St Clare's Catholic High School Principal Kevin Jones shared his NAPLAN tips.
With NAPLAN returning this week for the first time since COVID-19, local schools are preparing to support students in the Nation-wide assessment for students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. For many schools, this is the first time that NAPLAN will be conducted online.
St Bernadette’s Primary Lalor Park Principal Phillip Kapitanow has a reassuring message for mums and dads of students in primary school sitting the test, especially first time candidates in Year 3.
“Talk to your child about NAPLAN and ensure they understand what will be taking place,” Phillip said. “It's important that students understand that doing their best is all that is expected.”
“Simple things like ensuring they eat a good breakfast and have a calm start to the school day, is the best way to help,” he said. “Remember, NAPLAN results don't define a student's academic achievement, rather it provides a snapshot of progress that can be built on.”
Years 7 and 9 students at St Clare’s Catholic High School Hassall Grove will be sitting the NAPLAN tests this week too. Principal Kevin Jones also has some wisdom to share with parents and carers of these young people.
“It is not a race or competition but it can provide important information that we can use in guiding our planning for our students' learning,” Kevin said. “The NAPLAN process provides teachers with valuable data about students' abilities and is designed to provide a snapshot in time of each student's ability to read, to write and use important numeracy skills.”
Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta Executive Director Greg Whitby says that the cancellation of NAPLAN in 2020 due to COVID-19 showed just how important it is that schools have lots of different ways to collect information about student progress and achievement.
“NAPLAN is just one source of information about how children are travelling in their learning journey at school,” Greg said. “We need to make sure that this information is used well in the classroom and backed up with other regular checks on growth and progress.”
There has been ongoing debate about the future of NAPLAN. For the time being, NAPLAN exams continue, and will begin on 11 May 2021.
Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
www.parra.catholic.edu.au
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17 Jul 2025
From Facebook
Did you know that the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel originated in the 13th century, linked to the Carmelite Order's devotion to Mary on Mount Carmel in Israel. The feast is closely associated with the Brown Scapular, which, according to tradition, Mary gave to St. Simon Stock, a Carmelite leader, with promises of protection and grace. While the Carmelites began celebrating the feast, it eventually became a universal celebration within the Catholic Church. In many Catholic communities, the feast is marked with special Masses, prayers, and processions, with a focus on Mary's role as a source of comfort and intercession. Our Parish will celebrate at 10am on Sunday 20 July. As a school community, we will celebrate our feast day on Friday 25th, starting with a mass at 12:15pm and followed by a playground picnic to honour Grandparents Day. All are welcome to attend ❤️![763565872230263_1253717589881753-1]()
16 Jul 2025
From Facebook
Are You Getting Ready for K&R???? Remember to participate in K&R..... -All students must be able to open and close car doors as they get into cars (Teachers are not allowed to assist students in opening and closing car doors). -Students must enter the car from the door behind the passenger seat (The Safety Door). So if you have a baby seat this has to be moved to the other side of the car. -All students will need to be able to put their bag in the car themselves. -All bags and instruments need to be placed in either the back or front seat by students- not in the boot. No one is able to access the car boot at any time on Kiss & Ride. -Students must be able to buckle themselves independently. -Parents are to remain inside the car at all times. If your child cannot independently complete all of the above steps, you are required to park your car and collect your child from the Office side gate between 3:10pm-3:25pm.
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17 Jul 2025
From Facebook
Did you know that the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel originated in the 13th century, linked to the Carmelite Order's devotion to Mary on Mount Carmel in Israel. The feast is closely associated with the Brown Scapular, which, according to tradition, Mary gave to St. Simon Stock, a Carmelite leader, with promises of protection and grace. While the Carmelites began celebrating the feast, it eventually became a universal celebration within the Catholic Church. In many Catholic communities, the feast is marked with special Masses, prayers, and processions, with a focus on Mary's role as a source of comfort and intercession. Our Parish will celebrate at 10am on Sunday 20 July. As a school community, we will celebrate our feast day on Friday 25th, starting with a mass at 12:15pm and followed by a playground picnic to honour Grandparents Day. All are welcome to attend ❤️
16 Jul 2025
From Facebook
Are You Getting Ready for K&R???? Remember to participate in K&R..... -All students must be able to open and close car doors as they get into cars (Teachers are not allowed to assist students in opening and closing car doors). -Students must enter the car from the door behind the passenger seat (The Safety Door). So if you have a baby seat this has to be moved to the other side of the car. -All students will need to be able to put their bag in the car themselves. -All bags and instruments need to be placed in either the back or front seat by students- not in the boot. No one is able to access the car boot at any time on Kiss & Ride. -Students must be able to buckle themselves independently. -Parents are to remain inside the car at all times. If your child cannot independently complete all of the above steps, you are required to park your car and collect your child from the Office side gate between 3:10pm-3:25pm.
15 Jul 2025
From Facebook
Year 3 were buzzing with learning last term! In Maths, students explored 2D shapes, learning to identify polygons, non-polygons, and shapes with parallel lines. We took our learning outdoors to find real-life examples around the playground, helping students connect maths to the world around them. In English, students unpacked the power of persuasive language through a multimodal text. They explored high modality words, different sentence types like explanatory and imperative sentences, and analysed how images can influence meaning. To apply their learning, students created persuasive posters about alpine dingoes, linking to our class text Wandi. In Religion, they focused on learning about the Holy Spirit and the Trinity, exploring symbols of God’s presence and reflecting on how God is present in our everyday lives — through people’s actions, nature, and the Trinity itself. A standout this term was our History inquiry, exploring the impact of British settlement on Aboriginal people. In groups, students investigated different aspects of Aboriginal life, including food, shelter, transport, music, and clothing. They worked collaboratively to research their topic and presented their findings to the class. We concluded this unit with an engaging excursion to the Sydney Museum, participating in the Whose Place program.
10 Jul 2025
From Facebook
Year 4 were absolute superstars during Term 2, stepping into the shoes of Ned Kelly and early convicts to write powerful, persuasive letters. They impressed their teachers with their creativity, empathy and thoughtful writing as they imagined what life was like all those years ago. So at the end of the Term, they celebrated all their hard work with a well-deserved Reward Day—full of board games, fun and laughter! 🎲🎉 Well done, Year 4! You earned it!
04 Jul 2025
From Facebook
There’s something magical about hearing a familiar tune drift through the school yard, and today, that magic came courtesy of one very talented student! Jonah has been practising this classic on his saxophone, and it’s safe to say his done the artist proud. It’s moments like these that remind us just how much talent and passion lives in our school community. We can’t wait to hear what song Jonah will tackle next, though it’ll be hard to top that famous sax solo! Take a listen and see if you can pick the song
02 Jul 2025
From Facebook
The task is called ‘Labubu’s Perfect Fit!’ Designed to test our knowledge and understanding of 3D objects and volume. And with a warm up that encourages us to practise our learning using balloons, who said maths wasn’t the best thing to learn all day 🫶🏽
30 Jun 2025
From Facebook
Today we had so many things to celebrate! We had class merits to appreciate and star cards recipients to recognise. Today we were also able to present one of our Stage 2 boys team with their medals from last weeks soccer gala day. They took out their pool, being undefeated and scoring a tonne of goals! We also acknowledged all of the boys and girls who participated in last weeks gala day, they represented OLMC with absolute pride and determination 💙💛🩵
27 Jun 2025
From Facebook
On Wednesday 25th June, we proudly took four enthusiastic Stage Two teams—two girls’ teams and two boys’ teams—to the Soccer Gala Day. Despite the wild and windy weather, our students showed resilience and determination as they played multiple games, scored plenty of goals, and most importantly, had an incredible amount of fun! Our teams represented our school with passion and pride, demonstrating excellent sportsmanship and teamwork throughout the day. It was a joy to see their enthusiasm on the field and their support for one another off the field. A heartfelt thank you goes to the dedicated teachers who attended and supported our students, as well as our wonderful parent helpers who generously gave their time to manage teams on the day. A special congratulations to our Stage Two boys’ teams competing in Pool D who were crowned winners of their pool—remaining undefeated all day. What an outstanding achievement! Well done, boys! We are so proud of all our students for the way they represented OLMC.
24 Jun 2025
From Facebook
Over the past 3 weeks, Mrs Anderiesz and Mrs Diaz have been conducting sacramental sessions for those students who are preparing to receive their sacrament of First Reconciliation. This Sacrament is the ultimate gift of God’s grace and mercy. It acknowledges that God understands our human nature and has provided for that through unconditional forgiveness. It is a Sacrament that over our lifetime we continue to recieve and continue to need to ensure we remain close to God. However, it is also a Sacrament that signifies our responsibility to examine our conscious and ask for forgiveness. Our Lord never moves away from us, it is our actions that move us away from God. It is therefore a process of spiritual renewal and healing, offering an opportunity to restore one's relationship with God and the Church.
23 Jun 2025
From Facebook
We thank our Yr6 students for leading our community in prayer this morning and congratulate all of our Week 9 Merit and Star Card Award recipients and look forward to another successful week of learning and friendship.
20 Jun 2025
From Facebook
What a vibrant and busy week it’s been in Year 5! In Writing, we’ve been diving deep into the world of figurative language, using similes, metaphors, and personification to bring our picture book ideas to life. The creativity has been flowing, and our classrooms are buzzing with imaginative storytelling and powerful descriptions! In Mathematics, we’ve been getting hands-on with volume and capacity, using our skills to solve all kinds of real-life problems! From mystery drink mixes to leaky taps and party planning, we've been converting, comparing, and calculating our way through some exciting challenges. Who knew litres and millilitres could be so much fun? History took an exciting twist with a fast-paced game of History Jeopardy! Students competed in teams, answering questions worth different point values as they tested their knowledge of early Australian colonies. The competition was fierce, and the learning was energised with laughter and friendly rivalry. In Religion, we’ve been learning about the early Church and its lasting impact. Our investigations took us into the Council of Nicaea and the Council of Constantinople, where we discovered the significant decisions that helped shape the Church as we know it today. The students have been intrigued by how these historical events still influence our beliefs. To top off the week, we participated in a fascinating Cleanaway incursion, where we explored the incredible amount of resources it takes to get food onto our plates. Did you know it takes 17,100 litres of water to produce just 1kg of chocolate? Or that a lettuce can take 25 years to break down in landfill? We were shocked to learn that the average household wastes around $3000 worth of food each year, and we discussed simple ways we can all help minimise food waste at home and school. It was an eye-opening and engaging session that left us feeling empowered to make a difference! As always, Year 5 continues to learn, grow, and shine!