Barbreck Update – Encouraging each other on

The term has been moving steadily with Week 3 already completed, and the girls well settled. This week has seen many activities, learning and traditions.

 Athletics Day

Once again Mr Crebbin and Mrs de Nardis worked their magic to hold a wonderful Athletics Day for girls in Years 3-6. Their magic also extended to the weather that held off until our return. It was a day full of sprints, jumps and throws, with girls encouraging each other on, and each doing their best to help their House points tally.

Congratulations to all girls who competed on the day and to Davis House on their win!

Mother’s Day

It is that wonderful time of year when we acknowledge and appreciate all that our mums do for us and are able to appreciate them on Mother’s Day. We wish all of our Barbreck mothers a wonderful day spent with loved ones intent on spoiling them!

How Students are supported at Barbreck

Barbreck teachers and specialist staff are proud to offer a high level of support to their students. This support is provided by classroom teachers, subject specific teachers, Learning Plus staff, Extension teachers, the English Language Support teacher and the Junior School Educational Psychologist. All of these provide various forms of support.

The diagram below shows how students are supported. The bell curve is a graph that depicts the normal distribution of students (in this case either across a year level or a school), which has a shape reminiscent of a bell. The ends of the graph depict low numbers of students, while the centre of the graph shows high numbers of students.

Learning Plus Support provided to students identified under the NCCD (Nationally Consistent Collection of Data) as requiring the following levels of support: Quality Differentiated Teaching Practices, Supplementary, Substantial or Extensive. Support is provided through small group work and specialised programs when required.
In-class Support can be offered to students who are experiencing minor challenges with a particular area of learning or skill. It can be offered in the following ways:

  • Small group work
  • Individual support
  • Collegial Practice Support – when an additional teacher provides support
  • Differentiated practices
In-class Enrichment is provided to students performing above average with particular areas of learning or skill. Enrichment enables consolidation and depth of learning. It can be offered in the following ways;

  • Small group work
  • Individual support
  • Collegial Practice Support – when an additional teacher provides support
  • Differentiated practices
Extension is provided for those students performing above year level expectations in Maths and English. They are identified through standardised assessments. Support is provided through small groups work or one on one support, and specialised programs when required.

The Barbreck Educational Psychologist, Ms Fiona Ganino-Day, and the English Language Support Teacher, Mrs Susan Duffy, support students across all year levels with the level and type of support dependent on the individual needs of the students.

It is important to note that at various times, students may find they are having challenges with some content or skill development and are allocated to a group with other girls experiencing the same challenges. This grouping enables the teacher to target instruction at their level of need and, as such, supports them to progress with their learning.

At other times, students might progress through some areas of learning with ease and require some enrichment support so they can deepen their understanding and apply their new learning to new situations. These grouping are not static and teachers will move girls in and out of these groups when required.

All support is aimed at students’ levels of requirement in order to make sustained progress.

Year 6 Leaders in Hoodies

At assembly last week, the Year 6 girls, as leaders of Barbreck received their hoodies. This has been a long-held tradition at Barbreck and one the girls look forward to in Year 6. We were fortunate to have Dr Katie Allen MP at our assembly, and she helped Ms McArdle present the girls with their hoodies. The girls love wearing them and can be seen at School wearing them proudly in cold or warm weather – they don’t want to take them off!

 

 

 

 

 

Out of School Hours Care

St Catherine’s School offers an Out of School Hours Care program to all ELC and Junior School families. The program is implemented by our provider ‘After the Bell’, and operates within the ELC building. Parents are reminded that if you need to use the Before School Care or After School Care service, registrations need to be made in advance with ‘After the Bell’. Please allow up to five business days for your registration to be processed before your child can begin attending the program. Registration is free. All families are encouraged to register so that you can use this service in the event that you are unable to pick up your child.

Before School Care – 7.00am to 8.45am

After School Care – 3.00pm to 6.00pm

Registrations can be completed via the ‘After the Bell’ website.
Please phone 9758 6744 for all enquiries.

Ms Karen McArdle, Head of Junior School