NAPLAN
Why NAPLAN will help us to grow your son
At Nudgee College, we are determined to use educational data in meaningful ways; in ways that support student learning. Your willingness to support the program of NAPLAN testing is vital to its successful completion. Working together, we are best able to support and encourage the academic growth of the young men in our care.
NAPLAN might not matter – it’s what it measures that matters. NAPLAN is a measurement instrument. It is designed to measure students’ literacy and numeracy skills under controlled conditions. Let’s use the act of measuring one’s height as an analogy. We do not attempt to measure the person as they go about their daily activities, but instead place them in an artificial situation: shoes off, back to the wall, chin up, no slouching. The same is true of measurement in education. In reality, when we give a boy a reading test, we know that he may never again encounter those particular reading passages or those particular questions. That is not the point. The reading passages we use and the questions we ask are merely opportunities to gather relevant observations about what is really of interest – the student’s underlying reading ability, which cannot be observed directly and must be inferred.
We use NAPLAN for comparison, not competition. NAPLAN shines a spotlight on school performance every year. Media commentary is often based on over-simplified comparisons of school averages (a statistic that is strongly correlated with students’ socioeconomic backgrounds). We conduct a careful examination of Nudgee College improvement against that of other schools so that we can better understand the value we add, reflected in the progress students make.
NAPLAN helps us teach in ways that are responsive to our students’ needs. NAPLAN provides schools with detailed data on the performance of their students; data that can be used to investigate classroom teaching strategies and the strength of school-wide programs. Our Program Leader for Literacy (Mrs Bonnie Becker) has led groups of teachers in purposeful projects that have supported focused improvement in students’ reading and writing skills. Our Program Leader for Enrichment (Ms Stephanie Spicer) is supporting those students who are progressing well beyond their peers, ensuring that curricular and co-curricular opportunities are responsive to their learning needs.
Ms Lauren Nolan
Head of Special Programs (School Improvement)
Australian Mathematics Competition
Entries are now being accepted for the 2022 Australian Mathematics Competition.
The competition is an excellent opportunity for students to challenge themselves with problem solving questions in a test that is not high stakes.
The completion consists of 25 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions of increasing difficulty.
You can find practice questions on the Australian Mathematics Trust website:
https://competitions.amt.edu.au/index.php?action=user_competitions and https://www.amt.edu.au/department/amc-practice-solutions.
The competition is to be held on Wednesday 3rd August during periods 1 and 2, but the entry money is due this term.
- Cost $7.50
- Due Date: Friday 3 June
The entry fee is to be paid directly to your son’s Mathematics or via the Nudgee payment gateway: https://payments.nudgee.qld.edu.au/purchase/index/.
Mr Paul Masters
Mathematics Teacher
Inclusive Learning at Nudgee College: 2022 Restart continued
New Role - Inclusive Learning (EAL/D & ATSI)
This week, we welcome a new teacher to the Inclusive Learning team, Mrs Marike DuBuson. Mrs DuBuson’s role will focus on supporting students at the College (and in boarding) who have English As an Additional Language/Dialect (EAL/D) and who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander (ATSI). Mrs DuBuson will work with Teachers, Tutors in the Boarding Academic Program, Liberating Education staff, and Teacher Aides to support student access to and participation in curriculum-related tasks.
Teacher Aides
Across the College (Yrs 5-12), Inclusive Learning Teacher Aides (pictured below) carry out a critical role in working alongside teachers in classrooms and intervention programs to support boys to reach their potential. This year, Inclusive Learning support staff have engaged in professional learning in the Disability Standards for Education (2005), the Role of Teacher Aides, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Attention Deficit Disorder. Sessions were designed for staff to better understand boys’ learning needs and to enact reasonable adjustments to support students in their learning.
Back: Mrs Larissa Flancbaum, Mrs Juliet Percy, Mrs Meredith Henderson, Mrs Melissa Grant, Mr Leo De Clara, Ms Kerri Greyling, Ms Georgia McKenzie, Ms Phillippa Cavangh, Mrs Megan Langton
Front: Mrs Gail DuMont, Mrs Julie Chambers, Mrs Maria Patullo, Mrs Leanne Boldt, Mrs Sian McKenzie
Absent: Ms Liz Agnew, Mrs Diane Marks, Ms Kailee Nickolson, Mr Lachlan Prince, Mrs Pat Smith, Mrs Jodi Stewart
Students - Updated Specialist Letters/Reports
Families are encouraged to continue to provide the College with updated specialist reports/documentation about their son’s learning needs and recommended adjustments - please contact the relevant IL Coordinator, below:
Ms Charmaine Greatrex (Years 5-6) cgr@nudgee.qld.edu.au
Ms Julie Winter (Years 7-8) jwi@nudgee.qld.edu.au
Ms Allana Herrod (Years 9-10) ahd@nudgee.qld.edu.au
Dr Jane Brown (Years 11-12) jbr@nudgee.qld.edu.au
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). At Nudgee College, Heads of Faculty and teaching staff are currently working through a moderation process to finalise students who will be included in the College’s 2022 NCCD count. 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. Further information about the NCCD can be found on the NCCD Portal. If you have any questions about the NCCD, please contact me directly at the College.
Non State Schools Transport Assistance Scheme
Applications for the Non State Schools Transport Assistance Scheme (NSSTAS) opened on Sunday, 1 May. The NSSTAS provides financial assistance for families transporting students to non-state schools in Queensland. To find out if you are eligible to apply click here.
Please see below some upcoming opportunities which may be of interest:
Positive Partnerships
Four Online Parent/Carer Workshop sessions; join other local families to learn more about autism and ways to strengthen the home-school partnership (19 May 2022 - 9 June 2022).
Autism Hub Professional Learning
The Department of Education Autism Hub is offering a series of educator and parent webinars throughout Term 2 (Supporting self-management strategies , Making and maintaining friendships, Strategies to support school refusal , Supporting learning using student preferences, Supporting your child in junior secondary).
AEIOU Foundation - Let’s get awesome for Autism
An all inclusive event where everyone can show their support for children with autism; every single child deserves to feel included and accepted and have access to appropriate education and care services (17 June 2022).
Brisbane Fresh Futures Market
Recognised as Queensland’s premiere events for supporting students living with disability, their families and educators to identify and engage with meaningful options for life after school (17 August 2022 at Brisbane City Hall, 9am - 3pm).
Brisbane Disability Expo The Brisbane Disability Expo will link thousands of people with a disability with hundreds of product and service providers as well as presenting a range of informative and interactive presentations delivered by industry experts. People with Disability are embracing My Future, My Choice as a way to control how they want to live their lives now and plan for the future (14-15 October 2022 at the Royal International Convention Centre, 9am-3pm).
Parenting Children with ADHD
This 6-week online course provides you with a solid foundation from which to understand ADHD and better navigate family life.
Autism Queensland Workshops and Parent Professional Development and Education
School to Work for secondary students with disability
CRU are offering a series of online webinars and workshops across Queensland to assist students with disability transition from school to employment. These webinars and workshops will provide information to help students and their families build confidence and explore what work could look like for them.
Dr Jane Brown
Head of Faculty – Inclusive learning
Digital Technology
The Year 10 Digital Technologies class had the opportunity to attend The Big Day In at UQ during Week 1 of Term 2.
The BiG Day In events are aimed at senior secondary school and university students interested in careers in ICT and technology. BiG Day In helps students obtain more information about ICT and technology careers, and hopefully helps them make a better informed decision about their future. BiG Day In events are held on University campuses around Australia (where possible) to give students an insight into what ‘university life’ might look like.
Students will listen to seven presentations throughout the day from organisations/speakers discussing subjects including career paths, career opportunities, the latest developments, the future of technology and much more. Presenters include WiseTech Global, Adobe, IBM, Microsoft, Westpac, Google, NAB, TechnologyOne, Avanade, Department of Human Services, CBA, Animal Logic, Apple, Defence Force Recruiting, CBA and a host of SME organisations to name just a few.
Some of our students had the opportunity to win some prizes too. It was an enjoyable and informative experience for everyone who attended.
Years 9 and 10 Japanese Excursion
On Friday 6 May, fifteen Year 9 and 10 Japanese language students embarked on a cultural excursion across Brisbane, under the direction of Mr. Eichinski and Ms. Yamaguchi.
We departed from the College to the Japanese Consulate General in the Brisbane CBD. Cultural Affairs Officer Shannon Whiley taught us about the types of jobs that exist within the consulate, and spoke about Japanese food and clothing. She also spoke to us about the types of career pathways that become possibilities in the future if he remain committed to learning and practicing Japanese. After finishing up at the Consulate, everyone walked to the Queen Street Mall for lunch.
After lunch, we travelled to the Japanese Garden at Mount Coot-tha to partake in a range of cultural activities. There we split into two groups. In rotation one, we tasted a traditional Japanese tea (Matcha) and engaged in a traditional tea ceremony. In rotation two, students tried Calligraphy and wrote their names and other words in Katakana script and Kanji using ink and brushes.
The Consulate visit was very interesting and exposed us to many aspects of Japanese culture. The tea ceremony delivered an enlightening deep-dive into the ancient origins of tea and the accompanying customs, which are still in use today. The Calligraphy rotation provided us with the opportunity to understand how ancient scholars created the Chinese and Japanese scripts. Thank you to Mr. Eichinski and Ms. Yamaguchi for making this excursion possible.
Xander Eyles, 9A Japanese
