NAPLAN Week, Yet School Life Flourishes! Despite this being the week of NAPLAN testing for all students in Australian education Years 3, 5 7 and 9, CCPS regards this as being a normal busy week for the children. No extra emphasis is placed on NAPLAN testing; we only want the children to be aware of the test types so that they can show their skills and learning, without too much anxiety for little ones especially. There are a couple of aspects to NAPLAN that are worth noting: firstly, if a child is free from anxiety and focused confidently, they will think clearly, remember well, and perform to their best. If they perform at their best, their Teachers will gain very valuable data that they can use to help them further with their learning, for any gaps, or misunderstandings. NAPLAN provides very valuable data for the Teachers to use to help the children. A second aspect is that testing has become increasingly important in Australian education, so test experience is vital to be learned. That is why our Teachers focus on the children knowing the test types, so they are not confused or misunderstand what is required in their responses. This in turn will give them greater confidence and ‘test readiness’, as they grow, until in Year 12, the new centrally devised externally tested Qld Curriculum and Assessment Brisbane based educational authority in Queensland, will independently and ‘anonymously’ provide very formal testing synchronised across the state for all students in any one subject. This is a major change; so NAPLAN is a very important experience for the children to have, and we wish them well. In other news, it was great to have the boys’ volleyball team hosting Immanuel College at our beautiful Raelene Boyle Hall on Wednesday in our first ‘home game’. We are very proud to be able to give our volleyballers this wonderful experience at School. On Tuesday, our Service Captains, Kayleigh Brighton and Adon Wyatt, with me attended the Centaur Memorial Service at Caloundra Headland. It is a highly significant and very poignant event that our School recognises each year. Our Athletics Carnival was very successfully conducted with many enthusiastic and joyous experiences on the tartan track at University of Sunshine Coast, with the field events in the pit, or on grass. Congratulations to all competitors, and Awards will be presented at the Whole School Assembly on Wednesday next week. We are very proud of our girls’ dance group for their performance at Eisteddfod last Friday. The group was awarded a Highly Commended for their dance routine. Thank you very much to Ms Ryan, Angelique Penman, Audrey Spencer and Jessica McWhinnie (Yr 8) for their preparation, choreography and creative outfits for the girls in a very accomplished performance which they showed on School Assembly earlier last week. Photographs of the girls are on the School’s Facebook page. A reminder that SchoolTV’s extensive Prof Michael Carr-Gregg’s psychology resources can now be accessed through the School’s Homepage; and consultations are available with Mrs Evans our Wellbeing Co-ordinator. Thank you again to our wonderful P&F led by Michelle Fowler, for the Mother’s Day breakfast last Thursday morning, helped by many dads, and with many beaming children in the bright sunshine. It was a very happy occasion and it is so good to have so many of our mums together. In staffing news, I am delighted to announce that MrsPatricia Hatcher will take over from Ms Stuart as the Senior School’s Teacher of Visual Art and Design subjects. Mrs Hatcher has been Head of Department in a Brisbane school for thirteen years, as well as teaching Art in Monto for five years prior to that. She is a highly accomplished leader in her field. She has moved to the Sunshine Coast with her husband and their two daughters. We look forward to working with her very much. Dr Dirk Wellham – Principal