From our Principal – Mr Neville Stanway

Dear Parents/Guardians,

It has been a very positive start to the year, and the staff and students have settled in well. We are over half-way through the term, and it is Autumn already. It feels like Summer, because of the beautiful weather plus we have only recently had the House Swimming Carnivals!

Partnering with Parents

Domain #9 of the National School Improvement Plan describes School-Community Partnerships as follows: The school actively seeks ways to enhance student learning and well-being by partnering with parents and families, other education and training institutions, local businesses and community organisations.

At Foundation Christian College, we place a high value on partnering together with families, so we try to facilitate this as much as possible. We regularly communicate with families, Parent Information evenings were held earlier this term, a morning tea is held for families after each assembly in the Primary school, Parent/Teacher interviews are happening at the moment, and we are having our first Parent Association for the year on Tuesday 21 March.

Last week, over 30 parents attended the Volunteer Induction training which is held each term. Parent volunteers can help the staff in different ways throughout the College.

Student Leadership

The Student Leadership teams in both the Primary and Secondary school have been organizing a range of activities during lunchtime and for the other classes. It is wonderful to see how these leaders are serving the College at Assemblies, Worship Services, House Carnivals, College Twilight Tours, Lunch-time clubs, etc. Mrs Dryland (Primary) and Mr Marillier (Secondary) are doing a great job working with the student leaders.

The GRIP Leadership Conference will be held at the Perth Exhibition Centre on Tuesday 21 March (Secondary) and Wednesday 22 March (Primary). It is a wonderful opportunity for our student leaders to join with over 1,000 leaders from school all over WA for a time of training and input.

Community Service – Mrs Lisa Munday MLA Dawesville

Recently, we invited Mrs Lisa Munday MLA Dawesville to visit the College to speak to the Secondary Student Leaders about Community Service.

Mrs Munday has extensive experience in serving the community as a Paramedic, then a Clinical Psychotherapist, and now as a Member of the WA State Parliament.

It was great to hear Mrs Munday share about her experiences and to encourage the students to serve others. It was also good to introduce Mrs Munday to the Executive Team where we talked about the vision of the College.

National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) – 15 to 27 March

NAPLAN Testing commences shortly for Year 3, 5, 7, and 9 Students. Here is some information from the NAPLAN website:

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is an annual assessment for students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. It is a nationwide measure through which parents/carers, teachers, schools, education authorities, governments and the broader community can determine whether or not young Australians are developing the literacy and numeracy skills that provide the critical foundation for other learning and for their productive and rewarding participation in the community.

NAPLAN results allow parents/carers and educators to see how students are progressing in literacy and numeracy over time – individually, as part of their school community, and against national standards. The tests support monitoring and evaluating of the performance of schools and school systems in these fundamental capabilities. They also provide schools, states and territories with information about how education approaches are working, areas to be prioritised for improvement, and those schools requiring support in the teaching and learning of literacy and numeracy. The results can assist teachers by providing additional information to support their professional judgement about students’ levels of literacy and numeracy attainment and progress.

NAPLAN tests are one aspect of each school’s assessment and reporting process and do not replace the extensive, ongoing assessments made by teachers about each student’s performance. Each teacher will have the best insight into their students’ educational progress. Parents/carers can use NAPLAN reports, along with other school assessment reports, to discuss their child’s strengths and areas for improvement with their teacher. NAP – NAPLAN

Michelle Dempsey CEO of Christian Education National (CEN)

Last week, we were greatly blessed to have a visit from Mrs Michelle Dempsey CEO of Christian Education National (CEN). Michelle was in Perth for some planning meetings for 2024, so she came down to the College to meet with the Primary Leadership team (Secondary Leaders were at the Swimming Carnival) and the Executive Team. It was Michelle’s first visit for a number of years, so she was really excited to meet the new leadership team and to hear about how things are going. Michelle will come back for another visit later in the year.

Thank you for your on-going support of the College. It is wonderful serving God in such a great community. God bless you!

Kind Regards,

Mr Neville Stanway

Principal