middles2012

Wednesday 26th 7.30pm School council

Friday 28th ‘Relay for Life’ senior unit

November

Tuesday 1st Cup day – student free day

Wednesday 2nd

2.30 Parent Information session –

Juniors 2012

Monday 7th 9.30 Parent Information session –

Juniors 2012

Saturday 12th CSPS ‘Bollywood’ Ball

Sunday 13th Working bee

Friday 18th ‘House Sports Day

Wednesday 26th 7.30pm School council

Tuesday 29th 2012 Prep Information Night

December

Tuesday 13th 2012 Prep Transition Day

Year 6 transition Day

Wednesday 14th CRE Christmas Service

Friday 16th Portfolios and reports go home

Tuesday 20th Year 6 Graduation

Thursday 22nd

Final Day 2011

Dear parents,

The Ultranet – how we are travelling at the beginning of

term four.

We would like to express our appreciation of your patience as

we connect everyone to the Ultranet. The outcome will be a

fantastic opportunity for children, parents and teachers to safely

connect online as one community, however we do appreciate

that getting it all ready to go, including everyone ‘permanently’

connected has been challenging!

For at least October, CSPS will be providing the newsletter,

bulletin and student forms, both via the Ultranet and via our

school web page. With your weekly email you will receive links

to both sites.

The weekly bulletin will appear on the Ultranet as a ‘blog’. The

format for the bulletin will be changed slightly to accommodate

inclusion in the blog.

Please check that your Ultranet password consistently works.

Again, if there are problems, please let us know asap, so we can

work towards effective and consistent whole school access.

This week when you log into the community page you will note

that all of the level teams have information within their links –

please check them out. It takes very little time and will be a key

means of us communicating to you what is happening around

the classrooms each week.

Also, ‘play around’ with accessing your child’s learning profile.

This provides you with a link to your child’s express space,

which many children have begun to personalize and have

started to save some work which they can share with you.

Please let us know how you go – and please send through any

questions you might have.

Kind regards

Barbara & Prue

krongold.barbara.f@edumail.vic.gov.au

boyd-gerny.prue.a@edumail.vic.gov.au

Welcome back to term 4. This term is always a busy and very happy time at Camberwell South. Change is

pending for our students. Our preps are preparing to move up in the school and our year sixes are preparing to

move on to secondary school. Along the way there are many marvellous school events that allow our students to

celebrate learning and participation together.

Planning for 2012 With only one term to go planning is well underway for the New Year. Next week we will finish interviews for

staff and we are now beginning the formation of next year’s classes. Information we collect over the year is

taken into consideration as we form the class groups. We aim to create classes with social groups that work well

together and support each other in their learning. Over the next week or so the students will, in consultation with

their teachers, nominate their preferences for learning partners in 2012. The classroom teachers know the most

about whom students’ best work with and would make a good learning partner and will support students in

making appropriate choices.

If you have issues that you would like us to consider please write to me or make a time to meet with me prior to

November 2nd

As teaching staff for the respective teams has not been finalised yet please do not make a request

for a particular teacher, however any other matter that is relevant to your child’s placement for 2012 is important

to us.

If your family or one of your children is not returning to CSPS next year we would appreciate it if you would let

us know as soon as possible, This does not include our year 6 students. Our funding provided through the school

Resource Package – the budget provided by the government – is determined by our student population hence we

like to budget with certainty as soon as we can. The final decision on the number of classes will be made after

we have confirmed numbers of students at each level. Funding arrangements in a government school provide for

smaller class sizes in the first three years of schooling.

Prep Unit - 4 groups of 20 students

Junior Unit - 7 groups of 21/22 students

Middles unit - 6 groups of 27/28 students – possibility of all boys group

Senior unit - 5 groups of 28 students

Within this arrangement there are many options for teachers to place students in learning conditions to meet

their academic and social needs and also to support teachers in planning together in units to cater for the

individual needs of all students in their level team. The importance of maintaining gender balance is one of the

many issues taken into consideration and once again it may be necessary to operate an all boys class in the

middle unit in 2012

NAPLAN (National Assessment program for Literacy and Numeracy)

The results for the students were distributed to parents at the end of term 3. These results add to the

extensive range of data that the teachers collect as evidence of student progress for every child. Please

remember that the NAPLAN results need to be viewed in the context of the information that has been

presented and discussed with you during the mid year report and conference and through learning plan

meetings. It is a snapshot of performance on one day.

Our results continue to be excellent and well above state-wide benchmarks. If you would like to

discuss any aspect of the information you receive about your child’s results please feel free to make an

appointment with your child’s teacher or a member of the leadership team.

‘Meet the Principal’ sessions for term 4.

2012 will bring new experiences for all our students along with challenges for our prep students

moving into juniors. Many of our students will make the shift to a new class with ease while for others

the uncertainty alone creates a potential problem. Parent information sessions are planned for this term

to discuss transition and different topics relevant to the levels

Monday 17th October – 9.30am Middles to seniors

Monday 24th

October - 9.30am Junior to Middles

Wednesday November 2nd

at 2.15pm or Monday November 7th

at 9.30am - Prep to Juniors

Brigid O’Keefe

Principal

The Homework Survey – Summary of Community Response

190 Camberwell South families responded to the online homework survey. The Education Committee has provided the

following brief summary of the key themes that emerged from analysis of the results.

Q 1: The community identified that the key purposes of homework are:

To help students consolidate work covered in class & to foster good life long learning and study habits.

Q2: Respondents rated the following types of homework as most important (in order)

1. Reading, Including reading for pleasure

2. Maths (including times tables)

3. Spelling

4. Writing

5. Discussion with family members

Q 3: Only 47 families responded to the question ‘other types of homework that should be given’. Of these 15 said no or

no homework, 16 gave examples such as social awareness, projects, research skills and extension tasks.

Q 4:DEECD guidelines suggest that time spent on homework, four nights a week, generally ranges as follows:

Preps up to 40 mins per week – focus nightly reading

Juniors: around an hour a week

Middles around 2 hours per week

Seniors around 3 hours per week

Of the respondents, the average time spent by their children is

- 60 % of prep students spend up to 40 minutes, 40 % more than 40 mins

- Juniors: 50 % spent up to an hour on homework, the rest more

- Middles: 58% 1-2 hours,

- Seniors: 44% 2- 3 hours, the rest balanced between less and more time.

Q 5: When asked to comment on the appropriateness of the amount of time children spend on homework, the response

was overwhelmingly positive response.

Of those that felt that it was too much the most common issue was time management at home with family and extra

curricula activity. Several working parents made comment that it was more difficult because of extra commitment in

limited time.

Q 6: Regarding time frames for Homework, strong support from Prep, Junior and Middle unit parents (92.5, 80, &

86%) for the one week time frame whilst in seniors, the two-week time frame had 70 % support.

Q 7: The overwhelming majority of people want consequences to be followed through at school during student free

time, including recess, lunchtime and formal homework club. Communication with parents was also highly valued.

Q 8: 88% of parents agreed that there ‘should be a consistent homework format within a unit’.

Q 9:Nearly 94% of respondents agreed one of the parent’s roles in homework is to encourage a regular time to

complete homework; 85 % agreed another role is to discuss key questions and suggest resources.

Q 10: Respondents were given the opportunity to add any further comment in relation to homework at Camberwell

South.

Broad general themes emerged, and some respondents chose to elaborate on issues raised by questions 1-9.

When reading through it became clear that the following ideas consistently emerged:

Content and quality of homework: o More maths – this appeared to be particularly related to our senior students

o Better spelling tasks – more focused to meet individual needs

o Projects – self motivating and student directed

o Reading materials: appropriate, varied, interesting, flexible

Communication and Feedback o This should be diligent from teachers to both parents and children

Catering for Individuals o In terms of both ability and their circumstances

Sue Bergfeld has provided a more detailed breakdown of responses – no small task as the committee was required to

read through 14 pages of responses! The information below identifies some key ideas, response rates and an

indication of from what level /s of the school the response is intended.

Question 10

Question 10 re homework

Yes No

Consequences 5 1 – be mindful of family situation

Individual needs taken into account 4 1

Should have homework 3

From year 5 x1

1

1 minimal

Reading for pleasure as homework 4 1

Consistent format in unit 2 1

Parental role in homework Assist and encourage 6 Hands off 1

Communication Feedback each term x 1

Instructions about method, guidelines,

timelines to be clearer x 2

Not overnight – difficult for working

parents

Other ideas - Alternate literacy/numeracy

each week so not too much

homework

- Appropriate content but

quantity too much

- Less homework

- Reading, spelling, maths

every night

Prep

- Reading good

- More choice

Junior

- Special tasks added on need

to be taught at school first

Middle

- Good

- Task for one week better

- Eg tables x 2

- Encourage all types of

reading material

Seniors

- 2 week cycle

- Overhaul format

The Education Committee will be using this information to guide the development of an updated CSPS Homework

policy during term four.

Prue Boyd-Gerny and Sue Bergfeld,

for the Education Committee.